Chapter 248: Chapter 247: Jade Spirit Tree

A terrifying smile, like something from the Forest of Hell, crept across Qin Feng’s face.

He glanced in the direction where the Red-Horned Dragon Ape was searching.

Qin Feng contemplated for a moment. A sinister smile then touched his lips as he dashed off in another direction.

Before long, Qin Feng arrived at the edge of a Jade Spirit Tree forest.

Qin Feng moved with light steps. His gaze fell upon rows of Jade Spirit Trees, their trunks crystalline and their branches heavy with lush leaves.

The Jade Spirit Tree was a type of Half-Spirit Wood. If it managed to grow for a thousand years, it could evolve into a true Yellow Tier Spiritual Root.

The Jade Spirit Trees grew exceptionally tall, each with a trunk so thick it would take two or three people to wrap their arms around it. On the ancient trees, one could occasionally spot small, plump, cyan-colored fruits with tender, verdant skins.

These were Jade Spirit Fruits, which held extraordinary benefits for Martial Artists of the Martial Arts Fifth and Sixth Layer Heavens.

Eating one could help grow and condense True Qi.

Regularly consuming this Spirit Fruit could also help one maintain a youthful appearance.

However, once a cultivator broke through to the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven, the Innate Realm, the Spirit Fruit’s effects became limited.

On the ancient trees, one could occasionally see leaping monkeys, each the size of an adult human and covered in cyan-green fur. These monkeys moved acrobatically through the branches, seeming to blend in with the ancient trees. If one wasn’t careful, it was possible to miss them entirely.

Cyan Wood Apes.

They were the evolved form of the Cyan Wood Apes from the foot of the mountain, a type of First-level Barbaric Beast naturally able to control the power of the Wood Attribute.

’These beasts are eating well, no wonder they evolve so fast!’ Qin Feng silently emerged from behind an Ancient Wood. He watched the group of Cyan Wood Apes leaping among the branches, killing intent flickering in his eyes.

Qin Feng hid behind a tree and waited until nightfall. Only after the Cyan Wood Apes had departed did he emerge from his hiding place. With a flicker of movement, he appeared in a tree, picked a portion of the Jade Spirit Fruits, and stored them in a Jade Box before placing it into the Blue Sea and Heaven.

The Jade Spirit Fruits were useless to Qin Feng, but they would be highly beneficial for the young Honglian, Qin Shou, Qin Gang, and the others, saving them a considerable amount of time in their cultivation.

Using the cover of darkness, Qin Feng stealthily made his way toward the resting place of the Cyan Wood Apes.

The Cyan Wood Apes’ resting place was deep within the forest.

Security was tight here, with many Cyan Wood Apes on patrol. Wielding an assortment of weapons like swords and clubs, they were clad in ragged Armor and carried torches, each one exuding a potent Evil Qi.

’How absurd.’

A tall, green-furred monkey clad in gaudy armor stood atop a rock, a spiked mace resting on its shoulder. It roared, "Lads, keep your eyes wide open! Today, a Two-legged Sheep infiltrated our Holy Mountain! Those Two-legged Sheep are treacherous and cunning. We absolutely cannot let that thing enter the Holy Mountain Blessed Land and disturb the Saint Ancestor’s slumber!"

"Yes, General Beng!"

In scattered groups, the apes brandished their large clubs and roared wildly. Their eyes glinted with a bestial light, filled with savagery and excitement.

Two-legged Sheep were a famous delicacy in the Southern Wilderness. For one to have wandered onto the Ape Race’s Holy Mountain was a rare opportunity!

Hidden behind a Jade Spirit Tree, Qin Feng’s face grew grim. It seemed most of this Ape Race had developed a high degree of Spiritual Wisdom.

Furthermore, Qin Feng could clearly see that many of the apes showed signs of practicing Martial Dao cultivation.

Their movements were nothing like those of ordinary Barbaric Beasts. They moved more like Martial Dao experts, displaying an effortless control over their strength that was impossible for a common Barbaric Beast to achieve.

’Could there be a Demon God here?’ Qin Feng mused. He knew that in the Barbaric Wilderness, some Barbaric Beast races had given birth to Demon Gods and possessed a Demon God Bloodline.

Most Barbaric Beasts with a Demon God Bloodline were born with innate intelligence and wisdom.

Only a Demon God Bloodline could grant them a heritage!

Qin Feng’s expression turned ugly. This was highly probable. Based on his observations, the apes on this nameless mountain range were organized in a pyramidal structure: the closer one got to the summit, the stronger the apes became.

Squads of apes marched through the forest on patrol, torches held high. They already had the makings of an army!

Many of the apes seemed uncomfortable in the dark, glancing about nervously. They appeared restless and impatient.

These apes were volatile by nature. Despite possessing intelligence, most were naturally restless, their dispositions governed by bestial instinct.

Just as Qin Feng was about to seize the opportunity to slip away, his expression flickered, and he quickly ducked back behind the tree.

Qin Feng executed a Secret Technique called the Heavenly Snake Breath Technique, doing his utmost to retract his aura and prevent even a trace of it from leaking out.

RUMBLE!

With the sound of something slicing through the air, a cyan light flashed, and a formidable, scar-faced cyan ape landed heavily nearby.

Its aura was incredibly powerful, in no way inferior to that of a Second-level Barbaric Beast. As its pair of jade-green eyes swept across the forest, Qin Feng felt an exceptionally dreadful pressure.

This was an exceptionally powerfully-built cyan ape.

This cyan ape wore an exquisite long robe and had a powerful, burly build. It gripped a long saber, and its sharp, bestial eyes held a hint of superiority as they landed on General Beng.

"General Bach!" Seeing the magnificent giant ape appear, many of the other apes showed looks of reverence, and a scattered few knelt to the ground.

The hierarchy among Barbaric Beasts is incredibly strict.

Especially in a great clan like the Ape Race, this hierarchy was inviolable.

Seeing his subordinates all fall to their knees in a rush, General Beng’s expression soured.

"General Ba, what are you doing here? Didn’t Your Majesty order you to guard the Spiritual Light Cave? If anything happens to the Spiritual Light Cave and the Elders of the Ape God Temple hold us accountable, I’m afraid our entire Cyan Wood Tribe will suffer!"

The scar-faced ape shot General Beng a contemptuous look and sneered. "Beng Shisan, aren’t you a little too cowardly? It’s just a single Two-legged Sheep, and it seems you’ve already lost your nerve!"

"You..." Beng Shisan flew into a rage, a flash of crimson passing through his pupils.

Apes were naturally irascible, and this provocation nearly sent him into a rampage.

But, for some reason, Beng Shisan managed to hold back.

From behind the tree, Qin Feng watched in astonishment. ’So even these apes have their own feuds and power struggles.’

’But what is this Ape God Temple?’ Qin Feng wondered. A moment later, he suppressed the doubt in his heart.

Taking advantage of the apes’ distraction with the two leaders’ quarrel, Qin Feng slipped away, making his way deeper into the woods.

Qin Feng had originally planned to wait for an opportunity to strike and kill one or two of the Barbaric Beast Level Cyan Wood Apes.

In the end, however, he restrained himself. It was better to be safe than sorry. If he were exposed, he would likely be hunted by every Cyan Wood Ape on the mountain—and perhaps even those silver-white apes he had seen hunting everywhere.

Qin Feng continued deeper into the forest. After several hundred paces, he spotted a grove of Jade Spirit Trees that radiated a dense Spiritual Light.

These were Thousand-year-old Jade Spirit Woods.

’True Spirit Wood!’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The Spiritual Qi here was so dense it had nearly condensed into a thick fog!

’This is a massive Spirit Wood Garden!’

Qin Feng felt a stir of temptation. The fruit from these Thousand-year-old Jade Spirit Trees would be immensely useful even to an expert of the Martial Arts Seventh Layer Heaven.

Qin Feng scanned the area, dodged a few ape patrols, and seized an opportunity to pick and store away nearly a hundred Jade Spirit Fruits.

The guard patrols ahead were even denser. After several thousand paces, Qin Feng saw two abnormally thick Jade Spirit Trees. Their entire bodies were crystalline, glowing with Spiritual Light, and they bore Light Gold Spirit Fruits.

These were two Jade Spirit Woods over six thousand years old.

Qin Feng paused, his heart stirring. A Jade Spirit Tree over six thousand years old was easily comparable to some Xuan-level High-grade Spiritual Wood.

The fruits on these two Jade Spirit Trees had been picked completely clean.

’What a shame,’ Qin Feng thought to himself.

Qin Feng proceeded with even greater caution. Fortunately, night had fallen, and some of the apes could no longer suppress their base instincts, allowing him a relatively smooth passage.

Before long, a mountain stronghold came into view—one composed entirely of apes. Many of them held large banners, and each clutched a wine jar, shouting boisterously.

The fragrance of wine wafted over from a distance. Qin Feng’s nose twitched, and his eyes lit up. ’Spirit Wine? And Top-Grade Monkey Wine, no less?’