A Defeated and Dispersed Army

Under the players' command, their subordinate troops launched the first charge.

The earth trembled as the vast, surging tide of low-level units pushed forward, crashing into the White Ape pack.

Seeing this, the players' emotions were stirred.

The immersive experience gave them their first taste of the shock of the battlefield; as their hearts pounded, a sense of heroism surged within them.

"These are my troops, my empire! With a million brave soldiers at my command, what great cause could I not achieve?"

One chuunibyou player shouted his inner thoughts at that moment.

Immediately, countless players cast disdainful looks at him.

Yet, the players had to admit that for a fleeting moment, they, too, felt like ancient generals commanding a million-strong army.

The battle had not yet officially erupted, but the players' emotions were already fully engaged.

However, the smiles on the players' faces soon froze.

The army of units finally met and collided with the White Ape pack during their charge.

Like falling dominoes, they were swatted away and scattered by the ferocious White Apes. The powerful White Ape pack did not lose momentum, roaring as they pushed forward and tore a gap through the army.

The White Ape King, leading the charge, displayed the courage of a thousand men. With every swing of his iron fists, sonic booms echoed, and a large number of thralls were shattered into pieces from a distance; only the Blood Gladiators had the strength to barely resist.

It was a completely one-sided slaughter.

The cruelty of war was revealed to the players just as it had begun.

Although the White Ape Tribe was merely an inconspicuous, low-end force in the Boundless Realm, the fact that they had managed to survive in a corner of this dog-eat-dog world proved their capability.

They used their strength to make the players understand the consequences of invading their territory, and they also made Tang Yu, who was watching the battle from behind the scenes, realize one thing.

Creatures born in the spirit-rich Boundless Realm, no matter how weak, were far stronger than the players at their current stage.

The battle lasted less than five minutes before the players' subordinate units fell in droves, unable to put up any resistance.

The heroic ambitions in the players' hearts were thoroughly crushed under the iron fists of the White Apes.

As the White Apes closed in on the area where the players were located, fear even began to surface in their hearts.

The oppressive feeling of facing an invincible monster left many players unable to catch their breath.

Tang Yu, seeing the players' reactions from behind the scenes, frowned slightly, but then relaxed.

He knew it would take time.

Born in a new era, the players had never encountered real war, so it was inevitable that they would feel fear at this moment.

For the players to fully adapt to war, a process was still required.

Thinking of this, Tang Yu calmed his mindset and stopped expecting too much from the players.

He would just treat this as an adaptive encounter.

The battle continued.

Having broken through the encirclement of the army like a hot knife through butter, the White Ape pack finally reached the players.

These three-meter-tall White Apes were steaming with mist from their intense exertion, their ferocious expressions suggesting they were ready to devour anyone in their path.

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

Players carrying hoes began to scatter and flee.

Although some players chose to resist and face their fear, in the face of absolute power, courage was useless for anything other than dying sooner than the others.

"Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor! Where are my subjects!"

"Screw you, you idiot, get out of my way!"

"I won't retreat even if I die! I'll fight you to the end! Take this shovel!"

The scene was in total chaos.

Some chose to run, some chose to face the White Apes head-on, but most players were just wandering through the crowd like headless flies.

Seeing this, Tang Yu sighed helplessly.

Just when he thought the first battle would end in a one-sided rout, the situation suddenly changed.

One White Ape seemed exhausted and stood in place, panting for a rest.

At that moment, a small, thin White Ape appeared out of thin air beside it. Under the confused gaze of the larger ape, it pounced, plunging its claws directly into the other's eyes.

Painful roars erupted as the fallen White Ape began to struggle and wail, blood streaming from its eyes.

Then, four Blood Gladiators appeared and launched an attack on the fallen White Ape.

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

As they swung their arms, they used their spears to carve bloody gashes into the White Ape. Although the wounds were not deep, their strength was clearly a cut above the Blood Gladiators of the other players.

"Sneak attack successful, nice!"

In the distance, hiding in the grass and watching the battle like a pair of creeps, Jiang Ming and Huang Yan high-fived in celebration before turning their gaze back to the fallen White Ape, continuing to command their units to press the attack.

Blinded and now completely berserk, the White Ape swung its fists wildly, smashing two Blood Gladiators away on the spot before reaching out to grab the Little Dragon Ape dangling from its neck.

Seeing this, the Little Dragon Ape dodged nimbly and delivered a heavy punch to the injured White Ape's neck.

The roar came to an abrupt halt; the White Ape let out a low whimper before enduring the pain to swipe at the Little Dragon Ape once more.

Though the Little Dragon Ape, formerly a lord of the White Ape Tribe, was only level 12, it already displayed a natural talent for combat, moving with such agility that it dodged the injured White Ape's claws again.

Due to the intense exertion, blood flowed ceaselessly from the torn wounds, and the White Ape was clearly running out of stamina, unable to do anything against the agile Little Dragon Ape.

Realizing that this sneak attack might actually kill the exhausted beast, Jiang Ming and Huang Yan, watching from afar, trembled with excitement.

However, their joy didn't last long.

The White Ape, no longer able to struggle, chose not to surrender; it turned its head and began to howl toward the area where its kin resided.

Within moments, three more White Apes arrived at the sound of its call.

Jiang Ming and Huang Yan, who had been ready to collect their "big prize," were instantly dumbfounded by the sight.

"The duck that was already in our mouths just flew away. What do we do?" Huang Yan asked, looking toward Jiang Ming.

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Ming said viciously:

"This White Ape is already in a near-death state. Even if we can't have it, we absolutely cannot let it get away!"

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

"Everyone, come quickly! There's a near-death White Ape here. It can drop a White Ape Soul and soul power for leveling units. First come, first served! (Screenshot of White Ape status.jpg)"

After shouting, Jiang Ming conveniently posted the coordinates.

Glancing at the stunned Huang Yan, Jiang Ming grinned:

"Now, we're going to have some fun."

Just as Jiang Ming had anticipated.

Seeing the "near-death White Ape status screenshot" in the regional chat channel, the players immediately turned green with envy.

The value of a single White Ape Soul being comparable to a house was no joke.

The wealthiest player on the Omnipotent God discussion board had once offered 2 million to "Grandpa Jiang" to purchase a White Ape Soul.

Although he was ruthlessly rejected, it was enough to prove the value of a White Ape Soul.

In a short time, a large number of players swarmed toward the coordinates.

Faced with the temptation of a White Ape Soul and soul power, the players generally thought the same thing.

At worst, I'll be dead for three hours, but what if I'm the one who snatches it?

Isn't two million worth it!