34: Conquer Yunxia Mountain (middle)

“Is that Giant Ape General from the forest ahead?”

Xia Fan's eyes narrowed slightly, and his heart also stirred with excitement.

He pondered for a moment and decided to find out if the ape-like fierce beasts living in this forest were the same tribe as the Giant Ape General. If not, there was nothing to regret; he could simply incorporate them into his fierce beast army.

If they were, then he would have stumbled upon a great advantage!

“Roar—”

Immediately, he let out his loudest roar, instantly startling the ape beast tribe in the forest.

Crackle crackle—

“Waa waa waa—”

In the depths of the forest, sounds of rustling leaves echoed, followed by countless roars of giant apes, charging straight towards Xia Fan.

In a short while, several angry-looking giant apes appeared in Xia Fan's line of sight, each thumping his chest and stamping his feet, staring at him restlessly.

As time passed, more and more giant apes emerged from the forest.

Xia Fan roughly counted them; there were no less than three hundred giant apes, and almost none were old or weak.

However, the giant apes seemed to be restrained, stopping there and beginning to warn him not to act rashly.

“Excellent, my first fierce beast army can be them.”

Xia Fan looked at these giant apes with great satisfaction, his gaze searching for the leader of their tribe.

Soon, a series of heavy footsteps came from the forest, and trees were directly pushed down by brute force. The giant apes that had appeared earlier also moved aside to clear a path.

Seeing this, Xia Fan narrowed his eyes slightly, staring intently at the source of the commotion.

In a short while, a giant ape almost twice the size of a regular giant ape appeared, looking over with deep eyes.

This giant ape was over three meters tall, covered in thick black fur. Its long arms were bulging with muscles, clearly indicating immense strength.

As soon as he appeared, all the nearby giant apes fell silent.

Xia Fan recognized him at a glance: this giant ape was Great Strength Demon Ape, one of the three great generals under the Nine-Tailed Fox in his previous life.

“It really is him. This trip was not in vain.”

His heart was filled with joy, and memories of Great Strength Demon Ape instantly flooded his mind like a tide, giving him a general understanding of him.

Great Strength Demon Ape's awakened ability was called Berserk Strength. When activated, his strength would surge, and his every move would possess the power to destroy mountains and fill seas, truly terrifying.

In his previous life, to expand Yunxia Mountain, Great Strength Demon Ape, under the Nine-Tailed Fox's command, even accomplished the astonishing feat of moving mountains with his bare hands.

Of course, the current Great Strength Demon Ape had not yet grown to that extent, but he was still an extremely terrifying and formidable existence to ordinary fierce beasts.

“Roar—”

Great Strength Demon Ape stared at Xia Fan for a long time, then suddenly let out an angry roar and charged forward with incredible speed, his eyes filled with 瘋狂 (Berserk) killing intent.

“Good, come on!”

Xia Fan responded with a roar as well, and almost instantly, he activated Berserk and King Kong Transformation.

Golden light flashed across his limbs, and in the blink of an eye, he collided with Great Strength Demon Ape.

Boom—

A deafening sound, accompanied by waves of air, spread in all directions, flattening the weeds and shaking the leaves violently.

“Such immense strength!”

Xia Fan was shocked.

His previous strike hadn't used his full power, but it was enough to deal with ordinary fierce beasts. Yet, the Great Strength Demon Ape opposite him not only remained unharmed but even pushed him back five or six meters!

In this first simple test, Great Strength Demon Ape actually gained the upper hand!

“Waa waa waa waa...”

Seeing this, the nearby giant apes jumped and screamed, scurrying through the forest, seemingly cheering for their leader.

Magic Cat, transforming into a purple light, was about to merge with Xia Fan, but the latter rejected her with a low growl.

“Little one, you don’t need to help me in this battle, and you can’t help me.”

“I have decided to take Great Strength Demon Ape under my command, so I cannot seriously injure him.”

“Only by conquering him with strength can I make him willingly follow me in the future and establish a great enterprise.”

Hearing the meaning in his roar, Magic Cat was momentarily confused but ultimately stopped her attempt to merge and hid to watch the battle.

Bang bang—

Great Strength Demon Ape suddenly thumped his chest twice, and the sound of impact, like war drums, instantly echoed.

He stared intently at Xia Fan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

It was the first time he had encountered an anomaly that could withstand seventy percent of his strength.

“My strength is no less than yours!”

Xia Fan's eyes flashed, then he leaped up abruptly, charging straight at Great Strength Demon Ape.

Mid-air, he fiercely swung his tiger claws, which shimmered with golden light, gathering infinite power.

Great Strength Demon Ape, however, remained unhurried. Only when Xia Fan's tiger claws were close did he extend a hand to clash with them.

Boom—

Another deafening sound.

The flesh and blood on both Xia Fan and Great Strength Demon Ape seemed to ripple outwards.

But neither he nor Great Strength Demon Ape retreated a single step after this strike.

At this, the surprise in Great Strength Demon Ape's eyes grew even more intense.

“Again!”

“Roar!”

One tiger and one ape, both roared angrily, then charged at each other like lightning, and the continuous thudding sounds, like muffled thunder, echoed.

Suddenly, Great Strength Demon Ape grabbed a thick tree, tens of meters tall and wide enough for three people to embrace, and with just a slight effort, he uprooted it.

He stared intently at Xia Fan, stripping the excess branches and leaves from the trunk, using it as his weapon.

“A bit of intelligence, but in front of me, these are still not enough.”

Xia Fan showed a humanized smile and, without a moment's rest, charged forward again.

Pfft—

With a crisp sound, the thick tree was actually severed by his sharp claws, instantly breaking into several sections.

Great Strength Demon Ape then retreated several steps, a good seven or eight meters.

When he was blocked by a stone over a meter high, he grabbed the boulder with both hands, and as his body sank slightly, the boulder broke free from the earth.

By the time he had fully lifted the boulder into his hands, Xia Fan realized that the giant rock was a staggering seven or eight meters long, even thicker than a train carriage.

“As expected of Great Strength Demon Ape, he truly possesses boundless strength!”

Xia Fan, far from being alarmed, was delighted and began to unleash his full power.

Bang bang bang—

Under the fierce impacts, fragments of the giant rock continuously flew, until Great Strength Demon Ape noticed that the boulder in his hands had shrunk to the size of a basketball, and he casually tossed it aside.

But just then, Xia Fan's body continuously grew larger in his vision.

By the time he reacted, the opponent had already collided with him, and his tiger claws rained down like thunder, smashing him down forcefully, making him utterly unable to get up.

“Hey! Can you still fight?”

Xia Fan waited until Great Strength Demon Ape's hands dropped and he was breathing heavily before stopping his actions, feeling incredibly exhilarated.

He had actually suppressed Great Strength Demon Ape solely with the physical strength gained from Berserk.

Seeing this, the other giant apes finally snapped out of their daze and rushed to support him, but they were quickly swatted away by Xia Fan.

At this moment, Xia Fan walked to Great Strength Demon Ape's side, his mind stirring. He unleashed his Soul Fire, sending it directly towards Great Strength Demon Ape. “From now on, you shall be my general!”