Chapter Forty-Nine: Taking Action

“If things keep going like this, it might not be long before my cancer completely heals itself, and I become a legend in medical history.”

Fang Zhuowei chuckled.

Aside from the complications being significantly alleviated, his strength had also undergone a qualitative leap. During those hundreds of years in the Ancient Ape civilization, Fang Zhuowei had practiced nearly every martial arts manual successfully developed by the ape tribe that he could find.

Lacking talent, he made up for it with time.

Hundreds of years allowed him to master nearly every martial art to perfection. Unlike cultivation, once you learned these skills, you truly mastered them. With all manner of perfected martial arts paired with Dao energy, it was no exaggeration to say that Fang Zhuowei at this moment was akin to a walking weapon; he alone could stand against a small army.

It was rather dramatic, really. He had planned to resolve this problem through the Spotted Mouse civilization, but unexpectedly, it was settled early with the Ancient Ape civilization.

...

He rubbed his stomach as an indescribable hunger suddenly struck him. He hadn’t eaten a thing all afternoon, and now the hunger was becoming unbearable.

Dinner was simple. Fang Zhuowei casually boiled some noodles and made his favorite dish—tomato and scrambled eggs. The combination of tomato and egg with cold, rinsed noodles was both appetizing and delicious.

After eating his fill, he summoned the black hole and retrieved the special unit—the phoenix tree—to plant it.

A rumbling sound erupted.

In the pitch-black night, a vigorous ancient tree, once no bigger than a hair’s tip, grew at a visible speed, reaching seventy or eighty meters before finally stopping.

The sight was astonishing.

In the darkness, a phoenix tree that was originally smaller than an ant instantly transformed upon touching the ground into a towering giant comparable to a multi-story building. Its dense canopy immediately covered the courtyard above, like an enormous parasol shielding the night.

As the tree expanded, a gentle warmth enveloped the entire estate.

“It can even keep things warm in winter and cool in summer.” Feeling the comfortable temperature around him, Fang Zhuowei was delighted. This sensation was wonderful.

Early spring in Wucheng was still chilly, like the lingering grip of winter, and cold fronts would sweep through every few days. Yet standing beneath the phoenix tree, the surroundings felt as cozy as spring, as if a heater was running; even sleeping outdoors for a night wouldn’t be a problem.

“Excellent, excellent,” Fang Zhuowei nodded in satisfaction.

Warm in winter, cool in summer—he wouldn’t need to buy an air conditioner anymore.

As for whether anyone would notice this scene, Fang Zhuowei wasn’t worried. It was already deep night, pitch-black all around, and even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter. No one lived within seven or eight miles, and Wucheng was a land of hills, with layers of mountains blocking the view. Not even a telescope could see through.

He tidied up his dishes, preparing to go to bed.

Just then—

A muffled, urgent scraping sound broke out in the air.

The noise was abrupt, resembling the claws of some large creature dragging across the ground, coming closer and closer.

“That sound…”

Having cultivated Dao energy, Fang Zhuowei’s senses were extraordinary. He immediately picked up on the scraping noise, his brows arching slightly—he felt he had heard it before.

“It’s the wild beast that appeared in my yard a few days ago.” Fang Zhuowei recalled.

“It dares come again? This time, I’ll see what it is.” With unparalleled martial strength at his command, Fang Zhuowei was bold and furious.

He was still annoyed about the cost of repairing his door.

Getting up, he returned to the house and fetched the solid mountain-cleaving machete he had painstakingly sharpened days before—a hefty blade weighing over ten pounds.

As he stepped back outside, a strange howling sound echoed.

It was long and eerie, unsettling to the mind.

The cry, just like before, was odd. Fang Zhuowei, who had grown up in the mountains, couldn’t identify any animal capable of making such a noise.

Following the howl, hurried footsteps sounded, like an experienced predator launching a deadly attack during a hunt.

Moments later—

A hulking dark figure burst into Fang Zhuowei’s view.

By the glow of nearby lights, he finally saw the creature’s true form.

“What on earth is this?”

Yet upon seeing it clearly, Fang Zhuowei couldn’t help but freeze.

He searched through nearly all known carnivorous beasts on earth, but none matched the enormous shadow before him.

Its body was massive, several times larger than a black bear, resembling a cross between a wolf and a bear, giving him a sense of strange discordance.

Most shocking of all was its gaping maw, stretched all the way to its ears like a clown’s painted smile, with rows of fine, sharp teeth spiraling deep into its throat—chilling to the extreme.

It opened its mouth wide, baring its fangs, about five or six meters from Fang Zhuowei, and kept roaring at him.

Suddenly—

The beast moved.

Its speed was astonishing—a blur, barely visible as it sprang directly above Fang Zhuowei.

The monster’s jaws, bristling with fangs, lunged straight for Fang Zhuowei’s head.

If it bit down, he’d surely be decapitated.

Naturally, Fang Zhuowei wouldn’t let the creature have its way. Eyes vigilant, he dodged as the shadow attacked, pushing off with his left foot and sliding backward over ten meters.

At the same time—

As he retreated, his arm bulged with veins, cold light flashed in his eyes, and wielding the mountain-cleaver, he struck diagonally, counterattacking fiercely.

A crisp crack sounded.

With Dao energy and immense strength, Fang Zhuowei’s blade left layers of afterimages, slicing cleanly through the monster’s jaw as easily as cutting tofu.

In the next instant—

Blood splattered, spraying everywhere. The sound of the machete breaking bone was clear in the air.

With a heavy thud, the once arrogant beast crashed to the ground, rolling seven or eight meters from inertia.

Yet its vitality was terrifying; even after such a blow, it didn’t die. Staggering, it managed to rise again.