"What incredible strength!"
Qin Yuan let out a low shout, steadied himself, and pounced again.
Lin Qingyin, Chu Jinghong, Zhen Feixuan, and the older generation of martial artists who participated in the siege worked together to attack.
More than ten people attacked simultaneously, their blades flashing, palms clashing, swords gleaming, and claw marks intertwining, like four different colored torrents surrounding the black giant ape.
The giant ape roared repeatedly, its black fur standing on end, and its attack became increasingly ferocious.
Each punch was accompanied by a terrifying force that Void Sundering, blasting craters several feet deep into the ground.
The trees that had already fallen were further crushed in the fierce battle.
Gravel and wood chips flew everywhere, turning the surrounding woodland into a boiling pot of mud.
The dozen or so people were either top geniuses of their time or veteran martial artists, with even the weakest among them reaching the First Grade rank.
When they join forces, their fighting power is unimaginable.
After dozens of moves, the giant ape's movements began to slow down slightly.
Chu Jinghong seized the fleeting opening, and his longsword transformed into a purple streak, piercing through the giant ape's left arm.
"Puff--"
The sword pierced the giant ape's left rib, leaving a deep wound from which dark red blood gushed out, staining half of the giant ape's fur a dark color.
The giant ape, in pain, let out a deafening roar and swung its right arm fiercely at Chu Jinghong.
Chu Jinghong had already used the momentum to retreat, and the sweeping Juzhua only grazed the hem of his clothes, picking up a few pieces of cloth.
"Puff--"
Qin Yuan followed closely behind, his dark Saber Aura slicing past the giant ape's right leg, leaving a similarly deep wound.
"Boom--"
Lin Qingyin's palm struck the giant ape's back, causing its massive body to stagger forward several steps.
"Whoosh--"
Zhen Feixuan's soft sword slashed across the giant ape's shoulder, leaving another bloody mark.
The giant ape's wounds multiplied.
However, its size was so enormous that what would be a serious injury to a martial artist was merely a minor one on it.
It will obviously take quite some time to surround and kill them.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!"
Fang Han at the edge of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the battlefield and calmly scanning the surrounding martial artists.
Among the hundred or so auras around, there were a few extremely subtle yet exceptionally profound ones.
Those auras were extremely well concealed; if it weren't for the fact that his < Nether Guide > had already reached Minor Success Stage, he would have been almost completely unable to detect them.
It clearly belongs to a grandmaster.
There were at least three grandmasters in the crowd.
They didn't make a move; they simply lay in wait quietly among the crowd.
Like a few predators hiding among sheep, they patiently wait for their prey to be defeated, and then reap the final spoils of victory.
With these grandmasters around, Qin Yuan and the others were destined to benefit others, which is why he did not participate in the siege.
Fang Han withdrew his gaze and turned it back to the battlefield.
Unaware of the situation, Qin Yuan and his dozen or so companions were focused on attacking the giant black ape.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
"Awoo--"
The black giant ape let out a weak, mournful cry before its massive body crashed to the ground.
A huge crater was smashed into the ground, sending dust and rubble flying into the sky.
When the dust settled, the once ferocious giant ape lay prostrate in a pool of blood, its dark red vertical pupils devoid of any luster.
"Call--"
Qin Yuan was slightly out of breath, and his fingers gripping the knife trembled slightly.
Lin Qingyin stood with her palms closed, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.
Chu Jinghong leaned on the ground with her sword, her expression relatively calm.
Zhen Feixuan raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
The other dozen or so older martial artists were also quite exhausted, but their gazes all involuntarily fell on the piece of Starry Ink Jade.
The seamless teamwork they had displayed moments before was gone; they kept their distance and grew wary of each other.
The demon has been vanquished; it's time to seize the Starry Ink Jade!
However, just as they were about to fight—
"Whoosh!"
A gaunt figure shot out from the crowd like a ghost.
The figure moved with astonishing speed; almost the instant it was noticed, it had already reached the millstone-sized piece of Starry Ink Jade.
His thin right hand reached out, his five fingers slightly bent, gripping the edge of the Starry Ink Jade like an iron clamp.
"Whoosh!"
Before the withered hand could even touch the Starry Ink Jade, another figure suddenly appeared.
It was an old man in a gray robe, with a withered face, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.
He pointed his fingers like a sword, unleashing a profound finger technique, and pointed it at the back of the gaunt old man who had been the first to grab the item.
A jet-black finger strike shot out, so fast it was silent, yet it carried a chilling penetrating power.
The gaunt old man had no choice but to withdraw his hand from the Starry Ink Jade. He slightly turned his body and struck out with his palm, dispersing the dark finger energy.
With a muffled thud, a surge of air erupted, and the two men each took several steps back.
"You are supposed to be a grandmaster, yet you resort to a sneak attack."
The gaunt old man turned around, his deep-set eyes gleaming coldly.
"You also disregard the rules, relying on your status as a grandmaster to snatch from a junior."
The old man in the gray robe spoke, his expression unreadable.
In the brief moment of their standoff, a third figure silently approached Starry Ink Jade.
He was a short, elderly man, dressed in a dark purple robe, with an ordinary face that was almost entirely unremarkable.
He moved with lightning speed, his short hand reaching for the Starry Ink Jade, intending to take advantage of the confrontation between the two and reap the benefits.
"How dare you!"
The gaunt old man and the gray-robed old man shouted angrily at the same time.
Two distinct attacks struck the short old man almost simultaneously.
With a palm and a finger, imbued with the immense Internal Qi of a grandmaster, he completely sealed off all the short old man's escape routes.
The short old man had no choice but to abandon his attempt to grab the Starry Ink Jade and instead used both palms.
His palm techniques were incredibly intricate, defusing both attacks with exquisite skill.
The shockwave exploded, and the short old man, who was fighting two opponents at once, suffered a slight loss, his figure drifting backward more than ten feet.
The three figures faced each other in a triangular formation, their gazes lingering briefly on each other before settling on the millstone-sized piece of black Starry Ink Jade.
The next moment, the three of them moved again.
"Whoosh--"
The short old man formed his five fingers into claws, the jet-black claws seemingly capable of Void Sundering, and attacked the gray-robed old man.
He was clearly still upset about being ambushed earlier.
"Call out--"
The gray-robed elder dodged the incoming black claw strike, his fingers forming a sword-like shape, the force of which was like a black arrow slicing through space.
Instead of attacking the short old man, it attacked the gaunt old man who was once again rushing towards the Starry Ink Jade.
The gaunt old man swayed, dodging the "black arrow," but was forced to move away from the Starry Ink Jade.
Taking advantage of the moment when the two were fighting, the short old man rushed towards Starry Ink Jade.
The gaunt old man immediately struck out with his palm, which transformed into a giant hand several meters long, attacking the short old man.
The short, old man stepped back, avoiding the attack.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The three Grandmaster-level attacks all missed their target, landing instead in the surrounding area.
It was as if three invisible bombs had been dropped on the entire forest valley, and terrifying shockwaves spread violently in all directions.
Where the shockwave passed, the soil churned and rocks flew everywhere.
The surrounding martial artists' expressions changed drastically, and they hastily used various methods to defend or dodge.
But the shockwave came too fast and too violently. Many people didn't have time to react and were thrown away by the blast, crashing heavily to the ground dozens of feet away.
The three grandmasters were unharmed, but many of the surrounding martial artists were seriously injured in the blast.
This is what happens when gods fight, and mortals suffer!
"A grandmaster is actually hiding in the shadows!"
Qin Yuan stood still, his Dark Gold outfit fluttering in the shockwave.
His grip on the long sword tightened slightly, and his deep eyes were now churning with barely suppressed shock and rage.
They expended so much effort to kill that giant black ape, only to have it all benefit someone else.
"What a clever scheme, unaware of the oriole behind!"
A hint of undisguised coldness also flashed across Lin Qingyin's beautiful and refined face.
She gazed at the three grandmaster figures locked in fierce combat, her voice lowered, yet tinged with rare anger.
Chu Jinghong didn't speak, but he gripped the sword hilt noticeably tighter.
Not far away, Zhen Feixuan's beautiful face was framed by her tightly pressed lips, clearly indicating that she was also in a bad mood.
The other martial artists who participated in the siege of the demon were even more ashen-faced.
Some gripped their weapons tightly, some gritted their teeth, and some had veins throbbing slightly on their foreheads.
But no one dared to rush towards the Starry Ink Jade.
The aura of mastery emanating from those three figures was like three invisible mountains, deterring them from even considering seizing the Starry Ink Jade.
"This is outrageous!"
A hoarse roar suddenly erupted from among the martial artists participating in the encirclement and attack.
A burly man strode out, broad-shouldered and with a dark complexion, holding a heavy Mountain Splitting Axe that gleamed with a cold, sharp light.
He was a martial artist Break Three Passes martial arts, and his combat strength even surpassed that of Break Three Passes master, approaching that of a grandmaster. He also had a fiery temper.
Enraged by the three grandmasters' attempt to steal the prize, he strode towards the three figures locked in fierce combat, clearly intending to join the fight for the Starry Ink Jade.
The gaunt old man had just exchanged blows with the gray-robed old man when he stepped back slightly. He caught a glimpse of the burly figure out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't even flinch.
"Boom--"
He simply flicked his hand out, as if he were just trying to swat away an annoying mosquito.
A jet-black claw mark shot out from the air.
Before the burly man could even raise his Mountain Splitting Axe to block, the claw mark had already slammed solidly into his chest.
"Puff--"
Blood gushed out, Mountain Splitting Axe flew out of his hand.
The burly man was sent flying dozens of feet away like a stone blasted by a giant hammer, crashing into an ancient tree that was as thick as a person's embrace and snapping it in two.
It rolled several more times on the ground before finally managing to stop.
He collapsed to the ground, a large section of his chest caved in, revealing a terrifying claw mark. Blood continued to gush from his mouth; he was critically injured and on the verge of death.
The valley in the forest was deathly silent.
Those figures that had been itching to move froze at that moment.
Someone quietly withdrew their foot, which had already taken half a step.
Qin Yuan slowly loosened his grip on the long sword, then slowly tightened it again.
His gaze lingered on the three grandmaster figures for a moment, a hint of resentment flashing deep in his eyes before finally settling into silence.
Don't make a move!
The life-saving trump card bestowed by the sect is meant to deal with deadly crises, not to be used to fight a fight out of pride.
Lin Qingyin lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes casting faint shadows in the mist.
Chu Jinghong released the sword hilt, stood with his hands behind his back, and his gaze returned to its usual coldness.
Zhen Feixuan gently exhaled a breath of stale air, and her tense shoulders slowly relaxed.
"There shouldn't be any grandmasters hiding anymore!"
Fang Han stood beside an ancient tree, his calm eyes fixed on the three figures in the arena.
He activated the Nether Guide at full power, and the icy aura flowed through his nasal cavity and meridians, bringing all the aura within a ten-mile radius into his perception.
One, two, three.
There was no trace of any other grandmaster.
In other words, only these three grandmasters were present.
"We need to find a good time!"
Fang Han's gaze fell on the millstone-sized piece of star-shaped Starry Ink Jade, his mind racing.
He now possesses combat strength comparable to a grandmaster, as well as a powerful physique capable of withstanding attacks from a grandmaster without suffering serious injury.
Given his capabilities, it's impossible for him to simply give up.
However, it's important to find the right time to make a move.
Jumping out now would inevitably draw the combined fire of three grandmasters, making it the most foolish thing to do.
"Boom--!"
It was another violent collision.
The gaunt old man, the gray-robed old man, and the short old man were all simultaneously thrown back dozens of feet.
The shockwave from the impact spread outwards again, like a real tsunami.
This time, the shockwave happened to sweep across the millstone-sized piece of star- Starry Ink Jade.
"Snap--!"
A crisp cracking sound rang out clearly amidst the deafening roar.
The millstone-sized piece of star-shaped Starry Ink Jade shattered instantly.
Dozens of pieces of black jade, large and small, shot out in all directions, like a black meteor shower.