With a mere thought from Zong Shou, his Nascent Soul drifted toward the northeast corner.

This area was entirely filled with primitive stone vessels, large and small, all uniformly stacked with various spirit fruits. Legend held that all monkeys collected mountain fruits and stored them away. The fruits at the bottom, crushed by the weight of those above, released their juices. Then, being sealed away from the air by pressure for several years, they would ultimately ferment into wine, often exquisitely sweet and mellow, some rivalling even immortal brews.

Zong Shou had read accounts of this in books before, but this was the first time he had seen the real thing.

And the Monkey Wine here was clearly of the highest caliber. These Spirit White Apes were sentient, a formidable beast pack, and most of the fruits they gathered were of superior grade.

Moving in coordinated groups through the mountains, these spirit beasts were far more efficient collectors than any herbalist. Not only was the quantity of spirit fruits sufficient, but the quality was also top-tier.

Zong Shou swept his soul force, tossing aside the top layer of fruits. Beneath them, in the lower sections of the stone containers, there was indeed some ** liquid, displaying a rich amber hue.

Zong Shou’s Nascent Soul body could not smell the aroma, yet he felt his mind ripple, experiencing a faint, intoxicating sensation. He chuckled inwardly, "For the sake of this fire-attribute earth vein, I lost a full six bottles of immortal brew. Now, taking this Monkey Wine, it perfectly covers the loss, perhaps even turning a profit. Truly, only when one loses a horse does one realize the fortune that awaits!"

Glancing around, Zong Shou actually discovered several leather pouches within the stone hall. He had no idea where these White Apes had acquired them.

Zong Shou first summoned some wood essence using a spirit technique to thoroughly clean them. Only then did he draw in the Monkey Wine and pour it inside. He selected only those with the best appearance, those that caused his Nascent Soul to fluctuate slightly more intensely. He managed to fill exactly seven pouches before stopping. It wasn't that he was satisfied, but carrying too much while flying was impractical.

In his Night Roam realm, he could unleash over two hundred thousand jin of strength during combat. However, flying the Nascent Soul unsupported through the air was another matter entirely.

Nothing else here caught his eye. Some of the White Apes from ten miles away were already rushing back. Zong Shou intended to depart immediately, but just as he ascended, a sudden jolt of surprise echoed in his mind [Baidu Shenhuang Bar]. He gazed into the deepest part of the stone hall where a massive, bed-shaped stone lay, piled high with all manner of animal hides. These were not for storage, but were laid out to form a comfortable nest, though the smell might be slightly unpleasant.

If he wasn't mistaken, this must be the 'Ape King's' throne—the exclusive domain of the leader of the ape troop.

Zong Shou immediately unleashed a talismanic spell, brushing away all the hides. Then, with a powerful suction, countless sand and stones beneath were also tossed aside.

Digging about a zhang deep, he saw a point of golden light flickering in the darkness. A spark of astonishment flashed through Zong Shou's mind.

"They actually knew to use ore to conceal this thing. This White Ape is truly intelligent; it cannot be underestimated!"

He observed that the golden point of light was surrounded by various high-purity metal ores, piled together in a way that almost completely masked the object's spiritual energy fluctuations.

Not only was it undetectable from the outside, but Zong Shou, even standing right next to it, almost missed it.

Letting out an inward 'heh,' Zong Shou directly absorbed the golden light, drawing it toward him. When it arrived before him, he was surprised again.

The object in his vision was only about three inches long, with a small opening, appearing ordinary—just a common stone. Its outer shell was attached to some metal, which could be considered ore, but it was a low-grade spiritual metal.

What truly astonished Zong Shou was the presence of an incomparably strong and sharp aura flowing within.

The moment he touched it, it felt as though it was about to burst from the stone and assault his Nascent Soul. Zong Shou was slightly startled and hastily cast a talismanic spell to suppress it, forcing it back into stillness.

"How could this be Geng Metal Qi? I wonder what type it is, to generate within metal ore of this grade? Could this stone be the reason the Ape King mutated? If so, I've made an immense profit!"

With no time to examine it closely, Zong Shou collected it entirely and immediately moved on. His soul shadow transformed into a stream of cyan light, shooting directly toward the cave entrance.

Just as he reached the mouth of the cave, he heard a furious roar. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw the Ape King, identifiable by the golden markings on its chest, rapidly scaling the stone wall. In moments, it neared the entrance. Its eyes had turned a fiery yellow-red, filled with boundless anxiety and rage.

Zong Shou ignored it, soaring into the air and dashing past in a straight line. Just as he was about to continue his ascent, the Golden-Striped Ape King roared again and leaped violently. A pair of incompletely formed wings unfurled from its back, allowing it to soar a hundred zhang in an instant, plunging toward Zong Shou once more. It showed no fear of the nearly eight hundred zhang altitude. "Ewlz k duoxi z."

Zong Shou frowned slightly, but spirit beasts of this type were not significantly higher in rank than him. If they attacked in a unified swarm, that would be one thing, but attacking alone, he truly didn't take them to heart. Even after mutation, in his eyes, they were still worthless—

With a flicker of thought, the Silver Bear of the Demon Eye that his Nascent Soul enveloped was instantly released. It transformed into the shape of a giant bear mid-air and dove down, slamming into the Ape King with a dull, resounding crash. Although outmatched in power, it managed to briefly halt the ascent of the Golden-Striped White Ape.

Meanwhile, Zong Shou manipulated his Thunderfang Sword, tracing an unfathomably mysterious trajectory, gliding like a swallow returning to its nest. It bypassed the two fiercely grappling beasts with utmost agility, carving an arc to strike directly at the Ape King’s back.

Just as he was about to pierce its heart, Zong Shou paused in slight alarm. He sensed a sudden, overwhelmingly powerful surge of spiritual tide erupting around the beast. Its protective aura surged, spreading outward like an incredibly thick steel wall.

"Seventh Rank?"

Zong Shou forcibly suppressed his astonishment. The sword light suddenly shifted, flickering once, then exploding into thunderous light as it pierced the weakest point in the defensive barrier.

However, this strike ultimately failed to end the beast's life. It only managed to slash one of its wings and tear a massive gash below its ribs, from which a torrent of blood poured out.

Although the Golden-Striped White Ape successfully advanced in rank at that critical moment, it seemed aware of its perilous situation. It ceased engaging Zong Shou’s Demon Eye Silver Bear, let out a mournful cry, and, bearing its wounded wing, descended rapidly. It then grasped a long vine, swung through the air, and returned to the stone wall, looking upward with palpable caution, continually baring its teeth but making no further move to attack.

Zong Shou felt a pang of regret. Had he slain the Ape King, he would certainly have obtained a Fifth Rank Beast Core and a Soul Stone, perhaps even acquired a Soul Beast.

The Golden-Striped White Ape had now retreated to the wall, surrounded by numerous other White Apes. Six of these were above the Fifth Rank. Hundreds more, all Fourth Rank White Apes, were swarming in from all over the mountainside. Even with his superior swordsmanship, he could only sigh in frustration now.

If he lingered any longer, he would be the one in trouble soon.

Reabsorbing the Demon Eye Silver Bear, Zong Shou reformed into the shape of the Thunder Luan. He first ascended to twelve hundred zhang before flapping his wings and flying back the way he came.

But after only ten miles of flight, Zong Shou felt something was amiss. Below him, those hundreds of White Apes were also galloping at tremendous speed, scattering the surrounding spirit beasts into a frenzy of escape.

Leading the charge was the Golden-Striped Ape King. Even wounded, its speed darting through the dense forest was only a few measures slower than Zong Shou’s, covering dozens of miles in an instant.

"These ape spirit beasts are truly the most vindictive. Once provoked, they will never stop until death. I only hope the one below chases faster! If I can isolate it, I can slay it with one sword stroke—but that Ape King is clearly smarter than expected. It won't venture forward rashly, maintaining a safe distance from the main troop, simply trailing far behind with savage glints in its eyes."

Zong Shou sighed inwardly, realizing he had likely stirred up considerable trouble this time. He accelerated his escape speed several times, reaching the mountain peak in moments.

Upon re-entering his physical body, Zong Shou first sent out a communication talisman. Then, ignoring everything else, he grabbed Chu Xue's hand and sprinted down the mountain. Zong Yuan, though confused, had developed deep admiration for the young lord and asked no questions, simply following close behind.

When they returned to the lakeshore, Hu Zhongyuan, who had already received the message, had harnessed the eighteen Wind-Riding Colts to the Cloud-Inverting Chariot.

Seeing Zong Shou and the others running toward them, his face was etched with shock. "My Lord, what has happened? Why such haste?"

Zong Shou offered no explanation. He rushed into the wooden hut, personally carried Ruo Shui out, then hurried onto the Cloud-Inverting Chariot before commanding, "Stop wasting words, let's get out of here!"

Hu Zhongyuan remained puzzled. He was at the Sixth Meridian of the Earth Wheel, combined with Zong Shou—a Night Roam realm Soul Master possessing exceptional swordsmanship—a Fifth Rank Soul Beast, and Zong Yuan of the Purple Thunder Spear lineage. Even facing the Xuanwu Sect of the Seventh Meridian of the Earth Wheel, they had the strength to fight. In this wilderness, who besides that legendary Cold Mosquito could make Zong Shou this fearful?

In the next instant, a series of distant, resounding ape howls echoed, rising one after another. A moment later, a Golden-Striped White Ape abruptly appeared in view, followed by a vast sea of white shadows.

Hu Zhongyuan’s face instantly turned pale. He rushed to the front of the chariot, snatched the reins from Zong Yuan’s hands, and took personal control of the Wind-Riding Colts, driving them forward at breakneck speed.