Nie Li's arrows were incredibly accurate. The Green Arm Giant Ape hit by them let out a series of miserable howls.
The poison in the Purple Mist Grass was too much for them to resist. Chen Linjian and the other Silver Rank fighters raised their swords and brought them down.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Blood sprayed everywhere, and the fighters were drenched in scarlet from head to toe.
Nie Li knew that this was merely a test from the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape. Spirit Level ape-type demon beasts were astonishingly intelligent, and their fighting strength was terrifying.
A faint unease stirred in his heart. In his previous life, when Ye Ziyun and the others had explored the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, they hadn't encountered a Spirit Level demon beast. Nie Li desperately refined the Soul Power he had seized from Chu Yuan in his dantian. If he could reach Bronze 2-star, they'd be much safer.
"Let's lure it toward that fortress!" Nie Li said in a low, urgent voice. The fortress had fairly solid defenses, and they could use them to hold off the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape charged toward them at full speed, raising its thick arm and swatting at one of Chen Linjian's subordinates.
The ape struck the man in the abdomen. He screamed and flew backward, smashing into a tree before spitting blood and crumpling to the ground. He was clearly done for.
Chen Linjian's subordinate had been Silver 2-star. The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape's attack was simply too terrifying—it had killed a Silver 2-star expert with a single blow. These people had never faced anything like this, and their faces turned pale with fear.
After killing one man, the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape didn't rush to attack again. It prowled nearby, watching them like a tiger eyeing its prey, ready to strike at any moment.
"This won't work. It's too powerful, and it's the leader of the Green Arm Giant Ape tribe. Its roars will draw more and more of them here!" Nie Li said with a frown. "We're too big a target. We have to split up!"
Chen Linjian knitted his brows and said gravely, "All right. We'll split into six groups and meet at that fortress!"
Everyone scattered at once.
Hu Yan Lanruo and Ye Ziyun stayed with Nie Li. Two attendants and a girl who knew Ye Ziyun were with them as well.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The six groups raced off in different directions.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape had been preparing to hunt Nie Li and the others down one by one. It hadn't expected them to suddenly split into six groups and flee in different directions. After a brief pause, it chased after Nie Li's group.
Nie Li smiled bitterly. Could their luck really be this bad? They'd divided into six groups, and the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape had singled out theirs!
"You go on ahead! Quickly!" Nie Li shouted. He pulled several bottles of potion made from Purple Mist Grass out of his Spatial Ring.
Ye Ziyun paused. As she watched Nie Li face the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape, something stirred in her heart.
Hu Yan Lanruo's eyes reddened, too. At a moment this dangerous, Nie Li wasn't thinking of running away by himself. He was staying behind to cover their escape. Her heart swelled with gratitude.
"Go! Stop dawdling! Don't worry about me. I have a plan!" Nie Li roared. "Run in different directions, or none of us will make it out alive!"
Ye Ziyun and Hu Yan Lanruo gritted their teeth, their eyes shimmering with tears. After a moment's hesitation, they plunged into the forest.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape raised its enormous palm and swatted at Nie Li.
Just as the ape's palm was about to hit him, Nie Li suddenly dropped and rolled.
The giant palm slammed down where Nie Li had been standing. Cracks split the ground, and rocks flew everywhere. Thwack! Thwack! Two shards scraped Nie Li's arm, spraying blood.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape beat its chest and stamped its feet, then swung its arm down at Nie Li again.
Nie Li's brows lifted slightly. He knew where the Green Arm Giant Ape's weakness lay. His Soul Power surged from his body, and in an instant he sensed the demon spirit inside the ape's mind. Its Soul Power formed a hemispherical shield around its head.
"Break!"
Nie Li roared. All his Soul Power condensed into a single beam and stabbed viciously into the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape's head.
The demon spirit in the ape's mind trembled violently, and it froze in place.
Nie Li knew he was no match for the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape. After all, he was only Bronze 2-star. Even if he swung his sword, he couldn't cut through the ape's flesh. His only option was to attack with Soul Power. While the beast was stunned, he leapt up and raced into the dense forest.
Caught off guard by Nie Li's Soul Power striking the demon spirit in its mind, the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape's consciousness grew muddled. It shook its head again and again, and the chaos before its eyes gradually cleared.
By the time it could see clearly, Nie Li had already run far away.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape roared furiously and charged after Nie Li. It thundered forward like rolling lightning, swatting away every tree in its path.
Nie Li raced onward. The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape was closing in, and anxiety gnawed at him. He tried to weave into the thickest parts of the forest.
Just as Nie Li was about to burst out of the dense forest, a group of people appeared in front of him.
They wore black robes, their faces hidden except for the tips of their chins. Huge, sinister black demon emblems covered their backs.
Their eyes fell on Nie Li, and a flicker of surprise passed through them. What was a little boy doing here? And how had he even made it this far? They had been drawn here by the roar of the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape and had been searching for traces of Chen Linjian and the others along the way. They hadn't expected to run into Nie Li here.
Seeing their clothing, a cold glint flashed in Nie Li's eyes. He knew those black robes well. These people were the most filthy, darkest bunch in the City of Brilliance—the Dark Guild!
"That kid's probably one of those noble brats. Grab him!" Deacon Yun Hua shouted. Two black-robed men moved to surround Nie Li.
At the sight of this, Nie Li suddenly gave them a strange smile.
Rumble!
The ground shook violently as the enormous Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape charged out of the forest, roaring as it rushed straight at Nie Li.
Nie Li immediately ran toward the black-robed men.
Seeing the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape charging toward them like an iron tower, the black-robed men paled slightly and swiftly formed a formation, ready to withstand its charge.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape spotted them and thought they were allies of Nie Li's. It roared in fury, sprang into the air, and pounced toward him.
Just as the ape was about to land on Nie Li, he leapt to the side.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape's palm skimmed so close to Nie Li's back that it nearly touched him. The wind of its passing left his back burning.
Fortunately, Nie Li's reactions were sharp enough, and the pounce missed him. Otherwise, he would have been badly injured.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape rolled toward the black-robed men.
"Kill it!" Deacon Yun Hua barked. The men drew their swords and slashed at the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The fierce battle erupted.
Seeing the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape fighting the Dark Guild, Nie Li let out a long breath and smiled. "I'll leave this Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape to you. I'm off!" Ignoring his wounds, he leapt away and raced into the forest.
The Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape was incredibly powerful. The Dark Guild members wouldn't be able to kill it anytime soon; all they could do was watch Nie Li race away.
Deacon Yun Hua's face turned livid. He'd been played by a kid. It was absolutely intolerable.
Nie Li searched the dense forest for Ye Ziyun, his heart anxious. He hoped she hadn't run into trouble.
Just then, a figure suddenly emerged from the bushes. Who else could it be but Ye Ziyun?
"Why are you still here?" Nie Li asked with a frown. Ye Ziyun hadn't followed his instructions and left!
"I was worried you'd run into trouble, so I stayed nearby to help you," Ye Ziyun said. When she saw the bloodied wounds on Nie Li, concern spread across her face.
Nie Li knew Ye Ziyun didn't have romantic feelings for him yet. Still, when he was in danger, she had come back instead of leaving. It reminded him of his previous life. After the City of Brilliance had fallen, they had evacuated with the main group. Nie Li had been weak back then and fallen behind, and Ye Ziyun had turned back to save him.
Ye Ziyun's noble character had truly moved Nie Li in that moment.
As the two spent more time together, their bond grew. Though there had been a great gap in their strength, in the end they had fallen in love.
Nie Li was deeply moved, but he said nothing about it. "We have to get moving, or those people will catch up!"
"Those people?" Ye Ziyun asked, startled.
"The Dark Guild. They stopped that Green Arm Giant Ape!" Nie Li said, taking Ye Ziyun's hand and racing away.
They sprinted through the forest, leaping through the undergrowth.
With Nie Li holding her hand, Ye Ziyun's cheeks flushed crimson. She tried to pull free, but couldn't, so she had no choice but to let him lead her. She looked up at his profile, wondering whether he'd done it unconsciously or on purpose. It was the first time in her life a boy had held her hand!
The warmth of Nie Li's palm gave her a deep sense of security.
The two of them raced toward the meeting place.
The sky gradually darkened. Beast howls rang out from deep in the forest, adding a few more shivers to the air.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest some distance away—
Hu Yan Lanruo's tears pattered down as she went back to look for Nie Li. She had searched for hours, but there was no sign of him. As the sky grew darker, she could only head for the agreed meeting place with the others.
She had declared that she would pursue Nie Li simply because her pride wouldn't let her back down. She had even planned to catch him and then cruelly dump him, making him beg her through tears. But when Nie Li risked his life to cover their escape, she realized she no longer cared about any of that. She only wanted him to be safe.
Nie Li had risked himself to hold back the Spirit Level Green Arm Giant Ape not just for her, but for Ye Ziyun, too. But Hu Yan Lanruo automatically left Ye Ziyun out of her thoughts.
~~
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