Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Black Giant Ape

Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Black Giant Apes

The Cosmic Treasure Wheel suddenly expanded, flying from Chu Jie’s fist like a cascading waterfall, trailing radiant light as it cleaved toward the two black giant apes.

The apes’ eyes widened in shock, their bodies darting aside, but their evasion was too slow. In an instant, Chu Jie’s Cosmic Treasure Wheel sliced through them, piercing their bodies and whistling as it soared into the sky.

A stream of light descended from above, enveloping Chu Jie’s fist and transforming into a glove.

All three black giant apes were vanquished!

At this moment, Chu Jie glanced at the others. Apart from himself, the rest had managed to slay two giant apes. A few remaining apes clustered together, launching attacks against them.

It seemed their group held the upper hand, but the situation soon changed.

From all sides, more than ten black giant apes climbed up, and it did not stop there. Before long, another dozen appeared, their numbers now far surpassing those of the human warriors.

Chu Jie had not seen so many black giant apes before. Could it be that the eighth terrace was their den? It was indeed possible! In the Abyss of Gods and Demons, black giant apes were considered a pinnacle among beast tribes; every adult ape possessed cultivation at the Spirit Gathering Realm or higher—a terrifying prospect. Fortunately, their numbers were normally few; otherwise, they would have dominated the entire abyss long ago.

“Kill!” Chu Jie roared.

Surrounded by such a horde, there was only one option: slaughter. They had to eradicate the apes completely.

Two of the nearest black giant apes lunged at him, hunting Chu Jie with ferocity.

These upright beasts were formidable. One ape threw its head back in a wild howl; its fur lengthened rapidly, its stature grew taller, and its eyes burned red—it was clearly enraged.

Many other apes howled in unison, their bodies strengthened to varying degrees, all looking ferocious and wild.

Among them, the largest and most powerful ape targeted Chu Jie, charging at him at speed, leaping high, its claws flashing cold light in the air. The attack was so swift that there was hardly time to react.

“Watch out, Chu Jie!” Duan Kun shouted, while fending off another ape.

The ape battling Duan Kun seemed to find a weakness, launching repeated attacks. Yet Duan Kun quickly found a way to counter: he kicked the ape’s knee, sent his leg sweeping in a blur, and struck its chin.

The ape’s body was sent flying, a red glow flickering across its form. Landing hard, it let out an angry roar, two tusks protruding from its mouth.

Meanwhile, Chu Jie was contending with the most powerful ape.

Its claws covered every inch of space before Chu Jie, but his speed was astounding; he dodged nearly every attack.

The ape grew frenzied, but could not touch Chu Jie.

Sunfire Fist! A blazing sun appeared upon Chu Jie’s fist, radiating unmatched power as he smashed it toward the ape.

The ape bared its teeth, seemingly mocking Chu Jie, suddenly reaching out to seize his fist.

But Chu Jie’s fist was sheathed in the glove formed by the Cosmic Treasure Wheel—how could the ape hope to catch it?

When the ape’s claws collided with Chu Jie’s fist, the sun shattered violently, its force channeling directly into the ape.

The ape let out a miserable scream; its arm splintered into fragments in an instant, though its claw remained intact and gleamed coldly. Yet, the claw had fallen to the ground, severed from its body.

Deprived of an arm, the ape became utterly berserk, but with its limb destroyed, its attacks lost power, and Chu Jie finished it off with ease.

Chu Jie’s Cosmic Treasure Wheel was highly effective against the apes, though it consumed spiritual energy. Fortunately, he had collected many Azure Spirit Pills earlier; as his energy depleted, he replenished it quickly.

Azure Spirit Pills were excellent, their effects outstanding—at least for now, they completely compensated for Chu Jie’s expenditure.

With an Azure Spirit Pill in his mouth, Chu Jie launched a frenzied assault against the apes.

A crescent-shaped stream of light flew from his fist, forcing everything in its path to retreat.

Under the Cosmic Treasure Wheel’s assault, the apes had no time to dodge, being cleaved cleanly in two.

The strongest ape was slain by Chu Jie, immediately drawing five more apes to rush at him.

On this high ground, black shadows continued to climb up, joining the battle.

Though Chu Jie and Duan Kun were formidable, unlucky warriors fell, unable to withstand the apes, their bodies torn apart, reduced to clouds of blood.

In moments, two men died.

“Quick, everyone group together! Those with higher cultivation stand in front, the rest attack from behind!” Du Xuan shouted.

Strategy was now essential; they could no longer fight blindly as before, or else they would be picked off one by one.

Everyone clustered together, the apes still pursuing. Now, the line between the human cultivators and the apes was clear.

The brief respite did not last.

“We’ve lost two men; who knows how many apes remain unaccounted for. Should we hold our ground or leave?” Du Xuan asked.

“If we flee now, we might be surrounded by the apes outside. The terrain here is still best; if we move elsewhere, it might not be as advantageous,” said one warrior.

“Hmph.” Zhou Jie snorted. Previously, he might have mocked this, but since Chu Jie had beaten him, he rarely made bold claims.

“Let’s hold out a bit longer. If we kill enough apes, they might stop attacking us,” Chu Jie said.

Du Xuan nodded, “Chu Jie is right. We’ll hold for now—everyone protect yourselves, don’t let the apes injure you further.”

After a short time, the fighting erupted again.

The apes charged en masse. After the previous carnage, more than twenty remained, but soon several more shadows appeared.

This time, they changed their formation: Chu Jie, Duan Kun, Du Xuan, and Zhou Jie stood at the front, facing the apes’ onslaught directly, while the others attacked from behind.

This prevented sneak attacks and maximized their efficiency.

The apes still surged forward in disorder; though powerful beasts, their intelligence lagged far behind.

Now, no more shadows ascended—only the remaining apes continued their assault.

Chu Jie had already consumed five Azure Spirit Pills, as he used the Cosmic Treasure Wheel frequently.

The pills’ effect was excellent; without them, his energy would have been exhausted from constant use of the Treasure Wheel.

“Keep going! They have no reinforcements left!” Du Xuan shouted.

With no more shadows joining, it was very good news. If they could overcome the remaining apes, victory would be theirs.

The apes did not consider reinforcements; earlier, they had slain two warriors and absorbed their blood mist, as if feasting on spirit pills.

To these beasts, warriors were mere food—satisfying hunger and even enhancing their cultivation.

“Roar!”

The apes howled, attacking Chu Jie and his companions.

The basic Cosmic Treasure Wheel was unleashed once more, flying at incredible speed toward the apes, spinning and vibrating, crashing into their ranks.

The sound of bones being sliced echoed; though the apes’ cultivation was impressive, they were not true warriors. Their bodies were strong but limited.

The Cosmic Treasure Wheel held them firmly in check.

Five apes were slain in succession before the Treasure Wheel paused, transforming into a stream of light and returning.

Everyone stared at Chu Jie in astonishment—five apes slain in a row, a feat that left all dumbfounded. His power was truly terrifying.

The key was the Cosmic Treasure Wheel—an unparalleled weapon. All gazed at Chu Jie with envy.

Zhou Jie’s gaze was tinged with greed; he desperately wanted a weapon focused on offense. With supreme defense and supreme attack, he would be invincible—who could stand against him then?

The remaining apes were stunned, then all stopped, not attacking as Chu Jie expected. Instead, they retreated, frantically climbing down from the high ground.

Chu Jie was speechless. His attack had slain five apes, causing the rest to lose their will to fight. In a short time, not a single ape remained nearby.

All the black giant apes had fled.

Chu Jie and his companions finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yet that strike had depleted two-thirds of Chu Jie’s energy; to guard against surprises, he bit open the deepest Azure Spirit Pill in his mouth and began to recover quickly.

With the apes dealt with, everyone sat to rest. Each was exhausted—the life-and-death battle with the apes had drained them, both mentally and physically.

Fortunately, Chu Jie’s single strike had scared them all off; otherwise, the consequences would have been dire.

“Alright, prepare yourselves—we’re about to break into the ninth terrace,” Du Xuan announced.

Though the beast tide had not entirely subsided, its impact was no longer significant. The time had come to venture to the ninth terrace—their ultimate goal.

Everyone’s spirits lifted, hearts filled with hope that a rare treasure would emerge.