Chapter 201: Mount Huoshi.
The Demon Ape’s lair.
Within the cave where the Nascent Soul-level Demon Ape resided, the icy mist gradually dispersed.
Seeing this, the Golden Core cultivators present grew excited.
“It’s coming out, it’s coming out!” Zheng Shuanggou shouted.
Ning Jiufan slowly floated out from the thinning icy mist.
His face was as pale as gold paper, his lips were white, and his whole body seemed drained, like a piece of paper drifting in the wind, extremely weak.
“Brother Ning, you’ve really worked hard this time!” Zhu Xuanji took the lead, immediately stepping up to support Ning Jiufan.
Ning Jiufan’s body was still trembling slightly.
He gazed at Zhu Xuanji with hollow eyes, his eyes reddened, filled with the sorrow and joy of someone who had barely escaped death.
Zhu Xuanji was also observing Ning Jiufan. Seeing his sunken eyes and cheeks, he couldn’t help but be shocked inside: “How long has it been?”
The four Golden Core cultivators from the Zhou and Zheng families quickly gathered around, expressing their thanks and concerns.
Their words were entirely sincere.
If Ning Jiufan hadn’t been at the forefront, one of them might have been sacrificed.
“Brother Ning, your righteousness! Your contribution and sacrifice in this battle will be remembered by us for life!”
“You’ve saved all of us. This is a life-saving favor, and we will surely repay it in the future.”
Ning Jiufan let out a deep sigh: “I was also saving myself. After this battle, I hope that in the future, we can advance and retreat together, united, to build a brighter future.”
All the Golden Core cultivators nodded in agreement.
Ning Jiufan’s immense sacrifice had elevated his status among the Golden Core cultivators, greatly increasing his influence!
Zheng Shuanggou took out a portion of Nine-Yang Yellow Bull Paste.
He spoke to Ning Jiufan with concern: “Brother Ning, you are extremely weak right now, you should take some of my Zheng family’s top-grade medicine.”
However, as soon as Ning Jiufan saw the Nine-Yang Yellow Bull Paste, his eyelid twitched violently.
He forcefully suppressed his nausea, waving his hands repeatedly: “No, don’t let me see that medicine.”
“Alright, alright!” Zheng Shuanggou quickly put the paste away.
The Golden Core cultivators immediately understood that Ning Jiufan’s injuries were not just physical, but also emotional.
His sacrifice had been too great!
This made everyone even more respectful towards Ning Jiufan, feeling a stronger urge to compensate him.
Next, everyone took out various elixirs and handed them to Ning Jiufan, nearly offering to feed him the medicine themselves.
The various elixirs were highly effective, and soon, Ning Jiufan’s breathing stabilized.
Roar!
At this moment, the Nascent Soul-level Fire Fusion Demon Ape suddenly let out a low growl.
The overwhelming aura of a Nascent Soul-level being caused all the Golden Core cultivators and the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King outside the cave to shudder in both body and mind.
By now, the icy mist had completely dissipated.
The Nascent Soul-level Fire Fusion Demon Ape looked satisfied and lay down again, slowly closing its eyes.
Before it fell asleep, it extended a finger, shooting out a strand of blood energy.
The blood energy shot toward Ning Jiufan’s forehead like a meteor, instantly marking his brow with a red dot.
After this, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape closed its eyes completely, falling into a deep slumber.
Soon, it began snoring.
Ning Jiufan hurriedly reached up to touch his forehead, feeling the blood energy condensed to the extreme, stubborn and difficult to remove. His expression instantly darkened.
It was obvious that the Nascent Soul-level female ape had taken a liking to him and left a unique mark on him.
What would he do now?
The other Golden Core cultivators stared at the red dot on Ning Jiufan’s brow, all of them looking shocked and stunned, a strong sense of fear and relief welling up inside them.
Zhu Xuanji quickly sent a transmission to comfort Ning Jiufan, assuring him that he would do everything in his power to help.
The other Golden Core cultivators also expressed that Ning Jiufan’s problem was their problem! They would all do their utmost to assist him in the future.
At this moment, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King, along with several Golden Core-level Demon Apes, entered the cave.
The atmosphere inside the cave immediately grew tense.
Zhu Xuanji stepped forward, standing in front of Ning Jiufan, directly facing the many Golden Core-level Fire Fusion Demon Apes.
However, the Fire Fusion Demon Apes, who had been roaring with anger and fighting to the death just moments ago, showed no signs of battle intent.
Seeing the human Golden Core cultivators on guard, the Fire Fusion Demon Apes voluntarily stepped back a few paces, raising their hands to show they had no intention of fighting.
Then, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King pointed at Ning Jiufan and began clapping, letting out a series of roars.
The Golden Core-level Demon Apes behind it also clapped, dancing with excitement, their faces full of admiration, with some even showing signs of worship.
The human Golden Core cultivators looked at each other, then focused their gaze on Ning Jiufan.
At this moment, Ning Jiufan’s expression became even more grim!
The admiring gazes from the Fire Fusion Demon Apes, along with the clapping, felt like slaps on his face, leaving him feeling extremely awkward and frustrated.
Zhu Xuanji and the others tried to maintain serious expressions, some frowning, others biting their tongues, or tensing their muscles.
After clapping for a while, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King pointed at Ning Jiufan again, then at the cave entrance.
It repeated this motion three times, then led the Golden Core-level Demon Apes out of the cave.
The human Golden Core cultivators understood its meaning—it was inviting them to leave.
Once again, Zhu Xuanji took the lead, walking in the front.
The Zheng and Zhou family cultivators each took up the rear, protecting the great hero Ning Jiufan in the center of the group.
The human Golden Core cultivators walked out of the cave, returning to the battlefield from earlier.
The Fire Fusion Demon Ape King waved at the countless demon apes gathered there, then let out a loud roar.
The Foundation Establishment-level demon apes scattered in a frenzy.
Soon, only the Golden Core-level apes remained.
The Fire Fusion Demon Ape King suddenly pounded its belly, then vomited out a stone ball.
It grabbed the stone ball, wearing a reluctant expression, and handed it to Ning Jiufan.
The rumored scene of a demon ape horde rewarding a hero had come true!
Zhu Xuanji’s eyes gleamed with gold as he quickly identified the stone ball, his expression one of surprise: “This is a Fire Core Pomegranate. Every pomegranate seed is an explosive talisman capable of unleashing an attack comparable to a full-strength strike from an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.”
“But using it this way would be a waste!”
“The pomegranate seeds can serve as fire cores, paired with other suitable fuels to preserve special fire seeds.”
“I’ve never seen a pomegranate this large before. Not even the royal treasury has a Fire Core Pomegranate of this quality in its collection.”
There was no doubt this was an extremely rare natural treasure.
Upon hearing Zhu Xuanji’s explanation, Ning Jiufan immediately reached out to take the pomegranate. After examining it, he took out a talisman, stuck it to the surface of the pomegranate, and then stored it in his personal storage belt.
Zhou Nongying couldn’t help but feel fortunate: “I didn’t expect this Ape King to have such a hidden trump card. Looking back, it seems we were lucky to have avoided a life-and-death battle with the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King.”
The two Golden Core cultivators from the Zheng family stared at the pomegranate, their gazes fixed as if glued to it.
They exchanged private transmissions: “Those pomegranate seeds can be used in a variety of ways to craft tools.”
“Exactly, I’ve already thought of at least thirty methods. The results should be exceptional!”
After gifting the pomegranate, the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King called out a few more times.
Three of the Golden Core subordinates immediately turned and left.
After a dozen breaths, they returned.
Leading them was a Fire Fusion Demon Ape holding a giant flame in both arms.
This flame was the size of a carriage, mostly dark red, with flashes of black flickering within. At the tip of the flame, tendrils of thick black smoke would occasionally rise.
“Earth Fiend Fire!”
“That flame is so large—it’s a Nascent Soul-level resource!”
The cultivators gasped in amazement.
Earth Fiend Fire not only had terrifying heat and emitted intense high temperatures at all times, but it also carried the potent toxicity of fire fiend energy.
It had limited uses in alchemy, primarily for crafting fire poison pills.
However, it could be used in tool refinement.
This flame alone surpassed the capabilities of the top-grade refining room in the Zheng family’s possession.
The two
Golden Core cultivators from the Zheng family stared wide-eyed, utterly captivated by the flame.
This flame was incredibly tempting to them!
The Fire Fusion Demon Apes hadn’t cultivated any techniques, relying on their physical bodies and the natural training from the wild to reach Golden Core-level strength.
Without spells to isolate the extreme heat of the Earth Fiend Fire, they had to rely on their unique bodily structures to endure it.
The Golden Core-level demon ape holding the Earth Fiend Fire was gradually reaching its limit, grimacing in pain as the flames scorched it.
It endured until it could no longer hold on, passing the flame to the ape behind it.
The second ape took over for a while but soon found its hands being roasted until they were burnt, forcing it to pass the flame to the third ape.
In this way, the three Golden Core-level Fire Fusion Demon Apes took turns passing the Earth Fiend Fire until it was delivered to Ning Jiufan.
This time, Ning Jiufan had to attach thirteen talismans in a row just to barely seal the Earth Fiend Fire.
Under the longing gazes of the two Golden Core cultivators from the Zheng family, Ning Jiufan stored the Earth Fiend Fire in his pouch.
Unable to hold back any longer, Zhu Xuanji coughed lightly and sent a message to Ning Jiufan: “Brother Ning, don’t forget the main goal of our journey.”
Therefore, when the Fire Fusion Demon Ape King was about to continue offering treasures, Ning Jiufan took the initiative and pointed to the Mechanized Demon General among the pile of loot.
The Fire Fusion Demon Ape King tilted its head in confusion, but after Ning Jiufan insisted several times, it eventually pulled out the Mechanized Demon General and handed it to him.
The demon apes’ gifting ceremony wasn’t over yet.
The Ape King gave Ning Jiufan six more grand gifts.
Afterward, the apes began to drive the humans away.
Having achieved their goal, Zhu Xuanji had no desire to linger in such a dangerous environment. He immediately led the Golden Core cultivators out of the Demon Ape’s lair.
Retracing their path, they returned to the volcano’s peak, where they once again met Meng Kui.
Although Meng Kui was high above the mountain in the smoky sky, he had still observed much of what the group experienced within Mount Huoshi.
Watching the cultivators leave, his expression remained calm, but his heart was filled with regret.
This journey had been relatively safe for the Golden Core cultivators, with no casualties, which left Meng Kui somewhat disappointed.
Ning Jiufan held onto the Mechanized Demon General, not handing it over to Zhu Xuanji right away.