Chapter 22 - 21 The Unexpected Joy

The nighttime mountains of Beilong Mountain were different from those of Qianluo Mountain; here, aside from some unknown insects chirping in the grass, Ding Huan heard not a single roar of a beast. This only made Ding Huan more cautious; he was well aware that the fierce beasts here were more sinister than those on Qianluo Mountain. On his way here, covering just under ten kilometers, he had been ambushed by various genetic beasts no fewer than ten times. Ding Huan took out a probe light from his backpack; the medicinal materials he was looking for were quite common. With his current eyesight, even at night, finding these herbs shouldn't be too difficult. Perhaps sensing Ding Huan's arrogance, when Ding Huan really turned on the light to search for the herbs, not a single fierce beast came to ambush him. After searching for two hours, Ding Huan was only ambushed once by a genetically mutated Bloodsucking Vine, an opponent that was merely a single stroke of the blade for him. In two hours, Ding Huan found three types of plants: Bright Bamboo, gongtong, and Yuan Song. The remaining Ba You and Fu Kui were easy for Ding Huan—as long as he found Ba You. As for the Fu Kui, Ding Huan had already seen it during the day in Anhe County. Fu Kui, also known as yew spruce, was a plant many liked to grow at their doorsteps. It seemed like the universe was playing a joke on him; in the following few hours, Ding Huan could not find Ba You no matter how hard he searched, though he did stumble upon the unneeded Fu Kui. The only thing that made him feel somewhat less frustrated was that no fierce beasts or mutated plants ambushed him; did they realize how formidable he was? Seeing that the day was about to break, Ding Huan decided that if he really couldn't find it, he would return to Anhe first and then ask Qu Yi to wait for him for a day. Sometimes it's like this, the more anxious you are, the more things go contrary to your wishes. Just as Ding Huan was contemplating returning to Anhe County without finding the Ba You, he saw a Ba You plant, and it was one with exceptionally good growth. Under the flashlight's beam, this Ba You appeared as if outlined with a layer of silver, making it look extraordinarily beautiful. This was definitely not an ordinary Ba You, but a genetically mutated Ba You—the very same mutated medicinal material that Ding Huan had heard those people talking about in the hotel. Even if Ding Huan did not use the mutated medicinal material to refine the Spirit Root Gene, its value was extraordinary. Ding Huan approached the Ba You in a few steps; before he could even touch it, a dark shadow pounced at him. From the beginning, Ding Huan had been on guard, and he dodged the moment the shadow pounced on him. He hadn't encountered a genetic beast all night, and now that he was about to return, he had actually encountered one? The fierce beast, having failed to pounce on Ding Huan the first time, let out a muffled growl and pounced again. Is that a White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape? In just a blink of an eye, Ding Huan confirmed it, and not just any White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape—it was a genetically mutated one. In fact, it could no longer be considered a White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape; it was a Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, for there was a faint golden sheen on its face. If Ding Huan were not a level one gene cultivator, he might not have even noticed that faint golden color. Being pounced on by a White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape in the dead of night was indeed a bit eerie; after all, anyone would shiver upon seeing this creature's white face on an otherwise pitch-black body. Yet, Ding Huan got excited—the mutated fierce beast, Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, was something he absolutely could not miss. If there was anything on Earth that could treat all poisons as nothing, it would definitely be the White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape without a doubt. Even renowned poison-resistant creatures like the honey badger and the snake mongoose might not be stronger than the White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape. However, one thing the honey badger excelled at was resisting neurotoxins. Should he also obtain the honey badger's antidote gene and then integrate it with the White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's antidote gene? This thought was immediately dismissed by Ding Huan. What stood before him was no ordinary White-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, but a Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape. Moreover, ever since his gene system had vaguely taken shape, he had set a grand goal for himself. That was, if the various Alien Genes he integrated increased in genetic abilities as his cultivation rose, would there be a day when he would truly find the Secret of Immortals? Otherwise, when he reached the level of a high-level gene cultivator, would he need to integrate higher-level skill genes anew? If that were the case, his path of genetic cultivation would be considered half a failure. Having dodged the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's two forceful dives, the ape seemed angered, its facial hair somewhat exploded; with a deep roar, it pounced at Ding Huan for the third time. Ding Huan held a knife in one hand while reaching into his bag to grab a glass bottle with the other. The mining lamp in his other hand was tossed aside, but he did so with precision, ensuring that the light still illuminated the area. With the sky faintly brightening, Ding Huan could still see clearly. In such a place, if he couldn't see, he would only have the option to flee. As the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape leapt at him, Ding Huan sidestepped and his knife slashed out. Ding Huan felt his knife strike something as hard as a block of iron, and even felt a rebounding force. Ding Huan had planned to wound the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape with a single slash and then casually use the glass bottle to collect some blood. With just this one slash, Ding Huan knew he was being too fanciful; this Mutated Coarse-tailed Ape was definitely an opponent he could not defeat. All the genetic beasts he had encountered before were nothing compared to this Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape; they didn't even measure up to a little calamari. No wonder it's dangerous outside Anhe County; even half the villages outside Anhe County had been lost to the jaws of Genetic Beasts. It was entirely normal with such terrifying Genetic Beasts in existence. He was after all a Level 1 Gene Cultivator, with incomparably rich combat experience, yet he couldn't handle a Mutated Coarse-tailed Ape. The Mutated Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape must also be a Level 1 Mutated Fierce Beast, but he had only just entered the ranks of Level 1 Gene Cultivators—not nearly as deeply-rooted as the Mutated Coarse-tailed Ape in front of him. Ding Huan slowly exhaled, staring at the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape opposite him. The sky had gradually brightened, and he could clearly see the ferocity in the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's eyes. No matter what, today he had to obtain the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's Antidote Gene. Opportunities like this were rare. Though his slash didn't injure the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, it clearly left a trace of blood. The Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape was somewhat angry now. This time, it didn't pounce at Ding Huan but fixed its gaze on him instead, waiting for Ding Huan to show the slightest movement or expose any flaws before striking again. Ding Huan put the glass bottle back into his bag and carefully retreated to the side of the Ba You. This Mutated Ba You was a treasure; Ding Huan guessed that it was of great use to the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, which was why it was guarding it here. The Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape kept its eyes fixed on Ding Huan. Upon seeing Ding Huan approach the Ba You, it let out a series of low growls, the ferocity in its eyes deepening. Ding Huan's hand neared the Ba You, and with a strong pull, he broke off a piece. This action completely enraged the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, and it could no longer wait for the right moment, charging at Ding Huan. Learning from the previous two unprofitable leaps, this time the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape didn't jump. The Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's movements were already anticipated by Ding Huan, and as it charged close, Ding Huan twisted at the waist and his short blade swung down. However, this time the angle Ding Huan dodged wasn't enough; after making his slash, he was hit on the side of his chest by the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape. The terrifying force came through; Ding Huan couldn't control his body and was sent flying. He suspected he had broken a rib. As Ding Huan was sent flying, the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape also let out a miserable cry; Ding Huan's slash had cut off a part of its tail. Before Ding Huan even hit the ground, he felt a chilling breath behind him and, without hesitation, he elbowed forcefully backward. A sharp pain followed, and then Ding Huan saw a gray shadow quickly fleeing. Ding Huan broke into a cold sweat; he completely forgot about that gray lynx, and that creature really held a grudge. Not only that, but it also had a great deal of patience. Had it not been for his premonition that something was wrong, making him elbow backward in advance, the lynx's bite would have left him seriously injured. After the lynx's unsuccessful strike, it immediately fled, clean and decisive. Ding Huan couldn't worry about the lynx anymore, not waiting for the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape to turn around and desperately hunt him down, he endured the pain, grabbed the half-severed tail of the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, and ran away frantically. The Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape chased furiously after Ding Huan, clearly completely enraged by his actions. Fortunately, it was now broad daylight, and Ding Huan could at least see the general direction. Some of the smaller Genetic Beasts around felt the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape's authority and fled to the sides as Ding Huan escaped. The Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape was incredibly fast and agile as well. Ding Huan wasn't weak either; as a Level 1 Gene Cultivator, he knew how to use the terrain to flee. Because he had to use the terrain to escape, Ding Huan didn't get out of Beilong Mountain until after eight o'clock in the morning. By then, Ding Huan's body was shredded and torn by thorns. The only good thing was that the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape hadn't chased him out. Ding Huan stopped to catch his breath, checking his body, and fortunately, his ribs weren't broken. Instead, his elbow strike had landed right in the open mouth of the lynx, resulting in an injury from the lynx's teeth. After resting for a few minutes, he then rewrapped the small half-severed tail in his bag. He had set out to find the Fire Lizard this time, but unexpectedly had a pleasant surprise encounter with the Mutated Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape. In terms of value, Ding Huan felt that the Mutated Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape was even more valuable than the Fire Lizard. As long as he could develop the Antidote Gene Potion from the Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape, after fusion, he would practically be invulnerable to all poisons. Ding Huan remembered a company in Europe called Tonghe Gene Company had developed a Hundred Poison Gene Potion, a Zero Gene Potion. Their claim was that Zero Gene could ignore all toxins. Ding Huan was sure the Zero Gene had all sorts of limitations; it couldn't possibly ignore all toxins. Even if they had fused the flat-headed brother's Antidote Gene, they might not be able to ignore all toxins. Because he believed that only he, Ding Huan, could do that. Not only that, but he also wanted to develop an Antidote Gene Potion that surpassed that of the Mutated Golden-faced Coarse-tailed Ape. Who else could achieve that? Or maybe the predecessor who wrote the leather scroll could do it, but that predecessor surely no longer needed to research these Genetic Potions. As long as he didn't take his Genetic Potion out, no one would have the same abilities as him.