Chapter 12
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Chapter 12: The Footprints of the Sage
The kneeling golden ape, though tall, still had to look up at Zhang Yang.
It waved its arms and shouted excitedly.
Zhang Yang frowned. “What is it saying?”
The Ironback Blue Bull let out a series of low bellows in response.
Although the translation wasn’t entirely clear, the special connection through the Blood Contract allowed Zhang Yang to get a rough understanding.
The golden ape was declaring that it had defeated all the other golden apes and become their king.
Surprisingly, this ape king seemed skilled in flattery. It eagerly claimed to know a hidden place full of treasures that it wanted to offer to Zhang Yang.
“Let him lead the way,” Zhang Yang instructed.
The Ironback Blue Bull let out another series of roars.
The golden ape king was overjoyed and immediately stood up, leading its group forward.
Before long, they arrived at the foot of a towering mountain.
This mountain was extraordinary—not just for its immense height, but because an Ancient Tree had grown alongside it.
The tree was massive, nearly as tall as the mountain itself. Its sprawling crown spread out like a fortress, covering a vast area. In comparison, the other towering ancient trees looked insignificant.
The golden ape king led them to a hidden gap where the Ancient Tree and the mountain met. The opening was just wide enough for a single ape to squeeze through.
Pointing at the gap, the golden ape king let out an urgent cry.
The Ironback Blue Bull joined in with its own bellows.
Through their exchange, Zhang Yang gathered that inside the gap stood a powerful stone treeman, a guardian that the golden ape king and its tribe had never been able to defeat.
From outside, Zhang Yang could faintly detect a light floral fragrance wafting through the gap.
The scent had been growing stronger along the way, likely due to the presence of rare flowers and herbs.
After consulting with the Ironback Blue Bull to confirm the situation, Zhang Yang decided to enter alone.
The passage between the mountain and the tree stretched over two hundred meters.
At its end, a two-meter-tall stone treeman stood like an immovable guardian, its entire body wrapped in thick tree roots, completely blocking the way forward.
Zhang Yang approached and said calmly, “So, you’re the one blocking the path.”
His tone remained casual, but his eyes sharpened.
“I want to go in and take a look. Step aside.”
The stone treeman slowly opened its eyes—two hollow, pupil-less orbs glowing with eerie green light.
Zhang Yang cracked his knuckles and said, “I’m very strong. Don’t make me use force.”
In response, the stone treeman clenched its massive fists, tree roots coiling around them like living chains. Without hesitation, it swung a heavy punch at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang’s expression didn’t change. He clenched his own fist and struck back.
Giant Elephant Power!
It was just one type of strength.
Crack!
The Stone Treeman’s right arm exploded, and even half of its body cracked in multiple places. Yet, it showed no signs of pain or anger and immediately swung its left fist at Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang quickly realized that the Stone Treeman had no intelligence; it was merely an instinctive guardian of this place. However, he had no idea how it had come into existence.
Seeing no need for further communication, he unleashed his powers.
Giant Elephant Power!
Demon Elephant Power!
With a single punch, the Stone Treeman shattered completely.
Broken stones and shattered tree roots littered the area, and from within its chest, a glowing seed dropped, emitting a faint halo.
Zhang Yang casually stuffed the seed into his storage bag and continued forward, suddenly feeling enlightened.
Before him stretched a vast field filled with blooming flowers.
The stems were deep green, while the blossoms were a vivid red.
The area was large enough to accommodate a thousand people, yet it was completely covered in these flowers.
The problem was—Zhang Yang did not recognize them.
The moment the Ironback Blue Bull and the Golden Ape King entered, they let out excited howls and immediately began jumping around, devouring the flowers.
“Bull, ask what these flowers are and what they do,” Zhang Yang instructed.
The Ironback Blue Bull continued munching while mumbling questions.
The Golden Ape King, mouth full, responded with murmurs.
Seeing this, Zhang Yang grabbed a handful and stuffed them into his mouth while listening to the Ironback Blue Bull’s translation.
Soon, he learned that these were Blood Spirit Flowers, and they possessed two remarkable effects.
First, they had extraordinary healing properties.
Second, they could evolve bloodlines.
Right now, both the golden apes and the Ironback Blue Bull were consuming them to enhance their bloodlines.
After eating only three to five Blood Spirit Flowers, they stopped and let out deep roars.
The Golden Ape King was surrounded by brilliant golden light, dazzling and eye-catching.
The Ironback Blue Bull was engulfed in a deep blue glow. Within its ancient elephant bloodline, a resonant roar emerged. The faint patterns beneath its blue fur became more distinct, deeply etching into its hide as they merged into its body, evolving further.
Only Zhang Yang felt nothing.
“Not enough, huh?”
He kept eating.
Ten flowers—no reaction.
Twenty flowers—still nothing.
Thirty, forty, fifty… ninety, one hundred, one hundred ten.
Zhang Yang finally stopped.
Not only had his bloodline shown no changes, but he also felt nauseated from eating too many.
Watching the beasts around him undergo their bloodline evolution, Zhang Yang felt a tinge of jealousy. However, since the flowers had no effect on him, he saw no reason to waste them.
With nothing else to do, he gathered all the remaining Blood Spirit Flowers, ending up with a substantial amount—about six or seven hundred in total.
At that moment, he noticed something unusual at the center of the clearing.
A footprint.
At first, he didn’t think much of it, sparing it only a brief glance. However, that single look unexpectedly captivated him.
There was something mysterious about it.
He sat down beside the footprint, studying it closely.
As he observed, a hazy light seemed to radiate from it, weaving together into a dreamlike vision.
An elderly man with flowing white hair stepped forward. With each step, auspicious colors filled the air, and celestial sounds echoed around him.
“A sage…” Zhang Yang murmured.
He recalled his time following Xue Feishuang to the Blood Fox Thieves’ stronghold in the Vast Forest. During their two-day journey, Xue Feishuang had taught him various martial arts concepts. Occasionally, the Night Stalker had added his own insights. Through their explanations, Zhang Yang had come to understand what a sage was.
A Sage’s footprint.
After taking a step, the sage vanished, and the vision faded.
However, the image of that footprint remained imprinted in Zhang Yang’s mind. He could feel the hidden mysteries within it.
He repeatedly envisioned the moment the sage’s foot landed, replaying it over and over in his mind.
After a long while, Zhang Yang closed his eyes.
A moment later, he suddenly opened them, stood up, and took a step.
Whoosh!
His figure flickered.
Zhang Yang appeared three hundred meters away—at the entrance of the clearing.
With another step—
He was back beside the Sage’s footprint.
He began moving throughout the clearing, his figure continuously vanishing and reappearing in different locations.
“So fast!”
Even Zhang Yang was astonished. His natural running speed had always been impressive, but this newfound agility was on a completely different level.
He continued testing it out, disappearing and reappearing, enjoying himself like a child discovering a new toy.
Meanwhile, the Ironback Blue Bull and the Golden Ape King became the first to complete their bloodline evolution.
Both let out triumphant howls.
Not only had their strength increased, but their potential had also risen significantly, allowing for even greater growth in the future.
Before long, more golden apes completed their evolution as well.
At that moment, it became clear—
The Golden Ape King was undoubtedly stronger than the rest.
While most golden apes could only consume three Blood Spirit Flowers before reaching their limit, with the rare exception managing four, only the Golden Ape King had devoured five.
Not only that, but its evolution speed had been the fastest of them all.
Once all the evolutions were complete and after having his fill of excitement, Zhang Yang suddenly remembered Xue Feishuang and the Night Stalker ambushing Yun Liuhuo. Without wasting any time, he rode the Ironback Blue Bull and set off.
The Golden Ape King also led his group out.
Standing outside, Zhang Yang found himself momentarily dazed, unsure of which direction to take.
“Bull, have the Ape King send some golden apes to help find my sister,” Zhang Yang instructed.
The Ironback Blue Bull immediately roared, acting as a translator.
With a single command from the Golden Ape King, the golden apes sprang into action, scattering in different directions.
Zhang Yang rode the Ironback Blue Bull and picked a direction to search.
After covering a distance of more than five hundred meters, his path was suddenly blocked.
“Hey, kid, do you remember me?”
Standing in his way was Xiao Hu.
