Chapter 42: Picking Up a Bargain

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

As the sky grew darker, the mosquitoes in the grass became more numerous.

The mosquitoes that had feasted on Lin Li's body seemed to be calling out to their companions, as more and more of them flew toward him.

"It's so itchy! If this keeps up, I'm afraid I won't be killed by the white ape beast, but rather sucked dry by these increasing mosquitoes first...

No, I can't take it anymore... If that white ape beast finds me, then so be it! I'll just hide in the Mysterious Little Island for refuge."

Lin Li's endurance while hiding in the grass was ultimately limited; ravaged by the growing swarm of mosquitoes, he finally couldn't hold back any longer.

With a rustle, he jumped out from the thick grass. Just as he was about to form the thought of retreating into the Mysterious Little Island, he noticed something was wrong.

He had jumped out of the grass, yet the white ape beast in the distance was still standing in place, motionless.

"Strange? I made such a large commotion; there's no reason that powerful white ape beast wouldn't have heard me!"

Lin Li temporarily abandoned the idea of seeking refuge in the Mysterious Little Island, looking at the standing white ape beast with suspicion.

"Could it be..."

A bold hypothesis surfaced in Lin Li's mind. To verify his suspicion, while keeping a mental plan ready to retreat into the Mysterious Little Island at any moment, he raised his left hand.

*Poof.*

A faint golden spiritual light flashed across Lin Li's left hand, and then a small fireball the size of a fist materialized at his fingertips.

"Go..."

With a nervous expression, Lin Li gave a soft cry, then swung his left hand and threw the small fireball.

*Swish...*

The orange-red fireball shot out like an arrow, heading straight for the head of the motionless white ape beast in the distance.

Facing the incoming orange-red fireball, the white ape beast actually remained standing still, allowing the fireball to strike its head.

*Boom.*

The heatwave generated by the fireball's explosion spread outward. The impact, though not massive, knocked the motionless white ape beast over.

*Thud.*

Upon seeing the white ape beast knocked down by his fireball, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on Lin Li's face.

This scene proved his hypothesis: the white ape beast's previous "desperate counterattack" had merely been its final struggle before death.

It could be described as a terminal lucidity! Before dying, it had heavily wounded its most hated enemy and forced it back, allowing it to die without regrets.

"Stay calm. That middle-aged man's encounter just now was a bloody lesson!

My strength is far inferior to that man's. If the white ape beast follows the same pattern and tries that on me, I will surely be killed instantly."

Lin Li watched the fallen white ape beast warily, taking several steps back to increase the distance. Once he had created space, he began to implement what he considered the safest response.

*Poof.*

*Swish.*

*Poof.*

*Swish.*

One orange-red fireball after another was created by Lin Li and thrown at the fallen white ape beast.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

Every single orange-red fireball struck the white ape beast's head.

Under the continuous bombardment, the white ape beast's head finally could not withstand the pressure and exploded.

*Splat.*

Red and white matter was splattered everywhere, and due to the high temperature generated by the fire explosions, the substances were even half-cooked.

"Whew..." Lin Li let out a long breath. Looking at the white ape beast with its head blown open, he muttered to himself, "The white ape beast is in this state; it must be as dead as can be.

If it could still come back to life and launch a counterattack like that in this condition, then if it kills me, I'll just accept my fate."

With that, Lin Li gripped his spiritual longsword and slowly, cautiously, walked toward the white ape beast with the shattered head.

*Squelch, squelch...*

Upon reaching the white ape beast, Lin Li stabbed it several more times in its vital organs.

It seemed that the middle-aged man's experience of being turned around had a profound impact on Lin Li, making him extremely meticulous.

"This white ape beast is truly, undeniably dead."

Looking at the white ape beast—whose head was blown open and whose body was now riddled with several more holes—Lin Li finally showed a look of peace of mind.

At that moment, the last glimmer of the sun on the horizon completely vanished.

Darkness enveloped the earth. The wilderness, which was already quite desolate, became even more silent as the darkness descended.

"Whoosh..."

*Rustle, rustle, rustle...*

A sudden wind blew, causing the flowers, grass, and trees on the wasteland to rustle, and the chirping of insects in the grass began to rise in a low hum.

Lin Li knew that the wilderness at night was extremely dangerous, so he immediately crouched down, extended a hand to touch the corpse of the white ape beast, and with a thought, pulled it into the Mysterious Little Island.

Then, without lingering, he immediately ran toward the safety zone.

Fortunately, there was a moon tonight. The bright moonlight spilled across the earth, allowing Lin Li to see the path beneath his feet.

Not long after Lin Li left, several figures approached from the distance, arriving at the spot where the white ape beast had died.

These people were all wearing camouflage uniforms, carrying backpacks, and holding various types of spiritual energy weapons.

"Captain, it's already dark, let's head back! It's been so long; that heavily injured white ape beast must have long since disappeared without a trace."

"To think the situation was actually turned around by the opponent... Old Li has lost a lot of face this time."

Under the cover of night, the group discussed for a few moments before turning back toward the safety zone.

***

On the Mysterious Little Island.

The corpse of the white ape beast appeared out of thin air on the grass of the island. Immediately after, a large amount of white mist drifted out from the corpse.

This time was different from before; the magical little tree seemed somewhat impatient.

Without waiting for the white mist drifting from the corpse to condense into mist clouds, it directly attracted the drifting mist toward itself.

Consequently, the white mist from the white ape beast's body surged rapidly toward the magical little tree, enveloping its sparse branches and leaves.

The emerald-green leaves of the magical little tree flashed with a faint golden spiritual light, and then, like a sponge, the green foliage rapidly absorbed the white mist covering the canopy.

By the time all the white mist had been absorbed clean, the small green fruit that had grown on the magical little tree had increased in size several times over, becoming roughly the size of a pigeon egg.

A faint golden spiritual light appeared on the surface of the pigeon-egg-sized green fruit, flickering from time to time, making it clear to anyone watching that this green fruit was extraordinary.

...

(End of Chapter)