Humanity's Great Sage

Chapter 586: Encirclement

The deafening explosions continued, accompanied by a rampage of Spiritual Power. Ward after Ward exploded, disorienting the Berserk Giant Ape.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the cultivators launched another assault, attacking the giant ape from all directions with various telekinetic techniques and spell techniques.

In the air, Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan waved their Ward Flags every so often, unleashing the power of the Wards. However, there was no trace of joy on their faces.

That was because until this moment, the protective Spirit Essence of the Berserk Giant Ape showed no signs of being shaken. Without breaking that barrier, there was no hope of them harming it in the slightest.

*Kacha…* A thunderous sound echoed as a lightning bolt struck directly on the Berserk Giant Ape’s skull. Lu Ye had activated a Lightning Invocation Array he had set up earlier.

The lightning serpent wriggled on the surface of the giant ape’s body before dissipating, not affecting it in the slightest.

The cultivators’ attacks and the eruption of the Wards undoubtedly enraged the giant ape even further. It roared in anger, rampaging within a large area, leaving a trail of carnage and destruction in its wake.

Screams of agony resounded as more than ten people fell victim to the giant ape within only a cup of tea’s time since the battle began. None of the cultivators targeted by the Berserk Giant Ape survived, all meeting gruesome ends without a full corpse.

The smell of blood filled the air with traces of flesh and blood staining the ground.

Under normal circumstances, the most sensible response for the cultivators would undoubtedly be to scatter and flee as far as possible.

However, the cultivators of Fox Immortal Valley were all under the influence of the Fox Mutant’s Divine Soul Secret Technique, so even in the face of such enormous losses, not a single person fled under her command. Everyone desperately circulated their Spiritual Power and blasted attacks on the Berserk Giant Ape.

This was a battle where there was no room for retreat, a battle that required risking everything to survive.

The Berserk Giant Ape’s figure rose and fell continuously in the battlefield. Its attacks were incredibly simple yet brutal, consisting of nothing more than clawing, slapping, and squeezing. Yet, these seemingly crude attacks were still too much for the cultivators of Fox Immortal Valley to handle.

The Trap Wards and Illusion Wards that Lu Ye set down had played a significant role. Some of the cultivators who were being targeted by the giant ape remembered his instructions and quickly rushed toward the location of the Wards, and as they activated, the Berserk Giant Ape was trapped in them, allowing the cultivators to barely escape unharmed.

But even with Lu Ye and Xie Yunhan overseeing the Wards, they could only trap the Berserk Giant Ape for a few breaths of time at most. This elite-level Spirit Beast truly made Lu Ye understand what it meant that one sufficiently strong could take on ten skilled practitioners.

Whether it be the Trap Wards or the Illusion Wards, they were easily broken before it.

As time passed, the casualties continued to stack up.

The Fox Mutant, who was observing the situation from the edge of the battlefield, had an icy expression on her face. She didn’t care about the deaths of the cultivators. The reflection in her deep, abyss-like eyes was the burly figure of the Berserk Giant Ape, while deep within her eyes lay profound resentment and hatred.

Back then, she was just an ordinary Fox Mutant who followed her master into the Great Wilds Peak for training. However, she mistakenly entered the territory of the Berserk Giant Ape and helplessly watched as her master was crushed into a pulp by that towering figure.

Since that day, only hatred remained in her heart.

Whether it be Heaven’s favor or due to the seeds of hatred sprouting in her heart, she suddenly awakened her bloodline, granting her abilities beyond what those in the Cloud River Realm should possess, which gave her a slight chance of success in her revenge.

Over the years, she had been gathering cultivators who ventured deep into the Grand Wilds Peak through the use of her special ability, strengthening her forces and seeking revenge against the Berserk Giant Ape, but time and time again, she returned disappointed.

This time, she had gathered her strongest force yet, and she also had the assistance of a masterful Ward Cultivator, so this was also her most hopeful attempt.

If she failed this opportunity, there would likely be no second chance.

Xie Yunhan told Lu Ye that the Fox Mutant wished to gather enough power to seek revenge against the Berserk Giant Ape again. However, it was not easy to recruit new members, so the strength of Fox Immortal Valley had not been able to grow.

But that wasn’t entirely the case.

Though the Fox Mutant had the ability to control people’s minds, it had its limits. With over eighty cultivators in Fox Immortal Valley, she had reached her limit and could not enslave more cultivators.

So it wasn’t that she didn’t want to gather more power, she just couldn’t.

Furthermore, for every cultivator she enslaved, an invisible sense of crisis increased in her heart. Over the years, that sense of crisis had become almost tangible.

She knew it was the attention of the Heavens because she possessed power that shouldn’t belong in the Cloud River Realm and used it to enslave Human cultivators.

To the usually fair and just Heavens, this was unacceptable.

Once that sense of crisis accumulated to a certain degree, she would undoubtedly face punishment from the Heavens.

This was her last chance. If she failed this time, she would have no more opportunities.

So failure was not an option!

It did give her some piece of mind that the newly arrived Ward Cultivator was indeed proficient in Wards. The Wards he activated continuously weakened the Berserk Giant Ape’s power, and many cultivators in the valley were also saved by the Wards he set up. Without Lu Ye’s Wards, Fox Immortal Valley would have already been defeated.

Explosions continued to sound, and Lu Ye’s expression grew solemn.

He and Xie Yunhan had spent three days setting up hundreds of Wards in this area, but the battle had only lasted for a short time yet half of the Wards had already been consumed. The Berserk Giant Ape seemed to remain unharmed still, protected by its solid barrier of Spirit Essence. On the other hand, Fox Immortal Valley had lost more than twenty fighters, and those who remained continued to attack but with little effect.

This battle… Could they really win it?

Lu Ye couldn’t help but have some doubts in his mind. At the very least, he hadn’t seen a glimmer of hope for victory yet.

He took a brief glance at the Fox Mutant.

There was only one person beside the Fox Mutant, and it was Li Baxian!

Lu Ye didn’t understand why Fox Mutant would keep Li Baxian by her side. Perhaps it was because Zhou Yuntian had highly praised Li Baxian when introducing him, causing the Fox Mutant to value him more.

If this mission failed, Li Baxian would undoubtedly become the most promising pawn under the Fox Mutant, and it was probably for this reason that the Fox Mutant allowed Li Baxian to stay by her side without needing to participate in the battle.

But this was something that Lu Ye was happy to see.

His Fourth Senior Brother was only in the Fifth Order, and though his foundation was strong, his strength was not comparable to a cultivator in the Seventh Order. Let alone that, even a cultivator in the Eighth Order could easily lose their lives at any moment in this battlefield.

Among the fifteen cultivators in the Ninth Order in the valley, three had already died, including a Body-Tempering Cultivator who was known for his powerful physique!

Lu Ye personally witnessed that cultivator pop like a bubble under the Berserk Giant Ape’s palm.

In the face of absolute strength disparity, there was no difference between Body-Tempering Cultivators and Combat Cultivators. They were all done im with a single palm strike.

The number of Wards continued to decrease, and casualties among cultivators from the valley continued to rise, but under the Fox Mutant’s command, none of them slowed down their assault on the Berserk Giant Ape. The continuous attacks had not stopped since the battle began, constantly blasting against the giant ape’s body.

Another cultivator screamed in agony as they were crushed by the giant ape, while not one of those who remained alive were not in a disheveled state. An hour had passed since the start of the battle, and out of more than eighty people, only fifty were left. Less than ten of Lu Ye’s Wards remained.

Just as Lu Ye was feeling heavy-hearted, the Berserk Giant Ape suddenly roared and leapt high into the air, pouncing toward the edges of the battlefield.

This sight caused Lu Ye’s eyes to brighten!

Previously in the battle, the Berserk Giant Ape had also been jumping around, but it always landed in the most densely populated areas. However, this time was different. From the looks of it… it seemed to be trying to leave the battlefield?

It was at the height of its power, yet it was exhibiting such strange behavior. Lu Ye couldn’t help but make some associations in this situation.

This guy… was also nearing its limit!

Without mentioning the rest, at least eighty percent of the almost a hundred Wards in the field were Killing Wards. One or two Wards posed no significant threat to it, but over time, even if it hadn’t been injured, it would undoubtedly suffer as its strength was being depleted.

Not to mention that the cultivators in the valley had been continuously bombarding it with attacks from the beginning until now.

So, even though this elite-level Spirit Beast still appeared imposing, it was likely reaching the end of its strength.

If Lu Ye could guess this, there was no reason why the Fox Mutant, who had been constantly paying attention to it, shouldn’t. Seeing that the giant ape was trying to leave the battlefield, she immediately shouted, “Stop it! Don’t let it escape!”

Over the years, every time they fought the giant ape, they were defeated and left in a sorry state. There had never been a situation where the giant ape actively tried to leave the battlefield.

This was the first time!

And it was the closest they had come to success!

So no matter what, they couldn’t let it escape or all their previous efforts would have been in vain.

Under the Fox Mutant’s command, several cultivators fearlessly flew up into the air, attacking the giant ape, each using their own attacks to try and bring it down.

However, with a wave of its hand, the nearest cultivator exploded into a mist of blood, and the attacks from the others that landed on the giant ape were just like ants trying to shake a tree, completely ineffective.

The Fox Mutant watched with bated breath.

Just then, as the giant ape reached its highest point, Lu Ye suddenly waved his Ward Flag.

On the ground, intricate patterns lit up with a dazzling light, and immediately after that, an invisible pressure descended from the sky.

The cultivators who were flying in the air in preparation to intercept the giant ape suddenly felt as if a mountain was pressing down on their heads, and they all screamed as they fell from the sky.

The giant ape was the same, and its descent was even faster than the cultivators. As it fell, a hint of confusion appeared on its face, showing that it had no idea what was happening.

Aerial Lock!

Back in the Arcane Glade, Lu Ye had used an Aerial Lock Ward, which Xia Liang and the others suffered a loss from. Now, it was only natural that he would not leave it out when dealing with an elite-level Spirit Beast.

He wasn’t sure if this elite-level Spirit Beast could fly previously, so he had set up this Ward just in case, but he didn’t expect it to come into play at this moment.