With only one tree remaining nearby, the Yeye Monkey immediately uprooted it with its powerful hands. In an instant, it dashed forward and swung the tree trunk toward Xiao Chen, who had just dodged all the previous flying trunks.
Booooooooom!
"Ughhhhh!" The tree trunk slammed into Xiao Chen's body, sending him flying into a large tree behind him.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood from the impact, the three East Sea Sect disciples, unwilling to remain idle, formed a sword formation. Their action allowed Xiao Chen to regain his footing and recover some of his drained stamina.
"Brother Chen… You go ahead. We'll hold them off… Our formation should be able to last at least five minutes!"
Xiao Chen smiled faintly, slipping his sword back into his spatial ring. "Five minutes, huh? Enough time for a single strike to finish this… Yeye Monkey King, you're lucky to die under my technique!"
After speaking, the sword formation of the three East Sea Sect disciples activated. A large sword, controlled by them, struck the Monkey King blindly. Under the assault of their combined formation, the Yeye Monkey King could only hold on—it wasn't enough to pierce its heavily armored body, only scratching its thick skin.
"Brother Chen, what are you doing? Do you really think our combined formation can kill the Monkey King?" Huan Le shouted, clearly annoyed.
"What Le says is right… We can't possibly kill it?!" Yang Nan also warned.
But before Yang Nan could finish speaking, Xiao Chen had already formed a sealing formation in his hands. A moment later, the seal expanded and shot up into the sky, directly under the Yeye Monkey King holding the large sword. The formation hummed as Xiao Chen's echoing shout followed:
"Heaven-Reversing Formation! Destroy!"
Woooooooosh!
Golden light erupted from the circular formation, slowly shaping into a giant hand with ancient markings.
Seeing this, Yang Nan narrowed his eyes. He felt an overwhelming pressure as the massive hand began to move.
"S-so powerful?! Who exactly is this Xiao Chen?!"
"Right… I can also feel the immense fear radiating from the energy… Xiao Chen is truly mysterious!" Huan Le added.
"What you're seeing! Now leave this area immediately!" With the last of his strength, Xiao Chen shouted to snap the three East Sea Sect disciples out of their astonishment.
He also tried to retreat, but it was useless. His Qi and energy had been completely drained. However, Yang Nan released the focus of the formation, causing the sword held by the Yeye Monkey King to explode.
Boooom!
Swuuuuuush!
Yang Nan and Huan Le grabbed Xiao Chen and immediately fled from the battlefield. The Yeye Monkey King, stunned by the sword's explosion, had to endure the strike of the giant hand aimed at him.
But this was no ordinary formation attack. Not only did the Monkey King have to resist the pressure of the colossal hand, but he also felt his bones threatening to shatter from within, accompanied by an explosive force that sent shockwaves a kilometer away.
Boooooooom!
Yang Nan and his two companions exhaled deeply. Had Xiao Chen not warned them, their bodies might have been destroyed along with the Yeye Monkey King, whose current condition remained uncertain.
Dust flew high into the sky. Yang Nan then began issuing orders to his two companions.
"Check the situation. Has the Yeye Monkey King been killed? If so, collect all the soul pearls lying around!"
Huan Le nodded, leaving Yang Nan to watch over the unconscious Xiao Chen. Meanwhile, in a hidden location, a mysterious group that sensed the intense battle in the middle of Shao Yang Forest began gathering their forces.
"See who is fighting… If they are powerful practitioners or have a strong background, distract them so they don't approach the Flame Abyss… If they're ordinary cultivators, like the last time, kill them all without leaving a trace."
"Yes, Chief…"
Swuuuuuush!
Ten masked men immediately used body-lightening techniques to rush toward the site of the battle where Xiao Chen and his three companions were.
At Xiao Chen's side, Huan Le had collected all the soul pearls from the Yeye monkeys Xiao Chen had killed. However, greed flashed in his eyes when he held the Tier-Three demon beast soul pearls.
"Le… Don't even think about stealing from others… Without Xiao Chen, remember, we'd all die at the hands of the Yeye Monkey King!"
Huan Le could only grit his teeth, but his heart thought otherwise. His greed had blinded him to all of Xiao Chen's efforts.
"Huh… Besides, he's unconscious, right? What if we just leave him? Then all these soul pearls would be ours?"
Lie Du, usually quiet, finally spoke, his words sharp and critical of Huan Le's intentions.
"Le, you really don't know how to be grateful, do you? People like you will be losers for your entire life!"
Swuuuuuuush!
Lie Du snatched all the demon beast soul pearls from Huan Le's hands. The brief scuffle caused a momentary clash, but Yang Nan's focus remained on restoring Xiao Chen's Qi.