Chapter 102: Pushing Through Fearlessly with Strength, with Me, We’re Invincible

As it looked around at the corpses of the Iron Arm Black Apes, the enraged Golden-Backed Rampage Ape pounded its chest, emitting a muffled drumming that sounded like the clashing of gold and iron.

Roar!

A violent and terrifying aura emanated from the Ape's body, swirling like tangible black light, and it suddenly vanished from its spot with a thunderous boom.

"Watch my Black Tortoise Shifting Mountains move!"

Xia Youhui's true power erupted from within him, emanating a heavy mountain-like aura that covered his entire body with an earthly glow, as he stood in front of everyone with his heavy shield in a defensive position.

The instant he raised his shield, the vanished Ape reappeared before him, its enormous black fist engulfing his field of vision as it descended with a speed that compressed the air until it was actually visible.

Boom!

The enormous fist nearly buried Xia Youhui and his shield. As it struck, his earthly true power trembled, and the ground within a near seven meter[1] radius around him shattered.

The violent shockwave sent clouds of dirt and soil billowing into the air, forcing Chen Chu and the others to retreat.

"...I've said it before, my defense is unbeatable."

In a pit more than a meter deep, the soil churned as Xia Youhui rose up from beneath it. His face was red from the exertion of his true power, but he still had a firm grip on his shield, and his tone was still extremely arrogant.

Roar!

Seeing that its punch hadn’t blasted this insect into pieces, the Ape let out a ferocious roar. It ignored Chen Chu and the others as its muscles bulged all over its body. In an instant, an even more powerful aura erupted.

Boom! Boom!

Both enormous black fists plunged down, leaving behind afterimages as they viciously hammered down on the comparatively tiny shield at a terrifying speed.

Boom!

Layers upon layers of yellow and white air shockwaves exploded on the shield. Under the eruption of terrifying power, the ground within a ten meter radius cracked and shattered, causing the soil all around Xia Youhui to explode.

It was almost as if the earth was sinking.

Even with the absorption of the Colossal Beast’s Essence, the Profound Yellow Crystal’s earthly aura, and all of the other resources he had used to enhance his defense, it was too much for Xia Youhui. He sank amid the billowing dust, dropping to one knee. His armor and bones emitted a brittle creaking sound, as his yellow true power trembled frantically, dim and obscure.

Xia Youhui's face was flushed red after he had been almost completely hammered into the ground. He was somehow still managing to hold on tightly, shouting, "Damn it, why aren't you guys attacking?"

"Hey! Didn't you say you got this?" In reality, it was mainly because the Ape’s speed had been far too fast. Even Chen Chu hadn’t expected its power to be this terrifying; just two regular strikes from it had nearly smashed Xia Youhui to pieces.

Suddenly, Li Meng's eyes sharpened, and with a bang, he charged forward with his heavy hammer. The massive hammer tore through the air and viciously smashed into the ape's... knee.

Compared to the towering eight-meter-tall ape, they, standing at less than two meters, were like tiny dots. Even wielding heavy weapons, they couldn't reach its torso.

Boom!

A white shockwave exploded in the air as Li Meng was sent flying by a casual punch from the ape. He soared like a cannonball, flying hundreds of meters in an instant, finally crashing with a loud bang into a large tree with a diameter of two meters.

Crash!

The tree trunk exploded, sending countless splinters flying in all directions. The entire tree shook violently, showering the ground with a cascade of falling leaves.

Embedded in the trunk by the blow, Li Meng's whole body felt limp, unable to pull himself out for the moment. The sturdy and reinforced armor protecting his chest was deformed and shattered under the terrifying force.

Roar!

The ape roared ferociously. Its terrifying aura filled the air, and it raised a fist to crush the small power-depleted bug in front of it.

At this moment, Li Hao took a deep breath, and a supremely domineering and scorching vigor erupted within his body.

Boom!

The ground exploded as he lept dozens of meters into the air. His entire body was surrounded by swirling red true power, like a mighty bull demon.

In his hands, the four-meter-long iron pillar emitted a red glow, and the Heavenly Pillar of Demons burst through the sky with the force of a collapsing pillar of heaven. The iron pillar swept through the air, creating fierce winds and tangible shockwaves, and heavily crashed onto the ape's raised arms.

Boom!

A black and red shockwave exploded between the two, causing the Ape's enormous foot to sink by a meter.

One could only imagine how terrifying the power contained in Li Hao's strike must have been.

Roar!

The enraged ape suddenly did a violent shove with its arms, sending Li Hao flying over twenty meters away. He tumbled to the ground and staggered back several steps before finally stopping.

Just then, Li Hao's expression changed, and an even more intense aura erupted from his body. He gripped the iron pillar tightly and fiercely swung it forward.

Boom!

The ape’s eyes were fierce, its aura savage. It smashed the pillar with its fist; under its terrifying power, the alloy-crafted iron pillar slightly deformed.

With a single punch, Li Hao was directly blasted back more than ten meters by the even more domineering force, his feet plowing two deep trenches into the ground, a frightening display of the ape’s sheer power.

Just as the ape was about to crush the enemy that posed a threat, it suddenly heard an abrupt explosion of wind and the whistle that was emitted after the air was torn apart, feeling a sharp chill rushing toward it from behind.

Roar!

Unable to turn around in time, it let out a ferocious roar. Its body suddenly straightened up, muscles bulging as its entire body's hardened scales tightened, especially the golden scales on its back.

Clang!

The blade, covered in black blade qi, tore through the air. Chen Chu had originally aimed at its neck, but after the ape’s sudden movement, he struck its back and shoulder instead. As soon as the blade qi touched the golden scales, it was instantly dispersed by an invisible force.

Following this, the keen blade sliced through the scales, causing sparks to erupt in abundance. Yet, it merely shattered a dozen or so black scales, leaving behind a two-meter-long gash.

Boom!

In the momentary pause as Chen Chu hung in mid-air, the Ape swung its savage arm in a sweeping motion, unleashing a fierce gale.

With no time to evade in mid-air, Chen Chu's eyes sharpened as black true power enveloped his body. Instead of using his saber, which would undoubtedly be shattered, he crossed his arms in front of him as a shield.

Boom!

Chen Chu was swept away like a fly by the Ape’s swing, flying a hundred meters before crashing heavily into a large tree not far from Li Meng.

The one-meter-thick tree trunk was directly snapped by Chen Chu's impact, causing its canopy to collapse and branches to scatter as Chen Chu rebounded and landed on the ground.

Suppressing the boiling vitality within him, Chen Chu strode out of the woods under Li Meng's astonished gaze, his sharp and ferocious aura growing more intense.

Li Meng sat weakly on the ground, looking somewhat bewildered. "C-Chen Chu, are you alright?"

Chen Chu turned to look at him strangely. "I'm fine."

Although the ape’s attack had been powerful, Chen Chu's physique was already formidable, enhanced further by his incredibly sturdy armor with a defense boost of +10. The worst this strike did as a result was some obstruction to his vitality circulation, which he quickly used his true power to recover from. The fact that he didn’t get directly hit by the ape’s fist also helped; otherwise, he would likely have sustained some minor injuries.

"But..." Li Meng hesitated, unsure of what to say next.

After being sent flying by the ape's strike, Li Meng now felt his true power withdrawn into his body. His chest felt tight, indicating at least one broken rib. But how was it that Chen Chu seemed completely unscathed?

Chen Chu shook his head. "Old Li, you're still too weak. Remember to train hard when we go back. For now, leave the rest of the battle to us."

With that, Chen Chu strode out, forming a triangle with Li Hao and Xia Youhui around the ape, which suddenly fell silent, its blood-red eyes glaring fiercely at the three of them. It seemed it now understood the threat these individuals posed to it, and was contemplating its next move.

Chen Chu spoke up. "Li Hao, you and Old Xia engage it head-on to keep it occupied. I'll find a way to sever one of its legs. Watch out for the golden scales on its back. Those seem to be capable of dispersing our true power.”

The two understood instantly. Due to its massive size, terrifying strength, formidable defense, and incredible speed, only Chen Chu could keep up with the ape well enough to pull this off. The strength it had displayed was far greater than they had estimated, approaching the middle stage of Fourth Heavenly Realm.

Boom!

The air exploded, and the ape disappeared in an instant, appearing behind Xia Youhui with such a terrifying speed that it almost seemed to teleport.

It was obvious by now that this ape possessed a certain level of intelligence. It had identified Xia Youhui as the weakest target and intended to strike him first, but...

A piercing screech echoed from behind the ape. The surge of a sharp aura signaled Chen Chu's arrival, who had matched its speed with a similar explosion of air.

The ape knew better than to ignore that razor-sharp blade, which could damage its scales even through its transcendent force.. It swiftly turned around, swinging its arms downward with force.

Boom!

The ground within a ten-meter radius cracked open, sending countless rocks and soil flying into the air. The shockwave, mixed with billowing dust, surged over a dozen meters away. Trees and grass scattered under the howling gale, creating a spectacular scene.

However, Chen Chu's strike had just been a feint. In the instant the pe had turned around, he had swiftly dodged aside.

This gave Xia Youhui and Li Hao the perfect opportunity to engage. Li Hao's muscles swelled, causing his armor to creak and groan. A massive surge of energy erupted from him, resembling a raging bull demon wielding a massive iron pillar as he swept through the battlefield.

Boom!

The overbearing force from Li Hao's strike forced even the ape to stagger back a step. Immediately, the beast grew even more enraged, feeling provoked by the seemingly weak insects before it. The muscles in its arms bulged, and its enormous fists gleamed with black light, emanating a terrifying aura of power.

Boom!

Xia Youhui withstood the terrifying blow with his shield, causing the ground beneath him to explode once again.

Li Hao took advantage of the opportunity and leaped high again from behind Xia Youhui, his iron pillar sweeping down with a fierce gust of air.

Simultaneously, a sharp whistle exploded, and with a string of white air waves behind him, Chen Chu appeared once again behind the ape, his saber covered in black blade qi as he emitted a sharp and terrifying aura.

Facing the flanking attacks from both front and back, the ape suddenly rotated, swinging one sturdy arm up and the other down to target the both of them with astonishing agility.

However....

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Boom!

The pillar slammed into the ape’s left arm, erupting with the force of a raging bull demon and briefly halting its movement.

Chen Chu's afterimage flickered, evading the massive arm sweeping overhead in an instant. Like lightning, his blade slashed at the ape’s thick left leg.

Squeak!

The sharp blade qi tore through the dark aura covering the ape’s body, shattering scales and cutting into the muscles with difficulty before fully dispersing. Chen Chu lunged backward, pulling the saber along the leg.

Splurt!

Blood sprayed from the horizontal wound, one meter in length and over twenty centimeters deep. The excruciating pain filled the ape with immense fury, and its arms frantically smashed down with terrifying power.

Boom!

Xia Youhui once again became the target of the ape's rage. Under the terrifying blow, his entire body was slammed to the ground on one knee, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Within a radius of ten meters, the ground shattered and churned like rolling waves.

As the ape went on its rampage, Li Hao let out a furious roar. His entire body swelled further, making him look akin to a towering giant.

Crimson true power swirled around him like tendrils of smoke, intensifying his wildly surging aura. With the pillar in hand, he charged forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Li Hao engaged the ape head-on without regard for anything else, Chen Chu became a black afterimage, circling around and slashing out with terrifying speed.

Each of his strikes targeted the ape’s injured left leg. While the ape’s dodging attempts prevented every strike from landing in the same spot, in just a short while, its left leg became a blurry mess of flesh and blood.

Confronted by both Chen Chu, whose speed matched its own, and Li Hao, who wasn’t letting up at all on his wild onslaught, the ape grew immensely enraged and astounded, its savage roar reverberating through the mountain forests.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

1. The original novel uses “two zhang;” this was converted for consistency ☜