BOOM—
The Ape King roared, its entire body leaping high into the air. Like a soaring mountain, it crashed down with a ferocious gale.
Its landing gouged a massive crater in the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The whirlwind it generated uprooted every tree within a hundred meters.
The moment it landed, the Ape King raised its arm, bringing a massive fist down on a Demon Hunter.
"Ahhh—!"
This man's cultivation had reached the Peak of the Fourth Stage of Martial Arts, but under the Ape King's furious blow, he only had time for a single scream before being smashed into a meat patty!
He was dead in an instant!
Watching from a distance, Jiang Chen's heart pounded in his chest. 'Phew, good thing I didn't get tangled up with that behemoth. Otherwise, I would've been the one turned into a meat patty!'
"Bastard! How dare you kill my brother, you filthy beast?"
"Dammit, I'll fight this animal to the death!"
Demon Hunters spent their years on the brink of life and death, a dangerous existence where they often went months or even years without seeing their families. Because of this, they placed immense value on their comrades-in-arms.
Seeing the Ape King pulp their brother with a single punch, the members of the Tiger Fang Squad erupted in fury.
One by one, they gripped their Combat Weapons and charged the Six-Eared Spiritual Ape.
Demon Beasts and humans were like fire and water to begin with. With both sides blinded by slaughter and hatred, they immediately clashed in a battle to the death.
After a few exchanges, both sides had taken casualties.
This only intensified their mutual hatred, and the battle grew even more brutal.
But as they were locked in a stalemate, neither side noticed that the true culprit—Jiang Chen, the one who had killed the young ape and drawn in the swarm of Six-Eared Spiritual Apes—had vanished shortly after the fight began.
After several clashes, Jiang Hu was forced back by one of the Ape King's punches. The energy and blood roiled within him as he stared coldly at the beast. "Ape King, you've gone too far. My Tiger Fang Squad and your Spiritual Monkey Valley have always minded our own business. Why did you attack and kill my men the moment you appeared?"
"Deceitful human! You dare to argue at a time like this? All of you deserve to die! You will all be a funeral sacrifice for my child!" The Ape King's eyes were crimson as it roared incessantly.
Jiang Hu froze, then quickly said, "Wait! You're saying we killed your child? That's impossible... My men would never kill a member of your Spiritual Monkey Valley's Ape Race."
The Bluestone Mountain Range was vast, divided into inner, middle, and outer zones.
In this Outer Zone, the Ape King before him was the undisputed Overlord.
Any Demon Hunter team that operated in the Bluestone Mountain Range knew better than to offend the Six-Eared Spiritual Apes of the Spiritual Monkey Valley. Jiang Hu was confident no one under his command would be foolish enough to provoke the Ape Race.
He instinctively felt there was a conspiracy at play!
Jiang Hu quickly explained his thoughts to the Ape King. Demon Beasts whose cultivation reached the Martial Arts Seventh Stage or higher could speak human language and possessed intelligence on par with humans. Hearing Jiang Hu's analysis, the Ape King showed a hint of hesitation.
All of this was witnessed by Jiang Chen, who was hidden in the shadows.
Jiang Chen stared intently at Jiang Hu and sneered. 'Not so stupid after all! He figured out my plan this quickly. A pity it won't do him any good!'
Jiang Chen pulled his cloak over his head and stealthily approached a gray-furred Spiritual Ape. With a single sword thrust, he lopped off its head. Grasping the severed head in one hand, Jiang Chen shouted toward Jiang Hu, "Captain, the men we sent out confirmed it! There really is a Spiritual Source Spring in the Spiritual Monkey Valley! Kill this old monkey, and the Spiritual Source Spring is ours!"
"Hmm?"
Both Jiang Hu and the Ape King were stunned.
Immediately after, the expressions of the man and the ape changed in unison. Jiang Hu's shock was mixed with a trace of greed, while the Ape King's face was a mask of intense killing intent.
Its blood-red eyes locked onto Jiang Hu as it spoke in a human voice, "So you were after my Spiritual Source Spring all along? No wonder you dared to kill my child. And you still have the gall to deceive me? Human, you deserve to die a thousand deaths!"
Before its voice had faded, the Ape King slammed its hands against its chest, producing a dull thud like a war drum, and then charged at Jiang Hu with both fists swinging.
"Fuck!"
Jiang Hu cursed, knowing this fight was now unavoidable. A grim light appeared in his eyes. "You brainless dead monkey! Can't you see we've both been set up?"
BOOM—
RUMBLE—
The man and the ape clashed once more.
Although Jiang Hu was only at the Peak of the Martial Arts Sixth Stage, the Profound Nether Palm technique he cultivated was exceptionally powerful. A layer of pale blue frost condensed on his palms.
With every palm strike he unleashed, the surrounding air would freeze over with a layer of frost.
If a strike landed, even a body as formidable as the Ape King's would be frozen stiff, its movements slowing, leaving it vulnerable to Jiang Hu's increasingly ferocious attacks.
Watching from a distance, Jiang Chen's heart pounded in his chest once again.
'Jiang Hu can actually fight the Ape King on even footing? He's too strong. It's a good thing I wasn't reckless enough to go after him back then.'
Along with his shock, the killing intent in Jiang Chen's heart grew stronger. 'Jiang Ziyou, Jiang Ming... you schemed for Jiang Hu to kill me, thinking victory was already in your grasp, didn't you? Too bad you're destined for disappointment. Just wait. It won't be long before I return and take back everything you owe me!'
Jiang Hu's strength was comparable to that of an ordinary expert at the Martial Arts Seventh Stage. If Jiang Chen fought him one-on-one, he could at least survive.
But Jiang Hu had the Tiger Fang Squad behind him, which included more than five experts at the Fifth Stage of Martial Arts. He couldn't possibly take on the entire squad by himself.
But now…
Jiang Chen's gaze fell upon Jiang Hu, who was locked in a stalemate with the Ape King. 'It's time to make my move!'
Weaving through the chaotic battlefield, Jiang Chen struck out with his sword discreetly. Each strike claimed the life of either a Six-Eared Spiritual Ape or an expert from the Tiger Fang Squad.
The speed of his sword was so fast that no one around him even noticed his subtle actions.
"ROAR!"
The Ape King suddenly let out a furious roar. One of its arms had been frozen solid by Jiang Hu, who then shattered it with a punch, causing it to break apart like ice.
Having lost an arm, the Ape King grew even more enraged and attacked Jiang Hu with frantic desperation.
In his haste, Jiang Hu made a mistake and failed to dodge all of the Ape King's attacks. He took a punch to the chest and was sent flying, spitting blood.
The Ape King's punch was incredibly powerful. It sent Jiang Hu flying backward through the air, where he snapped more than a dozen large trees before finally coming to a stop, blood continuously pouring from his mouth.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, Jiang Hu glanced at the Tiger Fang Squad, which had already suffered more than fifty percent casualties. 'If this goes on, my Tiger Fang Squad will be wiped out. Looks like I can't hold back anymore. Old beast, since you're asking for death, don't blame me for what happens next. Once I kill you, the Spiritual Source Spring in the Spiritual Monkey Valley will be mine for the taking. It will all have been worth it!'
Jiang Hu raised one arm and ripped a small Black Gourd from around his neck.
The moment the gourd appeared, even Jiang Chen, watching from a distance, felt his heart pound with fear. He instinctively sensed a mortal threat. 'What is that thing?'
"Filthy ape, go to hell!"
Jiang Hu's features twisted into a savage snarl as he slapped the Black Gourd in his hand.
SWISH!
A jet of black smoke shot out from the Black Gourd. At the same instant, Jiang Hu's body trembled violently. His healthy, ruddy complexion turned deathly pale, and his abundant vital energy withered in a flash.
The black smoke, however, only grew stronger. It shot out and coiled around the Ape King's massive body like a giant black python.
"ROAR! What is this? No... no...!" The Ape King roared, then cried out in agony.
Its body rapidly shriveled, its flesh and blood withering away. In just half a minute, its corpse had decayed into a pile of dry bones, leaving only an intact Demon Pill behind!
HUM!
Jiang Hu quickly capped the Black Gourd, spitting out a mouthful of black blood. Activating the Black Gourd to kill the Ape King had also left him severely injured.
But as he looked at the fist-sized Demon Pill, an excited flush spread across Jiang Hu's pale face. 'To think I had to use my precious Black Gourd. But getting the Ape King's Demon Pill makes it all worthwhile.'
With this in mind, Jiang Hu walked toward the Ape King's corpse, reaching out to grab the Demon Pill.
However, just as his palm was about to touch the Demon Pill, a cold, silver flash of a sword appeared out of nowhere. Although Jiang Hu dodged in time, a large gash was still cut across his chest, and blood began to flow freely.
He stumbled backward, his face pale. His cold gaze swept toward the source of the sword light, and his pupils contracted as he stared at the cloaked youth before him. "Who the hell are you?"
A soft chuckle came from under the cloak, making Jiang Hu shudder. "Jiang Hu, you got the Sword Compass from Jiang Ming and went through so much trouble to find me. Now that I'm standing right in front of you, you don't recognize me?"
Jiang Chen slowly pulled back his cloak, revealing his smiling face.
Jiang Hu's expression changed drastically. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Jiang Chen and exclaimed, "Jiang Chen, it was you?!"