Chapter 7

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The open period for the Trial Grounds is ten days, and after ten days, the spiritual energy here will turn into dead energy. A greedy senior brother of the Yun Dao Sect once could not resist the temptation and secretly stayed here after the deadline. As a result, he was deprived of his vitality by the overwhelming dead energy. His jade slip, recording his final moments, was discovered by a later visitor after an unknown number of decades, finally unraveling the mystery. Since then, no one has dared to secretly stay behind.

Ye Bai is now almost certain that he has avoided the dangerous moment when the dead energy spread. The lush green vegetation growing on the mountainside clearly indicates this. As for how he managed to avoid it, it must be due to the thunder elemental field that completely isolated the swamp cave from the outside world.

In that case, aren't the countless treasures left outside now waiting for him to collect? Thinking of this, Ye Bai's heart rate quickened, and his steps became much lighter as he no longer rushed to leave.

Half a day later...

A beam of light suddenly appeared beside a rock, and a blue light shield dissipated. A teenager, about eighteen or nineteen years old, emerged, his clothes tattered and his appearance disheveled.

Ye Bai wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but curse, "In this damned place, a single mistake can really cost you your life." He reached into his storage bag and touched the two uncut spirit ores, then couldn't help but smile with satisfaction. The harvest was good, and cutting them into about fifty low-grade spirit stones should not be a problem.

Just a few hours ago, Ye Bai discovered several spirit ore stones, each the size of an infant's head, on a mountain wall. Suppressing his desire, he hid and observed for a while, only to find that on the side where the spirit ore stones were located, there was a cave about ten zhang square. Several green-eyed golden apes were sleeping inside. These apes, standing two zhang tall, had fur like golden needles, eyes like jade, thick skin, and immense strength, with extremely violent temperaments. Once disturbed, they would fight to the death.

An adult green-eyed golden ape has the strength equivalent to a human at the tenth level of the Qi Condensation stage and cannot be underestimated.

Ye Bai coveted the stones but dared not act rashly. He finally came up with a risky plan to retrieve the stones. First, he wove a rope about twenty to thirty zhang long from vines, then used the technique to control objects to pull the ore stones to him with the vine rope.

Ye Bai conducted several experiments with ordinary rocks and placed a fire-type Flame Burst talisman at his hiding spot to ensure everything was in place before starting his plan. The first two stones were easily retrieved, but when he pulled the third one, the loose rocks began to shift, causing a loud noise. The green-eyed golden apes were immediately awakened, their deep green eyes flashing with rage. They looked around and roared, charging in Ye Bai's direction.

Ye Bai did not panic. Without even looking at the third stone still flying through the air, he turned and ran. After a few breaths, he made a hand seal with his right hand and detonated the talisman. With a loud "boom," the explosion gave him the time he needed. The green-eyed golden apes, who had just reached his hiding spot, were immediately thrown back by the high-temperature air flow, their chests covered in charred golden fur.

Hearing the angry roars of the injured green-eyed golden apes behind him, Ye Bai was terrified and did not dare to stop. He fled through the mountain walls. Along the way, he triggered several powerful elemental fluctuations. After jumping down a waterfall about ten zhang high, he found a small depression by the mountain and stopped to rest.

After carefully scanning the area with his divine sense and finding no large beasts, Ye Bai felt slightly relieved. He sat cross-legged and circulated his elemental energy to dry his wet clothes.

Feeling the pain from his body and the fatigue in his mind, Ye Bai realized he needed to find a temporary shelter. After all, this was a place where beasts roamed, and whether to find a way out or to cultivate and seek treasures, he needed his body and spirit to be in peak condition.

This time, Ye Bai spent nearly two hours carefully observing the area within ten li, but did not find a suitable place to set up a cave. He then turned his thoughts to the green-eyed golden apes.

These green-eyed golden apes had long been the rulers of this area, their strong divine pressure preventing other beasts from challenging them. The cave was well-hidden and had a wide view. With a little arrangement, it would make a good cave.

Moreover, there were spirit ore stones nearby, and there might even be a spirit ore vein. This was a significant fortune, as spirit stones are highly consumed in the cultivation world, and only large and medium-sized sects have their own spirit ore mines. The most intense disputes between sects often revolve around these ore veins.

Spirit stones also have a significant effect on beasts. Although they cannot absorb them directly like humans, the pure elemental energy they naturally emit is highly attractive to them. Some beasts, relying on their instincts, can often sense areas rich in spiritual energy more clearly than humans, thus building their nests there. The saying "phoenixes do not land in places without virtue" is based on this principle.

The problem now was how to drive away or kill those green-eyed golden apes.

After thinking for a while, Ye Bai had an idea. He again used grass juice to cover his scent and returned to the forest where the black-backed vipers were hiding. This time, he made a slight noise to attract the vipers without drawing too many.

Sure enough, several black-backed vipers immediately sensed the movement and poked their heads out from the leaves to look around.

With a few "whoosh" sounds, Ye Bai's flying sword appeared, and the heads of the vipers were severed, their foul blood splattering on the tree trunks. Picking up the fallen snake heads, he extracted the venom sacs and immediately left, reappearing on the other side of the forest.

Repeating this process several times, he collected nearly twenty venom sacs and immediately left the forest, which had become as turbulent as boiling water.

Returning to the vicinity of the green-eyed golden apes' cave, Ye Bai saw from a distance that the apes were still enraged and restless. The one with the most severe chest burn was gnawing on a struggling deer-like small beast.

Although the green-eyed golden apes were powerful, their intelligence was low. After failing to track down Ye Bai, they vented their anger on the nearby beasts, causing chaos.

This time, Ye Bai went all out, taking out two more Flame Burst talismans and wrapping them around the black-backed vipers' venom sacs. He placed them on the path the green-eyed golden apes would take to leave the cave. He then moved back about twenty to thirty zhang, released his divine sense, and exposed himself.

The green-eyed golden apes, with their strong sense of revenge, immediately reacted. They had a deep, unforgettable memory of the human who had injured them. Their eyes quickly turned from green to red, and with a "whoosh," they leaped into the air, charging at Ye Bai.

Ye Bai remained calm, his face expressionless, as if he did not see the overwhelming aura of the green-eyed golden apes. He quietly cast a protective aura and mentally calculated the distance.

As the green-eyed golden apes approached the Flame Burst talismans, he chanted, "Explode!"

The Flame Burst talismans, along with the black-backed vipers' venom sacs, exploded into a shower of red and green light, splattering onto the green-eyed golden apes' bodies, legs, and even their eyes.

The green-eyed golden apes were immediately in excruciating pain, emitting desperate cries as they rolled on the ground. The black-backed vipers' venom began to take effect, causing the areas it touched to rot and turn into foul-smelling black flesh, which fell to the ground. The corrosion did not stop, quickly spreading throughout their bodies.

Ye Bai could have directly thrown the talismans wrapped in venom at the green-eyed golden apes, but considering the risk of the venom splashing back on him, he chose this relatively safer method.

The roars and groans of the green-eyed golden apes grew weaker, their breaths fading, and their eyes even showed a hint of pleading.

Ye Bai, unable to bear the sight any longer, channeled his elemental energy, and his flying sword transformed into a streak of light, piercing through the hearts of the green-eyed golden apes.

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