Chapter 92: with translation of chapter title

Wang Shan was awakened by a violent bout of coughing, his throat burning as if he had swallowed a mouthful of sand.

He jerked upright, his head still ringing, the aftereffects of the teleportation leaving him nauseous even now.

"Clan Leader, how are you?" Wang Fang leaned against a large tree beside him, her face as white as paper, but her eyes full of concern.

Wang Shan waved his hand, drawing several deep breaths of the damp air in this unfamiliar forest, tinged with the scent of rotting vegetation.

"I… I'm not dead yet. How about the others?" He scanned the surroundings, his heart sinking sharply.

Of the thirty-plus who had fled into the relic stone gate, after that chaotic teleportation, scattered around now, plus himself, only eleven remained alive.

Wang Yong's sleeve was half soaked in blood as he grimaced while treating his wound; Wang Zhize was relatively fine, though his expression was grave as he went around checking on the clansmen's conditions.

"Seventeen… plus us, that's all that's left…" Wang Zhize's voice was hoarse, choked with repressed pain. Those clansmen lost in the teleportation are likely more dead than alive.

Wang Shan fell silent for a moment, his fist clenching involuntarily.

Before the teleportation, the energy burst from the stele had already taken some people, and now even more are gone.

"It's over now." He spoke, his voice low but carrying an undeniable resolve. "Conceal yourselves immediately! Everyone, restrain your aura. Wang Yong, can you still move? On guard!"

"Clan Leader, don't worry, this little injury is nothing!" Wang Yong grunted in reply, grabbed his weapon, and vigilantly observed the surrounding massive trees and vines that were absurdly thick.

This forest is unnervingly quiet.

"System, scan the surrounding environment." Wang Shan murmured inwardly.

Beep—environmental scan in progress… scan complete. Host's current location: deep unknown region of the Man Yun Mountain Range. Warning: a large number of second-tier demonic beasts detected within a five-kilometer radius, with at least three third-tier demonic beasts, danger level extremely high, far exceeding the outer area of Hundred Beast Valley.

The deep Man Yun Mountain Range? This damned place! Wang Shan's heart skipped a beat. They barely avoided annihilation in the outskirts of Hundred Beast Valley; here it feels like they'd have to dance on knife's edge every day.

He briefly explained the situation to Wang Zhize and the others, and everyone's faces darkened.

"Clan Leader, what should we do…?" Wang Fang said, a little panicked.

"Don't panic!" Wang Shan barked lowly. "The greater the danger, the more we need to stay calm! Since they could dump us here, there must be a way out. System, exchange for 【Third-rank Qi Concealment Talisman】 and 【Second-rank Environment Scan Talisman】."

Beep—exchanged 【Third-rank Qi Concealment Talisman】 eleven sheets, consuming 550 Spirit Plant Points. Exchanged 【Second-rank Environment Scan Talisman】 one sheet, consuming 100 Spirit Plant Points. Host's current Spirit Plant Points remaining: zero.

Gone again! Wang Shan's mouth twitched; these Spirit Plant Points disappear faster than water. He distributed the 【Third-rank Qi Concealment Talismans】: "Keep them close; they can maximally suppress our aura, notably effective against demonic beasts below third rank. This 【Environment Scan Talisman】 will let us detect movements ahead of time."

Everyone complied; the talismans turned into faint light that merged into their bodies, and the sensation of being watched faded somewhat.

We need to find a relatively safe spot quickly, at least somewhere we can catch our breath. Wang Shan surveyed the surroundings. "This place's demonic aura is too thick; we shouldn't linger. Follow me, everyone, stay sharp!"

Under Wang Shan's lead, the group moved like a flock of startled deer, carefully pushing aside hanging vines and dense shrubs, each step taken with extra caution. In this primeval forest the light was dim, directions hard to tell, so they could only rely on Wang Shan's occasional crude compass and the system's auxiliary prompts to determine a rough bearing.

After walking about half an hour, the 【Environment Scan Talisman】 at Wang Shan's waist suddenly warmed slightly.

Beep—system alert! A large gathering of demonic beasts detected three li ahead, with violent energy fluctuations, likely a battle underway!

"Stop!" Wang Shan snapped his hand up, lowering his voice. "Something's up ahead—lots of demonic beasts, looks like they're fighting."

"Fighting?" Wang Yong's eyes lit up, then he grew nervous. "What level are they?"

Not sure, but the commotion is significant. Let's sneak over to take a look—stay careful, make no noise. Wang Shan made a gesture, then himself lowered his body, using tree cover for concealment as he crept forward slowly. Wang Zhize and the others immediately followed suit, each holding their breath to maximize the effect of the Qi Concealment Talismans.

The closer they got, the stronger the stench of blood and the demonic beasts' characteristic musky odor became, occasionally punctuated by dull thuds and angry roars.

Rounding a massive tree root, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

On a chaotic forest clearing, nearly a hundred demonic beasts of various forms were split into two groups, engaged in a brutal slaughter.

One side consisted of beasts covered in azure scales, resembling giant wolves; the other side bore a single horn and were shrouded in a faint black aura—strange cattle.

These demonic beasts generally possessed second-tier cultivation; when they fought, the ground shook and trees snapped, flying sideways.

In the midst of their battle, a small tree about half a person's height bore a lone fruit the size of a fist, its entire body radiating seven-colored iridescent light.

A refreshing, fragrant aroma emanated from the fruit, so potent that even from a distance one could sense the vast spiritual energy it contained.

"What… what kind of fruit is that?" Wang Fang stared, eyes wide, having never seen such a wondrous spirit fruit.

Beep—detected high-energy spirit plant feedback. Target: 【Third-tier Spirit Plant: Transformation Fruit】. This fruit contains pure wood-type and transformative spiritual power; if a demonic beast consumes it, it has a high chance of breaking through its cultivation bottleneck, even gaining partial sentience to evolve into a higher existence. For human cultivators, this fruit is a key ingredient in refining various high-grade pills, especially a crucial auxiliary medicine for Foundation Establishment pills, and can also be taken directly to greatly boost cultivation, though its potency is violent and must be handled with care.

Transformation Fruit! A crucial auxiliary for refining Foundation Establishment pills! Wang Shan's heart surged with a tidal wave, his breathing growing ragged. Foundation Establishment pills—those could let a Qi Refining cultivator leap straight into the Foundation Establishment path, a holy medicine! If he could obtain this Transformation Fruit…

"Clan Leader, this fruit…" Wang Zhize also noticed the fruit's extraordinariness, his voice trembling.

Good stuff, a tremendous good thing! Wang Shan lowered his voice, eyes locked on the Transformation Fruit. "But now is not the time for us to make a move." He pointed ahead at the demonic beast horde, already red-eyed from slaughter. "Those two groups of second-tier demonic beasts together number nearly a hundred; with our current manpower, charging in would be like sending ourselves to be slaughtered. Besides, who knows what else might be lurking in the dark?"

What do we do then? Just watch? Wang Yong felt unwilling; this was a treasure that could change fate.

Wait. Wang Shan uttered a single word. "Let them fight; best if they both lose, then we'll have a chance. The snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Today we'll be the fisherman!"

What if they finish fighting and the victor simply swallows the fruit? a young clansman asked quietly.

Then we can only accept defeat and flee. Wang Shan glanced at him. "The path of cultivation mixes opportunity and risk; without the guts and wit, you might as well go home and farm."

The young clansman blushed at the remark and dared not speak further.

Time passed bit by bit, and the beasts' slaughter grew ever more ferocious. The Azure Scale Wolves were vicious and cunning, the One-horned Black Oxen possessed boundless strength; both sides fought to the death, limbs flying, blood staining the ground. The number of demonic beasts dwindled rapidly, and the stench of blood in the air grew so thick it seemed almost tangible.

Finally, after an exceptionally sturdy Azure Scale Wolf King bit through the neck of the last adult One-horned Black Ox, the battle drew to a close. The Azure Scale Wolf side also paid a heavy price, reduced to fewer than ten individuals, all wounded; even the wolf king bore a deep, bone-exposing wound on its abdomen that kept bleeding.

Almost there… A gleam flashed in Wang Shan's eyes as he was about to signal the others to prepare for action.

At that very moment, a spiritual sense far surpassing that of any second-tier demonic beast swept over the area! Like an invisible giant hand, it instantly clenched everyone's hearts!

Wang Shan and company were struck as if by lightning, every hair on end! This spiritual sense… Foundation Establishment! And it felt somewhat familiar!

Before they could react, a somewhat disheveled yet still ferocious figure plummeted from the sky like a meteorite, crashing with a booming sound near the Transformation Fruit, shaking the ground!

As the smoke and dust cleared, a face that Wang Shan and the others would never forget was revealed!

"Wan… Wan Tianjue!" Wang Fang cried out, her voice trembling with fear.

The newcomer was none other than Wan Tianjue! Compared to his state in the relic, he looked even more miserable—his clothes ragged, hair disheveled, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly having suffered in the spatial teleportation, his aura somewhat unstable. But when his dark, shrewd eyes fell upon the seven-colored iridescent Transformation Fruit, they instantly burst with unparalleled joy and greed!

Hahaha! Heaven does not doom Wan Tianjue! Transformation Fruit! It really is the Transformation Fruit! Wan Tianjue threw his head back and laughed, his voice hoarse yet brimming with triumph. "With this fruit, not only will my injuries fully heal, but my cultivation can advance another level! The Beast Taming Sect's inheritance is mine, and this Transformation Fruit is mine as well!"

He waved a mighty hand, and a surge of immense spiritual power rolled out, blasting the few lingering Azure Scale Wolves away—some dead, some wounded.

"Wang! Shan!" Wan Tianjue's gaze snapped toward the direction where Wang Shan and company hid, his mouth curling into a savage grin like a beast choosing its prey. "You little bugs, your lives are surprisingly tough! You too got teleported here! Perfect—saves me the trouble of hunting you down! Today, not one of you will leave alive!"

Wang Shan's heart plummeted to the depths of the valley. Just as feared, what he dreaded had come to pass! That old immortal, actually lurking nearby!