Chapter 119, Pale Ghost Commander and Ruthless

Translator: Raznick

 

Zhou Chun was initially taken aback, then his expression shifted to one of shock.

 

It was understandable; this item was exceptionally rare and precious.

 

Heart Soul Fruit increased a cultivator’s Divine Sense, and the lower their cultivation when taken, the better the effect.

 

It was even said that this was a rare ingredient for making a pill for opening the Violet Palace.

 

Therefore, this treasure rarely circulated in the market at all, and its value could not be measured by any normal price.

 

At this point, after his shock subsided, Zhou Chun looked intently at the grey-clad elder and questioned, “Are you speaking the truth? Does this place truly contain a Heart Soul Fruit?”

 

“Absolutely!”

 

The grey-clad elder nodded with a smile, confirming his words.

 

From Zhou Chun’s reaction, he knew that Zhou Chun was now interested.

 

Indeed, how many Qi Refining cultivators would remain unmoved after hearing the name Heart Soul Fruit?

 

If he could take a Heart Soul Fruit during Qi Refining, once he reached Foundation Establishment, his Divine Sense would be two or three times stronger than the average.

 

What a boon that would be!

 

As if on cue, Zhou Chun quickly stated with a resolute expression, “Alright, if there really is a Heart Soul Fruit, then cooperating is no problem.”

 

Hearing those words, the old man revealed an expression of approval and smiled gently: “That’s what I wanted to hear. Fellow Daoist is so young yet already possesses this level of cultivation; if you can take a Heart Soul Fruit before Foundation Establishment, your future will be limitless!”

 

“Now, tell me about the Heart Soul Fruit. A treasure like that will undoubtedly be guarded by a beast, and the fact that you’re willing to share it with someone suggests that the beast guarding it must be extraordinarily strong.”

 

Zhou Chun waved his hand, but he had no time for the old man’s sweet talk and immediately asked about the specifics.

 

Hearing him say that, the old man in gray had no choice but to describe the Heart Soul Fruit’s situation.

 

“If what you say is true, and the beast guarding the Heart Soul Fruit is something like a Pale Ghost Ape, then it’s no wonder you’re seeking assistance!”

 

After listening to the old man’s account, Zhou Chun nodded slightly and seemed to believe what he was saying.

 

Zhou Chun had naturally heard of Pale Ghost Ape.

 

Although this beast was a lesser demon beast, it was strong, and when they gathered in groups, they were formidable.

 

Their innate mystical art, Screeching Soul, could shake a cultivator’s soul, making it difficult for those fighting them to concentrate.

 

Especially when multiple Pale Ghost Apes cast Screeching Soul together, they would resonate, greatly enhancing the power of the technique.

 

According to the old man, when facing a dozen Pale Ghost Apes casting Screeching Soul together, he was even unable to summon an artifact, his Divine Sense completely suppressed and disrupted.

 

Under such circumstances, even Zhou Chun himself would struggle to defeat those Pale Ghost Apes with just two spirit pets.

 

Screeching Soul also worked on demon beasts, though the effect wasn’t as immediate as it was on human cultivators.

 

Having clarified the situation, Zhou Chun was led by the gray-robed elder to a mountain forest, where he met another trial participant who had also been swayed by the elder—a red-faced old man with white hair.

 

After a brief exchange among the three, they each gave false names.

 

Zhou Chun continued to introduce himself as Han Sanse, claiming to be from Jing Kingdom’s Ridge Province.

 

The gray-robed elder said his surname was Fu and that he was from the Chen Kingdom.

 

The red-faced old man said his surname was Jiang and that he was from the Shen Kingdom.

 

Thus, the three were from three different countries.

 

After some discussion, the three were led by the gray-robed elder to the location of the Heart Soul Fruit.

 

They traveled through the forest for several miles before arriving at a valley located at the foot of a mountain.

 

“A natural extreme yin area, shrouded in mist and brimming with yin energy!”

 

Looking at the valley ahead, veiled in gray fog, Zhou Chun’s eyes flashed with surprise.

 

Such a natural extreme yin area was extremely rare in the outside world.

 

If cultivators who cultivated a yin-attribute cultivation method discovered it, they would pay any price to secure it and establish a retreat.

 

At this moment, hearing Zhou Chun’s exclamation, the gray-robed elder said with a thoughtful expression, “It’s fortunate that this place isn’t often inhabited; otherwise, if spirits here were transformed into specters and controlled by those Pale Ghost Apes, it would be even more difficult for us to obtain the Heart Soul Fruit!”

 

Hearing his words, Zhou Chun was reminded of another passage from records regarding Pale Ghost Ape.

 

Pale Ghost Ape, undead bane, possessed the ability to devour souls and command specters and was also known as Pale Ghost Commander.

 

He nodded in agreement with the gray-clad elder’s words.

 

If this were happening in the outside world, with numerous living people around, these Pale Ghost Apes might kill people to steal their souls, transforming them into undead.

 

They might then either consume specters to enhance their strength or command specters as servants to fight.

 

With such a group of Pale Ghost Apes, they would be far more difficult to handle than they were now and even beyond the ability of several Qi Refining cultivators to contend with.

 

After the trio prepared outside the valley, they stepped forward.

 

Because the valley was filled with oppressive yin energy, as soon as Zhou Chun entered the valley, he felt that the temperature had dropped significantly.

 

The plants in the valley were very scarce, and normal plants could not adapt to the environment of this place.

 

But in principle, such a place should grow many rare yin-attributed herbs.

 

However, Zhou Chun had not seen a single one.

 

This caused him to glance at the gray-clad elder and the red-faced elder, and he had reason to suspect that the two had already collected all the herbs.

 

However, this was the others’ luck, and he had nothing to say about it and could only envy their good fortune.

 

Thus, within twenty breaths of entering the valley, a piercing, unpleasant wail arose from the mist ahead, which was likely the Pale Ghost Ape inside discovering the intruders and coming to meet them.

 

He saw first a gust of yin wind rush over, making people shiver and their hairs stand on end.

 

Immediately, waves of gray-blue arrows rained down on Zhou Chun and the python.

 

Seeing this, Zhou Chun’s eyes narrowed, and he immediately used the Golden Scale Shield to protect himself while slightly shaking a small, earth-yellow flag in his hand, releasing a ball of earth-yellow spiritual light to shield his body.

 

That earth-yellow flag was a defensive artifact that he had specially prepared for this Heaven Spirit Trial.

 

As for the Silver Thunder Python, he didn’t need to worry; it directly spat out lightning, transforming into a network of electric light and energy to counter the arrows attacking it, effectively substituting defense with offense.

 

The gray-robed elder and the red-faced elder would naturally not be harmed by such minor attacks.

 

After all three, along with the python, easily blocked the first wave of attacks, the form of the Pale Ghost Ape soon appeared within Zhou Chun’s perception.

 

Covered in long fur, with a face like a vengeful spirit, and radiating an aura of chilling miasma, this was the Pale Ghost Ape’s first impression on him.

 

Just from its appearance, one could tell that it was a ferocious beast, one not to be trifled with.

 

“Fellow Daoists, let’s go as planned!”

 

With a low growl, the gray-robed elder took the lead, activating a turquoise pouch artifact, releasing a strong turquoise whirlwind that swept towards the Pale Ghost Apes.

 

At the same time, the red-faced elder raised his hand, suddenly producing a crimson feather fan.

 

He waved the fan, and a torrent of crimson searing fire burst from the fan’s surface, transforming into a long, thick dragon of flame that lunged at the ape group.

 

Seeing this, Zhou Chun didn’t want to be looked down upon, so he patted the storage bag at his waist, and a pale gold treasure vial appeared in his hand.

 

He threw the treasure vial forward, and under the impetus of spiritual power, the vial suddenly spun rapidly, spewing out a rich golden spiritual light.

 

Then, he rubbed his hands and waved them, and the golden spiritual light transformed into countless golden flying needles that shot towards the ape group.

 

This golden treasure vial artifact was also a high-quality item he had purchased from the market, compensating for his lack of area-of-effect skill.

 

At the same time, the Silver Thunder Python also spat out a silver-white lightning orb toward the troop of apes.

 

The three individuals and the python acted simultaneously; a whirlwind of wind, fire, and lightning appeared—a truly spectacular sight.

 

Those Pale Ghost Apes were thrown into disarray by this assault, and several weaker ones immediately suffered significant injuries, while the rest were wounded to varying degrees.

 

This caused them to be both frightened and enraged, and they immediately let out furious cries, unleashing the Screeching Soul technique.

 

One could see that the Pale Ghost Apes suddenly danced their claws, all gazing towards the sky and letting out howls.

 

Immediately, a soul-corroding sound that blurred the mind began to linger in the minds of Zhou Chun and the others, rendering them unable to further activate their artifact to release any attacks.

 

However, the Pale Ghost Ape maintained their long howls while ferociously waving their claws and charging toward the three.

 

It was at this moment that the Silver Thunder Python beside Zhou Chun suddenly let out a hiss and spat out a faint lightning bolt that landed on Zhou Chun.

 

The sudden lightning strike made Zhou Chun’s body tremble, and his consciousness became much clearer.

 

Then, he quickly channeled spiritual power into the golden treasure vial, causing it to once again gush out a large group of golden spiritual light, which split into three blades of golden light that slashed toward three charging Pale Ghost Apes.

 

The Silver Thunder Python also spat out a serpent-shaped forked lightning bolt toward a superior first-grade Pale Ghost Ape and proactively serpentined to greet another Pale Ghost Ape.

 

Their master and servant’s diversion shattered the enhanced version of the Screeching Soul technique formed by the collective strength of the ape troop.

 

The gray-robed elder and the red-faced elder also quickly regained their composure, quickly activating their artifact and mystical art to resist the approaching Pale Ghost Ape pounce.

 

The claws of the Pale Ghost Ape were venomous, and the venom could damage a person’s soul, making it difficult to heal with medicine.

 

The men’s skills were extraordinary; several Pale Ghost Apes simultaneously attacked, yet failed to break through their defenses.

 

Their subsequent counterattack, however, injured several Pale Ghost Apes in a single blow.

 

At this moment, one Pale Ghost Ape suddenly let out a roar, and upon hearing it, the rest of the Pale Ghost Apes immediately roared and retreated into the eerie mist, seemingly preparing to flee.

 

“Chase after them quickly; don’t let them ruin the Heart Soul Fruit!”

 

The gray-robed elder shouted loudly, urgently reminding the other two to pursue.

 

Thinking about the importance of the Heart Soul Fruit, Zhou Chun and the red-faced elder quickly chased after the Pale Ghost Ape.

 

After pursuing for three hundred meters, four Pale Ghost Apes were unable to escape and died directly under the attack of the trio and the python.

 

The remaining Pale Ghost Apes were also scattered by the killing, not daring to cluster together.

 

When Zhou Chun and the others chased to the deepest part of the valley, they saw the Pale Ghost Ape that had initially let out a roar guarding an old ape with two baby apes from drilling out of a cave and climbing up the rear mountain together.

 

At this time, the trio had the opportunity to leave the four apes behind.

 

However, the trio didn’t spare a glance at the four Pale Ghost Apes, their gaze entirely fixed on a fruit tree not far from the cave, unable to divert it even a fraction.

 

It was a sparsely leaved, bluish-gray fruit tree that looked like a persimmon tree and wasn’t very tall, only less than two or three hundred meters high.

 

At this moment, besides several dozen bluish-gray leaves that could be counted, there hung five fist-sized strange fruits on the tree.

 

Three of the strange fruits were bluish-purple, with faint silver seals on the fruit skin, seemingly already mature.

 

Another two peculiar fruits were a greenish-red hue, their rinds devoid of any silver seals, still needing further refinement.

 

“This is interesting!”

 

“Immature Heart Soul Fruit; not only are they useless, consuming them will result in poisoning.

 

“Could this truly be destiny?”

 

Zhou Chun, gazing at the five peculiar fruits on the treetop, was the first to regain his senses, his eyes flashing subtly.

 

Hearing his words hinting at something, the gray-robed elder and the red-faced elder exchanged a glance, and then the gray-robed elder nodded repeatedly, saying, “Indeed, indeed, what Fellow Daoist Han said is correct; this is truly the will of Heaven, and it’s only fitting that we three have this opportunity!”

 

The red-faced elder also shouted, “One each, that’s fair!”

 

Hearing their words, Zhou Chun’s eyes flickered, and he immediately smiled, saying, “Then let us three gather the fruits together. What do you think?”

 

“That would be best!”

 

“I have no objections.”

 

The gray-robed elder and the red-faced elder readily agreed.

 

Then, each of them selected a peculiar fruit from the tree and used an artifact to sever it along with a section of the branch. They then used Attraction to draw the falling fruit into their hands.

 

After obtaining the items, the three of them looked at each other, then instinctively drew a distance apart, and first used the jade box to store the spirit fruits before placing them inside their storage bag.

 

Having secured the items, Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes and first addressed the two elders, saying, “Fellow Daoist, the spirit fruits are now in our possession; I will take my leave first. Perhaps we will meet again.”

 

Hearing his words, the gray-robed elder immediately frowned and said, “Fellow Daoist Han, where’s the rush? In my opinion, since we have shared the experience of jointly acquiring Heart Soul Fruit, we should continue to cooperate going forward, hunting down other solitary cultivators and dividing the spoils equally!”

 

The words had barely left his mouth when the red-faced elder nodded in agreement: “Yes, yes, Fellow Daoist Fu speaks the truth. Fellow Daoist Han, if the three of us cooperate, no one will be a match for us in this tower, and at that time, the three of us may have a chance to collect all seven Heaven Spirit Orders and enter the tower to claim treasure!”

 

He continued earnestly, “I advise Fellow Daoist Han to think it over carefully. You must know that if you do not team up with us, you may encounter other teams of cultivators, and even if Fellow Daoist possesses extraordinary abilities, it will be hard to go against them!”

 

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Chun waved his hand and said, “No need to consider it. I appreciate the kindness of both Fellow Daoists, but I have never had the habit of teaming up with others. Let’s each go our own way.”

 

This decisive rejection instantly caused the gray-robed elder’s and the red-faced elder’s expressions to turn cold.

 

“Fellow Daoist Han, are you sure?”

 

The gray-robed elder stared intently at Zhou Chun, his tone laced with a hint of coldness.

 

“What does Fellow Daoist Fu mean? Are you going to force me?”

 

Zhou Chun’s expression darkened, and his voice also grew cold.

 

“That’s exactly what we’re doing. What of it?”

 

The red-faced elder suddenly roared, and the look in his eyes instantly filled with malice.