The Programmer Cultivator

As his body trembled, Zhang Deming’s true form dissolved into invisible threads and dodged to one side.

A streak of light halted before a vine clone as a Demon Ape materialized. Clenching its massive fist, the Demon Ape shattered Zhang Deming’s vine clone with a single punch.

Just then, Zhang Deming’s figure finished re-forming, and he beckoned to the shattered vine clone.

Custom Technique: Vine Body Thorn Prison!

As if pulled by some unseen force, the shattered Jade Vines rapidly extended in mid-air, surrounding the Demon Ape and instantly forming a Vine Ball.

Inside the Vine Ball, countless thorns sprouted from the vines and stabbed at the Demon Ape. As the thorns struck its body, they were met with immense resistance.

Before Zhang Deming could apply more force, the Demon Ape swiped wildly with both hands. Its immense strength shattered the entire Vine Ball, which once again dissipated into a sky full of Spiritual Light.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming’s expression changed.

Meanwhile, Li Shifan, who had separated from Zhang Deming at the same time, was already quite experienced. The instant they split up, his aura intertwined with the Long Sword in his hand, mimicking the surrounding atmosphere and allowing him to blend into the environment.

Thus, the Demon Ape ignored him and charged directly at Zhang Deming. Upon getting a clear look at the Demon Ape, Li Shifan’s expression turned grim. The miniature Scroll beside him vibrated, and two Spirit Swords emerged.

The Demon Ape had just shattered the thorn prison when Li Shifan beckoned. The two Spirit Swords shot out like streaks of light, and in a flash, they were embedded in the unsuspecting Demon Ape’s back.

What happened next made both of them freeze.

The two Spirit Swords flashed, resonating with three sword tips already protruding from the Demon Ape’s back. The Demon Ape instantly stiffened, its already berserk aura falling into intense disarray.

In the blink of an eye, its berserk state turned into an internal revolt. The Demon Ape’s corporeal form of Spiritual Power began to fluctuate violently, and it trembled a few times.

POP...

Finally, with a soft pop, it burst apart and dissipated into a sky full of Spiritual Light.

This left Zhang Deming, who had been preparing to strike again, completely stunned. Li Shifan was also taken aback. Clearly, he hadn’t expected the seemingly powerful Demon Ape to be defeated so suddenly.

While the two were stunned, the miniature Scroll didn’t pause. It flashed, appeared where the Demon Ape had dissipated, and absorbed the swirling Spiritual Light.

The third Sword Spirit, which had been on the verge of completion, materialized at an incredible speed.

The two men looked at each other in astonishment. Li Shifan asked uncertainly, ”Is that it?”

Just as Zhang Deming was about to reply, his expression shifted. Spiritual Light flared in his eyes, and enduring a searing pain, he looked toward a spot on the mountainside.

A moment later, Zhang Deming’s eyes turned red, and he got a clear view of the situation in that direction. Once he saw what was happening, his expression changed drastically. ”Run!” he yelled.

This wasn’t the first time the two had teamed up. Seeing the look on Zhang Deming’s face, Li Shifan didn’t hesitate. With a gesture, the miniature Scroll vanished into his palm. He immediately followed Zhang Deming, and they sprinted toward a different part of the mountain.

Only a moment after they disappeared, Demon Apes began to pour out of the forest. There were quite a few of them—at least a dozen.

The one in the lead even had the intelligent glint of a true Demon Beast in its eyes. It looked as if a living creature was on the verge of truly becoming a demon.

...

Zhang Deming led Li Shifan as they ran quickly up and across the mountainside. Li Shifan spoke up, ”Senior Brother Zhang, what was...?”

Zhang Deming replied, ”That thing we just fought wasn’t alone. They’re a pack.”

That short sentence was enough to make Li Shifan’s expression change, too. Although it had seemed effortless to deal with that creature, it didn’t mean the opponent was weak.

On the contrary, both Zhang Deming and Li Shifan knew that its bizarre nature made it, to some extent, even more dangerous than a Duality-level Demon Beast.

For such Demon Beasts to be living in a pack... if they got surrounded, the consequences would be unthinkable. The two of them kept their heads down and ran as fast as they could.

DING...

The soft chime made both Zhang Deming and Li Shifan freeze, their eyes simultaneously drawn to Li Shifan’s waist.

After a slight pause, Li Shifan reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out a palm-sized Compass. The Compass was currently flashing with Spiritual Light, its needle twitching slightly.

’Something’s happening?’

After a brief pause, expressions of pleasant surprise appeared on both their faces.

Li Shifan extended his hand, and as Spiritual Light surged, he tapped the Compass. The needle spun before finally pointing in a single direction.

”This way!” Li Shifan said succinctly, then took the lead and dashed off.

Seeing this, Zhang Deming changed direction and followed. Guided by the Compass, the two of them headed toward a specific spot on the mountainside.

As they advanced, the Compass needle’s reaction grew more sensitive, as if it had locked onto a target.

Zhang Deming looked in the direction they were heading and paused for a moment. ’Is this leading to the gap on the mountainside?’

Sure enough, after moving forward for a little while longer, they arrived at one of the many gaps in the mountainside.

Zhang Deming and Li Shifan stood at the edge of the opening, looking at the cliffside cave before them.

This area should have originally been a solid part of the mountain, but due to some past battle, it looked as if something had punched straight through the rock.

Since the impact had been on the edge of the mountainside, it hadn’t formed a proper cave, but rather a cavernous path along the cliff face.

Or perhaps some great beast had simply taken a bite out of the mountainside, leaving this massive fissure.

The mountain itself was immense, making the resulting path enormous and deep. Compounded by the lingering residue from old Techniques, the entire area was filled with a berserk and chaotic aura.

By some coincidence, a light membrane that sealed off auras had automatically formed over the cavern’s entrance and its cliff-facing side, trapping the violent energy currents within.

As these energy currents swirled within the path, the sharp, berserk aura inside the cavern grew countless times stronger than the aura outside, almost as if it were becoming a world of its own.

...

PS: I know I said I was going to build up a stockpile of Chapters, but the pandemic almost made me miss a post... Can you believe someone came knocking on my door at 4 a.m. for registration?...

But it’s all good, I managed. I got my test done and I’m back in my hometown. I’ll be going into seclusion for the next few days to catch up on Chapters...