16. Bitter Struggle

A cold glint appeared in Bai Zongnan's eyes as he strode forward. The Leopard Demon King let out a roar of grief and fury, limping slowly in an attempt to escape.

Suddenly, an earthshaking roar echoed. In the distance, a giant black ape was charging madly toward them. The great ape’s pace was swift; in the blink of an eye, it reached the edge of the woods. It raised its head and howled, brandishing its arms, and lunged at Bai Zongnan.

“Innate Fifth Stage!” Bai Zongnan’s eyelid twitched. “Another one coming to die!”

The great ape charged with a ferocious roar, wind whistling around it.

Bai Zongnan’s sword flashed.

With a sickening slash, the blade sliced across the ape’s shoulder, leaving a ghastly wound. Simultaneously, Bai Zongnan sidestepped, evading the ape’s claw. His own fingers, sharp as hooks, raked across its neck, drawing a bloody line.

He remained unafraid, his iron sword growing ever sharper.

Blades clashed, metal rang, sparks flew in bursts of fire.

Bai Zongnan dropped low, dodging the ape’s sweeping right leg, and with a swift turn of his left palm, he struck toward its chest.

Startled, the ape hurriedly retreated.

With a deft flick of his wrist, Bai Zongnan carved off a chunk of the ape’s flesh. Then, with a sweeping motion, his sword’s brilliance pierced the ape’s chest, pinning it to the ground with a single strike.

The Leopard Demon King, enraged, pounced.

With a crunch, its paw gripped the head of the Innate Fifth Stage beast and tore it off, tossing it aside. Opening its massive maw, it seized the ape’s corpse and began dragging it away.

Just then, the earth trembled.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The ground seemed to shudder. Roars echoed from the distant forest, thunderous as if giant elephants were trampling, deafening to the ear.

The earth cracked, stones flew. The falling stones, immense as millstones, carried terrifying pressure as they descended from the sky.

“Not good! A ferocious beast approaches—it’s that elephant!” Bai Zongnan’s expression grew grave.

The elephant was the lord of the jungle, possessing strength rivaling a martial master. Should it attack, the outcome would be disastrous.

Bai Zongnan turned and fled.

The Leopard Demon King’s body was massive, making escape impossible, yet it was nimble, quickly leaping into a tree to evade the disaster.

A gigantic trunk crashed down. The elephant, clearly having spotted prey, was preparing to hunt and feast, but the cunning Leopard Demon King had deceived it.

The earth continued to quake.

It felt as though a thousand armies thundered across, the ground swaying beneath their feet.

“Trouble,” Bai Zongnan’s face changed dramatically. He knew for certain that ferocious beasts were in pursuit.

No matter how fast he was, he couldn’t outrun them. The elephant’s speed was lightning-quick; once surrounded, escape was impossible.

He gritted his teeth and raced desperately into the distance.

The earth shook again.

The Leopard Demon King let out a painful howl; its tail had been crushed flat.

Resourceful as ever, when danger loomed, it darted into a tree hollow, avoiding calamity.

Another leopard demon, however, was severed in half by a falling tree.

A sharp bull horn pierced the Leopard Demon King’s throat, blood spraying forth in torrents.

From afar, a thunderous boom resounded, shaking hearts.

“Damn it!” Bai Zongnan cursed through clenched teeth, his figure accelerating involuntarily.

The elephant was closing in.

The ground shook violently. A towering figure soared skyward, leaping more than a hundred meters before landing. The elephant stood over six meters tall, its body rippling with muscle, every inch of skin brimming with explosive power. It snorted heavily, its gaze cold and bloodthirsty as it fixed on Bai Zongnan and the Leopard Demon King.

“What kind of wild beast is this?” Bai Zongnan frowned.

He sensed the dense aura of demon energy emanating from the elephant—it was at least equivalent to the Innate Third Stage.

He felt puzzled. With its age, it shouldn’t have broken through to the martial realm, yet it possessed such strength. Clearly, something was unusual.

Could it be a special kind of wild beast?

The elephant bellowed, suddenly raising its right foot and stomping the ground. Its huge form became a blur, shooting toward Bai Zongnan.

Despite its immense size, its movements were astonishingly fast. It moved as if teleporting, leaving all who witnessed it dumbfounded.

Its trunk gleamed with a crystalline sheen.

That trunk was like a steel needle, incredibly tenacious. With a whip, it swept up a storm of dust.

Bai Zongnan swung his saber fiercely, a dazzling blade light flashing to meet the elephant’s trunk.

Yet his blade light shattered instantly.

The elephant let out a thunderous roar, its massive trunk sweeping sideways and striking Bai Zongnan.

In one blow, his clothes were torn apart, revealing bronze skin—tough and thick, with formidable defense.

But the elephant’s strength was overwhelming. A kick landed on his abdomen, forcing a muffled grunt and a mouthful of blood.

The elephant’s hoof stomped down again.

Bai Zongnan retreated hurriedly, pulling the long spear from his back and hurling it with all his might at the elephant’s trunk, producing a metallic clang.

The spear shattered, but the elephant paused briefly.

In that moment, Bai Zongnan recovered his composure. He leapt, deploying the Tiger Demon Dragon Technique, drifting lightly to evade the elephant’s crushing stomp.

Seeing this, the elephant roared in fury, its body sinking as it lunged at Bai Zongnan.

All the trees nearby toppled.

The elephant crashed against the hillside, shattering rock and earth, mud flying everywhere.

The ground shuddered relentlessly.

The elephant rampaged, crushing all before it—towering trees and underbrush alike were pulverized, the scene utterly terrifying.

The earth fractured, stones flew, forming ravines.

The ground continued to collapse.

The elephant’s fighting prowess surpassed even the peak of ordinary martial apprentices.

“Damn beast!” Bai Zongnan’s face was clouded with uncertainty. He felt his true energy draining rapidly, his spirit growing weary. He dared not linger, fearing for his life.

This creature could not be resisted head-on; escape was the only option.

With this thought, a faint red aura enveloped Bai Zongnan’s body, resembling armor.

He leapt several yards away.

The elephant crashed down, stirring a cloud of dust, the earth caving in.

The ground crumbled.

A powerful shockwave swept in all directions.