Battling the Lord Spirit Beast Purple-Stripe Demon Ape, the Fierce Tiger Roaring at the Mountain Fist Shows Its Might
Liu Yurou did not answer Perfected Daoxuan's question.
Instead, she first swept her divine sense over everyone in turn. Only after learning their cultivation levels did she grow thoughtful.
With their strength, they could indeed break through this stronghold's spiritual energy barrier.
But then she said coldly, "Were you the ones who broke into the stronghold occupied by our Evergreen Sect?"
At those words, cold sweat began streaming down Perfected Daoxuan's forehead. The Evergreen Sect's Tiancan Tudou had long disliked him.
He hurriedly explained, "A misunderstanding! It was all a misunderstanding! At first, we thought those azure wolves were guardian demonic beasts in the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm]. We truly never imagined they were your Evergreen Sect's spirit beasts!"
Liu Yurou paid no heed to Perfected Daoxuan's explanation and said coldly, "You must give our Evergreen Sect an accounting for this!"
As the organizer of this assault on the advanced stronghold, Perfected Daoxuan was dissatisfied, but with the other party's strength plain to see, he had no choice but to bow his head.
Thus, he asked, "May I ask what sort of accounting you want, Fairy?"
Liu Yurou recalled her master's instructions before her departure: she could not make things too embarrassing for these people, but neither could she let them off just like that.
If they pushed these top-ten sects too hard and drove them to leap over the wall like cornered dogs, attacking the many strongholds the Evergreen Sect occupied but had left unguarded, the losses would outweigh the gains.
Thus, she said, "Before I left, my master told me that you might truly have attacked our Evergreen Sect's stronghold unintentionally, but the chief culprit must be Perfected Daoxuan of the Daoxuan Sect."
"May I ask which of you is Perfected Daoxuan?"
Perfected Daoxuan was stunned, his sense of foreboding growing heavier. "Fairy, I am Perfected Daoxuan."
Liu Yurou looked at Perfected Daoxuan with a trace of a smile, then slowly said, "Since you led the attack on our Evergreen Sect's stronghold, your punishment will be to compensate our sect with 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"
"What?"
Perfected Daoxuan nearly jumped.
Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones? Even emptying his Daoxuan Sect would not yield that many!
Even though his Daoxuan Sect had placed second in the first week's competition and received fifty high-grade spirit stones, those only amounted to 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones.
"That son of a bitch Tiancan Tudou! You've singled me out to fleece, haven't you?"
Perfected Daoxuan's muttered curses did not escape Liu Yurou's hearing.
She snorted coldly. "What were you just muttering?"
Perfected Daoxuan hurriedly waved his hands. "Nothing! Our Daoxuan Sect truly cannot produce 10,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"
At that moment, the sect master of the Azure Luan Sect beside him seemed to think of something and sent Perfected Daoxuan a voice transmission. "Perfected Daoxuan, bargain with her!"
If Tiancan Tudou really was Lin Feng, then Fairy Qingluan had already guessed his objective.
Perfected Daoxuan's eyes shifted at her words. He then looked at Liu Yurou and said, "Ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones is too much. Our Daoxuan Sect can offer no more than 10,000 low-grade spirit stones as compensation."
Liu Yurou's face twitched. "No. At least 5,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"
"Twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones. Not a single one more!"
"No, that's too little to show your sincerity. It has to be at least 2,000 mid-grade spirit stones!"
"..."
Their back-and-forth left the other sect masters with aching heads.
Fortunately, this Evergreen Sect listened to reason and loved money. If it had simply wiped them out without another word, they would not even have had a chance to resist.
Hearing Perfected Daoxuan apparently becoming addicted to haggling, Liu Yurou rubbed her forehead impatiently.
"I'll give you one final chance. A fixed price of five hundred mid-grade spirit stones. If you dare haggle again, that Daoxuan Sect disciple beside you will stay here!"
At that moment, Perfected Daoxuan finally understood.
Tiancan Tudou really was a bastard. He had already sold him five supreme-grade spirit jade blanks at cost, charging him five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.
It had only been a few days, and now he wanted that money back!
What rotten luck he had, enough for eight lifetimes!
Without another word, Perfected Daoxuan counted out five hundred mid-grade spirit stones one by one from his storage pouch and handed them to Liu Yurou.
Finally, Perfected Daoxuan said through gritted teeth, "Please report back to your sect master and ask him to plant a flag in every stronghold your Evergreen Sect occupies, so we won't blunder into one again!"
With that, he left without looking back.
Deep within the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm].
Lin Feng and Tie Dali had both extended their divine senses, carefully searching for something.
Then a hint of delight appeared on Lin Feng's face.
"I knew there had to be a lord-class demonic beast in this [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm] too. So this was where it was hiding!"
Hearing him, Tie Dali hurried to Lin Feng's side. Unfortunately, he was only at early Foundation Establishment, and his divine sense could not reach as far as Lin Feng's. He still found no trace of anything.
Lin Feng patted Tie Dali's shoulder. "Don't rush. Once we go another three hundred meters, you'll be able to sense that ape."
A trace of excitement appeared on Tie Dali's face. He was about to fight a Foundation Establishment Realm demonic beast for the first time, and he had no idea how strong this lord-class boss that had spawned in the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm] would be.
They covered the three hundred meters in an instant.
The moment they stepped into the heart of this dense forest, a savage, weighty Foundation Establishment Realm demonic pressure came crushing down.
The surrounding spirit herbs and trees bent and toppled. Compared to the Bloodshadow Wolf King they had slain earlier, this pressure was on an entirely different level.
At that moment, Tie Dali finally picked up the lord-class demonic beast's location clearly.
In the center of the dense forest, a giant ape covered in coarse, stiff black hair sat cross-legged atop a spiritual vein node.
Its massive body was like a mountain, its shoulders more than ten feet wide.
Its arms were as thick as ancient tree trunks, its five fingertips gleamed with razor-sharp black claws, and a pale purple spirit marking grew in the center of its forehead. Dense, savage spiritual energy from the secret realm swirled around it.
It was none other than the lord boss that had spawned this time in the Myriad Spirits Secret Realm, the Purple-Stripe Demon Ape-a genuine early Foundation Establishment demonic beast!
Sensing the intrusion of strangers, the Purple-Stripe Demon Ape snapped its eyes open, scarlet ferocity blazing from them. It abruptly rose, its heavy feet making the ground tremble and crack, sending dust and broken stones flying.
It opened its mouth and let out a wild roar that shook the mountain forest. Foundation Establishment Realm demonic power swept in every direction, churning the surrounding air violently as ferocious killing intent surged toward them.
Tie Dali's expression turned solemn. Rather than feeling the slightest fear, fierce battle intent blazed within him.
This was the first time in his life he would fight a demonic beast that had truly entered the Foundation Establishment Realm!
"Master, your disciple requests permission to fight!"
Tie Dali requested battle in a low voice. Before Lin Feng could respond, he had already stepped forward, the low-grade spirit artifact Rock-Crushing Gauntlets already fitted over his fists.
His spiritual energy instantly surged at full force. The pure spiritual energy of his Heavenly Spiritual Root poured madly through his limbs and body, brilliant spiritual light blazed over his fists, and a faint mountain-and-tiger aura burst outward.
The upper yellow-grade cultivation technique he had cultivated to major accomplishment, the Fierce Tiger Roaring at the Mountain Fist, was instantly driven to its utmost!
"Fierce Tiger Pounces on the Wind!"
Tie Dali suddenly shot forward, his movements carrying the heavy, fierce momentum of a mountain. He tore through the oncoming demonic wind, gathered power in both fists, and blasted straight at the demon ape's chest and abdomen!
The Purple-Stripe Demon Ape's ferocity surged to the heavens. Relying on its powerful demonic beast physique, it neither dodged nor evaded, instead swinging its thick arm viciously across. Fists met claws with a thunderous crash.
Bang!
Savage demonic power surged back along his arms, and Tie Dali felt an immense force rushing toward him.
His arms went numb from the impact, and his blood surged. Involuntarily, he staggered back three steps, his feet gouging two shallow furrows in the ground.
Without the low-grade spirit artifact gauntlets, his fists would probably have suffered serious injuries by now.
The Purple-Stripe Demon Ape, in contrast, merely swayed slightly and remained completely unharmed.
This lord-class Purple-Stripe Demon Ape was actually at the peak of early Foundation Establishment, its strength considerably greater than his.
Nearby, Lin Feng stood with his hands behind his back, watching quietly without intervening.
He knew that Tie Dali was likewise at early Foundation Establishment, with solid reserves and a powerful physique. All he lacked was experience honed through high-level life-and-death combat to temper his foundations.
Thwarted in his first strike, Tie Dali's gaze grew even more resolute. Suppressing his surging blood, he charged forward to attack again.
He knew his spiritual energy reserves and cultivation depth were both inferior to his opponent's. He could only break the deadlock through his exquisite fist technique, spirit artifact gauntlets, and combat experience.
In an instant, dense fist shadows blasted out in overlapping layers. Tiger roars rang incessantly as heavy, mountain-suppressing force stacked upon itself, relentlessly pounding the demon ape's vital points.
The three moves of the upper yellow-grade Fierce Tiger Roaring at the Mountain Fist cycled in succession. Fierce, domineering fist force clung tightly to the demon ape's attacks, overcoming strength with skill and suppressing savagery with power.
The Purple-Stripe Demon Ape roared repeatedly, smashing its fists and sweeping its sharp claws. Every blow carried mountain-cleaving, rock-splitting Foundation Establishment demonic power. Even a graze would break bones and tear sinews.
Under the savage onslaught, the entire dense forest was battered into a wreck, broken timber and shattered stones flying everywhere.
Through dozens of exchanges, Tie Dali consistently avoided its fiercest attacks and struck at its openings. Relying on reactions far beyond others of his level and the pure spiritual energy of his Heavenly Spiritual Root, he withstood the demon ape's relentless bombardment.
But the gap in cultivation was ultimately difficult to bridge.
During one close-range exchange, the demon ape suddenly erupted, slamming a brutal elbow strike into Tie Dali's left shoulder.
Thud!
A heavy impact sounded. Tie Dali grunted as bone-piercing pain instantly shot through his left shoulder. His clothes tore, his flesh reddened and bruised, and his entire left arm went numb, his spiritual energy circulation growing somewhat sluggish.
The minor injury brought bone-piercing pain, yet it fully ignited Tie Dali's fierce, hot-blooded courage!
Instead of retreating, he advanced. Enduring the intense pain in his shoulder, he abandoned all defense and drove his spiritual energy into a completely overdrawn surge, sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"Tiger Roars in Myriad Ravines!"
A powerful tiger roar suddenly exploded from his chest.
The sound waves carried mountain-suppressing force, shaking every direction and striking precisely at the demon ape's sea of consciousness and internal organs.
The Purple-Stripe Demon Ape's movements abruptly stalled. A brief daze appeared in its scarlet eyes, and its demonic power instantly fell into disarray!
Now!
Seizing that fleeting opening, Tie Dali gathered every last bit of his spiritual energy and brute physical strength into his right fist. A tiger phantom condensed to its utmost, enveloping the entire battlefield!
"Suppress the Peak and Shatter the Mountain!"
The ultimate killing move crashed home!
Overwhelmingly domineering fist force slammed viciously into the side of the Purple-Stripe Demon Ape's head. Power as heavy as a mountain instantly penetrated its body, detonating the disordered demonic power within.
Aooo!
The Purple-Stripe Demon Ape let out a brief, shrill howl of agony. Its enormous body shuddered violently, and the purple spirit marking on its forehead instantly dimmed and shattered.
Its massive body crashed to the ground. It struggled several times, its limbs twitching briefly, before all life left it.
The thunderous noise ceased, and the dust slowly dispersed.
Tie Dali withdrew his fist and stood, panting slightly, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead.
The bruising on his left shoulder was particularly conspicuous, sending repeated stabs of pain through him. Much of his spiritual energy had been drained, and his aura was somewhat unsteady. He had sustained minor injuries.
But his eyes grew clearer and brighter, his blood surging throughout his body. After this grueling battle, his foundations were even more stable, and the intent of his fist technique had become more condensed and complete.
Looking at Tie Dali standing before him, victorious and bathed in blood, deep approval surfaced in Lin Feng's eyes.
Never look down on a poor middle-aged man!
And as Tie Dali finished off this lord-class demonic beast, a new world announcement appeared in the 999 Sect World.
[Congratulations to the Evergreen Sect for slaying the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm] peak of early Foundation Establishment lord-class boss Purple-Stripe Demon Ape and obtaining generous rewards. At the same time, the difficulty of capturing strongholds in the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm] has been halved, and all sects' rewards in the [Myriad Spirits Secret Realm] have been doubled.]