Combat Realm

An ordinary Second-Rank Fire Ape was only around two meters tall, and very few ever exceeded two point two meters. Yet that Fire Ape stood half a body taller than the rest-over three meters in height.

If Tang Yan guessed correctly, this Fire Ape was the king of the group.

Sensing the pressure coming from it, Tang Yan's heart tightened.

What was even more hateful was that he actually saw thick disdain in the Fire Ape King's eyes.

The small ones could not handle him, so now the big one was stepping out? Tang Yan stopped where he was, not far away.

This group of Fire Apes alone was already enough trouble. If the Fire Ape King also joined the fight, this battle would truly be difficult.

"Awooo, awooo, awooo-"

Seeing that Tang Yan did not dare advance, the Fire Apes began to howl softly.

Tang Yan was so angry his nose almost went crooked. If he had not sensed wrongly, these beasts were mocking him for being cowardly.

Beasts really were beasts. Damn it, there were so many of them, and behind them stood a Third-Rank Spirit Beast. If it were you, would you dare rush in?

Just as Tang Yan cursed inwardly, the Fire Ape King, which had been standing motionless, suddenly opened its mouth.

"Awooo-"

A rolling presence spread from its mouth. Even a single howl carried an incomparably heavy force.

Among Spirit Beasts, Fire Apes were considered a fierce breed. Judging by their strength as a whole, they were even a little stronger than the giant wolves from before.

Hearing the Fire Ape King's cry, Tang Yan bent his body slightly, ready at any moment to attack or flee.

The Fire Apes had long been itching to move. At the ape king's command, they howled and charged toward Tang Yan.

Seeing that the Fire Ape King still stood in place, without even taking half a step forward, Tang Yan felt slightly steadier. He was confident that as long as he used Phantom Step with all his strength, even the Fire Ape King would not be able to catch him.

"Come!"

Tang Yan gave a low shout. His Vortex Dantian spun rapidly, and an endless stream of True Qi surged toward every part of his body.

Bang, bang, bang!

As before, there was no probing at the start. It was a desperate clash from the first exchange, fierce beyond measure.

After several days of honing himself against them, Tang Yan's battle skill had improved greatly. And precisely because he had improved, these Fire Apes had suffered no small amount of misfortune, often taking beatings from him over the past days.

Not long after the fighting began, Tang Yan's eyes lit up. He discovered a gap in the Fire Apes' defense.

His body turned slightly. His fist circled through the air, sweeping like a wheel toward a Fire Ape on the right whose strength had already run out.

"Awooo!"

At the same time, a thunderous roar rang out from above.

Immediately after, a huge furry fist smashed toward him, carrying a fierce current of air.

Tang Yan's heart jolted. He had no choice but to withdraw his strike and turn to defend.

Bang!

That Fire Ape staggered back two steps. Before Tang Yan could even catch his breath, the ape king standing in the distance let out another cry, issuing a command.

Could that ape king be directing these Fire Apes in battle against him?

The fighting that followed proved Tang Yan's guess.

At the Fire Ape King's roar, another Fire Ape bellowed and rushed at him, gathering all its strength into one punch.

After two days of fighting them, Tang Yan had thought he could already adapt to the Fire Apes' assaults. He had not expected the Fire Ape King to interfere at such a time.

With the Fire Ape King directing them, the Fire Apes' cooperation became increasingly smooth. Their attacks turned like wheels, one after another, leaving him not even the slightest room to breathe.

Under the Fire Ape King's command, Tang Yan's pressure sharply increased. In only half a shichen, the abundant True Qi in his Vortex Dantian had been drained by seventy to eighty percent.

As exhaustion crept into the battle, Tang Yan slipped for an instant. A fist struck his back, his body staggered, and sweetness rose in his throat as hot blood nearly spurted out.

"Awooo!"

At that moment, the Fire Ape King roared again.

More than ten Fire Apes raised their fists at once and smashed down fiercely toward Tang Yan's position.

As long as Tang Yan got up, he would be struck by those iron fists. If so many Fire Apes hammered him at once, even if he had bronze skin and iron bones, he would be smashed into a pile of scrap metal.

Tang Yan's body tensed in an instant.

The moment he was hit, he had already guessed that the Fire Ape King would not miss this chance. It would certainly have them attack him.

So this time, he could not get up.

In that flash, Tang Yan made his decision. He simply stayed down. Borrowing the force of being sent flying, he bent his knees and kicked out, using the momentum to slip through the narrow gap between two Fire Apes.

After breaking out of the Fire Ape group, Tang Yan suddenly leaped up and kicked hard at the back of the nearest Fire Ape, using the rebound to retreat swiftly.

"Awooo!"

Seeing Tang Yan actually run, the Fire Apes roared in fury at the same time.

However, these Fire Apes, already possessing spiritual intelligence, also realized that this battle had lasted far less time than the last. One by one, they gathered together and howled excitedly, as if discussing how, when Tang Yan came again, they would make sure he never returned.

When Tang Yan got back to his resting place, his entire body was drenched in sweat.

"Damn, that Fire Ape King actually has such intelligence. Under its command, those beasts' fighting strength was forcibly increased threefold!"

Tang Yan panted heavily, took out a Pill, swallowed it, and began recovering his strength.

For more than ten days in a row, he had fought an average of one battle every four shichen. And in every battle, Tang Yan had been in extreme danger, almost escaping death each time.

Every time he broke out of a desperate situation, it stirred the potential in his body and pushed him beyond his previous limits.

Over these ten days, including this morning's battle, Tang Yan had gone through thirty-one life-and-death struggles.

Usually, with Pills to help him, Tang Yan only needed two shichen to recover to his peak state. But this time, after two shichen passed, Tang Yan did not wake as he normally did.

At this moment, Tang Yan's mind was filled entirely with memories of his battles over these days.

From the giant wolf pack to the present Fire Ape group, every battle had challenged the boundary between life and death.

And every battle had quietly turned close combat into his instinct.

Again and again, he had brushed shoulders with death. Every moment had sharpened Tang Yan's nerves.

By now, whenever he encountered danger, he no longer needed to think. His body could make the right response with precision.

The fragments in his mind passed one after another like shadow puppets across a screen.

Tang Yan, who had been calm before, now breathed more rapidly. His face flushed a deep red.

Time passed breath by breath.

Then Tang Yan felt his mind explode with a boom. His body suddenly rose to its feet. The Dantian within him spun rapidly, and in an open space, he began to move, each motion stirring the wind.

He did not deliberately use any martial skill.

He relied entirely on instinct-punching, blocking, spinning into kicks, lifting his leg, swinging his elbow... countless strange and ruthless close-combat techniques flowed from Tang Yan without restraint.

If someone with keen eyes were present, they would certainly be able to tell that Tang Yan had entered an exceedingly profound state.

Combat Realm!