Chapter Thirty-Three

Li Feng and the other two could only stay behind while looking ahead at the battle that was about to unfold. Right in the middle of the clearing, where piles of corpses from the two-spiked gorillas lay scattered across the ground, the aftermath of the previous battle could clearly be seen.

Li Feng had managed to kill three of the two-spiked gorillas, the two brothers together had managed to take down four, and as for the rest, they had all fallen beneath Li Yuexin’s sword. Two had fled for their lives, leaving only one enemy still standing before them: the three-spiked gorilla.

It was incredibly powerful, and even the aura radiating from its body was enough to send chills crawling down the spines of Li Feng and the others. And yet, they weren’t hopeless.

Li Feng himself couldn’t understand why he felt this way, but deep inside, he believed that Li Yuexin would accomplish the impossible and take down the beast all by herself.

Li Yuexin’s mind wasn’t occupied by many thoughts; instead, it was clear, focused, and filled with only a single objective: to kill the gorilla standing before her. He was the last obstacle, the final thing standing between her and her goal, and she would bring him down.

With that thought, her gaze hardened and her resolve became unshakable. Li Yuexin’s eyes darkened with murderous intent as she stared directly at the three-spiked gorilla standing before her. The three-spiked gorilla growled angrily; looking into those eyes that burned with the intent to kill him, the beast became furious beyond words.

This puny human actually believed she could kill him? Such arrogance, such impudence... it deserved death. Without giving the girl any chance to attack first, the gorilla moved.

The beast was fast, extremely fast. One second it was several meters away, and the next second it was already standing directly in front of Li Yuexin. Its massive arm came crashing down in a devastating smashing motion.

Li Feng’s eyes widened, while Li Xie’s and Li Jie’s expressions became solemn. They had all seen it.. the beast was far too fast, and even Li Yuexin might not be able to react to that kind of speed in time.

That was exactly what the beast believed as well; its arm descended with enough force to flatten a mountain, carrying the absolute intention of crushing the human girl’s head in a single strike.

BOOM! SWOOSH! BANG! The three-spiked gorilla’s eyes widened. The human girl had actually blocked his punch with a swinging kick. Its devastating strike stopped cold. For a brief moment, the beast froze in shock, but it wasn’t given much time to dwell on it because in the very next instant, Li Yuexin moved.

Her blue sword sliced through the air at terrifying speed; the blade whistled sharply as it cut forward. In an instant, it had already reached the gorilla’s neck with the intention of cutting straight through it. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

But before the sword could sink in, BANG! A terrifying explosion echoed throughout the clearing. A figure shot through the air at frightening speed... Li Yuexin. She was sent flying like a cannonball. Li Feng and the others felt their hearts skip a beat.

Li Yuexin managed to regain control of her body before crashing into the ground; twisting in midair, she landed on one knee and skidded backward for several meters.

Her expression immediately twisted in pain. Her eyes locked onto the gorilla; the beast was still standing in the same punching posture as before.

"He’s fast... Extremely fast..." Li Yuexin thought, her brows furrowing deeply. She had barely seen the counterattack; in fact, she wasn’t even sure when the punch had landed. A thick mouthful of blood suddenly escaped her lips. She coughed violently.

The impact had been brutal; her internal organs had suffered serious damage from the strike that had landed squarely on her stomach. Even now, waves of pain surged through her body with every breath she took. Yet despite the injury, Li Yuexin slowly stood back up. Her grip on her sword tightened.

Her blue eyes remained cold and unwavering. The beast was stronger than she had anticipated, but that only strengthened her resolve. No matter what, no matter how powerful the enemy before her was, she would defeat it. She would find Liyu. And nothing was going to stop her.

"Sister Yuexin, are you alright?!" Li Feng shouted from where he was standing, his expression changing drastically as countless thoughts churned through his mind.

They had all been watching the battle, so they knew exactly what had transpired, and within that short exchange, one thing had been displayed clearly for all of them to see: Li Yuexin was no match for the three-spiked gorilla. The beast was simply that strong.

But Li Yuexin wouldn’t back down; that much they all knew. And just as they had expected, the very next second after wiping the blood from her mouth, Li Yuexin stood back up.

Her gaze locked onto the gorilla, who was looking at her as if she were nothing more than a peasant who had dared to challenge a king.

"I will kill him," Li Yuexin muttered softly. Her grip tightened around her sword. Holding it in her left hand, she lowered the blade to her side. Her stance widened slightly, her body relaxing into a strange yet elegant posture.

At that moment, her blue eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever. Of course, Li Feng immediately recognized the stance. This was one of the top combat techniques of the Li Clan: Flowing Surge.

A combat technique that granted immense control over movement while simultaneously allowing extraordinary Qi circulation and amplification. The fact that Li Yuexin was only the third person in the entire clan to master the technique up to the Fourth Step was enough to show just how terrifying her talent truly was.

And now, she was finally going all out. All Li Feng could do was hope it would be enough to help her win.

Li Yuexin’s gaze remained calm and steady as she spoke beneath her breath. "First Step... Ripple Step." Qi flowed downward through her legs and spread beneath her feet, creating ripples through the surrounding spiritual energy. For a brief moment, nothing seemed to happen.

Then... BOOOOM! The ground exploded beneath her feet. Li Yuexin shot forward with unbelievable momentum. The three-spiked gorilla’s expression immediately changed. In the blink of an eye, she had already appeared right before him.

Her sword arched toward his neck with incredible speed. The gorilla reacted instantly. Raising both arms, he guarded his head, clearly aware that the human girl was hell-bent on slicing it off.

"Third Step... Surging Impact." Li Yuexin’s voice remained calm as her sword collided with the beast’s guard. The impact, however, was anything but calm. BANG! A deafening explosion erupted. The gorilla felt something unfamiliar travel through his nerves: pain.

Then it was followed by several more sharp bursts of pain throughout his body. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The shrill sound echoed through the clearing as dark crimson blood sprayed through the air. Li Yuexin didn’t stop there. Her feet were already moving again.

Her sword remained firmly gripped in her hand. "Second Step... Flowing Current." Her body moved with unbelievable agility... fast, smooth, deadly.

She instantly capitalized on the brief opening created by the beast’s stunned state, unleashing a barrage of attacks toward every vulnerable point she could find.

Cuts opened across the gorilla’s arms, its shoulders, its chest, and its ribs. Every strike landed with frightening precision. Before she could continue the assault for long, however, the gorilla regained its bearings. Its eyes flashed with fury.

Several spiked punches descended at once. The attacks came from every direction. Each one carried enough force to shatter stone. Li Yuexin immediately shifted all her focus toward survival. Her sword flashed repeatedly. Her feet danced across the battlefield.

Her body moved with incredible precision as she narrowly avoided one deadly attack after another. Yet despite her efforts, she couldn’t avoid everything. Some of the spikes suddenly elongated mid-attack, striking from impossible angles.

Blood began staining her blue dress. New wounds appeared across her body. Yet Li Yuexin didn’t slow down. She continued attacking, continued dodging, continued carving wounds into the beast whenever opportunities appeared.

Every attempt at delivering a killing strike was blocked or countered by the monstrous gorilla.

The battle had entered a different stage. Now it was no longer about overwhelming power; it was a contest of skill, a contest of endurance, a contest to determine who would make the first mistake, who would succumb to the accumulating injuries first, and who would allow their guard to drop.

The sounds of clashing attacks continued endlessly. Again. And again. And again. The very ground cracked and shattered beneath the force of their collisions. Qi exploded outward in violent waves. Sword and fist met repeatedly as both fighters unleashed their full power against one another.

Meanwhile, far away from the battlefield, two two-spiked gorillas were sprinting through the forest at breakneck speed. At this moment, only one thought existed inside their minds: Run. Run farther. Run faster. Get as far away from that monstrous female human as possible.

The two beasts couldn’t understand it. Why were humans becoming more monstrous than beasts? None of it made sense. But they were in no position to question reality.

All they wanted right now was to get the hell out of there. The two gorillas raced through the forest at incredible speed. Then both of them came to an abrupt stop.

The reason was simple: something stood directly in their path. Several meters ahead stood a figure dressed in elegant green robes. He was standing amidst a field of corpses. Dark Bulls, Tailed Pigs, Fanged Monkeys... various spirit beasts littered the area. Every single one of them was dead.

Residual green lightning crackled across their bodies. At the center of it all stood the green-robed figure. His hands were stained with blood as he casually removed beast cores from one corpse after another. At that exact moment, the two gorillas arrived.

The figure slowly turned his head. His emerald-green eyes landed on them. There was no hostility in his gaze, no killing intent, no anger. And yet, the moment those eyes settled on them, the two beasts felt intense chills crawl down their spines.

Their fur stood on end. Their instincts screamed at them: Danger. Extreme danger.

The green-haired figure offered them a polite smile. Then he spoke. "I needed to gather more beast cores for a certain someone who is close to breaking through.

" His smile remained warm.. friendly, even. Seeing the two gorillas standing there, his eyes brightened slightly. "And seeing that both of you are Ninth-Stage Level-Two beasts, your cores would surely be appreciated."

The smile never left his face. Not once. Yet the words that followed made the two beasts feel as though ice had been poured directly into their veins. "Your cores would be appreciated." The green-haired man tilted his head slightly.

"Now then... Are you giving them to me the easy way..." His smile widened ever so slightly. "...or the hard way?"