"What?"
The Ancient Ape had thought that the human before him was so weak that it could crush him easily. Who could have thought that the other party would release so many Saint realm puppets at once? Frightened out of its wits, it immediately tried to flee.
However, with so many puppets making a move simultaneously, how could it possibly escape?
Pilipala!
The sound of fists and kicks sinking into flesh echoed in the air.
Having gained the experience of dealing with the Byzantium Helios Beast, the puppets didn't waste any time dealing with the Ancient Ape.
It didn't take long for the Ancient Ape to be beaten black and blue, and it looked as if it was on the verge of death.
"Don't kill me, I'm willing to become your tamed beast..."
On the verge of death, the Ancient Ape couldn't care less about its dignity as a saint beast anymore and roared furiously.
"There's no need for that!"
Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually.
Having a Saint 1-dan pinnacle saint beast as his tamed beast would indeed make things much easier for him, but since it was the one who killed Wei Changfeng... a debt of blood must be paid in blood!
Otherwise, if he were to save Wei Ruyan in the future and she were to ask about his father's murderer, how was he supposed to answer to her?
"Kill it!"
Waving his hands, Zhang Xuan decided not to bother with the other party anymore before drawing his soul out.
Since the Heaven's Path zhenqi was unable to save his physical body, he decided to see if his soul could do the same.
Zhang Xuan took a look around and shook his head helplessly.
Wei Changfeng's injuries were simply too severe. If not for the fatherly love in his heart, he would have already died by now.
By the time Zhang Xuan let down his guard, his soul had already been sucked into the depths of the abyss.
Putting aside him, even if Kong Shi were to come back to life, there was no way he could save Wei Changfeng.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of your daughter and make sure that she survives!" Zhang Xuan shook his head as he returned his soul back to his body.
Even though he hadn't interacted with Wei Changfeng for long, and most of them were unpleasant memories, the latter was willing to give up anything for his daughter, even his life.
Knowing that it was impossible to save Wei Changfeng, Zhang Xuan kept Wei Changfeng's corpse into his storage ring before turning his gaze back to the Ancient Ape. It was already on the verge of death under the assault of the puppets.
Even though it was a Saint 1-dan pinnacle cultivator, against twenty powerful puppets that didn't know pain, it could only watch on helplessly.
"Human, as long as you don't kill me, I can use my secret to trade with you..." Seeing Zhang Xuan looking at it, the Ancient Ape gritted its teeth.
It knew that if it didn't speak, the other party would really kill it, so it could only take a gamble.
"Secret? What secret? "Zhang Xuan frowned.
"It's the Earth Vein Spirit Essence! As long as you don't kill me, I'll bring you there … "the Ancient Ape hurriedly said.
"Earth Vein Spirit Essence?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
"That's right. These are spiritual energy liquid droplets formed from the earth's spirit veins. They are extremely effective for cultivators below the Saint Domain. In fact, they can even replace Spirit Stones!"
The Ancient Ape said.
Zhang Xuan's heart thumped.
What he lacked the most right now were spirit stones and spiritual energy. If there was something that could replace them, then there would be no need for him to spend so much money.
Even though Zhang Xuan had never heard of Earth Vein Spirit Essence before, given that it was something formed from the convergence of the earth's spirit veins, it was bound to be extremely valuable.
"The reason why the saint beasts of the Cloudmist Ridge forbid humans from entering is to protect this artifact. As long as you don't kill me, I'll bring you over …"
The Ancient Ape said once more.
"Even if I kill you, I can still enter!"
Paying no heed to the Ancient Ape, Zhang Xuan gestured for the puppets to continue their assault. At the same time, he drew his soul out and formed a series of hand seals.
The means of a soul oracle … Soul Search!
As the murderer of Wei Changfeng, the Ancient Ape had to die. There was no room for negotiation.
Under normal circumstances, given Zhang Xuan's current cultivation, it was impossible for him to conduct a Soul Search on a Saint realm cultivator. However, the soul of saint beasts was weaker than a Saint realm cultivator, and the Ancient Ape was already on the verge of death. Even if it wanted to resist, it was already too late.
Furthermore, Vicious was helping him by the side, so it wasn't too difficult to carry out the Soul Search.
Tzzzzz!
Zhang Xuan grabbed the Ancient Ape's soul, and the memories and knowledge it contained flowed into his mind.
"There is indeed Earth Vein Spirit Essence!"
Soon, Zhang Xuan finished browsing through the memories, and his eyes lit up.
The Ancient Ape wasn't lying to him. There was indeed Earth Vein Spirit Essence in the Cloudmist Ridge. The reason why the saint beasts were unwilling to allow humans to enter was to protect this secret.
It seemed like the Ancient Ape wasn't lying to him in order to survive.
Had it been anyone else, they would have spared its life for the sake of the Earth Vein Spirit Essence. However, never in its wildest dreams could it have imagined that the young man before it was a soul oracle who possessed the ability to Soul Search!
"Even though there is Earth Vein Spirit Essence, the area is fraught with danger. On top of that, there are four saint beasts of the same cultivation realm guarding it … If I were to let that fellow lead the way, even with so many puppets, I would still be surrounded!"
Even though the Earth Vein Spirit Essence was real, the Ancient Ape wasn't speaking the truth.
If Zhang Xuan were to follow behind the Ancient Ape, he would probably be surrounded by four Saint realm 1-dan pinnacle saint beasts. On top of that, there were countless Half-Saint and Nascent Saint beasts as well. Even with the number of puppets he had, there was a good chance that he would lose his life!
After all, even though the puppets weren't afraid of battle, they still expended spiritual energy.
After using it several times in the underground chamber, Zhang Xuan had already depleted more than half of the spiritual energy he had accumulated in the underground chamber. Without the accumulation of spiritual energy in the underground chamber, it wouldn't be easy for him to infuse spiritual energy into the Ancient Ape.
Once the puppets lost their effectiveness, he would be doomed if he were to fall into the hands of the saint beasts.
It could be said that even though the Ancient Ape was on the verge of death, it was still plotting against Zhang Xuan.
Indeed, those who weren't of the same species were bound to have different intentions.
After the Soul Search was done, the Ancient Ape's soul dissipated into nothingness. Zhang Xuan stowed the inner core, fur, and other items into his storage ring and fell into deep thought.
"Based on what the Ancient Ape said, the Earth Vein Spirit Essence is formed by the accumulation of spiritual energy. Even though its purity can't be compared to high-tier spirit stones, it is much easier to absorb. It can even be used on plants. If I were to feed it to an immature Ten-leafed Flower … it would definitely be able to make it bloom within a day! "
After studying the effects of the Earth Vein Spirit Essence, Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Even though spirit stones contained a huge amount of spiritual energy, it wasn't as easy to absorb as the Earth Vein Spirit Essence. It was just like how he had carved a Spirit Gathering Formation Plate in order to raise his cultivation swiftly in the past.
If one were to view spirit stones as coal, the Earth Vein Spirit Essence as gasoline.
Even though coal burned at a higher temperature and lasted longer, in terms of efficiency and efficiency, it paled in comparison to gasoline.
If Zhang Xuan could obtain the Earth Vein Spirit Essence, he would no longer have to worry about the several hundred high-tier spirit stones required to cultivate at Saint realm anymore.
"The Earth Vein Spirit Essence is located at the very center of the Cloudmist Ridge, not too far away from here. However … there are four Saint 1-dan pinnacle spirit beasts guarding it, as well as countless Half-Saint and Nascent Saint realm cultivators … It will be difficult for me to get there!"
Since he knew of the existence of the Earth Vein Spirit Essence, naturally, he wanted to obtain it. However … given his current strength, he would surely die a horrible death if he were to force his way through.
Even though Vicious was able to suppress Saint 1-dan pinnacle beasts easily, he was still helpless against the overwhelming number of beasts.
After all, he had just awakened, and he was only in the shape of a heart. His strength was far from what it used to be.
Besides, the Ancient Ape was an Otherworldly Demon, so there was no need for him to act recklessly. If he were to be surrounded, it would be difficult for him to escape.
As such, it was best for him to rely on his own strength for such matters.
He didn't wish to place his life in the hands of a mere heart.
"I should try using my soul instead!"
After a moment of contemplation, a thought surfaced in Zhang Xuan's mind.
No matter how well he hid himself, the countless spirit beasts and saint beasts would be able to notice him. On the other hand, his soul was different.
As long as his soul hadn't been cultivated to a certain level, even saint beasts wouldn't be able to notice his presence.
If he could make use of his soul wisely, he might be able to sneak in and retrieve the Earth Vein Spirit Essence.
"I'll do that then!"
Without any hesitation, Zhang Xuan sat down on the floor and drew his soul out.
With a light grab, he stowed his physical body into his storage ring.
The Myriad Anthive Nest was already extremely crowded with the Byzantium Helios Beast and the Anthive Queen, so it was impossible for his physical body to enter. In any case, a soulless physical body was no different from a corpse. Even if he placed it in his storage ring, it wouldn't be too much of a hindrance.
"What should I do with my storage ring?"
Since the storage ring contained his physical body and clone, it would be safer for him to carry it around with him. Otherwise, if he were to leave his physical body in the Myriad Anthive Nest and some spirit beast were to find him, it would be too late for regrets.
However, his soul was intangible, making it difficult for others to notice him. If he were to wear the storage ring, it would be as good as having a target on him.
"Right … the Myriad Ants!"
Zhang Xuan thought.
While he couldn't wear the storage ring, he could get the Myriad Ants to do so!
Even though the Myriad Ants were small in size, they were still spirit beasts, and they possessed extraordinary strength. It wouldn't be a problem for them to carry a storage ring around.
On top of that, they were able to communicate with one another, so Zhang Xuan could avoid the presence of spirit beasts and saint beasts in advance, allowing him to discreetly tail his soul and bring the storage ring to wherever he wanted.
Even if he were to be discovered, as long as his soul wasn't safe, he could still find a way to retrieve it.
"It's settled then!"
With a thought, Zhang Xuan contacted the Myriad Anthive Queen, and a Myriad Ant immediately flew over and placed the storage ring on the latter's body. As expected, it was able to carry the storage ring easily.
"Great! Stay close to the ground and fly through the grass …"
Seeing that the idea was feasible, Zhang Xuan instructed the Myriad Anthive Queen before flying toward the center of the Cloudmist Ridge.
Through the Soul Search of the Ancient Ape, Zhang Xuan had gained a rough idea of the situation of the spirit beasts in the Cloudmist Ridge. On top of that, the Myriad Anthive Queen was able to help him avoid the detection of the spirit beasts easily. In less than two hours, he arrived before a towering cliff.
In front of the cliff was a massive lake. A stream of water flowed down from the top of the mountain, creating a deafening rumble. It formed a long, winding river that extended to an unknown location.
"This is the place …"
Lifting his head, Zhang Xuan saw a massive cavern behind the stream of water. If he hadn't known about it beforehand, he wouldn't have been able to notice it at all.
Based on the Ancient Ape's memories, the Earth Vein Spirit Essence should be located in this cavern.
Not rushing into action, Zhang Xuan scanned his surroundings and saw a few saint beasts that were on par with the Ancient Ape in the area. Further away, there were at least a dozen Saint realm primary stage, intermediate stage, and advanced stage spirit beasts.
"It's fortunate that I didn't come here in my physical body …"
Upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
If he had come here in his physical body, he would have been hunted down as soon as he arrived.
As long as he didn't exert any of his strength, it wouldn't be easy for the other party to notice him.
(I recommend the new book by the legendary Pugilistic Cat, I Am a Cultivator. Lastly, it's already the end of the month. Please give me two monthly tickets.)
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