Encountering a Fierce Beast

It took quite some time to collect this Grotto-Heaven and the treasures within it. Now, it was time to continue the journey.

As for the living beings in the Grotto-Heaven, Jiang Yun figured he would make arrangements for them when he returned.

Leaving the Grotto-Heaven, he activated the protective grand formation, concealing both the Grotto-Heaven World and its entrance. Then, he continued onward toward Mount Sumeru.

That day, as he traveled, he passed by a Secluded Valley. Suddenly, a fierce Blood Fiend aura surged into the sky ahead, blocking his path. A strong sense of malice came from the front, stirring his spiritual senses.

The Secluded Valley was silent and desolate, with hardly any living beings in sight. Thick Sha Qi saturated the soil and air. The ground was compacted, hard as diamond.

This environment was no auspicious place. It was likely the lair of some great demon or monster. All living beings instinctively avoided this place, not daring to set foot here.

As he pondered, a sharp howl rang out from the valley. The sound was piercing, like a subsonic wave. To an ordinary person, it would stir a surge of irritability, dizzy the mind, and nearly induce vomiting.

After the screeching howl, tremors spread from ahead. The Blood Fiend aura gradually drew closer to Jiang Yun with the rumbling vibrations.

Moments later, a Demon Ape burst out.

Its body was covered in red fur that blazed like flames, resembling molten lava surging from an active volcano. A thick Blood Fiend aura hung behind it like a blood-red cape, radiating a terrifying, explosive presence.

The Demon Ape's eyes were like bottomless blood-red gems, flickering with layers of murderous light, as if it might erupt into slaughter at any moment. Every glance it cast was enough to make one's heart tremble, daring not to move rashly.

Its physique was extraordinarily robust, muscles piled upon each other like jagged rocks, exuding a raw, wild beauty. Each step shook the ground. A casual sweep of its arm easily flattened the forest trees in its path.

The Demon Ape's skin seemed to be made of solidified lava, unyieldingly tough, like a suit of armor fused to its flesh. Ordinary attacks seemed unable to harm it. Scratches of varying depths covered its body. Its sharp claws and fangs were stained with blood and rust from past battles, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

The Demon Ape bared a mouthful of sharp teeth, growling low, looking utterly brutal. It was probably Jiang Yun's unleashed aura that had intimidated it. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Jiang Yun as it shifted left and right, occasionally pounding its fists into the ground or beating its chest and roaring. Driven by instinct, it cautiously probed without making a rash move.

From the Demon Ape's aura and pressure, Jiang Yun roughly assessed its strength. This Demon Ape seemed to have undeveloped intelligence, savage and violent, but its physical body was incredibly powerful, comparable to a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal at the early stage. It was likely a remnant beast from the Great Tribulation of Fierce Beasts.

Legend had it that during the Great Tribulation of Heaven Opening, Pangu fought against the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods. Most of the Demon Gods were slain, with only a few heavily wounded and fleeing. Their bodies were shattered. Later, when Pangu opened the Primordial Desolation World, he used the flesh and blood origins of the Chaos Demon Gods to evolve all things. The resentful thoughts within their flesh and blood gave birth to the Fierce Beast race. They opposed all races of the Primordial Desolation World, determined to destroy heaven and earth and return to chaos, filled with malice toward all living beings.

After three quarters of an hour of standoff, the Demon Ape could no longer hold back. Its savage killing intent overpowered its instincts. It charged forward on all fours, closing the distance in an instant. Then, one massive hand swung in an arc, slamming fiercely toward Jiang Yun.

This slap was swift and powerful, accompanied by a booming sound and explosive Blood Fiend aura. If it landed squarely, severe injury would be inevitable in an instant. Yet Jiang Yun showed no panic. He lifted his foot, and the Shrink Ground to Inch technique displayed its combat flexibility perfectly, instantly appearing above the Demon Ape.

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and formed a hand seal. The Mount Tai Seal condensed instantly. A majestic, heavy mountain phantom appeared in the sky above, and the space around the Fierce Beast below began to solidify.

Jiang Yun shouted, "Go!"

A tremendous force, carried by the mountain phantom of the Mount Tai Seal, pressed down toward the Demon Ape below.

The immense power smashed through the Blood Fiend aura swirling around the beast and struck its body with a thunderous impact. The Demon Ape staggered under the Mount Tai Seal, falling backward. A dent was imprinted on its head. Its brain buzzed, its consciousness muddled, and for a moment, it couldn't get up.

"What a fierce beast. Its body is truly formidable. A full Mount Tai Seal only left it dizzy, with no real injury..." Jiang Yun marveled inwardly.

Still, this Fierce Beast fought purely on instinct, lacking intelligence. With the Shrink Ground to Inch divine ability, he could easily toy with it, leaving it unable to touch a single hair on his head.

"This way, I can use this Demon Ape to hone my divine abilities and spells in combat, practicing their release and timing, and improving my battle experience."

The fallen Demon Ape shook its head, propped itself up with its left arm, and stood again. With a loud roar, it charged at Jiang Yun once more.

From then on, Jiang Yun used the Shrink Ground to Inch technique, darting left and right, up and down, evading the beast's attacks. Seizing the moment, he would strike with the Mount Tai Seal. But the Demon Ape had learned its lesson, using both arms to protect its head.

Seeing this, Jiang Yun changed his attack pattern. He no longer rigidly used the seal technique in a straight downward strike. Instead, he condensed and contracted the seal into his palm, releasing it with his gestures. Though its power dropped by thirty percent, its flexibility greatly increased.

After testing the Mount Tai Seal, he followed up with the Star Seal.

When he unleashed a full-powered Star Seal, the Demon Ape again shielded its head with its arms. This time, it was blasted deep into the ground. Its arms were mangled and bloody, and it howled in agony.

As expected of the Star Seal, with the enhancement of star power, its might was over ten times that of the Mount Tai Seal.

After repeated beatings without even touching a single hair on Jiang Yun, and with its arms now crippled, the Demon Ape's fury reached its peak.

It roared at Jiang Yun. The surging Blood Fiend aura around it gradually retracted into its body, leaving only a portion on the surface to condense into a blood-red armor. As the Blood Fiend aura entered its body, it stirred its blood to a boil, veins bulging across its body. This also dulled the transmission of pain to some extent, allowing its physique to unleash greater explosive power and strength. Its nerves became more sensitive, and its reaction speed greatly increased.

Feeling the Demon Ape's increasingly powerful aura, Jiang Yun heightened his vigilance.

The next moment, the Demon Ape vanished from its spot with a "whoosh" and appeared before him. Its two hands clapped together like swatting a fly, striking at him with a speed more than double that of before.

This attack came swiftly. Though his mind was on alert, his body didn't react in time. Fortunately, he instantly activated his consciousness, summoning the Twelve-grade White Lotus to block the strike.

The Twelve-grade White Lotus formed a circular protective barrier ten meters around Jiang Yun. The Demon Ape's hands stopped outside the barrier, unable to push inward even a fraction, no matter how hard it tried.

Inside the barrier, Jiang Yun quickly used Shrink Ground to Inch to retreat to a distance. With a thought, he launched a Star Seal at the Demon Ape.

But this time, the Demon Ape's neural reactions were fast enough, and its speed was far greater than before. It leaped aside, dodging the strike, then charged at Jiang Yun again.

Prepared this time, Jiang Yun swiftly dodged, occasionally landing a counterattack. Now, he only hit three or four times out of ten. Each strike that landed on the Demon Ape shattered the Blood Fiend armor on its surface but lost seventy to eighty percent of its power, leaving no serious damage.

After familiarizing himself with the fight, Jiang Yun decided it was time to stop sparring with this Demon Ape. It was time to finish off this Fierce Beast...