Longevity by Grinding Skills-Chapter 66: Wild Evil God

"Bear Monkey, you think this is your White Ape Sect?"

CRACKLE!

Suddenly, the bluestone pavers where the red-haired brute landed shattered, and his fingers dug deep into the cracks.

This action seemed to ignite the battle. In an instant, the five figures blurred into afterimages.

On the east, a giant’s Profound Iron Bracelets exploded with sparks. His gnarled muscles suddenly swelled by three inches as he smashed a stone pavilion before him to dust.

Amidst a rain of brick and stone, the red-haired brute’s pores spewed sulfurous steam. He slammed his palms on the ground, and every white bone within a fifty-foot radius turned as red-hot as a branding iron.

"The Yin Mountain Sect’s Melted Iron Hand?"

The woman with the Jade Flute landed lightly on the eaves. As she played her flute, the white bones littering the ground began to tremble. Tangible yet formless sound waves spread out, rapidly cooling the red-hot remains. A strange aura unfurled like tentacles, and an invisible force gripped the Gilded Mace buried deep in the earth, pulling it free.

"A Treasure Artifact?!"

The red-haired brute grinned. "I didn’t think someone from the Celestial Sound Sect of Cangzhou would come to join the party."

But the shadowy assassin’s Chain Blade was faster than the power emanating from the Jade Flute.

A cold glint flashed as the Qi Force extending from the Jade Flute was severed. The chain then snaked toward the Gilded Mace.

Suddenly, a Broken Blade flew through the air, batting the Chain Blade aside. A chain danced wildly from its hilt. The Swordsman on the eaves gave it a tug, and the chain went taut. But just as he was about to retract his weapon, the giant’s hand-like toes shot out, grabbed the hilt, and clenched. The chain instantly strained as taut as a bowstring.

"Courting death!"

The Swordsman snorted. With a single-handed flick, he sent a tremor down the chain, causing its end to pierce the giant’s sole like a steel awl.

Meanwhile, the red-haired brute’s fist, wreathed in a scorching heatwave, shot toward the ape-like Martial Artist.

Next, the inky shadow closed in silently. Its Chain Blade traced arcs of cold light through the air, aiming for the vital spot on the red-haired brute’s back.

The woman in silver stroked her Jade Flute. The melody was elegant but held a hidden killing intent. With a flick of her finger against the flute, she sent out a blade-like soundwave straight at the shadow.

In an instant, the five were a tangled mess of battle. The wind from their fists, the flash of the Chain Blade, and the piercing sound waves all interwove. Dust and qi surged through the courtyard. Every time one of them tried to approach the large pit, another would intercept, forcing them to pull back and defend.

Xu Yunfan watched without daring to blink. All five of them were masters of the Flesh Refining Realm.

Li Haomiao hadn’t been exaggerating. Once a martial artist unified the Outer Three Harmonies—tendon, bone, and skin—and entered the Flesh Refining Realm, they were more than human. The Martial Arts they cultivated would manifest as distinct physical traits.

Especially the ape-like Martial Artist. His bare feet were like hands. Despite being nearly ten feet tall, his agility was unbelievable. Even while surrounded by the red-haired brute and the black-clad assassin, the old ape Martial Artist they called Bear Monkey fought with both hands and feet. He moved like an old ape flitting through a forest, his nimbleness enough to make one’s skin crawl.

As for the beautiful woman in the palace gown, her fine clothes were now somewhat wrinkled from the fray.

Just as the five were locked in fierce combat, Xu Yunfan noticed something strange about the old monk.

The sound of tearing leather came from within the black mist. The old monk’s vertebrae protruded one by one along his spine, and the muscles beneath his gray robes writhed as if they were alive.

The ape-like giant was fending off two attackers, his foot just about to touch the Gilded Mace, when a bluish-black hand suddenly shot through the mist and gripped it tightly.

It was the old monk.

The old monk, engulfed in the black mist, suddenly let out a low roar. His body, once as withered as bamboo, expanded rapidly. Amidst the five-way melee, the old monk’s stooped frame shot up to a height of nine feet.

His ragged robes shredded into strips, revealing a body covered in dark red runes. As the black mist seeped into him, his muscles bulged and swelled. The runes seemed to crawl beneath his skin like thousands of writhing centipedes.

"Courting death!"

The old ape Martial Artist was both shocked and enraged. He swung his large hand, his fingers forming an Eagle Claw that tore through the air, its tips trailing a wave of turbid white qi.

This strike was powerful enough to shatter metal and stone.

Yet when his claws struck the old monk’s body, his fingers sank deep into the muscle and then stopped, unable to advance another inch.

At this sight, the old ape Martial Artist’s pupils constricted in utter shock. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

In the next instant, the old monk lifted his foot.

The old ape Martial Artist was sent flying like a discarded ragdoll. He tumbled across the ground for over fifty meters before slamming into the rock next to the old pine tree where Xu Yunfan was hiding.

The immense force of the impact was enough to spiderweb the rock with cracks.

Back in the fray, the red-haired brute’s palms glowed crimson. The intense heat generated by his Blood Qi was so great it vaporized the moisture in his arms into wisps of white steam. But his hands, strong enough to melt gold and smelt iron, were cleaved open by the old monk’s Gilded Mace. The bones and tendons in both his arms were shattered, spraying blood everywhere.

"AHHH!!!"

The red-haired brute let out a piteous scream and staggered back. His arms dangled uselessly, the jagged ends of his broken bones shuddering with every movement—a truly ghastly sight.

The veins on the old monk’s arms bulged, turning a purplish-black, and his Great Tendons twanged like bowstrings. Blood oozed from his hands, flowing slowly into the Gilded Mace, causing its glow to intensify. He swept the mace horizontally, and the resulting Gang Wind slammed into the woman in silver, making blood trickle from her nose and mouth. The gale tore her palace gown to shreds, exposing her pale body.

A crack appeared on the Jade Flute in her hand.

"My Jade Flute!"

The woman’s expression changed drastically. Without a moment’s hesitation, she turned and fled.

Just then, the shadowy assassin’s Chain Blade struck at the old monk’s throat like a viper’s fang, only to be clamped in place by his neck muscles just three inches from its target.

The muscles in the old monk’s neck suddenly constricted, shattering the Fine Steel Chain Blade into scraps. The resulting shockwave traveled up the chain, shredding the assassin’s sleeves and sending him stumbling back. He crashed into the ruins of the Buddha Hall.

Though he seemed to fall lightly, his landing kicked up a massive cloud of dust.

A roar suddenly came from the west wall. The Swordsman with the Broken Blade came flying through the air, his weapon a streak of silver light, only to be casually run through the chest by the Gilded Mace.

When the last fighter fell, steam rose from the old monk’s body. The runes on his back had coalesced into the image of an Eight-armed Bodhisattva. But he too seemed unable to withstand the power, for he sank to one knee, leaning on the Gilded Mace, and became motionless.

’What the hell?!’

A tremor went through Xu Yunfan’s Heart and Spirit.

’Five masters had attacked, yet the old monk, wielding the Gilded Mace, had crushed them without any chance for retaliation.’

’That’s the terrifying power of the Blood Exchange Realm, at the very least. That Divine Weapon is truly horrifying. A casual swing could unleash a ferocious Qi Force and a Gang Wind that rips everything to shreds.’

’Gotta get out of here.’

Xu Yunfan instantly crushed the hopeful thoughts that had begun to sprout in his mind. Just as he was about to leave, the old ape Martial Artist below—blood trickling from his mouth, his aura faint—suddenly spoke.

"Young man, the monk’s power is fleeting. An Evil God has possessed him, seeking to be reborn in his flesh. The monk’s Vitality is completely exhausted. Now is the time! Go and kill him, and I, Liu Xiong of the White Ape Sect, will owe you a great debt."

’So they knew I was here all along.’

The corner of Xu Yunfan’s mouth twitched. He ignored him completely, turned, and vanished into the night.

Watching Xu Yunfan leave without the slightest hesitation, Liu Xiong sighed. He tried to push himself up with one hand.

But the moment he moved, his body went rigid, and he dared not move again.

That single kick had shattered his sternum and displaced his internal organs. If he wanted to live, his only choice was to lie perfectly still, silently circulate his Blood Qi, and let his muscles slowly work to reset his broken bones and shift his organs back into place.