The Programmer Cultivator

The area around the massive tree was in complete chaos.

The sound of "CHIRP CHIRP..." was incessant, and Zhang Deming could clearly hear the anger in their calls.

In the center of the Fox Monkey Demon Beast pack, three two-meter-tall Demon Beasts were advancing under a barrage of attacks.

They looked like grizzly bears, but they had long, highly flexible tails and four paws that resembled human hands.

This was a type of Advanced Apprentice Demon Beast with a rather strange name: Wine-Seeking Bear.

Watching the three Wine-Seeking Bears constantly dodging or brute-forcing their way forward under the Fox Monkey pack’s siege, Zhang Deming couldn’t help but smile.

’Looks like my luck is pretty good.’ In the Cultivation Realm, Fox Monkey Demons weren’t most famous for their Foxfire, but for the Blood Emotion Wine they brewed to mate and reproduce.

This stuff was a powerful aphrodisiac for Fox Monkey Demons.

For Cultivators, however, it was a highly nourishing tonic. Especially for those below the Tai Chi realm, it could be used as a pure-yang ingredient and added as a supplement for all advancements.

Furthermore, because it had such a potent nourishing effect on humans without any strong aphrodisiac side effects, it was even regarded as a special, high-end beverage.

’If I had to make an analogy, would it be like a special aphrodisiac red wine plus a health supplement from a high-end, candlelight-dinner restaurant?’

’Well, that’s not quite right, but it’s close enough.’

Therefore, this stuff was not only in high demand but also extremely popular—at least, according to the information Zhang Deming had gathered.

Just seeing a group of Fox Monkey Demons didn’t guarantee the presence of Blood Emotion Wine. After all, Fox Monkeys only went into heat once every few years, and they were mostly solitary creatures, rarely forming groups.

But when Wine-Seeking Bears were raiding a Fox Monkey Demon group, Zhang Deming didn’t even need to guess. He knew this pack must be in the critical period of their mating season.

After a glance at the chaotic scene in the clearing, Zhang Deming circled around it, staying within the forest.

He reached the other side of the clearing. Thanks to the three Wine-Seeking Bears, the attention of nearly the entire Fox Monkey Demon pack was drawn to them.

Countless Fox Monkeys scrambled about in the bushes on the opposite side and among the branches of the great tree, trying to drive the Wine-Seeking Bears away.

Zhang Deming observed for a moment. With a mental command, he activated his Hidden Breath Skill. A layer of gray mist enveloped him.

His entire presence began to weaken rapidly until it vanished completely. He became like a moving stone, his figure growing faint and indistinct.

Once his presence was completely concealed, Zhang Deming crouched down and carefully slipped out of the forest into the bushes of the clearing.

Normally, with Fox Monkey lookouts in the great tree, Zhang Deming would have likely been discovered the moment he entered the brush.

But now, he managed to creep carefully to the base of the tree, and still, no Fox Monkey had noticed him.

On his side of the enormous trunk, there wasn’t a single Fox Monkey Demon in sight.

With a thought, Zhang Deming’s hands formed a seal. A vine shot out, rapidly wrapping around his entire body until he resembled a cocoon.

The vine’s color shifted slightly, turning the same shade of brown as the tree bark.

Wrapped within it and enhanced by the Hidden Breath Skill, he was easy to overlook without a careful glance.

The vine, like a chrysalis, carefully lifted Zhang Deming up the tree.

As he ascended, the trunk began to fork and thin out, offering less and less cover. Zhang Deming grew even more cautious.

A moment later, he reached the top of the trunk without incident.

It seemed the treetop had broken off at some point, causing several new branches to sprout from the apex.

This had formed a natural, massive, bird’s-nest-like structure. Inside, numerous branches had been woven into a huge lair.

Hanging from the lair were three strange, oval-shaped, dried fruits.

Zhang Deming carefully controlled the vine, flipping his entire cocoon directly into the lair.

Instantly, a strange, pungent odor assaulted his nostrils.

’Damn, this smell... it’s going to kill me!’

’This is what the Sect’s files called a "strange odor"?’

’Fucking hell, this is strong enough to knock someone out if they’re not careful!’

The moment Zhang Deming dropped into the nest, he almost passed out.

Cursing internally, he fought back the stench and moved beneath the three volleyball-sized, bizarre fruits.

The vines parted, revealing his hands and face.

Zhang Deming carefully plucked one of the fruits. It was a plant-based fruit similar to a natural gourd, only it was oval-shaped rather than hourglass-shaped.

It became hollow when dried, making it an excellent natural container.

Zhang Deming took one of the fruits and opened the small mouth at its top.

Instantly, a faint coppery smell, accompanied by a rich aroma of wine, drifted to his nose.

’My luck is holding out! It really is Blood Emotion Wine!’

Zhang Deming gazed in delight at the blood-red liquid inside the fruit.

He quickly resealed it and reached out to take the other two fruits.

"ROAR..."

Zhang Deming had just taken the fruits and was planning to make a quiet getaway, his mission accomplished.

Down below, one of the three Wine-Seeking Bears that had reached the base of the tree suddenly let out a massive roar, and both the bears and the Fox Monkeys immediately erupted into a frenzy.

Zhang Deming froze. He looked down and saw that the Fox Monkey Demon pack had completely abandoned the Wine-Seeking Bears and was now scrambling furiously toward the treetop.

The three Wine-Seeking Bears were right behind them.

One moment they had been mortal enemies, and the next, they were working together.

Seeing the horde of Demon Beasts, Zhang Deming jolted. The vines covering his body rapidly fell away as another shot out from his hand.

Thanks to his Thorny Earth Spike skill, the vines produced by his Growth Technique were now not only incredibly tough, but also sharp and hard.