Chapter 3428

Ye Liuyun released the Megalithic Ape and had it clear the way as they hurried toward Azure Ape Canyon.

Recently, he had acquired quite a few high-grade weapons and defensive treasures, and had equipped the Megalithic Ape with all of them. The Megalithic Ape should have no trouble handling ordinary dangers.

During their battle just now, they had heard continuous roars coming from within the canyon. They had been too preoccupied to investigate at the time, but only now had he thought of having the Megalithic Ape listen in and find out what was happening.

However, once the Megalithic Ape came out, all the azure apes fell silent.

Before long, they arrived at the entrance to Azure Ape Canyon and sensed true essence fluctuations from a battle taking place inside.

Ye Liuyun also reminded the others, “Earlier, I saw another group ahead—more than ten martial cultivators in all. Their cultivation levels seemed to be around the third or fourth level of Taixu as well. They’re probably here to explore too!”

However, that group had probably gone too far ahead. Ye Liuyun’s divine sense still could not detect what was happening to them, and his Golden Eyes were blocked by the winding canyon. He could only guess that they had already started fighting the azure apes.

At that moment, several azure apes sprang out from within the canyon and blocked their path. The leading azure ape was at the fourth level of Taixu. There were also two at the third level, two at the second level, and five or six at the first level.

The leading azure ape roared at the Megalithic Ape, which immediately told Ye Liuyun, “It says this canyon is their territory, and they won’t let us enter. There are no resources inside either. There’s danger in the depths of the canyon!”

“Can you ask what kind of danger it is?” Ye Liuyun had the Megalithic Ape try to communicate with the azure ape.

The Megalithic Ape let out a low growl, but the ape on the other side was clearly growing impatient. With an angry roar, it reared up and beat its chest with both hands to intimidate them, urging them to leave at once.

“It won’t tell us. It wants us to leave immediately!” the Megalithic Ape told Ye Liuyun. At the same time, it revealed its true form with three heads and six arms, bringing out various weapons.

“Then let’s fight!”

Ye Liuyun figured that wherever there was danger, there were probably resources as well. Besides, having just broken through to a new realm, he needed to get a better understanding of his strength. Thus, he released two more golden dragons to help everyone fight.

Chen Xiang directly engaged the fourth-level Taixu azure ape. The two golden dragon puppets held back the two third-level azure apes, while Ye Liuyun and Meng Yunshan each fought one of the second-level azure apes. The Megalithic Ape, with its three heads and six arms, took on all the remaining first-level azure apes.

Ye Liuyun used neither weapons nor elemental power. Instead, he channeled his divine essence and met the second-level Taixu azure ape’s fist head-on, wanting to test his strength and physical body.

With a booming crash, Ye Liuyun and the ape matched each other evenly. Yet the ape was completely unharmed and did not retreat even half a step, while a crack appeared in the bones of Ye Liuyun’s arm from the impact.

“It seems this azure ape’s physical body is still far stronger than mine!”

Thinking this, Ye Liuyun healed his injury while sending another punch with his other hand. This time, he used not only his divine essence but also the power of heaven and earth, finally forcing the ape back without sustaining any injury himself.

“Roar!”

The ape was enraged as well and struck at Ye Liuyun with one palm after another. Ye Liuyun blocked two blows, and after gauging the strength of his second-level Taixu cultivation, he stopped using his divine essence to clash head-on. Instead, he released his golden dragon Guardian Divine Seals and fought the ape with them.

After Ye Liuyun’s Guardian Divine Seals entered the Taixu World, they too had been compressed to a size of thirty zhang. However, because all his Guardian Divine Seals had devoured dragon souls, they were extremely agile in battle and possessed great autonomy.

Moreover, Ye Liuyun tried to make them use less divine essence and more of the power of heaven and earth. The Guardian Divine Seals wielded the power of heaven and earth far more smoothly than Ye Liuyun did, and their might was correspondingly greater. Against opponents of the same level, they were practically invincible.

Ye Liuyun also took the opportunity to comprehend the power of heaven and earth. After killing the second-level Taixu azure ape, he took out the Demon-Slaying Saber, replaced one of the golden dragon puppets, and began fighting a third-level Taixu azure ape.

The golden dragon Guardian Divine Seals helped defend him. When challenging someone at a higher level while also limiting their use of divine essence, the Guardian Divine Seals found it rather taxing. Even if they used divine essence, they might not necessarily be able to defeat a third-level Taixu opponent.

Relying on his sword intention and the power of heaven and earth, along with the protection of the Guardian Divine Seals, Ye Liuyun could only just manage to fight the third-level Taixu azure ape to a draw.

These azure apes were simply far stronger than ordinary martial cultivators. Not only did they possess an advantage in physical strength, but their command of the power of heaven and earth was also formidable, and their true essence was exceptionally solid.

Meng Yunshan had to use his treasured sphere to batter his opponent before he could gain the upper hand. Chen Xiang, meanwhile, relied on Spatial Force to maneuver around his opponent, striking occasionally and wearing him down through surprise attacks. In a direct confrontation, neither of them was strong enough.

Only the Megalithic Ape had fought with ease; it had already finished its battle. It had killed all the first-level Taixu azure apes with its weapons.

In the end, Ye Liuyun wore down his opponent’s true essence until it was exhausted, and only then did he kill it with his sword intention. Meng Yunshan won by relying on his treasure, while Chen Xiang used Spatial Force to exhaust his opponent’s strength before killing it.

However, Meng Yunshan and Chen Xiang no longer had the strength to fight again and needed to return to recover their true essence.

After thinking it over, Ye Liuyun also felt that he needed to recover some of his divine essence to be on the safe side.

Thus, he also recalled the Megalithic Ape into his spatial world and withdrew from Azure Ape Canyon. Outside the canyon, he dug a cave, had the two golden dragon puppets guard the entrance, and set up a defensive formation disk. Only then did he return to the cultivation planet in his spatial world to accelerate the recovery of his divine essence.

Now that he no longer had a clone, he had to make defensive arrangements whenever he returned to the spatial world to cultivate. Otherwise, he could easily encounter danger.

Fortunately, he had not expended too much divine essence this time. Unwilling to use Taixu Divine Crystals, he instead used the Draconis Origin Pills he had accumulated earlier. After converting them with the Yuan-Conversion Cauldron, he absorbed them.

The Yuan-Conversion Cauldron could no longer satisfy his need for divine essence. The energy it converted was only slightly higher in quality than the energy within the Draconis Origin Pills, and he still had to absorb and transform it himself.

Thus, Ye Liuyun spent more than ten days in the spatial world before replenishing his divine essence completely.

As soon as he finished cultivating, he came out to investigate the situation. Judging by the time, the martial cultivators coming to rescue Zhao Yuanpei should be arriving soon, and they should already have learned that Zhao Yuanpei was dead.

“Those people will definitely continue investigating Meng Yunshan’s whereabouts. If I stay here, they’ll certainly discover me. If I show myself and lure them into Azure Ape Canyon, I might be attacked by the azure apes. By then, I might not be able to get out either.”

He swept his Golden Eyes across the starry sky and, sure enough, spotted a flying ship in the distance speeding toward them.

“Eleven experts at the fifth or sixth level of Taixu! They’re far too strong. I can’t confront them head-on!”

Ye Liuyun pondered for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He immediately used the Thousand Illusions Technique to transform himself into the form of a nearby Savage Bear. After putting away the defensive formation disk, he approached with the two golden dragon puppets.