No Fair Play

A rapid peal of bells rang across Vermilion Ridge, and the warriors hurried to their positions along the walls.

The arrow towers and Three-Bow Bed Crossbows fired together. Two Houtian Treasure bed crossbows stood ready.

"These fierce beasts have no organization or discipline. Vermilion Ridge's defenses can hold them off easily. I'll check on the ruins."

Feng Xu took out the Heaven-Hanging Ruler and left. Feng Chi led several people down the mountain to help defend it.

Far more fierce beasts had gathered at the Wind-Fire Ruins than at Vermilion Ridge.

The ruins lay deeper in the Great Wilderness, and they also held the Blood Pool.

Its surging vitality drew countless fierce beasts to attack.

The warriors here were stronger, but fewer people lived at the ruins, and they had fewer defenses.

They had only four Three-Bow Bed Crossbows and one Houtian Treasure bed crossbow.

There were plenty of arrow towers, but they did limited damage to large fierce beasts tainted by Baleful Qi.

As long as the beasts drew breath, they attacked without fear or pain. Only fatal blows would stop them; wounds could merely slow them down.

The warriors activated their Bloodline Power, formed a spear wall, and met the beasts head-on.

Feng Xu fired from above, striking a vital point with every shot.

The Heaven-Hanging Ruler was a Supreme Houtian Dharma Artifact, and Feng Xu had the strength of a Late Earth Immortal. Anything below that level could be pierced outright.

"Everyone, hold your positions. I'm going ahead to deal with a big one."

Feng Xu looked into the distance. A gray python hundreds of yards long was lurching toward them.

The python had lost its mind. Its body swayed erratically, as though it could no longer control itself and the two halves of its brain were fighting each other.

Farther away, a silver-gray Giant Ape a hundred yards tall was charging toward them too. Half its face had rotted away, and its movements were stiff and frenzied, stripped of their former agility.

Both creatures were Late Earth Immortals the tribe had never dared provoke. Feng Xu had not expected Baleful Qi to consume them too.

He bounded through the trees, shooting down fierce beasts around him as he advanced.

He reached the python first. It seemed not to notice him and made no move to attack.

Feng Xu pressed himself against its body and activated Devouring, drawing Baleful Qi out of it in a torrent.

The Baleful Qi had long since fused with the python's flesh and soul. Forcibly tearing it free brought the agony of a soul being ripped apart and a body splitting open.

The python thrashed wildly, but without its wits, it did not know to attack Feng Xu. Its struggles were useless.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the python went limp and lay motionless on the ground.

Feng Xu was about to take out the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web to capture it when a shadow suddenly fell over him.

Before he could react, a massive fist sent him flying.

The world spun. Feng Xu's chest tightened, and stars burst before his eyes.

By the time his head cleared, the Giant Ape was above him again.

It hammered Feng Xu back into the ground with its forearm. A huge crater opened beneath him, and dust engulfed half the hill.

Before the dust settled, the Giant Ape rained punches into the crater.

Then its fist stopped. A pair of enormous hands had caught it. They belonged to Feng Xu.

Feng Xu now stood a hundred yards tall. He flung the Giant Ape aside.

The Giant Ape attacked again, and Feng Xu met it head-on.

There were no fighting techniques, only a contest of whose fists were heavier, harder, and faster.

Feng Xu had cultivated the Eight-Nine Mystical Art to its fifth turn. The first turn of the Nine-Turn Origin Art had also strengthened his flesh. He could trade blows with the Giant Ape without fear.

A powerful body had to be forged through relentless punishment.

Feng Xu used no tricks. He tempered his body and will through combat at its most brutal and direct.

As the fight carried him farther from the tribe's defenses, many weaker fierce beasts died in the wake of their clashes.

With every head-on collision, some Baleful Qi flowed from the Giant Ape into Feng Xu.

Gradually, the Giant Ape grew more agile. It no longer did nothing but attack.

Feng Xu drove a heavy punch into the Giant Ape's fist, and both staggered back several steps.

"Now that's a fight!"

The Giant Ape roared and charged Feng Xu again.

Feng Xu surged forward as well, gathering strength for a punch.

Just then, the python struck without warning and coiled tightly around Feng Xu.

The more he struggled, the tighter it squeezed.

"Get off him!"

The Giant Ape slammed both palms into the python's head.

While the python reeled, the Giant Ape pried it off Feng Xu, smashed it against the ground several times, and tossed it aside.

"Come on. Let's keep going!"

The Giant Ape charged Feng Xu once more.

Feng Xu charged to meet it.

What is with this Giant Ape?

You could call it honorable, but it ambushed me at the start.

You could call it dishonorable, but it helped me deal with the python and insists on fighting one-on-one.

Honorable or not, I'm certainly not.

Feng Xu made his move. Finding an opening, he drove a vicious kick straight into the Giant Ape's groin.

The Giant Ape's mouth formed an O. One hand clutched its groin while the other reached out to signal that the fight was over.

Feng Xu did not know whether to laugh or cry. The fact that it could feel pain meant most of the Baleful Qi had cleared.

He stepped forward and activated Devouring, absorbing every trace of Baleful Qi left in the Giant Ape.

Once the Baleful Qi was gone, the Giant Ape felt even more pain below. It endured the agony and walked away with its legs pressed together.

Feng Xu did not pursue it. He turned toward the python, which was trying to slip away.

"You dare ambush me? I'll make sure nothing goes to waste."

Feng Xu grabbed the python by the tail and slammed it into the ground six times in a row.

The python soon lost all strength and lay dying on the ground.

Feng Xu enlarged the Heaven-Hanging Ruler and severed the snake's head with one strike.

He stripped off its skin and stored it in the Heavenly Net and Earthly Web.

He quickly returned to his normal size. By the time he reached the defensive line, the warriors had killed every fierce beast nearby.

"Feng Xu, are you all right?"

The guard captain, Feng He, came forward to ask.

He had seen part of the fight, but only the parts where Feng Xu was taking a beating.

"I'm fine. Burn all the fierce beasts' bodies together. Be careful not to touch them directly, or the Baleful Qi will cling to you."

Feng He nodded and took more than a hundred people to clear the battlefield.

Feng Xu found a quiet place to restore his spiritual power.

Unlike the Giant Ape, whose hundred-yard height was natural, Feng Xu burned through spiritual power rapidly whenever he grew that large.

If he faced the Giant Ape again, he would either fight at his normal size or end the battle quickly.

Feng Xu gazed into the distance.

He had held nothing back with that kick to the groin. He wondered if the Giant Ape would ever have offspring.

Feng Xu looked down at his own groin. He ought to strengthen it too, in case someone tried the same move on him.

Three days later, the fire had burned the fierce beasts' bodies to ash.

Feng Xu absorbed all the remaining Baleful Qi.

Even with the Baleful Qi from the Giant Ape and the python, what he had gained over the past few days had only added a thin layer to his rice-grain-sized Baleful Core.

He could be sure the Baleful Core would not erupt anytime soon.

Feng Xu finally felt at ease, though he was a little disappointed too.

He had been looking forward to seeing what the Baleful Core could do.

Feng Chi came from Vermilion Ridge with Feng Sui's orders.

In two days, they would join more than a hundred other tribes to form an encirclement, then gradually tighten it.

This campaign targeted only Baleful Qi.

They were to let no beast tainted by Baleful Qi escape. Other beasts could be spared if doing so posed no danger to their own people.

Feng He assigned the warriors according to Feng Sui's orders.

Feng Xu left those arrangements to him. He would simply follow the force and absorb Baleful Qi.

An eagle cried overhead, and a Giant Eagle landed at the ruins.

It was one of the Eagle King's offspring and now lived alongside the Lin Tribe.

Lin Feng climbed off the Giant Eagle's back and ran over to show Feng Xu his new ride.

"Check out my new mount. Pretty impressive, huh?"

Feng Xu gave Lin Feng no chance to bask in it.

"Oh, please. It gave you a ride, and now you think you're its master? They're not dogs raised by the Wind-Fire Tribe. They're partners, not servants."