Zhuo Riyan staggered as the four remaining Golden Apes closed in, their roars shaking the branches above. His ribs felt cracked, his breath uneven, but his eyes—those sharp purple eyes—were still blazing with a mad determination.
He lowered his stance and pressed two fingers to the ground.
Think. Don't fight them head-on. Use their strength, their habits, their fucking pride against them.
In the past, Xiao Xiao had taught him something vital:
"A beast that grows up in a forest will always trust the trees more than its own instincts."
Zhuo Riyan's lips curved into a cold smile.
"Alright, monkeys… let's see how much you trust these trees."
The apes charged all at once, arms swinging, claws out, their combined pressure strong enough to crush a normal Beast Vein cultivator instantly.
Zhuo Riyan didn't move.
He waited.
Closer.
Closer.
At the last second—
He stamped his foot and activated the Cosmic Thunderfiend Body.
Purple lightning blew apart the ground around him.
Boom!
He darted backward and sliced his hand across his palm. Blood splattered on a smooth tree trunk behind him.
The nearest ape pounded the ground and roared. It jumped toward him with both fists raised.
Zhuo Riyan dodged sideways, sliding on one knee, letting the ape smash straight into the trunk.
Crack—
The trunk split, blood smeared across the bark glowing faintly.
The ape froze in confusion.
Zhuo Riyan shot to his feet and taunted, "Hey shit-face! Over here!"
Another ape roared and jumped at him.
Zhuo Riyan spun on his heel, slipping between two trees at an angle that only a thunder-enhanced body could achieve. As he passed, he dragged his bloody fingers along another trunk.
Two marked trees.
Two confused apes.
But the apes kept attacking. Their instincts told them to pin him down and smash him—but each time they lunged, Zhuo Riyan dodged through the forest's natural maze, deliberately moving around the same marked trees.
Two minutes later—
Four apes stood near the same bloody trunks, forming a tight cluster.
Zhuo Riyan landed on a broken branch overhead, chest heaving.
Now.
He snapped his fingers.
The purple thunder in his body erupted violently as he channeled it into the blood on his hand.
Thunder followed blood.
The blood smeared on the trees lit up like glowing symbols.
Crackle—!!
Purple lightning surged out, shooting across tree bark, roots, and air like crawling serpents.
It linked every marked trunk.
The apes didn't understand.
They tried to move—
Too late.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!
A massive network of lightning exploded around them, frying the air, the branches, and all four Golden Apes at once.
Their bodies convulsed violently as purple arcs tore through their fur, skin, and muscles.
They screamed—
Then dropped to their knees.
One managed to lift its head slightly.
Zhuo Riyan dropped from the tree right in front of it and smashed a thunder-coated fist into its skull.
Boom.
It died instantly.
The remaining three collapsed seconds later, smoking, twitching, their bodies charred black.
Zhuo Riyan stood surrounded by the corpses, panting heavily. Blood dripped from his lip, his clothes torn, his knuckles cracked.
But victory was his.
He wiped the corner of his mouth and smirked.
"Strategy, bitches."
Then he looked to the right, where faint thunder echoed through the trees.
The little cat was probably done already.
Zhuo Riyan whispered with a grin—
"Time to reunite before that damn cat starts bragging again."
Zhuo Riyan's pupils slowly faded back to black as he deactivated his Cosmic Thunderfiend Body, the thunder around him dying out. His muscles ached like hell, but he forced himself to walk back toward the spot where he and the little cat had split up.
Before he could take more than a dozen steps, a small figure casually strolled out from behind a tree—clean fur, shiny whiskers, and not a single goddamn scratch.
Little cat spotted him and immediately smirked.
"So you're still alive, master? I thought you'd be half dead by now."
Zhuo Riyan's eyelid twitched. The cat was spotless—no blood, no dirt, not even ruffled fur. Meanwhile, Zhuo Riyan looked like he had been rolled down the mountain five times.
"How the hell are you unscratched, you damn cat?" he snapped.
Little cat hopped gracefully onto his shoulder and sat down like a prince.
"Well, I'm not weak like you, master. If you call me Elder Brother, maybe I'll teach you a trick to become truly powerful."
Zhuo Riyan flicked the cat's forehead hard.
"Dream on. Now help me find the Three Leaf Frozen Grass."
Little cat hissed and rubbed his forehead, but didn't argue.
Zhuo Riyan leapt up onto a tree trunk and began moving through the branches at high speed. The forest flashed by beneath him as he searched.
The sixth region was huge. They searched for a long time, killing a few beasts along the way, but not a single Three Leaf Frozen Grass showed up.
Zhuo Riyan grew more and more irritated.
"Damn it… don't tell me everything has been plucked!" he cursed.
Unable to waste more time, he rushed straight toward the fifth region.
After a while, he landed in the fifth region's territory. Without stopping to rest, he immediately resumed searching through every patch of grass, every cold pond, every shaded area where the herb could grow.
Little cat sniffed the air from his shoulder.
"I'll check for the scent, master… but don't expect miracles. If someone collected all the grass before, even my nose won't save you."
Zhuo Riyan clenched his fists.
"I don't care. We will find it. Even if I have to rip this whole damn forest apart."
And with that determination burning in his chest, the two of them continued deeper into the fifth region.
Meanwhile, deep in the Fourth Region, two white-cloaked figures flashed across the tree trunks, moving so fast the branches barely swayed. Their cloaks carried the emblem of Heaven Academy.
Both were women. Their faces were hidden, but their hair danced in the wind—one white as fresh snow, the other soft pink.
The white-haired woman spoke first.
"Junior Sister, are you sure Evil's Sanctum is making a move in the Hundred Beasts Mountains?"
The pink-haired woman kept running, eyes sharp.
"I'm not sure. But Master said his spy sent a message. Evil's Sanctum is up to something, and he gave me the mission to annihilate them."
She clenched her fist.
"So we end it today."
The two streaked forward, shooting toward the Third Region like falling stars.