Now!
Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Xiao Han's thoughts raced.
Yet the mad ape's pause lasted less than half a second. "Provoked" by the auras of two higher-level martial souls, it flew into a complete frenzy!
"Roar!!!"
Amid its earth-shaking roar, the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's right fist, as large as a millstone and covered in thick black scales, came crashing down at Xiao Han's head. Wrapped in demonic power as thick as ink, it was like a meteor falling from the sky, trailing a shriek of tearing air!
Before the fist even reached him, its terrifying force had already made it hard for Xiao Han to breathe, and the ground around him cracked inch by inch!
Fast! Too fast!
There was no way his current speed could let him completely evade an enraged strike from a Martial Master Realm powerhouse!
At that critical moment, the Eternal Night Monarch's phantom abruptly merged into the shadow beneath his feet, and the surrounding light dimmed.
"A Step to the Ends of the Earth!"
Xiao Han's figure instantly blurred and flickered like a drop of ink dissolving in water. The shadow beneath his feet flowed and folded strangely, and his body slipped several meters diagonally backward at an angle that defied all physical sense, narrowly escaping the blow!
Boom!!!
The mad ape's iron fist slammed into the spot where Xiao Han had just stood. The earth shook violently, a terrifying fist-shaped crater several meters deep appeared, and shattered rock and dust shot skyward!
The fierce fist wind grazed Xiao Han's cheek, leaving a burning sting, while several strands of black hair were severed by the force and drifted down.
"That was close..." Xiao Han was still shaken, cold sweat seeping from his forehead. If A Step to the Ends of the Earth and the Eternal Night Monarch's shadow power had not complemented each other, that punch would have been enough to smash him into pulp!
I can't just keep taking hits!
Xiao Han's gaze sharpened. Taking advantage of the moment after the mad ape's punch missed, when its previous force was spent and its next had yet to build, he advanced instead of retreating!
He clenched his right fist, and a faint but extraordinarily concentrated trace of Annihilation Fist Intent flowed from his insights into the incomplete Annihilation Divine Fist technique, gathering around his knuckles.
There was no earth-shaking spectacle, only a terrifying conception of extinction and the destruction of all things.
"Break... for me!"
Xiao Han gave a low shout and pushed off, his figure flashing like lightning as he punched at the mad ape's thick arm just as it lifted it!
Clang—!!!
An intensely grating metallic clash rang out, like a heavy hammer striking refined iron!
Xiao Han felt an incomparably powerful rebound surge through his fist, leaving his entire arm numb and nearly splitting the web between his thumb and forefinger.
He looked closely and saw that his blow had left only a shallow white mark on the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's thickly armored arm, so faint it could almost be ignored! It had not even managed to break through the scales!
Holy shit! That defense... is it cheating?! Xiao Han could not help cursing inwardly.
His strike had contained a trace of Annihilation Fist Intent. Even against an exotic beast at the peak of the Warrior Realm, it could have dealt considerable damage. Yet against this mad ape, had it merely tickled?
The Martial Master Realm was terrifying indeed!
Although Xiao Han's attack had failed, it had thoroughly enraged the overlord of the valley.
Its enormous scarlet eyes looked ready to spew fire as its other claw, as huge as a palm-leaf fan, swept down at Xiao Han with lightning speed, trailing a bloody wind that seemed capable of tearing everything apart!
Before the claw even arrived, its sharp aura had already made Xiao Han's skin sting!
The claw was faster and fiercer than the earlier punch! It also covered such a vast area that there was no way to evade it!
Xiao Han's pupils contracted sharply. He could not dodge in time and could only take it head-on!
"Green Lotus Body Protection!"
With a thought, the phantom of the Chaos Green Lotus behind him burst into brilliant light. Streams of gentle yet resilient cyan radiance descended, instantly condensing into a translucent cyan lotus shield before him!
Bang—!!!
The mad ape's claw slammed against the green lotus shield with a muffled boom like a beating drum!
The green lotus shield trembled violently, ripples spreading across its surface as its light instantly dimmed considerably, but it stubbornly held against the terrifying blow!
Even so, the dreadful impact passed through the lotus shield and struck Xiao Han hard.
"Pfft!"
Xiao Han felt as though he had been struck by a heavy blow. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood, but forced it back down.
His blood and qi surged wildly, and his internal organs felt as though they had shifted out of place. Agonizing pain spread through his entire body in an instant!
But he gritted his teeth and held on, keeping himself from being sent flying.
At the same time, the Chaos Green Lotus's life force began to take effect. Streams of pure, gentle energy flowed through his body, rapidly repairing his damaged meridians and internal organs, while his roiling blood and qi quickly settled.
The recovery power is pretty good... Feeling the injuries inside him rapidly improving, Xiao Han felt a little more at ease.
The Chaos Green Lotus's supportive abilities truly defied the heavens when it came to keeping him alive.
But the Black-Scaled Mad Ape clearly had no intention of giving him a chance to catch his breath.
This "ant" had blocked or dodged two attacks in succession. Although its opponent had paid a price as well, this had undoubtedly made it feel utterly humiliated, and it grew even more violent.
"Roar—!!!"
The mad ape raised its head and let out an even angrier roar. Abandoning close combat, it leaned its massive body slightly backward, and an intensely concentrated mass of inky-black energy began gathering madly inside its gaping, bloody maw!
Sizzle, sizzle...
A teeth-grating sound of energy grinding against itself filled the air, and even the surrounding light seemed to be swallowed and distorted by the mass of energy!
An energy sphere more than a meter across rapidly took shape in the mad ape's mouth. It was black as ink from end to end, with destructive arcs of electricity flickering across its surface from time to time!
The energy sphere radiated terrifying fluctuations that made the heart tremble, as though it contained enough power to destroy everything!
An unprecedented sense of terrifying danger instantly enveloped Xiao Han, as though the god of death had seized him by the throat!
He could clearly feel that the black energy sphere had firmly locked onto his aura. No matter where he fled, the attack would follow him like a shadow!
Xiao Han's scalp prickled, and every hair on his body stood on end!
I absolutely can't take this attack head-on!
If I do, I'll definitely die!
The aura of destruction radiating from the inky-black energy sphere gathering in the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's mouth had almost taken physical form, like the god of death's scythe hanging behind Xiao Han's neck.
His aura was firmly locked on to, and even his soul trembled, as though it would be utterly annihilated in the next second.
Take it head-on? Certain death!
Run? With my aura locked on to, even A Step to the Ends of the Earth might not let me shake it off completely. If it so much as grazes me, the consequences will be unthinkable!
Xiao Han's brain raced at an unprecedented speed, adrenaline surging as his survival instinct squeezed out every trace of potential.
On the brink of despair, he keenly noticed something amiss: deep in the Black-Scaled Mad Ape's violent, frenzied scarlet eyes, an extremely faint, almost imperceptible dimness seemed to have flickered, strangely out of place.
Was it an illusion?
No! He thought of the abnormally dense spiritual qi in the valley, tinged with a trace of a strange aura, and the mysterious black lotus at the bottom of the valley that radiated spatial fluctuations...
Was this mad ape guarding this place somehow connected to that black lotus? Had it paid a price to wield such terrifying energy? Or was its control less than perfect?