Translator: CinderTL
"Thank you, young master," Song Wen said, his face flushed with excitement and overwhelmed by the honor.
Chi Pei replied, "As long as you serve this young master diligently, I will not neglect you. I promise you, if we successfully locate and slay the Blood-Eyed Giant Ape this time, I will help you advance to the Divine Transformation Stage."
Song Wen's expression grew even more fervent, his gaze toward Chi Pei resembling that of a child looking at their parents.
"This humble servant will devote himself wholeheartedly to repay the young master's kindness in promoting me."
The other four members of the group watched this scene, their eyes tinged with envy.
Even Tang Gui and Sang Bu, who had previously ignored Song Wen, now looked at him with a hint of jealousy. After all, their willingness to risk their lives venturing deep into the Rotting Miasma Ridge alongside Chi Pei stemmed from their desire to earn his favor.
As for Shi Man and Qi Luo, their rivalry over Chi Pei was also rooted in their ambition to remain by his side.
What these four had desperately sought through cunning schemes, Song Wen had effortlessly secured with a few simple words.
How could they not envy him?
"Congratulations, young friend Ye Hua, on earning the young master's favor," Tang Gui said with a warm smile. "I'm sure it won't be long before you advance to the Divine Transformation Stage. At that point, we'll likely have to address you as 'fellow daoist.'"
Shi Man, Qi Luo, and Sang Bu followed suit, offering their congratulations in turn.
Song Wen humbly replied, "Four Seniors, you flatter me. My abilities are meager, and I am truly honored by the young master's favor. I am willing to be his loyal dog, ready to brave fire and water without hesitation."
"Enough with the pleasantries," Chi Pei suddenly interjected, cutting through the group's insincere formalities. "It's time to depart."
He was, however, quite pleased with Song Wen's declaration. A clever and fiercely loyal lackey was a rare find indeed.
The six of them proceeded cautiously southward, maintaining a relatively safe journey. Occasionally, they encountered low-tier demon beasts, which Tang Gui, leading the way, easily dispatched.
Suddenly, Tang Gui halted.
"Young master, there's a lake ahead."
The five behind him quickly gathered around Tang Gui.
Through the layers of miasma, they could faintly discern a shimmering expanse of water gently rippling in the distance, some thirty meters away.
The water's stillness confirmed Tang Gui's assessment: it was indeed a lake.
Perhaps due to its location at the heart of the Rotting Miasma Ridge, the lake's water was a deep, ominous green, radiating an aura of danger and unnaturalness.
"Search along the lake shore, focusing on the areas around the high mountains. If the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape's lair is truly near this lake, it must have left some traces," Chi Pei said.
The terrain they had traversed for dozens of miles before reaching the lake was entirely flat.
Blood-Eyed Divine Apes prefer to dwell near mountains and water, so finding their lair meant searching for high peaks along the lake's edge.
The lake was vast. After traveling along the shore for nearly an hour, the group finally spotted their first mountain peak rising from the water's edge.
The towering peak was mostly hidden within the miasma that hung in the air.
"Young master, look over there!" Qi Luo suddenly pointed to their left.
Chi Pei, standing nearby, followed her gaze.
Below them, the ground to the left appeared slightly different from the surrounding terrain.
The rocks there were exceptionally smooth, as if something had been rubbing against them for a long time.
"Everyone, follow this young master," Chi Pei declared, flying toward the smooth patch.
The six quickly landed on the polished rock surface.
The smooth area was small, only about half a mile across, but it was a single, unbroken slab of rock.
"The residual demonic beast aura here is remarkably strong," Qi Luo observed, surveying the surroundings. "It seems a large demon beast has been resting here for a long time. I wonder what kind?"
"Young master, look what I found!" Sang Bu exclaimed, brandishing a long, black staff he had picked up from somewhere.
The staff was about as thick as an infant's arm and roughly ten feet long, with a slight curve rather than being perfectly straight.
Chi Pei took the staff and examined it closely.
"This is a demon beast's hair! If the hair is this large, it must belong to a colossal creature."
Sang Bu asked, "Young master, could the owner of this hair be the Blood-Eyed Giant Ape you're looking for?"
Chi Pei replied, "We can't be certain based on just one hair. Search the area for more clues."
The group split up and began scouring the surroundings.
Tang Gui discovered the skeletal remains of giant demon beasts several miles away, most bearing bite marks.
Meanwhile, Qi Luo found several sets of demon beast footprints.
These footprints were enormous, measuring over thirty feet long, and vaguely resembled human footprints, though with distinct differences.
Combining these clues, the group concluded that this area served as a temporary resting place for a Giant Ape. While not its primary lair, the ape seemed to frequent this location.
"Young master, what should we do next?" Qi Luo asked.
"Set up an Entrapment Formation and wait for the beast to walk into our trap."
As Chi Pei spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, his face radiating undisguised excitement.
According to the intelligence Ye Hua had provided earlier, the demon beast in this area was likely the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape.
Qi Luo voiced her concern, "But we haven't seen this creature yet. What if it's not the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape you're looking for, young master, but a sixth-tier demonic beast? We'd be in grave danger!"
"That's unlikely," Chi Pei countered. "Based on the intelligence we've gathered from multiple sources, the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape's strength is only at the fifth-tier. With five Divine Transformation Stage cultivators here, we can certainly defend ourselves, no matter how strong it is."
As he spoke, eighteen formation flags and a basin-sized black Array Disk materialized before him, hovering in mid-air.
"This is the Nether Corpse Purgatory Formation, specially crafted by Zu Xinghai to slay the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape. With this formation, the ape will have no chance of escape."
Zu Xinghai was a Divine Transformation Stage formation grandmaster within the Veiled Moon Hall.
The Nether Corpse Purgatory Formation was a top-tier trapping and killing formation among fifth-tier formations.
Chi Pei gathered the others, and together they began setting up the formation.
According to Chi Pei's plan, the formation would cover a ten-mile radius around the smooth ground. Once the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape entered the area, escape would be impossible.
The eighteen formation flags were quickly deployed, concealed within cracks in the ground or among scattered rocks.
"Let's retreat to that mountain and hide," Chi Pei said, gesturing toward the distant peak. "We'll wait for the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape to fall into our trap."
(End of the Chapter)
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