The moment the ground split, Chen grabbed Yanyan and pulled her behind him.
When he looked ahead, his eyes widened—
A massive gorilla-type beast was charging toward them.
Every step it took cracked the earth, its overwhelming pressure shaking the entire forest.
Chen's expression hardened.
"Yanyan, get away from here. I'll distract it.
If you stay, I won't be able to fight properly."
But Yanyan shook her head fiercely.
"No. I'm not leaving. I can fight. I'm not some weak girl who hides behind others."
A faint smile touched Chen's lips.
"Then give me backup from behind."
He summoned his sword and shot forward, delivering a powerful slash—
but the beast casually smashed the attack apart with one hand.
Chen immediately changed direction, circling behind it.
This thing was far stronger than the two-headed tiger from earlier.
No wonder he hadn't seen any other beasts around—
this gorilla was clearly the ruler of this area.
He began attacking its legs, forcing it to react.
The beast roared, thrashing wildly as it tried to grab him.
Meanwhile, Yanyan attacked from behind whatever cover she could find,
trying to give Chen an opening.
Chen activated his Divine Eye, scanning its body—
and saw an enormous concentration of Dominic Energy near its abdomen.
That must be its core.
But reaching that spot was impossible while it rampaged like a mad demon.
Chen made a quick decision.
He used one of his techniques—
and a clone of himself materialized.
The clone dashed toward the opposite side, drawing the beast's attention.
The gorilla lunged at the clone, smashing it apart—
and at that exact moment, Chen seized the opening.
He unleashed a devastating Heavenly Dark Thunder Strike,
slamming it directly into the beast's abdomen.
A deep crater ripped open in its stomach.
The beast staggered, collapsing to its knees.
But even as it fell, it swung one massive arm wildly—
an attack Chen did not expect.
Before he could dodge, it sent him flying.
He crashed into a boulder, blood spilling from his mouth.
Yanyan acted instantly—
her energy shielded him just in time, reducing the damage.
She rushed to him, voice trembling,
"Chen! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Talk to me!"
Chen coughed but forced a faint smile.
"I'm fine… not a serious injury.
I put my own shield up too, so it didn't go too deep."
But then—
Chen's instincts screamed.
He grabbed Yanyan and rolled aside—
An arrow struck the ground where they had stood.
Chen looked up sharply.
A group of men in black clothes stood at the edge of the clearing.
They weren't students.
"How did they get inside the mountain?" Chen muttered.
Their leader raised his voice coldly,
"Leave the girl. Kill only the boy."
Chen's expression darkened.
They're targeting me specifically…
Fang Family doesn't have this kind of influence.
Only the ye -Family could interfere in the competition like this.
Before they could make another move, the assassins charged.
Chen moved first.
In a blur, he sliced one man's neck clean open—
so fast that the others didn't even register the kill until the body hit the ground.
Taking advantage of their shock, Chen grabbed Yanyan's hand and bolted.
He only needed one thing—
a chance to slow them down.
But his injuries were stacking up.
His vision flickered.
His breath grew heavy.
Yanyan sensed his condition worsening.
She pulled him into a small cave, guiding him carefully as Chen's eyes began to flutter—
barely staying open.
---