Chapter 332 - Azurethunder Ape

The pace of the battle increased with Zhuo Bufan executing the Great Solar Sword Art to its full potential.

Liu Wuxie maintained a steady pace with every clash, firmly holding his ground despite the ferocious attacks.

This made Zhuo Bufan feel as though his strikes were hitting cotton, gradually frustrating him. His sword technique had never failed him before, and he finally understood that there was always someone stronger in the world.

Although Liu Wuxie's blade technique appeared ordinary, each attack was imbued with deep profundity. Martial techniques, even when executed casually, could possess immense power.

"Day Selection Sword!" Zhuo Bufan roared and pointed his sword at the sky, unleashing a powerful sword aura that crashed like a waterfall.

The pressure Liu Wuxie felt increased drastically, and he was almost done tempering his cultivation. Facing the incoming sword aura, Liu Wuxie didn't perform the Primordial Astral Fist but the Fatality Blade Art's third form.

Although Liu Wuxie couldn't master the Fatality Blade Art's third form before reaching the Heavenly Dipper Realm, he could execute it slightly at his current level. He raised his right hand at a forty-five-degree angle with the Heretic Blade aimed toward the sky, unleashing a faint radiance that caused the surrounding space to ripple.

When Liu Wuxie swung his sword, Zhuo Bufan instantly realized something was amiss, and it was too late for him to retreat now. This was because the trajectory of Liu Wuxie's blade technique was tricky and fast.

Zhuo Bufan thought he could kill his opponent with one strike, relying on his sword technique. At the very least, he was confident that only a few people could surpass him in speed.

However, Zhuo Bufan finally realized he was wrong at this moment. His sword technique was at a different level than Liu Wuxie's.

Even though the Fatality Blade Art was a heaven-grade martial technique, it had a tricky trajectory. Each move was designed to kill.

Sparks flew around in all directions when the blade and sword clashed with a powerful shockwave rumbling out. The tree fragments and rocks on the ground flew away, clearing a large area.

"Die!" Liu Wuxie performed the Fatality Blade Art's third form, carrying immense power and raising a cloud of dust.

The sky changed when Liu Wuxie swung his sword with explosions on the ground. The surroundings were engulfed in blade strikes, and Liu Wuxie's figure vanished.

At this moment, he had become one with the blade. The powerful blade aura he unleashed tore through the air and ripped Zhuo Bufan's defenses apart.

"Don't kill me! I'm sorry! Please spare my life!" Zhuo Bufan was terrified. He didn't know who Liu Wuxie was, and he felt too humiliated to die there.

"Too late!" Liu Wuxie replied coldly. His blade aura enveloped the sky, engulfing a thousand meters of radius.

When the blade aura descended, it carved a hundred-meter-long ravine into the ground, reaching into the forest and plunging five meters deep.

Such a terrifying strike left even Liu Wuxie shocked. In the cultivation world, space was resilient, and creating such an aftermath there was truly astonishing.

Zhuo Bufan was split into two from the middle. Blood trickled down his forehead, and his eyes were wide open even at his death.

When the wind blew, Zhuo Bufan floated into the air. This was because Liu Wuxie had devoured his energy, leaving behind his skin.

Liu Wuxie returned to his original position and sat with his legs crossed. The rest of the day was relatively quiet. Two mercenary groups came, but they left quickly after glancing there.

The aura Liu Wuxie gave off was too terrifying because he hadn't fully refined the energy he had absorbed from Zhuo Bufan.

Three days later, Bai Lin was the first to wake up, and his aura became stable in the ninth level of the True Core Realm. Tang Tian woke up soon after and walked over to Liu Wuxie.

"Junior Brother Liu, thank you for protecting us during our breakthrough." Bai Lin and Tang Tian cupped their fists together. They were so grateful that they nearly fell to their knees.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough!" Liu Wuxie smiled. After three days of delay, they had less time to complete their tasks now and would probably have to travel through the night.

Bai Lin and Tang Tian's faces changed drastically when they saw the ravine. They hadn't expected an expert to come there during their breakthrough, and they were fortunate to have Liu Wuxie to protect them.

There was no time to talk, and the three headed deeper into the Scarlet Sun Mountain Range. They had two missions left in the mountain range.

"Junior Brother Liu, if this continues, I'm afraid it will be tough for us to complete all the missions within a month." Bai Lin felt a little anxious. They didn't mind, but they were worried it might affect Liu Wuxie.

They had done many missions in the past two years and had barely enough points. But Liu Wuxie had just joined the sect, and he had no points on him.

"How about this? We'll split up. You two hunt the Blood Flame Wolf while I go after the Azurethunder Ape," Liu Wuxie said after a brief pondering. Since Bai Lin and Tang Tian had reached the ninth-level True Core Realm, they might as well split up to save time.

The two agreed because they had to temper their cultivation after their breakthrough. Through this incident, they had learned a lesson; it was hard for them to grow in a comfortable environment.

If they hadn't experienced that life-and-death battle, they would still be hovering in the eighth level of the True Core Realm.

"Alright. We'll gather in this valley three days from now!" Bai Lin agreed to Liu Wuxie's suggestion. If they split up, it would shorten the time needed to complete the missions.

After making arrangements, the three parted ways, with Liu Wuxie heading straight for the Azurethunder Ape's lair, which would take about a day's journey. This meant a round trip would take two days, and his speed increased since he traveled alone.

Bai Lin chose three missions. Two involved hunting profound beasts, while the remaining involved letter delivery.

The Azurethunder Ape lived in a canyon in the Scarlet Sun Mountain Range, and Liu Wuxie had a map with him. Most apes lived in groups, but it was a different case for the Azurethunder Ape.

The Azurethunder Ape lived in solitude except during mating seasons, making it difficult to find.

"I have obtained two spiritual treasures but still lack some materials to reforge the Heretic Blade. I can fly with it once it becomes a spiritual treasure," Liu Wuxie stopped and muttered to himself.

Traveling this way was too slow, and he wouldn't have to rely on his legs to travel once the Heretic Blade advanced to a spiritual treasure. He could see swords flying across the sky, and those were inner disciples flying on their swords.

One day later, a large canyon appeared before Liu Wuxie. The Azurethunder Ape was frequently found there, and he would run into it soon if he were lucky.

If he weren't lucky, he would have to wait for the Azurethunder Ape to hunt for food. A type of azure fruit grew in the canyon, which was food for the Azurethunder Ape.

The Azurethunder Apes would come there daily for food at dusk before returning to their caves to rest.

Liu Wuxie sneaked into the canyon with agility like a monkey. He sat on a platform on a cliff and scanned the surroundings. A hundred meters away, he could hear rustling sounds coming from a cliff, which sounded like something was tugging at the vines.

A three-meter-tall Azurethunder Ape blended perfectly with the vines on the cliff. If it wasn't for the rustling sounds, Liu Wuxie wouldn't have discovered it, and this Azurethunder Ape was feasting on the fruits.

The Azurethunder Ape's color was close to the vines and leaves, providing perfect camouflage. It plucked a fist-sized fruit and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing it briefly before swallowing.

Despite its large size, it moved swiftly on the cliff, like walking on flat ground. The Azurethunder Ape had long arms and sharp claws, allowing it to pierce them into the cliff like swords.

It grabbed the vines and leaped, moving into the distance as it was almost done eating.

There was no way Liu Wuxie would let it go since he had encountered it. With a leap, Liu Wuxie grabbed the vines on the cliff and traveled at a speed not any slower than the Azurethunder Ape.

The Azurethunder Ape let out a roar upon sensing Liu Wuxie's presence. Frequent hunts had caused their population to dwindle significantly.

A shockwave formed by its roar swept out, causing the vines on the cliff to fly around. Liu Wuxie grabbed onto one vine and performed a 360-degree spin before returning to the cliff.

Liu Wuxie nearly fell because the Azurethunder Ape's strength was between the eighth and ninth-level True Core Realm. Bai Lin had taken this mission with the mindset of trying their luck.

They had planned to give up immediately if they were to run into an Azurethunder Ape in the ninth-level True Core Realm. But if they were to run into a low-leveled Azurethunder Ape, they would have a high chance of hunting it.

Liu Wuxie wasn't hurrying to strike as they were too far apart. If Liu Wuxie had acted now, he might have allowed the Azurethunder Ape to escape instead.

The two raced along the cliff, covering a distance of a few hundred meters in the blink of an eye.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

They reached the depth of the canyon. It was rumored that powerful, profound beasts resided there. There were even sixth-grade demonic beasts, which were comparable to the Heavenly Dipper Realm for human cultivators.

Liu Wuxie didn't dare to take the risk and had to stop the Azurethunder Ape as soon as possible. He couldn't afford to let the Azurethunder Ape go deeper.

Drawing the Heretic Blade, Liu Wuxie swung it down to block the Azurethunder Ape's path, forcing it to move upwards and give him a chance.

"This is strange. Why didn't the Azurethunder Ape fight me?" Liu Wuxie wondered, frowning as he pursued it. This behavior was unusual for the Azurethunder Ape, which was known to be hostile towards humans.

Furthermore, it made no sense that the Azurethunder Ape fled when it had a higher cultivation than him. But he didn't have time to analyze and accelerated when the Azurethunder Ape ascended.

Liu Wuxie hovered in the air using the Nine Heavenly Crane Dance, with terrifying flames manifesting into giant wings. When the wings flapped, it carried him a distance of ten-odd meters.

When roughly a hundred meters apart, Liu Wuxie swiftly caught up to the Azurethunder Ape, still running instead of fighting.

"Blood scent!" There were bloodstains left on the cliff. This was a sign that the Azurethunder Ape would likely be injured from its previous fight with a wound on its lower abdomen.

This made Liu Wuxie wonder who had injured the Azurethunder Ape and if that person was nearby. A chill went down Liu Wuxie's spine. The cliff was covered with vines and leaves, making it easy for a few people to hide within them.

As Liu Wuxie approached the Azurethunder Ape, he decided to kill it first in case of an accident.