Chapter Twelve: The Three Brocade Monkeys

Cao Yun shifted his gaze lightly to the right and saw a lean figure, agile like a nimble monkey, with sharp, pointed features. A large beast skin pouch was slung over his back, seeming even bigger than himself. The man kept his eyes fixed on Cao Yun, a sinister and eerie grin curling at the corner of his mouth, his gaze filled with ill intent.

“Gentlemen, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I’ve just arrived here and haven’t yet obtained any beast blood from the Myriad Demon Forest,” Cao Yun replied calmly, his tone devoid of any trace of abnormality.

“Oh? Is that so?” The burly man reached out with his rough hand, lightly stroking the top of his head as he slowly approached Cao Yun. Each step he took seemed to beat like a heavy drum, filling the air with a tense atmosphere.

Cao Yun calculated silently in his heart. His spiritual awareness had not yet reached the third stage of Qi Refinement, making it impossible to send his spirit out to scout. But relying on Zhang Jin’s memories, he already knew the backgrounds of these two men. The seemingly arrogant and overbearing giant was actually only a first-stage Qi Refinement Blood Slave—strong on the outside but weak within. The lean, unimpressive-looking man, however, possessed a cultivation level at the second stage of Qi Refinement; underestimating him would surely lead to a severe loss.

With this in mind, Cao Yun sighed inwardly: a life-or-death struggle with these two would indeed be unpredictable.

At that moment, he understood that an intense battle was inevitable.

Yet just then, the lean man suddenly spoke, a hint of amusement in his tone: “Tian Kui, don’t be so quick to act. Let him have that Jingqi Wolf.”

With that, he flickered like a streak of light and vanished instantly from Cao Yun’s sight.

The giant roared angrily, clearly displeased with his companion’s decision, but ultimately shook his head in resignation and followed, also turning into a streak of light.

The entire episode unfolded so abruptly that Cao Yun was momentarily stunned. Standing still, his eyes flickered as he pondered the sudden turn of events.

Before long, he discerned the key issue: it was because of the storage pouch hanging at his waist, belonging to Zhang Jin. Zhang Jin’s cultivation at the fourth stage of Qi Refinement was like a towering mountain in the eyes of these two men. Gazing at the pouch on Cao Yun’s waist, they were filled with caution and dared not act rashly.

Cao Yun shook his head gently, secretly relieved. This unexpected twist had spared him from an unnecessary deadly conflict. Meanwhile, the Jingqi Wolf had quietly disappeared from sight, and in the tense standoff with the two men, Cao Yun noted that the wolf had fled eastward.

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Following the tracks of the Jingqi Wolf across the grassland, Cao Yun arrived at a dense forest. On a clearing carpeted with fallen leaves ahead, the Jingqi Wolf lay panting, its eyes flickering with wary light.

Cao Yun lowered himself into a crouch. In his palm, a dazzling wind blade coalesced, and his body transformed into a streak of light, shooting forward like a meteor. This was a technique combining mortal agility with wind manipulation.

The wind blade sliced through the air like lightning, striking precisely at the wolf’s neck. Cao Yun poured all his spiritual power into this strike; the blade carried a fierce momentum, instantly severing the wolf’s head.

Blood erupted from the severed neck. Cao Yun immediately took out the beast skin pouch and collected the wolf’s blood inside.

As expected, no sooner had he gathered the blood than a strange itching sensation arose at his brow. Following that, an eerie red light shot swiftly from his brow, striking the Jingqi Wolf’s body. A miniature Jingqi Wolf, just detached, was instantly drawn into the red light at Cao Yun’s brow.

By now, Cao Yun was accustomed to this and paid it no mind. He skillfully stripped the wolf’s pelt, carefully collected some meat into the storage pouch, then cautiously withdrew from the forest.

Instead of returning to the cave in Wuyuan Valley, Cao Yun chose Zhang Jin’s previous dwelling within the Myriad Demon Forest.

That cave was in a particularly secretive location. When Zhang Jin first discovered it, the original occupant was a blind old bear. Now, the owner of that cave was no longer the old bear or Zhang Jin, but Cao Yun himself.

As night fell, Cao Yun lit a roaring bonfire inside the cave. Sitting beside the fire, he held fragrant roasted meat in his hands, feasting heartily while lost in thought. The plain where he hunted the Jingqi Wolf was no longer safe; it had clearly been the hunting ground of the giant and the lean man.

If he ventured there again, a direct confrontation with the two men would be unavoidable. Although confident in his strength, Cao Yun was still only at the first stage of Qi Refinement. Facing both simultaneously, he could not guarantee victory. Yet if he encountered either one alone, he was sure he could escape unscathed and even kill his opponent.

For now, his primary task was to collect beast blood; only afterward would he focus on improving his cultivation.

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Regarding his cultivation advancement, Cao Yun already had a plan, but the thought of having to hunt seven more beasts for their blood made him uneasy.

At this moment, he felt lost, uncertain where to begin. He resolved to cautiously explore other regions of the Myriad Demon Forest tomorrow, seeking new hunting grounds.

Before dawn, Cao Yun set out to find fresh hunting territory. Using the Wind Riding Technique, he moved lightly through the forest, covering several miles but encountering no trace of beasts. Just as he considered turning back, a chorus of chattering deep within a dense thicket caught his attention.

He stopped immediately, dispelled the Wind Riding Technique, and stealthily slipped into the thicket. Soon, he spotted four mottled monkeys beneath a towering ancient tree, scrambling over something. Their fur varied—green, black, yellow—and their sizes ranged from over ten feet to just a few feet long.

Cao Yun instantly recognized them—San Jin Monkeys, low-tier beasts with weak strength but high intelligence, comparable to that of an eight- or nine-year-old child.

The San Jin Monkeys were quick and strong; their most dangerous ability was spitting a highly corrosive liquid capable of melting metal and severing gold.

Cao Yun calculated quickly. With a flick of his wrist, silver-glimmering bone darts, crafted from beast bones, shot out in rapid succession toward the monkey group.

“Puk puk puk puk!” A series of sharp sounds rang out, followed by heart-wrenching screams from the monkeys. The smallest San Jin Monkey collapsed, its faint chattering indicating severe injury. The other two medium-sized monkeys, terrified, leapt to other trees and fled in panic.

Only the largest San Jin Monkey remained, its face twisted in a fierce snarl. It transformed into a black shadow and lunged fiercely at Cao Yun.

Unfazed, Cao Yun swung his hand back, releasing a fiery red fireball with a whoosh. The intense heat made the monkey hesitate. In midair, it skillfully twisted aside by a foot’s length, narrowly avoiding the fireball.

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