Chapter 146: Battle with the Dragon Ape

Amid layers of mist, a massive ape silhouette lunged forward. Its overwhelming aura made no sound at all, like an illusion, and it was already behind Lu Fan!

Die!

A vague, chilling beast roar sounded, and it was spoken in human words.

In the flickering shadows, the giant ape was already behind Lu Fan. Boundless force swirled outward, the mist steamed, and power gathered for a strike.

The Dragon Ape's massive, millstone‑sized hands swung, opening and closing, instantly bearing endless force as it hammered down. Before its might could fully unfold, the void already quivered, and the surrounding vital mist was stirred by the airflow, scattering outward.

Chaotic streams of air trembled in a peculiar rhythm, charging straight at Lu Fan's head. To be precise, they already enveloped him, making flight impossible.

Lu Fan had long sensed the abnormality. The surging force behind him was like a massive tide; anyone caught in it would be swept away, and a slight slip would topple them instantly.

Yet at that moment, he merely gave a faint smile, his gaze never shifting, and with a single hand he thrust upward!

It was just that one motion, seemingly exerting little force. Yet something defied logic: the soil beneath his feet roiled, ribbons of yellow mist billowed out, surging together, encircling Lu Fan and soaring upward.

In an instant, a hill about a zhang tall materialized above Lu Fan's head, seized in his hand and lifted toward the sky.

Boom!

The giant ape's overwhelming force hammered down, crushing the hilltop. In terms of scale, this "small hill" was trivial to the ape. Its fists could shatter stone and cut metal; even a small mound, let alone a true hill, could not withstand several of the ape's hammer blows.

But that scenario never occurred; the ape's iron fists, like stone rollers, struck the hill, only stirring up some dust and yellow mist. Immediately, a burst of force rebounded upward, shattering it.

Uhh—

The Dragon Ape, roughly three zhang tall and weighing several thousand jin, was thrust by the massive force, its body losing control, retreating dozens of zhang in midair before finally halting.

Bang!

Its form plummeted, crashing to the ground.

This…

Nalan Qiusha was stunned, her face showing an uncontrollable expression. The small hill Lu Fan lifted, she sensed the overwhelming aura and guessed it was formed from that Earth Mystic Pearl. Yet the power was so extraordinary it was almost unbelievable.

As for Wang Yicai and the three others, their faces were as dark as water, each eye flashing cold light. Though they had previously feared Lu Fan, they thought he only possessed a clever technique, nothing serious. Now it was clear that it was no mere cleverness; none of them could match Lu Fan.

Lu Fan slowly turned, giving the Dragon Ape a calm smile, his gaze leisurely, as if his earlier action meant nothing at all.

The Dragon Ape roared in fury, baring its teeth, its chest and belly heaving, and from its four lantern‑like giant eyes streams of blood Qi curled out, coalescing without dispersing.

Pa—pa!

Two footfalls sounded, and immediately two figures emerged around the Dragon Ape, unhurried, as if ignoring the soon‑to‑go‑berserk beast.

Wang Wu! Zhan Xiao!

Nie Xing was stunned, not expecting the two to appear together. The crucial point was that the overwhelmingly powerful giant ape seemed oblivious to the two standing just a breath away; the two and the beast appeared to coexist peacefully.

"Brilliant! Brilliant!" Zhan Xiao's sword‑shaped eyebrows lifted slightly, his gaze fixed on Lu Fan, his face a bit excited, "No wonder you caused such a commotion; it seems you employed the power of the Earth Mystic Pearl. As expected of Lu Fan, everything is under your control!"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly understood. Lu Fan had entered the valley moments earlier, each step heavy with force; he had already activated the Earth Mystic Pearl, stirring the earth's primal Qi. When the Dragon Ape launched its fierce attack, Lu Fan redirected that earth Qi, forming a small hill to block it.

The Dragon Ape's earth‑shattering strike was essentially just hammering the ground beneath, with hardly any force reaching Lu Fan.

Lu Fan gave Zhan Xiao a casual glance, his hand raised to the sky trembling slightly; the zhang‑high hill quivered, turning into dense earth Qi, condensing into the Earth Mystic Pearl.

He flipped his hand, cradling it, and examined it under the light above his head. It seemed the treasure had just arrived in his grasp, and he began to study it with keen interest.

Wang Wu let out a cold snort, then curled his lip, pointing at the nearby Dragon Ape, "No matter how powerful the Earth Mystic Pearl is, even with earth Qi it has limits. After prolonged attacks, it will inevitably fail; it can never be your opponent."

The giant ape's eyes swirled with blood Qi, its massive maw slightly open, streams of foul saliva dripping. The long‑brewed anger finally found a release point, and it even nodded toward Wang Wu before leaping upward again.

Bang bang bang!

Compared to Lu Fan's earlier steps, the Dragon Ape's strides were many times heavier. Each step shook the surrounding land and mountains, the mist steamed, and the void cleared considerably.

Before it could reach him, a gust of wild wind blew, forcing Lu Fan to squint involuntarily. A shadow fell before him, yet he seemed unaware, speaking toward Wang Wu and the others.

"This turn of events was unexpected. How did you two locate this beast? Convincing it to join forces must have cost a lot of Qi!"

At such a moment, everyone should be on high alert, giving their all! Yet Lu Fan asked about this instead, causing the onlookers to gasp in shock, their hearts racing, even involuntarily sighing.

But the Dragon Ape, its two lantern‑like giant eyes flashing coldly, emitted a muffled sound, "Die!"

The Dragon Ape's form halted, its booming dark force stilled, barely standing before Lu Fan. Its massive millstone hands opened and closed, then with a "boom‑clack" it formed two giant fists that hammered down.

Each colossal fist shadow surged like a sudden storm, crashing toward him. Every strike could split stone; under such a dense barrage, the blows merged into a wave of force, and any slight gap in defense meant a direct clash with the Dragon Ape's flesh.

"Heh heh! You seem quite gifted; if that had been the attack earlier, I probably couldn't have taken it!"

Lu Fan smiled at the Dragon Ape, showing no hint of tension, and with a single hand he flicked, slapping the Earth Mystic Pearl upward.

Puff!

The first fist shadow burst open, its energy spreading over a radius of about six feet, yet inexplicably all rushed toward the Earth Mystic Pearl in Lu Fan's palm.

"Clack!" A crisp sound rang as the leading wave of force struck the Earth Mystic Pearl, which suddenly shattered, turning into a large splash of yellow liquid. Part fell under gravity, streaming down, while the rest was agitated upward, forming a yellow water curtain.

Condense!

Lu Fan let out a light shout, turning his palm into a finger, and with a single hand swing he tapped the water curtain ahead. In an instant, the curtain quivered without warning, solidifying into a tangible earth wall.

More force shot down, "shhh" sounding, shaking the earth wall. Amidst swirling dust, it slowly solidified, forming a thick layer of earth that gathered atop the wall.

Bang bang bang

Fist shadows hammered down, their massive force sweeping the earth wall. Yellow mist billowed, and in the gaps between blows, it rapidly solidified again, adding another earth layer, and under the overwhelming pressure, the wall's defense grew thicker and sturdier.

Seeing this, the Dragon Ape grew frantic and angry, its blood Qi swirling, its fists swinging even more fiercely and swiftly. The two fists almost became phantoms, indistinguishable from the surging fist shadows.

Roar—

He let out a long howl toward the sky; the dragon's hair stood up like steel needles. Within its two lantern‑like giant eyes, the blood Qi dissipated, replaced by four thick, water‑like violet light shadows that spread over its body.

Clack clack!

For some reason, the three‑zhang‑tall Dragon Ape began to descend rapidly, and in the blink of an eye shrank to about a zhang tall; its violet steel needles slowly retracted, turning into solid scales that covered its body.

This sudden transformation left everyone present, except Lu Fan, stunned. The giant ape was already immensely powerful; this astonishing change clearly tapped its bloodline power or innate divine ability, making it even more formidable.

"Dragon Transformation!" Lu Fan shouted with uncontainable joy; before this sudden change, he finally took action.

His sleeve and robe fluttered as the Yinsha Nether Hammer was flung outward; his right hand clenched fiercely, while his left hand pinched to direct a point.

A massive bolt of lightning burst from the Yinsha Nether Hammer, crackling and chasing the wind. In an instant it tore a gap in the earth wall, shooting straight at the armored Dragon Ape's chest.

Gah gah! Looking for death!

A clear human voice emerged from the dragon ape's mouth, excited and agitated, yet unusually lucid. Clearly, under this dragon transformation, not only does its appearance differ greatly, but its mind and temperament have also risen considerably.

As soon as its words fell, its two arms trembled, crossed and struck together, actually forming a defensive move.

Thunder and lightning bolts surged forward, striking directly onto the scaled armor of its arms. A purple aura of light spread out, turning into a light shield that protected the dragon ape's whole body.

The majestic thunder strike burst open, all of it being blocked outside the light shield.

The dragon ape gave a grim smile, the sarcasm in its twin eyes obvious. It was quite pleased, waving its two massive scaled hands, scratching itself around its body in an exaggerated manner.

If the scene were different, this appearance would be especially comical. Surely anyone would burst into laughter. Yet the onlookers present turned pale with shock.

The thunder assault was so strong that no one dared to resist it outright. Yet the dragon ape easily absorbed it, as if it were a mere tickle, insignificant.

Even more frightening, the dragon ape's intellect is already no less than that of a human cultivator, and it cannot be treated as a mere beast.

Hehe! That's interesting!

Lu Fan faced the scene without changing expression, as if he hadn't seen it at all, or rather, in his eyes, it was nothing special.

"That's fine then; using you to test the Dragon Tower is just perfect!"

His expression suddenly changed; his left hand shot out into the void and seized. The erupting surge, which seemed unable to grasp the purple aura lightning, in an instant became a net, instantly binding the dragon ape within.

The dragon ape's expression changed, only then realizing it, its boundless energy tried to break free from the thunder net, but it was already too late.

Lu Fan's body twisted; his left hand that had struck the void swung with a thunderous snap, a sky‑splitting force unfurled, instantly hoisting the dragon ape and he swung it violently toward the Dragon Tower.

The force turned sideways, the dragon ape slashed through the void, blasting straight through the primordial mist, just as it entered the clear area around the Dragon Tower, the surrounding thunder net instantly changed.

In the air, strands of dragon essence gathered, and amid the crackling explosions of the thunder net, they slowly solidified, turning into violet mist resembling threads. Faintly, the dragon ape's scaled armor trembled, and between each expansion and contraction, a massive surge of energy erupted.

Boom!

The thunder net suddenly burst open, electric serpents slithered; although they could not bind the dragon ape, residual force still swirled around it, gathering and surging.

Bang!

The dragon ape regained its freedom, instantly twisted its body, landed steadily, its twin violet eyes filled with cold light, and its fury surged skyward.