Chapter 1176: Chapter 505: One Joy, One Sorrow [Please Subscribe] _2

Upon discovering this, her expression immediately changed.

“The Soul Heart Fruit must not be lost. Anyone who stands in my way will die!”

A cold glint flashed in her eyes as a murderous intent surged in Zhou Yuanlian’s heart.

She was once a kind-hearted mortal girl, but the subsequent harrowing experiences had mercilessly crushed her goodness beneath the weight of reality.

Her decade-long cultivation journey had further deepened her understanding of the brutal nature of the Cultivation World.

Coupled with the influence of cultivating the Tome of Thousand Poisons, she had, without realizing it, grown indifferent to the value of life.

Now, all she wanted was to grow stronger, to wield immense power, and to hunt down those who cultivated Demon Techniques, eradicating all Demon Cultivators!

Anyone who obstructed her path of vengeance was her enemy!

In the valley inhabited by the Green-Faced Ghost Apes, a middle-aged couple seemed locked in battle with over a dozen of the beasts. Several ape corpses already lay strewn across the ground.

Judging by the ease with which the couple handled themselves, it was clear they did not take the apes seriously. Their sights were fixed on the Soul Heart Fruit tree above, determined to claim it.

“Sister Shuang, hold off these beasts for me while I prepare the move!”

Suddenly, the man among the couple roared as if making a crucial decision.

The woman, hearing this, immediately responded loudly, “Alright, Brother Xiong, go ahead and cast your spell freely!”

With that, she slapped her storage pouch, summoning a shield Magic Artifact seemingly forged from icy frost. The shield began to orbit around the man protectively.

Any Green-Faced Ghost Ape that tried to approach the man was quickly repelled by the icy shield. Frost clung to the claws of those that struck it, freezing them and causing the apes to shriek in pain.

Under the protection of his companion, the man focused, holding a fiery red Treasure Bead and chanting incantations to unleash a potent Spell.

However, neither the man and woman nor the Green-Faced Ghost Apes seemed to notice the sudden stench of decayed animals permeating the valley.

Perhaps they hadn’t ignored it, but the smell was so common near a Demon Beast nest that it didn’t raise suspicion.

As the man continued chanting, fiery radiance poured from the Treasure Bead in his hands, coalescing into a fire cloud in the sky.

After about a dozen breaths, the man suddenly shouted as he gestured toward the Green-Faced Ghost Apes.

In an instant, fireballs rained down from the fire cloud like cannonballs, crashing toward the apes.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The valley was filled with deafening explosions and rampaging flames.

The fireballs, however, carefully avoided the Soul Heart Fruit tree’s location.

The Green-Faced Ghost Ape group suffered heavy casualties under the assault, with five killed on the spot, and the rest injured.

But the man didn’t fare well either, staggering unsteadily after completing the powerful Spell and nearly collapsing.

The potent Spell had clearly drained his Mana, leaving him incapable of further combat.

Thankfully, with his companion guarding him, he didn’t need to worry about the Green-Faced Ghost Apes seizing the chance to retaliate.

“Strange… In the past, this Fire Cloud secret technique did drain me, but I’ve never been this weak…”

Muttering to himself, the man reached for his storage pouch, retrieving and swallowing a Rejuvenation Pill to restore his Mana.

While the man was refining the Elixir for recovery, his companion took the opportunity to pluck several ripe Spirit Fruits from the Soul Heart Fruit tree, then helped him flee the valley.

However, the Green-Faced Ghost Apes, enraged by their heavy losses, refused to let them escape, launching a furious assault to stop the pair.

After another intense skirmish, the man suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

“Brother Xiong…”

The woman’s face turned pale, and she rushed forward to shield him.

At that moment, several Green-Faced Ghost Apes simultaneously unleashed their Soul Wail Divine Skill, leaving her momentarily frozen.

One ape seized the opportunity, lunging past the fallen man and severing his head in a single motion!

When the woman finally regained her senses and saw the gruesome scene, her eyes turned blood-red as she let out a hysterical scream. “Aaahhh! You damned beasts! I’ll kill you all! Die! All of you!”

She then began attacking the Green-Faced Ghost Apes fiercely with her Magic Artifact in a crazed frenzy.

But before long, she suddenly felt dizzy and short of breath, as if she couldn’t gather air.

“What’s… happening to me? No… I’ve been poisoned! Brother Xiong… he was killed by poison!”

The woman forced herself to channel her Mana, trying to suppress the discomfort. Her eyes flared with hatred as she scanned her surroundings, searching for the one who had poisoned them.

By now, the Green-Faced Ghost Apes also began showing signs of poisoning and ceased their attack on the woman.

Seeing this, the woman’s face twisted in anger, and she shouted furiously into the surrounding forest, “Who’s hiding in the shadows, poisoning people? Show yourself!”

“If you don’t come out, I’ll destroy the storage pouch, and no one will get anything!”

She then reached for her storage pouch threateningly.

Clearly, she knew the hidden poisoner wouldn’t let her destroy the invaluable Soul Heart Fruit.

But she had underestimated the severity of the poison and overestimated her own abilities.