Chapter 33: Chapter 32: Woman
Seeing the Brain-Eating Monkey attack again, Wen Qingye felt a surge of anger. He leaped into the air, and after spotting the monkey’s trajectory, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.
"Celestial Hand!"
The Brain-Eating Monkey felt the sky above it darken. A massive Hand Seal descended with boundless might, crushing down directly upon it. The monkey’s body trembled in fear, and it hastily tried to flee, but it was too late.
"CRASH!"
Wen Qingye’s Celestial Hand Seal mercilessly slammed down on the Brain-Eating Monkey’s body. The surrounding dead branches and withered leaves were blasted more than a foot into the air.
A giant Hand Seal was now imprinted on the ground, with the Brain-Eating Monkey crushed inside it.
Suddenly, a strange cry rang out beside Wen Qingye’s ear, and he quickly rolled away to dodge.
The Brain-Eating Monkey that had been on the tree jumped down to the Hand Seal, circling the one lying on the ground. The fallen Brain-Eating Monkey slowly got to its feet; it looked to have sustained serious injuries.
Wen Qingye took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the two Brain-Eating Monkeys.
The first Brain-Eating Monkey’s eyes were bloodshot, its mouth stretched wide. Suddenly, it pushed off with all four limbs, rushing swiftly toward Wen Qingye.
It seemed Wen Qingye’s eyes could barely keep up with the Brain-Eating Monkey’s speed, but relying on his experience and hearing, he could roughly guess its position.
"Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand!"
Abruptly, Wen Qingye extended and crossed his arms, one hand over the other. Primordial Qi surged wildly throughout his body, and his aura rose to a whole new level.
This was the true Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand!
As his palms joined, a faint golden glow began to seep out from the gap between them.
Primordial Qi roiled between Wen Qingye’s arms with boundless momentum. The surrounding Primordial Qi rippled like water, and in a blur, a massive golden Hand Seal materialized.
A heaven-shaking power was contained within this Hand Seal as it rolled forward!
"BANG!"
The Brain-Eating Monkey never expected Wen Qingye to pinpoint its location so suddenly. Caught completely off guard, it took a direct hit from the Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand.
"SPURT!"
Wen Qingye watched as the Brain-Eating Monkey’s body tumbled through the air, dripping with blood, before it landed as if firmly imprinted onto the ground, motionless.
The surviving Brain-Eating Monkey hurried to its dead companion’s side. Discovering its partner was dead, it jumped about erratically, bared its fangs at Wen Qingye, and then quickly fled into the distance.
Wen Qingye watched the Brain-Eating Monkey run off. He knew it was incredibly fast, and with the area full of ancient trees, he wasn’t confident he could catch it, so he decided against giving chase.
Wen Qingye walked over to the several corpses. They didn’t look like students from Qig Mountain Academy; they were probably Martial Artists who had come here seeking fortune.
Wen Qingye walked over to the Star Mist Flower, reached out, and began to dig carefully. One had to be extremely careful when harvesting such herbs, as their entire bodies contained medicinal properties. The slightest mistake could ruin the plant.
Finally, Wen Qingye carefully stored the Star Mist Flower, then stood up, preparing to leave.
Just then, his eyes swept over the bodies and caught sight of a yellowed object sticking out from the female corpse’s chest. It looked ancient.
Wen Qingye walked to the female corpse’s side and picked it up. To his surprise, it was a Treasure Map—and a Treasure Map of the Hundred Break Mountains, no less.
Wen Qingye wondered to himself, ’Could these people have come here looking for treasure?’
Wen Qingye took the map and studied it carefully, but after examining it for a long time, he still felt lost. ’I don’t even know where I am now, so how am I supposed to start searching?’
With that thought, Wen Qingye put the map away and continued onward.
Before he knew it, the sky had darkened. Wen Qingye found a relatively thick tree and sat cross-legged on a branch to begin his cultivation.
He circulated the Longevity Technique over and over, and his Primordial Qi slowly increased.
The next day, as the sky gradually brightened, Wen Qingye leaped down from the tree and continued on his way.
As he traveled, the Demon Beasts he encountered grew more formidable. Wen Qingye saw many Demon Beasts of the Refining Essence Realm; one or two of them even made his heart pound with fear. However, his journey wasn’t without rewards, as he also found two Fourth-Grade Herbs.
As time passed, about ten days had gone by since Wen Qingye entered the Hundred Break Mountains. His pace of venturing deeper had slowed in recent days, especially after an encounter with a Demon Beast at the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven. If Wen Qingye hadn’t run fast enough, he would be nothing but a pile of bone fragments by now.
Wen Qingye grew increasingly cautious. He knew that the slightest misstep could mean his death.
"Hm?" Wen Qingye suddenly sensed the sounds of a fight up ahead. He moved forward cautiously, his steps light.
As he drew near the source of the sound, Wen Qingye saw the scene before him. A massive eagle was battling a person.
The person was dressed in black robes. From their build, they appeared to be a woman; even though the robes were loose, one could still make out a curvaceous figure. Her hair was lightly pinned up, her expression calm and detached. The sword in her hand danced continuously, its graceful green glow indicating it was no ordinary item.
The eagle in front of the woman was gray all over, its beak shimmering with a golden light. Its entire body was about seven to eight meters long, and a sweep of its wings cast a vast shadow.
The eagle suddenly shook its wings and soared high into the air. As its wings beat ceaselessly, vortexes of wind swirled into existence beneath them.
Even standing far away, Wen Qingye could feel the painful sting of the wind on his face. He was secretly alarmed. ’This eagle must be the Golden-beaked Eagle of the Refining Essence Eighth Layer Heaven.’
The Golden-beaked Eagle was a relatively rare Demon Beast. Its blood, when applied to the body, could strengthen one’s physical fortitude and also rapidly increase the absorption speed of Primordial Qi.
’For that woman to be able to fight the Golden-beaked Eagle, her cultivation must be at the Refining Essence Eighth Layer Heaven, or even higher. At her age, she would be considered an astonishing talent in the Celestial Martial Country and should be quite famous.’
The woman held her sword horizontally before her chest, a trace of calm in her eyes. She maintained a detached attitude toward the Golden-beaked Eagle as the light from her sword gradually intensified.
The raging winds converged and rushed toward the woman. Wherever the gales passed, the surrounding leaves, grassroots, and shrubs were all ripped from the ground, leaving behind a bare patch of earth. Wen Qingye had to retreat several steps to avoid being swept up by the flurry of leaves.
The woman abruptly thrust her sword upward. With the sound of a violent, whistling wind, the sword’s faintly cold light carried a simple yet elegant killing intent. A towering, azure Sword Qi erupted from the blade and met the raging gales head-on.
"BOOM!"
The gales carried a tearing force, but the Sword Qi did not yield an inch. The two massive torrents of Primordial Qi collided violently in mid-air, unleashing a sharp aftershock that sliced through dozens of ancient trees in the vicinity.
The Golden-beaked Eagle flapped its wings, flying high to evade the Primordial Qi’s assault, while the woman leaped nimbly, vaulting toward the top of an ancient tree.
