Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 631 - 540 Demon Hunting in the Mountains_1

Chapter 631: 540 Demon Hunting in the Mountains_1

The young man in yellow was none other than the Bold True Monarch, and Shen Long wanted to verify the matter with him in person.

"Indeed, such a thing happened, but so far, besides myself, no other witnesses have been found, and many people say I’m lying,"

said the Bold True Monarch nonchalantly.

"Taoist Friend Lan, could you tell me where you encountered the fifth-stage Strong Golden-Backed Ape?"

Shen Long spoke politely as he took out a white porcelain bottle and handed it to the Bold True Monarch.

The Bold True Monarch opened the lid, held the white porcelain bottle to his nose, and sniffed lightly a few times, his face revealing a pleased expression.

He then took out a piece of blue beast hide and gave it to Shen Long, pointing at a certain spot and saying, "I also stumbled upon the Strong Golden-Backed Ape by chance. Many Soul Transformation Cultivators who entered the Thousand Spider Mountain Range to hunt Monster Beasts did not discover this demon, which is quite strange."

"What Divine Skills did it inherit from the Mountain Giant Ape?"

Shen Long asked curiously.

"Mountain Roar. Two Soul Transformation Cultivators encountered it, one of whom had an early fifth-stage Giant Strength Ape. The Strong Golden-Backed Ape suppressed the Giant Strength Ape with the Mountain Roar and quickly dealt with them. If I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have died at the hands of the Strong Golden-Backed Ape as well,"

the Bold True Monarch said, his face showing a lingering fear at the end.

"Mountain Roar!"

Shen Long frowned. Success with the first level of the Heavenly Demon True Scripture would also grant mastery of this Divine Skill. The Strong Golden-Backed Ape the Bold True Monarch possibly saw might have been a Soul Transformation Cultivator who transformed after cultivating the Heavenly Demon True Scripture.

"Taoist Friend Lan, what level was that Strong Golden-Backed Ape? And when it fought against Cultivators, did it use any Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure?"

Shen Long asked curiously.

"Late fifth-stage," said the Bold True Monarch, frowning, "Taoist Friend Shen, do you mean to say that the Strong Golden-Backed Ape I saw was transformed by a Cultivator? Some Cultivators share this view, but the Mountain Roar is an exclusive Divine Skill of the Mountain Giant Ape, and I have seen it before."

He seemed to think of something, and added, "After many years, that Strong Golden-Backed Ape might have been subdued by a higher-ranking Cultivator. I spread the news, and quite a few Soul Transformation Cultivators entered the depths of the Thousand Spider Mountain Range in search of the Strong Golden-Backed Ape, but there has been no news, and over time, they came to believe I was lying."

Shen Long inquired in detail about the Divine Skills of the Strong Golden-Backed Ape, and the Bold True Monarch told him truthfully.

From the Bold True Monarch’s description, Shen Long realized that the Strong Golden-Backed Ape had mastered at least two Divine Skills of the Mountain Giant Ape, all of which were attached to the first three levels of the Heavenly Demon True Scripture.

"That Strong Golden-Backed Ape can also speak human language, with a Purity of Bloodline of at least five, or else it couldn’t have inherited the Mountain Giant Ape’s two Divine Skills. Taoist Friend Shen might not want to entertain the idea of challenging that Strong Golden-Backed Ape,"

the Bold True Monarch advised.

"Thank you for the warning, Taoist Friend Lan,"

Shen Long expressed his gratitude.

After chatting idly for a while, Shen Long took his leave and departed.

He strolled around the streets, not finding any followers, and then returned to Qingmei Courtyard.

With a flick of his wrist, Shen Long summoned the Pursuing Spirit Beast from the Spirit Beast Bracelet.

"Has anyone been following me?"

Shen Long asked.

"No one has been detected so far,"

replied the Pursuing Spirit Beast.

Shen Long breathed a sigh of relief, took the Pursuing Spirit Beast back into the Spirit Beast Bracelet, and sat down in the Stone Pavilion.

Shen Hai brought out tea leaves and tea-making equipment to brew tea, and Shen Long took a sip of the Spiritual Tea, his expression contemplative.

If the Strong Golden-Backed Ape seen by the Bold True Monarch was transformed by a Cultivator, it meant this individual was cultivating the Heavenly Demon True Scripture, but the Bold True Monarch had fled too quickly to see what this person looked like.

If the Strong Golden-Backed Ape witnessed by the Bold True Monarch was not transformed from a Cultivator, the question arose: how could the Thousand Spider Mountain Range suddenly have a Strong Golden-Backed Ape with the Mountain Giant Ape bloodline!

The Thousand Spider Mountain Range was known for its Monster Spiders and had never before shown signs of Demon Apes with Mountain Giant Ape bloodlines, so the sudden appearance of one was truly strange.

Shen Long leaned towards the former possibility, but he also couldn’t rule out the latter. He planned to conduct an on-site investigation, preferably killing a few fifth-tier Demon Apes.

As darkness fell, the number of pedestrians on the streets did not decrease but increased, and the lights in the marketplace were bright.

Shen Long left the Qingmei Courtyard and began to stroll along the streets.

After wandering around the marketplace, he found nothing unusual, so he chose a teahouse and requested a private room.

Time slowly passed, and as dawn approached, Shen Long noticed nothing out of the ordinary.

Just as the sky began to lighten, there were few pedestrians on the streets.

He left the marketplace, transformed into a streak of Escape Light that cleaved the void and vanished into the horizon.

Five days later, at the outer boundary of the Qianzhu Mountain Range, within a narrow valley strewn with rubble and scant vegetation, walked a burly youth in red, vigilant and alert, who was Shen Long in disguise.

He left the marketplace as swiftly as possible, and, after repeatedly confirming that there were no followers, he entered the Thousand Spider Mountain Range to search for fifth-tier Demon Apes.

According to True Monarch Dadao’s statement, it was here that he encountered a fifth-tier Strong Golden-Backed Ape.

Shen Long released the Hundred Eyes Cicada. With a dazzling golden light emanating from its eyes, it was now able to clearly see the situation within a five hundred li radius after advancing to the fifth tier. With the improvement in its cultivation, it could see even further.

Shen Long continued to walk slowly while the Hundred Eyes Cicada scouted ahead.

Two days later, Shen Long appeared in a vast, dark forest, where the leaves on the ground were several feet deep, and the air was filled with a scent of decay.

The Hundred Eyes Cicada spoke, "Master, five hundred li to the southwest, there is a Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly."

"Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly? Let’s make our move against them."

Shen Long said, rushing towards the southwest with the Hundred Eyes Cicada following close behind.

He stopped outside a small valley surrounded by hills on three sides, filled with dense green miasma, rendering the interior indiscernible.

With a gesture of Shen Long’s spell, a multitude of red flames appeared out of thin air, transforming into giant fireballs that bombarded the small valley.

With a thunderous roar, the flames engulfed the valley while the green miasma quickly dissipated. A gust of wind swept through, and the flames extinguished rapidly.

As the winds howled, several hundred-foot-tall green tornadoes appeared out of nowhere, converging from all directions.

Shen Long let out a long howl, expelling a yellow soundwave that shattered the incoming green tornadoes. A flurry of giant Wind Blades shot out, aimed directly at Shen Long.

Shen Long withdrew the Hundred Eyes Cicada back into the Spirit Beast Bracelet and let the giant Wind Blades strike him, making metallic clashing sounds as they hit, but he remained unharmed.

As the wind blew fiercely, a huge three-colored butterfly appeared behind him.

A fifth-tier, mid-stage Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly!

It opened its mouth and sprayed out a green soundwave, heading straight for Shen Long.

Shen Long reacted quickly, turning his head and expelling a yellow soundwave to meet it head-on.

The yellow soundwave collided with the green soundwave. The latter instantly shattered, and the yellow soundwave swept over the Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly’s body, causing it to tremble.

Shen Long threw a punch that landed on the butterfly’s abdomen, caving it in. It was sent flying backward and smashed heavily into the ground.

Before it could rise again, a thick stinger burst from the ground and struck its head, killing the Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly instantly.

Shen Long summoned a Green Jade Vase and collected the butterfly’s Spirit Soul.

The Iron Tail Scorpion emerged from the ground, spraying a yellow aura that enveloped the corpse of the Tri-Colored Wind Butterfly, drawing it into its mouth and swallowing it whole.

It burrowed back into the ground as Shen Long released the Hundred Eyes Cicada again and continued to advance, disappearing into the vast mountains.