"In that case, it seems we have no choice but to fight." Zoth's face darkened. He let out a sharp whistle.

  The black ape thumped its thick chest with its palms. In an instant, the black fur on its body and the exposed muscles beneath turned light gold. It looked formidable.

  Zoth was deeply wary of whatever tricks Leo might still have up his sleeve, so he sent the black ape in first.

  The ape roared and charged at Leo. Its massive body caused the ground to tremble slightly as it ran. Demon beasts typically possessed greater physical strength than cultivators of the same rank. After casting its "Golden Armor Technique," the ape's defensive power increased several times over, making it a threat even to mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

  Leo frowned briefly, then his brow smoothed. With a flick of his left hand, he tossed out several Smoke Mist Fruits. Thick black smoke billowed forth, shrouding an area of several meters in all directions.

  "Damn it! Fall back!" Zoth's heart leaped. He quickly commanded the ape to retreat, fearing a surprise attack that would pick them off one by one. Simultaneously, Zoth cast a "Whirlwind Spell" and a "Mystical Sight Spell" to guard against a sudden assault from Leo. However, he didn't notice the faint sound of small objects hitting the ground.

  "Fire Arrow Technique!" As the black smoke began to clear, Leo cast a low-grade spell. Over a dozen fire arrows shot toward the black ape.

  "Roar!" The ape bellowed, dodging left and right with agility that belied its size. It evaded most of the arrows but was struck by a few. However, the arrows seemed to hit a layer of iron armor, sparking and scattering, unable to penetrate the ape's skin.

  The ape shrieked in pain, leaping and thrashing. As the black smoke thinned further, Leo looked closer and noticed several bloody scratches on the ape's hide. He smiled faintly. That was more like it. Though a low-grade demon beast, even with its enhanced defense, it still sustained minor injuries from his spells.

  Enraged, Zoth swung his spiked club viciously at Leo's head.

  Sword met club. In the space of a few breaths, they exchanged dozens of blows. Leo's heart sank. He wielded a short sword. Though the burly man's weapon was also a mid-grade spirit artifact, the spiked club's size and weight gave it a distinct advantage. After dozens of clashes, Leo's hands were numb. Forced to constantly evade the black ape's harassing attacks, Leo was being pushed back, struggling.

  "Is that all you've got, boy? You're dead."

  Zoth laughed heartily. He had experienced countless battles, large and small, and his combat experience was vast. After several exchanges, he had gauged Leo's strength. Their cultivation levels were roughly equal. Leo fought boldly, but lacked experience. It fit his age.

  However, this kid was highly cunning. Big Forehead Freak had fallen to him, likely because Leo possessed an antidote to the Shadow Ant venom and excelled at setting traps. Coupled with his large stash of talismans, Big Forehead Freak had been caught off guard and died somewhat unjustly.

  "Don't be so sure." Leo parried Zoth's strike, forcing him back, but then felt a rush of wind behind him. He hastily leaped forward several paces. Still, a searing pain flared across his back. He didn't need to look—he knew the black ape's claws had found their mark.

  "Hard-mouthed brat. Let me show you what I'm really capable of." Zoth raised his hand, producing a strange talisman made of leather. Its pattern was complex. Unlike ordinary spell talismans that resonated with various elemental spiritual energies, this talisman pulsed with a ferocious, bloody, baleful aura.

  "A Blood Demon Talisman!"

  Shock registered on Leo's face. Ordinary talismans could only be used by cultivators, not demon beasts. However, in ancient times, powerful cultivators had developed a type of talisman usable by demon beasts—the Blood Demon Talisman! It could temporarily stimulate a demon beast's potential, drastically increasing its strength. But using such a talisman came at a great cost. After its effects wore off, the spirit beast's power would plummet. A black ape originally equivalent to a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator could drop to the second layer, or even the first.

  "Sharp eyes. You recognize it. Consider it an honor to die by my hand." Zoth laughed sinisterly. He only had two such Blood Demon Talismans, reserved for desperate situations. He was loath to use them, but Big Forehead Freak's gruesome death had made him cautious. He feared Leo might still possess a large number of talismans and launch a sudden assault.

  Caught unprepared, facing dozens of low-grade spells, he would suffer the same fate as Big Forehead Freak—flustered, overwhelmed, and stabbed to death. So Zoth chose a safer path. He would use the Blood Demon Talisman to unleash the ape's potential. At the critical moment, the ape would take the brunt of the attack, while he struck from the side. Even if it meant sacrificing the ape, taking down Leo would be well worth it.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Leo thrust several times at Zoth. Zoth cackled, parrying easily while activating the Blood Demon Talisman.

  The talisman transformed into a beam of crimson light, enveloping the black ape.

  The ape howled wildly, its body suddenly swelling several feet taller. Fangs extended from its mouth, giving it a terrifying visage. Its aura exploded from low-grade to second-grade demon beast—a full rank increase.

  "Haha, boy! Surrender now!" With the ape's power so dramatically enhanced, Zoth was confident. Two against one—no matter how cunning this brat, he couldn't overcome the disparity in strength.

  "Is that so?" Leo's smile was cold. A man's greatest moment of carelessness was often when he thought victory was closest. The burly man believed he had already won. But had Leo prepared nothing?

  Leo stepped forward, adopting a desperate, suicidal stance. Zoth casually swung his club a few times, deflecting Leo's attacks while retreating. With victory assured, he saw no reason to risk close-quarters combat. But Leo's sword strokes were fierce, pressing the attack.

  Zoth retreated a few steps. The black ape would soon finish absorbing the talisman's power. Once his spirit beast charged in, the boy was dead. Zoth savored the thought.

  But as he retreated, Zoth felt something strange on his leg. Something seemed to be crawling on him. Glancing down hastily, he saw several Shadow Ants climbing his leg, mouths open, ready to bite. Dozens more—ants he had assumed dead—rose from the ground, wings buzzing, and swarmed toward him.

  Zoth's soul nearly fled his body in terror. He frantically tried to knock the ants from his leg, but Leo's sword was already thrusting at his chest. There was no time. The ants were on him—his protective shield was useless now.

  Forced to parry, Zoth swung his club wildly, driving Leo back over three meters. But the ants on his leg bit deep. Instantly, the smooth flow of spiritual energy within him stuttered. Then more ants landed on him, biting relentlessly. Within moments, he couldn't channel any spiritual power at all.

  Zoth's heart plummeted. He couldn't understand it. Weren't these Big Forehead Freak's spirit insects? Big Forehead Freak was dead. Even if Leo had acquired the remaining ants, without refining them, there was no way he could control them so deftly, execute such a precise ambush, in so short a time.

  "This guy wasn't afraid of Big Forehead Freak's Shadow Ants. He must have taken an antidote beforehand. He might be an insect cultivator too."

  The realization hit Zoth like a thunderbolt. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. But he racked his brains—he had watched the entire fight between Leo and Big Forehead Freak from inside the array. There had been no sign Leo was using Shadow Ants. He would have noticed.

  "How... how did you do it?" Seeing Leo approach again, Zoth screamed in fury.

  "Die ignorant."

  Leo's expression was cold. He raised his sword to end it. But a roar sounded behind him. Leo cursed under his breath. The black ape, having fully absorbed the talisman's power, was charging at him. He could kill Zoth with one stroke, but the ape was now comparable to a second-grade demon beast, on par with him. And its physical strength was several times greater. Leo dared not take a direct hit—he might perish alongside the burly man. That was not an acceptable outcome.

  Weighing his options quickly, Leo turned and slashed at the ape.

  The immense force drove him back several steps. The ape, being flesh and blood, also suffered a gash on its claw from the sword, blood gushing forth.

  But the wound didn't slow the ape. It grew even more frenzied, its wild eyes burning a bloody red.

  "Kill me? Not so easy!" Zoth, however, was inwardly panicked. He was helpless now. His only hope was that the ape would kill Leo. He tried to distract Leo with words.

  "Shut up. Killing you is but a moment's work." Leo dodged a wild charge from the ape and glanced at Zoth.

  "Empty boasts! Kill me now if you can!" Zoth taunted.

  "You think I can't? As you wish." Leo pressed the spirit beast pouch at his waist. A puff of white mist, and the leopard emerged, shaking its head, its lithe form appearing. It glared viciously at Zoth and pounced.

  Zoth's face turned ashen. He hadn't expected Leo to have another spirit beast. Though weak, only equivalent to a second-layer Qi Refining cultivator, to him now, it was a terrifying monster.

  The leopard crossed the distance in a few bounds, leaped, and knocked Zoth down. It sank its fangs into his throat.

  "Back!" Leo commanded, pulling the leopard away from the black ape. He couldn't risk the leopard getting hurt. Its strength was no match for the now-powered-up ape.

  The power granted by the Blood Demon Talisman, after all, was not as seamlessly controlled as natural strength. The ape was pure brute force. Leo had a way to deal with it. He waved his hand, and dozens of Shadow Ants lifted off from Zoth's corpse, buzzing toward the black ape.

  The ape, in its rage, swatted and killed over a dozen ants. But it lacked a cultivator's ability to use spells or tactics to evade. Soon, dozens of ants had bitten it.

  Seizing the moment, Leo struck. One swing of his sword, and the ape's head flew from its shoulders.

  The leopard, seeking favor, retrieved Zoth's storage pouch and laid it at Leo's feet.

  "You little opportunist." Leo finally relaxed, a relieved smile crossing his face. He patted the leopard's head. "When we get back, I'll find a way to refine higher-grade Beast Spirit Pills. See if I can raise your strength too. Get in."

  The leopard happily rubbed its head against Leo's pant leg before entering the spirit beast pouch.

  Leo waved his hand, drawing the pouch to him. He gathered the remaining Shadow Ants and checked Zoth's body for anything he might have missed.

  Truth be told, on his own, he couldn't have matched Zoth, whose cultivation was similar to his, plus a black ape boosted to second-grade strength. And his control over Shadow Ants was inferior to Big Forehead Freak's. A straight fight was unwinnable. But Zoth had become overconfident. Earlier, when Leo had thrown the Smoke Mist Fruits, the billowing black smoke wasn't just for a sneak attack. It was a feint, drawing Zoth's attention while Leo secretly released his own Shadow Ants, letting them fall to the ground.

  The earlier fight with Big Forehead Freak had left dozens of dead and injured ants scattered across the churned-up, pitted ground.

  Zoth, having witnessed Leo's prowess, was focused entirely on him, fearing a sudden barrage of talismans. In the heat of their duel, he had no attention to spare for a few more ant corpses on the ground. Later, when he activated the Blood Demon Talisman, convinced of victory, his guard dropped further. That was when Leo's scheme unfolded, costing him his life.

  Leo flicked two small fireballs. The bodies of Big Forehead Freak and Zoth were consumed, turned to ash. He swiftly left the grove. Prolonged battles left residual traces of spiritual energy. Passing cultivators might sense something amiss. A place of conflict was not somewhere to linger.

  By evening, Leo reached a river valley. He spotted a sturdy brown bear emerging from the hollow of an ancient, towering tree. Leo smiled. It seemed he had found a place to spend the night. Traveling alone in the mountains after dark was not safe.

  While the bear was away foraging, Leo climbed easily into the hollow. Inside, it was spacious, easily holding several people his size. It was pitch black, but that was no obstacle. Channeling spiritual energy to his eyes brought a cool clarity. With the Mystical Sight Technique, he could see well enough.

  He took out the two storage pouches. First, he opened Zoth's. Inside were sixty or seventy spirit stones of various types, some healing pills, a large number of spirit herbs, several pieces of ore for artifact forging, and some beast hides and materials—nothing Leo particularly valued.

  However, he found several spirit herbs that were actually listed as quest items for the Palace of the Heavenly Apex and Verdant Pill Palace. There was also another Blood Demon Talisman, an exceptionally rare and valuable item. How had this burly man gotten his hands on such treasure?

  Leo moved everything into the boundary space. Then he opened Big Forehead Freak's storage pouch. He was startled. As an alchemist, he was already wealthy, but Big Forehead Freak, who raised over a hundred Shadow Ants, was also surprisingly rich. Over a hundred spirit stones. From this pouch, Leo also found several quest herbs for the Palace of the Heavenly Apex—some duplicates of what he already had.

  Fragments of Puppetry Arts Secrets and True Explanation of Spirit Insects!