193: Chapter 193 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (141)

Just then, before everyone could take that last half-step.

From deep within the fruit forest, two roars suddenly rang out, shaking the leaves until they shivered. The sound waves struck everyone's eardrums, carrying a metallic, stony quality.

"Careful!"

The female Cultivator from the Ice and Snow Holy Land reacted first, holding her long sword horizontally as blue True Qi condensed into a half-foot thick ice wall before her.

With two muffled "bang" sounds, two sturdy black shadows lunged from the dense forest, their thick claws slamming fiercely against the ice wall, instantly causing dense cracks to spread across it.

Everyone then saw clearly that these were two male monkeys, each a size larger than the previous large male monkey.

The one on the left had a one-inch-wide black stripe on its back, its claws gleaming with a dark light, and the ground trembled slightly when it landed.

The one on the right had a scar running diagonally across its left eye and eyebrow, its gaze so fierce it looked like it wanted to eat people, and it bared its fangs with white steam venting from its mouth.

The fur of these two monkeys stood on end like exploded steel needles, every single hair bristling. The aura radiating from their bodies had clearly touched the threshold of the Late Stage of the Copper Bone Realm.

Once the two large male monkeys landed, the Monkey Tribe, which had been retreating steadily, instantly seemed as if they had been injected with stimulants, screeching as they counterattacked.

With two new leaders spearheading the charge, the Monkey Tribe's formation became increasingly disciplined. The sturdy monkeys in the front row charged fearlessly, using their Physical Bodies to withstand weapons, while those in the back leaped from tree branches to launch sneak attacks, specifically targeting the lower body, successfully halting the humans' momentum.

The military unit at the very front bore the brunt of the attack; two Black-Armored soldiers couldn't dodge in time and were swiped in the chest by the black-striped large male monkey.

With a few "crack" sounds, their dark iron armor was instantly clawed with three deep dents. They flew backward like kites with snapped strings, crashing heavily to the ground and vomiting blood. A flash of white light appeared, and they were directly teleported out by the power of the Secret Realm.

"You sons of bitches!"

The Bearded Man's eyes were splitting with rage. He swung his long saber, which whistled as it cut through the wind, hacking toward the head of the black-striped large male monkey.

The large male monkey didn't dodge or evade, instead raising its arm to take the blow head-on. With a crisp "clang," sparks flew everywhere. The long saber struck its arm, only managing to cut a shallow wound without even damaging the bone.

"Good grief, is this monkey's bone made of iron?"

Qiu Feng, hiding behind a tree in the distance, gasped and instinctively gripped the tree branch tighter.

"That military expert's saber must be at least a Low Grade Treasure Artifact. Before, it cut through ordinary Copper Bone Realm monkeys like chopping melons and vegetables, yet this time it only broke the skin?"

Qiu Yang's expression was also somewhat grave. Pressing his fingertips against his sword hilt, he said in a low voice:

"These two should be the large male monkeys of the Silver Fruit area; they are more than a notch stronger than the one that was commanding before."

"The Monkey Tribe was likely training before, but now that they are about to be pushed into the Silver Fruit area, they are probably desperate. They've rushed out directly, attempting to fend off the enemy from the outside."

Chu Shi leaned against the tree trunk, tapping his fingertips lightly against the bark. His gaze fell upon the two newly appeared large male monkeys, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Physical Body strength of these two monkeys indeed far exceeded that of ordinary Copper Bone Middle Stage Cultivators. Coupled with their innate agility and coordination with the Monkey Tribe's tactics, they were extremely troublesome.

It was no wonder the front line, which the six teams had painstakingly advanced, was immediately pushed back.

At this rate, they wouldn't have to spend another few days, would they?

Surely not!

While deep in thought, the situation on the battlefield became increasingly deadlocked.

The two newly appeared large male monkeys stood on the left and right, like two moving iron walls, forcibly holding back the humans' offensive.

The arrogance on the face of the Youth in Python Robe from the Tianwu Imperial Family had faded significantly. His brows were knitted together, and his long sword danced in a wind-tight flurry. His exquisite sword techniques came one after another, yet he could only barely entangle the scar-faced large male monkey, unable to gain any advantage for the time being.

The Broad-faced Man from the Great Sun Holy Land fought the most fiercely. The golden light on his fists was twice as bright as before, and every punch he threw carried the sound of air explosions.

However, the black-striped large male monkey was very slippery. When it couldn't win, it would dash up a tree to circle around, occasionally swooping down to launch a sneak attack, infuriating the Broad-faced Man, who could do nothing about it.

"Continuing to drag this out is not a solution."

The female Cultivator from the Ice and Snow Holy Land spoke coldly, her voice clear and piercing, drowning out the roars across the field.

"Everyone, if we keep holding back, none of us will be able to get the fruit!"

"Once the monkeys ruin all the Silver Fruit and Golden Fruit, we will have all made this trip in vain, wasting several days for nothing!"

Having said that, she suddenly flourished her long sword in a strange pattern. Blue True Qi surged out along the blade, transforming into a sky full of fine ice needles that rained down upon the Monkey Tribe.

The sturdy monkeys in the front row couldn't dodge in time and were instantly pierced by the ice needles. In the blink of an eye, their limbs froze stiff, and they collapsed to the ground, screaming, only to be trampled into meat paste by the companions behind them.

"Damn it! I've had enough!"

Seeing this, the Broad-faced Man let out a low roar and took a deep breath. The golden light around his body surged violently, and his entire person looked as if it had been plated with a layer of gold leaf.

This was the Earth Rank Legacy of the Great Sun Holy Land, the "Great Sun Vajra Body." Given his current Realm, when pushed to the limit, his Physical Body hardness was comparable to a Low Grade Treasure Artifact.

He stepped forward, throwing both fists out simultaneously, slamming them fiercely into the chest of the black-striped large male monkey.

This punch used twelve percent of his strength. The black-striped large male monkey screamed and was sent flying backward, breaking two bowl-thick tree branches before crashing to the ground, unable to get up for a long time, with blood foam constantly bubbling from the corner of its mouth.

Seeing that both of them had gotten serious, the others dared not hold back any longer.

The Youth in Python Robe flipped his wrist, and his long sword traced an arcane arc. He unleashed the royal family's secret "Mountain-Shattering Sword Technique," the sword force as heavy as a mountain. He hacked at the scar-faced large male monkey's shoulder, the wound deep enough to see bone, and blood sprayed all over the ground.

The sword force of the Four Seasons Holy Land Disciples changed abruptly. Their originally agile sword techniques suddenly became ruthless and tricky, specifically targeting the Monkey Tribe's eye sockets, throats, and other vital points. Each strike was lethal, clearly showing they had killing intent.

Even the team of Loose Cultivators, who were always prone to shirking and cheating, put away their thoughts of backstabbing others at this moment.

The thin, tall leader pulled two poison-tipped daggers from his bosom. With a flicker of his figure, he lunged behind the scar-faced large male monkey and stabbed it straight into its back. The dagger blades sank in more than halfway, and black blood flowed out along the wound.

The military's Bearded Man roared for his subordinates to form a wedge formation. Three long sabers swung out in unison, their Saber Qi merging into one, forcibly tearing open the Monkey Tribe's defensive line.

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot.

The Silver Fruit was right before their eyes, and the Golden Fruit was deep inside; no one wanted to fail at the last step.

Even if it meant adding a few wounds to their bodies, or losing a few subordinates, it was still better than watching the Opportunity slip away.

For a time, the sounds of battle cries, monkey screeches, and the clashing of metal mingled together, shaking the entire fruit forest until it shivered.

The mud of rotten fruit on the ground mixed with blood, feeling sticky underfoot. The pungent smell of blood overpowered the fragrance of the fruit, and was carried away into the distance by the wind.

The Monkey Tribe had already lost its numerical advantage, and now that the humans were all playing for real, how could they possibly hold out?

In less than half an incense stick's time, most of the ordinary sturdy monkeys were dead or injured, and the remaining ones were so terrified that they hid on the tree branches, shivering and not daring to charge forward again.

The two large male monkeys were covered in wounds; the black-striped large male monkey's chest was deeply indented, and its breathing was accompanied by blood bubbles.

The scar-faced large male monkey had two short daggers stuck in its back and a wound on its shoulder deep enough to see bone. Its movements had slowed significantly, and it was holding on entirely by a surge of ferocity.

"Kill them! Push in!"