After the Immortal Disappeared

Ke Jihai dodged the Giant Ape’s strike, circling around to its back. He then leaped high, aiming the tip of his spear straight at the nape of its neck.

The Giant Ape’s head and back were protected by Bone Armor, but its neck needed to remain flexible and was thus uncovered. Ke Jihai planned to exploit this opening for a fatal blow.

The Ape Demon was ten feet tall, and Ke Jihai’s Long Spear was also ten feet long. He had to jump to be able to stab it.

At the same time, his attendants attacked from the front, helping to distract the Violent Ape.

Its movements were far less agile than the Werewolf’s, and it was too late to turn around.

Just as Ke Jihai was about to land a successful strike, something unexpected happened:

Two eyes suddenly opened on the back of the Ape Demon’s head, and two more arms sprouted from its shoulders!

Ke Jihai finally understood the purpose of the two small holes on the back of the Ape Demon’s Bone Helmet.

The monster could actually transform to have four eyes and four arms, and it had hidden this ability until now!

’Something’s wrong, this is very wrong. Its Demon Power was clearly suppressed and the might of its Divine Techniques greatly reduced. How did it enter its next form instead?’

Ke Jihai even felt the airflow around it suddenly grow more violent.

With three Iron Thorns stuck in its body, its strength hadn’t weakened. On the contrary, it had grown stronger!

The Giant Ape swatted the spearhead away, knocking Ke Jihai off balance. Unable to change direction in mid-air, he saw its millstone-sized fist coming right for his face!

’This monster... is unexpectedly strong.’

Meanwhile, the Werewolf monster knocked over a large tree. It had barely scrambled to its feet and shaken its head when it was met with Hee Lingchuan’s frontal Jump Slash.

The Hundred Defying Blade was radiating Sharpness. The creature didn’t dare to meet it head-on and dodged to the side.

The Broken Blade was still embedded in its left shoulder, making the entire arm impossible to lift. Fortunately, the Tail Whip behind its head shot up like a snake, striking straight for Hee Lingchuan’s face.

The two clashed, both trying to overwhelm the other with speed.

Ever since Hee Lingchuan learned to expand his Divine Thought, his five senses had become much sharper. Now, with the boost from Primordial Power, the monster’s speed seemed to slow slightly in his eyes. It was no longer the blur it had been before, too fast for the naked eye to follow.

It might not seem like much, but this slight difference was just enough for his vision to barely keep up.

This was also because the Werewolf monster’s innate talent was primarily in speed. Its high agility was half physical instinct and half supported by Demon Power, which was why it was countered by the Primordial Power on Hee Lingchuan.

However, he was still a greenhorn. Even with the aid of Primordial Power and pushing his Swallow Returning Body Technique to its limits, he could only barely manage a stalemate.

And this was with one of the Werewolf monster’s claws crippled. Otherwise, its fangs, claws, and Tail Whip combined would have surely killed him on the spot.

In just a dozen breaths, several more wounds appeared on Hee Lingchuan’s body, though thankfully none were deep.

The monster’s Tail Whip was incredibly flexible, inflicting far more damage than its claws. After a slash, Hee Lingchuan failed to defend in time and it punched a hole in his shoulder. The pain made his face twitch.

Fortunately, at this moment, Hee Chunhua finally shouted the words he most wanted to hear: "Chuan’Er, lead it over here!"

Without a second thought, Hee Lingchuan leaped backward toward his father.

The Demon’s attacks were like a torrential storm. He truly couldn’t hold on any longer and desperately needed someone to shield him from the wind and rain.

The monster’s original target had been Hee Chunhua. It had only been provoked into a frenzy by its fight with Hee Lingchuan. Seeing him run toward its target, it naturally gave chase, kicking off the ground so hard that lichen and powdered snow flew far into the air.

As Hee Lingchuan rushed toward his father, his expanded Divine Thought had already seen what was in his hands. So, the moment Hee Chunhua shouted the one word "Down," he dove and went completely prone, sliding more than twenty feet across the snowy ground with a WHOOSH.

As he slid, he didn’t forget to turn and stay on guard, just in time to see the Werewolf monster pounce at Hee Chunhua. Hee Chunhua was remarkably composed. The Werewolf’s sharp claws were about to reach his face when an object shot out from his hand, enveloping the monster completely!

They were so close that even a monster this agile couldn’t dodge it. The object shot out with immense force, practically pinning it to the ground.

Hee Lingchuan took a look. Wasn’t this the very same Silk-entwined Celestial Net he had experienced firsthand?

There was even a torn hole on its edge.

In the Coiling Dragon Illusion Realm, Sunx Fuping had used this large net to bind him tightly. If not for the astonishing Sharpness of his Broken Blade, he would have had no chance of escape, just like the monster before him now.

It struggled desperately inside the net, trying to claw it open, but how could National Preceptor Sunx’s personal Magical Treasure be damaged so easily?

It barked furiously in its rage. After hearing a few barks, Hee Lingchuan was certain that it was indeed a Wolf Demon.

The Celestial Net was effective, but it had a long activation time. Hee Chunhua’s Cultivation was far less profound than Sunx Fuping’s, and he wasn’t skilled in controlling the Silk-entwined Celestial Net. That was why he needed Hee Lingchuan to buy him time to prepare it.

Against such an astonishingly agile opponent, the Celestial Net was the perfect tool.

He touched his waist; the Broken Blade had automatically returned.

Hee Lingchuan glanced back at the Giant Ape. ’If they used the Celestial Net on a creature with Infinite Strength like that, it probably wouldn’t be very effective and might even damage the Magical Treasure.’

Thankfully, Ke Jihai was still alive and kicking. Otherwise, if the Giant Ape freed itself to attack the Hee Family, no one here would survive.

He watched the battle between the man and the beast, both shocked by the Giant Ape’s combat prowess and envious of the dark Primordial Power surrounding Ke Jihai. Humans were mostly inferior to Demon Beasts in terms of physique, strength, and Cultivation, but Primordial Power could instantly even the odds.

When the Giant Ape suddenly transformed to have two heads and four arms, everyone gasped in shock.

"What in the world is that thing!" Hee Chunhua’s expression changed as well. "I’ve never heard of an Ape Demon with such a transformation. Could it have had some strange, fortuitous encounter?"

’Couldn’t Sun Wukong do that?’ Hee Lingchuan thought. But seeing the Giant Ape’s combat power suddenly spike, he knew this was abnormal. Furthermore, the Giant Ape began to roar incessantly, its fighting style becoming far less disciplined than before.

’It seems the sudden increase in power further stimulates its berserk nature.’

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted around. He turned back and asked Hee Chunhua, "Dad, did you bring the Walnut Boat? Let me borrow it!"

Hee Chunhua looked at the mountain path. "The boat is too big and the road is too narrow. It’s useless here." There was no water, and unlike in the Desert Sea, they couldn’t find suitable beasts to pull it.

But he took out the Walnut Boat anyway.

Hee Lingchuan snatched it from his palm and dashed toward Ke Jihai, inserting a Profound Crystal into the Walnut Boat as he lamented:

’My wallet’s going to take a major hit this time.’

He didn’t run in a straight line, instead taking a small detour to get above the man and the beast.

Ke Jihai was fighting while retreating, and the battle had moved into a mountain hollow. Above them was the forty-foot-tall Heaven-Reaching Cliff.

The so-called Heaven-Reaching Cliff was just a massive, rectangular boulder. Hee Lingchuan used his Swallow Returning Body Technique, bounding up to the top of the boulder in just a few steps. He shouted down, "General Ke, get back!"

Fearing the other man hadn’t heard him, he filled his Dantian with air and repeated three times: "Get back, get back, get back!"

Then he threw the Walnut Boat down with all his might.

The top and bottom of the cliff weren’t far apart, and his shouts were like thunder. Both combatants below heard him clearly.

The Giant Ape instinctively looked up at him, but Ke Jihai jabbed the cliffside with the tip of his spear, using the force to propel himself more than thirty feet away.

As a military general, his actions were decisive.

Hee Lingchuan, with a voice like a clap of spring thunder, roared, "Grow!"

The Walnut Boat fell.

Despite its massive size, the Giant Ape had excellent eyesight. Even in the dark, it could see a walnut-sized object hurtling toward it.

It caught it with one hand and took a look.

’Huh, it really is a walnut.’

Hee Lingchuan: "..."

Ke Jihai: "..."

Fortunately, after consuming one of Hee Lingchuan’s Profound Crystals, the walnut’s expected transformation, though delayed, finally arrived. It suddenly began to expand under the gaze of the three onlookers!

The Giant Ape immediately sensed something was wrong and tried to throw it away and flee.

But it was too late.

The object expanded at a speed beyond imagination. In less than two breaths, it returned to its full form: a massive wooden boat over fifty feet long and ten feet high!

The hollow on the winding mountain road wasn’t very wide to begin with. The moment the wooden boat appeared, it completely blocked the entire space.

The Giant Ape let out a heaven-shaking roar—it had been a step too slow. The wooden boat had pinned its body from the waist down.

Despite its Infinite Strength, several hundred thousand pounds had suddenly fallen on it. The only reason it wasn’t crushed flat was its thick skin and tough flesh.

The feeling of being crushed by a mountain was certainly not pleasant.

Seeing it finally subdued, Ke Jihai let out a long sigh of relief. Leaning on his spear, he said, "Good kid. You’ve really got something."

He had been locked in a fierce, life-or-death battle with this monster, yet Hee Lingchuan had come along, found an advantageous angle, and suppressed the Giant Ape. He was at a loss for words.

This wasn’t the conventional way to use this wooden boat Magical Treasure. The kid had found a clever trick, and a good one at that.

Hee Lingchuan gave a dry laugh. "Just luck, that’s all." Before running over, he hadn’t known the hollow was so small. If the Walnut Boat’s full form had been just a little bit bigger, it would have gotten stuck on the cliff walls and wouldn’t have been able to fall down on the ape at all. That would have been a huge embarrassment.

Ke Jihai, still catching his breath, jabbed his Long Spear at the Giant Ape. "Who sent you? Speak!"

What kind of Demon would sneak into Shihuan City for no reason and ambush a Grand General of the court?

The Giant Ape ignored his question, roaring and scratching. It clawed at the ground, the trees, and even the cliff walls, sending dust and rock powder flying. Seeing its eyes were still bloodshot, Hee Lingchuan frowned.

’This thing seems to have completely lost its mind. Can it even understand human speech?’

Just then, a blood-curdling scream and a sharp cry came from upwind.

Both their hearts tightened. They looked back at the same time and saw seven or eight people burst out of the dense forest, slashing straight for Hee Chunhua. A carriage driver who was close to him had taken an arrow to the eye and was screaming incessantly.

Madam Ying had been tackled to the ground by the commoner boy, a gray-feathered arrow stuck in his shoulder, its fletching still quivering.

There were more soldiers lying in ambush in the forest!

Both shocked and furious, Hee Lingchuan sprinted back. Seeing the Werewolf trapped, he had taken the Walnut Boat and rushed to aid Ke Jihai. But Hee Chunhua had to focus all his energy on suppressing the Werewolf monster, Hee Yue’s Cultivation was mediocre, and Madam Ying knew no Divine Techniques at all!

The ambushers in the forest had first shot an arrow at Hee Chunhua, which he managed to dodge. The arrow ended up hitting the carriage driver behind him. Another arrow had been aimed at Madam Ying, but the commoner boy reacted with incredible speed, tackling her to the ground and taking the arrow in her stead.

After firing the two arrows, the ambushers charged out.

Hee Chunhua had to maintain the Mantra to control the Celestial Net and couldn’t dodge as fluidly as usual. If he abandoned the Mantra to retreat, the Celestial Net would likely lose its hold on the Wolf Demon.