Long Feng, taking the original Dragon Wind's place, felt a surge of energy as he accepted the box. (All for the May Day celebration, oh I need it!) The Spirit Ape’s black vines were constantly attacking him, putting him under the greatest pressure.

However, he had been keeping an eye on Zhang Yang; it was fine if his own pressure was higher, as long as he could keep the Spirit Ape tied down and create an opportunity for Zhang Yang. He also possessed a slight advantage.

After all, he was a master of the whip; he had studied and witnessed numerous whip techniques. Even though the Spirit Ape’s power was immense and its vine attacks were a style unto themselves, defeating him solely with whips wouldn't be easy.

Close combat was out, but dodging its standard whip maneuvers was not impossible. Zhang Yang pressed forward, no longer holding back.

All his internal energy poured into the Fang he held, making the tusk appear to glow, radiating a chilling coldness. The Long-Armed Spirit Ape eyed Zhang Yang with suspicion, raising its right arm to block.

Zhang Yang’s previous strike had actually caused it pain. For a creature renowned for its supreme defense, experiencing pain was an almost unthinkable event.

The Spirit Ape’s long arms possessed formidable strength, but their speed was sluggish. For Zhang Yang, bypassing those lengthy limbs was not difficult.

At this opportune moment, Lightning leaped forward, landing directly behind the Spirit Ape’s head, spewing another cloud of venomous mist. Simultaneously, Zhang Yang arrived at the ape's left flank, gripping the Fang with both hands, and drove it down fiercely.

“Puh!” This penetration was deeper than the last strike; previously, Zhang Yang had used only one hand and hadn't exerted his full strength. This time, he used both hands and channeled every ounce of energy his body could muster.

Feeling the Fang sink into the ape’s flesh, Zhang Yang immediately spun away and retreated, not daring to pause for a fraction of a second. “Aoo…” The Spirit Ape suddenly reared back and let out a sky-piercing roar.

Only when Zhang Yang was far back did he notice flecks of blood clinging to the tip of the Fang. This time, he had actually managed to wound the creature.

As the Spirit Ape roared skyward, the black vines ceased their motion. Long Feng finally caught his breath and quickly rushed to Zhang Yang’s side.

Seeing the blood on the Fang, Long Feng’s face betrayed a hint of excitement. “Squeak squeak squeak!” Lightning chirped nearby, clearly claiming credit for its contribution.

A slight smile finally touched Zhang Yang’s lips. This mighty Spirit Ape, it seemed, was not invincible after all.

If the three of them cooperated effectively, continuously expanding the ape’s wound, victory was definitely within reach this time. Though powerful, the Spirit Ape was old—not a peak-strength spirit beast.

“Aoo aoo!” The Long-Armed Spirit Ape cried out a couple more times; the previous injury seemed to have provoked it immensely. The Spirit Ape violently slammed its two long arms against the ground, causing the earth to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

Its body moved again, but this time it wasn't languid. Even in its attacks, it had previously stood still, swinging its black vines in ranged assaults.

This time, it charged directly toward Zhang Yang. Moreover, its speed was significantly faster than before.

Although there was still a vast gap compared to Shadowless and Lightning, the change in its movement compared to moments ago was distinct. In an instant, the Spirit Ape reached Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang’s expression turned grim again. He tightly gripped the blood-stained Fang.

The ape’s uncharacteristic move to engage in close combat was certainly not good news for him. Earlier, one could argue the Spirit Ape hadn't taken them seriously; now, it was clearly enraged.

A spirit beast already possessing immense strength, even in old age, still wielded terrifying might. “Bang bang bang!” The Spirit Ape smashed down heavily where Zhang Yang stood.

It wasn't using its black vines—it had wrapped those around its legs—this time it relied solely on its two monstrous long arms. The power in those long arms was tremendous.

Zhang Yang couldn't meet force with force; he had to rely purely on his speed to evade. But the moment he dodged, he sensed something was wrong: the ape’s heavy blow to the earth caused a tremor.

When Zhang Yang landed, his footing faltered slightly, leaving him momentarily unsteady. In a contest between masters, any lapse could prove fatal.

The instant Zhang Yang felt the instability, the Spirit Ape’s terrifying long arms snapped shut around him. This was precisely the moment his power was momentarily paused.

The two steel-like arms clamped down solidly on Zhang Yang; one squeeze would turn him into a pancake. The situation was critical; jumping away was too late.

Zhang Yang could only squat down, sinking all the way to the ground, executing a clumsy roll to narrowly escape. His posture was ungainly, but compared to losing his life, survival was paramount.

“Zhang Yang, watch out!” Just as Zhang Yang cleared the pinch, Long Feng suddenly shouted. A blast of fierce wind struck him from behind.

Zhang Yang was still crouched low, unable to rise in time, and this attack he could not evade. “Bang!” Zhang Yang’s body was swept violently sideways, skimming across the ground for more than ten meters.

His head spun, seeing stars. Before his body even stopped moving, he coughed up a mouthful of hot blood.

Only now did he truly understand the sheer power of the Long-Armed Spirit Ape. “Bang bang!” Without time to process the pain, Zhang Yang forced himself up and scrambled sideways.

The moment he vacated the spot, the two colossal arms hammered down where he had just lain. Having escaped the ape’s rapid assault, Zhang Yang staggered to a stop farther away and coughed up two more mouthfuls of blood, clutching one arm tightly.

He had managed to evade the consecutive attacks, but to this moment, he still didn't know how he had been hit. Zhang Yang looked back at Long Feng, his eyes filled with confusion.

“Its legs can also swing the vines! That last hit came from the vine wrapped around its leg striking you!” Long Feng explained with a bitter expression.

Zhang Yang immediately turned back, staring in horror at the distant Spirit Ape. It was already astonishing enough that it could use its weapon like a whip; no one had expected this ape to be capable of wielding its legs to whip as well.

Furthermore, it knew to force Zhang Yang into a certain position before launching a surprise attack using the vines wrapped around its legs. This level of intelligence was terrifying.

“Are you alright?” Long Feng anxiously asked. While the force from a leg whip might not match an arm swing, the Long-Armed Spirit Ape’s strength was simply too immense.

Long Feng had no idea about the extent of Zhang Yang’s current injuries. “I...

I’m okay!” Zhang Yang forced a wry smile. As a doctor, he understood his physical condition best.

That last blow had been severe. Not only was his core body heavily impacted, but his forearm was also fractured, significantly diminishing his combat effectiveness.

The current situation made Zhang Yang far less confident than before. “Jee jee jee!” Shadowless suddenly appeared from nowhere, running to Zhang Yang’s feet and biting him.

Zhang Yang was already familiar with Shadowless's capabilities, so this time there was no mental resistance. A warm current flowed upward from his foot, instantly permeating his entire body.

Zhang Yang’s internal injuries vanished rapidly. In a short while, he was restored to his previous peak condition.

This little fellow, Shadowless—the spiritual medicine stored within it, when pooled together, possessed truly frightening efficacy. While his internal condition healed, the fractured arm wouldn't mend instantly.

Even with Zhang Yang’s superior medical skill, a break required several days of rest. Forget seven or eight days; the Spirit Ape probably wouldn't grant him even seven or eight minutes.

“Zhang Yang, leave it to me!” Long Feng looked at Zhang Yang, realizing his friend was in a bad state, and stepped forward, speaking softly. “No, you aren't its match.

It’s fine. I still have one arm!” Zhang Yang lightly shook his head.

Long Feng's strength was too weak; even if given the Fang, his internal energy wouldn't inflict significant damage on the Long-Armed Spirit Ape, and he risked being struck himself. If Long Feng possessed a cultivation level of three layers of Internal Energy, Zhang Yang would have unhesitatingly let him take the lead in holding the line.

“Long Feng, you don't need to worry. I’ve recovered now.

It’s just one arm temporarily unusable. If it crippled one of my arms, I can cripple one of its!” A cold glint flashed in Zhang Yang’s eyes.

Although he had been hit, he had also made a small discovery. He noticed that the flesh around the Spirit Ape’s armpit was quite thin.

If the Fang could be plunged into that armpit, it would undoubtedly deal a major blow to the beast. Tearing open his tunic, he found two branches on the ground and bound his arm, then gripped the Fang single-handedly, fixing his gaze intently on the Long-Armed Spirit Ape before him.

He had indeed been injured, but with Shadowless’s assistance, his internal wounds had largely healed; only the broken bone would take time to fuse properly. However, judging by appearances, his current state was indeed quite grim.

There was still a smear of bright red blood at the corner of Zhang Yang’s mouth. Just as he was about to wipe it away, Zhang Yang’s mind suddenly shifted, and he abandoned the motion.

His body slowly adopted an appearance of weakness. This Spirit Ape was extremely intelligent, possessing cunning virtually equal to that of a human.

Consuming so much Resurrection Grass had endowed it with profound spirituality. It was undeniably clever, but there was an old saying: cleverness can lead to its own downfall.

It certainly wouldn't know that his internal injuries were already healed, likely believing he was in his most weakened state. Feigning weakness could often play a crucial role at a critical moment.

Zhang Yang was banking on this now. While it might not work on ordinary spirit beasts, it should prove effective against this cunning ape.

The fact that the Spirit Ape paused its assault on Zhang Yang was the best evidence of this. Seeing Zhang Yang’s weakened posture, the Spirit Ape indeed roared again.

After a brief hesitation, it rushed quickly toward Zhang Yang, intent on eliminating him first before dealing with the smaller creatures. Receiving Zhang Yang’s silent signal, Lightning immediately sprang over, ceaselessly spitting toxic mist.

Lightning’s frantic appearance seemed designed to obstruct the ape, making its act more convincing. The more agitated it looked, the more the Spirit Ape would believe Zhang Yang was severely wounded.

Bypassing the poison mist, the ape closed in on Zhang Yang, its two long arms reaching out directly to grasp him. Lightning leaped onto the ape’s head again, spewing venomous fog.

Long Feng simultaneously flung his whip-like strike, attempting to snag one of the ape’s arms directly to relieve pressure on Zhang Yang. The Snow Whip did manage to coil around the ape’s arm, but alas, the disparity in strength was too vast.

Long Feng failed to restrain the ape and nearly got pulled in himself. … One hundred chapters bonus chapter update, eighty-six chapters remaining!

Six chapters delivered today; though it’s late, Little Yu achieved the six-chapter goal. Currently, Little Yu has updated fourteen bonus chapters for the hundred-chapter mark.

At a normal rate of two chapters per day, only two chapters remain to catch up to the schedule. After six chapters, I’m somewhat tired.

Little Yu will sleep now and continue striving upon waking! To be continued RQ