Chapter 2859: Chapter 2859
The Ironback Ape had no skill in wielding weapons, greedily clutching too many at once—a fatal flaw that allowed the Stone Ape, far more adept with arms, to seize the upper hand.
Though untrained in theory, the Stone Ape fought with instinct honed by experience, exploiting weaknesses and closing the distance swiftly. Soon, the Ironback Ape found itself cornered, its two heavy weapons rendered useless in close quarters.
With the Red Viper aiding him by siphoning the Ironback’s bloodline energy, the Stone Ape pressed his advantage. His two secondary arms suddenly discarded the shattered weapons they held and seized the iron staff and cleaver by their backs, wrenching them free.
The Ironback Ape resisted, but with fewer limbs to counter, it stood no chance. The Stone Ape’s primary arms slashed at its hands with sword and blade, forcing it to release its grip—or lose its limbs entirely.
Reluctantly, the Ironback let go. Yet in doing so, it saw an opening. At such close range, it lashed out with a furious punch, sending the Stone Ape stumbling back two steps.
But its strength had already been drained by the Red Viper’s absorption. The blow barely fazed the Stone Ape’s rock-hard body, and now, both the iron staff and cleaver were firmly in his grasp.
Armed once more, the Stone Ape raised the weapons, ready to strike—until Ye Liuyun’s voice cut in, reminding him that the staff and cleaver were meant for two-handed use. Adjusting his grip, the Stone Ape discarded one weapon per hand, wielding the cleaver and staff properly.
A sweeping slash forced the Ironback to dodge, and in the same motion, the Stone Ape pivoted, his other arms swinging the staff like a battering ram into the ape’s ribs.
Desperate, the Ironback drew a pair of short blades—a sword and a dagger—but too late. The staff crashed into its side before it could react, sending it sprawling.
The Stone Ape lunged, pinning the Ironback beneath his foot as the Red Viper accelerated its draining.
Then, through his golden pupils, Ye Liuyun relayed another command: *Discard your current weapons. The Ironback’s are superior.*
Without hesitation, the Stone Ape flung his blades aside and seized the Ironback’s arms, claiming its weapons for himself.
Just before the Red Viper could drain the ape dry, the Vermilion Bird struck, devouring its very soul and amplifying the Stone Ape’s spiritual power.
With a thunderous **"ROAR!"** the Stone Ape bellowed his triumph—and readied himself for the next challenge.
His power of bloodline and divine soul had both advanced, and now he wielded superior weaponry—of course, he would fight on.
With a thunderous **boom**, the first defensive formation shattered under the Qiong Qi’s assault.
**"ROAR—"**
A chorus of roars erupted from the valley, unmistakably simian in origin, though the exact species varied wildly.
Over a thousand giant apes surged forth from the formation, clearly gearing up for a full-scale brawl. Their cultivation levels were uneven—some at the seventh or eighth tier of Dominator rank, others barely at the first or second.
But their sheer numbers were overwhelming. Fearing his side might be outmatched, Ye Liuyun immediately ordered Pang Yuan to deploy all the Unity realm experts, even summoning Li Kuo and his Unity realm fighters from the spatial world.
Lin Qing’ao, however, remained inside. Ye Liuyun needed him in reserve to counter Li Daoyuan and couldn’t afford to risk him here. Pang Yuan, on the other hand, was strong enough to hold his own—unlikely to fall in battle.
**"Hei Shan, Hei Hu—watch for any Dominator ninth-tier elites!"** Ye Liuyun warned the two, directing them to focus on guarding against high-level threats.
The battle erupted into chaos. On Ye Liuyun’s side, the human cultivators and demonic beasts were dwarfed in size, often forced to dodge crushing blows from above. Each time they evaded, the giant apes’ strikes hammered into the ground.
Yet, to Ye Liuyun’s astonishment, the ancient secret realm’s terrain held firm under the relentless assault.
**"The primordial energy in this ruin must be incredibly dense,"** he mused. **"Nothing else could withstand such punishment."**
Even a single strike from these apes packed the force of a Dominator ninth-tier attack. For the land to endure so many blows, its foundational energy had to be immense.
The weaker apes fell quickly.
The Stone Ape, fighting three Dominator seventh-tier giants alone, held his ground effortlessly. His weapons—long and short, light and heavy—flowed together seamlessly, an impenetrable dance of offense and defense.
With Chi Lian absorbing the bloodline energy of his foes, he swiftly cut down the three apes and lunged toward the next wave.
Though Ye Liuyun’s side had fewer numbers, each member was either a powerhouse at the Unity Realm or a Devil Beast with unique abilities. Even the opponent’s Giant Apes at the Dominator Eighth Layer were being picked off by Xuanwu’s black light beams.
As a result, the enemy’s Giant Apes were rapidly dwindling in number. Meanwhile, Stone Ape recognized this as his chance to grow stronger and continuously sought out formidable opponents to battle—even daring to challenge Dominator Eighth Layer Giant Apes. With his newly acquired weapon, he managed to hold his own against them.
Before long, Crimson Viper proved his worth by assisting Stone Ape in slaying one of those Dominator Eighth Layer Giant Apes.
With a thunderous roar, Stone Ape suddenly brought all the Giant Apes to a standstill.
His howl was a challenge—directed at the enemy Ape King.
The opposing Giant Apes were now at a disadvantage, and continuing the fight would only lead to their annihilation. Stone Ape wanted to challenge their king early, swiftly ending the battle and forcing the remaining Giant Apes to submit, sparing them from further pointless sacrifice.
This was for the sake of all Giant Apes. Recognizing this, the enemy apes halted their attacks and turned their gazes toward Stone Ape.
After a brief exchange with Ye Liuyun—who granted his permission—Stone Ape and his allies withdrew from the battlefield.
The opposing Giant Apes also retreated, clearing the center for the decisive duel. If their Ape King refused to fight now, his own followers might abandon him.
Left with no choice, the Ape King stepped forward to face Stone Ape.
"Ah! That white ape is adorable! Can you help me tame it and make it take human form?" Li Xinran blurted out upon seeing the Ape King, charmed by its appearance.
Ye Liuyun studied the massive creature—a Dominator Ninth Layer beast—and inwardly scoffed. *Where exactly is this monstrosity cute?* He certainly couldn’t see any appeal in such a ferocious beast.
Still, he replied, "That depends on the outcome of their fight. If it survives and proves useful, I’ll hand it over to you."
He kept this promise to himself, however, not wanting Stone Ape to hold back during the battle.
Nor did he mention Crimson Viper’s covert task of absorbing bloodline energy—something Li Xinran hadn’t noticed earlier.
Thrilled by Ye Liuyun’s agreement, Li Xinran eagerly awaited the duel’s conclusion.
By then, Stone Ape and the white-furred Ape King were already locked in combat.
