That was right. Dong Rouwan had just used Genjutsu.
She had trapped the gorilla in an illusion.
At that moment, Li Hongyu, who had already charged forward, seized the opportunity. Electricity crackled in his hand as a ball of blue lightning gathered in his palm. Suddenly, he punched the gorilla trapped in the illusion.
Bang-
Flesh churned and blood splattered everywhere. The smell of scorched meat spread through the air. The intense pain immediately broke the gorilla free of the illusion, and it roared, expressing its immense fury.
It raised its arm and swung a backhanded punch at Li Hongyu with all its strength.
A vine appeared around Li Hongyu's waist, caught him, and swiftly pulled him backward.
It was Bian Zhuyue's plant affinity ability!
The gorilla's punch missed. Seeing that it had failed to hit Li Hongyu, it grew even angrier.
It raised its head and let out a peculiar cry.
It seemed to be calling for someone.
Three against one? You have no sense of fair play! I'm calling for backup... The gorilla clearly was no fool. With these three working together, it had no chance at all, so it called for help!
It was not the only Transcendent Fierce Beast on Cloud Summit Mountain.
Bian Zhuyue seemed to notice something was wrong.
"Why do I feel like it's calling for reinforcements?" Bian Zhuyue said quietly.
Hearing Bian Zhuyue's words, Li Hongyu and Dong Rouwan froze for a moment, a sense of danger rising in their hearts.
Before the three had any time to react, a huge eagle appeared in the sky.
A piercing screech rang out.
Sensing the fluctuations of spiritual energy overhead, the three felt their hearts sink.
The eagle circling overhead, watching them hungrily, was also a Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beast.
That meant the three of them would face two Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beasts.
If they were facing only one Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beast, they would not be under much pressure. By working together, the three could kill one quite easily.
But facing two Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beasts at once would put them under tremendous pressure.
That was because they had only one main attacker: Li Hongyu. He was the team's damage dealer.
Dong Rouwan's Genjutsu was powerful, but her offensive power was relatively low. Moreover, the eagle was pressuring them from high in the sky.
None of the three could fly, so they had no effective way to deal with the eagle overhead.
As for Bian Zhuyue, that went without saying.
Her ability was plant affinity to begin with. It had little combat power, so she could only provide support from the sidelines.
Under these circumstances, Li Hongyu could neither quickly finish off one Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beast nor protect his teammates while being attacked by two.
In the end, the entire team would be wiped out.
That was why Li Hongyu was under immense pressure at that moment.
Bian Zhuyue and Dong Rouwan also knew how critical the situation was.
"What do we do now?" Dong Rouwan asked.
Bian Zhuyue said quietly, "Rather than all three of us dying here, I should stay behind and hold them off while you two run. Then you can avenge me someday..."
At that moment, Bian Zhuyue intended to sacrifice herself.
"Even if someone has to hold them off, it should be me. How long could someone like you hold them off? Wouldn't we all end up dying anyway?" Li Hongyu said gravely.
"No, I think we still have a chance! Running definitely won't work. We can't outrun these two Mortal Entry Stage Three fierce beasts. Our only choice is to stake everything on one last stand!" A trace of madness flashed in Dong Rouwan's eyes.
"If I use my Genjutsu at full strength, I can trap the eagle up there for ten seconds and make him fall. Then you can strike with everything you have and kill the eagle first."
Indeed, the eagle's defenses were weaker than the gorilla's. A full-power attack from Li Hongyu would certainly leave it severely wounded, or even kill it.
Once they dealt with the eagle, the three could surround the gorilla and kill it!
After settling on their tactics.
They made their move.
The gorilla had been severely wounded by Li Hongyu at the start and was still bleeding. However, red mist was now rising from its body, gently nourishing its wounded flesh and continuously healing it.
Heh, you hateful humans are dead meat. Once my body recovers, I'll pound every last one of you into meat patties... The gorilla stared at the three, its eyes filled with the urge to eat them alive.
The eagle circled overhead, ready at every moment. Like an assassin, it searched for a fatal weakness in its enemies, waiting to strike without fail.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a sorry sight, gorilla. Serves you right for hitting me the day before yesterday! Hmph, these three humans look delicious. I'll let the gorilla attack first, then wait for my chance to finish them off. I'm so clever, hahaha... The eagle mentally gave itself a thumbs-up for its ingenuity.
Unfortunately.
It did not know that danger had already crept up on it.
Just as it continued pondering, the scene before its eyes suddenly changed.
From its perspective.
Many female eagles stood before it, looking at it bashfully, as though saying, "Come have some fun, handsome. We'll all wait on you, heeheehee..."
The eagle immediately grew excited. "Hehehe, little beauties, here I come!"
It lunged forward.
But.
What greeted it was not the soft body of a female eagle, but the hard ground.
It struck the ground heavily, headfirst.
Splat-
Green vines suddenly sprouted from the ground, binding its limbs.
"Now!"
"Thunderclap!"
Li Hongyu strode forward, lightning blazing in his hand. Like a thunder god descending to earth, he struck at the eagle bound on the ground!
If that blow landed, the eagle would surely die!
Dong Rouwan and Bian Zhuyue watched with anticipation!
If it succeeded, they could survive!
But things often did not unfold as people hoped.
Just then, the gorilla, which had remained still for a long time, revealed a humanlike smile.
A glint of cunning flashed through its black eyes.
Rather than saving the eagle, it chose to charge at Dong Rouwan and Bian Zhuyue!
It was no fool. Since it could not save the eagle, it might as well trade it for two humans.
Hehehe, eagle, your death will be worthwhile. Don't worry, I'll send those two chicks to keep you company in a moment! What do you call this? A two-for-one trade. You're getting a great deal... The gorilla gave itself a thumbs-up for its ingenuity!
Squelch-
As Li Hongyu unleashed the full power of Thunderclap, the eagle had no time to react before a sea of lightning engulfed it. It felt a prickling numbness in its head, then lost consciousness.
Li Hongyu had smashed its head apart!
Suddenly.
Li Hongyu noticed the gorilla charging at Dong Rouwan and Bian Zhuyue, and was horrified.
"Get out of the way!"
Dong Rouwan and Bian Zhuyue also noticed the gorilla hurtling toward them.
They wanted to dodge, too, but it was already too late. It was simply too fast.
Dong Rouwan even tried to use Genjutsu, but it was useless. The gorilla had leaped at them, so even if it fell under the illusion, it would still crash into them.
As for Bian Zhuyue, she wanted to use her plant ability, but that was useless too, because it took time!
Li Hongyu could only watch helplessly as the two died under the gorilla's charge!
Terror appeared on Bian Zhuyue's and Dong Rouwan's faces. They were in despair!
Bian Zhuyue and Dong Rouwan looked terrified. They were in despair!