Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen and his five companions were concealed in a narrow crevice at the foot of the mountain.
The entrance to the crevice was so narrow that they had to crawl on their bellies to enter. After advancing several dozen meters, the passage suddenly widened into a cavern roughly a hundred meters across.
The crevice itself was a natural formation, but the cavern deep within had been excavated by the six cultivators.
They deliberately avoided widening the entrance, fearing that disturbing the surface rocks would create fresh tracks and alert the Giant Ape.
Deeper within the crevice, Chi Pei had deployed a concealment formation so potent that even a sixth-tier demonic beast would struggle to detect any anomalies.
The group remained hidden in the cavern for over ten days.
Outside, there was no sign of activity—not even a low-level demon beast had appeared.
For cultivators, a mere ten days passed in the blink of an eye, slipping away unnoticed.
Yet one among them was an exception: Chi Pei.
For the first few days, he remained composed. But starting on the tenth day, his gaze began to drift involuntarily toward Qi Luo.
As time passed, his gaze grew increasingly fervent, brimming with barely concealed lust.
If not for the presence of the others in the cavern, he likely would have already pounced on Qi Luo.
Seeing this, Qi Luo felt no joy, only growing anxiety.
She knew all too well that Chi Pei was under the influence of the Red Dust Fragrance, and his condition was worsening.
If she weren't by his side, Chi Pei's desires might not be so intense. But confined together in the cave, day after day with nothing to do, only fueled his lust.
If this continued, even if Chi Pei remained unaware of his own abnormality, others would soon notice his strange behavior.
As Qi Luo met Chi Pei's gaze, her anxiety deepened. She considered whether she should take the initiative to seduce him and help him release his pent-up desires.
As long as their secret remained hidden, she was willing to perform even the most scandalous acts.
Just as she was wavering, a sudden change occurred outside the cave.
A series of piercing sounds tore through the air, and the surrounding miasma began to churn violently.
Yet no demon beast appeared.
The piercing sounds persisted for several breaths before abruptly ceasing. The miasma gradually calmed, returning to its original stillness.
"What was that?" Shi Man asked. "Could it have been some kind of avian demon beast passing through?"
The sudden disturbance diverted Chi Pei's attention. He stopped focusing on Qi Luo, his gaze now fixed on the cave entrance as he murmured,
"It doesn't seem to be simply passing through," Shi Man said. "It's circling deliberately at high altitude."
"Could it be hunting?" she continued. "But this is Giant Ape territory. Wouldn't it be foolish to appear so brazenly, like a lamb walking into a tiger's den?"
"It's difficult to fathom the demon beast's intentions," Chi Pei replied. "However, that's irrelevant now. It's already departed and won't affect our plans."
"The young master speaks truly," Shi Man said, though her words were mere flattery rather than genuine agreement.
Soon, Tang Gui and Sang Bu joined the discussion, and the cave filled with hushed murmurs.
The group chatted idly for about half an hour when another disturbance occurred outside the cave.
Thump!
A dull thud echoed through the air, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground.
Immediately afterward, the sounds of chewing and the crunch of bones filled the air. The noise was so loud it could be heard clearly from a distance.
The group's expressions brightened instantly.
"The sound is coming from the area where we found the demon beast's remains earlier," Tang Gui said. "Could it be that the Giant Ape is feeding there and will then rest on that smooth rock?"
"That seems likely," Chi Pei said, his eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence. "Everyone, I'll deactivate the concealment formation shortly. Follow me as we charge out. Tang Gui and Sang Bu, you two will distract the Giant Ape and keep it within the formation's range. Shi Man and Qi Luo, stay close to me and protect me while I manipulate the formation, preventing any external disturbances."
"Understood!" the four designated cultivators replied in unison.
As for Song Wen, Chi Pei completely ignored him, clearly dismissing the nascent soul cultivator's potential contribution in a battle against the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape.
With these instructions given, Chi Pei formed a magic seal and channeled spiritual power into the transparent barrier surrounding them.
As his power surged through the formation, the barrier abruptly vanished.
Tang Gui and Sang Bu surged forward, leading the charge toward the cave exit.
The remaining four cultivators followed closely behind.
Abandoning all pretense of concealment, they burst through the narrow cave entrance, shattering the surrounding rock.
Tang Gui and Sang Bu raced toward the source of the crunching sounds.
As they drew closer, the colossal form of the Giant Ape loomed into view.
The ape stood over three hundred meters tall, its crimson eyes burning with primal fury. Seated on the ground, it clutched the mangled corpse of a massive serpent, tearing off chunks of flesh and devouring them with savage hunger.
Fangs tore through flesh, sending blood and gore flying.
The arrival of Tang Gui and Sang Bu immediately drew the Giant Ape's attention.
Enraged by the interruption of its meal, the Giant Ape roared with thunderous fury.
"ROAR!"
The earth trembled as the Giant Ape hurled the mangled python corpse aside. With a sudden surge of power, it stomped its foot, cracking the ground into a web of fissures. Its colossal frame surged upward, lunging toward Tang Gui and Sang Bu.
Seeing this, Tang Gui and Sang Bu turned tail and fled in a panic, their escape clumsy and desperate. It was as if they had stumbled upon the Giant Ape unexpectedly, recognized their inferiority, and fled at the first sign of danger.
Their escape route led directly toward the smooth rock, the central point of the entire formation.
Simultaneously, Tang Gui spat out a Corpse Coffin.
The coffin expanded rapidly upon contact with the air, transforming into a massive, ten-zhang-long vessel. Its pitch-black surface was covered in eerie, glowing runes.
The Corpse Coffin hovered in the air like a colossal shield, protecting the fleeing pair from behind.
BOOM!
The Giant Ape moved with far greater speed than the two men, and with the distance between them already short, it closed in on them in an instant.
Raising its massive palm, the Giant Ape unleashed a devastating strike with the force of a tsunami.
The runes on the Corpse Coffin flared to life, and a torrent of black Corpse Qi surged forth like a tidal wave, meeting the descending palm head-on.
The Corpse Qi proved utterly ineffective, dissipating instantly upon contact.
The colossal palm, carrying the force of mountains splitting and earth shattering, crashed down upon the Corpse Coffin.
As if struck by a small mountain, the Corpse Coffin instantly lost control, hurtling toward Tang Gui and Sang Bu.
Tang Gui's heart jolted with alarm.
The Giant Ape's strength far exceeded his expectations.
Throughout their journey, Chi Pei had repeatedly warned them about the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape's formidable physique, boundless strength, and power that dwarfed other demon beasts of the same cultivation realm.
But only now, facing the creature directly, did Tang Gui truly grasp the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape's overwhelming might.
As a peak Divine Transformation stage cultivator, Tang Gui's cultivation realm was theoretically equal to that of the Blood-Eyed Divine Ape, a fifth-tier peak demon beast.
Yet his Natal Magic Treasure had failed to withstand a single strike from the ape.
Seeing the Corpse Coffin about to crush them, Sang Bu suddenly summoned a massive shield.
The shield, towering over three meters tall, slammed into the Corpse Coffin with tremendous force.
The collision between the two mystic treasures neutralized the Giant Ape's overwhelming force acting on the Corpse Coffin, allowing Tang Gui to regain control of the coffin.
However, the Giant Ape's assault resumed immediately, both palms crashing down simultaneously—one striking the Corpse Coffin, the other the shield—sending both treasures flying.
Having already witnessed the Giant Ape's terrifying power, Tang Gui and Sang Bu anticipated their mystic treasures losing control. With agile movements, they dodged the careening treasures.
But this maneuver left them completely exposed to the Giant Ape's relentless onslaught.
(End of the Chapter)
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