Saving Cold Wind Village

Ye Chen gently set down Lloyd's cold hand and sprinted to a higher corner of the cliff. After confirming the direction of the main road leading out of the forest, he pulled an ancient whistle from his pocket and blew it.

"Whew--!"

The crisp, piercing whistle cut through the Cold Wind Pine Forest, and immediately after, Ye Chen began to run at full speed toward the road outside the woods.

With the eruption of Auling Power, the youth moved with such swiftness that he reached the edge of the forest in mere minutes. In the middle of the wide road ahead, the old horse Heiqi was already prepared and ready to bolt.

"Heiqi, take me to the village in the south, as fast as you can!"

Ye Chen leaped onto the saddle on Heiqi's back and pointed toward the silhouette of the village not far down the mountain. The old horse understood his intent instantly; with a kick of its hooves, it galloped toward Cold Wind Village with Ye Chen in tow.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Heiqi's sturdy, hard hooves kicked up the snowy earth, creating countless surging white waves. The scenery around Ye Chen blurred as they sped past, and the freezing snow-wind lashed against his face, whipping through his hair.

The old horse accelerated again and again, eventually reaching a terrifying speed of nearly one hundred kilometers per hour. It carried Ye Chen out of the mountainous area and onto the open plains, quickly approaching the entrance of Cold Wind Village.

Enduring the biting cold wind, the youth opened his eyes to see that the walls and fences at the village entrance were shattered and in ruins—clearly the handiwork of the Man-eating Giant Ape.

Lloyd's final words had been correct. After shaking off the threat of Ye Chen, the Man-eating Giant Ape had immediately attacked Cold Wind Village, seeking to nourish its wounds with the flesh and blood of the villagers.

"Slow down!"

At the youth's prompt, the old horse gradually reduced its speed. As the pair entered the gates of Cold Wind Village, Ye Chen immediately heard the sounds of buildings collapsing and villagers screaming from within.

Ye Chen followed the noise and saw a massive figure wreaking havoc in the center of the village's main thoroughfare.

Surrounding it were a few remaining guards wielding weapons in a desperate struggle, along with dozens of terrified villagers fleeing for their lives.

The situation allowed for no hesitation. Ye Chen quickly scanned the chaotic scene and formulated a strategy, reaching down to pick up a spear that had likely been dropped by one of the Cold Wind Village guards.

"Heiqi, charge!"

The youth swiped the spearhead across his palm, coating it in his own bright red, glowing blood, and shouted to the old horse.

"Hmph!"

The old horse responded with spirit, its leg muscles tensing once more. Carrying the spear-wielding youth on its back, it charged directly toward the fierce and brutal beast ahead.

"Fire! Cover the villagers' retreat--!"

The last few surviving guards of Cold Wind Village surrounded the Alpha Ape in a fan formation, firing muskets and arrows to buy more time for the fleeing people.

However, having already suffered several heavy wounds, the Alpha Ape was in no mood to play with them. It swung its savage arms, instantly blasting the two lead guards into the air, while the remaining guards were sent flying by the terrifying shockwave of its impact with the ground.

"Argh!"

The Guard Squad cried out in agony. Ignoring the armored men, the Alpha Ape immediately stepped over them and pursued a mother and daughter who were running the slowest.

To the starving Alpha Ape, the two, dressed in simple cloth and possessing soft flesh, were clearly easier to catch and far more delicious.

"Run faster!"

Seeing the man-eating monster fixate on them, the terrified mother pulled her crying daughter's hand and fled in despair. However, the Alpha Ape's terrifying speed allowed it to block their path in the blink of an eye.

With a single stretch and grab of its massive ape paw, the frail mother and daughter were snatched into mid-air.

"Wah! Mommy--!"

The girl looked at the Alpha Ape's pitch-black, foul-smelling maw and broke down in hysterical tears. Her mother could only hug her daughter in despair, praying silently that the pain to come would end in an instant.

However, just as the Alpha Ape greedily leaned its head forward, ready to savor the taste of fresh life, the black sludge clinging to its body suddenly began to churn, warning the beast that something dangerous was approaching rapidly.

The Alpha Ape's heart trembled. It hurriedly looked back and saw the hunter—its living nightmare—galloping toward it on horseback in the middle of the road, ten meters away.

The hunter's right hand was held high, brandishing a blood-stained spear.

In the next instant, the Auling Power concentrated in Ye Chen's arm and shoulder erupted, and he hurled the spear with all his might.

Driven by terrifying force, the spear tore through the air like a bamboo shoot being split. Giving the Alpha Ape no chance to dodge or defend, it pierced the beast's lower body with lightning speed.

"Gaa-ee--!"

The Alpha Ape, its vital parts torn asunder, could not help but howl in agony. The mother and daughter were tossed aside onto the snow as the beast writhed in pain, temporarily saving their lives.

The Alpha Ape had never imagined that Ye Chen possessed a miraculous mount like Heiqi, capable of crossing several kilometers in mere minutes to chase it all the way to Cold Wind Village!

Now, having been struck in a vital spot by Ye Chen, the Alpha Ape's mind was overwhelmed by excruciating pain, rendering it unable to think clearly.

In a one-on-one duel, its defeat would have been a foregone conclusion, but the Abyss Matter clinging to its body would not accept such an outcome.

The black sludge ignored the Alpha Ape's screams and made no attempt to fill the wound to soothe its pain. Instead, just as before, it gathered at the beast's throat, condensing once again into the shape of a tumor.

Clearly, the Abyss Matter intended to trigger that terrifying ape-cry once more.

Although this move would cause a backlash, it was the only means left for them and the Alpha Ape to deal with Ye Chen. Aside from this, the ape, tainted by the Abyss, had no other choice!

Once this horrifying beast roared out that terrifying sonic wave again, not only would Ye Chen be in danger at close range, but the villagers of Cold Wind Village within a hundred-meter radius who hadn't yet escaped would also suffer the same tragic fate as Lloyd—their internal organs shattered and ruptured in agonizing pain.

Having already anticipated this worst-case scenario, the youth would naturally not let the Alpha Ape have its way.

He would shatter the dreams of this brutal, sadistic, and cowardly man-eating monster right here and now!

"Throw me over!"

As soon as the old horse Heiqi heard the shout from its back, it nimbly braked with its front legs, raised its hindquarters, and used its powerful, explosive waist strength to launch Ye Chen forward.

Borrowing the violent momentum provided by Heiqi, Ye Chen soared through the air for dozens of meters like an arrow, landing directly in front of the Alpha Ape's chest.

Just as the black tumor on the prey's neck was about to take shape, the long, slender straight blade in the youth's hand bloomed with a dazzling blood-red light. It plunged into the prey's neck ahead of the roar, driving the sharp, fearless blade cleanly into the black tumor.

Blood infused with Auling Power erupted from the tip of the blade, sweeping through the interior of the tumor like fire, causing the black sludge within to emit shrill, miserable shrieks.

The sound was filled with incomparable pain and grievance.