Chapter 126: Chapter 125: Sword Qi Thunder Sound

"Junior Brother Bai, you’ve come at the perfect time! This Fire Ape is a real handful. It nearly burned my old beard right off!"

Senior Brother Zhang cried out with joy when he saw a white Sword Light streak across the battlefield to reinforce them.

It was much more difficult for a Demon Beast to advance in tier than it was for a human Cultivator.

They were born with powerful physical bodies and possessed various Divine Techniques. Some even had lifespans several times longer than human Cultivators of the same tier.

Correspondingly, a Demon Beast’s potential to advance was essentially determined by its bloodline from the moment of birth.

A Demon Beast that could still raise its Tier after reaching adulthood was one in a thousand.

After advancing, this Fire Ape was exceptionally brave and powerful. Not even two complete Battle Arrays of five hundred men each, plus three Foundation Establishment Cultivators, could stop it.

It charged right through their attacks and forcibly scattered a squad of Cultivators who were protected by an Array Banner on the left flank.

It spat a ball of raging flames from its mouth, which transformed into dozens of fireballs, creating what looked like a meteor shower of fire in the sky.

A dozen or so unlucky Cultivators were struck by the fireballs and immediately burst into flames, their agonizing cries filling the air.

They activated Water Element Talismans, summoning streams of clear water to douse the flames.

But this fire was incredibly strange. Instead of being extinguished by the water, it burned even more fiercely.

"Senior Brother Zhang, have the Battle Arrays and the other Cultivators slowly pull back. They’re useless here and will only lead to more casualties."

With just a glance, Bai Zichen could tell that the advanced Fire Ape was beyond the limits of what the Battle Arrays could handle.

A charged-up strike from a Battle Array, which took a long time to prepare, could match the power of an Early-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator. However, the attack was slow and rigid, with no flexibility or variation in its execution.

Faced with the agile Fire Ape, which now possessed a fair amount of Spiritual Wisdom, not a single attack could land.

"Without the Battle Arrays to distract it, will it be too dangerous for just the few of us?"

Besides Senior Brother Zhang, the other two Foundation Establishment Cultivators on the field were strangers to Bai Zichen.

The one who had spoken had coarse, yellow hair, a stiff expression, and hands and feet that were noticeably a size larger than an ordinary person’s.

The remaining Cultivator had a much better appearance. He had a lean face, a long beard, and the refined air of an immortal sage.

"These two are Fellow Daoist Qiong and Junior Brother Liao..."

Senior Brother Zhang gave a brief introduction of both sides. There was no time for pleasantries on the battlefield.

"You two, this is Junior Brother Bai. Although he only reached Foundation Establishment about a year ago, his Swordsmanship is extraordinary. He has already reached the Fifth Layer of Sword Dao, and his strength surpasses my own."

Upon hearing this, Qiong Qi and Liao Changqing were greatly surprised and discarded any disdain they might have had.

Although Senior Brother Zhang had been stuck at the bottleneck of the Early-Stage Foundation Establishment and unable to break through, he was still a veteran Elder who had been at the Foundation Establishment Realm for nearly a century.

For him to openly admit his strength was inferior to a young Junior Brother’s meant that, even if there was some exaggeration, this Elder Bai’s power could not be underestimated.

Besides, Sword Cultivators were known for their ruthless and formidable combat prowess, making them the most likely type of Cultivator to challenge those in higher realms.

To have reached the Fifth Layer of Sword Dao at such a young age meant his strength could not be measured by his Cultivation and age alone.

’So one is a Loose Cultivator who drifted to Black Mountain a few years ago, and the other is the Sect Leader of the Flying Crane Sect, which gave up its own heritage to merge with us...’

Bai Zichen had received a private Sound Transmission from Senior Brother Zhang, who informed him of the two Foundation Establishment Cultivators’ origins.

’No wonder they looked unfamiliar. I’ve never even heard their names before.’

Qiong Qi had come to Black Mountain five years ago, having originally operated in Yonggzhou.

He had offended an influential elder from a local Core Formation Level Sect and could no longer make a living there, so he trekked all the way to Black Mountain County.

Among the vast number of Loose Cultivators, there were only three or four at the Foundation Establishment Realm in total, and Qiong Qi was one of the best among them.

His attacks were ruthless and his Cultivation Technique was bizarre, and within a few years, he had made a name for himself in Black Mountain.

After the Pioneer Decree was issued, he was the first to sign up.

The pioneering merits he had accumulated so far ranked him first among all the Loose Cultivators, giving him a good chance to exchange them for a mountain peak with a Tier Two Spirit Vein after the war.

As for the sage-like Liao Changqing, his Flying Crane Sect had been one of several Foundation Establishment Level Sects that moved to Black Mountain County after being affected by the war between the Righteous and Demonic Dao. Of those sects, his was the only one willing to abandon its own heritage and merge into the Qingfeng Sect.

The entire Sect, from top to bottom, consisted of just over thirty disciples and only one Foundation Establishment Cultivator: the Sect Leader, Liao Changqing.

The Flying Crane Sect presented all of its legacies and received Ancestor Yangg’s approval, and Liao Changqing was granted the status of a Qingfeng Sect Elder.

Its disciples were also given different positions based on their Cultivation levels.

However, the Cultivators who had transferred from the Flying Crane Sect had been settled on a separate courtyard peak outside the main Qingfeng Sect grounds for all these years.

Liao Changqing’s official investiture ceremony as an Elder had also not been held.

Everything had to wait until after the pioneering war.

The performance of the former Flying Crane Sect Cultivators over these past ten years and during the pioneering war was considered a test for them by the Qingfeng Sect.

"The two Battle Arrays will pull back five hundred yards and provide harassment fire only."

Bai Zichen frowned slightly, amending his previous suggestion. He had seen through their intentions.

If the Battle Arrays remained in place, not only could they gather Spiritual Qi to launch attacks and tie down the Fire Ape.

More importantly, compared to a true Foundation Establishment Cultivator, the Battle Arrays were slow-moving, making them excellent targets to draw fire.

As long as the two Battle Arrays didn’t withdraw, if things went south, the few Foundation Establishment Cultivators could flee, leaving the nearly one thousand Cultivators in the arrays to bear the brunt of the Fire Ape’s attacks.

"You all distract this monkey and create an opening for me. I’ll be the main attacker!"

Hearing someone take on the most difficult task, Qiong Qi said no more. He took a deep breath, and his body grew slightly larger.

He then twisted and charged toward the Fire Ape, engaging it in close-quarters combat with his fists and feet.

"Fellow Daoist Qiong specializes in the path of Body Refining and excels at physical combat. No need to worry about him."

Liao Changqing explained, then took out a Duster. With a gentle flick, it produced thousands of one-hundred-foot-long white silk strands that shot toward the Fire Ape’s legs.

Joining a Sect halfway through one’s journey was always different from being a disciple nurtured by the Sect from a young age.

Therefore, ever since the pioneering war began, Liao Changqing had participated in every battle, fighting for his life, all to prove his sincerity in aligning with the Qingfeng Sect’s upper echelons.

"Junior Brother, be careful. Don’t try to be a hero. We just need to hold off the Fire Ape until others are free to help."

Senior Brother Zhang, gripping a pair of silver Flying Claws, added another worried reminder.

Within the pioneering army, the number of Foundation Establishment Level combatants exceeded the number of Tier Two Demon Beasts on Monkey Mountain.

Combined with the numerous Battle Arrays—which, despite their limitations, concentrated the power of many Qi Refining Cultivators—their advance against the Tier One Monkey Demons was nothing short of a massacre.

The number of Tier One Demon Beasts on Monkey Mountain was rapidly decreasing, and blood had already stained half the mountainside red.

Bai Zichen stood in the air, observing the Fire Ape’s movements for a moment. He then pointed a finger, and a white Sword Light descended as fast as lightning.

’Because the Battle Arrays are involved and four of us are working together, I definitely won’t be able to claim the materials from this Demon Beast’s body.’

’But killing a Tier Two Mid Grade Demon Beast will still earn a large amount of Sect Contribution points.’

’Why would I let this chance slip away and wait for others to come and share the credit?’

The Fire Ape roared at the sky. Its movements were restricted with its legs bound, and after taking several blows from Qiong Qi, it spat out another mouthful of raging fire, instantly burning through every single silk strand.

The flames even traveled along the silk strands up to the Duster, startling Liao Changqing into quickly withdrawing his Magical Power and severing the connection.

But the Duster was already scorched black, and nearly half of its three thousand white silks had been destroyed.

Liao Changqing inspected it with a pained heart before putting the Duster away.

For a leader of Minor Sects like the Flying Crane Sect, his personal wealth was quite meager.

This Duster, a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact, had been an unfinished work passed down from his master. After reaching Foundation Establishment, he had spent over a decade collecting the three thousand strands of Celestial Silkworm Silk needed to finally complete its refining.

After today’s damage, it would take several more years to refine it anew.

Liao Changqing dropped his sage-like pretense. With a wave of his long sleeve, a row of Flying Needles, glinting with a cold light, appeared before him.

He formed a hand seal and pointed, and they vanished into motes of Cold Radiance.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Qiong Qi’s escape route was cut off by the Fire Ape, and an unavoidable palm strike came swinging at him.

With a loud roar, the clothes on his upper body tore apart. The veins on his arms bulged, making them a size thicker, as all moisture was drawn out, turning them into something like two blocks of wood.

He crossed his arms and actually met the Fire Ape’s giant palm head-on, taking three consecutive strikes.

The collision of flesh and bone produced the sound of metal striking stone, and wood shavings flew from his arms.

Qiong Qi violently spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood, which was bizarrely mixed with small wood fragments, and was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string.

Senior Brother Zhang quickly threw out a yellow Talisman. It ignited without any wind, and Earth Element Spiritual Qi gathered, causing sharp stone spikes to burst from the ground, fencing in the Fire Ape.

At the same time, the Flying Needles shot forward and pierced straight through the Fire Ape’s chest, making it shriek in pain.

It flailed its palms wildly, smashing the obstructing stone spikes to bits. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

But the Magic triggered by this Tier Two Earth Element Talisman wasn’t so simple. The broken stone spikes continued to grow, quickly returning to their original form.

From a distance, Liao Changqing was stunned. This set of Flying Needle Spiritual Artifacts was his ultimate trump card.

Since he had finished refining it, he had rarely failed with it. On the run, he had once used it to severely injure a Cultivator of the same realm.

But even though the needles had clearly pierced the Fire Ape, the Demon Beast acted as if it were fine. Its life force was terrifyingly robust.

’Now is the moment!’

The Sword Light transformed from his Sound Bamboo Sword had been circling on the periphery, occasionally leaving a deep gash on the Fire Ape’s body.

He hadn’t been using his full strength at all.

Now, with the other three Foundation Establishment Cultivators using their various techniques to draw all the Fire Ape’s attention, Bai Zichen keenly sensed an opportunity.

As he unleashed this sword strike, it was accompanied by the boom of thunder. Wind and lightning gathered, and he felt a natural, effortless flow as if everything was falling perfectly into place.

Impossibly, the brilliant Sword Light accelerated once more.

SWISH!

A large ape head flew into the sky, its face still frozen in a ferocious expression, its eyes wide with lingering Evil Qi.

...

Liang Yu stood in the center, the phantom image of a Divine Turtle behind him already covered in cracks. It was on the verge of collapsing, its shell shattered.

Luoo Qiuzhen and Yingg Zhong flanked him on the left and right, forming a Three Talents formation that trapped a small, two-foot-tall monkey in the middle.

That’s right—this small, golden-furred monkey with jade-green eyes was the overlord of Monkey Mountain, the Tier Two Peak Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape.

The three Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, having made prior preparations and used all their Treasures, had finally managed to trap it within an Array.

"Junior Brother Luoo, if you don’t use your real skills now, when will you!"

This Array had been laid down in a hurry. If not for the three of them anchoring its positions, the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape could have broken out with a simple shake.

Seeing that the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape was still as lively as ever after nearly two hours of fighting, Liang Yu complained bitterly in his heart.

This Monkey King’s speed was astonishing; none of the three could keep up with it. Moreover, with a single wave of its tiny claws, even his own Top-Grade Defense Spiritual Artifact would shake violently.

It also had a bizarre Divine Technique. Its jade-green eyes could shoot out two beams of azure light, and anyone struck by them would feel as if they had lost their Soul, unable to move a muscle.

No defensive measure was effective against it.

Liang Yu had been hit by it earlier. If Yingg Zhong hadn’t blocked for him with his own Spiritual Artifact, he would have been killed or severely injured by the Jade-Eyed Golden-Eyed Ape’s subsequent assault.