Chapter Eight: A Timely Rescue

The long sword nearly slipped from his grasp, hurtling away with a clang. With a thud, both Yanlong and Xiao Han were sent flying by a powerful blow. Their cultivation was only at the peak of the Qi Gathering stage—how could they possibly compare to the spiritual beast whose power was akin to the Grand Sky Realm? The difference was too vast. Both were hurled far across the ground and lost consciousness.

“Ah—!” The sword slipped from her hand, spinning through the air before lodging itself with a sharp sound into a nearby tree. The young woman’s face was stricken with panic as a golden, colossal palm struck toward her chest.

“It’s over… I only hope the others can escape,” she thought, closing her eyes to await death. Memories flashed through her mind, and two tears slipped down her cheeks. “My dreams… perhaps I’ll fulfill them in the next life.”

But after a moment, the expected blow never came. Slowly, she opened her eyes to find that, at some point, someone had appeared before her. The brutal golden ape was being held by the throat by this newcomer—its massive body lifted off the ground. In its fierce eyes, there was now a distinctly human expression of pleading.

With a flick of his arm, Leng Tian tossed the giant ape far into the distance. The other two apes, though their eyes burned with ferocity, did not attack. Instead, they remained where they were, growling low and incessantly.

He turned to the young woman, finding her staring at him in a daze. He waved his hand in front of her eyes. “It’s all right. You can come back to yourself now.”

“Ah!” she gasped, startled like a frightened rabbit, and sprang back a great distance. Leng Tian could only shake his head in silence. He turned to the three giant apes. “Go on. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The three apes, still cowed by Leng Tian’s aura, kept their eyes fixed on the young woman. After a few exchanged growls, they seemed to come to a decision and, with a unified roar, all leapt at her.

Leng Tian sensed their fear of him. When he’d struck moments before, the burst of his aura had caused the ape to hesitate and not retaliate. “Could there be something in me that frightens them? What could it be?” He considered every possibility and finally attributed it to the great blade he carried. Nothing else about him could possibly make creatures of Grand Sky Realm strength cower.

Seeing the apes charging at the woman again, Leng Tian had no choice. Since he had already intervened, he would see it through. He wondered how these people had managed to provoke such formidable beasts.

In a flash, his feet moved with lightning speed, his blue-clad form flickering through the air, leaving afterimages at each spot he appeared. Golden fist-lights glimmered as he appeared before one of the giant apes and unleashed a punch.

There was no suspense—the towering ape was sent flying with a single blow. With two more quick steps, he struck out with both fists, sending the other two apes soaring as well.

It wasn’t that Leng Tian was so overwhelmingly powerful that the three apes were unable to resist; his speed simply left them no chance to react. All they could do was take the blows.

After the two punches sent the apes flying, their blood was roused and their wildness unleashed. Now, their eyes were blood-red as they charged at Leng Tian, roaring with abandon.

“If you won’t yield, I’ll fight until you do.” He launched himself forward, golden fists striking out relentlessly, seizing one of the apes and pummeling it mercilessly.

The giant ape was knocked off its feet, flying backward, but Leng Tian’s steps were swift, never letting up. Golden fists rained down like a storm, the sounds of impact echoing without pause.

With a resounding shout, he landed a final blow, sending the ape’s massive body hurtling deep into the forest, toppling dozens of trees in its wake, leaving a trail of devastation.

“Not a bad punching bag,” Leng Tian remarked, turning to face the other two apes charging after him. Meanwhile, the young woman in red had already dragged her two companions to the side, retrieved a small vial, and poured out two pills, administering them to each.

Once she finished, her cheeks flushed as she gazed at Leng Tian, who was thrashing the giant apes. “What kind of man is he? He appeared out of nowhere, and with him here, these three giant apes are powerless. He looks about my age, yet his cultivation is so advanced!” There was a hint of dazed wonder in her starry eyes.

The young woman’s name was Yan Huo Wu. Along with Xiao Ke and the others, she was a resident of Kaoshan Village at the foot of the Lianyun Mountains. Ten years ago, a destitute martial artist arrived in the village, settled down, and gradually became familiar with the locals, often practicing martial arts in their company.

In time, the village children began to follow him. Among them was Huo Wu, who was still a young girl then, dreaming of becoming a great warrior. Since the martial artist’s arrival, she pestered him daily to teach her martial skills. At first, he was hesitant, but as the days passed, affection took root.

Little Huo Wu would bring him food every day. Imagine a little girl trailing behind a middle-aged man, sweetly calling him “Master” and begging to learn martial arts—it was a sight that warmed the heart.

Eventually, the martial artist relented and agreed to her request. Ten years passed. He aged into his twilight years, while Huo Wu blossomed into a graceful and captivating young woman.

In that decade, the martial artist imparted all his knowledge to Huo Wu. In truth, he was only a Qi Gathering peak cultivator, and his martial arts skills and methods were fairly ordinary. Despite Huo Wu’s extraordinary talent and his dedicated guidance, she could only advance to the same level as he.

Xiao Ke and the others were also his disciples, their cultivation comparable to Huo Wu’s, though their comprehension was not as keen. Were it not for the limitations of their techniques, Huo Wu would have long since reached the Sky Realm and stepped into the ranks of true experts.

This time, they had ventured into the mountains hoping to capture a few spirit beast cubs, raise and tame them as powerful allies. On the Chifeng Continent, spirit beasts were abundant, roaming every mountain range. Many warriors made it a habit to tame such creatures as companions or mounts.

Huo Wu and her friends were unlucky. Their teacher, lacking experience, had little knowledge of spirit beasts beyond the few he’d seen. They had already spent two days in the Lianyun Mountains, and curiously, all the usual spirit beasts were nowhere to be found.

Until recently, when they discovered the lair of the golden apes. Taking advantage of the adults leaving to forage, they stole two cubs. But before they could get far, the apes caught up, chasing them in a panic to this very spot.

Had they not encountered Leng Tian, their lives would surely have ended here.

“How are they? Are they all right?” Leng Tian, clad in blue, appeared before Huo Wu. “I don’t know what you were thinking, provoking those three brutes. If I hadn’t come by today, the consequences would have been dire.”

Huo Wu snapped out of her daze, her large eyes shining with complicated emotion, “Um… thank you for saving us.” With that, she lowered her head, a blush coloring her delicate cheeks.