Ferocious Ape (4,000 Recommendation Votes Bonus)

"Long live the Patriarch!"

The surrounding guards all shouted in chorus.

However,

Patriarch Zheng, standing amid the crowd, panted lightly.

Listening to the loud cheers of the clansmen around him, there was not much joy on his face.

That Flame Burst Technique had already consumed nearly thirty percent of the True Essence inside his body!

Its effect had indeed been good.

The exploding firestorm had directly cleared out all the monkeys within several zhang. Even those low-level Monkey Demons that had already become demons could not withstand the attack of this powerful spell!

But,

there were simply too many monkeys!

Their numbers had doubled again since last time, with at least five hundred of them!

Moreover,

perhaps because they had snatched and devoured the spirit fruits, even those ordinary monkeys that had not yet entered the ranks had become extraordinarily strong, nearly matching the strength of an adult mortal!

Together with those hidden low-level Monkey Demons,

although they possessed only the strength of the Spirit Essence Realm First or Second Level and could be killed by him with a casual strike,

for everyone else,

unless they were true cultivators, even fully armed ordinary mortal guards needed at least three or four people to hold one back!

"No, we have to force that Monkey King out at the very least!"

As long as they forced the Monkey King out,

and had Esteemed Immortal Zhang Qingyuan, hidden in the shadows, appear and kill it, only then could this battle possibly end!

Patriarch Zheng continued forming hand seals.

Spirit Essence surged wildly around his body and gathered at his fingertips, giving off a hazy glow.

It once again condensed into an incomparably scorching,

fireball that emitted a blazing red light!

"Go!"

With a point of his finger,

he blasted it toward another densely packed part of the monkey pack ahead. A flowing light streaked through the air with a roar, bringing waves of searing heat with it!

The monkeys at the target of the Flame Burst Technique

all revealed humanlike expressions of terror in their eyes.

Such a terrifying spell—

their companions who had been burned into charcoal earlier were the proof!

They wanted to flee in terror,

but their limbs trembled,

and in their panic, it was as if they had lost control of themselves.

Just then,

ROAR!!!

A furious roar that shook the air surged from the ground, its soundwaves visibly sweeping outward to the naked eye!

A two-meter-tall figure

suddenly sprang up from behind the monkey pack.

The dense, solid Demonic Qi around its body was like a collapsing mountain flood raging through the surroundings, pouring outward in all directions with unstoppable force!

That was the Monkey King!

The Monkey King had appeared!

Its two-meter-tall body stood among the monkey pack like a small Giant.

Beneath the silvery moonlight, aided by the faint firelight still lingering in the clearing, its dark hair could be seen standing in thick clumps like steel needles. Savage fangs jutted from its mouth, saliva dripped from its lips, and its blood-red eyes flashed with chilling ferocity as it roared at the sky.

It was like a World-Confounding Demon Ape that had emerged from a storm of blood and slaughter!

The surrounding crowd

was instantly cowed, staring in terror at the ferocious Demon Ape charging toward them like a Lightning Fast train that had lost control!

"Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level! This Monkey King has actually broken through and grown stronger again!"

Among the guards,

a cultivator cried out in horror.

The Demon Ape was still in mid-air when its cushion-sized palm gathered incomparably dense, baleful Demonic Qi and slammed down upon the incoming Flame Burst fireball!

BOOM!!!

A violent explosion erupted in mid-air. Flames transformed into a storm that swept in all directions, scorching the high altitude, its radiance nearly illuminating the entire Spirit Fruit Grove!

However,

the Demon Ape Monkey King erupted with incomparably baleful Demonic Qi.

In an instant, it engulfed and smothered the firestorm in mid-air. Fierce, baleful winds swept through the surroundings, and the exploding firestorm overhead was like a deluge had been poured upon it, completely dissipating in just a few breaths!

The Demon Ape's fearsome might

shook the heavens. It was terrifying to such an extent!

Everyone present was horrified, their limbs icy cold, almost unable to move.

However,

it was not over yet!

The Demon Ape leaped eight or nine zhang in a single step, its entire body falling like a meteor. The ground shook violently and caved in, while great swathes of earth were flung away in waves as though struck by a meteorite!

ROAR!!!

Carrying the force of a thousand jun,

the Demon Ape roared

and struck forward with one palm.

It was as if a force capable of shoving aside mountains and overturning seas descended.

Before it,

a golden Light Curtain suddenly appeared. It was the small Golden Bell Shield Magic Array that the local Cultivation Family had purchased and set up to protect the century-old Spirit Peach Tree at the core of the Spirit Fruit Grove!

However,

this Magic Array, which could withstand attacks from cultivators below the Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level, faced the Demon Ape's terrifying slap. Dense Demonic Qi blotted out the sky and covered the earth, and the Light Curtain produced by the Magic Array instantly shook violently like a mirror.

With a crack,

it shattered and collapsed in all directions!

"Not good! Quickly dodge!"

Among the guards, Patriarch Zheng's pupils suddenly constricted as he shouted.

But,

it was already too late!

The Demon Ape's attack, having broken through the Golden Bell Shield Magic Array, had not lost its momentum. Its horrifying Demonic Power swept forth like a mountain flood spilling loose. The family guard cultivators blocking its path screamed as they were swept away one after another like withered branches before a gale, utterly unable to resist!

It was as though a terrifying storm had risen from the flat ground,

its impact sweeping across the wilds!

"Screech screech screech!!!"

The Demon Ape's might was overwhelming.

The Monkey Demons around it shrieked wildly in fervor, their morale instead surpassing that of the family guard cultivators present.

Pfft!

Patriarch Zheng was also forced back in disarray by the earlier attack, vomiting a large mouthful of blood.

Seeing the Demon Ape Monkey King continue to flaunt its might,

he ignored the blood at his lips and hurriedly looked toward the sky,

shouting loudly:

"Esteemed Immortal of the Cloud Water Sect, please make a move and slay this beast!"

As his voice fell,

Zhang Qingyuan, hidden in the shadows, sighed inwardly.

He had originally intended to remain hidden and launch a fatal sneak attack while the Yao Monkey King was off guard, but now it seemed impossible.

His figure flickered,

and he drifted into the clearing like a wisp of blue smoke,

blocking the Demon Ape's path.

Zhang Qingyuan, hidden in the shadows, had naturally seen everything that had happened earlier. The strength of this Yao Monkey King had likely reached the high stages of the Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level!

How was it merely a notch stronger than the description in the mission?

Zhang Qingyuan did not want to encounter such an accident in the slightest. He still preferred taking more straightforward combat and killing missions, accumulating enough experience before challenging other things later.

But,

he could not simply watch such a large group of people be surrounded and attacked by the Demon Monkey Pack, dying here.

Let alone,

the Spirit Essence Realm Seventh Level and the Spirit Essence Realm Sixth Level were not separated by an ordinary gap in cultivation.

The difference between the late and middle stages of the Spirit Essence Realm

was nearly more than a notch in every respect—whether in the abundance of Spirit Essence, the power of Spirit Essence attacks, or movement techniques and evasive maneuvers.

It was complete suppression!

The Monkey King Demon Ape before him was indeed ferocious,

but with the suppression of his realm,

and the methods he had cultivated over these past days,

there was not much risk at all.

This Monkey King Demon Ape might even become the best training experience pack for Zhang Qingyuan to improve his combat and killing experience!

"Die!"

At some point,

a long sword gleaming with silver light had appeared in Zhang Qingyuan's hand.

Then,

his figure shot forward.

His entire body became an afterimage.

A sharp, cold gleam streaked through the air like a silver Flood Dragon coiling through the sky, tearing apart the air as it crossed several zhang in an instant and rushed toward the ferocious Demon Ape!