Huan Le squinted for a moment, then said, "Xiao Chen, the so-called Phoenix Prince, is just a young man who hasn't cultivated… Maybe it's just his name and family lineage that are the same…"
Though Xiao Chen felt annoyed at being underestimated, the star soul spirit reminded him that his identity must remain a secret.
"Le, don't be like that. Even if he hasn't cultivated… the Phoenix Emperor is a very good person."
Huan Le fell silent, but in the middle of their conversation, a troop of Yeye monkeys suddenly swarmed their group. This made Huan Le's eyes widen in shock.
"D-damn, the Yeye monkeys again?!" Huan Le immediately clenched his jaw.
Yang Nan's expression, as well as Lie Du's, darkened. Although they were Three-Star Intermediate Spirit practitioners, facing a troop of Yeye monkeys—Tier-Two demonic beasts—was very troublesome.
"Brother Chen, be careful… Besides their incredible speed, they are also skilled at avoiding long-range attacks. If you engage them directly, they fight with excellent coordination."
"Exactly. You're the weakest among us, so find a safe spot. Let us hold them off."
Xiao Chen smiled faintly. What they said had some truth, but even before meeting these three East Sea Sect disciples, he had already faced dozens of Yeye monkey troops on his own.
Swuuuuuuuuush!
Using his Thousand Lightning Step technique, Xiao Chen dashed forward, drawing his sword from his spatial ring. The three East Sea Sect disciples' eyes simultaneously widened in surprise.
"Brother, don't act rashly—" Yang Nan began to speak, but Xiao Chen had already launched his attack. Dozens of monkeys simultaneously charged at them with perfect coordination.
Meanwhile, Xiao Chen struck wildly with his sword. His actions weren't out of recklessness; he had already discerned the weaknesses in the monkeys' defensive and offensive formations.
His attack caused the troop to scatter. They tried to retaliate, but Xiao Chen's speed and swordplay made it impossible for them to find an opening.
"Uuuaaa!" They seemed to communicate among themselves, and all the monkeys that had been attacking the three East Sea Sect disciples turned to attack Xiao Chen at once.
"W-what's happening? Why are all the monkeys attacking Xiao Chen?"
"I-I don't know…"
"Damn it, stop talking and help him!"
As they moved to assist, a larger Yeye monkey with a single horn appeared, stopping the three disciples. The monkey struck the ground with its fist, sending waves of Qi energy outward, and hurled the three of them across the forest.
"D-damn, a Tier-Three demonic beast…"
Meanwhile, as more Yeye monkeys swarmed him, Xiao Chen felt no fear. He went berserk with his swordplay, slashing through dozens of Tier-Two Yeye monkeys around him.
"Hold them off! I'll take care of what's in front of me!" Xiao Chen shouted enthusiastically, continuously launching attack after attack to eliminate the monkeys surrounding him.
The three East Sea Sect disciples paid little attention to his words, focusing instead on evading the attacks from the single Yeye monkey that had stopped them.
"Chen'er, they are loyal… Finish what you need to, then help them. Besides, the Tier-Three demonic beast soul pearls will be far more useful to you!"
"Understood, master!"
As he attacked wildly, Xiao Chen's sword technique suddenly shifted into a 360-degree style.
From the speed, accuracy, and dexterity in his swordplay, it looked as if he was dancing.
Slaaaaaash! Slaaaaaash!
"Nine Phoenix Sword! First Step!"
Continuing to display both elegance and lethality, Xiao Chen cut down more than eighty Yeye monkeys. Even the king of the Yeye monkeys was angered. He slammed the ground, sending out a powerful energy wave that flung the three East Sea Sect disciples further away. They spat up a mouthful of blood.
"D-damn it, Brother Chen! He's targeting you!" Yang Nan shouted, warning Xiao Chen.
But Xiao Chen had already noticed. He shifted his body to the right as the Yeye Monkey King lunged with its fist.
Swuuuuuuuush!
Using the Thousand Lightning Step, the Monkey King's punch hit nothing but air.
"Aaauuuu! Aaauuuuu!"
Baaag! Buuuug! Baaaag! Buuuug!
The Monkey King struck his chest more than four times. The missed attacks clearly frustrated him, especially since Xiao Chen had already slain many of his troops.
"Go ahead and be angry, damn it!" Xiao Chen taunted, slapping his own backside to provoke the Yeye Monkey King further.
"D-damn it! He's mocking the king… This will surely stir up a great fury!"
"Now heal your internal injuries with this recovery pill. Once done, we'll help Brother Chen!"
Kraaaaaaaack!
Realizing he had been underestimated, the Monkey King uprooted a large tree nearby and hurled it toward Xiao Chen repeatedly.
Swuuuuuuuush! Swuuuuuuuush!
Using his Thousand Lightning Step, Xiao Chen dodged the flying tree trunks. However, the Monkey King repeated the attack over and over.
"Damn it, these monkeys!" Xiao Chen cursed. Even with his current enhanced speed, he could only barely evade the continuous assaults.