Austin was well-prepared for what he would find, but he was still shocked by the giant shadow in front
of him. He held his breath, afraid to make even the slightest of sounds, in order not to be discovered.
Although he had been at the medium stage of Sky Realm, he was quite sure that he would end up
spectacularly dead if he challenged this giant beast right now.
Austin had never been too cocky about his capabilities. Even though his abilities had improved along
the way, he had always remained humble and respectful towards anything that was stronger than him.
Modesty helps one progress, and he had benefited a lot from this facet of him.
The sun was shining bright and the giant ape could show its true features without holding anything
back. The giant ape was jet black without a spot of white, and as Austin took a good look at it, its body
looked hard as if it was made of solid iron, and it glittered with metal-like luster under the sun. The ape
looked so overwhelming. Its muscles rippled and one could sense that it could muster a lot of power in
its punches.
It finally turned towards Austin. Its face got a fierce visage and it glared at him with ferocity. Weirdly,
there was a pointed black horn in the middle of its forehead. If one looked carefully, there were intricate
but obscure etchings on this horn, which gave Austin an impression that the ape had been living since
eternity, but its strength had never faltered.
"Is this the mythical level-ten ancient evil ape? Huh, it does live up to its reputation! I guess ordinary
cultivators would freak out with just one glance. It is a shock to look at, to say the least!" Austin
murmured.
The giant ape had noticed him long back and was now staring at him with his scarlet eyes. The stare
was enough to make Austin's blood run cold. He had slightly panicked after being stared at maliciously
and had felt his throat tighten.
Meanwhile, the ancient ape was measuring Austin with its bucket-like eyes. Deep in its heart, it was
mocking the young man's audacity to challenge it. It was all too ridiculous. Hot, pungent stench like that
of a rotten fish accompanied its each breath. A hint of a sarcastic smile rested on the corner of its
mouth. For a moment, Austin thought it was almost human-like.
"What a surprise here!
Even a tiny human boy dares to have a finger in the soul-recovering fruit! This is the biggest joke ever!
Boy, you'd better not bite off more than you can chew.
But it's okay. It has been a long time since I have tasted a human's flesh and blood. Since you're
knocking on my door yourself, then I will kindly accept this as a small gift to me. It's a lucky day for me,
isn't?"
Much against Austin's expectation, the ancient ape could speak the human language. It was also
plausible that since it hadn't had human contact since long, it had a habit to talk with itself.
"Violet, what level does an ordinary diabolic beast has to be at if it can speak the human language?"
Austin asked with a curious tone. He had so many questions about this giant beast.
"Generally, a diabolic beast can speak human language when it achieves level-ten, Master!" Violet
explained hurriedly.
When a diabolic beast's cultivation base had surpassed level-ten, it would turn into a beast king. It
could then change its body into a human being, and could live as a human being as long as it liked.
"Alright, I get it!" Austin exclaimed.
He had learned something new today. Turns out, it's never too late to learn.
"Master, this ancient evil ape is very strong, and I'm unable to move my body just due to its strong
smell. I guess it can turn me into powder by simply lifting one of his little fingers and flicking me away!"
Violet said, her voice was trembling.
Her tone was laced with respect and fear equal parts.
She was scared by this giant ape. Violet was a level-six demonic beast, and this ape had reached
level-ten. There was a great disparity between them. It was quite normal for her to be timid.
"Don't worry, Violet. The Flame Emperor has taught me how to use the Beast-subduing Skill, and I'll try
it later.
I don't believe that he would go so far as to deceive me. Since he had said that this skill was designed
for this ape, I suppose that it must be true!" Austin said.
Although his mind told him to listen to what the Flame Emperor had taught him, he still was a tad bit
uncertain in his heart.
A clever rabbit has three burrows. Austin must make other arrangements. As a result, Austin readied
another plan of action before they began fighting. He carefully examined the surroundings, trying to find
a better way to escape in case the ape was in the position to kill him.
As far as he was concerned, the bigger an animal was, the slower it would move and the clumsier it
looked. Everyone has their weak points. Austin believed he had a chance even if he was considerably
weaker physically, he would be faster than the ape by a mile.
Thinking this, he forced himself to be a little more confident. He took a deep breath and encouraged
himself just to have a conversation first.
"Hey, big guy! You are right. I have come here for these soul-recovering fruits. And to be frank, I've
made up my mind to take them all.
You're a bonus. Personally though, you also have aroused my curiosity. I'm going to take you too!"
"Roar!
How dare you!
Arrogance arises from ignorance, puny human! Don't do something that you'll regret later!
You're really pissing me off. Since you're asking for death, I'll do you this one favor quite gladly!" the
ape growled.
The ancient evil ape had got a reputation of a bad temper long back. Naturally it couldn't stand Austin's
deliberate provocations. It went on the rampage immediately. It pounded his chest repeatedly with both
fists and roared at Austin.
The next second, it moved towards Austin, and even the earth trembled and the mountains rumbled
with each step. In order to move faster, it crawled on all fours. Despite its giant body, it was extremely
agile and moved as fast as a steel chariot. It breathed heavily, which made it looked crueler and fiercer.
Standing still facing the beast, with the land shaking violently and the thunder-like rumbling
accompanying it, Austin felt his spine chill, but he had no time to feel afraid. The arrow was placed on
the bow, and he had to let it go.
Without any hesitation, Austin tapped the tip of his toe on the ground. Immediately, threads of golden
vital energy poured out from his feet. As the golden air wrapped over his feet, Austin called out his
Wind-commanding Skill. With one simple leap, he had jumped backwards. Confronting with a
formidable enemy, he knew he could always depend on this Skill.
At the same time, he also had his defense ready. Using his mind, he controlled his spiritual sense in the
Soul Sea to concentrate as many forces directed at the beast.
His hands were not idle too. He moved both hands in a certain mysterious pattern. Driven by the
movement of his hands, all the spiritual sense gathered began twirling around them. One mysterious
symbol after another was being formed in front of Austin.
The Beast-subduing Skill was an array made by the spiritual sense. As its name suggested, its purpose
was to trap the beasts.
Austin was busy with forming one seal after another. At the same time, the mysterious symbols kept
being conjured, showing no signs of stopping.
Austin didn't know before that these symbols would never stop absorbing his spiritual sense after they
came into being. Their appetite shocked Austin.
However, now that it was playing out like this, there was no turning back. He had to keep pressing
himself to draw the spiritual sense out of his Soul Sea continuously. He had to hold on, whatever the
cost.
On the other side, the ancient ape was approaching Austin with vigorous, wide strides. Its legs were as
wide as the bark of a tree and it left a massive pit on the ground with each step. Clouds of dust followed
his movement.
Although the pace of the giant ape was as large as one hundred meters, Austin was quicker. He made
one leap after another to keep a safe distance.
The ape tried its best to catch up with Austin, and even got tantalizingly close a few times. But Austin
was deftly escaping the beast.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The ape was getting increasingly furious, frustrated that it was unable to grasp Austin. Suddenly, it
stopped chasing and bent its giant body a little forward. Hurling its arms backwards, it stamped its feet
on the ground.
With a gust of wind, it jumped up in the air.
The wind it brought along was stronger than a Force Ten Hurricane. It blotted out the sky and the entire
valley was shrouded in darkness. It catapulted towards Austin like a mountain.
Austin held his breath in awe and his faced turned pale. If the giant ape smashed him under his feet, he
would end up in a heap of flesh and bones. It didn't matter how formidable his physical conditions were.
Peng!
With a loud thud, the ape landed heavily on the exact spot where Austin was standing.
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