"No, none of us move until that youth makes his first strike. Release the Ape King to tie down that monster, and have all the other Savage Apes swarm the youth. As for that white wolf—it seems to be an Ancient Fierce Beast. Let's not be stingy; bring out Mo Gong. I refuse to believe we can't keep these people here!" Gongsun Sheng said coldly.

The prestigious Gongsun family could not afford to fail to detain a few outsiders without losing all face in this world.

The old butler nodded, drew a long flute, and blew a short, measured tune. Immediately, a massive roar echoed from the valley depths, so loud it shook the very earth. Hearing this sound, the Savage Apes’ eyes flashed with fierce light, their bloodlust surging. Even facing the terrifying Liang Xiaoke, they showed no fear, charging at Ye Jingyu and his group at full speed.

A streak of golden light erupted from the depths of the Medicine Valley, shooting out like a meteor aimed directly at Liang Xiaoke, who was currently engaged with the Savage Apes.

Sensing the immense power contained within that beam of light, Liang Xiaoke’s expression shifted slightly. He tossed Yu Wushuang, held close to his chest, backward, and clenched a fist, driving it directly toward the hurtling golden light.

"Rumble..." A deafening explosion tore through the air. A gigantic column of light burst forth in front of Liang Xiaoke. The sheer force made the very atmosphere tremble, and the rampant energy annihilated everything nearby.

Trees and medicinal herbs were shredded to pieces, and even the solid rock and ground were blasted into ruins. In an instant, a massive crater, ten meters in diameter, appeared on the earth, and Liang Xiaoke was blasted backward, his arm tingling painfully, his internal energy churning violently. Had he not been a mere zombie, he might have spat blood right then and there.

After flying backward for dozens of zhang, he finally stopped, catching Yu Wushuang, whom he had tossed, as she landed beside him.

Yu Wushuang, who had experienced a moment of weightless flight, was pale, and though caught by Liang Xiaoke, her heart was still pounding wildly.

In the distance, the golden beam of light was also forced back several dozen steps, slowly revealing its form: a giant ape, entirely golden, standing nearly seven or eight zhang tall.

Indeed, a golden giant ape, whose bared fangs were a full foot long, its massive body towering between heaven and earth like a great tree, radiating a ferocious aura.

"A Sacred Beast? The Ape King?" Upon clearly seeing the giant ape's form, Yu Wushuang, perched on Liang Xiaoke's arm, gasped in alarm.

"What Sacred Beast? It's nothing more than a brute that has condensed a Demon Core. Stay put, and watch how I handle this thing!" Liang Xiaoke set down the still-shaken Yu Wushuang, speaking calmly, though his own eyes were flashing with streaks of golden light.

A demon beast that had formed a Demon Core—this was the ultimate tonic! The Corpse Emperor realm had twelve stages. After consuming all that Sky-Outer Fire last time, he had barely reached the second stage. If he could devour this Demon Core, perhaps it would propel him to the third?

At that level, even a peak Martial Saint would be nothing more than prey for him to slaughter! The True Cores of Martial Saints were also the best supplements. If he could kill a few hundred Martial Saints and refine their True Cores, entering the Corpse Sovereign realm wouldn't be a distant dream!

Corpse Sovereign—a realm even his Master had failed to attain!

The thought of those golden cores made long streams of saliva drip from Liang Xiaoke's mouth.

The colossal Ape King, meanwhile, stood there with wide, furious eyes, every strand of its golden fur standing on end, its right claw trembling slightly, clearly having sustained minor injuries from the collision with Liang Xiaoke.

Its pair of golden, bloodshot eyes were fixed deadly on Liang Xiaoke, several hundred paces away, filled with rage.

At this moment, the other Savage Apes swarmed toward Ye Jingyu. On the ground, the earth began to truly tremble, as if an earthquake had struck, or some gigantic entity was racing beneath the surface.

Little Taotao, who had been fighting the Savage Apes, stopped mid-stride, all its fur bristling. Its pair of vivid green eyes stared fixedly at the ground, sensing immense danger.

"Boom!" With a thunderous sound, the ground suddenly ruptured, and a massive shadow erupted, lunging directly at Little Taotao.

Little Taotao pushed off with its hind legs, its form blurring into a streak of light as it evaded the strike. However, the spot where it had stood was instantly pulverized into dust.

Perched on a large tree, it looked down at the immense figure and saw a centipede, seven or eight zhang long, completely black, and covered in countless tentacles.

Its colossal body writhed on the ground, sweeping away all the surrounding flora and fauna. Its large eyes were locked onto Little Taotao perched on the branch.

Facing such a leviathan, Little Taotao’s body, the size of a calf, seemed like a tiny rabbit next to a giant python—and this was a many-tentacled python at that.

Mo Gong was, in fact, a giant centipede, one that had reached the Saint Realm.

Seeing the emergence of the Ape King and the massive centipede, Ye Jingyu finally understood how Gongsun Xiangyi, despite possessing a Sacred Beast like Little Flower, had been captured alive by the Gongsun family. This ancient lineage, though perhaps lacking in martial skill, had clearly tamed so many wild beasts. It seemed even the most unassuming great families possessed hidden terrors.

Such a family, with millennia of heritage, was far beyond his current ability to match, perhaps even surpassing the hidden strength behind Luo Xiaofeng.

If the Gongsun family was this formidable, he could only imagine the true foundations of the Xuanyuan family, reputed to be the greatest in the world. If not for their internal strife, perhaps the Southern Cloud Empire would have been annihilated before it was even established.

The thought filled Ye Jingyu with admiration for Luo Xiaofeng's audacity—to seize the moment and launch a rebellion despite knowing the sheer power of the Xuanyuan family.

However, this was hardly the time for such reflections. The appearance of Mo Gong and the Ape King had freed the remaining Savage Apes entirely, allowing them to focus their attack on Ye Jingyu. Although Liang Xiaoke and the others had slain some, there were still eighty or ninety Savage Apes rushing in as one mass. Both Ye Jingyu and Bing Ming, hovering in the void, sensed immediate danger.

Yet, a confident smile still graced Ye Jingyu's face, as if nothing short of the sky falling could harm him.

This smile caused Bing Ming a flicker of surprise, but Ye Jingyu said nothing more, and Bing Ming asked no further questions. Bing Ming stepped out of the void, positioning himself in front of Ye Jingyu, using his absolute, overwhelming strength to intercept wave after wave of the Savage Apes' assault. Meanwhile, Ye Jingyu's dark eyes were fixed on the distance, looking toward the wheelchair atop the slope, and the elder seated within it...