71: [Soul Spikes], Madness

At the entrance of the ape cave, Old Black provoked them as usual, while Lin Chuan hid behind a massive rock.

This time, it didn't need to make any unnecessary movements.

Inside the cave, howls merged into a continuous roar, vowing to tear it into ten thousand pieces.

This time, Old Black did not change its body size; its normal size reached 4 meters, which was considered relatively large among Transcendent Rank summoned beasts, but not outrageously so.

That is, provided it did not use [Shape-Shifting] to enlarge its body.

Otherwise, if a 20-meter diameter slap descended from the sky, wouldn't you be afraid?

After recovering from severe injuries, Old Black's carapace seemed even denser. The newly grown obsidian scales shone brighter than before, and its defense had clearly improved.

"If it doesn't consume any potions or treasures, this must be the normal path for strengthening defensive summoned beasts..." Lin Chuan realized.

Injury... recovery... injury... recovery... repeating this process until it croaks... no, until it strengthens enough to Breakthrough the body's limits.

Lin Chuan would not intentionally use this method, but since combat was unavoidable, gaining some improvement was a good thing... Inside the cave, Gray Snake was controlling the Puppet monkey, which also hobbled toward the cave entrance.

The surrounding monkeys, upon seeing this, were filled with reverence:

He's almost dead, yet he still thinks about defending the home!

When I collect your corpse later, I’ll definitely take a few extra bites... It made no sense for Gray Snake to remain inside the cave now, so Lin Chuan naturally wanted to recall it.

Furthermore, it was also Old Black's strongest trump card.

In this battle, Gray Snake needed to exert effort as well.

During this outing, not only was Old Black growing, but Gray Snake's body had also unknowingly grown much larger.

After every Yao Beast was killed, an invisible aura would overflow and be absorbed by Gray Snake—that was the aura of the Soul... Needless to say, a great battle was about to erupt.

This time, following orders, Old Black no longer engaged in head-on conflict but instead skirmished in the air.

This group of monkeys couldn't figure out, even if they racked their brains, why the Turtle could fly.

Old Black wouldn't strike unless necessary, but when it did strike, a monkey was certain to die.

Then, before being surrounded, Old Black would immediately slip away.

Following that, Gray Snake would drill into the monkey corpse and control it to stealthily crawl toward Lin Chuan.

After several rounds, Lin Chuan managed to successfully pilfer resources a few times.

Finally, some monkeys realized something was wrong.

Why were the fallen rations—no, the fallen brothers—disappearing while they were fighting?

"Aoo... Houl!"

A monkey pointed at the 'corpse' crawling on the ground and yelled.

"Damn it, sharp eyes... Get him!"

[Soul Spike]

An invisible ripple rushed straight toward that monkey's head.

Then... "┗ | ｀ O ′ | ┛ Aoo~~"

An incomparably painful howl erupted from the monkey's mouth.

Several monkeys had originally been attracted by its previous cries and wanted to check out the situation.

They were suddenly startled by it and circled around, looking at each other in confusion.

"Aoo..."

This monkey was still screaming, its eyes bloodshot, filled with boundless rage. Its mind was a mess, filled only with the desire for destruction... A companion tried to check on it, but the crazed monkey landed a direct punch to its forehead.

Following that, the crazed monkey mounted its opponent and continuously threw punches using its skills.

In less than ten seconds, that monkey's head was actually smashed open!

Red and white matter splattered everywhere.

"Houl..."

The other monkeys scattered immediately upon seeing this, unsure what had driven it mad.

This movement further attracted the crazed monkey's attention. It became relentless, attacking any monkey it saw, fighting desperately... The scene was instantly plunged into chaos.

"The effect is good!"

Lin Chuan was naturally quite satisfied.

This skill was too insidious; Lin Chuan hadn't had a chance to test it since he couldn't use it on his classmates.

Now that he saw it, it was another divine skill for scheming against others.

"Old Black, ah, Old Black... you truly are becoming more insidious."

What does the skill of a summoned beast have to do with me, the master?

Taking advantage of the chaotic scene, Lin Chuan instructed Gray Snake to continue its actions, 'transporting' the Ghost-Faced Ape corpses.

As for the one whose head was smashed open, Gray Snake could not invade it.

This was normal; if a headless body were still walking around, it would be far too horrifying.

The chaotic scene did not last long; the crazed ape was quickly subdued.

Its arms and legs were completely broken, yet even so, it kept wriggling on the ground, banging its head against the earth, like a strange entity.

The monkey troop watched this scene, filled with shock and uncertainty, not knowing why this fellow had suddenly gone mad.

However, they did not have much time to think.

On the other side, Old Black was not idle; it would sneak attack one of them occasionally.

Lin Chuan's main goal this time was no longer combat experience, but Yao Beast resources.

He had carelessly overlooked the previous wave and got nothing. This time, he intended to take back everything, principal and interest.

Gray Snake's skills all required the consumption of Soul energy, which could only be recovered by itself or by devouring Souls.

It had enough for now, and besides, with the ongoing slaughter here, Souls were abundant.

One minute later.

[Soul Spike]!

This time, Lin Chuan selected a monkey whose strength was clearly superior to the others and was also smarter, subtly acting as a minor leader, occasionally roaring and directing the troop.

Old Black had exchanged a few blows with it. It was Elite Nine-Star, and neither side had gained an advantage.

More importantly, its potential reached the Commander Rank; it might be one of the cave's future successors or leaders.

"┗ | ｀ O ′ | ┛ Aoo~ Aoo~"

This time, the howling was even more intense than before.

The minor leader clutched its head, panting heavily, its eyes blood-red and filled with bloodthirsty killing intent... However, it did not immediately go mad; it seemed to have faintly withstood the move.

Seeing this, Lin Chuan was not surprised but delighted. He wanted to see how much fighting strength it had left after enduring the move.

Following that, Old Black charged straight toward it.

If this were before, this ape minor leader would definitely have dodged first and then seized the opportunity to attack.

However, this time, the minor leader chose to resist head-on, neither dodging nor avoiding.

Its arms blocked Old Black's impact, and its legs plowed two furrows in the ground.

Then, as if a powder keg had been ignited.

The minor leader roared and continuously threw punches at Old Black, engaging in a suicidal, life-for-life attack.

Simply put, it had lost its mind.

The severe pain in its head and the damage to its Soul left it with only the instinct for destruction.

"Old Black, retreat."

For physically offensive Yao Beasts, not accounting for Soul damage, this kind of intense pain actually increased their fighting strength significantly.

It was like stacking rage by taking hits, instantly filling the meter.

However, after the outburst, it might simply die.

Since the result was tested, there was no need for Old Black to take unnecessary damage.

[Soul Spike]!

This time, the minor leader did not directly let out a miserable shriek; instead, there was complete silence.

Only its clenched teeth and bleeding eyes showed that things were not simple.

The surrounding monkeys seemed to sense something and slowly retreated into the cave, not even bothering with their companions' corpses.

"Houl..."

A roar, seemingly angry yet mournful, erupted from the minor leader's mouth.

Immediately after, it darted forward, rushing directly toward the nearest ape. It opened its large mouth and bit clean through the other's neck, copious amounts of blood pouring into its mouth.

The monkey troop was greatly alarmed and fled in all directions.

The minor leader did not stop, chasing directly into the cave.

Lin Chuan had Gray Snake possess the minor leader to further impose [Spiritual Distortion].

Over a dozen ape corpses were left on the ground, which Lin Chuan naturally accepted.

The minor leader entering the cave and going on a killing spree would definitely alarm the Commander Rank creature.

Although Qin Yan had warned the other party, one's life was one's own, and one could never be too careful.

Lin Chuan felt it was better for him to remain hidden behind the scenes.