The big guy was still seething with rage, his anger not yet spent.
When he saw Yun Shu, his eyes seemed to spit fire. The Diamond Demonic Ape's violent nature was on full display.
It was the tyrant of the jungle, the king of the mountains.
Even powerful Demonic Beasts like tigers had to give it a wide berth.
Without a word, the Diamond Demonic Ape swung a fist straight at Yun Shu.
"Bring it on!"
Yun Shu didn't even try to dodge. He met the blow head-on with a fierce punch.
Boom!
The tremendous crash rang through the entire jungle.
The Diamond Demonic Ape's powerful frame staggered back several steps, each one sending stones tumbling from the surrounding ground with a thunderous rumble.
As for Yun Shu, the ground beneath his feet had caved in, leaving a deep crater.
His leg was buried nearly halfway in the earth.
Yun Shu pushed off hard and leaped into the air, his eyes bright with excitement.
So the Diamond Demonic Ape's body was nothing special after all!
What Half-Demon Body? What invincible physique? This was all it amounted to!
The Diamond Demonic Ape, meanwhile, stared at him with shock so human it was unmistakable.
It couldn't imagine that a human could withstand one of its blows.
Even harder to believe, this human's physique seemed no weaker than its own.
It was the jungle's tyrant, rampaging through these lands on the strength of its mighty body—yet a human as small as a bug had driven it back?
The Diamond Demonic Ape seemed to grow even angrier.
It charged at Yun Shu again and again.
Its enormous fist, carrying boundless Blood Qi, came crashing down like a mountain.
Yun Shu formed hand seals. Two enormous palms made of condensed Blood Qi took shape and slammed toward the Diamond Demonic Ape.
Just as before, the Diamond Demonic Ape staggered back several steps.
After a few exchanges, Yun Shu had a good sense of things. His physical strength was nearly a match for the enormous ape before him—in fact, it surpassed it. Once he roused his Blood Qi, he could even overpower it!
So this was what it felt like to wield such immense strength.
Yun Shu's blood raced. He had been longing for a truly exhilarating battle.
The Diamond Demonic Ape before him was the perfect whetstone.
The Diamond Demonic Ape grew even more ferocious. Blood Qi surged around its body, forming scarlet flames that burned like fire.
This time, it tore through Yun Shu's palm strike and swung its enormous fist at him.
Yun Shu shifted his feet slightly, his figure slipping away like a ghost. The earth shuddered as the ape's fist struck the ground, leaving a huge crater where he had stood.
"Now that's something. It's a whole different beast when it goes berserk." Yun Shu couldn't help clicking his tongue.
Though the giant ape was enormous, it moved with surprising agility in the jungle. It didn't seem clumsy at all.
Power surged through him as Yun Shu took the initiative and attacked.
"Thunderclap Fist!"
A massive fist-shaped shadow enveloped Yun Shu. He shot toward the giant ape like a bolt of lightning.
Boom!
A thunderous roar erupted. The giant ape staggered backward, then crashed straight into the mountainside. Boulders rolled and tumbled down around it.
Yun Shu pressed his advantage.
Another Thunderclap Fist slammed into the ape. His blows landed flesh to flesh, driving the giant ape right into the mountainside.
For a thick-skinned, tough-bodied giant ape, this wasn't fatal—not even a minor injury. But the humiliation of being beaten back so completely only made it more furious.
The giant ape burst out of the mountainside. Yun Shu didn't pause, relentlessly swinging his Thunderclap Fist. He didn't project his Blood Qi; he merely wrapped it around his strength, relying purely on his physical power to use the Thunderclap Fist.
He took the hits head-on!
The only benefit of doing so was that he lost no strength to Blood Qi Projection.
That let every punch unleash his full power!
The jungle echoed with one crash after another.
Countless trees snapped. The giant ape's strength lived up to its reputation as a Fierce Beast of the Mountains, and with its thick hide like armor, ordinary attacks had little chance of breaking through its defenses.
Yun Shu grew stronger with every exchange, his understanding of the Body Refining Technique and his other Martial Techniques deepening.
At first, the proficiency he gained had only given him a grasp of the technique.
When he put it to the test in real combat, he still hadn't fully mastered it.
But after all that practice and fighting, everything changed. His techniques flowed with greater ease, as if they came naturally. He adapted to the rhythm in no time, and his proficiency rose rapidly.
He even began finding new ways to apply the techniques' power and release it.
He was already at Great Accomplishment, and after putting it to the test in battle, the Thunderclap Fist became even more terrifying!
Boom!
Another violent blow sent the giant ape crashing into the mountainside once more.
At first, the giant ape had merely been on the defensive. Now Yun Shu's relentless rhythm of attack was practically suffocating it.
It could only defend, with no chance to strike back.
The giant ape panted heavily.
Yun Shu was exhausted too. He walked up to the giant ape.
With his perfected Body Refining power, Yun Shu's physique was comparable to these fearsome Fierce Beasts!
Yun Shu glanced at the giant ape and slowly drew his Long Sword. "Submit, or die."
The giant ape still bared its teeth, glaring at him viciously. Summoning all its strength, it burst out of the mountainside once more.
Yun Shu showed no mercy. His Long Sword flashed, and countless Sword Qi burst forth, slashing at the giant ape.
The giant ape's immense Blood Qi blocked the Sword Qi's cuts, but the force of the impact sent it crashing straight into the cave.
Its huge body slammed heavily into the ground. Seeing this, the Little Apes scattered like birds and beasts.
They fled for their lives. Yun Shu paid them no mind.
It took the giant ape a long while to sit up.
Its eyes brimmed with unwillingness.
This man's strength was clearly comparable to its own, so why was his physique so absurdly powerful?
And why did he only grow stronger as the battle went on?
He was far harder to deal with than even the Fierce Beasts of the jungle.
This was the first time Yun Shu had unleashed his full strength.
His Body Refining Technique was perfected—Body Refining Peak!
This was practically the highest level humans could reach in the Body Refining Realm.
Humans might not have been blessed with exceptional natural advantages, but through hard work, they could forge bodies comparable to the powerful Fierce Beasts that ruled the jungle.
The strength of the Body Refining Technique was now on full display.
It was indeed formidable, tempering his Blood Qi until it was like that of dragons and tigers!
Even in a human body, it let him firmly overpower a giant ape of this caliber!
The giant ape wasn't quite at the peak of physiques achieved through Demonic Transformation, but it came close.
Yun Shu was very satisfied.
On top of that, the Thunderclap Fist at Great Accomplishment was almost as powerful as a Mid-grade martial skill. It was incredibly strong!
At the mouth of the cave, Yun Shu still held his Long Sword as he watched the enormous ape. The giant ape showed no sign of submission; its eyes were so savage they seemed ready to tear him apart.
Yun Shu narrowed his eyes.
Then he simply tossed the Long Sword aside.
Using Sword Intent on it would be like picking on it. He had used only First-Tier Sword Intent just now, and that had already sent it flying. He couldn't guarantee that Second-Order Sword Intent wouldn't cleave it in two.
He suddenly grabbed the giant ape's massive arm. Blood Qi surged around his body as he swung the giant ape up into the air.
In Yun Shu's hands, the enormous ape seemed like a mountain.
Boom!
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