The remaining Green-Faced Ghost Apes had been killed or dispersed, none daring to gather again.
By the time Zhou Chun and his companions reached the deepest part of the valley, they saw the very Green-Faced Ghost Ape that had initially roared, guarding an old ape with two young ones as they emerged from a cave and began to climb up the mountain behind.
At that moment, the three of them had the opportunity to stay and deal with those two adult and two young Green-Faced Ghost Apes.
However, at this moment, none of the three even spared a glance at the four Green-Faced Ghost Apes; all their attention was concentrated on a fruit tree not far from the cave, unable to shift their gaze even slightly.
It was a grey-green tree with sparse branches and leaves, looking quite like a persimmon tree and not very tall, standing less than two zhang high.
At this time, besides the few dozen grey-green leaves that could be counted, the tree bore five fist-sized fruits.
Three of the fruits were purple-green, their skin faintly marked with silver Spirit Patterns, seemingly ripened.
The remaining two fruits were still reddish-green, their skin showing no trace of silver Spirit Patterns, a long way from being ripe.
"This is quite interesting!"
"Unripe Soul Heart Fruits have no use at all, and consuming them even leads to poisoning."
"Could it be that all of this is truly destined by the heavens?"
Zhou Chun looked at the five peculiar fruits atop the tree, his eyes flashing slightly as he was the first to snap back to his senses.
Hearing his meaningful words, the grey-clothed elder and the red-faced elder glanced at each other, after which the grey-clothed elder nodded continuously and said, "That's right, that's right, Taoist Friend Han speaks the truth. This must be fate, meaning that we three have this opportunity!"
The red-faced elder also exclaimed, "One fruit each for the three of us, fair and square!"
Hearing their words, Zhou Chun's eyes twinkled, and he immediately said with a smile, "Then shall we three take the fruits together, what do you two think?"
"That's exactly what we should do!"
"I have no objections."
The grey-clothed elder and the red-faced elder both agreed readily.
Then, each selected a peculiar fruit from the tree, cutting it along with a section of the branch using their Magic Artifacts from a distance, and drew the falling fruits into their hands using the technique of object attraction.
Once they had their prizes in hand, the three looked at each other, then in a perfectly understanding move, they first increased their distance from each other. They placed the Spirit Fruits into jade boxes before stowing them safely into their Storage Pouches.
After securing their items, Zhou Chun narrowed his eyes and looked at the two elders, saying, "Now that the Spirit Fruits are in our hands, I, Han, will take my leave first. May we meet again if fate allows it."
Hearing his words, the grey-clothed elder immediately frowned and said, "Why the rush to leave, Taoist Friend Han? According to Taoist Friend Fu, since the three of us have cooperated in obtaining the Soul Heart Fruits, why not continue to work together, hunt other solitary cultivators, and share the spoils equally?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the red-faced elder also spoke up in agreement, "Yes, indeed, Taoist Friend Fu has made a sensible point. If you, I, and Taoist Friend Han team up, there will be no one in the Land of High Tower who can match us. Then, the three of us might each have a chance to collect all seven Heavenly Spirit Orders and enter the Land of High Tower to claim the treasure!"
Then he added earnestly, "I advise you, Taoist Friend Han, to consider it well. Know that if you do not join us, you might encounter other teamed cultivators. Even with your exceptional strength, you would find it hard to face multiple adversaries at once."
But before he could finish, Zhou Chun dismissively waved his hand and said, "No need to ponder any further. I appreciate the kind offer from you two, but I have never had the habit of teaming up with others. It's best if we each go our own ways!"
This unequivocal refusal instantly caused the faces of both the grey-clothed elder and the red-faced elder to turn cold.
"Are you truly not considering it any further, Taoist Friend Han?"
The grey-clothed elder fixed his gaze on Zhou Chun, his tone taking on a slight chill.
"What is the meaning of this, Taoist Friend Fu? Are you trying to force me to stay against my will?"
Zhou Chun's expression darkened, and his voice grew colder.
"Indeed, we are going to force you to stay. What will you do about it?"
The red-faced elder suddenly shouted, his eyes filling with malice as he looked at him.