Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Bitter Cultivation

After Jiang Chen killed Jiang Hu,

the Tiger Fang Squad was left without a leader. The squad’s Demon Hunters naturally stopped fighting the Six-Eared Spiritual Apes and tried to flee.

But the Six-Eared Spiritual Apes were an extremely vengeful type of Demon Beast. They latched onto the humans, determined to fight to the death.

Wielding his Fine Steel Sword, Jiang Chen weaved through the chaotic battle between humans and apes like a tiger among sheep. Again and again, his blade reaped the lives of his enemies.

After a massacre that lasted about half a double-hour, not a single member of the Tiger Fang Squad was left alive. More than half of the hundred-plus Six-Eared Spiritual Apes were dead or injured, with only a few weak apes managing to escape in a wretched state.

Jiang Chen began to clean up the battlefield.

The Demon Pills from the corpses of the many Six-Eared Spiritual Apes alone were a considerable fortune, not to mention the Demon Pill of the Ape King, a Martial Arts Seventh Stage expert, and the lifetime wealth of Jiang Hu.

’Tsk, tsk. As expected of a Demon Hunter who has spent years in the Bluestone Mountain Range, Jiang Hu had over a hundred thousand taels in silver notes alone. And three hundred Qi Gathering Pills. This is a massive fortune...’

Jiang Chen’s gaze fell upon the small Black Gourd in his hand. He stroked it gently and felt a strange fluctuation emanating from within. A look of confusion appeared on his face. ’What in the world is this? Jiang Hu actually managed to kill the Ape King in a single blow with it, and the Ape King couldn’t even fight back?’

He turned the Black Gourd over and over, but it remained unresponsive, so Jiang Chen could only give up. ’I’ll put it away for now. I shouldn’t use this thing recklessly unless it’s a last resort!’

He hadn’t forgotten how Jiang Hu’s aura had weakened abruptly after using the Black Gourd.

Clearly, activating the Black Gourd required a significant price!

After cleaning up the battlefield, Jiang Chen headed back to the Spiritual Monkey Valley. Not only was it a Cultivation Treasure Land rich in Spiritual Qi, but more importantly, a Spiritual Source Spring was hidden behind the waterfall.

’If I can obtain the Spiritual Source Spring, my cultivation will advance by leaps and bounds. It might even be possible to break through to the Martial Arts Sixth Stage, or even the Seventh Stage, before the Yulan Festival!’

......

The Spiritual Monkey Valley was now desolate.

The Six-Eared Spiritual Apes were very intelligent. With the Ape King and several large, gray-furred apes dead, the Spiritual Apes in the valley knew they had lost their protector and could no longer hold onto this Cultivation Treasure Land. They had fled with their entire race, taking the Spirit Crystals from their Treasure Vault with them.

When Jiang Chen saw the desolate Spiritual Monkey Valley, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. His gaze fell on the waterfall.

The entrance, however, was blocked by a large boulder—clearly the doing of the Six-Eared Spiritual Apes.

Jiang Chen rubbed his nose, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. ’These apes are quite cunning. To think they could block my path with a rock like this... they’ve seriously underestimated me!’

DONG!

Jiang Chen stomped his feet hard against the ground, launching himself high into the air. When he was level with the boulder, he suddenly struck.

The Fine Steel Sword flashed with a blinding silver light. With a muffled BOOM, the great boulder blocking the entrance, which weighed over five thousand catties, was shattered into pieces that flew everywhere.

Tapping his toes against a falling rock fragment, he launched himself into the air a second time and, with a SWISH, dove into the cave behind the waterfall.

Behind the waterfall was another world entirely.

It was a long, narrow passage. The sides showed no signs of being artificially carved; it had to be a natural cave.

The Spiritual Source Spring was in the deepest part of the cave.

The deeper he went into the cave, the denser the Spiritual Qi in the air became. The speed of cultivation here would be three to four times faster than outside, and right next to the Spiritual Source Spring, it would be five times faster. ’Such dense Spiritual Qi. No wonder that Ape King stayed here all year round and refused to leave. If I hadn’t accidentally killed its child, it probably wouldn’t have given up this treasure land even if the entire Spiritual Monkey Valley was wiped out!’

The Spiritual Source Spring was an earthen well twenty meters in diameter. From within the well, a crystal-clear Spiritual Spring continuously gushed forth, its water brimming with Spiritual Qi.

Every single drop of this spring water was filled with abundant Spiritual Qi.

If an ordinary person were to consume a single drop of this Spirit Liquid each day, they could extend their life and easily live past a hundred years!

For a Martial Artist, it was also a great tonic.

’There are still just over twenty days until the Yulan Festival. Jiang Ziyou has the entire Jiang Family cultivating her with resources, regardless of the cost, so her cultivation speed is definitely not slow. I started my cultivation too late and am already far behind her. If I just follow the conventional path, surpassing her won’t be easy...’

His gaze shifted to the Spiritual Source Spring, a resolute look flashing in his eyes. He gritted his teeth. ’Fortune favors the bold. This Spiritual Source Spring is a heaven-sent opportunity. If I can’t even seize an opportunity right in front of me, how can I ever talk about reaching the peak of the Martial Dao?’

SWISH!

Jiang Chen swiftly stripped off his clothes, leaped high, and like a dragon entering the sea, plunged into the Spiritual Source Spring with a SPLASH.

"Ah..."

The moment the Spirit Liquid in the Spiritual Spring submerged his body, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but let out a bloodcurdling scream.

The Spirit Liquid felt like tens of millions of poisoned silver needles constantly piercing his body. Every inch of his skin, even every single cell, was assaulted by their toxic sting.

The pain was immense, heart-wrenchingly excruciating!

Jiang Chen’s features twisted to their limit, his face contorted and savage. The agony was no less than being drawn and quartered; it felt as if countless hands were constantly tearing at his body, trying to rip him to shreds.

Jiang Chen’s brow was furrowed tightly, his steel-like teeth grinding with a GNAWING sound as his body trembled slightly. ’Hold on! I have to hold on!’

’Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Tai, and Jiang Ming... every single one of you wants me dead, but I, Jiang Chen, will never let you have your way...’

Jiang Chen’s eyes turned blood-red. He tensed his young face, his expression hardening with determination.

’Those who tried to take my life—kill!’

’Those who insulted my dignity—kill!’

’Those who disturbed my mind—kill!’

’...Kill, kill, kill!’

The look of pain in Jiang Chen’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unyielding and resolute determination, his will as firm as iron. ’Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Tai, Jiang Ming... the day I return to Yandu City will be the day you are sent to the Yellow Springs. Everything you owe me will ultimately be repaid in blood...’

The Profound Yellow Undying Technique was a supreme Divine Technique.

Jiang Chen pushed the Cultivation Technique to its absolute limit. The Martial Soul God-slaying Sword floated within his Dantian Spirit Sea. A vortex of Spiritual Qi formed above the God-slaying Sword, coalescing into a massive whirlpool.

Surging Spiritual Qi poured endlessly into his body. The entire Spiritual Source Spring began to boil, and Jiang Chen gulped down mouthful after mouthful of the roiling Spirit Liquid.

Through the Profound Yellow Undying Technique and the God-slaying Sword, he refined the surging Spiritual Qi into the even more powerful Profound Yellow True Qi!

If any other Martial Artist were to witness this scene, they would likely be scared to death.

Ordinary Martial Artists absorbed Spiritual Qi with extreme caution, fearing they might injure their meridians. But Jiang Chen had no such concerns. He devoured the Spirit Liquid with reckless abandon, and his cultivation soared at a tremendous speed.

Time flew by in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, only three days remained until the Yulan Festival.

On this day...

The former Spiritual Monkey Valley had been occupied by a Three-striped Fierce Tiger, a Demon Beast at the Peak of Martial Arts Sixth Stage. The tiger was resting when its massive body suddenly jolted. A wary look appeared in its eyes as it stared toward the waterfall.

The cascading waterfall suddenly exploded with a BOOM. White waves of water erupted, and a figure shot out from the cave within.

"ROAR!"

The Three-striped Fierce Tiger let out a heaven-shaking roar. The Spiritual Monkey Valley was its territory now; for someone to dare trespass was simply courting death!

"Hm?"

The figure that had shot out from behind the waterfall glanced at the Three-striped Fierce Tiger and raised an eyebrow. In the instant he passed the tiger, a sharp sword light whistled out, and a spray of blood erupted.

The Three-striped Fierce Tiger’s head fell to the ground, blood gushing from its neck like a spring.

A mighty Three-striped Fierce Tiger, at the Peak of Martial Arts Sixth Stage, couldn’t even block a single one of his sword strikes!

The young man sheathed his sword and looked toward the valley exit. ’Yandu City. It’s about time I went back.’