Finally, its mountain-like body crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, shaking the earth.
Chen Ping leaned on his sword, dropping to one knee, gasping heavily. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. That single strike had nearly drained the small amount of strength he had just recovered, and his injuries seemed to have worsened.
He paid no attention to himself. Instead, he hurried to the little fire qilin’s side, carefully picking it up and channeling a stream of pure immortal power into it.
Fortunately, as an auspicious beast, the qilin’s vitality was tenacious. It had only been shaken by the impact. Under the nourishment of Chen Ping’s immortal power, it quickly recovered, nuzzling affectionately against his palm, though its spirit still appeared somewhat listless.
Looking at the giant ape at his feet, a thought stirred in Chen Ping’s mind.
He had only just arrived and knew nothing about this place. With his injuries unhealed, he urgently needed a guide and a means of transport.
This giant ape was powerful and should be very familiar with the area.
He tried communicating with his divine sense, conveying the intent to subdue it.
However, though the ape was on the brink of death, its eyes still held a trace of unyielding defiance. Low, threatening growls rumbled from its throat, clearly preferring death to submission.
Chen Ping frowned slightly. Then a golden gleam flashed in his eyes.
He no longer suppressed the divine dragon power within him, derived from the dragon clan’s imperial blood. A vast, ancient, supreme dragon majesty slowly emanated from his body, like a slumbering emperor awakening!
This pressure did not target the physical body but acted directly on the soul and the very origin of the bloodline!
For demon beasts, it was especially overwhelming!
The moment the originally defiant giant ape sensed this dragon majesty, its enormous body began to tremble violently!
It was an absolute suppression rooted in the hierarchy of life, the instinctive terror a lower being felt before a supreme sovereign!
The ferocious light in its eyes vanished completely, replaced by boundless awe and submission. It struggled to lower its head, emitting whimpers of surrender.
Chen Ping withdrew the dragon majesty and walked to the ape’s head, placing his hand on its forehead. With his divine sense, he transmitted the command. “Submit to me and carry me out of this forest, and I will spare your life.”
The giant ape showed no further resistance, meekly lowering its head in acceptance.
Chen Ping breathed a sigh of relief. He sealed the wound on the ape’s throat, preserving its life.
He mounted the broad, platform-like back of the ape, placing the little fire qilin in front of him.
“Go!”
The giant ape let out a low roar, rose to its feet, and began trudging forward with heavy steps through this boundless primeval forest.
Riding on the ape’s back, Chen Ping finally had the chance to carefully observe this unknown land.
The forest was unimaginably ancient. Some trees were so massive that dozens of men linking arms would be needed to encircle them, their canopies blotting out the sun.
The light within the woods was dim. The air was thick with the damp scent of decaying leaves and rich wood spiritual energy, yet countless hidden dangers lurked within.
Sure enough, they had not travelled far when a venomous scaled crocodile, lurking in a swamp and covered in slime and scales, suddenly lunged out. Its massive jaws, lined with fangs, snapped towards the ape’s foreleg.
This venomous scaled crocodile was around the first grade of the Heavenly Immortal realm, its poison extremely potent.
Without needing Chen Ping’s command, the ape beneath him roared in fury. It raised its other enormous foot and stomped down with the force of ten thousand jun!
“Boom!”
The ground quaked and mountains shook. The venomous scaled crocodile was crushed directly into pulp.
With a wave of his hand, Chen Ping used immortal power to extract the relatively pure essence of flesh and blood from the crocodile’s body, along with an inner core containing both venom and water spiritual power. He offered them to the little fire qilin’s mouth.
The little fire qilin’s eyes lit up. It let out a joyful cry and eagerly swallowed the energy.
The lustre of its scales seemed to recover slightly, and its spirits lifted considerably.
This was only the beginning.
This vast demon beast forest was fraught with danger.
They encountered packs of sharp-fanged blood-toothed wolves. Chen Ping cleared them with a rain of sword qi across a wide area. The wolf king’s inner core and essence blood became nourishment for the little fire qilin.
