By the time they finished off the second wave of blue-striped apes, they had finally stirred the wrath of the Foundation Establishment beast.
More than thirty blue-striped apes had gone missing in short order. The ape leader noticed the anomaly almost at once and charged over with the rest of the troop in tow.
"Run!"
Seeing the killing intent boiling in the ape's eyes as it barreled toward them, everyone hurriedly activated their wind-riding techniques and fled toward the valley.
They were only thirty li from their destination. At their cultivation, they needed no more than the time of two sticks of incense to reach it.
But the demon ape was incredibly fast.
They had barely fled half that distance when the Foundation Establishment ape caught up. It roared, eyes burning red, and lunged at them in a frenzy.
A Foundation Establishment beast's body was as hard as refined iron. If it got into melee range, any one of them could be torn in half on the spot.
At that critical instant, the Second Elder threw out the Nine-Eyed Bell, expanding it into a shimmering barrier that wrapped around the group.
BOOM—
The ape slammed into the bell with a deafening crash and was blasted backward, tumbling through the air for a hundred meters.
The Second Elder's face flushed red. He forced down the blood surging in his chest and barked, "Move!"
No one had time to think. While the demon ape was still reeling from the blow, they rushed forward at full speed and widened the distance between them.
The chase continued.
Time and again, the ape closed the gap, and time and again, it was forcefully repelled by the Nine-Eyed Bell. At last they reached the valley entrance.
"Inside, now!"
They darted into the valley, deliberately drawing the demon ape in after them.
Only then did they notice that, because the Foundation Establishment ape was so much faster, it had pulled far ahead of the rank-one beasts, leaving them lagging behind.
"A perfect chance."
The group exchanged a quick glance, immediately activating the Fiery Sun Inferno Formation. Six formation flags flew from their hands, embedding themselves around the valley as searing flames erupted, turning the gorge into a blazing purgatory.
To boost the formation's power, they had already stacked dry wood all across the valley. Ordinarily worthless, these scraps now added a solid thirty percent to the array's strength. The fire roared skyward, and the demon ape howled in agony.
"Push it! Burn it down in one go!"
Seeing the beast thrash and scream, everyone grew excited and poured their true qi into the flags, refining the demon ape in the flames.
This second-rank formation's power was terrifying. It burned the demon ape until it lost all sense of direction, staggering blindly inside the array in unspeakable torment.
After about a quarter of an hour, the rest of the ape troop arrived. Hearing their leader's shrieks, the dozens of lesser apes no longer hesitated. They charged straight into the inferno to save it—
Only to be swallowed whole by the towering sea of fire.
"These beasts…"
Chen Nianzhi's expression shifted slightly. They had underestimated the Foundation Establishment ape… and the combined pressure of nearly a hundred lesser apes.
The Fiery Sun Inferno was strong, but trying to incinerate this many demon beasts at once demanded a tremendous amount of true qi.
Chen Nianzhi's cultivation was far deeper than most, but the others were already looking pale, their reserves clearly strained.
The Second Elder, who was responsible for wielding the Nine-Eyed Bell, had it the worst. He'd clashed head-on with the demon ape multiple times. The bell's backlash, added to his old injuries, had torn at his meridians. His face was now as white as paper, his true qi dangerously depleted.
Seeing things head in a bad direction, Chen Nianzhi quickly took out a Qi Recovery Pill and handed it over.
"Take this."
"Qi Recovery Pill?"
The Second Elder's eyes brightened. He swallowed it in one gulp.
The pill could restore nearly seventy percent of a late-stage Qi Cultivator's true essence. In an instant, his depleted qi surged back.
Even so, the earlier backlash had taken a heavy toll. His face remained ashen, a thin layer of sweat beading on his brow.
The flames roared on for the time of nearly half an hour. The group downed pills, drew on spirit stones, and forced themselves to keep the array running. At last, the ape troop was reduced to a fraction of its original numbers.
"Just a bit more. Aside from the Foundation Establishment one, there are only a few left."
Seeing the results of their efforts, everyone's spirits lifted.
At that precise moment, Chen Nianzhi's expression changed.
"Careful!"
The Fiery Sun Formation shuddered violently. At the center of the inferno, the Foundation Establishment demon ape spat out its demon core, unleashing a tidal wave of power that crashed against the formation.
A demon beast's core was the condensed essence of its life, its greatest trump card—never used lightly. But once unleashed, it was capable of truly earth-shaking force.
The moment the core emerged, its light outshone even the blazing inferno. With a single impact, it shattered the Fiery Sun Formation.
The array collapsed in a cascade of scattering flames.
The demon core dimmed almost at once, its power nearly spent.
But that single blast had done its job.
Seizing the opening, the demon ape sprang upward, bursting out of the valley and lunging at them like a raging fiend.
Seeing the beast break free, everyone's hearts clenched with a ripple of fear.
"Don't hesitate!"
"The flames drained most of its power. It's fighting on brute strength alone now—this is our best chance to finish it!"
At that crucial moment, the Second Elder roared aloud, then summoned his trump card: the Red Copper Demonbreaker Spike.
Though only a top-grade first-rank artifact, its power could rival the best of its tier. It streaked through the air, stabbing straight at the demon ape.
It hit—
And only managed to pierce the skin, opening a shallow wound that didn't even cut into the muscle.
The others' artifacts slammed into the ape as well, but all they achieved was superficial damage.
Even Chen Qingwan's top-grade flying sword, being weaker in sheer physical penetration, rang against the ape's hide with a metallic clang, throwing off a spray of sparks.
Her eyes went wide with terror.
"Its bones and flesh are like steel… even top-grade artifacts can barely scratch it!"
"Watch out!"
In the very next instant, the demon ape gritted its teeth and ignored the pain, barreling through the barrage of artifacts and closing the distance.
At the final critical moment, the Second Elder stepped forward once more.
"Behind me!"
His shout had barely left his mouth before he forcibly summoned the Nine-Eyed Bell again, turning it into a colossal phantom bell that descended in front of the group.
The Foundation Establishment ape crashed into it head-on.
BOOOOM—
The impact shook the earth.
This time, the Second Elder could no longer suppress his injuries. Blood sprayed from his lips and he crumpled to the ground.
The phantom bell shattered with a resounding crack.
The demon ape, its momentum broken, was sent flying once more.
No matter how strong its body, there were limits. It could not fully withstand a direct clash with a second-rank artifact, especially now that its demon core's power had been exhausted.
The reckless impact left it with several broken ribs.
"Now!"
Chiiing—
Chen Nianzhi struck at that exact opening, sending the Red-Iron Blade Embryo hurtling forward. A crimson blade light streaked through the air, cleaving straight for the demon ape's throat.
A second-rank beast was still a second-rank beast. At the last instant, it twisted its body, narrowly avoiding the killing blow.
Even so, Chen Nianzhi's strike carved through its shoulder and severed one of its arms.
The demon ape howled in agony. At last, real fear flickered in its eyes. It spun around and bolted into the distance.
"Don't let it escape!"