Chapter 4

When Chu Jun reached the foot of the mountain, the sky was already turning a pale white, and it was about to dawn. Exhausted, Chu Jun washed his face by the stream and continued heading in the direction where the light had fallen last night.

Suddenly, several roars of beasts came from ahead, indicating there were at least three of them. Chu Jun hesitated, listened cautiously for a while, and then decisively changed direction. But after just a few steps, he heard a woman's sharp cry, and his heart stirred, thinking to himself, "Could it be Ning Yun (the girl in red)?"

Chu Jun crouched low and cautiously approached the source of the sound. He saw several spirit beasts lying dead on the ground in a clearing, with scorch marks on the surrounding trees. A girl in palace attire, holding a long sword, was backed against a giant tree, facing off against three red-haired fire apes. A gray-feathered crane lay on the ground, barely breathing, clearly on the verge of death.

The three fire apes bared their teeth and growled, but they did not dare to advance, seemingly very wary of the girl in palace attire. Her left arm was injured, and the bright red blood had soaked half of her sleeve.

After a moment of stalemate, the three fire apes finally could not hold back and pounced from three directions, moving swiftly and nimbly. Chu Jun thought to himself, "It's over!"

The girl in palace attire let out a sharp cry, her figure gracefully rising into the air. She swung her long sword, releasing three fist-sized balls of lightning, each striking one of the fire apes. The fire apes howled in pain, falling to the ground and trembling, with blue-white arcs of electricity flickering over their bodies, their fur completely burned at the points of impact.

Chu Jun was inwardly stunned, "Is this what immortal techniques are like?"

The girl in palace attire landed from the air, staggered, and fell to the ground, her face as pale as paper, clearly at the end of her strength. The arcs of electricity on the fire apes gradually disappeared, and they began to struggle to get up. The girl in palace attire tried several times to stand and kill the fire apes but failed each time.

Chu Jun did not hesitate, drew his military dagger, and rushed over, swiftly and decisively stabbing the three fire apes that had not yet recovered. The girl in palace attire, seeing that Chu Jun had come to help her, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you!" Her voice was gentle and melodious, like a warm breeze.

"You don't need to... thank me!" Chu Jun turned around and was momentarily stunned.

Earlier, he had been too far away and had only seen her from the side, so he had not seen her face. Now, up close, he was struck by her beauty. He had thought that the girl in red, Ning Yun, was already very beautiful, but compared to this girl, Ning Yun paled in comparison. Her delicate eyebrows framed a pair of misty, luminous eyes, her nose was small and straight, and her face, smooth as jade, was adorned with a small, cherry-like mouth. Her demeanor was gentle and serene, pure and radiant like the finest jade.

Absolutely stunning, she was!

Chu Jun noticed the girl in palace attire slightly frowning, and he realized it was inappropriate to stare. He averted his gaze and asked, "You're injured. Do you need help?"

"No, I can manage. Could you please guard me for a moment?" the girl in palace attire said softly, her voice as smooth as jade, making it hard to refuse.

Chu Jun nodded, turned, and walked to a distance, facing away from her. The girl in palace attire hesitated, then struggled to move behind the tree, removing the fabric from her shoulder, revealing her fair and delicate shoulder. A bloody wound was visible on her arm, a stark contrast to her otherwise flawless skin.

The girl in palace attire took a golden wound pill, crushed it, and sprinkled it on the wound. She bit her lip, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in pain, looking incredibly touching. She peeked at Chu Jun, who was standing loyally in place, and quickly removed her entire top, tearing a strip of fabric to bandage the wound.

Chu Jun had been trained in the military from a young age, exposed to various weapons and efficient killing methods. Although he was already eighteen, he had not yet developed any sexual desires and had never thought about peeping.

"My name is Zhao Yu!" the girl in palace attire said gracefully, now wearing a light blue embroidered robe, which made her look even more refined and ethereal.

Chu Jun, meeting her misty, starry eyes, felt his heart race and quickly looked away, saying, "My name is Chu Jun!"

Zhao Yu smiled, her voice gentle, "Thank you for your help just now. These three beast crystals are for you as a reward." She pointed to the three red-haired fire apes.

Chu Jun did not hesitate, drew his military dagger, and extracted the beast crystals from the heads of the three fire apes, then dug out the crystals from the remaining spirit beast corpses and handed them to Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu took the crystals, her eyes flashing with a hint of confusion, finding it hard to read this physically trained individual with an unconventional appearance. Three first-level beast crystals were a considerable wealth for a first-level physical cultivator, but Chu Jun showed no excitement upon receiving them, as if he did not care at all.

"Did you come out to hunt alone?" Zhao Yu tilted her head slightly, probing, as it was indeed puzzling for a first-level physical cultivator to appear alone in the dangerous depths of the spirit beast mountains.

Chu Jun smiled and said, "I got separated from my companions last night. They will come back to pick me up later." He pointed to the mountain peak.

Zhao Yu understood, "Was the person shouting last night you?" She then asked curiously, "You don't have a mount. How did you come down from there?"

The mountain peak was tall and steep, with thick vines and thorns blocking the way, making it hard to imagine someone descending in the dark. Chu Jun shrugged, "I walked until dawn to reach the foot of the mountain."

Chu Jun felt a bit embarrassed under Zhao Yu's surprised and grateful gaze and explained, "I thought my companions who were supposed to pick me up had run into trouble, so I came to help."

A blush spread across Zhao Yu's face, and she smiled, "Regardless, I have to thank you!"

Before Zhao Yu could finish, Chu Jun suddenly lunged at her, and she was caught off guard, falling to the ground. She felt his lips brush against her cheek, feeling both embarrassed and angry, and was about to use her strength to push him away.

Boom!

A scorching fireball hit the tree behind them, instantly setting it ablaze. Chu Jun felt a searing pain in his back, stifled a groan, and rolled off Zhao Yu to extinguish the flames on his back. The smell of burning filled the air. Zhao Yu leaped up in shock, and her hand glowed, revealing a three-foot-long green sword.

Roar!

A giant ape with fiery red fur leaped down from the tree, pounding its chest and glaring with eyes that seemed to spout fire: "Roar... Huh!"

"Fire Ape King!" Zhao Yu exclaimed in surprise.

Fire apes are first-level spirit beasts, but powerful ones can advance to second-level, known as Fire Ape Kings. Fire Ape Kings can cast simple fireball spells and are incredibly strong, comparable to a spirit cultivator in the Spirit Formation stage. From the power of the fireball, this Fire Ape King was equivalent to a mid-Spirit Formation stage cultivator. Zhao Yu was also at the mid-Spirit Formation stage, but after the intense battle, her spirit energy had not fully recovered, and her shoulder was injured, making her no match for the enraged Fire Ape King.

"How are you feeling?" Zhao Yu asked, concerned, while keeping an eye on the Fire Ape King, now realizing that Chu Jun had not intended to take advantage of her.

Chu Jun stood up, gritting his teeth, "I can still hold on."

"This Fire Ape King is very powerful. I don't have the confidence to defeat it. You should leave, and I'll hold it off for a while," Zhao Yu whispered.

Chu Jun knew he couldn't help, so he nodded and said, "Be careful," then quickly retreated.

Zhao Yu felt a bit disappointed. She had thought Chu Jun was a hidden expert for noticing the Fire Ape King's ambush, but he turned out to be a coward who fled when asked. However, Chu Jun had been trained to achieve the greatest benefit with the least cost, never engaging in a direct confrontation with a vastly superior opponent.

The Fire Ape King seemed to ignore Chu Jun, its sharp eyes fixed on Zhao Yu, completely disregarding his retreat.

Whoosh!

A fist-sized fireball shot from the Fire Ape King's mouth. Zhao Yu dodged in time but was still hit by the scattered flames and scorching heat, stumbling to the ground. The Fire Ape King, with its keen eyes, pounced in front of Zhao Yu, its claws aiming for her eyes. Zhao Yu's long sword glowed with electricity, slicing through the air toward the Fire Ape King's claws.

Chu Jun did not truly leave but hid behind a distant tree, watching the situation. Seeing Zhao Yu's sword flash with lightning and the wind, he couldn't help but feel envious.

The battle between the human and the ape intensified. Zhao Yu's movements gradually slowed, and the lightning on her sword weakened. She nearly got hit several times.

Chu Jun knew that if the fight continued, Zhao Yu would surely be killed by the Fire Ape King. He picked up two suitable stones, ready to help in a crisis. Members of the Snow Leopard Special Forces were not only excellent marksmen but also had unique skills. Chu Jun's specialty was the flying stone, hitting with pinpoint accuracy within thirty meters, with a killing power comparable to a Type 54 pistol. Of course, the flying stones he used in the military were made of pure iron, each weighing about 1.4 ounces, and could shatter a skull when thrown within thirty meters.

Zhao Yu found it increasingly difficult, stepping back, her flawless face sweating, while the Fire Ape King seemed to have endless strength, tearing the trees to shreds.

Zhao Yu let out a sharp cry, her long sword releasing a pale white lightning blade that quickly pierced the Fire Ape King's left shoulder. The Fire Ape King howled in pain, spewing a scorching fireball. Zhao Yu leaped to avoid it but was a bit too late. The fireball exploded close by, sending her flying and landing like a falling butterfly, her clothes smoking.

The Fire Ape King roared and pounced, trying to tear the hateful human to pieces. Chu Jun raised his hand, and the stone flew out, hitting the Fire Ape King's right eye. The enraged Fire Ape King, caught off guard by the attack from the "weakling," was hit by the stone with a sharp point, causing blood and fluid to spurt, and it howled in pain. Zhao Yu took the opportunity to escape from under the Fire Ape King's feet.

Whoosh! Another stone flew, hitting the Fire Ape King's head with a loud thud, shattering into pieces, but the Fire Ape King was unharmed.

The enraged Fire Ape King finally discovered Chu Jun's position, abandoning Zhao Yu, and charged at Chu Jun, who was hiding behind the tree, ready to ambush.