Overwhelming Suppression

"Hmph, nothing special."

Zhongli smiled disdainfully. He planted Vortex Vanquisher into the ground, stepped back with his right foot, and assumed a punching stance toward the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape descending from above.

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's fist drew closer and closer, flames even igniting around it. This was its ultimate move—Flame Fist! Seeing this, Zhongli also threw his full-powered punch.

"Boom!!"

Two fists, one large and one small, collided. A violent shockwave erupted, sending man and beast rapidly flying backward at the same time. This exchange could be considered evenly matched.

While retreating, the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape steadied itself and gathered flames in its hand, seemingly intending to condense them into a fireball and hurl it.

On the other side, Zhongli gripped Vortex Vanquisher to stabilize himself as he retreated. At the same time, the small braid atop his head began to glow, a sign that he was about to use his power.

"Planet Befall!"

Zhongli shouted softly. A sharp Rock Spike instantly formed behind the retreating Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape. If it were struck directly by that spike while moving backward at such speed, even with its tough body, it would be severely injured.

Unfortunately, the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape seemed to sense the danger in advance. It threw a punch behind itself, shattering the spike's tip and greatly reducing the damage it suffered, barely escaping disaster.

"Hmph, futile struggle."

Zhongli had completely halted his retreat. Gripping Vortex Vanquisher, he charged directly at the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape. His condition was far better than the ape's now.

Zhongli possessed the talent of the Geo Archon. As long as he stood upon the earth, he would receive an endless supply of strength. Moreover, during their earlier clash, he had been covered by a shield the entire time. He had merely been knocked back and had not suffered any injury.

This could also be considered a flaw of shields.

Although shields granted super armor, that super armor was limited. Against opponents far weaker than Zhongli, it could ignore all attacks and effects. But if an attack was powerful enough, even if it could not break the shield or interrupt his movements, it could still force the person within the shield to move.

So, this shield's super armor was not truly absolute. Still, such a minor flaw was completely acceptable.

"Roar!"

Seeing Zhongli rapidly charging toward it, the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape let out an intimidating roar. Yet not only did the roar have no effect, it made Zhongli charge even faster, and the fighting spirit in his eyes grew fiercer.

It instinctively wanted to flee, so it glanced around from the corner of its eye, only to stare blankly at the ring of Rock Walls surrounding it, the Rock Walls sealing off every route of retreat.

When had this happened?

Hmph, too foolish.

The corner of Zhongli's mouth rose. He had prepared this arrangement from the very beginning. The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape could indeed evade Planet Befall's attack, since Planet Befall was not especially fast to activate, but the altered terrain would not return to its original state.

Because this was authority! A permanent alteration!

Planet Befall had seemed unable to hit it earlier, but in truth, it had already forced the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape into a desperate situation and created an excellent opportunity to finish it off. As long as the ape still had any intelligence, it would not dare climb over the walls and flee, because Zhongli could manipulate rock at will. Being attacked halfway through by changing rock formations would certainly be quite a surprise.

"Hah!"

Zhongli did not use his normal attack patterns. He simply gripped Vortex Vanquisher with both hands and swung it wildly at the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape. The sound of it cutting through the air instantly grew deafening; its power was obvious at a glance.

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape instinctively tried to dodge, but after taking only one step back, several sharp rock spikes sprouted from the ground nearby, further sealing off its retreat.

"Roar!"

Since it could not dodge, it would fight head-on!

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape roared as it swung its fist. Blazing flames surged fiercely, and it could no longer afford to care about anything else. It could only smash its fist with all its strength at the approaching Zhongli.

"Boom!!"

Its fist collided with Vortex Vanquisher, and a violent shockwave erupted. This time, neither man nor beast was sent flying. Instead, they entered a stalemate, their strength being similar and both having solid footing against the ground.

"Planet Befall!"

The ground gradually began to collapse, and a faint smile slowly appeared on Zhongli's face. He used Heart Separation Control to make Planet Befall form small spikes beneath the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's feet, making it difficult for the ape to hold on. As long as it pressed against the ground, Zhongli's earth spikes would stab into its feet.

If he had not had so little mental focus to spare during their clash, Zhongli might have directly controlled Planet Befall to pierce through the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape from behind, impaling it outright.

"Roar~"

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape howled. The piercing pain beneath its feet made it difficult to exert strength. Every additional bit of force drove the Rock Spikes deeper, yet Zhongli was forcefully suppressing it with Vortex Vanquisher before its eyes, leaving it no way to escape.

"Bang!"

The flames around the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's fist suddenly exploded. This burst successfully created some distance between it and Zhongli. Seizing the chance, it forcibly lifted its foot and stepped beyond the Rock Spikes, the soles of its feet throbbing with agonizing pain.

"Oh? Futile struggle."

Zhongli smiled and closed in again with Vortex Vanquisher. He swept his spear at the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape. The ape quickly shifted its feet, but the pain and injuries beneath them slowed it slightly, and it was ultimately grazed by Vortex Vanquisher.

"Rip!"

A long but shallow wound appeared across the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's chest. Vast amounts of crimson blood scattered through the air. At that moment, the result of the battle had quietly been decided.

Seeing the blood splattered across the Jade Shield, Zhongli continued his increasingly fierce assault, giving it no chance to catch its breath. After several more attacks, he added several new wounds to the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's body.

"Roar!"

Wounded once again, the Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape's ferocity was aroused. It knew full well what situation it was in, so it desperately lunged at Zhongli beneath his shield, no longer caring what injuries it might sustain. At the same time, exceptionally powerful flames ignited around its body.

It wanted to perish together with him!

Zhongli smiled faintly. He casually tossed Vortex Vanquisher onto the ground with one hand, crossed his arms over his chest, and released his Elemental Power as he calmly said, "Planet Befall!"

The void above his head instantly split open, and an enormous, strangely shaped Boulder fell from it. Carrying a violent shockwave, it smashed viciously toward the charging Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape.

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape knew that death was inevitable. Thus, even upon seeing the Boulder, it showed no hesitation or fear. It merely burned its life force even more frantically and charged at Zhongli without fear or hesitation.

"Boom!!"

Planet Befall struck first. A terrifying explosion rang out, smashing the ground into an enormous crater and completely turning the area around it to stone.

The Three-Eyed Scarlet Fire Ape was only a meter away from Zhongli, yet its flames had already been extinguished. It had become a vicious-looking stone statue, unable to move ever again. One of its hands stretched toward Zhongli before it, and its eyes seemed to still burn with the flames of its charge.

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