Chapter 144: Riotous Battle at Ghost Sorrow Cliff

Ghost Sorrow Cliff, some mountain hollow.

"Boom—!"

"Die, you scum of the Wan family!"

"You bunch of black rats are the real comrades of old dog Wang Shan!"

The shouts of killing, the roars of demonic beasts, and the explosive crack of Spiritual Power collisions, even from far away, still made one's eardrums buzz. Li Hu craned his neck, excitement unable to be suppressed on his face: "My goodness! Boss, they're really dogs biting dogs! It's such a ruckus!"

Zhang Mei, unusually, widened her eyes, watching the distant scene of Spiritual Light flashing wildly and earth and stone flying, somewhat incredulous: "They… how could they be so easy to …"

"Easy?" Wang Shan, sitting cross‑legged on a protruding rock, expression calm as if the clamor before him were just an ordinary farce, said, "Both sides think they're hunters, see the other as a wild dog intruding on their territory, and each is seething with anger. If I toss a bone in, it'd be strange if they didn't fight."

He pointed at the already mangled corpse of a Third Tier Red Flame Flying Lizard in the distance, "The smell's still pretty good, isn't it?"

"Boss, brilliant!" Li Hu slapped his thigh, the flattery sincere. Earlier he had muttered about the boss throwing away the juicy meat he'd gotten, but now it seemed not meat at all, but a massive bomb!

Wang Shan ignored the rainbow flattery, his gaze passing through the chaotic battlefield to the beasts that Wan Tianjue had coaxed out with his special method, a faint, inscrutable curl at the corner of his mouth. "Almost done."

He flicked his fingertips in the air before him; several jade shards, scavenged from the Wan Family's unlucky storage bags and covered with odd runes, buzzed and flew out on their own, spiraling around him as if alive. These jade shards were the "key" components the system had earlier indicated could resonate with the Ghost Sorrow Cliff geomantic vein.

"System, use these things as a catalyst, mobilize the geomantic vein energy of this cursed place that's dedicated to soul‑marking, and slam it hard into those beasts whose limbs have been restrained!"

【Command Confirmation. Beast Taming Sect Runes parsing… Geomantic resonance established… Energy guidance commencing…】

In an instant, an imperceptible strange fluctuation, centered on Wang Shan, like a stone dropped into a lake, silently merged into the already violent, chaotic geomantic vein of Ghost Sorrow Cliff.

At the edge of the distant battlefield, a wolf demon tasked with guard had its crimson eyes suddenly clouded, followed by a mournful, warped howl that shot skyward!

It snapped its head around, not lunging at a Black‑clothed Person, but snarling a fierce bite at the neck of its companion—a leopard‑type beast that was tangled with a Black‑clothed Person!

"Pfft!"

Fresh blood spurts wildly!

The leopard‑type beast never imagined it would die at the hands of a "human".

"What's happening?!" the cultivator in charge of coordination for the Wan Family Beast Squad nearly bulged his eyes out, "My beast‑control seal… why is it acting like it's having a fit!"

Before he finished speaking, two or three more beasts went berserk, eyes blood‑red, launching indiscriminate attacks; not only the Black‑clothed Persons but even the nearby Wan Family cultivators became their targets.

"Can't hold on! These beasts are counter‑devouring!"

The Wan Family's formation fell into chaos in an instant.

The Black‑clothed Person leader, seeing this, rasped with a hint of surprise, "Huh? It back‑fired inside?" Yet his reaction was swift, "Opportunity! Their beasts slipped up; slaughter them, leave none!"

However, just as he finished shouting, several Black‑clothed Persons beside him let out a muffled hum in unison; the black aura enveloping them rippled violently as if doused with cold water, its hue lightening a few shades.

"Chief, something's off! Our secret arts… seem suppressed by something! The energy of this damned place is too wicked!" a Black‑clothed Person shouted sharply.

The curses and sacrificial techniques they boasted about were severely weakened under this sudden geomantic energy interference; some even went completely dead, stifled beyond endurance.

The formation that had relied on odd rune‑point tricks was smashed by a few Wan Family beasts that had gone completely berserk, colliding with a deafening crash.

"Ah!" a Black‑clothed Person failed to dodge, a massive claw from a bear‑eyed beast slammed into his chest, sending him flying like a torn sack, his body vanishing mid‑air.

"Damned thing!" the Black‑clothed Person leader roared in fury; he never expected a boiled duck to fly, and that duck to turn and peck him!

"Boss, when do we strike? I can't hold it in any longer!" Li Hu, scratching his ear and chin, already had his hand on the Board Axe at his waist. Those moving storage bags were simply too tempting!

Wang Shan's corner smile deepened: "Scavenging, you know how? Target those on the brink of collapse, or strike from behind. Remember, grab something then run; don't get tangled yourself. Zhang Mei, keep an eye from afar and cover Li Hu."

"Understood!" Li Hu's eyes lit up, a grin spreading, he crouched low, using the jagged rocks as cover, slipping out like a slick loach.

Zhang Mei silently shifted to a higher spot, drawing her longbow like a full moon; the arrows, like death‑summoning talismans, flew toward the lone or flanking "unlucky bags" targeting Li Hu.

In an instant, the already chaotic battlefield became even more inflamed.

The Wan Family beasts went completely mad, biting anyone they could. The Black‑clothed Persons' secret arts faltered, and the berserk beasts together with the blood‑shot‑eyed Wan Family cultivators chased each other into a frenzy.

Li Hu acted like a seasoned scavenger, wielding his axe with a sly, poisonous precision, his eyes equally venomous, targeting those already downed or with their backs turned. One swing, a muffled hum, the storage bag in hand, he turned and fled, leaving no trace.

Zhang Mei's arrows were even more elusive, always striking at the crucial moment—deflecting an incoming attack from a Black‑clothed Person or piercing the wrist of a Wan Family cultivator wielding a Magic Artifact—creating openings for Li Hu while eliminating threats.

【System Prompt: Reclaim Wan Family cultivator (Qi Refinement Tier Seven) corpse, obtain Spirit Plant Points +155, obtain broken Magic Artifact fragments 2…】

【System Prompt: Reclaim Black‑clothed Person (Qi Refinement Tier Eight) corpse, obtain Spirit Plant Points +220, obtain low‑grade Curse Scroll 1…】

【System Prompt: Reclaim uncontrolled beast (Second Tier Mid‑stage) corpse, obtain Spirit Plant Points +120, obtain inferior Beast Pill 1…】

A series of pleasant system prompt chimes rang in Wang Shan's mind, making his previously dwindling Spirit Plant Points account swell rapidly again.

"Spirit Plant Points, good stuff! The more the better!" Wang Shan nodded with satisfaction; these were solid hard currency. The injuries of his two grandsons, Li Hu's and Zhang Mei's equipment, all depended on them.

He let the system efficiently break down and recycle these "loot" while redirecting most of his spirit back toward the deeper part of Ghost Sorrow Cliff—the mysterious valley where the Purple Monkey Flower lay.

On the system's Light Screen, the dazzling light spot representing the Purple Monkey Flower now emitted a spiritual aura several times denser than before, as if urging something.

"What's the guardian beast doing now?" Wang Shan asked himself.

【Target area guardian beast (Late Third Tier·Iron-backed Gray Ape) affected by external intense combat and energy tides, has left its core nest, now prowling around the valley entrance, extremely agitated and restless.】

"Agitation is fine; agitation makes details easy to overlook." Wang Shan stood, brushed nonexistent dust off his robe, "You two, keep stirring up trouble; the louder the commotion, the better. I'll be right back."

Li Hu, with a single axe swing, knocked a Wan Family cultivator who had tried to ambush him from behind, snatching the storage bag from his waist; hearing that, he grinned, flashing a white tooth, blood and sweat mixing on his face, adding a dash of ferocity: "Boss, go ahead! We'll handle this, guarantee they'll wail and lose their bearings!"

Zhang Mei remained silent, but the instant Li Hu's words ended, an arrow flew, pinning a Black‑clothed Person who had just summoned a defensive Magic Artifact against Li Hu to a rock wall—a silent reply.

Wang Shan said no more; his figure flickered, merging into the shadows of the rocks like a specter.

【Fourth Tier Stacked Array Hidden Runes Combination】 was again driven by him to the limit; his whole being seemed to merge completely with the surroundings, not even a faint Spiritual Energy fluctuation or breath leaked, his aura fully contracted, as if he became a cold stone or a wisp of invisible wind.

Inside Ghost Sorrow Cliff, the terrain was a maze of jagged ridges, secret tunnels as dense as a spider's web. Wang Shan, using the system's pre‑calculated optimal route, walked as if on flat ground, deftly avoiding the still‑fierce skirmishes, silently making his way toward the hidden valley where the Purple Monkey Flower lay.

The deeper he went, the more the faint, peculiar fragrance in the air grew, interlaced with strands of calming spiritual aura, a stark contrast to the chaotic, violent energy of the Outside World.

Moments later, Wang Shan's silhouette appeared at a highly concealed valley entrance.

Inside the valley, a plant no taller than half a foot, its whole body a dark purple as if carved from amethyst, rooted in a massive teal‑black rock crevice. Its leaves were few, each no larger than a fingernail, yet glimmered with a metallic sheen. At the top, it bore a fist‑sized, budding purple flower bud. The bud's surface displayed strange golden veins slowly flowing, emitting a soft, mysterious halo, like the heart of a living creature gently beating.

Purple Monkey Flower!

It sits there quietly; each "breath" releases a refreshing fragrance and ultra‑pure spiritual aura, in the chaotic Ghost Sorrow Cliff it stands out like a crane among chickens, tempting transgression.

Wang Shan did not rush in immediately. He could clearly sense that not far away at the valley mouth, a restless, powerful aura paced back and forth, occasionally emitting a low roar—namely the Late Third Tier guardian beast, the Iron-backed Gray Ape.

At this moment, the massive creature was clearly agitated by the deafening shouts and chaotic energy outside, yet bound by duty, it dared not stray too far from its own territory.

"Hmm, the heat is just right." Wang Shan squinted, a faint smile silently blossomed deep in his eyes.

This grand drama "Dog Bites Dog" is about time for this "fisherman" like me to make an appearance.