White Dragon Precious Ginseng

*Whoosh! Whoosh!* A nimble silhouette darted through the dense forest, pursued closely by a colossal ape covered from head to toe in golden fur! The giant ape stood eight zhang tall, its burly frame resembling a miniature mountain. The golden fur covering its body was stiff as steel needles, granting it immense defense. Yet even so, multiple sword wounds marred the ape's body, each cut deep enough to reveal bone. Its scarlet eyes seethed with murderous ferocity, shot through with blood vessels! *Thump! Thump! Thump!* The giant ape leaped and bounded across ancient trees with terrifying agility, covering hundreds of zhang with a single swing of its arm. With its other hand, it pounded its chest, producing deafening booms. *Roar!* The giant ape's roar echoed throughout the forest, driving countless demonic beasts to scatter in fear. This beast was a fourth-rank demonic beast—a Colossal Strength Vajra! Its strength was on par with an early-stage Nascent Soul realm human cultivator! Ahead, the fleeing figure was comparatively lean. His black robes had long been reduced to tatters, exposing a back covered in lacerations. With a cold, grim expression, Li Guanqi looked back over his shoulder. He had been locked in a bitter struggle with this giant ape for seven whole days. Throughout these seven days, the beast had pursued him almost without rest. Even when they crossed into the territories of other demonic beasts, those creatures chose to yield when confronted by the enraged Colossal Strength Vajra. The creature's defenses were simply too monstrous. And the cause of it all was quite simple. After Ye Feng departed, Li Guanqi had calmed his mind, knowing there were things one simply had to face. Moreover, had Ye Feng remained by his side, he would have continued to repress his true feelings. Leaving to travel alone for a time was for the best, allowing him to face challenges on his own. Thus, Li Guanqi had made no attempt to hold him back and let him go. Yet not long after Li Guanqi ventured deeper into the mountain range, he detected a rich concentration of heaven-and-earth spiritual energy gathering in a ravine. When he arrived, he discovered that it was an essential spiritual herb needed to concoct the Longevity Pill—the White Dragon Precious Ginseng! Snow-white throughout, the ginseng bore a striking resemblance to a colossal dragon, hence its name. Furthermore, the White Dragon Precious Ginseng contained immense vitality, revered by many cultivators as a rare treasure that could preserve a dying life. It was also the most crucial herb in the recipe for the Longevity Pill. Li Guanqi had expanded his divine sense and found no beasts nearby. Thinking he had struck phenomenal luck, he harvested it with a jade knife without a second thought. Yet the moment he unearthed the White Dragon Precious Ginseng, an enraged roar erupted behind him. In that desperate instant, he unleashed a Seven Fiends strike! A full-power slash actually breached the Colossal Strength Vajra's defenses. The blood and pain, combined with the theft of its spiritual herb, thoroughly provoked the beast. And so matters had devolved into the current pursuit. Infuriated, Li Guanqi cursed under his breath, "Damn it! Why is this brute so stubborn?! "You're a fourth-rank demonic beast! Why obsess over a third-rank herb?!" Yet he understood that this could not continue. They had already crossed deep into the territory of fourth-rank demonic beasts. If they went any further, they would enter the domain of fifth-rank beasts! This was already the absolute limit of what they could handle. He knew this, and the giant ape behind him knew it just as well. Among all demonic beasts, ape-types were universally acknowledged for their superior intellect. Certain ape-type beasts that reached the fifth rank possessed wits no inferior to those of ordinary cultivators! Li Guanqi cast a backward glance and caught sight of the mockery gleaming in the ape's eyes. It was as if the creature was saying, *Let's see where you can run now!* Setting his jaw, Li Guanqi stopped dead in his tracks and spun around to face the ape. *Clang!* The Red Lotus Sword cleared its scabbard in a flash, destructive lightning tearing through the void. A fierce battle intent surged wildly within him! Soaring sword intent erupted from the earth, giving the giant ape virtually no time to react. Employing Nether Steps, Li Guanqi left afterimages trailing through the air as he lunged toward the beast! Seeing this, the giant ape came to a halt atop the canopy of a towering tree, pounding its chest with manic fury. *Boom! Boom! Boom!* As it struck itself, golden light surged through its body. Its already towering frame swelled further, reaching ten zhang in height! Its massive arms were thicker than Li Guanqi's waist. The ape plummeted downward, splintering the steel-hard ancient tree beneath it. With one massive hand, it grabbed a section of tree trunk four zhang long and hurled it violently at Li Guanqi! *Whoosh!* A piercing shriek of displaced air tore past his ears as the trunk blurred into multiple afterimages, hurtling sideways straight at him! The terrifying force behind the blow was readily apparent! Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed. Light flared beneath his feet, and his body dropped instantly! The howling trunk grazed past his back, the gale whipped up by its passage searing his skin with pain. Yet instead of retreating, he closed the distance and charged straight at the giant ape! At the same time, his blade whipped out in a swift drawing slash, aimed directly for the ape's eyes! The strike was blisteringly fast. Yet when faced with such deadly danger, the ape instinctively raised its hand to shield its eyes and leaned slightly backward. *Squelch!* Had the ape not tilted back three inches, the strike would have severed its left palm entirely! Seeing his initial strike fail, Li Guanqi transitioned seamlessly from a slash to a thrust, the Seven Fiends sword instantly rising in momentum! Yet while he drew back to thrust, the leaning ape parted its fingers slightly, gazing at him with cold, calculating eyes. Its right knee shot upward with explosive force! The strike was ferocious, powerful, and utterly sudden! Li Guanqi had kept his divine sense extended, tracking the ape's every movement. Yet he had detected no rotation of the ape's hips before the knee strike was already launched! Aside from the skull, the knee was the hardest bone in the body! The giant ape had poured every ounce of strength into this knee strike, its aura surging violently. Its speed broke the sound barrier, slightly warping the space around it! Li Guanqi's heart seized. He released his grip on the sword and brought both arms down in a cross block! At the same time, his right foot lashed out, kicking forcefully against the ape's knee! *Bang!* *Bang!* Two dull thuds resounded. Like a kite with a broken string, Li Guanqi was blasted straight out of the mountain forest and hurled a hundred zhang into the sky! His kick had merely shifted the direction of the ape's force by a fraction, and a sickening crack of splintering bone came from his crossed arms. The moment of impact drove his own hands forcefully into his chest. It felt as though he had taken a direct charge from a raging bull! *Pfft!* Hurled into midair by the colossal force, his entire body felt on the verge of shattering. Yet through the vision of his mind's eye, the dense forest below suddenly caved in for dozens of zhang! A golden shadow shot into the sky, raising a massive fist that hurtled straight toward him! The suffocating pressure sent a chill straight down his spine!