Am I the only good person in this cultivation world?

The last time he smelled such a strong stench of blood was in the Blood Pool of the Demon Palace—used by the elders of the sect for training.

Yao Han did not advance any further, but instead carefully hid behind a tree, probing the dark cave entrance with his divine sense.

He sensed a fluctuation of magical power.

Having cultivated in the ancient mountain range and dealt with various demonic beasts year-round, Yao Han immediately recognized that this wild magical power did not belong to a human.

"A first-tier... no, a second-tier demonic beast. It's stronger than the cliff owl we encountered earlier, and its aura is slowly getting stronger."

The strength of a second-tier demon beast is roughly equivalent to that of a cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining. The unknown demon beast in the cave is currently at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining and is still evolving towards the seventh level.

Once you reach the seventh level of Qi Refining or higher, you can be called a third-tier demon beast.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the place where the culprit behind the monkey calamity is located.

Judging from the devout way the monkeys carried the blood offerings, they seemed to be led by the powerful monster inside the cave.

Could it be a monkey that has become a spirit and even cultivated itself into the Monkey King?

Yao Han stood at a distance, observing silently.

He wasn't going to his death.

Although the opponent is strong, he may still have a chance.

As is well known, the cultivation methods of demon beasts and cultivators are completely different. At the critical moment of advancement, the demon beast's physical body is at its weakest.

With his Core Formation cultivator's insight, this unknown second-tier demon beast was currently at a critical stage of its breakthrough; otherwise, it wouldn't have ordered this group of "monkeys and their offspring" to find food for it.

If he could kill it, its fur, bones, and teeth would be excellent materials for refining weapons.

Without his natal magic weapon, Yao Han is now lacking in protective magical artifacts.

He does have a Qiankun bag, but that doesn't mean he possesses an unlimited number of spirit stones.

It's more cost-effective to bring your own materials and have a craftsman forge the magic weapon than to buy it directly.

However... although he doesn't have any magical artifacts right now, he still has a trump card to use.

This risk is worth taking!

Yao Han made up his mind, continued to conceal his presence, and made his way towards the cave entrance ahead.

He was very careful, moving very quietly, and walking slowly forward, deliberately avoiding the monkeys resting in the open space.

Because of his caution, not a single monkey noticed his movements.

The closer one gets to the cave entrance, the stronger the stench of blood becomes, and a damp, cold wind blows in, sending chills down one's spine.

The light gradually faded behind him, and the cave became pitch black. Yao Han waved two fingers in front of his eyes and silently cast a night vision spell, making everything around him clear again.

The rough rock walls descended deep into the ground, with jagged stone cones overhead. Water droplets occasionally slid from the tips of these cones, falling to the ground with a pattering sound.

The place where this monster dwells is quite deep.

Fortunately, although the cave is winding, there are no forks in the road; you can just follow the path.

He tried to walk quietly, avoiding the puddles of varying depths on the ground.

Where are those monkeys that went into the cave? I can't see a single one.

Could it be that the monsters inside mistook it for food and ate it along with the beast?

It's not impossible.

After passing through a series of narrow passages, the road becomes much wider. The stone cave that could only accommodate three people can now easily hold ten.

After walking for half an hour, more and more puddles appeared at his feet, and the water was tinged with a scarlet blood color. Yao Han became extremely alert, keeping his consciousness constantly focused on his body and never letting his guard down.

He knew he was close enough that he could hear the echoes of monkeys chirping in his ears.

It's right ahead.

At the next corner, the view suddenly became clear, and it seemed as if there was a fire burning inside, illuminating the curved stone wall not far in front of him.

Yao Han did not make any rash moves. He remained where he was and looked with his divine sense toward the place illuminated by the firelight.

At the end of the passage, there was a huge cave, several dozen feet square, like a square hall, with no end in sight.

In the center of the giant cave, there was a circular magic circle, with strange and mysterious symbols drawn around the edge, blending into the array pattern.

At the very center of the magic circle lay a giant black-haired ape, as tall as two people, with its eyes closed as if it were fast asleep. An oval crystal was embedded in its forehead, and its entire body was crimson, like a third eye.

It is the source of that magical power fluctuation, and at this moment, the aura emanating from it is still increasing.

Yao Han couldn't tell what kind of monster it was, so he assumed it was a mutated one.

The monkeys that entered the cave placed the bloody food beside it, and the blood left from these preys stained the array patterns, causing the array to be continuously activated and operated.

"I see."

Although Yao Han didn't know much about formations, he still managed to discern something from the perspective of a Core Formation cultivator.

Under the cover of divine sense, one could see streaks of jet-black spiritual light emerging from the four stone walls and converging on the array. Most of them flowed into the red crystal on the forehead of the black-haired giant ape, while the rest were distributed among the monkeys.

This is a magic array that can attract yin energy.

Although it is unknown who left this place, it was certainly not built by these monkeys. These unintelligent beasts do not have that much ability; they just benefited from this magic array.

The black ape had stayed in this cave for many years. Over time, its physique was affected by the yin energy drawn in by the magic array, causing it to mutate, gain cultivation, and transform into a demonic beast.

Having tasted the sweetness of success, he ordered the group of wild monkeys to go out and collect blood food for him. While satisfying their hunger, they also unintentionally activated the magic array, and so on.

Yao Han touched his chin.

The annual monkey infestations in the nearby villages must be caused by this formation.

At the summer solstice, when the yang energy is at its peak, the yin-gathering formation becomes malfunctioning. Without its "nourishment," the black ape stops cultivating and venturing out of its cave to hunt. Only after the summer solstice has passed and the formation has been restored does it return to its cave, and the cycle repeats itself.

As for why those ordinary monkeys were so agitated, it was either because they were bewitched by the remaining yin energy in the cave, or because the black ape had some strange talent or supernatural ability that allowed it to control the monkey troop.

Thus, the mystery of the monkey plague was finally revealed. The only remaining question was who left the magic array.

Yao Han stopped thinking and turned his gaze to the giant ape with its eyes closed.

We can study that magic array later.

The most important thing right now is to get rid of this black-haired beast.

Yao Han observed the terrain inside the cave once more.

The light did not come from torches, but from countless luminous stones that shimmered with orange light. These stones were embedded in the stone walls, illuminating the cave brightly.

There were several small holes in the surrounding stone walls, blocked by vines and wooden branches, where some young wild animals were kept, some lively and some dying.

It's interesting that these monkeys even know how to raise poultry.

Having ascertained the situation inside the cave, Yao Han no longer hesitated. He put two fingers together in front of his chest, activated the Breath Concealment Technique to its maximum, and approached the lying black ape.

One step, two steps, three steps...

Good, they didn't notice me.

When only five steps remained between them, Yao Han no longer hesitated and suddenly changed the hand seals in his hands.

A long-accumulated golden light suddenly burst forth from his body, instantly transforming into a three-foot-long sword of light in front of Yao Han. The sword's edge was sharp and seemed to be buzzing.

One of the offensive techniques of the Fiery Light Technique: Fiery Light Sword.

"go!"

With a low shout, a sword shadow flashing with dazzling golden light shot towards the giant ape's forehead, the sharp sound of it cutting through the air sending chills down one's spine.

Sensing the impending crisis, the giant ape opened its eyes wide in anger and leaped up from the ground, narrowly avoiding the attack as the sword's edge grazed its scalp.

Yao Han secretly regretted it, but he hadn't expected to take down the giant ape with just a sneak attack.

Yao Han didn't stop moving. Guided by his fingers, the golden sword shadow circled behind the giant ape and stabbed towards its back at an extremely fast speed.

This time it failed to dodge in time; the sword pierced through the giant ape's chest and burst out of its body, leaving a mottled bloodstain on the black fur on its chest.

"roar--!!!"

The giant ape was completely enraged. After roaring, it pounced on Yao Han.

But Yao Han had already retreated, his figure disappearing in a flash at the cave entrance.