The Void King

6. The Cave by the Waterfall

By now, Zhou Feng had crossed ridge after ridge, weaving through the terrain and deftly steering clear of every beast’s territory he knew so well. Finally, the dense forest opened up — and there it was: a tall mountain rising before him, crowned by a thundering waterfall that plunged hundreds of feet into the river below. A genuine smile touched his face. He’d made it.

 

Suddenly, every hair on his body stood on end. He spun around — a massive shape was hurtling toward him with terrifying speed. Danger screamed in his heart. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dove straight into the rushing river.

 

BOOM!

 

A thunderous crash shook the bank right where he’d stood an instant before. Water and mud sprayed everywhere. Standing there was the adult demonic ape — its fur splattered dark red with the blood of the Five Ghosts. It roared in fury, watching helplessly as the human vanished beneath the churning surface.

 

Apes were never natural swimmers, and this demonic ape, for all its power, was no exception. It paced the bank, too wary to plunge into the deep, fast-flowing water. But it wouldn’t leave. Its nostrils flared, picking up that faint, lingering scent of its child’s blood still clinging to Zhou Feng. It let out a guttural growl and began loping upstream along the shore, eyes fixed on the water.

 

When Zhou Feng surfaced to breathe, that prickling sense of danger returned instantly. He grimaced — it hadn’t given up. He was a strong swimmer, and the current carried him swiftly downstream, faster than he could run on land. But he knew the truth: he couldn’t truly escape until he got this ape’s blood off his skin. No amount of scrubbing would wash it away. It clung like a curse.

 

The ape’s roar echoed from the bank, louder now — it had caught the scent again. Zhou Feng dove back under, pressing on. He didn’t know how long he could keep this up, or if he’d survive at all. But he refused to surrender. Somewhere in another world, there was someone waiting for him. He couldn’t just vanish.

 

Hours passed. Every half hour, he’d surface — only to see that massive shadow waiting on the bank, roaring in rage before he could even catch his breath. But this time, he didn’t dive back down. He trod water in the middle of the river, watching the ape pace on the shore.

 

Then it dawned on him.

 

It can’t swim.

 

As long as he stayed out in the deep water, it couldn’t touch him. He let out a bitter laugh. He’d been swimming for hours for no reason at all — he just needed to stay where it couldn’t reach him.

 

The ape leaped back and forth across the river, roaring and pounding the ground, but it could do nothing. And Zhou Feng watched, awestruck and alarmed — that span was at least two hundred meters! It had bounded across like it was nothing at all.

 

Ninth level of Body Tempering. Truly terrifying. No wonder it had closed the gap so quickly.

 

"This thing is the most stubborn, vengeful beast in these hills — and I’ve got its blood on me," Zhou Feng muttered to himself. He was exhausted. He’d been in the water all day and night, without food or rest. He couldn’t keep this up forever. He needed to find a way to wash that blood off — and fast.

 

The sun dipped low. The ape finally settled onto the bank, chest heaving, watching him with half-closed eyes. Zhou Feng’s hopes rose. He was famished, shivering, drained — but his mind was clear.

 

Now or never.

 

He took a breath and quietly submerged. Instantly, the ape’s eyes snapped open. It stood, scanning the water — then roared a warning when Zhou Feng surfaced a minute later, and lay back down again.

 

Zhou Feng tested it three more times. Each time he went under, it woke. Each time he reappeared, it settled back.

 

"It’s not sleeping — it’s waiting," he realised. "But it only reacts when I disappear. As long as my scent stays in the air, it knows I haven’t gone anywhere."

 

Then he saw it — set into the rock face on the opposite bank, barely ten meters from the water’s edge, was a dark cave mouth. Only about three meters high. A plan began to form.

 

"That cave is too small for it — it’s ten feet tall. If I can get inside… I’m safe." He calculated carefully. The ape would spot him the moment he stepped onto land. It could leap across the river in the blink of an eye — but it would still take roughly two seconds to land and reach him.

 

He had maybe three seconds to make it from the water to the cave entrance. If he missed… it was over.

 

Better than drowning or freezing to death out here.

 

He held his breath, heart hammering, and swam silently across. Minutes passed in agonising slowness as he inched toward the far bank. Finally, his feet touched ground. He gathered his strength — and leaped from the water, sprinting toward the cave.

 

The ape’s eyes flew open. It roared and launched itself into the air, clearing the river in a single bound, descending straight toward him.

 

"It was faking it all along!" Zhou Feng’s heart lurched. He threw every ounce of his remaining strength forward, diving toward the dark opening of the cave.