Chapter 2860: Chapter 2860
The Stone Ape was no match for the White Ape initially, but thanks to the newly acquired weapon, it managed to block several of the White Ape’s assaults. It even forced the White Ape to retreat and dodge repeatedly.
From the very first clash, the White Ape sensed its power of bloodline draining rapidly.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Lian transmitted a message to Ye Liuyun: "That White Ape possesses remarkably potent power of bloodline!"
"Then do your best to help the Stone Ape absorb as much as possible!" Ye Liuyun replied, his attention fully shifted to the Stone Ape for the moment, leaving Li Xinran to fend for herself.
As the battle raged on, the Stone Ape grew stronger with each passing moment. Its power of bloodline surged, and its petrified defenses became increasingly resilient—so much so that it could now withstand the White Ape’s attacks head-on.
In contrast, the White Ape grew progressively weaker, its power of bloodline and vital energy dwindling. Frustration mounted, and in a moment of carelessness, it suffered a stab from the Stone Ape’s sword followed by a heavy slash from its blade.
Wounded and bleeding, the White Ape realized that continued fighting would cause its cultivation realm to regress. Desperate, it let out frantic, guttural cries.
But then, unexpectedly, the drain on its power of bloodline slowed and eventually ceased altogether.
The reason was simple: the Stone Ape had absorbed so much bloodline energy that it had reached its limit.
Scarlet Lian relayed the situation to Ye Liuyun with a hint of helplessness, asking whether she should step in and absorb some of the power herself to help secure the Stone Ape’s victory.
"No, don’t interfere. This is the Stone Ape’s fight—let it finish on its own," Ye Liuyun decided.
He observed that despite the Stone Ape’s lower cultivation level, it held the advantage with its superior weaponry, triple-headed and six-armed form, and petrification ability. Victory was within grasp without outside help, so he chose to honor Li Xinran’s earlier request.
Now, the battle between the two apes hinged purely on their own strength. In truth, the Stone Ape had another ace up its sleeve—the power of its spatial world. But that force was too overwhelming, and it had no intention of relying on it.
Ye Liuyun had already noticed that the feral beast in this secret realm lacked the ability to draw upon spatial world power. Most likely, they lacked access to sufficient primordial energy or planets to expand their own realms.
Thus, as long as his companions weren’t caught off guard by ambushes, they stood little risk of being killed by the local beasts. Merely by tapping into their spatial worlds, they could render these creatures harmless.
The Stone Ape fought relentlessly against the White Ape until both had exhausted their energy reserves, forcing them to rely on sheer physical strength. Eventually, the White Ape was struck multiple times by the Stone Ape’s long staff and collapsed, pinned beneath the victor’s foot with no strength left to fight back.
"Roar!"
The Stone Ape raised its weapon and let out a triumphant roar.
In response, all the great apes on the opposite side bowed their heads, hunched their backs, and retreated to either side, clearing a path into the valley. It was clear they now acknowledged the Stone Ape as their new king.
While the battle had raged, the Qiong Qi beast had dismantled the valley’s defensive formations, allowing Ye Liuyun to survey the entire scene with his golden pupils.
The valley was indeed a medicinal herb garden, still inhabited by thousands of apes. However, none possessed cultivation levels beyond the Dominator Realm, rendering them powerless in combat, which explained their absence from the fight.
The Stone Ape lifted its foot, permitting the defeated White Ape to rise. With no other choice, the White Ape bowed its head and submitted in deference.
Puffing out its chest, the Stone Ape strutted into the herb garden, parading before the gathered apes to solidify its newfound authority.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Liuyun launched a soul attack on the White Ape, implanting a slave seal before summoning it over.
"From now on, you will serve her as your master," Ye Liuyun stated firmly. "She will take you beyond this secret realm, introduce you to the wider world, grant you origin energy to expand your spatial world, and provide a Shape-Shifting Pill so you may assume human form."
The White Ape hesitated, its gaze drifting toward the distant herb garden. It was no longer the ape king. Remaining here would only bring ridicule and a diminished status. Perhaps venturing outward with Li Xinran offered a brighter future. After a moment’s contemplation, it nodded in agreement.
Ye Liuyun assisted Li Xinran in formalizing a master-servant contract with the White Ape, after which Li Xinran stored the creature in her spatial world. Ye Liuyun also handed her a Shape-Shifting Pill for the White Ape’s transformation and advised providing additional resources—such as bloodline-enhancing elixirs and cultivation-aiding origin energy—to strengthen the new follower.
"Thank you so, so much!" Li Xinran exclaimed, her gratitude overflowing as she repeatedly expressed her appreciation.
Just like that, Ye Liuyun had gifted the White Ape to Li Xinran.
As for the apes in the herb fields, now that they had a new king, no one cared where the old one had gone.
Ye Liuyun ventured into the fields and found many high-quality medicinal plants, each remarkably large—some even resembled small trees.
These herbs likely wouldn’t have grown so well outside this unique environment. So, after discussing with Qiong Qi, Ye Liuyun decided to have him set up a protective formation to safeguard the fields.
They continued deeper into the secret realm. If they could eventually claim the realm, these herbs could remain here, tended by the apes.
If claiming the realm proved impossible, they would return to uproot all the herbs and let the Stone Ape relocate the apes to the spatial world.
Thus, Qiong Qi busied himself reinforcing the formation.
Ye Liuyun and the others waited outside the valley, not entering, while the Stone Ape went in.
Inside, a giant ape presented the Stone Ape with a Petrification Grass as a tribute. Delighted, the Stone Ape accepted it—this herb would undoubtedly elevate his petrification power to new heights.
After making his rounds and introducing himself to the local apes, the Stone Ape bid them farewell for the time being and left the valley.
Once the group moved on, Ye Liuyun immediately had the Stone Ape return to the spatial world of his doppelgänger to refine his newly acquired power of bloodline and the Petrification Grass.
Meanwhile, Chilien coiled herself around the White Tiger’s neck again, ready to assist it in enhancing its bloodline during future battles.
Ye Liuyun felt that focusing on one beast at a time was more effective than rotating among them. He assured the other beasts they would each get their turn. Chilien, who could refine her own bloodline through the process, was happy to help.
From then on, the White Tiger took the front line in every fight, engaging regardless of the opponent’s strength, with absorbing power of bloodline as its primary goal.
Longnü, Zhuque, Little Lanbing, and the Falcon continued fighting outside, helping the White Tiger corner feral beast. The other beasts remained in the spatial world, focused on cultivation.
As for the Unity Realm experts, Ye Liuyun temporarily stored them away, leaving only Liao Tianyang, Black Tiger, and Heishan to protect the group. The others would only be summoned if the situation grew dire.
Li Xinran felt that acquiring the White Ape had already been a tremendous gain and was thoroughly satisfied. Since her own strength was limited, she rarely participated in later battles, content to observe and broaden her horizons.
