I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 32 Evil Beast
The little white ape cried out, but no one could understand what it meant.

It crouched down again and began to scribble something on the ground.

"What is the Taoist priest doing?"

Just as I was pondering this, a clear, crisp voice suddenly came from above.

A colorful sparrow flew over the courtyard wall and landed on Ying Chan's shoulder, asking curiously, "Where did this little monkey come from?"

Ying Chan did not respond, but simply gestured for Cai Que'er to be quiet and carefully looked at what the ape had drawn.

It appears to be some kind of beast, perhaps a tiger, or maybe a wolf; its claws and teeth are quite ferocious...

Ying Chan was pondering his meaning, while Li Xuanying also frowned deeply.

"Huh?" Cai Que'er also looked at the ground, and suddenly let out a soft exclamation: "Is it this evil beast?"

"Evil beast?"

The two immediately turned to look at each other, and Ying Chan asked, "Does the fairy know what it is drawing?"

"I know."

Cai Que'er tilted her head: "It's a ferocious beast that roams the East, like a tiger with a human face! It's incredibly fierce, and its tail is longer than its body..."

Before it could finish speaking, Li Xuanying exclaimed in realization, "It's it!"

The little white ape also rolled over and stood up, chirping and whimpering.

Cai Que'er continued, "It said that this ferocious beast attacked a group of white apes, ate several of them, and injured an old ape. The old ape fled into the mountains, and the beast chased after it..."

Li Xuanying's expression changed: "Let's go!"

The little white ape seemed to understand and immediately rushed out the door.

"Wait, Xuan Ying!"

Ying Chan wanted to ask for clarification, but Li Xuanying had already followed closely behind Yuan'er and rushed out the door.

Seeing this, Ying Chan had no choice but to accept the situation.

"A ferocious beast, a human-faced tiger... Could it be the monster that injured Xuan Ying last time?"

He still remembered that Li Xuanying said that the friend who discovered the vermilion fruit with him was the mountain spirit ape.

Considering the current situation, it is not difficult to analyze the reasons.

Ying Chan thought it over, but couldn't put his mind at ease, so he was about to chase after her out the door. However, he paused and went back inside to retrieve the Qiankun Bow and the talisman sword he usually used for sword practice.

But in just a short while, Li Xuanying and the little white ape had both disappeared.

Fortunately, at that moment, the colorful sparrow flew over and called out, "Taoist priest, over here!"

Ying Chan's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed the direction Cai Que'er pointed, running towards it.

Knowing that Li Xuanying was eager to save his friend and would act very quickly, he dared not delay. While running, he silently channeled his magic power, summoned a gentle breeze, and rode the wind to travel at a divine speed.

The colorful sparrow, relying on its speed, kept flying back and forth, guiding him.

Soon, Ying Chan had chased out of the Taoist temple. Seeing a forest ahead, he leaped up and hurried along the branches and leaves. Finally, he saw a man and an ape darting through the mountains.

Although small, the white ape was already extremely agile, swinging and leaping among the branches at a very fast pace.

Li Xuanying was even more remarkable. Despite being only thirteen or fourteen years old, he was not only mature in demeanor, but his cultivation was also close to perfection.

Without using any magic, he leaped several meters in a single bound. If he hadn't been following the ape, he probably could have gone even faster.

But it was precisely because of this that Ying Chan was able to catch up.

Ying Chan leaped several times, landing beside a man and an ape, and called out, "Xuan Ying!"

"Senior brother?"

Li Xuanying was clearly surprised and quickly asked, "Why did you catch up, Senior Brother?"

As Ying Chan followed them, he replied, "How can I be at ease if you leave without saying a word?"

Li Xuanying looked apologetic: "I was only trying to save my friend." Ying Chan shook his head and asked, "The ferocious beast you mentioned, is it the same spirit that injured you last time?"

“That’s right.” Li Xuanying said solemnly, “I didn’t expect it to attack the ape group. It must have been injured last time, which made it hold a grudge. After its injury healed, it wanted to take revenge.”

“I was in the Taoist temple, and it couldn’t find me, nor did it dare to come, so it set its sights on Brother Ape.”

"Brother Ape, you must be the spirit ape in the mountains that Xuan Ying mentioned."

"Exactly."

Li Xuanying said, "I met Brother Ape when I was gathering herbs in the mountains. Although Brother Ape is a spirit, he has the demeanor of a cultivator like us, so we often accompany each other when gathering herbs."

Ying Chan nodded and then asked, "What methods does that beast possess?"

"Its skin is as tough as copper and its body as iron, making it difficult to harm in the slightest by ordinary means. It possesses immense strength, and its long tail can shatter mountain rocks. It can also injure people with its breath..."

As Li Xuanying spoke, he seemed to remember something and changed the subject: "However, last time, I was able to drive it away. Now that I have made great progress, it will definitely be helpless against me."

"Senior brother, there's no need to worry about me. Please return to the academy first."

Ying Chan tightened the straps on his shoulders and laughed, "I know Xuan Ying is thinking of his brother, but now that I've come out to chase after him, how can I turn back halfway?"

"Don't worry, if we really encounter it, Xuan Ying will handle it. I will just stand by and help, but I can still do something."

After thinking it over, Li Xuanying said, "I cannot refuse your kind offer, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he pulled out several talismans from his pocket, saying, "However, you must take these talismans, Senior Brother."

"talisman?"

Li Xuanying nodded: "These were all left to me by Senior Brother Xu. This is a weapon talisman, this is a divine thunder talisman, and this is a protective spell..."

"Take this, senior brother. It can be of great help to me in a critical moment."

Since the matter had already been brought up, Ying Chan naturally wouldn't refuse.

As he held it in his hand, he couldn't help but think of the talisman in the alchemy room.

"The talisman left by Senior Brother Xu..." He nodded thoughtfully.

At this moment, the colorful sparrow called out from above, "Taoist priest, Yuanxia Gorge!"

Two people and a monkey rushed out of the forest, only to find a deep ravine lying across their path.

Ying Chan suddenly realized that this scene was very familiar. He had crossed such a chasm when he went to get the spiritual spring.

Of course, it was an insurmountable barrier back then, but things are different now.

Just as he was about to summon a gentle breeze to carry the group across, Li Xuanying pointed ahead.

Suddenly, puffs of pale yellow smoke flew out from his sleeves, twisting together and forming a rope bridge spanning both sides of the canyon.

While the little white ape hesitated, Li Xuanying had already stepped onto the rope bridge.

Those who cultivate themselves have mastered the subtlety of control over their physical bodies and rarely lose their balance.

Li Xuanying took a few steps with ease and flew across the abyss.

Seeing this, Ying Chan naturally followed closely behind, crossing the canyon before asking again, "The place where the apes are located is probably not near the Taoist temple?"

“The apes live a nomadic life,” Li Xuanying said. “But the mountain range where they usually roam is indeed quite far from the Taoist academy.”

"If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have been attacked by that ferocious beast."

Ying Chan nodded.

The surrounding peaks near the Taoist temple are indeed very peaceful.

He often went to and from the mountains every day and often saw some creatures. Whether they were wild beasts or not, whether they had become spirits or not, they rarely showed any violence.

However, it is clear that this is not the case everywhere in the world.

He stopped asking questions and focused on following Li Xuanying and the little white ape, moving swiftly through the mountains.

(End of this chapter)