Chapter 1029: The Earth Spirit Stone Ape

The Xiyou Alliance's leader and the Beichen Alliance's leader led their teams away. All the others were also assigned their tasks and quietly scattered in different directions, each heading toward a designated target. In the end, only the two alliance leaders remained.

The Beichen Alliance's leader turned back toward the mountain where the Dongji Alliance's leader was stationed and said calmly, "After years of planning, it is finally time to close the net. I did not expect the final main altar to be hidden so deeply, sealed by the Four Saints within the Core Formation Realm's trial realm. Only after tracing the structure of the grand array in full could we confirm its exact location. Fortunately, the trial realm was pieced together by the Four Saints from the celestial barriers and remnants of the original inner hall’s hidden realm, rather than forming a seamless whole. It is inevitable that flaws exist. Daoist Baili will oversee this place, while the other two main altars are equally perilous. We should take action as well."

The Xiyou Alliance's leader nodded slightly and disappeared into the depths of the mountains. The Beichen Alliance's leader watched him depart, then pondered briefly before flying off in another direction.

***

Within the trial realm, Qin Sang had entered the final trial.

The moment he was transmitted inside, the ground beneath him vanished. He found himself falling through mid-air as if dropped from the heavens. Quickly, he activated his movement art to regain balance.

Qin Sang gasped sharply. Just a hundred zhang ahead, a long, narrow streak of silver light split the air. It was a spatial rift.

"A spatial rift inside a trial realm meant for Core Formation cultivators? How could such a dangerous thing exist here? I wonder how this hidden realm was even constructed," Qin Sang said as he remained where he was, not daring to move rashly.

He extended his gaze far into the distance and found that the void contained not just one rift but several. Though their number was limited, each posed deadly danger. As long as one moved cautiously, however, they were not impossible to avoid.

Next, Qin Sang summoned the Sky-Eyed Butterfly to confirm that there were no invisible or shifting rifts nearby. Compared to the depths of the storm belt, this place was still relatively safe.

Still, that did not mean danger was absent elsewhere. Qin Sang kept the Sky-Eyed Butterfly outside to maintain vigilance while he surveyed his surroundings, then flew toward a nearby mountaintop.

Ming Wei was nowhere to be seen, nor were any other cultivators. Qin Sang knew that each person’s landing spot differed. He and Ming Wei were likely among the first to arrive, so it was normal not to encounter anyone yet.

They still had time. As long as they regrouped before the Soul-Cleansing Liquid appeared, all would be fine.

"First, I need to determine my position..." Qin Sang muttered.

From what Qin Sang had learned, the trial realm was divided into four regions, each with unique terrain and features. The Hundred-Treasure Pavilion lay at the center of all four.

The treasures within the Hundred-Treasure Pavilion were limited in number; only those who reached it first could claim them.

"Is that a lake?" Gazing far into the distance, Qin Sang saw faint glimmers of rippling water beyond several mountain ranges. The area seemed vast.

He was just about to fly closer when the mountain beneath him suddenly shook violently. The ground heaved like a living swamp, rising and collapsing in waves.

Bang! Bang!

Several earthen-yellow "stone spheres" burst up from the ground, each several zhang wide.

In an instant, countless such spheres surrounded Qin Sang, towering like miniature peaks and plunging him into shadow.

Crack... Crack...

The stone spheres split open in mid-air, releasing clouds of dust.

As the dust swirled, the spheres transformed into enormous ape-like creatures. Their bodies were uneven and rugged, entirely composed of sharply contoured stone blocks. Yet they moved with surprising agility, their limbs thick and powerful like true apes.

Two hollow sockets on each of their heads gleamed with a fierce, murderous light, locked squarely on Qin Sang.

Screech!

Boom! Boom!

The stone apes beat their chests, emitting sharp, ear-piercing cries filled with unmistakable hostility.

"Stone apes!" Qin Sang’s pupils constricted. He instantly understood where he was.

These stone apes were earth spirits born from rock itself, unique to the Yang Earth Region of the trial realm. They were known as the guardians of this realm. The other three regions had similar beings. Each stone ape possessed immense strength and an acute sense of perception.

They dwelled underground, blending perfectly with the surrounding mountains and rocks, making them nearly impossible to detect. Many trial participants had been ambushed and surrounded after unknowingly stepping into their territory.

It was clear that Qin Sang had done the same, provoking them. Before they appeared, he had swept the area with his spiritual consciousness and detected nothing at all. Their ability to conceal themselves was truly exceptional.

Enraged by the intruder, the stone apes screamed furiously. Meanwhile, deep within the forest below, waves rippled through the dense canopy, followed by the rustling of countless movements and the distant roars of beasts.

Seeing this, Qin Sang’s expression darkened. These stone apes could even summon nearby ferocious beasts to hunt together. The beasts would not recognize his demonic qi, and once a beast tide formed, escaping would be no easy task.

Boom!

A flash of sword light burst forth, cutting fiercely toward one of the stone apes.

Thunder roared as the sword light struck like lightning. Qin Sang attacked with full force. The ape had no time to react. Just as it raised its fists, the ebony sword had already cleaved across its chest.

Clang!

A deep gash appeared where the ebony sword struck.

Failing to split it apart in one blow surprised Qin Sang. Their defense was far tougher than expected.

He quickly shifted his hand seal, and the ebony sword split into a dozen dazzling streaks of sword light that slashed at every vulnerable joint of the stone ape’s body.

The ape froze mid-motion before its body shattered into fragments, collapsing into piles of rock.

But to Qin Sang’s astonishment, the pieces did not remain inert. The shattered stones sank back into the ground, where the earth soon bulged again. A new stone ape’s outline emerged and slowly reformed before his eyes. They were undying.

"As expected, troublesome foes. And this one isn’t even among the strongest. Still, even if they can resurrect, the process takes time. That gap is my chance to escape." Qin Sang’s eyes gleamed as he analyzed their traits.

The other apes, enraged by the death of their kin, roared wildly and lunged to attack. Below, the forest seethed with chaos as countless beasts joined in, their cries merging with the apes’ screeches.

Qin Sang wasted no more time. Pointing a finger, he commanded the ebony sword forward. The sword wheel erupted amidst the apes, cutting them off balance.

Phoenix wings and the shadow of a Jiao appeared faintly behind him as he seized an opening and shot out of the encirclement. In an instant, he left the stone apes far behind.

His evasion technique outmatched any of the ferocious beasts that pursued him. He moved like a gale, vanishing into the distance.

The stone apes pounded their chests in fury and roared at the sky. From the surrounding forests, a few beasts tried to intercept him, but they were either slain outright or swiftly left behind in his wake.