Chapter 158: Chapter 149: Giant Ape
The few Mages following Yuan Xin, who were willing to fight to the death and not abandon him at a time like this, were naturally his most trusted confidants.
"Kill!"
The Mages’ faces turned vicious as they cast their Magic and charged forward.
They knew they couldn’t escape their fate today. Words were useless, so they only hoped to take someone down with them before they died.
"SWISH!"
Xie Changge flicked his finger.
A speck of light shot from his fingertip, and in an instant, a Flying Sword shimmering with seven-colored light pierced through a man’s heart.
The Smoke and Mist Sword!
Just as Zhu Ju had guessed, this sword had been left behind by a True Man from the Sword Sect.
It was refined from Smoke and Mist Qi and the Essence of the Five Qi, capable of shifting between illusory and real, possessing an indomitable power.
Although he himself was not a True Man, wielding the Smoke and Mist Sword allowed him to unleash a portion of a True Man’s might.
The Situ Family’s White Bone Whip was a similar item.
Refined from the spine of a True Man ancestor of the Situ Family after his death, it was also considered a ’True Man Treasure’.
In the Main World, such ’True Man Treasures’ were roughly equivalent to High Grade Spiritual Artifacts.
As the two sides clashed, the City Lord’s Mansion’s group displayed an overwhelming advantage.
The few confidants from the General’s Mansion hiding in the secret room fell one after another at a visible rate.
"AHHH!"
Seeing that defeat was certain, Yuan Xin’s face twisted into a savage expression as he roared madly:
"Situ Kuang, you think you’ve already won?"
"PENG!"
The ground beneath his feet suddenly exploded. Yuan Xin, now in the form of a giant ape, plunged his arm deep into the earth.
"Rise!"
"CLANG CLANG CLANG..."
He forcibly ripped out a chain as thick as a normal person’s thigh.
It wasn’t just one!
As he pulled, a full nine chains, each tens of meters long and buried underground, were revealed.
The chains were connected to an altar.
The altar was buried deep underground, and bound in its center was a massive, slumbering figure.
This scene made Situ Kuang’s expression change slightly. He subconsciously stopped in his tracks, a grave look appearing in his eyes.
"Wake up!"
Yuan Xin bellowed:
"Brother, wake up and help me!"
’Brother?’
"This is bad!"
Xie Changge shouted urgently:
"It’s Yuan Yue!"
Yuan Yue!
The former second-strongest expert of the General’s Mansion, second only to Wan Zhengyang, who had supposedly died many years ago.
Now, it seemed...
Yuan Yue hadn’t died back then. Instead, he had transformed into a Demon, sealed and kept here by the General’s Mansion.
"Stop him!"
The Flying Sword shot across the sky as the Giant Spirit roared.
"Too late!"
A cold smile spread across Yuan Xin’s face. He slammed both hands onto the ground, and an invisible, concussive Qi Force surged outward.
"CRACK!"
"CLANG... CLANG..."
The thick chains broke and fell away one by one, and the slumbering figure slowly opened its eyes and looked up.
A giant ape!
A giant ape more than a full size larger than Yuan Xin.
As the giant ape opened its eyes, a turbid aura seemed to shoot up from the center of Poison Wolf Stronghold into the clouds.
Everything within a half-mile radius trembled.
"ROAR!"
With a low roar, the giant ape that had been tightly bound by the chains leaped out from the underground altar.
"CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!"
The thick chains whipped around like frenzied tentacles.
The approaching Smoke and Mist Sword and the charging Situ Kuang were sent flying on the spot by that explosive Qi Force.
"Brother!"
Yuan Xin prostrated himself on the ground, looking up at the giant ape:
"They killed General Wan! They killed our family! You must avenge General Wan and the others!"
"Rrrgh..."
The giant ape growled, its murky eyes slowly rolling.
It had long forgotten who General Wan was or what "family" meant, but it had some impression of the person before it.
For the past few years,
this person had been the one feeding it.
And his aura was somewhat familiar; he must be one of its own kind.
So...
The giant ape’s gaze shifted, landing on Situ Kuang’s group, who looked as if they were facing a great enemy. Its eyes slowly narrowed.
A ferocious aura erupted from its body.
This aura was so substantial that it was not only hard to breathe, but even one’s thoughts seemed to slow.
"Hmph!"
Zhu Ju snorted, the Celestial Dragon Eight Sounds vibrating in his Sea of Consciousness, and his mind instantly cleared.
’So strong!’
’Is this a ’True Man’?’
’Watching the battle from a distance before, I hadn’t been able to appreciate the power of a ’True Man’. Only now do I have some understanding.’
A ’True Man’ has already transcended the category of ’human’.
They have evolved into Demons from the inside out. Such beings possess an innate power to intimidate Mortals.
It’s like a mouse meeting a cat; the physical body, and even the soul, will instinctively tremble with fear.
"ROAR!"
Before he could clear his thoughts, the giant ape that was Yuan Yue let out a loud roar and pounced toward Situ Kuang.
"PENG!"
With just one strike, Situ Kuang was sent flying, and his Divine Soul’s manifested Dharma Aspect flickered unstably.
"Attack!"
Xie Changge’s eyes were dark as he commanded:
"All at once!"
"SWISH!"
The Smoke and Mist Sword transformed into a cloud of mist, instantly enveloping the giant ape as countless sharp streams of Sword Qi shot out from within.
"TING TING... DANG DANG..."
The Sword Qi tore through the chains on the giant ape’s body and left gashes on its skin and flesh, but they were far from fatal.
But the giant ape merely lunged, forcing Xie Changge’s expression to change drastically as he hastily executed a Body Technique to dodge.
His skills were all concentrated in his Flying Sword; his physical body was weak, and he lacked the means to manifest an Illusion with his Divine Soul.
If he were to be struck by the giant ape, he would likely die on the spot.
Magicians who follow the path of ’Treasures’ were far weaker than their peers if they lacked a protective Treasure.
Just like Xie Changge, who, as a Great Mage, never dared to engage in direct combat.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts’ Submission!"
"Go!"
Situ Kongli’s pretty face was tense. She gave the Jile Spirit House in her hand a gentle shake, and sheets of Papermen floated out.
No!
They weren’t Papermen.
They were ’Skin People’ refined from beast hides.
Compared to Papermen, Puppets made using the Skin Making Technique were clearly tougher and more durable.
"WHOOSH!"
Hundreds of Beast Hide Puppets flew toward the giant ape, wrapping around it in the blink of an eye like a thick leather coat.
The Puppets pulled and tore at it, like a swarm of ants devouring an elephant.
The Evil Qi erupting from the giant ape’s body was like ubiquitous steel blades, madly slicing at the Beast Hide Puppets.
One by one, the Beast Hide Puppets dissolved into white smoke.
But more Puppets swarmed forward, and under the relentless assault, they actually managed to pull the giant ape down to the ground.
’An opportunity!’
Situ Kuang’s and Xie Changge’s eyes lit up.
The Flying Sword and the Dharma Aspect both shot out, charging toward the fallen giant ape.
"Brother!"
"I’ll help you!"
Seeing this, Yuan Xin roared and manifested his Divine Soul Dharma Form, pouncing toward Situ Kongli.
While he was in mid-air, five specks of light abruptly appeared, grinding toward him like madly spinning drills.
The Five-Pointed Flying Sword!
Zhu Ju had made his move.
"It’s you!"
Yuan Xin had clearly witnessed Zhu Ju’s methods on the battlefield that day. His eyes narrowed, and his massive body twisted in mid-air.
He abruptly changed direction, defying the laws of physics, and fiercely whipped his long tail.
"WHOOSH..."
Several adult-sized rocks were swept up by his tail, hurtling toward Zhu Ju on a blast of wind.
The fierce wind howled.
"PENG!"
The boulders shattered into pieces upon contact with the Protective Gang Force, and Yuan Xin used the opportunity to charge forward.
"Die!"
The giant ape formed from his Divine Soul brought down its fists with vicious force.
"PENG!"
Not only did the fists carry Giant Power, but they also held the ability to control the Earth Veins, causing countless rocks below to crumble.
In the chaos, Zhu Ju raised a single hand and blocked the incoming fists.
"You..."
Yuan Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief, but at this moment, he had no path of retreat.
Fossilization Technique!
A stony luster instantly appeared on his body and even began to spread rapidly toward Zhu Ju’s arm.
Petrification!
The power of the Magic surged up through his meridians.
Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow at the sight. The True Qi in his body surged, and with a mere shake of his arms, he broke the Magic.
If he were still at the Two Acupoints Innate level, he would certainly have struggled against such an opponent. But now, with the help of the Outer Pill, he had the strength of Breaking Five Acupoints.
In terms of ’Magical Power’, the ’Magical Power’ in his body was now several times that of an ordinary Great Mage.
Second only to a True Man!
Five Elements Palm Technique!
Sharp Gold Hand!
Taking a step forward, Zhu Ju’s hands took on a metallic sheen as he thrust them into his opponent’s body like two sharp blades.
Even though Yuan Xin’s body had turned to hard rock, it was still fragile before his hands.
CRACK!
"BOOM!"
Yuan Xin’s chest was brutally torn apart by Zhu Ju.
"SWISH!"
The Five-Pointed Flying Sword shot through the wound into his abdomen, wreaking havoc inside before exiting through his back.
Yuan Xin’s body stiffened.
"Im... impossible..."
"BOOM!"
The True Qi that had infiltrated his body suddenly erupted, the violent power directly shredding his Dharma Aspect and body to pieces.
Yuan Xin was dead!
Meanwhile, a giant hand broke through the entanglement of Beast Hide Puppets and tightly gripped the Giant Spirit Dharma Form that was Situ Kuang.
"AHHH!"
Situ Kuang struggled with all his might, roaring at the sky, but it was no use.
The difference in strength was like a chasm.
"Second Uncle!"
Situ Kongli cried out in alarm, desperately activating the Jile Spirit House, but the Beast Hide Puppets inside had clearly all been used up.
"SWISH!"
A streak of cloud and mist cut through the void.
The giant ape’s arm was severed directly.
Not far away, Xie Changge was covered in sweat. The hands forming his Sword Formulas were trembling slightly, and his eyes showed exhaustion.
That one strike had exhausted almost all of his Magical Power.
"Good!"
Situ Kuang’s face was ecstatic. He broke free from the arm’s grip and leaped up, but before he could celebrate, he heard an urgent shout.
"Watch out!"
’What?’
Situ Kuang froze.
He saw the arm on the ground suddenly twitch; the giant ape was controlling it to reattach to its body.
The reattached arm looked as if it had never been severed.
This scene was beyond everyone’s expectations.
"PENG!"
The fist fell.
The Dharma Aspect that was Situ Kuang dissipated into a shower of brilliant Spiritual Light. His physical body spat out a mouthful of blood and slowly collapsed to the ground.
"Second Uncle!"
"Brother Situ!"
Situ Kongli and Xie Changge cried out in alarm.
"ROAR!"
The giant ape roared madly, tearing the Beast Hide Puppets from its body with both hands, then leaped up and charged toward Xie Changge.
Xie Changge’s face paled, and the spell in his hands changed.
Cloud Mist Ascension!
Seven-Colored Clouds surged forth from in front of him, wisps of Sword Qi hidden within, and collided with the giant ape.
"PENG!"
Gashes appeared all over the giant ape’s body, and the cloud and mist Sword Qi in the area was forcefully shattered.
Just as the giant ape was about to pounce again, a flash of a blade appeared from the side and fiercely struck its body.
Ghost God Limit!
Asking the Way in the Underworld!
A massive gash, extending from its neck to its abdomen, appeared on the giant ape’s body.
However, the flesh and blood at the wound began to grow and intertwine like stone, healing at a visible rate.
And the wounds created by the Cloud Mist Sword had already vanished.
"Be careful!"
Xie Changge said urgently:
"The Yuan Family’s Visualization Image is called the Stone Ape Six Skills Technique. After becoming a Demon, it gains the ability to control stone."
"Here..."
"We’re at a great disadvantage!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the ground beneath the giant ape.
As its injuries healed, the rocks under its feet were also shrinking, as if being devoured.
’It devours stone to heal itself?’
’Doesn’t that mean that as long as there’s stone around, it can’t be truly injured?’
Zhu Ju’s expression was grave.
"This is a Demon True Man?"
"No," Xie Changge shook his head.
"If it were a real Demon True Man, we would probably be dead already. This is a Demon that was once a Great Mage."
"I suspect that Yuan Yue became a Fallen Demon during his Cultivation. After his Dharma Aspect manifested, it mutated toward a Demon. Not only did Wan Zhengyang not kill him, he even provided him with skin and flesh to help him become a true Demon, possibly because he wanted to learn the experience of becoming a True Man from Yuan Yue."
"That madman!"
Cursing, Xie Changge said:
"Although it’s not a true Demon True Man, it’s still a Great Demon, and it’s still more than we can handle."
"That’s right." Situ Kongli helped up the barely breathing Situ Kuang, her beautiful eyes flashing.
"Demons are mindless. We can use the bandits in the stronghold to buy time. Once we escape, we can find a True Man to execute it!"
"Hmm..." Zhu Ju said thoughtfully.
"Let’s not be hasty."
"I’ll give it a try."
