Chapter 55: The Ancient Demon Ape
Jun Xiaoyao's gaze scrutinized Ji Xuan, as if he were looking at meat on a chopping block.
Ji Xuan's eyes also glanced at Jun Xiaoyao, a hint of gravity flickering in his depths.
Jun Xiaoyao was enveloped in a mist of celestial brilliance, making it hard to see him clearly.
Yet that vague feeling only heightened Ji Xuan's wariness.
He then shifted his gaze to Jun Zhangjian beside him, a playful smirk appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Ji Xuan couldn't guarantee how he would fare against Jun Xiaoyao.
But when it came to Jun Zhangjian and others like Jun Xuehuang, Ji Xuan felt confident.
"I really want to pin Ji Xuan to the ground and rub him in!"
Seeing the hint of playfulness at the corner of Ji Xuan's mouth, Jun Zhangjian's expression darkened.
This guy didn't dare to provoke Jun Xiaoyao, so he turned to provoke him instead.
"Calm down, let's talk about it after we reach the Supreme Secret Vault," Jun Xiaoyao said flatly.
If Ji Xuan were a bit more honest, Jun Xiaoyao might only seize his opportunities without doing anything further.
But if Ji Xuan insisted on acting up in front of him, then Jun Xiaoyao would have to teach him a lesson.
Next, Jun Xiaoyao and the others fully delved into the Taihuang Forest.
Naturally, the top contenders were those top-tier prodigies from the immortal Dao lineages.
Following them were the prodigies from the top Dao lineages and first-rate forces.
The chief disciple of the Dao Extreme Heavenly Sect also set off, closely trailing behind Jun Xiaoyao and the others.
Previously, an elder from the Dao Extreme Heavenly Sect had warned that the safest way to avoid trouble was to stay close to the Jun family's divine son.
Roar!
A ghost-faced bear, tainted by gray mist, let out a roar.
It stood upright, towering three meters high, resembling a small black mountain, exuding a menacing aura.
The bear's paw reached out, directly smashing several disciples from major forces into meat paste.
But in an instant, a magnificent golden magical palm print struck from the front.
With a thunderous boom, this formidable ghost-faced bear was also turned into a meat paste.
Jun Xiaoyao calmly withdrew his hand and said, "Continue forward."
Jun Zhangjian and the others were fine, having already recognized Jun Xiaoyao's strength.
However, the chief disciple of the Dao Extreme Heavenly Sect, trailing behind, secretly swallowed hard, his eyes filled with shock.
"Truly the Jun family's divine son, a ghost-faced bear that is difficult for ordinary divine bridge realm cultivators to handle was killed with a single palm," the chief disciple marveled.
Of course, it wasn't just Jun Xiaoyao's methods that were decisive.
Ji Xuan was the same.
He also made his move calmly, with sacred runes imprinted on his right arm and divine radiance blooming.
With a casual push of his palm and a snap of his fingers, beams of radiant light shot out, directly tearing apart the ferocious beasts ahead with ease.
"The little saint of the Ji family also possesses an invincible demeanor, capable of subduing powerful beasts with a mere gesture."
"Indeed, Ji Xuan's right arm has integrated a fragment of a saint king's bone, allowing him to unleash tremendous power without relying on martial arts or divine abilities."
Many prodigies from first-rate forces sighed in admiration.
Prodigies born from immortal Dao lineages enjoy different treatment, even able to fuse with saint king bones.
Of course, besides these prodigies from immortal Dao lineages, some stunning dark horses also emerged.
"Hey, who is that cloaked figure? Their strength is astonishing!"
Some cultivators noticed a figure draped in a cloak with a hood.
They did not reveal their true appearance, but with a casual punch, azure dragon patterns surged forth, easily shattering the ferocious beasts ahead.
This surprised many, as they hadn't expected such a dark horse to appear.
"Tsk tsk, the chives have indeed appeared. It seems to be developing well, growing impressively, not disappointing me at all..."
At this moment, Jun Xiaoyao sensed something and caught a glimpse of the cloaked figure from the corner of his eye.
He immediately recognized it as Xiao Chen.
However, Jun Xiaoyao made no move.
He knew that Xiao Chen wanted to hide his identity from him, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, seizing opportunities in the secret realm, and ultimately increasing his strength to overpower him.
But...
The ideal was grand, while reality was stark.
Xiao Chen thought he was on the second level while Jun Xiaoyao was on the first.
Unbeknownst to him, Jun Xiaoyao was already on the fifth level.
The entire situation was under Jun Xiaoyao's control.
"Xiao Chen, this is your last chance to indulge in delusions. When the time comes to harvest the chives, don't say I showed you no mercy."
A faint smile curved at the corner of Jun Xiaoyao's lips.
Meanwhile, beneath the hood, Xiao Chen's expression was resolute, filled with a hint of excitement.
His opportunity to rise was finally at hand.
"Jun Xiaoyao, once I fuse with the ancient dragon bone and cultivate the Azure Sky Transformation Technique to perfection, I will step on you in front of everyone!"
The battle continued.
The cultivators who entered the Taihuang Forest engaged in bloody slaughter against the beasts within.
Aside from Jun Xiaoyao and a few others who could push through effortlessly, the prodigies from other major forces and some scattered cultivators suffered heavy casualties.
"We're simply not on the same level as those immortal Dao lineage heirs."
A scattered cultivator bitterly remarked, watching the transcendent figures that had already ventured deep into the forest, sighing repeatedly.
Jun Xiaoyao resembled a white-clad divine king, exuding an invincible aura, with all the beasts unable to withstand more than two or three moves before him.
Before long, Jun Xiaoyao and the others were the first to reach the deepest part of the Taihuang Forest.
Looking around, a massive black rift lay before them, resembling a wound in the earth.
Eerie gray mist emanated from within.
Jun Zhangjian and the others used their magical powers to shield themselves, isolating the gray mist.
However, this consumed a significant amount of energy.
Moreover, within the gray mist, they could faintly sense a suppressive force.
But Jun Xiaoyao was different; he did not use magical powers for protection at all.
As he was an ancient sacred body, extremely pure and invulnerable to all evils, even his blood was golden.
The vitality of the sacred body provided strong resistance against various malevolent and sinister energies.
"It seems that the Supreme Secret Vault is beneath this rift, but it appears to have undergone some strange changes," Jun Xiaoyao murmured.
Just as his voice fell, another roar echoed.
A terrifying black ape, entirely black with a long horn on its head and flesh wings on its back, leaped forward, using its feet to collapse a cliff dozens of meters high.
"It's an ancient relic species, the Demon Ape!"
Some cultivators who had ventured into this area couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Ancient relic species possess a trace of bloodline passed down from ancient times, making them far stronger than ordinary beasts.
This Demon Ape, with its overwhelming aura, had already reached the Unity Realm.
Moreover, in the same realm, ancient relic species are stronger than humans.
Even prodigies from immortal Dao lineages at the Unity Realm would find it challenging to deal with this Demon Ape.
Most importantly, Jun Xiaoyao's current realm was still only at the Divine Bridge Realm
Roar!
The ancient relic species Demon Ape let out an angry roar.
Having been tainted by the gray mist, its eyes turned crimson, and its already volatile temperament seemed to have gone berserk as it charged at Jun Xiaoyao.
It crashed through several mountains along the way.
All eyes were tightly focused on it.
Meanwhile, in the void above the Taihuang Forest, the Observation Mirror reflected the scene outside the Supreme Secret Vault.
"It seems your Jun family's divine son is about to encounter some trouble," Elder Ji Bangyin of the Ji family said with a slight smile.