The Rout

At the players' command, their troops were the first to charge.

The earth trembled as a mighty tide of low-level troops surged forward, crashing into the White Ape horde.

The sight stirred the players' emotions.

The immersive experience let them feel the shock of a battlefield for the first time. Their hearts pounded as a surge of heroic fervor swept through them.

"Behold my army, my realm! With a million mighty warriors at my command, how could I fail to achieve greatness?"

One particularly chuuni player shouted what they were all thinking.

Countless players immediately shot him disdainful looks.

Still, they had to admit that, for a brief moment, they too had felt like ancient generals commanding a million troops.

The battle had yet to truly begin, but the players were already caught up in the moment.

However, the smiles on their faces soon froze.

The troops finally collided with the White Ape horde as they charged.

Then, like dominoes, they were swatted aside and sent flying by the ferocious White Apes. The horde pressed on without losing momentum, roaring as they tore through the army's ranks.

At the head of the charge, the White Ape King was a match for ten thousand. Every swing of his iron fists sent sonic booms ripping through the air, scattering the bodies of countless slaves from a distance. Only the Blood Gladiators could barely hold their ground.

It was a one-sided slaughter.

The players had only just begun to witness the cruelty of war.

Though the White Ape Tribe was merely an insignificant, bottom-tier force in the Boundless Realm, the fact that it had survived in a world ruled by the law of the jungle was proof enough of its strength.

The White Apes showed the players the consequences of trespassing on their territory. They also taught Tang Yu, watching the battle silently from behind the scenes, an important lesson.

Even the weakest creatures born in the spirit-energy-rich Boundless Realm were far stronger than players at their current stage.

The battle had lasted less than five minutes, yet the players' troops were falling in droves, utterly unable to fight back.

The players' grand ambitions were crushed beneath the White Apes' iron fists.

As the White Apes drew closer to the players' position, fear began to take hold.

The pressure of facing monsters they had no chance of defeating left many players struggling to breathe.

Watching their reactions from behind the scenes, Tang Yu furrowed his brows, then relaxed.

He knew it would take time.

The players had been born in a new era and had never experienced real warfare. Their fear was only natural.

It would take time for them to fully adapt to battle.

With that in mind, Tang Yu calmed down and stopped expecting so much from them.

Let this be a first taste of war.

The fighting continued.

After crushing their way through the encirclement of troops, the White Ape horde finally reached the players.

Over three meters tall, the apes steamed with heat from their exertion. Their savage expressions made them look ready to tear into anyone they saw.

After a brief moment of eye contact, the one-sided slaughter began.

The players, clutching their hoes, scattered in every direction.

Some chose to fight back and face their fear, but against overwhelming strength, courage was useless. It only meant dying before everyone else.

"Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor! Where are my people?!"

"Get the hell out of my way, idiot!"

"I'll never retreat! I'll fight you to the death! Take this hoe!"

The scene descended into chaos.

Some players ran, some stood their ground against the White Apes, and most milled about like headless flies.

Tang Yu could only sigh helplessly.

Just as he thought the first battle would end in a one-sided defeat...

The situation suddenly changed.

One White Ape seemed to have exhausted itself. It stood in place, panting as it rested.

A moment later, a small White Ape appeared out of thin air beside it. While the larger ape stared in confusion, the little one tackled it to the ground and plunged both claws into its eyes.

A scream of agony rang out. The fallen White Ape thrashed and wailed as blood streamed from its eyes.

Four Blood Gladiators then appeared and charged the downed ape.

Unlike the Blood Gladiators summoned by the other players, these four wore blood-red armor and wielded blood-red spears.

As they attacked, they slashed the White Ape with their spears, drawing streaks of blood. The wounds weren't deep, but they were clearly far stronger than the other players' Blood Gladiators.

"Great ambush! Beautiful!"

In the distance, Jiang Ming and Huang Yan were crouched in the grass, watching with gleeful grins. They slapped palms, then turned their attention back to the fallen ape and directed their troops to attack again.

Blinded, the White Ape had gone completely berserk. It swung its fists wildly, smashing two Blood Gladiators away, then reached for the Little Dragon Ape clinging to its neck.

The Little Dragon Ape dodged nimbly, then slammed a heavy punch into the wounded White Ape's neck.

Its roar cut short, the ape let out a low whimper. Enduring the pain, it swung again, trying to grab the Little Dragon Ape.

Though once the lord of the White Ape Tribe, the Little Dragon Ape was only level 12 now. Even so, its combat talent was already apparent, and its movements were incredibly agile. It dodged the wounded ape's claws once more.

The wound had already been torn open, and blood poured from it as the ape exerted itself. It was clearly running out of strength and couldn't do a thing to the nimble Little Dragon Ape.

Realizing their ambush might let them kill the exhausted White Ape, Jiang Ming and Huang Yan trembled with excitement as they watched from afar.

But their excitement didn't last long.

Though too weak to fight back, the White Ape refused to surrender. It turned toward where its kin were gathered and began calling out to them.

In moments, three White Apes came running at the sound.

Jiang Ming and Huang Yan had been ready to claim their "big prize," but the sight left them dumbfounded.

"The duck's flown right out of our mouths. What do we do?" Huang Yan asked Jiang Ming.

Jiang Ming fell silent for a few seconds, then said fiercely:

"This White Ape is already on the brink of death. Even if we can't get it, we can't let it get away!"

A few seconds later, Jiang Ming's shout rang out over the regional voice channel:

"Everyone, get over here! There's a White Ape on the brink of death! It could drop a White Ape Soul and Soul Power for training troops. First come, first served! (Screenshot of the White Ape's condition.jpg)!"

After shouting, Jiang Ming sent the coordinates.

He glanced at Huang Yan, who was staring at him in shock, and grinned.

"This is about to get interesting."

Just as Jiang Ming had expected, the players went wild when they saw the screenshot of the dying White Ape in the regional chat.

The value of a White Ape Soul was comparable to that of a house. That was no exaggeration.

The richest player in the discussion section of Omnipotent God had once offered Grandpa Jiang two million yuan for a White Ape Soul.

Grandpa Jiang had ruthlessly turned him down, but the offer alone showed just how valuable a White Ape Soul was.

Before long, players were swarming toward the coordinates.

Faced with the temptation of a White Ape Soul and Soul Power, most players thought the same thing:

So what if I die and have to wait three hours to respawn? What if I manage to grab it?

Two million yuan—who could say no?