The light between the trees grew dimmer, and the scent of rotting leaves mingled with fresh blood, slowly spreading through the damp air.
Wu Yingying's face flushed red, her chest rising and falling slightly. She was clearly furious.
She bit her lip, then finally turned to leave, the hem of her fitted blue outfit tracing a crisp arc through the air.
"Just you wait! Sooner or later, I'll make you beg for mercy!"
By the time her words fell, she had already vanished into the shadows of the tangled ancient trees in a few bounds.
Mu Chen couldn't help chuckling. A prodigy with cheats to boot-he couldn't imagine anyone surpassing him!
Over the next month, Mu Chen traveled through this ancient sea of trees.
There were no paths through the forest, only tangled roots and ever-present vines and venomous insects.
But to Mu Chen, who had already forged his Innate Chaos Saint Body Dao Embryo, these obstacles might as well not have existed.
One evening, Mu Chen crossed a raised ridge, and the view suddenly opened before him.
A valley lay encircled by mountain walls, with a dark, fathomless pool at its center.
Beside the pool, seven grayish-white ape Spirit Beasts with arms extending past their knees bent down to drink.
Intermediate Spirit Beasts, Iron-Armed Apes.
The Ape King leading them was a full size larger than the others, standing over ten feet at the shoulder. When its arms hung down, its knuckles nearly touched the ground, and its aura had already reached the level of an advanced Spirit Beast!
Looks a little interesting. I wonder how many punches it can take!
Mu Chen slowly emerged from the ridge's shadows, his footsteps finally alerting the drinking apes.
The Iron-Armed Ape King was the first to raise its head, its crimson eyes instantly locking onto Mu Chen.
It stood upright and pounded its chest with its long arms, producing dull, thunderous beats like a war drum.
The other seven Iron-Armed Apes stopped drinking and spread into a fan formation, baring their sharp fangs.
Mu Chen walked straight toward them.
This thoroughly enraged the troop.
Three Iron-Armed Apes lunged first, running on all fours so fast that they left grayish-white afterimages through the trees.
A shrill rush of wind rang out as six iron-gray arms clawed at Mu Chen's vital points from different angles.
Mu Chen took half a step forward and casually reached out with his right hand, grabbing one Iron-Armed Ape by the arm.
The next instant, Mu Chen twisted his waist slightly and exerted strength through his arm!
Whoosh!
He swung the captured Iron-Armed Ape up with one hand, tracing an arc through the air before smashing it viciously into the other two charging apes!
Bang!!!
The dull impact exploded through the valley.
The Iron-Armed Ape wielded as a weapon collided squarely with the other two.
Bones shattered in a torrent of cracks. Almost instantly, all three Iron-Armed Apes were mangled, their chests caved in and spines snapped, blood gushing wildly from their mouths and noses.
One strike, three apes dead!
Mu Chen shook the few flecks of blood from his hand and calmly looked at the Ape King.
"Your turn."
"Rooaar!!!"
The Ape King threw back its head and roared, its cry brimming with fury and madness. Its eyes turned completely crimson, its muscles bulging as blood-red patterns flowed across its body.
Boom!
It kicked off the ground, shattering the rock beneath its feet, and its entire body became a gray afterimage hurtling straight at Mu Chen.
Its long arms rose high, fists clenched, then smashed down!
Mu Chen likewise curled his fingers into a fist and punched straight at the Ape King.
There were no fancy techniques, only raw stats!
Boom!!!
The instant their fists collided, a visible ring of air exploded outward from them, sweeping up loose stones and fallen leaves in a wild surge.
Crack.
The crisp sound of breaking bone rang out.
The savage expression on the Ape King's face froze, then contorted into excruciating pain.
"Awooo!!"
The Ape King let out a piercing howl of agony, its massive body staggering backward under the force of the recoil.
But Mu Chen gave it no chance to catch its breath.
He stepped forward, his left fist already shooting out like lightning toward the Ape King's skull.
This punch was even faster and heavier than the last!
The Ape King instinctively raised its uninjured left arm to block, but that iron arm, tough enough to withstand blades, was as fragile as thin paper before this punch.
The instant fist met arm, the bones snapped. Mu Chen's fist continued without losing momentum, slamming squarely into the Ape King's forehead.
Pop.
The sound was quiet, like a fully ripened watermelon being lightly cracked open.
The Ape King's body abruptly stiffened, its crimson eyes rapidly dimming. A fist-shaped dent sank into its forehead, while a matching bulge protruded from the back of its head.
That punch had shattered both its skull and its brain.
The Ape King's massive body swayed, then crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The remaining three Iron-Armed Apes recovered from their shock, fear overwhelming everything else.
They shrieked in terror, turned, and fled toward a fissure on the valley's eastern side.
Mu Chen merely glanced at them, then bent down and picked up three pebbles beside his feet.
His wrist flicked lightly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The three pebbles tore through the air with piercing whistles.
The three fleeing Iron-Armed Apes stiffened almost simultaneously. A bloody hole appeared in the back of each one's head, red and white matter slowly seeping out.
The three corpses fell one after another, twitching twice before lying still.
Silence returned to the valley.
Mu Chen slowly exhaled. The blood and vital energy in his chest gradually settled before they had even begun to boil.
The Spirit Beasts here are all too weak!
He walked over to the corpses and collected their Soul Essences one by one. Warm currents flowed back from the token, spreading through every limb and bone.
He could clearly feel his physical strength increase a little more.
"A Level Three Spirit Body already, but the boost isn't much..."
"Killing these low-level Spirit Beasts isn't much use either. I'll head to the Guardian Land first and try the Chaos Divine Mill Contemplation Method."
Half a month later.
The outline of a town appeared on the distant horizon.
At first, it was only a hazy silhouette, but its contours gradually sharpened as he drew closer.
The city walls towered high, their watchtowers standing silent beneath the twilight sky.
Mu Chen stopped and narrowed his eyes to look.
Walls hundreds of feet tall rose from the earth. Looking up from their base, their tops nearly disappeared into the darkening sky.
Cold gleams flashed atop the walls.
They came from rows of ballistae mounted behind the battlements.
Suddenly, a flash of silver caught the corner of Mu Chen's eye, and he turned to look.
A girl approached with a sword in hand, her long silver hair spilling over her shoulders like a waterfall. Its strands fell almost to her waist, drifting gently in the evening breeze.
She had a slender figure, with a dark belt cinched around her waist. Her black dress traced a silhouette that, though not yet fully mature, was already graceful and slim.
Though he could only see her profile, its contours were exquisite, as though carved from jade. Her skin was whiter than snow, and her brows curved like crescent moons, soft and delicate, yet enough to stir the heart!
Seeming to sense Mu Chen's gaze, she turned her face slightly.
Their eyes met.
Hers were a pair of exceptionally clear, glasslike eyes.
Their color was pale, like crystal immersed in a clear spring. Her gaze was calm and unruffled, devoid of emotion, as still as a deep pool.
She simply looked over, as though looking at a stone by the roadside.
Such beauty far surpassed Wu Yingying's, stirring something in Mu Chen's heart.
Could it be... she's Luo Li?
Before you continue