The giant ape had shown him the way, taught him valuable knowledge, and aided his recovery. To forcibly take it away from this blessed land would be tantamount to severing its path of cultivation. Chen Ping could not bring himself to do such a thing.
After a moment of contemplation, he patted the ape’s neck, rough as rock, and transmitted gently with divine sense, “Very well. Stay here. Guard this place well and cultivate diligently.”
The giant ape’s massive body shuddered violently, its steps halting.
It slowly turned its head. Its scarlet eyes filled with disbelief, soon replaced by immense gratitude.
It set Chen Ping and the little fire qilin down, then lowered its forelimbs to the ground. Its ferocious head bowed solemnly towards Chen Ping three times, emitting low, respectful whimpers from its throat.
This was the way demonic beasts expressed the highest gratitude and submission.
Chen Ping smiled faintly and accepted the gesture.
He confirmed once more the direction the ape had indicated for leaving the forest. The ape nodded vigorously, letting out an affirmative low roar.
“Take care.”
With those final words, Chen Ping no longer hesitated. Taking the little fire qilin with him, his figure turned into a wisp of cyan smoke, swiftly vanishing into the dense jungle, leaving the basin and the loyal giant ape behind.
Relying on the ape’s guidance and his own powerful divine sense to scout the path, Chen Ping moved rapidly through the primeval forest that blocked out the sun.
He no longer provoked demonic beasts actively, restraining his aura to the utmost, gliding through the trees like a phantom.
Only when particularly perceptive or territorial beasts launched attacks would he strike like thunder, dispatching them with maximum speed.
This avoided prolonged fights while yielding the essence from their bodies, most of which he fed to the eagerly watching little fire qilin on his shoulder.
This forest at the edge of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range was far vaster and more dangerous than Chen Ping had initially estimated.
He even encountered a thorn earth dragon whose strength rivalled the fifth grade of the Heavenly Immortal realm.
The creature lurked beneath thick layers of humus, launching a sudden assault. Its enormous body, covered in barbs, possessed astonishing constricting power and could spray venom with strong paralysing effects.
Chen Ping tangled with it for the time of a full incense stick before finally using a momentary slowdown from his time laws to pierce its relatively vulnerable skull with the Dragon-Slaying Sword, slaying it with difficulty.
This battle gave him a more direct understanding of the strength of Tenth Heaven demonic beasts and made him even more cautious.
Along the way, he discovered more spiritual plants unique to the Tenth Heaven.
There were luminous moon glow mushrooms that only appeared at night while absorbing lunar essence. Touching them triggered hallucinogenic spores, but if carefully enveloped with divine sense and slowly guided with one’s own energy, they could nourish the divine soul.
There were also thunder pattern fruits growing on lightning-struck wood, their surfaces dancing with tiny arcs of electricity. Consuming them directly would damage meridians, but refining them gradually with thunder laws could temper the body and enhance one’s lightning origin power.
Chen Ping experimented with each. Though their effects were not as astonishing as the blood lingzhi, they deepened his understanding of resource utilisation in the Tenth Heaven, steadily building his foundation.
The little fire qilin, following him, feasted constantly.
The blood, flesh essence, and inner cores of various demonic beasts, along with the pure energy dissipated when Chen Ping refined spiritual plants, all became nourishment for its growth.
Its body grew visibly larger, now the size of an ordinary pony colt. It could no longer perch steadily on Chen Ping’s shoulder, instead trotting proudly beside him.
Its crimson scales grew ever more brilliant, their edges faintly tinged with gold. The two small bumps on its forehead seemed larger, and the true qilin fire it breathed was hotter, its colour deeper.
Ordinary first- or second-grade Heavenly Immortal realm demonic beasts, if scorched, would turn to charcoal in moments.
Its rapport with Chen Ping deepened daily. Often a single glance was enough to convey their intentions.
Proceeding thus cautiously for about seven or eight days, the surrounding trees finally began to thin.
Towering arbors gradually gave way to low shrubs. The sky opened up, and the thick, oppressive aura of primal savagery in the air faded, replaced by a more orderly and clear heavenly spiritual energy.
Chen Ping knew he was about to emerge from this vast forest that had taught him his first lesson.
Just as he was about to step through the final patch of shrubs at the forest’s edge, the fierce clash of weapons, the roar of exploding energy, and angry shouts clearly reached his ears.
