The Ruined World was dim and oppressive, filled with black mist. Jiang Hou appeared out of thin air beside the remains of a shattered giant creature and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
There were no monsters, and no people.
Good. Jiang Hou quickly took off his clothes, placed them beneath a rock, and marked the spot.
There was no helping it. When he transformed into a giant ape, his clothes would burst apart into scraps. Every transformation wasted an entire outfit, and Jiang Hou did not have that kind of money.
Although Qin Buyi's salary and benefits were quite good, supporting two high school students was still no small burden. Especially since both of them would be going to college next year, the Qin family saved every penny they could.
"So poor," Jiang Hou sighed.
Roar! A deep, thunderous roar exploded, shaking the air. A Black Tyrant Ape over five meters tall appeared, its eyes icy and brimming with savage ferocity.
Jiang Hou, now transformed into a giant beast, clenched his fists and felt the immense power coursing through them. For some reason, he felt as though he had broken free of restraints.
It seemed more comfortable to be a giant beast!
Roar! The Black Giant Ape shook its head, throwing out the strange thoughts in its mind before looking toward the ruins where the Black Ant Ferocious Beasts dwelled.
During the day, Jiang Hou had discovered that even in human form, his digestion had become faster. He could absorb and convert more energy from food.
But the energy converted from three meals a day was not even comparable to a small piece of Black Ant monster meat.
Those Black Ant beasts might not have looked particularly powerful, but their flesh contained an astonishing amount of calories—or rather, energy. Jiang Hou felt that eating one Black Ant Ferocious Beast was equivalent to eating an elephant.
After giving it some thought—for several seconds—Jiang Hou decided to enter this dangerous world again.
The reason was simple. He wanted to become stronger.
Before yesterday, Jiang Hou had thought his life would be just like his previous one: get into college, graduate, find a job, and live out an ordinary life.
But now, his fate had changed.
He wanted to seize this opportunity and become stronger—strong enough to control his own fate, to decide life and death for himself instead of continuing to muddle through life.
The Black Giant Ape strode across the ruins of the buildings with heavy steps, cautiously exploring farther ahead.
Black mist filled the surroundings. With his vision limited, he could not recklessly charge around, because he had no idea whether some terrifying life-form was lurking within the mist.
For example, that monster which had instantly killed Jiang Hou the first time. Even now, recalling it sent a chill rising up his spine.
That monster had been very strong!
However, the Black Giant Ape's caution proved somewhat unnecessary. It traveled several kilometers without seeing so much as a monster—or even a single blade of withered grass.
This scene left the Black Giant Ape puzzled. In this barren world, what did those monsters rely on to survive? Did they drink the northwest wind? As it wondered, the Black Giant Ape climbed a hillside and found a change ahead. A forest appeared below.
The forest was made up of black trees of varying heights. The tallest stood one or two hundred meters high, their canopies spreading wide to cover vast areas. Even the shorter ones were dozens of meters tall, with thick trunks, no leaves, and twisted branches.
Black mist also pervaded the forest, and it was impossible to tell how far it extended.
But none of that mattered. What mattered were the few Black Ant Ferocious Beasts below. Their slender bodies and savage heads made the Black Giant Ape feel strangely close to them.
However, the Black Tyrant Ape did not rashly rush over. It continued observing its surroundings for a while, only slowly standing up after confirming there were no other monsters.
Boom! The ground cracked apart, leaving behind a pair of enormous footprints. Propelled by the rebound force, the Black Tyrant Ape shot into the sky and smashed down at the foot of the hill.
Boom! The powerful impact kicked up billowing dust. Four Black Ant Ferocious Beasts let out uneasy screeches, and at the same time, a thick black arm reached out.
Crack! One Black Ant Ferocious Beast had its head crushed directly. Dark red blood splattered across the giant ape's palm.
The death of their companion instantly reddened the eyes of the other three Black Ant Ferocious Beasts. With crazed shrieks, they lunged straight at the tyrant ape before them.
Roar! An even more vicious roar erupted.
The corpse of the beast with its crushed head swept out, sending one beast flying. At the same time, the Black Giant Ape spun and leaned back, using its broad, heavy shoulder and back to receive the other two Black Ant Ferocious Beasts as they pounced through the air.
Boom! The three beasts slammed viciously into a tree trunk. The tremendous force made the thick tree shudder violently, while the bodies of the two Black Ant Ferocious Beasts burst apart like watermelons.
After killing two ferocious beasts in a single strike, the Black Giant Ape, with half its body stained red, slowly turned its head toward the Black Ant Ferocious Beast struggling to stand in the distance and bent its legs.
Roar! The Black Tyrant Ape leaped high, its massive body crossing more than ten meters before one foot stomped down on the beast that had just climbed up.
Splat!
The Black Ant Ferocious Beast, more than three meters long, bent upward at both head and tail. Flesh and blood sprayed from its middle, and its four legs and two claws struggled briefly in the air before falling still.
The Tree Forest instantly fell silent.
Only the Black Giant Ape remained, slowly lifting its foot, bending down, grabbing a beast's corpse, and tearing into it with huge bites.
Dark red blood gathered and flowed over the Black Giant Ape's body, dripping down its black fur. The scene was extremely bloody and brutal.
The tremors and roars from the battle had only traveled several dozen meters before gradually fading away.
That was also why the Black Giant Ape dared to fight with such abandon. It had noticed last time that the black mist could absorb vibrations and block sound.
Crunch, crunch! The Black Giant Ape chewed the beast's cartilage, producing crisp sounds. At the same time, waves of heat spread from its stomach throughout its body, and its frame visibly grew larger.
And this growth was not limited to its size. The Black Giant Ape's body density rose as well, making its body increasingly heavier.
Soon, the Black Giant Ape had eaten all the fleshy parts of the four beasts. Some skeletons and partial organs lay scattered across the ground.
In truth, those things were not lacking in nutrients either, but there was no helping it. The Black Giant Ape simply could not bring itself to eat those colorful intestines and the like. It had a mental block.
Huff! The Black Giant Ape exhaled a breath of hot air. The energy converted from the flesh had made it a whole size larger, increasing its height by nearly ten centimeters.
Its muscles became tougher and more explosive.
Its defense was a little lacking, though. After all, a giant ape's skin could not compare to scales.
Not enough. It needed more. Feeling the greater power within its body, the Black Giant Ape looked into the depths of the forest. Its eyes gradually reddened, becoming increasingly violent.
With heavy steps, the Black Giant Ape headed deeper into the forest.
Soon, the roars of giant beasts and the screeches of ferocious beasts rang out. Several minutes later, the Black Giant Ape sat on the ground, tearing a Black Ant Ferocious Beast's corpse in half.
Five Black Ant Ferocious Beast corpses were piled before it. Dark red blood flowed down from the bodies, forming a winding little stream.
Combined with the oppressive atmosphere of the forest, the Black Giant Ape sitting beneath a black tree and devouring flesh in huge mouthfuls looked strangely terrifying.
First update.
Before you continue