88: Using force to subdue the demon ape, and explaining the principles of cause and effect.

The Yao Beast's crimson giant eyes suddenly snapped open, resembling two burning blood-lanterns. They instantly tore through the gloom of the cave and the red light of the magma, locking firmly onto the position above the pit where Li Muchen stood!

Tyranny, ferocity, and disturbed fury surged upward like a physical tide, mixed with scorching, rank Demonic Qi! Its massive body shuddered violently as it pushed itself up from the black rock. The charred wound on its chest cracked open from the violent movement, seeping dark red foul blood, which seemed to only further ignite its savagery.

"Roar—!!!"

A deafening roar, saturated with endless rage, erupted from its blood-red maw filled with sharp teeth! The sound waves pulsed and echoed within the enclosed cave, shaking the rock walls until they trembled. Even Li Muchen, at the edge of the pit above, felt his eardrums buzz and his blood and Qi stir slightly.

The magma lake churned more violently under the force of the sound waves, splashing dark red liquid several feet high. However, the Crimson Flame Vermilion Fruit tree only swayed slightly, its three ruby-like fruits shimmering with flowing light, seemingly unaffected.

The Yao Beast was clearly completely enraged. Not only had it discovered the intruder, but it also smelled from this "little bug" the same source of Qi as that annoying "yellow light" that had injured it and hindered its healing! New grudges and old hatred surged into its heart instantly!

Its limbs suddenly exerted force, its pillar-like hind legs kicking off the rock. Amidst flying debris and cracking ground, its massive body shot into the sky like a cannonball. Carrying a foul wind and a heatwave, it lunged straight at Li Muchen above the pit! Its sharp claws, glinting with a cold light, tore through the air with terrifying power capable of splitting mountains, striking out fiercely!

This pounce was as fast as lightning and as powerful as thunder! It sealed off all of Li Muchen's paths of retreat!

Facing this sudden and incredibly violent attack, Li Muchen did not panic. Since he dared to come and investigate, he was naturally prepared to be discovered. The moment the Yao Beast opened its eyes, he had already quietly slid back several steps to the side, creating some distance while his internal true essence circulated rapidly, ready for action.

Seeing the claws approaching and feeling the rank wind on his face, Li Muchen did not dodge. His eyes flashed with brilliant light as he gave a low shout:

"Suppress!"

The earth vein suppression talisman hanging at his waist suddenly erupted with an unprecedentedly strong earthy-yellow light! This time, it wasn't to activate a protective field, but to compress and condense the "suppression" and "imprisonment" dao rhyme inherent in the talisman, derived from the earth's Origin. It transformed into an invisible yet tangible heavy force, descending like an invisible mountain upon the lunging Yao Beast!

This was not an attack, but a delay! An interference!

The Yao Beast felt its entire body grow heavy, as if it were suddenly burdened by ten thousand catties. Its lunging speed involuntarily slowed by a fraction, and its movements showed an imperceptible stiffness! A flash of shock and anger crossed its crimson eyes; it clearly hadn't expected this "little bug" to have such a strange technique.

In that lightning-fast moment of reduced speed, Li Muchen moved!

He didn't choose to meet the Yao Beast's city-toppling claws head-on. Instead, with a subtle shift of his mysterious footwork, his figure moved like a ghost. In a hair's breadth, he perilously slid through the gap in the Yao Beast's claw strike! Simultaneously, his right hand, which had been behind his back, shot out like lightning, grasping the thunder-struck wood wrapped in cloth!

"Rip—!"

The sound of tearing cloth rang out, and a charred wooden stick, about three feet long and purple-black with faint lightning patterns, fell into Li Muchen's palm!

The thunder-struck wood felt slightly heavy in his hand, but it instantly resonated with the true essence in his body. A pure, upright aura of thunder that breaks evil and slays demons radiated from the wood, forcing back the surrounding Demonic Qi by several inches!

At this moment, the Yao Beast's strike missed. Its massive body continued forward due to momentum, exposing its relatively fragile flank right in front of Li Muchen!

An Opportunity!

Li Muchen's gaze was ice-cold as his remaining true essence flooded into the thunder-struck wood! On the wood's surface, the naturally formed lightning patterns suddenly lit up with blinding purple-white electrical light, emitting a crackling roar!

"Thunder Strike!"

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He spat out two cold words, and the thunder-struck wood in his hand became like an awakening purple lightning Dragon. Carrying the majesty of heaven and an unstoppable force, it stabbed fiercely toward the wound on the Yao Beast's flank!

This strike did not aim to disembowel it, but only to pour pure lightning power into its body. Working in tandem with the residual earth vein power, it would completely disrupt the flow of its demonic power and aggravate its injuries!

"Awoo—!!!"

The Yao Beast clearly sensed the threat of this strike. It let out a hiss of shock and anger, trying to twist its body to dodge, but its movements were delayed by the power of the earth vein suppression talisman, making it a step too slow!

"Puff!"

The tip of the thunder-struck wood, concentrated with highly compressed purple-white lightning, accurately pierced the gap in the scales on the Yao Beast's flank, sinking deep into its flesh! The violent thunder power, like countless tiny lightning snakes, flooded frantically into the Yao Beast's body through the wound!

The Yao Beast's entire body jerked violently, and it let out a shrill, miserable howl of extreme pain! At the spot where the thunder-struck wood had pierced, purple-white electrical light surged wildly, clashing and exploding violently against the scorching demonic power and the residual earthy-yellow earth vein power in the wound!

"Boom!"

A dull explosion sounded from within the Yao Beast. Its massive body was blasted into a stumble, and a bowl-sized charred bloody hole appeared on its flank. Dark red demonic blood sprayed out like a fountain, mixed with electrical sparks and fragments of earthy-yellow spiritual light!

This blow was clearly more lethal than the counterattack from the earth vein protection field! It not only worsened the old injury but also allowed the lightning power to invade its internal organs, causing severe internal damage!

The Yao Beast staggered back several steps, crashing into the cave wall and shaking down a large amount of debris. In its crimson eyes, savagery remained, but it was now mixed with unmistakable pain and... a hint of fear!

This "little bug" before it not only had strange power, but its attacks were also cunning and ruthless, specifically targeting its injuries. Moreover, the lightning power contained in that wooden stick made it tremble from the depths of its Soul!

It looked down at the charred, bleeding wound on its flank where the electricity had not yet faded, then looked up at Li Muchen. He stood there holding the stick, his aura still as solid as a mountain despite his significant expenditure. The beast emitted a low whimper filled with threat and wariness.

Li Muchen did not pursue. He merely held the stick on guard, his gaze calmly watching the Yao Beast. That last strike had cost him quite a bit; although the thunder-struck wood was powerful, using it against an enemy was far more draining on his mind and true essence than performing the Palm Thunder. He needed to catch his breath.

He was also observing. Although the Yao Beast was heavily wounded, its savagery had not diminished. However, that hint of fear in its eyes might... be an Opportunity for communication?

He was not a bloodthirsty person. His primary purpose in coming here was to eliminate a hidden danger. If he could intimidate or drive away this Yao Beast so it no longer caused trouble, that would also be a solution. Especially after seeing the Vermillion Fruit tree in the magma lake and the ancient stele, he vaguely felt that the Yao Beast's presence here might not be entirely "evil," but perhaps it was "guarding" something.

"Big guy," Li Muchen spoke slowly, his voice not loud but carrying a peculiar rhythm that seemed to penetrate the roars and growls, reaching directly into the Yao Beast's chaotic and violent consciousness. "You can understand my words, can't you?"

The Yao Beast gave a low growl, its crimson eyes fixed on him, fangs bared, but it didn't lunge immediately.

"You occupy this mountain, using the earth fire to cultivate and guard that Vermillion Fruit; that is your Opportunity," Li Muchen continued, his gaze sweeping over the strange red tree in the magma lake below. "But your previous attack on my temple was a great mistake. A temple is a place of peace, gathering the Power Of Will and natural Spiritual Qi of the mountain folk. We were minding our own business. Why did you attack there?"

The Yao Beast made a muffled gurgling sound in its throat, its front claws irritably scratching the ground and kicking up sparks. It seemed to understand part of it but struggled to express itself clearly due to rage and pain.

Li Muchen's heart stirred. He tried to use Divine Thought to transmit a simple image—Qingfeng Temple sitting peacefully with devout pilgrims, and the earth vein Spiritual Qi flowing calmly like a stream. Then the scene shifted to the Yao Beast's violent attack, the yellow light's counterattack, and the rocks shattering.

Receiving this Divine Thought image, the Yao Beast's movements visibly stiffened. A flash of confusion crossed its crimson eyes, which was then replaced by irritability. It growled, raised a front claw to point at the Vermillion Fruit tree in the magma lake below, then pointed to the top of the cave, and made a crude gesture of "snatching" and "interfering," emitting a hostile low growl.

Li Muchen understood. This Yao Beast hadn't attacked the temple without reason. In its simple consciousness, the Vermillion Fruit was about to ripen, and the changes in the dao rhyme and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi it triggered seemed to have some "conflict" or "competition" with the incense Power Of Will and earth vein Spiritual Qi gathered by the temple. It viewed the temple as an "enemy" trying to "snatch" its Opportunity or "interfere" with the fruit's ripening, which was why it had attacked in a rage.

This was a perception of territory and resource competition based on instinct. Although biased, it wasn't complete "evil."

"You are wrong," Li Muchen transmitted information via Divine Thought again, supplemented by a peaceful intent. "The temple's Spiritual Qi originates from the natural mountains and the kindness of human hearts; it is not of the same source as the earth fire Vermillion Fruit, nor is it in competition. The ripening of the Vermillion Fruit has its own timing and geography, which cannot be easily disturbed by external forces. By attacking the temple and triggering the earth vein's counterattack, you might instead disturb the local Qi flow, which is detrimental to the fruit's ripening."

He paused, looking at the Yao Beast's eyes, which seemed to partially understand and had clearly quieted down. He continued: "My temple is for quiet cultivation and protecting the mountain; I have no intention of competing with you for anything. The previous counterattack was self-defense. Now that you have injured my temple and I have injured you here, we can consider it even."

The Yao Beast lowered its massive head, seemingly digesting Li Muchen's words. The wound on its chest and the bloody hole on its flank still throbbed with pain, and the intertwining lightning and earth vein forces within its body made it incredibly uncomfortable. The strength of this human Cultivator made it wary, but the other party seemed... not to have the intention of killing it off completely?

"I can help you neutralize the residual earth vein and lightning forces in your body, allowing your injuries to heal faster," Li Muchen threw out a condition. "But you must agree to a few terms."

The Yao Beast snapped its head up, its crimson eyes staring intently at Li Muchen, its throat emitting a wary low sound.

"First, you must not attack any human settlements on Yuntai Mountain again, especially Qingfeng Temple and the surrounding villages."

"Second, you must not actively cause trouble or harm innocent creatures."

"Third, after the Vermillion Fruit ripens, you take what you need, but you must leave some behind. You cannot over-harvest, nor can you start another dispute because of it."

Word by word, Li Muchen clearly imprinted these three conditions via Divine Thought. Simultaneously, he quietly circulated his true essence. A gentle green light with a nourishing and soothing quality appeared in his palm as he slowly approached the Yao Beast, indicating he had no ill intent and possessed the ability to heal.

The Yao Beast stood its ground, its massive chest heaving. Its crimson eyeballs darted back and forth between Li Muchen and the Vermillion Fruit tree below. It was weighing its options.

The sharp pain of its injuries, the desire for the Vermillion Fruit, the wariness of Li Muchen's power, and the anticipation of that "neutralizing force"... various thoughts clashed in its simple yet not foolish consciousness.

After a long time, it let out a low, almost submissive whimper, and then, slowly and very slightly, it nodded its head.

It had agreed.

Li Muchen felt a slight sense of relief. If it could be resolved this way, it was naturally for the best. He stepped forward slowly and, under the Yao Beast's wary gaze, gently pressed the warm green light in his palm onto the charred wound on the beast's chest.