"Human, you're asking to die!"
Faced with Xiao Ze's choice, the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape roared in fury. Its beastly eyes immediately filled with blood-red light, and a violent aura poured from its massive body.
Its eyes were scarlet, as though it had been blinded by rage.
"Take this staff!" The several-dozen-zhang iron staff swept through the air in its grasp, transforming into a hundred terrifying afterimages. Each one carried enough energy to destroy a mountain.
The countless staff shadows descended, sealing off an area hundreds of meters in every direction.
"Xiao Ze!" Yun Yun, standing nearby, looked worried.
"Don't worry! It's only a crazed monkey. Just watch me cut it down with one strike—"
Xiao Ze chuckled softly and shot into the air.
He stood high above, Taixiao Sword hovering over his head. His vast sword intent poured out like a tide, transforming into countless sharp swords. Thousands upon thousands of sword images formed a terrifying sword domain.
"Holy Spirit Sword Technique: Sword Twenty!"
A surging aura erupted from within him. He raised his right hand, gripped the hilt of Taixiao Sword, and then a cold glint flashed in his eyes as he slashed down fiercely at the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape.
A hundred-zhang scarlet-gold sword beam shot out. Its dazzling golden light was like a blazing sun, so bright it made people squint. Beneath that blinding golden sword light lay terrifying sword qi.
Every strand of sword qi was like a powerful surge of energy.
Beneath thousands of strands of sword qi, even a Sixth-Rank Magical Beast renowned for its defense would ultimately meet a bitter end.
"You want to kill this king? Human, you're not good enough!"
Feeling the sharpness of the attack, the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape's pupils contracted. It roared and hurled the iron staff in its hands high into the air. Then its palms moved rapidly, sending a succession of illusory handprints flying from its body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The handprints struck the iron staff again and again.
The muffled impacts rang out like thunder, sending a piercing hum through the air.
As a steady stream of Dou Qi flowed into the demonic staff, the unremarkable weapon suddenly glimmered with an eerie light. One by one, pitch-black runes came into view, radiating a bone-chilling cold.
"Ape Demon Strike!"
The Gold-Devouring Demon Ape roared.
The demonic staff, originally several dozen zhang long, suddenly grew larger. In just a few breaths, it had reached a hundred zhang. The eerie runes flashed as an illusory demonic ape appeared, gripping the staff and unleashing a strike that shook the heavens.
Boom!
The demonic staff collided with the sword qi.
Two terrifying currents of energy tangled and churned together, unleashing surging ripples that battered everything around them.
Several mountains were reduced to rubble by the shock waves of the explosion.
"You've got some strength, but not much!"
"Gold-Devouring Demon Ape, this is where you'll sleep for good!"
A huge cloud of dust rose into the sky.
Just as the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape was beginning to relax, Xiao Ze suddenly appeared behind it. Its expression darkened as it turned around—only to see a terrifying sight. More than a hundred afterimages had appeared all around it, above, below, and on every side, trapping it completely.
As it stared in terror, every afterimage lifted a palm in unison, unleashing astonishing energy.
"Heaven Burning Palm!"
A flaming palm several dozen zhang across slammed forward and struck the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape. In an instant, the flames burst open into a sea of fire and swallowed it whole.
"Ah!" The Gold-Devouring Demon Ape's anguished wail echoed from within the flames.
Its mournful cry sounded as if heaven and earth themselves were grieving.
"Stop!"
The instant the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape was attacked,
several deafening roars rang out.
Then several torrents of terrifying energy shot in from every direction. Their target wasn't Xiao Ze, but the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape swallowed by the Heaven Burning Palm.
In moments, the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape was rescued from the sea of fire.
"So you've finally shown yourselves..."
Xiao Ze wasn't surprised. He withdrew his hand, and there, beside the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape, stood four other Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts whose cultivation had reached the Dou Emperor realm.
"I was wondering why you were so bold. Turns out you had these other beasts backing you!" Xiao Ze said coldly as he looked at the four newly arrived Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts.
That's right!
The Gold-Devouring Demon Ape had attacked without warning because the other beasts had put it up to it.
If it could drive Xiao Ze away, all the better. If not, testing his strength would still help them when the time came to fight over the ancient ruins.
But they hadn't expected Xiao Ze to be far stronger than they'd imagined.
In just a few exchanges, he had gravely wounded the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape.
He had struck so quickly that even the strongest among them hadn't managed to react.
Though they had worked together to rescue the Gold-Devouring Demon Ape, it was still gravely wounded. Half its body had been burned by the Heaven Burning Palm, and blood poured from its wounds as its aura sank into a feeble state.
Even its fur, tough enough to rival iron, had been burned to a charred black.
The beast looked utterly wretched.
"Esteemed human expert, I apologize to you on the Demon Ape's behalf. This was entirely its fault. Given that the ancient ruins are about to open, I hope you can set your grudge aside for now."
"We would be deeply grateful."
A golden tiger several dozen zhang tall slowly stepped forward. It had a pair of wings on its back, wreathed in golden flames. Its fierce, white-browed eyes radiated the majesty of a king, and scarlet-gold flames danced within its brilliant golden pupils.
It was called the Red Gold Fierce Tiger, and it was the strongest of the Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts present.
Even Xiao Ze couldn't help but look solemn when he saw it.
"Seventh-Rank Magical Beast? No! Not yet..." From what he could sense, its cultivation had reached the peak of the Sixth-Rank Magical Beasts, and it had even begun to touch the realm of the Seventh-Rank Magical Beasts.
In human terms, it was a terrifying expert with one foot in the Dou Zong realm.
If his guess was right, it had come here hoping to find some treasure in the ancient ruins that could help it break through.
For example—the Human-Form Pill.
"Since you've asked, I'll grant you this favor!" There were now four beasts here with strength comparable to high-level Dou Emperors, one of them even comparable to a Half-Dou Zong.
Xiao Ze wasn't afraid of them joining forces, but with the ancient ruins about to open, he didn't want to invite trouble.
"Thank you for your understanding!" The Red Gold Fierce Tiger breathed a little easier.
Unless absolutely necessary, it didn't want to fight the man before it either. From what it sensed, this human was terrifyingly powerful.
Even if it joined forces with the other beasts, they might not be a match for him.
Better to avoid trouble where possible.
As long as it could find a treasure in the ancient ruins that would help it break through, then once it advanced to a Seventh-Rank Magical Beast, this human would be no more than a prize in its grasp!
"Xiao Ze, are you all right?"
After Xiao Ze and the beasts reached an agreement,
the two sides naturally put some distance between them. Yun Yun flew to his side, her eyes filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Xiao Ze said softly.
With both sides halting their fight,
it wasn't long before
the pillar of light before them gradually split open, revealing a multicolored passage.
"Let's go!"
The instant the passage appeared, Xiao Ze didn't hesitate. He immediately took Yun Yun and rushed toward it.
Meanwhile, the beasts on the other side wasted no time either. They each used their own abilities and, one after another, charged into the multicolored passage.
In the blink of an eye, their figures vanished into it.
"A thousand years... Has this venerable one's opportunity finally arrived?"
"Heh heh heh—"
Before you continue