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Ten days later, the wooden boat flew more than 30,000 li and landed in a coastal market town.

As soon as they landed, Qi Boyuan said, "Shizhou, we've arrived at Shilong Island. Let's disembark."

After he finished speaking, he got up and walked out of the ship, with Li Shizhou following closely behind.

Upon reaching the ground, one is greeted by a street three zhang wide and less than fifty zhang long, with about twenty or thirty simple stone houses built on both sides.

This place is called "Chenyu Xianfang" and is located in the northwest of Shilong Island.

The two did not linger in the market, but instead each took out their flying swords and flew towards the southeast.

Shilong Island, despite its name, is actually quite vast, stretching for thousands of miles even at its narrowest point, though it is sparsely populated with spiritual energy.

In the southeast of the island, Xinggong built a secular kingdom called "Chen Kingdom", with a population of fifty million.

To avoid disturbing the mortals living and multiplying within, the Star Palace stipulates that cultivators are not allowed to engage in magical combat or cast spells in public, and that cultivators are assigned to monitor this practice.

Therefore, the people there were no immortals.

The border of Chen Kingdom is protected by array formations, with three passes left for cultivators to enter and exit.

There are dozens of similar kingdoms under the rule of the Star Palace.

It is the secular place that cultivators talk about, and also the paradise for down-on-their-luck cultivators.

After flying for five days, Li Shizhou and his companion arrived before them at a mountain range five or six hundred feet high.

The mountain has sparse vegetation, and its foot is shrouded in mist.

On a cliff face that is hundreds of feet high, the three large characters "Fuzi Pass" are written.

After passing this checkpoint, their destination would be the State of Chen.

Qi Boyuan was clearly not here for the first time. He channeled his magic power and shouted, "Rogue cultivator Qi Boyuan requests entry into the pass."

Li Shizhou followed suit and shouted the same thing.

A moment later, a small purple bird, about the size of a pigeon, flew out of the mist and landed in front of the two.

This bird exudes spiritual energy, its aura equivalent to a cultivator at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Refining, and it wears a jade pendant that glows white around its neck.

Qi Boyuan took out a Spirit Feeding Pill from his storage bag and placed it in his palm.

Upon seeing the pill, the purple bird chirped happily twice, flapped its wings, transformed into a streak of light, snatched the pill away, and swallowed it in one gulp.

After consuming the elixir, it turned and slowly flew into the mist. Wherever it passed, the mist within a ten-foot radius automatically dispersed.

Li Shizhou and his companion followed closely behind.

The mountain path was rugged and slippery. After walking for about half an incense stick's time, Li Shizhou transmitted his voice, "Uncle Qi, the Blood Spirit Fruit is about to ripen. Will it be swallowed by that Crimson-browed Black Ape?"

"No, this demon is most afraid of sourness. The Blood Spirit Fruit is extremely sour before it is fully ripe. I estimate it will take another six months to ripen. If we pick it early, we will only lose a little bit of its medicinal properties," Qi Boyuan said confidently.

"Then I'm relieved."

The two walked for more than ten miles and finally emerged from the fog.

Li Shizhou found himself on the edge of a vast grassland.

The boundless green waves before my eyes rolled in the wind, a sight that soothed the soul.

He took out the mortal clothes that had been prepared in advance from his storage bag and changed out of his cultivator robes.

After walking more than two hundred li within the territory of Chen, the two arrived at a mountain range full of huge stone pillars.

This mountain is named "Fengming Mountain" and is located in Huaiyang County of the Chen State.

The mountain roads on Fengming Mountain are steep and full of cliffs, making it impossible for ordinary people to venture deep into the area.

So there was no need to worry about being seen by mortals, and the two of them took out their flying magical artifacts.

Fifteen minutes later, a sinkhole appeared before us.

The sinkhole is over 150 zhang at its widest point and nearly 100 zhang at its narrowest.

It was estimated to be over sixty zhang deep, with countless vines extending down the cliff from the top of the pit.

The bottom of the pit is covered with lush vegetation, and the accumulated water on one side forms a small lake of several tens of acres. The lake water is emerald green, and more than ten water birds are playing in it.

Not far from the small lake is a huge cave with an entrance as high as four or five stories. According to Qi Boyuan, the Blood Spirit Fruit is inside the cave.

With the elixir right before their eyes, the two were quite excited and slowly descended towards the bottom of the pit.

As Li Shizhou flew, he said, "I never imagined that the Blood Spirit Fruit would grow in such a place with such sparse spiritual energy."

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either, but if it weren't for that, it wouldn't be our turn to pick them."

"Uncle Qi is right."

Upon reaching the cave entrance, the two switched to walking.

The floor inside the cave was covered with tiny black droppings, and there was a rustling sound overhead.

Looking up, you can see countless black bats hanging upside down from the cave ceiling.

After turning seven or eight corners and walking about a hundred feet, the cave suddenly narrowed, becoming increasingly cramped the further in you went. However, the originally thin spiritual energy began to become denser, until it became a passage more than ten feet high and seven or eight feet wide before it stopped narrowing.

The end of the passage gleamed with a white light, and the walls bore the marks of being chiseled with a blunt instrument.

The two carefully walked along the passage for a dozen breaths, and suddenly the view opened up before them, and the cave became as spacious as before.

The ground was littered with stones of varying sizes and shapes, and there were some moonstones emitting a white glow on the cave walls.

Although the cave was dimly lit by the light of the moonstone, it did not impair the vision of cultivators in the slightest.

After entering the passage, Qi Boyuan looked around for a moment, and a wooden box flew out of his storage bag at his waist in a flash.

As soon as it was opened, a rich fruity aroma filled the air, revealing dozens of purple berries the size of eggs inside.

The Red-browed Black Ape is an omnivorous monster that loves this food the most.

Qi Boyuan scattered the berries on the ground.

He instructed Li Shizhou, "This demon has a keen sense of smell. I only added a small amount of poison to the berries. First, hide yourselves. When the poison takes effect, I will attack first, and then you can make your move."

This was Li Shizhou's first time going out to hunt demons, so naturally he had no objections.

He nodded, found a spot about five or six zhang away from the berries, and leaned against the cave wall to take out a talisman and a magical artifact.

Although Qi Boyuan has not done anything unusual so far, Li Shizhou is still on guard.

Throughout the flight, he used the original owner's small silver sword and never revealed any of his top-tier magical artifacts.

The magic weapon he took out was still that small silver sword, and the talisman was that mid-level low-grade talisman that cost one hundred spirit stones, which could withstand a full-force attack from a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator.

He hid the talisman in his sleeve and began to cast an invisibility spell by making hand seals. A moment later, the light and shadow distorted, and he disappeared without a trace.

Qi Boyuan stood by a boulder, then covered himself with a black cloak-like magical artifact, gradually concealing his figure.

About fifteen minutes later, heavy footsteps echoed from deep within the cave.

A dozen or so breaths later, a black ape-shaped demon beast appeared in Li Shizhou's eyes, its aura being similar to that of a human at the thirteenth level of Qi Refining.

Even when half-crouching, it is already ten feet tall, and the ground trembles with every step it takes.

A tuft of red hair the size of a palm grew on its forehead, and two yellowed fangs protruded from its mouth, each more than half a foot long.

It has a finger-thick collar around its neck, which is obviously forged by a cultivator. This beast must be a spirit beast that has broken free from its master's control.

After the red-browed black ape appeared, its nostrils twitched incessantly, and it soon spotted the purple berries on the ground.

But instead of picking it up, it turned its head and scanned the surroundings with keen eyes.

A moment later, it picked up a berry with its fingers, sniffed it carefully in front of its flared nostrils, and then put it into its big mouth, closed its eyes, and chewed it carefully.

Perhaps because the berries were too delicious, the ape opened its eyes and stood up excitedly after eating one, pounding its chest with its fists and making strange "ooh ooh ooh" noises.

Then, picking and eating as they went, they quickly swept up all the berries on the ground.

After finishing its meal, the demon did not leave. Instead, it paced back and forth nearby, its eyes filled with suspicion, sniffing as it walked with its large nostrils.

After about half a cup of tea's time had passed, there were still no signs of poisoning.

Li Shizhou thought to himself that something was wrong. The invisibility technique could hide his figure, but it couldn't hide his scent.

The red-browed black ape has a keen sense of smell, and the previously strong fruity fragrance could still mask its true nature.

The berries have all been eaten, and the aroma is fading. The two will be discovered sooner or later.

In this situation, he dared not send a telepathic message to Qi Boyuan, so he could only stand there and wait.

After a while, the demonic ape swaggered to within three zhang of him, its jet-black, glossy fur clearly visible.

Just as Li Shizhou was getting anxious, the red-browed black ape picked up a stone weighing nearly a hundred pounds from the ground and threw it forcefully near him.

The rock slammed into the cave wall next to him with a bang, creating a large crater, and rubble flew everywhere.

Clearly, the demon ape had discovered something; it was testing the waters just now.

Li Shizhou held his breath, not daring to move an inch.

However, the red-browed black ape picked up a slightly smaller stone from the ground and threw it suddenly, this time in the direction of where it was standing.

"when"

A long, loud noise echoed inside the cave.

In the critical moment, Li Shizhou disregarded his previous agreement with Qi Boyuan, took out the talisman hidden in his sleeve, and revealed his true form.

At this moment, an inverted golden alms bowl, about ten feet tall, protected his entire body, with golden runes flowing on it.

Upon seeing Li Shizhou, the red-browed ink ape's eyes widened, it roared, and with a powerful leap, its mountain-like body appeared before the golden alms bowl. Its two fists, each the size of a bucket, slammed down.

With a flick of his finger, Li Shizhou sent the silver sword flashing and piercing straight at the monster's face.

The red-browed black ape tilted its head, but it was too late. A piece of its hairless cheek was sliced ​​off by the flying sword, leaving a trail of blood droplets.

The beast, in pain, roared and pounded the alms bowl as it moved.

Li Shizhou maneuvered his flying sword in a swirling motion, striking the red-browed ink ape squarely in the left shoulder. With a clang, the silver sword was deflected.

This fang has thick skin and stiff fur; the silver sword is only a mid-level magic weapon and cannot break through its defenses.

Li Shizhou turned his head and stared at the narrow passage entrance, considering whether he should leave the cave first before making any further plans.

Suddenly, the red-browed black ape paused, followed his gaze to the entrance of the passage, stopped waving his fists, and turned to run towards the entrance.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Li Shizhou controlled the silver sword and shot it toward the place where Qi Boyuan had previously hidden.

He had been beaten for so long, yet his opponent hadn't made a move, which aroused his suspicion.

The silver sword pierced the boulder with a whoosh, and Qi Boyuan was indeed no longer in the same spot.

Li Shizhou's mind was in a mess. He had clearly used a mantra talisman to inquire before setting off, and there was indeed a Blood Spirit Fruit in this cave.

Moreover, judging from Qi Boyuan's behavior along the way, it did not seem like he was faking it.

There was no time to think it through. The red-browed black ape was already piling up stones at the entrance of the passage, quickly blocking the already narrow passage with several layers of stones.

After blocking the way, the demon ape suddenly turned around and slowly walked towards Li Shizhou with its mountain-like body.

His large, protruding mouth stretched upwards, and his eyes held a hint of human-like mockery.