Luo Zhen clawed at the damp earth, his movements frantic. Moments later, his fingers brushed against something smooth and solid. He pulled it free—a milky white stone, heavy and cool in his palm, about the size of a fist.
A Yuan Qi Stone, he thought, a grin splitting his face. He gave it a quick rinse in the nearby water and, without a second thought, tossed it into his mouth.
Though it looked like stone, it was almost pure, condensed energy. It dissolved on his tongue, flooding his system with power. A familiar, disembodied voice chimed in his mind.
[System Alert: Yuan Qi Stone refined. +30 EXP]
Thirty points, Luo Zhen marveled. That's almost as much as a hundred-year-old ginseng root. He immediately started digging again. There was no risk of overloading; his unique system could process an infinite amount of this energy.
Ten minutes later, he found another and consumed it just as quickly, watching his experience bar tick upward. He spent the better part of the day like this, digging and devouring, his power growing with each stone he unearthed.
He was so absorbed in his work that he almost missed the voice that suddenly boomed across the landscape.
"Zhao Feilian, Master of the Xuanjian Sect, and his disciples have come to call upon the Great Baboon Commander!"
The voice was like a thunderclap, echoing over Mingyue Lake. Luo Zhen's scales tightened instantly. Instinct screamed at him: this is an expert.
He didn't wait to think. He scrambled for cover behind a massive boulder, peering out to watch. Soon, an old man in a black robe, followed by a middle-aged warrior, appeared at the edge of the lake.
The old man, Zhao Feilian, scanned the empty shoreline and raised his voice again. "I am the Master of the Xuanjian Sect! Great Baboon Commander, I ask that you show yourself!"
His voice rolled across the water, but the only answer was silence.
For Luo Zhen, however, the sight of the second man sent a jolt of pure killing intent through him. He recognized him instantly. It was Han Yue—the man who had hunted him, the man who had sliced off his tail back in Cangshan County. Luo Zhen had only escaped by fleeing deep into the Mingyue Mountain Range, wounded and desperate.
He had craved revenge ever since, but he'd been too weak. He'd spent all his time cultivating, leveling up, clawing his way to his current late-stage Yao Yuan realm. Han Yue was at the same level. One-on-one, Luo Zhen knew he could finally settle the score. But with the Sect Master here, everything was complicated.
Luo Zhen narrowed his eyes, focusing his senses on the old man. Information flooded his mind.
Name: Zhao Feilian
Race: Human
Realm: Early Ling Wu
Skills: Unknown (Target's realm is too high to scan)
Affiliation: Xuanjian Sect
A Ling Wu realm master. Luo Zhen's posture grew tense. This was the powerhouse of Mingyue County. Still, he was nothing compared to the Great Baboon Commander, who was a mid-stage Yao Ling—a whole tier higher. It explained Zhao Feilian's polite, almost deferential tone.
"Sect Master," Han Yue whispered, "he's not answering. There's a hut over there. Should we check it out?"
"Don't be a fool," Zhao Feilian snapped. "That's his den. The last thing we want to do is disturb him. That baboon is infamous for his temper."
"So, what do we do? Just stand here?"
"He's probably just showing off, making us wait because he outranks me," the Sect Master grumbled. "He does this all the time. I'll try a different approach."
He cleared his throat and called out, his voice now carrying the weight of a business proposition. "Great Commander! I've come to make a deal!"
"My request is simple. A flying Teng Snake recently escaped from Cangshan County into your mountains. If you capture it alive and deliver it to me, my Xuanjian Sect will declare a truce with all the demon beasts of this range. What do you say?"
Luo Zhen's blood ran cold with fury. They're talking about me.
Han Yue added his voice to the call. "The snake is pitch-black with wings, but its power is low—only mid-stage Yao Qi! If you help us, Great Commander, the Xuanjian Sect will be forever in your debt!"
"In your debt, my ass!" Luo Zhen seethed. He'd had enough. He slithered out from behind the rock, revealing himself to the two men.
Han Yue's eyes widened, first in shock, then in triumph. "Sect Master, that's him! That's the Teng Snake!"
"That's the ancient spirit beast?" Zhao Feilian asked, his gaze sharp and appraising. "Are you certain?"
"Positive. I'd know him if he were burned to ash. But… his realm… he's late-stage Yao Yuan now! How is that possible? He's jumped an entire major realm in such a short time!"
"Hah," Zhao Feilian scoffed, a dismissive smile on his face. "Late-stage Yao Yuan is still just an insect. I don't care how he got here. Now that I've found him, not even the Great Baboon Commander himself could stop me from taking this prize."
With a flick of his wrist, Zhao Feilian whipped a flexible sword from his belt. The blade hummed through the air, unleashing a blinding white arc of sword qi that sliced toward Luo Zhen.
But with a mere thought, wings erupted from Luo Zhen's back. A powerful downstroke sent him soaring into the sky, the sword qi harmlessly passing beneath him.
"He can fly! It truly is a Teng Snake!" Zhao Feilian shouted, his voice a mix of shock and avarice.
"Xuanjian Sect," Luo Zhen's voice boomed down, cold and furious. "You've come after me one too many times. You will regret this day."
The two men on the ground froze. Zhao Feilian's jaw went slack. Beside him, Han Yue looked like he'd been turned to stone, his mouth hanging open wide enough to swallow an egg. Beasts weren't supposed to speak the human tongue until they reached the Yao Jiang level, a realm far beyond this. To see it now was unheard of, a sign of a creature so special it defied all logic.
"What's the matter?" Luo Zhen mocked from above. "Cat got your tongue? Or should I say, a snake?"
He opened his mouth and unleashed a torrent of orange fire, bathing the spot where they stood in a roaring inferno. He knew he couldn't win a straight fight—not with a Ling Wu master present. His only option was to escape.
But as the flames subsided, he saw a shimmering white shield of energy protecting the two men. Zhao Feilian dispelled it, a cold smirk on his face. "You're just a Yao Yuan beast, a full realm beneath me. Your little tricks are useless."
"Is that so?" Luo Zhen taunted. "Then come and get me."
With a powerful flap of his wings, he shot off in the direction of the Decaying Peak.
"After him!" Zhao Feilian roared, and the two men gave chase, launching blasts of sword qi that Luo Zhen expertly weaved through.
As he neared the peak, a hulking white figure emerged from a cave, roaring in frustration. It was the Great Baboon Commander, finally healed from their last encounter. "Damn you, black snake! If I ever get my hands on you, I'll peel your scales off one by one!"
"Well, speak of the devil!" Luo Zhen called down from the sky.
"You little worm! Get down here!" the Commander bellowed.
"As you wish!" Luo Zhen dove towards him, his voice laced with mock terror. "You're finished, monkey! I've brought human masters to kill you!"
Before the baboon could process this, Luo Zhen pulled up and shot back into the sky.
"What?! You're working with the humans? I'LL KILL YOU!" the Baboon Commander shrieked. At that exact moment, Zhao Feilian and Han Yue burst into the clearing.
The Commander's rage, with nowhere to go, found a new target. "You brought friends, did you? Well, you can all die together!"
He lunged, claws extended. Razor-sharp arcs of energy tore through the air. Han Yue, caught completely by surprise, was shredded and thrown to the ground, critically wounded. Zhao Feilian barely managed to defend himself, stunned by the ferocity of the sudden attack. When he saw his disciple lying in a pool of blood, his own rage boiled over.
"You scorched, filthy ape! You dare attack my disciple? Die!" he screamed, unleashing a flurry of sword strikes. He didn't recognize the Commander, whose pristine white fur had been burned black by Luo Zhen's fire, turning him into a monstrous, charred beast. The insult hit a raw nerve.
"Insolent human!" the Commander roared, and the two masters clashed in a maelstrom of claws and steel.
While the titans fought, Han Yue dragged his broken body away from the battle, desperate to escape the shockwaves. He collapsed nearly a mile away, his wounds screaming, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Damn that snake," he coughed, spitting blood. "If he'd just let us capture him…"
A shadow fell over him. He looked up into the cold, reptilian eyes of Luo Zhen, who had descended silently from the sky.
"Capture me?" Luo Zhen's voice was devoid of all heat. "No. You die."
He opened his mouth, and a meter-long spear of solid blue ice materialized, shooting down and impaling Han Yue through the chest, pinning him to the earth.
[System Alert: Human warrior Han Yue killed. +150 EXP]
With his revenge complete, Luo Zhen flew back to watch the show. The ground below was a cratered wasteland. Zhao Feilian was being utterly dominated, his swordplay no match for the baboon's raw, furious power.
Suddenly, a look of dawning horror crossed Zhao Feilian's face. There was only one being in this entire region who could overpower him like this.
"Wait! Are you… The Great Baboon Commander?" he yelled, parrying a devastating blow. "I am Zhao Feilian of the Xuanjian Sect! This must be a misunderstanding!"
"Misunderstanding this!" the Commander roared, doubling his assault.
Watching from above, Luo Zhen laughed until his sides ached. It was perfect. Then, a thought struck him with the force of a physical blow.
I'm an idiot. Zhao Feilian was the Xuanjian Sect's only real powerhouse. With him tangled up here, their headquarters were practically defenseless. Their treasury, filled with centuries of accumulated herbs, pills, and treasures… was wide open.
He didn't hesitate. He banked hard and shot towards Mingyue County. A quick check of his system map confirmed it: the sect's power signature was pathetically low. With his late-stage Yao Yuan strength, enhanced by his bloodline and magic, no one left there could stop him.
He arrived over the city to cries of terror from the streets below. Ignoring them, he flew directly to the Xuanjian Sect's compound.
"Demon snake! How dare you trespass here!" a guard shouted, launching a weak slash of sword qi at him.
Luo Zhen didn't even flinch. He spat a small, crescent-shaped blade of fire that not only vaporized the sword qi but also bisected the guard below. A quick scan revealed the man was barely at the Yuan Wu realm. Pathetic.
He followed the rich scent of herbs to a stone building secured with a massive iron door. The elite disciples guarding it were no match for him. A few well-aimed ice spears silenced them permanently. Then, he turned to the door and struck it with his massive tail.
BOOM!
The iron door buckled and blew off its hinges. The sound echoed through the compound, and soon, alarms were ringing out everywhere. Luo Zhen ignored the chaos and slithered inside.
The storeroom was small, lined with shelves holding a modest but incredibly potent collection of herbs and pills. The air was thick with the aroma of power.
He grinned and took a deep breath. A powerful vacuum pulled every item off the shelves and into his waiting mouth. He swallowed them all in one go.
[System Alert: Low-grade spirit herb, Golden Cauldron Leaf, consumed. +550 EXP]
[System Alert: Low-grade spirit herb, Moonstone Flower, consumed. +500 EXP]
[...]
[System Alert: Experience reserve has reached critical mass. Level up?]
Yes, he thought, without a shred of hesitation.
A pulse of dark energy washed over him. When it faded, the system's voice returned.
[Congratulations on your breakthrough! Current Level: Peak Yao Yuan Realm!]
He felt the power coursing through him, a deep, resonant strength that hummed in his very bones. One more push, and he would reach the Yao Ling realm, the same level as the Great Baboon Commander himself.
He turned his attention to the remaining pills, swallowing them by the handful.
[System Alert: Third-grade Yuan Li Pill consumed. +280 EXP]
[System Alert: Third-grade Yuan Li Pill consumed. +283 EXP]
[...]
By the time he was done, his experience bar was nearly full again. Just then, he heard the shouts of dozens of disciples gathering outside.
"Demon snake, get out here and face us!"
Luo Zhen flicked his tongue. He burst out of the storeroom and let his new aura wash over them—the crushing, undeniable presence of a peak Yao Yuan beast.
A wave of terror rippled through the crowd.
"It's at the peak!" one of the disciples stammered, his face pale. "That demonic pressure… Where are the elders? Somebody get the elders!"