These Black Monkeys were each tall and robust. Every Monkey wielded a staff, their staff techniques tricky and their attacks formidable. A flurry of staff shadows rained down from all directions. The pale-faced young man was completely outmatched and, under the assault of over a dozen Black Monkeys, had already been struck countless times.

"Are these Monkeys all at the Nirvana Realm?" Jun Moxiao exclaimed in surprise.

"Bro, we should quickly go and give him a hand!" Lei Qinian, ever righteous, seeing the pale-faced young man in dire straits, drew his sword and rushed forward.

Jun Moxiao followed suit, drawing his Chaos Element Unlimited Sword.

Two beams of sword light whistled in, descending suddenly from behind on either side, catching the Monkeys completely off guard.

The Monkeys shrieked chaotically. After a brief attempt to counterattack, they swiftly fled.

"Brother, are you alright?" Lei Qinian asked, approaching the pale-faced youth quickly once he saw the Monkeys had all fled. He didn't bother to pursue them.

"I've sustained some injuries, but they're not serious. Thank you both, Brothers, for your righteous assistance," the pale-faced young man said, his expression filled with gratitude as he looked at Lei Qinian and Jun Moxiao.

"Don't mention it," Lei Qinian replied. "This place is incredibly dangerous; you need to be more careful, Brother."

"Brother Lei, why are there so many Monkeys here?" Jun Moxiao asked quietly, gazing in the direction the Monkeys had fled.

Seeing these Black Monkeys reminded him of the enormous idol in the Great Saint Temple. Wasn't that also a Black Devil Monkey?

"These Monkeys, legend says, are raised by the Great Saint," Lei Qinian explained. "They are numerous and scattered throughout the Heavenly Moon Secret Region, posing the primary threat to us Cultivators who enter."

"Since they're raised by the Great Saint, can these Monkeys be killed?" Jun Moxiao asked again.

"Absolutely not!" Lei Qinian said quickly, his expression tightening. "If you kill one, it will attract even more Monkeys. There's also a saying that killing these Monkeys might provoke the Great Saint's wrath and bring down heavenly retribution."

Jun Moxiao nodded solemnly.

This Heavenly Moon Secret Region is certainly interesting, he thought. There's an elusive Great Saint who raises a troop of Black Monkeys. These Monkeys can attack Cultivators, but Cultivators can't kill them. How is that fair?

Seeing Jun Moxiao's expression, Lei Qinian couldn't help but chuckle. "Bro, these Monkeys love all sorts of medicinal pills. If you give them pills they find satisfactory, they usually won't take a Cultivator's life."

"That's truly strange. Is there really such a saying?" Jun Moxiao was momentarily stunned.

He took a deep breath and gazed in the direction the Monkeys had fled, a smile forming on his lips. He found this place truly fascinating. The Ancestor's arrangements had led him to a good place indeed. This should be much better than the Nine Soul Underground Palace.

"Brother Lei is right," the pale-faced young man said with a bitter smile, swallowing a healing pill. "It was because I didn't have any good medicinal pills on me that those Monkeys attacked. When I fought back, they just got angrier and angrier, eventually injuring me severely."

"Be more careful in the future. See these Monkeys? Steer clear of them," Lei Qinian advised.

Then he looked at Jun Moxiao and said, "Let's go."

Jun Moxiao nodded.

"Brother Lei, this place is so perilous! You can't just abandon me here alone!" the pale-faced young man cried out anxiously when he saw they were about to leave him.

Lei Qinian sighed and turned back. "Brother, we truly have important matters to attend to and cannot take you with us. How about this? I have a bottle of medicinal pills here; take it." With that, Lei Qinian produced a small white porcelain vial and handed it to the pale-faced youth.

The pale-faced young man sighed again but had no choice but to accept the porcelain vial. He then clasped his fists in salute and said gratefully, "Thank you for your profound kindness, Brother Lei. If fate allows us to meet again, I will surely repay you generously."

"You're too kind, Brother," Lei Qinian said with a smile, returning the fist clasp. Then, he departed with Jun Moxiao.

In Jun Moxiao's mind, Ye Yun was quite intrigued by Lei Qinian's words. The sudden appearance of the Great Saint Temple was already peculiar. Even more unexpected was the presence of a troop of Monkeys in the Heavenly Moon Secret Region, apparently raised by this Great Saint. But where exactly in the Heavenly Moon Secret Region was this Great Saint, elusive as a Divine Dragon showing only its tail but not its head, hiding? Could there be a connection to the Jade Tablet from the Shen Heng Sect? Ye Yun chuckled inwardly, deciding to wait and see. This was a perfect opportunity for a greenhorn like Jun Moxiao to gain experience and, in doing so, slowly unveil the mysteries of the Heavenly Moon Secret Region.

Jun Moxiao followed Lei Qinian, traversing mountains and crossing ridges for an unknown amount of time. Along their journey, they witnessed numerous Cultivators besieged by Black Monkeys.

Some Cultivators managed to use medicinal pills to temporarily alleviate their crisis. Others, however, were beaten black and blue by the Monkeys, barely clinging to life.

Yet, the Monkeys never delivered a killing blow. After injuring the Cultivators, they would let out a few strange chattering cries and then vanish into the mountain forests like a gust of wind.

This sight couldn't help but leave Jun Moxiao marveling.

Besides these encounters, Jun Moxiao also began to spot centuries-old Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Trees. These trees had started to bear fruit.

The fruits came in two types. One was green; according to Lei Qinian, this type was inedible and contained a lethal poison. Only when the fruit turned golden yellow could it be picked and consumed.

However, they hadn't seen any golden fruits along their path. Presumably, any mature ones had already been snatched up by others who arrived earlier.

After cresting another hill, they spotted a Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree growing in a small mountain hollow.

This particular Heavenly Moon Osmanthus Tree looked to be at least several centuries old.

What made Jun Moxiao even more excited was the sight of a single, gleaming golden Laurel fruit hanging on one of its branches. Apart from this one golden Laurel fruit, all the others were still green.

"It's not easy to find a mature Laurel fruit," Lei Qinian said with a smile. "Bro, this one's for you. Why don't you try it first?"

Lei Qinian had millennia-old Laurel fruit stored by his ancestors, so he had little interest in these merely centuries-old ones. Since this was Jun Moxiao's first time in the Heavenly Moon Secret Region, he offered the Laurel fruit to him.

Jun Moxiao hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

The two of them quickly descended from the hilltop and flew towards the hollow.

Suddenly, an even faster streak of sword light shot over from the distance, landing beside the Cassia Tree. It materialized into a red-robed youth.

He reached out, intending to take the golden Laurel fruit for himself.

"Stop!" Jun Moxiao yelled, rushing forward.

He hadn't expected that the Laurel fruit he had spotted first would be snatched away by someone else.

"Get lost!" the red-robed youth snapped, his gaze sweeping coldly over Jun Moxiao and Lei Qinian.

With that said, he abruptly shot out his hand and plucked the Laurel fruit from the branch.

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