Chapter 101: Each With Their Own Scheme

The northern side of the valley wall was as smooth as if it had been sliced by a knife, nearly vertical at a nearly ninety-degree angle. Just above the ground at the base of the cliff, there was a cave spanning about ten feet in height and twenty feet in width. From a distance, it appeared deep and ominously dark, its depth unknown."The treasure of a Heaven Level Martial Artist lies within that cave!"

Standing on the southern ridge of the valley, a disciple of Qingcheng Temple in his early thirties had already raised his three-foot-long Green Peak Sword, pointing towards the cave and loudly proclaiming.

Upon hearing the words of the Qingcheng disciple, all the other martial artists were invigorated, quickly approaching the cave under the leadership of their respective sect elders.

"Everyone, be careful. Inside the cave, there’s a Spirit Ape guarding the remains of that Heaven Level Martial Artist!"

The Qingcheng disciple shouted a warning, "That Spirit Ape is nearly two meters tall, extremely powerful, and vicious beyond measure. The last time Junior Brother Li and I entered the cave by accident, we fought with the Spirit Ape. Junior Brother Li was torn to shreds by its brute force, and if I hadn’t reacted quickly, I would have lost my life too. This time, no matter what, we must kill that Spirit Ape to avenge Junior Brother Li!"

"Taoist Dongxuan, does that Spirit Ape truly possess the strength of a Profound Level Martial Artist?"

Even though they had been briefed about the Spirit Ape’s strength before coming to Fuhu Mountain, Shaolin Monk Yuan Ci couldn’t help but ask again.

Taoist Dongxuan was a High Rank Yellow Level Martial Artist, with a considerable seniority within Qingcheng Temple. Hearing the question, he replied, "If Master Yuan Ci doesn’t believe my words, you’re welcome to challenge the Spirit Ape yourself!"

Yuan Ci chanted a Buddhist mantra, his Zen Staff thudding forcefully against the ground, his deep voice saying, "If it turns out to be as you say, that Spirit Ape is indeed a rare creature. It would be best if we could tame it, but should it prove too ferocious, even though Buddhism preaches compassion, this monk may have no choice but to take life."

Yuan Ci spoke with full-bodied energy, his appearance dignified and imposing, exuding an aura of inherent authority.

"Master Yuan Ci, that Spirit Ape hand-ripped a disciple of our Qingcheng Temple, clearly a wild and brutal beast. Moreover, its strength is on par with a Profound Level Martial Artist, making it a formidable opponent for us. So in case of conflict, we absolutely must not harbor any shred of mercy!"

The speaker was Taoist Qingxu, the leader of the Qingcheng Temple delegation.

Taoist Qingxu, who was about fifty years old, had a lean figure with half-white hair and beard, presenting the image of a celestial being.

Taoist Qingxu, the uncle master of Taoist Dongxuan and the junior brother of Temple Master Taoist Qingling of Qingcheng Temple, possessed the strength of an early stage Profound Level Martial Artist.

While the other disciples of Qingcheng Temple all held three-foot-long Green Peak Swords, only Taoist Qingxu held a horsetail whisk in his hand.

"Taoist Dongxuan, since you’re quite familiar with that cave and the Spirit Ape, could I trouble you to lure it out? Then, we can all work together to kill it. What do you say?"

The speaker was Wen Xiangrong, the leader from the Misty Rain Tower faction.

Wen Xiangrong, who appeared to be in his early forties, was dressed in a white Tang suit, holding a folding fan. His hair was neatly combed, giving off an impression of gentle, scholarly elegance.

Wen Xiangrong, like Yuan Ci from Shaolin, Qingxu from Qingcheng Temple, and Bian Xiqi from Myriad Medicine Valley, was of similar strength, all being early stage Profound Level Martial Artists, ranking among the top few powerhouses within their respective sects.

If Yuan Ci and Qingxu practiced Buddhism and Taoist martial arts, respectively, then Wen Xiangrong, hailing from the Misty Rain Tower of Jiangnan, cultivated the Confucian martial arts known for their free-flowing and elegant style.

"If you want to go, then go!"

Taoist Dongxuan gave Wen Xiangrong an irritated look, replying disdainfully, "That white-haired beast is too dangerous, I’m not about to throw my life away!"

Wen Xiangrong didn’t take offense but simply smiled and said, "In that case, let’s all move forward together and force it out!"

Over a hundred disciples from the four major sects nodded in unison and, under the guidance of their seniors, carefully approached the cave entrance on the north side of the valley. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ N(o)vᴇl(F)ire.nᴇt

After entering the valley, Fang Bai quickly hid himself on the west side among the dense, lush vegetation, closely observing the movements of the Shaolin, Qingcheng Temple, Misty Rain Tower, and Myriad Medicine Valley disciples.

Although Fang Bai was also tempted by the treasure of the Heaven Level Martial Artist, he was in no rush to make his move, prepared to be the ’mantis stalking the cicada,’ unaware of the ’oriole behind.’

From the conversations of the disciples of the four sects, Fang Bai knew that although they were temporarily allied, each had their own calculations, and it was likely that they would turn on each other over the spoils after killing the Spirit Ape guarding the Heaven Level Martial Artist’s remains.

Fang Bai planned to wait until their internal fight had drained their strength considerably before he would appear to seize the treasure, thus saving himself a lot of effort.

In the blink of an eye, the hundred-plus disciples from the four sects had come within ten meters of the cave entrance, forming a fan shape around it.

Yuan Ci, Qingxu, Wen Xiangrong, and Bian Xiqi, the powerful Profound Level experts from the four sects, were keenly alert. They listened closely and found that the cave was silent, with no sign of any living being’s breath or heartbeat, suggesting that no creature was present.

"Could it be that the Spirit Ape isn’t inside the cave?"

Bian Xiqi, the team leader of Myriad Medicine Valley, said with a frown.

Bian Xiqi was a gaunt old man nearing sixty, with a monkey-like face and sharp eyes. He was dressed in a green shirt, with a goat beard and a body that smelled of medicinal herbs, detectable from afar.

Bian Xiqi carried a bag on his back, bulging with contents unknown, but Fang Bai surmised that it likely held simple traditional medical equipment like acupuncture boxes and perhaps some common medicinal herbs.

"It’s likely out. Otherwise, with the strength of that Spirit Ape, it would have detected us approaching this close by now."

Wen Xiangrong opened his folding fan with a "swoosh" and fanned himself leisurely, smiling as he spoke.

Some disciples from the four sects saw this as an opportunity and, not waiting for their leaders to speak, slowly moved toward the inside of the cave.

Taoist Dongxuan of Qingcheng Temple, having suffered a great loss at the hands of the Spirit Ape and still traumatized, had yet to completely recover from his injuries. If it were not for his Temple Master’s orders to lead the way, he would not have wanted to come here again.

Seeing that disciples from Qingcheng Temple were also approaching the cave, he felt this was inappropriate. He opened his mouth to stop them but, upon second thought, considered that if the Spirit Ape really wasn’t in the cave, would they not be handing a great advantage to the other three sects? So, he remained silent.

Two Yellow Level Martial Artists from each of the four sects entered the cave, while those outside kept their gaze firmly fixed on the cave entrance. Spirits taut, they were ready to flood in for the treasure hunt once there had been confirmation of no threat inside.

Others were secretly on guard against disciples from the other sects, in case they decided to launch a surprise attack to silence them.

Thud thud—

Crack crack—

Ah—

Suddenly, an angry ape’s screech came from the cave, followed by the sound of snapping tendons and breaking bones, along with shrill screams echoing from within.

The nearly hundred people outside were startled. They wanted to dash into the cave to see what had happened but hesitated, wary of rushing in.

While they hesitated, objects began to be thrown out of the cave one after another. The disciples standing guard outside dodged in a panic, then looked closely and couldn’t help but inhale sharply in shock.