Fierce Battle with Mo Ape

?Chapter Six: A Fierce Battle with the Demon Ape

Not long after Bi Fan left, five humans arrived at the site of the explosion.

The five were travel-worn, but their eyes were especially bright. One glance was enough to tell they were elites; their courage had not been worn down by training in the Demon Domain.

"There's snake skin here, along with human corpses and signs of an explosion. Looks like a giant python was blown to death. One of the humans seems to have been killed by the blast, while the other two died at human hands. Could the python have produced a Crystal Core, driving the people in this group to turn on one another?"

A handsome man carefully examined everything around him and gave his analysis.

Another, more seasoned man said, "Your analysis makes sense, but there's another possibility: the humans split into two groups, and the ones who left alive must have gained a great deal."

If Bi Fan had been there, he would have been astonished.

Just by inspecting the scene, these men had made a nearly spot-on deduction. They were clearly seasoned veterans, not people entering the Demon Domain for the first time.

"Stop analyzing this. Jiang Sheng has been humiliated, and we must find the culprit as soon as possible and kill him. Senior Brother Jiang Wen personally entrusted this to us. We can't come back empty-handed."

The speaker wore a jade crown and had a face as fair as white jade. He, too, was a disciple of North Xu Palace. His name was Gu Yu, and he was leading the group.

"Gu Yu, should we follow the person who left and see if we can gain something ourselves?" the handsome man asked.

"No. Send word to all North Xu Palace disciples and have them spread out. We must capture or kill that man." Gu Yu shook his head. "Jiang Sheng made a huge mess of things this time. Many factions are waiting to laugh at us, so we must not fail. We can only succeed."

After finishing his cultivation, Bi Fan set off on a new journey. He had no idea that North Xu Palace had already cast a wide net, preparing to close in and kill him.

This time, Bi Fan had his eye on a Valiance Realm demon ape, but he held off on attacking it.

The demon ape stood three zhang tall, possessed immense strength, had a body as hard as iron, and was extraordinarily ferocious. It was not easy to deal with.

Bi Fan followed it for a while before finally making his move.

This time, he didn't use the Flowing Light Sword, nor did he plan to use sword techniques. The demon ape's body was exceptionally tough, making it the perfect opponent to temper his physical strength and practice his fist techniques.

Myriad Ancestor Fist.

Bi Fan unleashed the fist technique he had mastered best.

Though Myriad Ancestor Fist was an entry-level technique, with Bi Fan's strength of about six Cloud Stones behind it, its power was still tremendous.

Boom! His fist struck the demon ape, which remained as steady as a mountain. The force rebounded, driving Bi Fan back several steps before he regained his footing.

"Such powerful strength!" Bi Fan praised inwardly, then charged forward again.

The demon ape roared and swung its forearm, sweeping a palm toward Bi Fan.

Bi Fan dodged with his marvelous footwork and launched an attack from the side.

He treated the demon ape like a punching bag, using it to practice his fists.

The demon ape was powerful, but its body was not agile enough. It couldn't catch Bi Fan, no matter how hard it tried.

"Roar! Roar! ..." The demon ape was so furious it went berserk. Many nearby trees suffered, snapped apart beneath its blows.

Bi Fan grew more and more fired up. He even used Dragon Roaring Tiger Howling Fist and Carefree Immortal Finger, but still couldn't inflict any real damage on the demon ape.

As soon as he felt his inner energy had dwindled to about half, Bi Fan immediately fled.

The demon ape roared and chased him for a while, but gave up when it couldn't catch him.

Bi Fan found a place to recover his inner energy. He needed to stay ready for anything.

Soon, he finished cultivating. He carefully recalled what he had learned from the battle, practiced his fist techniques, and gained even more insight.

"I should go practice with that demon ape again. A 'punching bag' like that is hard to come by."

Bi Fan returned to the demon ape's den. It was fast asleep.

Bi Fan suddenly jumped out. As soon as the demon ape saw him, its eyes turned red with rage.

Boom! The demon ape struck with its palm, but Bi Fan dodged. The tree beside him snapped in two.

"So strong. If that hit me, I'd be lucky to survive with just my skin torn off." Bi Fan clicked his tongue in secret.

This time, Bi Fan fought even more ferociously.

His fists fell on the demon ape like raindrops. They couldn't hurt it, but they made it suffer, and its temper grew more and more explosive.

Bi Fan paid it no mind, devoting himself wholeheartedly to his cultivation.

After the earlier training, Bi Fan had reached a certain level of understanding of fist intent and had already begun practicing the second move of Dragon Roaring Tiger Howling Fist.

His Carefree Immortal Finger had also improved, growing more powerful.

Bi Fan used everything he had learned. He even performed sword techniques with the force of his Carefree Immortal Finger, making them more powerful.

However, Carefree Immortal Finger consumed too much inner energy and couldn't be used casually.

If Bi Fan reached the Spiritual Power Realm, he could use Carefree Immortal Finger at will. He could only imagine how powerful it would be then.

Not only that, but as he repeatedly practiced the basic footwork of Misty Dance, his insights deepened. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before he could begin cultivating Misty Dance itself.

He hadn't expected fighting the demon ape to bring him so many benefits. Naturally, Bi Fan didn't want to miss the opportunity.

The demon ape was even stronger than most Valiance Realm experts, but it had the misfortune of facing the nimble Bi Fan and was constantly toyed with.

The demon ape's eyes even turned purple, but it was no use. It was destined to become a "punching bag" on Bi Fan's path of cultivation.

Perhaps one day, when Bi Fan grew powerful and made a name for himself, this "punching bag" would become famous along with him.

For five days straight, Bi Fan kept at it with the demon ape.

Over those five days, Bi Fan's physical strength rose again, reaching three Cloud Stones. His inner energy also increased considerably, and when he channeled it, his strength reached five Cloud Stones. Added together, he now had the strength of eight Cloud Stones, approaching that of the Spiritual Wisdom Realm.

Even more gratifyingly, Bi Fan's martial skills had advanced another level. The second move of Dragon Roaring Tiger Howling Fist had reached minor mastery; Carefree Immortal Finger combined with his sword techniques had become even more powerful; and he would soon be able to cultivate Misty Dance.

"Demon ape, thank you. I'm leaving now." Bi Fan drifted away.

When the demon ape saw that Bi Fan was finally leaving, it let out a great sigh of relief, a trace of delight in its eyes.

Bi Fan had tormented it terribly, and it had been praying for him to leave soon.

The Demon Domain really was an excellent place to train. Bi Fan could hardly bear to leave.

After fighting the demon ape for five days, Bi Fan was already confident he could kill it. But since it had helped him practice, he let it go.

Crystal Stones and the like were just fleeting clouds. Bi Fan liked to do as he pleased.

By killing the Brocade-robed Youth and the other two, Bi Fan had gained a lot. He hadn't even cared about the Crystal Core. The only thing that interested him was a pitch-black pellet.

He hadn't expected to find a Five Thunders Bomb in the Brocade-robed Youth's Cosmic Bag. No wonder he had seemed so regretful just before he died.

Having seen the power of the Five Thunders Bomb with his own eyes, Bi Fan had taken an intense liking to it.

Bi Fan carefully hid the Five Thunders Bomb. It was a precious treasure that could save his life.

Bi Fan moved fast, and ordinary beasts no longer interested him. He traveled at ease, taking in the sights along the way.

Feeling the immense power within him, Bi Fan let out a loud roar. He really wanted to find someone to spar with.

Magic Beasts were powerful, but they still couldn't compare to human experts. The best way to test his martial skills was against the exquisite techniques of human experts.

Suddenly, Bi Fan heard the sounds of fighting ahead, along with human screams. A fierce battle was clearly taking place.

Without the slightest hesitation, Bi Fan moved like a nimble leopard. After a few quick bounds, he vanished into the dense forest.

A river flowed ahead, its water murmuring over the rocks. There were plenty of open spaces on both banks.

At one of them, a fire still smoldered. Wild game was roasting on the grill, but it had already burned to a crisp.

It looked as though some humans had been cooking by the river when Magic Beasts suddenly surrounded them. This was an ambush.

Bi Fan looked around and finally spotted them.

In an open space, six humans stood in a circle. Twelve Mo Bears surrounded them, three of which had reached the Viscera Realm. Their leader was even stronger, possessing Valiance Realm strength.

Among the six humans, one had reached the Valiance Realm, while the other five were all Viscera Realm experts. It was a formidable group, but unfortunately, the Mo Bears were just as formidable.

Mo Bears were also a type of Magic Beast with especially tough bodies. They were smaller than demon apes, but much more agile.

The two sides had not been fighting long, and no one had been injured yet.

Bi Fan found the tree with the best vantage point, which gave him a clear view of the entire battlefield.

The martial skills used by the six humans looked very familiar. They were disciples of North Xu Palace.

"Talk about meeting your enemies on a narrow road!" Bi Fan thought happily.

He smiled darkly and began to plot.

Five of the six humans were Gu Yu's group. They simply had one extra companion.

Gu Yu was the strongest, a Valiance Realm expert. He was also more intelligent than the others and led the group.

The Mo Bears had appeared suddenly. If Gu Yu hadn't directed everyone so well, his companions would likely already have been injured.

When faced with a pack of Mo Bears, fleeing separately was simply asking to die. The best choice was to form a defensive formation and hold out—but only if they had the strength to stand against the bears.

Together, Gu Yu and the others were nearly as strong as the pack of Mo Bears. Gu Yu had already sent a message for help to the North Xu Palace disciples using a special method. If they could hold on for a few hours, reinforcements might arrive and give them a chance to win.

Many North Xu Palace disciples had entered the outermost part of the Demon Domain this time to kill Bi Fan. They would be just the help Gu Yu needed.

"Brothers, hold on! Our reinforcements will be here soon!" Gu Yu shouted, boosting their morale.

The Mo Bears were no pushovers. They even knew how to work together, advancing and retreating in formation and covering one another. For a while, they had Gu Yu's group so suppressed they could barely catch their breath.

The Valiance Realm Mo Bear was especially dangerous. Even Gu Yu didn't dare confront it head-on; he was weaker in strength.

Bi Fan watched with keen interest. Gu Yu and the others were far stronger than Jiang Sheng, and each had their own special skills.

Bi Fan was memorizing their techniques, hoping to come up with ways to counter them later.

With a way to counter their techniques, facing North Xu Palace disciples in the future would be much easier.

"Ah!" One North Xu Palace disciple managed to stab a Mo Bear with his sword, but another bear beside him slapped him across the arm.

Blood streamed from his arm, which hung limp at his side. He wouldn't be able to use it for the time being.

Gu Yu hurriedly shielded him, leaving only five people to fight. The pressure grew even greater.

"Everyone, don't worry about making a kill. Just make sure you don't get hurt. If one more person is injured, we might not be able to hold them off," Gu Yu warned.

The Mo Bears were very clever, especially their leader. It refused to get entangled with Gu Yu and began attacking the other four humans instead.

With the Mo Bear leader's strength, no one besides Gu Yu could stand against it.

Gu Yu had no choice but to move with the bear leader, throwing the humans' formation into chaos.

The Mo Bears seized the opportunity and launched a fierce assault, leaving the North Xu Palace disciples scrambling.

Fortunately, they were all strong enough to avoid serious injury or death. Only two of them suffered minor wounds and could keep fighting.

"Everyone, follow me! We'll get our backs to that boulder."

Gu Yu still had time to keep an eye on every direction and make emergency arrangements. He was truly exceptional.

The five humans shielded the injured man as they fought their way toward a large boulder by the river.

The Mo Bears saw what Gu Yu and the others were trying to do and launched a fierce assault.

Gu Yu used one deadly move after another, finally cutting a path through the bears and bringing his companions to the boulder.

With their backs against the stone, Gu Yu and the others breathed a sigh of relief. Now they only had to fend off attacks from three sides, which was much easier.

Just as they relaxed, the Mo Bears launched a charging assault, taking turns rushing at them. Relying on their formidable bodies, they showed no regard for Gu Yu's group of six.

Each charge left Gu Yu and the others scrambling, and someone suffered every time.

With nowhere to retreat, they had no choice but to meet the bears' charges head-on.

Human bodies simply couldn't compare to those of Mo Bears. Taking a beating was unavoidable.