Teng Qingshan tracked the three Iron-Armed Apes from a distance, keeping pace with light, agile movements. Whenever thorny brush blocked the way, he would effortlessly drift more than ten zhang away, easily evading the obstacle. In short, Teng Qingshan moved across the Iron-Armed Ape Mountain without making the slightest sound.

"Ya!"

"Yaya!~~"

The three Iron-Armed Apes, carrying the corpse of the Green-Coiled Python, sprinted forward, excitedly chattering to one another. Despite their keenly sharp senses, they remained completely unaware of the human tailing them silently from far behind.

After trailing them for about seven or eight li, Teng Qingshan’s ears twitched.

"Ya! Ya!"

"Yaya!~~~~"

...

A series of noisy, chattering calls from the Iron-Armed Apes echoed from not too far ahead.

"Judging by their calls, there must be a large number of them nearby." Teng Qingshan watched the three apes carrying the python corpse disappear from sight, yet he remained rooted to the spot. "I can't blindly follow now. If I accidentally stumble into the main troop, it will be disastrous."

Keeping low, Teng Qingshan tracked the clamorous sounds, slowly creeping closer.

"Hush~~" Although the sound of flowing water was faint, Teng Qingshan clearly heard it.

He advanced cautiously for over a li up the mountainside before stopping, hiding within a thicket of wild growth. Not far ahead lay a body of water, nearly circular and spanning several dozen zhang. This water was visibly emitting steam, and numerous Iron-Armed Apes were bathing in it, with a few scattered on the bank.

"There are quite a few of them. About thirty or more in the hot spring lake, and another dozen or so on the shore," Teng Qingshan smiled. "It seems these Iron-Armed Apes also enjoy a good soak in the hot springs."

From its appearance, the steaming lake certainly resembled a hot spring.

However, whether it was truly a hot spring or not was uncertain without personally testing the temperature.

"Ya! Ya Ya!"

The apes made a racket splashing in the lake. Those on the bank also called out. Regrettably, Teng Qingshan couldn't decipher the apes’ language.

"Oh!" Teng Qingshan’s eyes lit up. He stared toward the center of the hot spring lake.

Within the lake were several smooth stones protruding above the water. In the very center, more than ten slender, long roots broke the surface, each adorned with green leaves. Among these roots, three clusters of leaves bore a vividly crimson fruit.

Of the other ten-plus roots, three also held fruit, but these were green and significantly smaller. The remaining roots bore only leaves, no fruit at all.

"Vermillion Fruits!" Teng Qingshan, familiar with illustrations of various spirit fruits, was overjoyed. "I've arrived at the perfect time; there are three ripe Vermillion Fruits here. The other three fruits... they will probably need a few more months to fully mature." Unripe Vermillion Fruits offered no benefit and only harm if consumed.

"But there are nearly fifty Iron-Armed Apes here!" Teng Qingshan frowned. "What should I do?"

"A direct assault is impossible. The three apes who were carrying the Green-Coiled Python aren't even present. Clearly, there are far more Iron-Armed Apes on this mountain than just these." Teng Qingshan had a premonition that the apes currently guarding the fruits were only a fraction of the entire troop.

The 'Ape King' and other formidable members were likely not even here yet.

"If I rush straight in to seize the fruits, I probably won't even manage to pick one before they surround me, perhaps even summoning others," Teng Qingshan pondered for a moment. "Well, every living creature eventually tires. Although the Iron-Armed Apes possess intelligence, it's akin to that of a child, not the unwavering discipline of a soldier."

One word—wait!

Wait until nightfall, wait until the apes grow sleepy. Then, steal the fruits under the cover of darkness! His own night vision would make nighttime movement far more effective.

...

In preparation for the heist, Teng Qingshan emptied more than half the water from his gourd canteen. If the water level was low and his movements were not too strenuous, the gourd might remain silent. But during a sudden, violent burst of action, the sloshing water could create noise.

The Blood-Drinking Saber was placed inside his pack, wrapped in cloth to ensure not a single sound escaped.

Clutching his Reincarnation Spear, Teng Qingshan crouched silently in the tall grass.

"At night, I'll approach from the side!" Teng Qingshan meticulously studied the terrain, even noting the surrounding rocks and trees, mapping out the safest possible route. "If I manage to snatch them undetected, I'll retreat just as quietly. If discovered, I’ll leap straight into the canopy... these pre-Heaven level Iron-Armed Apes certainly couldn't catch me then."

He waited patiently.

Making no sound, he endured several hours until dusk began to settle, the sky growing dim.

"Ya!" A piercing cry cut through the air.

Teng Qingshan, who had been constantly monitoring the distant hot spring lake, narrowed his eyes.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The nearly fifty Iron-Armed Apes shot out of the lake like lightning following that sharp cry. Every ape stood upon the bank, none daring to utter a sound, their gazes fixed on an ape approaching them upright in the distance—an ape significantly larger than the rest!

The common Iron-Armed Apes were slightly shorter than a human.

But this approaching ape stood nearly nine chi tall, covered entirely in red fur, save for a small tuft of silver hair on its chest. This massive ape surveyed the assembled troop, then let out a breath, leaping suddenly upward—a bound of several zhang high and over ten zhang across—landing on a reef in the center of the lake.

After two more short hops, the colossal ape reached one of the Vermillion Fruit root stalks and, extending a hand, plucked a crimson fruit!

"No good!"

Teng Qingshan's expression darkened. "They are picking the Vermillion Fruits!"

He had planned to wait until night, but unexpectedly... that massive ape made its move in the early evening. And right now, the nearly fifty apes were clustered by the shore, unnervingly docile, watching the great ape harvest the fruit. At this moment, Teng Qingshan had absolutely no chance!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

With a few more powerful leaps, all three ripe Vermillion Fruits were gathered.

"Not a single one left! This complicates things," Teng Qingshan grimaced. "That large ape’s strength must be far superior to the regular ones!" The common apes possessed arm strength of no less than a hundred thousand jin. This giant ape... its power was likely comparable to a Xiantian expert.

"I'll have to find another opportunity," Teng Qingshan dared not challenge it openly.

Who knew how many more Iron-Armed Apes were lurking in the troop?

"Ya!" The colossal ape roared. Immediately, nearly thirty apes followed it, vanishing together, leaving only a dozen behind.

Teng Qingshan, gripping the Reincarnation Spear, quietly moved through the woods, rapidly falling in behind the departing group. This pursuit lasted for more than two li... Teng Qingshan spotted at least a hundred Iron-Armed Apes waiting in the distance, and among that hundred, there was another ape of the same massive size, sporting silver fur on its chest.

"Ya! Ya Ya!"

As the large ape and its contingent arrived, a burst of jubilant cheers erupted.

"The size of this troop is truly staggering. Over a hundred just at the entrance to their lair, and who knows how many inside," Teng Qingshan glanced at a jutting nearby cliff face. "Up the cliff face." Holding the Reincarnation Spear, he began scaling the rock with ease. In a short while, he reached the platform on the cliff.

This platform was covered with tangled vines and dense undergrowth.

Teng Qingshan darted forward a short distance along the platform, then dropped prone, inching toward the edge, peering down at the ape lair below.

"Heavens!" At this sight, Teng Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath.

Below, countless red-furred Iron-Armed Apes were scattered everywhere—some eating wild berries, others fighting or playfully wrestling. Occasionally, he spotted one or two of the colossal apes. "No wonder no one dares to attack head-on. There must be over a thousand apes in their main den! Even among the large ones, I can already count eight."

Every single Iron-Armed Ape possessed the strength of one hundred thousand jin in its arms.

A thousand Iron-Armed Apes—who would dare to assault them directly?

"The ape holding the Vermillion Fruits," Teng Qingshan spotted the large ape carrying the three fruits walking towards a cave entrance in the adjacent mountainside. Two regular Iron-Armed Apes guarded the entrance to this cave. The large ape entered without any obstruction from the guards.

"Ah... it seems the Iron-Armed Apes keep all their treasures inside that cave." Teng Qingshan studied the cave entrance and its surroundings carefully. "If I can climb to the platform directly above that cave, and move fast enough tonight, I might be able to drop directly into the cavern."

...

The large ape carried the three Vermillion Fruits deeper into the cave, twisting and turning until it reached a hollow chamber within the mountain belly. On the floor of the chamber was a square pit filled with a pale reddish liquid, from which a rich, intoxicating aroma of wine spread. The large ape sniffed, licking its lips, unable to suppress the urge.

Yet, it dared not make a sound.

Because beside the square pit sat an ape of the same stature as the common ones, except... its entire coat of fur was pure silver! Its pupils, however, were golden! In the presence of this Gold-Eyed, Silver-Furred ape, the large ape behaved with utmost submission.

The Gold-Eyed ape glanced briefly at the large ape.

"Ya!" The large ape immediately placed the three Vermillion Fruits on the ground and backed away two paces.

The Gold-Eyed ape took a stone basin from nearby, which contained water and various green and white wild fruits. It then picked up one Vermillion Fruit and dropped it into the basin. Using a stone pestle, it mashed the fruits together with the water, turning the mixture into a pale red slurry.

"Ssss!" The Gold-Eyed ape sniffed, then took a second Vermillion Fruit, crushing it and adding it to the mix.

"Ssss." After sniffing again, the Gold-Eyed ape nodded in satisfaction.

Carrying the basin, it walked directly to the square pit and poured the entire pale red liquid into it. The Gold-Eyed ape smiled contentedly, then tossed the last Vermillion Fruit carelessly into the stone basin beside it, clearly needing no further additives.

"Ya! Ya Ya Ya!" The Gold-Eyed ape barked at the large ape.

Upon hearing this, the large ape joyfully raised its own claws and let out an excited cry, then bounded back outside.

The Gold-Eyed ape then retrieved a large stone wine jar from beside it, scooped up a full bellyful from the pit, took a large gulp for itself, gave a couple of triumphant cries, and carried the large jar out.