Revenant Immortal

Chapter 8 - Demonic Beast Hunt (3)

“Plum Blossom Sword Style, First Stance: Scattering Plum Blossom Strike!”

Ning Qingyue moved with effortless grace, her sword drifting through the air as if held by invisible strings, and when she flicked her fingers, soft plum blossom petals started to fall to the ground.

They seemed entirely harmless, but as soon as they came into contact with the Titan Ape, they pierced straight through its thick iron armor. She moved her hand, directing her spiritual Qi to bring the scattered petals together, creating a whirlwind that ran through the pack and cut the huge beasts into pieces before they could react.

"Her purple sword Qi is perfect!"

"Could she really control thousands of petals without losing her concentration for a single second? She's a monster."

"No wonder the elders hold her in such high regard. That was a whole pack of armored Titan Apes, and she slaughtered them like nothing!"

『What a terrifying woman.』

For some reason, her cold demeanor reminded him of Elder Zi Rui. Looking at what was left behind, he shook his head.

『Is this the realm of true talent?』

Su Fan walked over to scavenge the dead bodies of the Titan Apes. He cut open the abdomen of the largest one and pulled out a monster core.

『Amazing! A monster core this size is worth at least 3 silver coins. Doing the porter's job isn't bad at all.』

"Look here, Brother Zhao! I found the largest monster core, and it's worth 5 silver coins! Hahaha!" Tang Hao cheered, holding up his loot.

Song Jun crossed his arms and scoffed. "Tch, what a lucky bastard! Next time I'm checking the bodies first."

Wang Chao chuckled, giving Tang Hao a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Good job, Tang Hao. Just don't let your guard down, okay? We still have a long way to go. Haha."

Su Yun wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, clutching his bags tightly while glancing nervously toward the thick woods. "S... save the celebrating for when we actually get out of this forest alive! What if more of those monsters show up?!"

【 Host, you only have one week left. You really have no time to waste working as a porter. 】

Hearing Xiaoyu's voice in his mind, Su Fan remained calm and casually tossed the monster core into his bag.

『There is no need to rush. It is not like I can hunt monsters with this many people watching me. When the right time comes, then I will go hunt and do the mission.』

As they walked deeper into the forest, Su Fan noticed the small spirit beasts running away from something that terrified them. The group of cultivators halted for a moment to catch their breath when a quake shook the earth.

RUMBLE!

Another group of Titan Apes climbed through the trees, but one ape was unlike the rest. It was a massive, nine-meter-tall beast with white fur, red eyes, and a body covered in heavy mithril armor that blocked out the sun above them.

ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR!

The giant ape roared and beat its chest like a loud drum.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It was a spirit beast nine thousand nine hundred years of age, the Silver Kong, known in the spirit beast domain as the White Tyrant Emperor.

"Retreat! Everyone, fall back right now!" Mu Yun shouted. "Do not fight it! Run!"

"Why is a Silver Kong here?!"

"That thing only shows up once every thousand years! It shouldn't be in this area!"

"Run! We are no match for it!"

Everyone panicked because the Silver Kong was far stronger than any normal Titan Ape, being an Overlord Beast.

An Overlord Beast was a rare, mutated variant that broke past the natural limits of its species through evolution, extreme combat, or eating rare Heavenly Treasures. Unlike standard beasts that relied purely on instinct, an Overlord Beast possessed high intelligence, a superior physique, and absolute authority to command all lower-ranking beasts of its kind.

Once Titan Apes reached their adult phase, they fought in a ring to prove who was the strongest, and the winner got the Dharma Fruit, a Heavenly Treasure belonging to the plant-type spirit beasts in Qingyun Mountain.

The Dharma Fruit only grew once every thousand years, gathering all adult Titan Apes to fight when it ripened so the winner could eat the fruit to evolve into a completely different species, the Silver Kong, the true king of the Titan Apes.

【 Host, run away! That nine thousand nine hundred year spirit beast, you are no match for that monster! 】

The Silver Kong ripped a massive tree out of the ground and threw it straight at the fleeing crowd, the trunk smashing through several senior disciples and killing them instantly.

"Help! Someone help me!"

"It killed Senior Brother Chen in one hit! Run faster!"

Su Fan placed his hand on the Muramasa blade at his waist, watching the Silver Kong's every move.

"Running away won't work, Xiaoyu. We're already too deep in the spirit beast domain. That Overlord Beast is smart enough to have the other apes block our path. If we run now, we're dead."

Just as Su Fan was about to take action, Ning Qingyue stepped forward and raised her sword, looking up at the Silver Kong with confidence.

"Team One, take your positions! Move into formation now! Meng Xi’er, stick to the formation no matter what; don’t go head-on with the Overlord Beast! Mu Yun, send those inner disciples to battle the remaining Titan Ape, we deal with Silver Kong! Jiang Lei, ready your ancient Demon Xuan bow and intercept the monster if it makes a big move!"

Meng Xi’er, a core disciple who dealt with defensive formation arrays, prepared her technique immediately.

“Yin Yang Eight Trigrams Banner Array Art!”

Meng Xi'er channeled her spiritual Qi, and eight runic banners flew from her spatial ring, slamming into the earth at eight precise coordinates. Instantly, a defensive dome of interlocking black and white light materialized, fusing into the terrain to form an absolute defensive array formation. Standing at the spinning Taiji center core, she put her spiritual Qi onto the perimeter, stabilizing the defensive array formation as she waited for the enemy's first move.

Mu Yun jumped into the trees, yelling down at the panicked disciples. "All disciples, pull yourselves together! Focus on the lower Titan Apes surrounding us! Leave the Silver Kong to Team One!"

Jiang Lei readied the heavy Demon Xuan bow from his back, pulling the arrow back while watching the beast carefully so he could shoot if it tried to attack.

Song Xiu summoned the talismans on Ning Qingyue and the squad, increasing their movement speed and defense.

The Silver Kong leaped into the air, its massive body appearing directly above the barrier. Bringing its heavy fists down, the nine-meter-tall beast smashed into the defensive formation array with brute force.

BOOM!

The black and white light flickered violently as shockwaves rippled through the dirt. The ground shook beneath their feet, but the barrier managed to hold, stopping the strike from breaking through.

At the center of the Taiji core, Meng Xi'er stumbled from the force hitting her spiritual link to the formation array, coughing up a mouthful of blood as her face turned pale.

"I can only handle this two more times!" Meng Xi'er shouted, wiping her chin as she forced her Qi to stabilize the array.

Seeing the Silver Kong halted above the barrier, Jiang Lei stepped forward from the side and pulled back the heavy string of his bow, locking his eyes onto the beast.

“Divine Wind Bow Art, First Stance: Piercing Shot!”

Jiang Lei released the bowstring. The arrow shot through the air, the sharp wind Qi revolving rapidly around the arrowhead.

It flew straight toward the Silver Kong, leaving a visible trail of white air in its path. The extreme speed of the technique made a sharp whistling sound.

Clang!

The arrow struck the Silver Kong's shoulder armor, but it failed to pierce through.

The Silver Kong appeared directly in front of Jiang Lei. Reaching out, the beast pulled the arrow out of its shoulder armor and snapped it to pieces with brute strength.

Before Jiang Lei could react, the massive palm slammed into him with destructive force, killing him instantly.

"Guh..."

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“No! I don't believe it! Jiang Lei died just like that?!” Mu Yun yelled, his voice shaking in desperation as he watched his friend die.

Meng Xi’er screamed in utter fear, losing all control of her Qi. Her Taiji core shattered and the defensive barrier vanished into nothing.

The Silver Kong let out a low sneer, staring directly at the remaining group. It stepped over Jiang Lei’s body and walked slowly toward them.

Song Xiu fumbled through his robes in a panic, desperately trying to grab a yellow talisman. His hands trembled so violently that he completely forgot the incantation. The spell failed before it could even begin.

As the monster closed the distance, Song Xiu dropped to his knees. A wet stain rapidly spread on his pants as pure terror paralyzed him. He bowed his head to the dirt and sobbed helplessly.

“Please, spare my life! I am the son of the Song Clan! I have money, treasures, anything you want! Just let me live!”

The Silver Kong didn’t care at all. It reached out its massive arm, standing right over him without slowing down.

Realizing the monster wasn’t going to stop, Song Xiu’s eyes went wide with fear.

“No! Please, someone save me! I don't want to die!”

The Silver Kong grabbed Song Xiu by the leg, lifted him high into the air, and slammed him into the ground multiple times until he stopped breathing.

Seeing Song Xiu killed right after Jiang Lei, Mu Yun went completely berserk. Driven mad by rage, he roared and threw every single technique he had directly at the Silver Kong.

“Moon Shadow Twelve Dagger Art!”

Mu Yun threw his dagger, making it look like only a single faint blade glowing with silver light was flying toward the beast. The Silver Kong raised its arm to block the hit, but eleven more daggers suddenly appeared from the sides, curving through the air at the same time. All twelve daggers struck the beast’s vital areas at the exact same moment.

CLANG!

Mu Yun pulled his last blade and poured all his remaining Qi into the steel.

“Soul Chasing Dagger Art!”

He put his intent into the Silver Kong and threw the dagger with everything he had. The steel became a flash of light, flying straight toward the beast’s head. The Silver Kong watched as the blade flew toward its face, then closed its jaws and seized the flying dagger right between its fangs, breaking the steel into pieces.

Mu Yun was left speechless. His deadly technique capable of killing thousand year spirit beast failed. He felt his knees become weaker as he crashed hard to the dirt. A broken, insane laugh tore from his throat.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

The Silver Kong reached down, grabbing Mu Yun by the torso and lifting his writhing body straight toward its massive jaws.

“You... monster...”

The beast tossed him into its open mouth and bit down hard, devouring him whole.

Panic broke out as the remaining senior disciples scattered in every direction. Some dropped their weapons and begged for mercy, while others swung their swords in desperation. The titan ape ignored their cries, moving through the survivors and crushing their skulls one by one.

Within moments, only two female disciples were left in Team One.

Meng Xi’er sat frozen on the ground, completely mind broken. Watching Jiang Lei die right in front of her shattered her mind. They had promised to stay together forever, and now he was gone in a single second. She stared blankly at the blood on the grass, incapable of moving or speaking.

Beside her, Ning Qingyue collapsed to her knees. Her confidence was gone, replaced by pure despair. She had underestimated the Silver Kong, and because of her pride, everyone was dead.

Tears streamed down Ning Qingyue's face as she stared at the approaching monster, whispering her final words.

“Grandpa, Mom, I’m sorry. I just wanted to prove I was more than just a spoiled daughter of the Ning Clan. I should have listened...”

Tang Hao backed away, his hands shaking as he pointed his sword at the beast. “It's over! We can't defeat this monster! We're all going to die here!”

“Shut up!” Song Jun spat, his teeth grinding in terror as he tried to find a way out. “There has to be an opening! We just need to run!”

Wang Chao fell back onto his hands, his face twisted in total panic. “Run where?! It wiped out the senior disciples in seconds! None of us are getting out of this alive!”

Su Yun shut his eyes tightly, his voice breaking as the monster took another step closer. “Forget running... it's over for us.”

“Illusory Phantom Sword: Second Stance, Traceless Shadow Step.”

His presence completely vanished as he erased his breath and left no footprints, appearing directly behind the Titan Ape surrounding the four disciples. He swung his sword and shifted his Qi to refract the light around the steel.

“First Stance: Illusion of the Spectral Blade.”

The single thrust split into three distinct blade tips in midair, leaving the monster unable to tell which one was real before the true steel drove straight through its skull, killing it instantly.

Tang Hao, Song Jun, Wang Chao, and Su Yun stared in total disbelief.

"Brother Zhao!" they yelled together.

Tang Hao grinned while his hands were still shaking. "I knew it! I knew Brother Zhao was not some normal cultivator!"

"He killed it in one hit!" Song Jun nodded rapidly with sweat pouring down his face. "To take down a beast like that so easily... he's on a completely different level!"

Wang Chao fell back on his hands with wide eyes, his voice trembling. "How is anyone even capable of doing something like that?!"

Su Yun, who had completely given up on living moments ago, scrambled to his feet and cheered at the top of his lungs. "Brother Zhao! Destroy them all! Teach these monsters a lesson!"

Su Fan did not stop for a single second, moving quickly from one Titan Ape to the next while executing the exact same technique repeatedly. Traceless Shadow Step carried him straight into their blind spots while Illusion of the Spectral Blade pierced their vital points, forcing the Titan Apes that had just wiped out the senior disciples to drop to the dirt one after another.

【 Host, isn't it better for you to hide? There is no chance for you to defeat that Silver Kong! 】

"Hide? Why would I hide from my prey? Just shut up and watch."

He cut down the remaining Titan Apes as if they were nothing, leaving blood covering the grass as they choked out their last breaths.

"Kuh...!"

Ning Qingyue stayed on her knees while staring at him with her jaw open, utterly stunned that someone had effortlessly killed the monsters that had just destroyed her entire team.

"He did that all by himself?" Ning Qingyue whispered as her voice trembled. "Who are you really, Zhao Ye?"