A five-thousand-year-old Cassia Tree, I wonder if any laurel fruits have matured,
Jun Moxiao muttered to himself.
"Brother Jun, the laurel fruits on this five-thousand-year-old Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree should not have been picked by those Cultivators yet. Letâs hurry and check it out!" Lei Qinian said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Jun Moxiao nodded, and the two of them swiftly flew from the mountaintop towards the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, a large group of Monkeys trailing behind them. A hundred miles was a short distance for them and didnât take long to cover.
Once they drew closer, Jun Moxiao realized there were as many as forty to fifty Cultivators from various forces gathered around. Among them were several people from the Xuanyang Sect. These Disciples from the Xuanyang Sect had their backs to the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, facing the other Cultivators. Their faces were cold, and they seemed to harbor ill intentions.
"This Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree was discovered by our Xuanyang Sect first. All of you, piss off!" a red-robed youth from the Xuanyang Sect said coldly.
"We clearly discovered it first! You all came later. How did it become your Xuanyang Sectâs discovery? Have you no shame?" a blue-robed man shouted angrily.
"If you donât leave now, once our Xuanyang Sectâs main force arrives, you wonât be able to leave even if you want to," the red-robed youth sneered.
Over twenty golden laurel fruits had matured on this five-thousand-year-old Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree. However, the few Xuanyang Sect Disciples present didnât have nearly enough elixirs to deal with the Monkeys. There were three to four hundred of them, all with voracious appetites. So, they had claimed this spot, preventing other Cultivators from taking a single step closer.
After all, the Xuanyang Sectâs influence in the entire Heavenly Moon Dynasty was immense. Unless Disciples from the other three Superior great sects appeared, no one dared to provoke the Xuanyang Sect Disciples. Most of the other Cultivators were from minor sects and naturally didnât dare to trifle with them.
"Hey, arenât those the two Loose Cultivators?" one of the Xuanyang Sect Disciples exclaimed upon spotting Jun Moxiao and Lei Qinian, recognizing them instantly.
Those two really are being followed by a large group of Monkeys,
a red-robed youth thought, frowning. Within the past day, he had heard that several of his fellow sect brothers had been killed by these two Loose Cultivators, and the Monkeys following them were their accomplices.
"Never mind them. Our reinforcements will be here soon," another burly, red-robed youth said in a deep voice.
Their current strength was somewhat inferior to that of the two Loose Cultivators, especially since those two had a large group of Monkeys protecting them. However, they believed that as long as they didnât provoke them, the Monkeys wouldnât attack. To these red-robed youths, the two Loose Cultivators themselves werenât to be feared; the Monkeys were the real threat.
"Brother Jun, there are so many Monkeys here. Without the backing of a great sect, Iâm afraid it will be difficult to obtain any mature laurel fruits..." Lei Qinian whispered, a worried look in his eyes.
Jun Moxiao surveyed his surroundings, taking in everyoneâs expressions. He then sent a sound transmission: "Brother Lei, we have to try no matter what. We must be quick, lest the Xuanyang Sectâs main force arrives and causes trouble for us."
"Brother Jun, do you still have enough elixirs?" Lei Qinian asked, his expression one of shock.
"More or less," Jun Moxiao nodded.
Lei Qinian gasped, looking at the young man before him with newfound respect. To employ these Monkeys, Jun Moxiao had already spent a vast quantity of elixirs. Now, with over three hundred Monkeys under the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, satisfying all of them at once would require another significant outlay.
Jun Moxiao didnât walk towards the red-robed youths. Instead, he circled around and headed in a different direction. One of the red-robed youths immediately flew over to block his path.
"Are you sure you want to fight me?" Jun Moxiao glanced at the red-robed youth, a cold sneer on his face.
Seeing more than a hundred Monkeys following closely behind Jun Moxiao, the red-robed youthâs face changed, and he immediately flew away. These hundred-plus Monkeys were local tyrants that no one dared to provoke; the few Xuanyang Sect disciples were no match for them.
Jun Moxiao walked towards the group of Monkeys under the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree. However, the Monkeys following him stopped after just a few steps. Their Monkey Leader sat on the ground, holding its staff, eyes closed. The other Monkeys emulated it, closing their eyes to rest.
Jun Moxiao glanced back and couldnât help but click his tongue in amazement.
It seems these two different groups of Monkeys are wary of each other,
he thought.
Jun Moxiao scanned the Monkeys opposite him and found that the one with the highest cultivation base had reached the Seventh Level of the Nirvana Realm. This cultivation base was even higher than that of the Monkey Leader accompanying him.
Jun Moxiao stepped forward and cupped his fists. "Brother Monkeys, we wish to pick the laurel fruits from the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree. Would you please allow us?"
With that, he immediately took out thirty small bottles and tossed them to that groupâs Monkey Leader. The Monkey Leader caught them, opened one bottle to inspect its contents, then casually tossed it to the ground. The other Monkeys remained seated, their eyes fixed intently on Jun Moxiao. He began to feel a little uneasy.
Are these many elixirs still not enough?
Jun Moxiao thought.
These Monkeys are indeed extremely difficult to deal with!
Throughout this journey, Iâve finally realized something,
Jun Moxiao mused.
The older the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree, the greater the demand for elixirs from the Monkeys guarding it. This demand seems to be twofold: one for quantity, and the other for quality.
Just as Jun Moxiao was about to take out more elixirs, he suddenly saw a streak of sword light shoot over from the distance, landing not far from him. When the sword light faded, seventy to eighty figures in red robes appeared. They were all Disciples of the Xuanyang Sect.
Jun Moxiaoâs expression stiffened. He hadnât expected the Xuanyang Sect to send so many people this time. Even with more than a hundred Monkeys guarding him, he couldnât possibly handle this many Xuanyang Sect Disciples.
Without hesitation, he flipped his palm and instantly produced three hundred bottles of elixirs, throwing them all at the feet of the Monkey Leader.
SQUEAK!
The Monkey Leader stared at the multitude of small bottles scattered at its feetâfar more than it had imagined. It grinned and immediately pointed its staff towards the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree.
"Itâs that Loose Cultivator! Kill him!" a Xuanyang Sect Disciple shouted upon recognizing Jun Moxiao, immediately drawing his sword and charging forward. Another dozen or so Xuanyang Sect Disciples also charged over, apparently intent on killing Jun Moxiao on the spot. After all, they had heard rumors that eight of their fellow sect members had died at the hands of this young man.
"Brother Jun, be careful!" Lei Qinian hurriedly shouted a warning.
Facing the overwhelming barrage of sword lights, Jun Moxiao sneered. He transformed into a Divine Dragon Phantom and instantly vanished. All the sword lights struck empty air.
ăThe next moment.ă
The Divine Dragon Phantom reappeared high above the Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree.