Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Manifesting Sainthood

The five of them stared into the distance.

Atop a small mountain, brilliant light swirled amid constant, booming sounds.

A ten-foot-tall Red-haired Giant Ape was relentlessly attacking an Array. Its punches, glowing with power, created explosive booms as they slammed into the Array’s protective light screen, resulting in even louder blasts.

A few figures could be vaguely seen inside the Array. They were likely the ones who had sent out the distress signal.

’Sensing Stage Cultivators have run into a Tier Two Demon Beast. I wonder if there are any other members of the Demon Race nearby.’

Fang Cheng cautiously scanned the area around the small mountain but didn’t detect any other auras.

Looking at the Array again, it also appeared to be tier two. Three snow-white Array Flags stood planted in the ground. Phantasmal Immortal Cranes flew from the flags, circling and dancing in the center to form a Grand Array. Its spiritual light, shaped like an overturned jade bowl, shielded the people within.

Ye Yan leaned close to Fang Cheng’s ear and whispered, "I think that’s the Dong Family’s Crane Dance Spirit Sky Formation."

The Dong Family was one of the four great families of the Abyssal Marsh and possessed a profound heritage, which was why Ye Yan recognized their famous Defensive Array at a glance.

The people inside must be Cultivators from the Dong Family.

Fang Cheng nodded and chose to continue observing.

Unable to break through after a long assault, the Red-haired Giant Ape beat its chest in frustration. Its body suddenly swelled as if being inflated, growing to thirty feet tall in an instant. Its muscles bulged, brimming with explosive power.

It swung its fists, throwing out hundreds of fist-shadows in an instant, which landed solidly on the Crane Dance Spiritual Sky Array.

The snow-white Immortal Cranes inside the array immediately struggled to maintain their formation, falling into chaos. Several of the phantasmal cranes cried out mournfully before dissipating into white light.

The Red-haired Giant Ape bared its teeth in a savage grin and continued its assault on the Array.

Fang Cheng and the others could all see that it wouldn’t be long before the Giant Ape shattered the Array. When that happened, the people inside would surely meet a terrible fate!

Senior Brother Liu gave a bitter smile and made a gesture to retreat toward Fang Cheng.

The Giant Ape was a Tier Two Demon Beast with formidable strength and a tough body. They would have trouble even breaking its defense, let alone rescuing anyone.

Once the Giant Ape devoured the Cultivators in the Array and turned its attention to them, the five of them would likely meet the same fate.

If they didn’t leave now, when would they?

Fang Cheng remained impassive and gestured for them to wait a little longer.

He turned his palm over, and an ink-black, jade-like Gu Insect flew from it, beating its wings. It silently flew toward the distant mountain peak.

At the same time, the Red-haired Giant Ape, seeing its attacks weren’t very effective, leaped into the air, riding a demonic wind to stand in the sky.

Then, the Giant Ape opened its mouth and spat a dazzling, blindingly bright ball of light downward!

The ball of light was like a miniature sun, shrunken countless times over, and it slammed violently into the Crane Dance Spiritual Sky Array.

BOOM!

A blinding halo of light bloomed atop the mountain.

Everyone was blinded, their vision turning pure white. They could only hear the continuous, mournful cries of the Immortal Cranes.

When their vision returned, the Crane Dance Spiritual Sky Array on the small mountain had already dimmed. More than half of the phantasmal Immortal Cranes were gone, with only a few remaining, still dancing gracefully to maintain the Grand Array’s operation.

The figures within the Array also became clearer.

There were three people in total!

Just then, the Red-haired Giant Ape, standing in the sky on its demonic wind, seemed to sense the gazes of Fang Cheng’s group and turned its head to look at them curiously. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"This is bad!"

Without another word, Senior Brother Liu immediately leaped down from the treetop and fled at high speed.

Senior Sister Yang followed closely behind him with perfect coordination.

The Red-haired Giant Ape let out a savage laugh, opened its blood-red maw, and spat a dazzling ball of light toward the two of them!

The ball of light was incredibly fast, about to overtake them in an instant.

The two turned back in a panic, their faces filled with absolute terror.

Just then, a jet-black Demonic Light silently flew up from behind!

This Demonic Light was sixty feet long, utterly dark and devoid of light. Its demonic aura was sinister and ethereal as it appeared phantom-like beside the ball of light.

It was none other than the Li Hen Demon Light!

Fang Cheng had already cultivated this Divine Technique to the nineteenth level. It was now longer than before, and its power had also increased significantly!

The Li Hen Demon Light circled and flicked with unpredictable agility above the ball of light, instantly changing its trajectory. The ball flew diagonally up into the sky and vanished in a flash.

Wherever the ball of light passed, the dense canopies of the lush forest melted away into nothing, as if a huge hole had been branded into the sky-blotting Forest Sea.

Senior Brother Liu and Senior Sister Yang, their hearts still pounding with fear, stopped their Escape Lights and stared at each other in disbelief.

The one who had just acted was, to their astonishment, the very Ye Family son-in-law they had looked down on...

In the distance, a flash of surprise appeared in the Red-haired Giant Ape’s eyes. It stared at the Li Hen Demon Light for a moment, then roared in anger. The demonic wind at its feet churned as it flew menacingly toward Fang Cheng.

...

「On the small mountaintop.」

Once the Red-haired Giant Ape left, the Crane Dance Spiritual Sky Array dissipated.

The three Array Flags spontaneously combusted and slowly turned to ash.

Inside the former Array, the three men and women in fine clothes all breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took out pills to restore their Magical Power.

"Do you recognize those people?"

The speaker had a round face, lips as red as cinnabar, and skin as fair as jade. His fingers were as white and slender as a woman’s—a man with a strikingly feminine appearance. If not for his deep and powerful voice, broad shoulders, and prominent Adam’s apple, one could have easily mistaken him for a great beauty.

His Cultivation had already reached the Peak of the Sensing Realm, making him the strongest of the three.

The other woman wore a palace-style dress with her hair in an elegant coiffure. She was beautiful, with a dignified, graceful, and reserved temperament, like a statue of a Jade Beauty.

It was none other than Dong Qing, who had become an Outer Disciple at the same time as Fang Cheng.

At this moment, Dong Qing’s beautiful eyes gazed into the distance as she said with a hint of surprise, "I think that’s the Outer Disciple, Fang Cheng."

"The Ye Family’s live-in son-in-law, Fang Cheng of the Cyan Profound Sword?" The handsome male Cultivator had clearly heard of Fang Cheng before and asked for confirmation.

Dong Qing nodded. "It’s him."

The other person from the Dong Family, a youth of sixteen or seventeen, also asked curiously, "Sister Qing, are you talking about the same Fang Cheng who saved your life? Can he defeat a Tier Two Demon Ape?"

Dong Qing said indifferently, "I don’t know."

The youth chuckled. "He’s your savior. Didn’t you used to say that all favors must be repaid? What’s this? Your savior is in trouble, and you’re not going to help?"

Dong Qing shot him a glance, circulated her Magical Power to refine the Spiritual Medicine she had just taken, and her aura surged. She said coldly, "Of course I’m going."

As soon as she spoke, her graceful figure turned into a wisp of green smoke and flew in Fang Cheng’s direction.

The handsome male Cultivator glared at the youth, shook his head, and also mounted his Escape Light to give chase.

The youth sat down where he was and said lazily, "I can’t beat that beast. You guys go ahead."

After saying that, he couldn’t help but steal a few more glances into the distance.

...

The Red-haired Giant Ape strode through the void, riding its demonic wind straight for Fang Cheng.

Senior Brother Liu, Senior Sister Yang, and even Chen Yu Yan’s hearts were in their throats. They watched with extreme nervousness, knowing they could no longer escape.

The Giant Ape’s Talent Divine Technique of spitting balls of light was not only powerful but also incredibly fast. Whoever tried to flee would die.

The only option now was to fight to the death!

Just as the Giant Ape was about to arrive, Fang Cheng let out a low shout:

"Fall!"

Above the jungle, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

A blackish-green aura suddenly appeared on the Red-haired Giant Ape’s face, and it abruptly tumbled from its demonic wind and plummeted to the ground.

Everyone: "..."

With a wave of his sleeve, Fang Cheng sent two streaks of golden light flying straight toward the Giant Ape.

After the Red-haired Giant Ape hit the ground, it smashed several large trees, leaving a scene of devastation.

As the two Vajra Gu flew toward it, the Giant Ape instinctively swatted at them, but the Vajra Gu nimbly dodged and landed on its back.

Spiritual light flashed around the Giant Ape’s body as it tried to block the Vajra Gu from biting it.

At the same time, it realized something was wrong and hurriedly grabbed at its shoulders and scratched its back, trying to get the Vajra Gu off.

The black aura on the Giant Ape’s body grew thicker, and its own aura began to plummet.

Standing in the treetop, Fang Cheng pointed a finger, and the Cold Wave Radiance Sword shot out.

A graceful streak of sword light flashed through the forest, silently arriving in front of the Giant Ape. Then, its Sword Aura flared and stabbed toward the ape’s eyeball!

The Giant Ape roared, whipped its head around, and opened its blood-red maw to bite down hard on the Flying Sword.

The sword light flickered and pulsed, elusive as a darting fish. Faster than lightning and utterly unpredictable, it dodged the Giant Ape’s sharp teeth and instead stabbed toward the vital points all over its body.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Strangely, it produced a series of metallic clashes.

The Protective Spiritual Light on the Giant Ape’s body was as intense as a flame, completely unafraid of the attacks from the Cold Wave Radiance Sword, a top-grade Tier One Magical Artifact.

Fang Cheng pondered for a moment, then summoned the Purple Brilliance Sword he had obtained from the Xiao Family!

A sword light like a bolt of purple lightning gracefully flew out, joining the Cold Wave Radiance Sword to dart and strike at the Giant Ape’s eyes and ears.

The Purple Brilliance Sword was also a top-grade Tier One weapon, its sharpness no less than that of the Cold Wave Radiance Sword.

Now, the two Flying Swords danced up and down, forcing the Giant Ape into a sorry state.

Senior Brother Liu, Senior Sister Yang, and the three from the Dong Family were all dumbstruck by this scene.

The ferocious and tyrannical Giant Ape had been so arrogant just a moment ago.

To be reduced to such a state in the blink of an eye was simply unbelievable.

Ye Yan’s beautiful eyes, in particular, shimmered with a strange light. Watching her husband calmly and methodically unleash his techniques, she felt an indescribable sense of pride and joy in her heart.

With the Flying Swords harassing the Giant Ape’s eyes and ears, and the Poison Gu taking effect, the Giant Ape gradually found it difficult to maintain the strength of its Protective Spiritual Light. The two Vajra Gu seized the opportunity, broke through the light in one go, and burrowed into its back.

The Giant Ape roared again and again, sensing the approach of a fatal crisis!

The two Vajra Gu invaded its body and immediately began gnawing their way toward its heart.

The spiritual light around the Giant Ape’s body suddenly extinguished, shifting inward to protect its internal organs!

And at that moment, the sword light, like clear autumn water, suddenly moved, circling once around the Giant Ape’s neck!

Sparks flew from the Giant Ape’s shoulders as its head rolled to the ground.

Everyone stared in astonishment at the tall Red-haired Giant Ape. They saw blood gushing like a fountain from its neck, all signs of life gone.

The Giant Ape’s huge head slowly stopped rolling. Its eyes were wide open, its face frozen in an expression of incredulous terror, as if everything had been captured in the instant of its demise.

The Cold Wave Radiance Sword and the Purple Brilliance Sword leisurely returned to the treetop.

One of the two Flying Swords had a blade like autumn frost, its chilling aura seeping into the bones. A halo of light flowed around its edge, diffusing into a dreamlike brilliance.

The other was like condensed purple lightning, blindingly bright.

The two Flying Swords circled slowly around Fang Cheng’s tall, handsome figure, making his Sword Intent seem even more formidable.

A Demonic Light, black as flame, also returned to hover motionlessly behind Fang Cheng.

...