Chapter 22: Making a Fortune

"Since it's like this, we'll have to fight to the death."

Hearing the ferocious words of the white ape, Yang Qi's killing intent surged. The "Spear of the Nether God" in his hand trembled, creating layers of spear shadows, dense like a forest, and magnificent like a peacock spreading its feathers.

With his current level of qi, he was no less powerful than the white ape. A single thrust of the spear caused ghostly wails and a grand atmosphere, and the shadow of the Nether God reappeared, turning the entire stone room into a hell on earth.

Seeing the fierce attack, the white ape did not dare to be careless. It swung the golden steel staff in its hand, unleashing a set of staff techniques, slashing and attacking fiercely.

The golden steel staff in its hand, made of an unknown metal, had the effect of enhancing true qi, making its staff techniques even more ferocious. As the qi circulated, layers of flames burned on the staff, produced by the high temperature from the friction with the air.

Bang!

A heavy collision like a great bell.

The spear and staff clashed, and the white ape's body retreated three steps, while Yang Qi's true qi also dissipated for a moment.

However, with his long-lasting physical strength and powerful true qi, the strength of five ancient elephants could almost destroy the cave. After a slight circulation, he recovered, and his momentum became even more intense.

The spear trembled and thrust again.

Crackling, the current on the Spear of the Nether God flickered, and when it collided with the golden steel staff, a layer of sparks also appeared on the staff.

Sizzle... The golden steel was conductive, and the sparks quickly reached the white ape's body, emitting a burnt smell as its white fur burned fiercely.

In a single move, the white ape, with its deep qi, was at a disadvantage.

"Lightning qi..."

A hint of panic appeared on its face.

Qi that could control lightning was extremely terrifying, as lightning was the most violent force in the world, and anyone who tried to control it would be shattered to pieces.

Yang Qi, struck by lightning and with the Thunder Elephant in his body, always carried strong lightning in his qi when he reached the limit, suppressing all other qi.

The golden steel staff, being metal, was highly conductive, so each collision caused the white ape great harm, and its qi could not be fully utilized.

After several collisions, its meridians seemed to be scorched.

Yang Qi, however, became more ferocious, with his qi circulating faster. When he wielded the Spear of the Nether God, it was as if the Thunder God had descended, and the entire cave was filled with thunder and lightning.

Ah!

Finally, the white ape launched a desperate attack. It took a deep breath, and its body swelled to nearly twice its size, blood seeping through its fur. The golden steel staff suddenly thrust forward, breaking through the qi lightning and directly striking Yang Qi's body.

With the weight of the golden steel staff and the strength of the white ape, even a person made of iron would be turned into a pancake.

Yang Qi's heart sank, and he almost used all his strength. The qi of the Nether God's protection spread out, and the air within ten steps of him condensed into a steel wall.

Pop, pop, pop... Continuous explosions as the golden steel staff hit the steel wall, breaking through layer by layer, and finally reached Yang Qi.

Yang Qi then struck, using the full power of the Divine Elephant's Strength, and five ancient elephants appeared behind him, roaring and gathering their strength in his palm, striking the staff with a punch.

Buzz!

The momentum of the golden steel staff was halted, and the staff bent. At the other end, the white ape's tiger's mouth split open, blood seeping out, and its massive body was thrown back, crashing into the cave wall, causing large chunks of rock to fall.

Although the white ape was powerful, it was still inferior to Yang Qi, who possessed the strength of five ancient elephants.

Especially Yang Qi's body, which had been modified, with a thin membrane under the skin connecting to the tendons and bones, giving him immense strength. His flesh was tightly packed, and when he used his qi, he was invulnerable to blades and axes, making his body even stronger than the white ape's, though not as large in size.

Swish!

As the white ape was thrown back, it struggled to get up, but Yang Qi gave it no chance. He raised his arm, and the Spear of the Nether God shot out, aiming for its chest.

The white ape, being a fierce beast, burst with qi in this critical moment, spitting out a ball of flame that rotated like a wheel, blocking the Spear of the Nether God.

However, Yang Qi then grabbed the golden steel staff, stepped forward, and wielded it with both hands, using a martial arts technique, "Cleaving a Mountain."

Boom!

The staff, weighing thousands of pounds, brought a whirlwind of air, cleaving down and enveloping the white ape.

The white ape was still unfamiliar with the staff due to its weight, but Yang Qi wielded it with ease. The combined strength of five ancient elephants could move a house, let alone a staff.

"Damn! I'll fight to the end!" As the staff struck down, the white ape could not resist, and it tried to deflect the staff with its hands, but Yang Qi's strikes were extremely fierce. In the end, he became like a windmill, the staff in his hands as light as a stick.

Bang, bang, bang... Dozens of strikes completely shattered the white ape's protective true qi. The final strike, sweeping across like a thousand soldiers, hit the white ape's waist, breaking its bones and rupturing its internal organs. Its eyes fixed on Yang Qi, it died without a sound.

"Good!" Yang Qi heavily planted the staff into the rock, checked the white ape's condition, and found it had been beaten to death. He then breathed a sigh of relief.

He then used his hand to tear open the white ape's flesh, retrieving a fist-sized demon core from deep in its dantian.

The demon core was colorful, with characters flickering inside, and powerful true qi condensed within, the result of the white ape's lifetime of qi and blood.

"Good stuff... This demon core is almost at the level of a Ninth Stage Qi Master, worth at least a million, maybe even several million. I'll see what other valuable items are in the white ape's cave." As he spoke, he began to search, starting with the alchemy furnace.

The furnace was made of a special stone, smooth and cool to the touch, with a blue, crystal-like appearance, emitting a cold aura, clearly valuable, but too heavy to carry back.

Next to the furnace, a section of the ground had a different color. Yang Qi sensed something was amiss, used his qi to strike, and a small cave appeared, containing a jade box. Inside the box was a golden pill with a needle-like glow, and a book. The book was not about qi cultivation but about alchemy, likely stolen by the ape from somewhere.

"Ninefold Elixir Scripture?"

The book was titled "Ninefold Elixir Scripture," filled with many characters, herbal formulas, and various alchemy methods, complex and ever-changing. However, it only contained the method for refining the "Ninefold Golden Elixir."

According to the scripture, the pill's effect was: "Qi connects heaven and earth, all sources return to the origin. For those who have reached the peak of the Eighth Stage and cannot break through to the Qi Master stage, this pill offers hope of breaking through."

In other words, it was specifically for breaking through to the Qi Master stage.

"Great!" Yang Qi was overjoyed. "Father has already reached the edge of the Eighth Stage, and with this Ninefold Golden Elixir, he can return to the origin and break through. As for myself, with the Divine Elephant's Strength, breaking through in the future won't be difficult, so I don't need this golden pill."

If Yang Qi's father, Yang Zhan, broke through to the Ninth Stage Qi Master, the entire Yan Capital would be up for grabs.

Yan Gufeng, also a Ninth Stage Qi Master, dominated the city.

Yang Qi was both delighted and relieved. Fortunately, the white ape had not taken the pill, or it would have had the strength of a Qi Master, making this trip extremely dangerous. This added to his understanding of the dangers of the Black Corpse Mountains.

He quickly took the Ninefold Golden Elixir and searched the entire cave, finding some books on cultivation, some of which were from academies, clearly stolen by the ape.

These books were not very valuable, only for reference in cultivation.

Additionally, Yang Qi found the white ape's treasure, a box of silver bills, all for storing Spirit Gathering Pills from the Holy Ancestor Dynasty's bank.

Demon beasts also needed Spirit Gathering Pills to cultivate faster.

In fact, the rise of humans on the continent was largely due to the popularity of Spirit Gathering Pills. In ancient times, humans were weak, and qi cultivators found it difficult to reach the explosive stage. After Spirit Gathering Pills became currency, human bodies became stronger.

The white ape's wealth, with so many Spirit Gathering Pill silver bills, must have been obtained through murder and robbery. Humans could kill demon beasts, and demon beasts could kill humans.

"Four to five million Spirit Gathering Pill silver bills? How many people did this white ape kill?" Yang Qi was shocked but secretly delighted. With these silver bills, his family's business would be relieved, and revitalization would no longer be just a dream.

After collecting all the wealth, he saw no other valuable items, so he slung the golden steel staff over his shoulder and flew out of the cave.

The staff, made of unknown material, was definitely a treasure and needed to be taken back.

Now, with his qi cultivation at the Seventh Stage, Elephant Qi, he could manifest demonic wings and glide through the air, ten times faster than when he came.

Swoosh!

Carrying the wealth, he flew above the Black Corpse Mountains, determined the direction, and glided away.

After the intense battle, the rain had stopped, and it was already dark. The night in the forest was even more terrifying and desolate, but the darkness provided better cover for Yang Qi. Otherwise, gliding in broad daylight, a dark aura would attract the attention of many beings, causing trouble.

Page AD begins

Page AD ends