A colossal shadow swept down at an angle, engulfing Fengyun Wuji completely. He looked up—and his eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he felt as if he'd been hurled back into the Demon Realm.
Not far ahead, a Primordial Demon Ape, towering thousands of meters high, was brandishing a jagged mountain like a club. It smashed wildly in all directions with one hand while pounding its hairy chest with the other, unleashing a series of guttural howls. Swarming around it—above, below, all around—were tens of thousands of ancient cultivators in distinct garb, clearly divided by faction. They darted around the beast, occasionally striking with powerful attacks, yet none dared get too close.
The Demon Ape was ferocious beyond measure. Jagged fangs jutted from its jaws, glinting coldly. The mountain in its grip whistled through the air with terrifying force. Such raw physical power was so overwhelming that even Domain Lords of the Four Great Territories dared not meet it head-on. Thus, despite the presence of so many experts, divided into separate forces, no faction dared provoke infighting for now.
This Primordial Demon Ape was no ordinary beast—it was a true Primordial Divine Beast, a class far above common magical creatures. It possessed something most coveted and nearly lost to the ages: a Godspark.
In the world of men, there were no gods. But there existed creatures blessed with divine traits—the so-called divine beasts. They were rare beyond words because they bore a Godspark, albeit an extremely low-grade one—the most basic tier of divinity imaginable. Still, in a realm utterly devoid of true gods, even such a fragment of divine essence made the bearer invaluable.
This ape's Godspark was inborn, passed down through its bloodline. It granted the ability to harness the power of the stars themselves. While the Godspark no longer made it a "god" in any real sense—its immortality and brute strength were its truest divine features—the ability to channel stellar energy made it a target of envy for countless cultivators.
The beast had slumbered for eons, buried deep in the earth of this desolate land, its massive body turned into a mountain, covered in forest and stone. It had lain dormant, feeding instinctively on the pulse of the earth. But recently, a wandering ancient cultivator accidentally disrupted the mountain's seal, awakening the creature.
Though overjoyed at the discovery of a still-young Primordial Demon Ape, the cultivator knew he was no match for its raw might and fled. But word got out. Soon, warriors from the Blade Domain, Demon Domain, and even the shamanic Witches of Jiuyi Mountain descended—each seeking to slay the beast and claim its Godspark.
ROAR!
The ape thundered, beating its chest with a sound like rolling thunder from above. Its hide was absurdly thick; attacks bounced off with a jarring pain but left no real wounds—only rage. Roaring, it swung its mountainous club again and again. Each strike sent out shockwaves that gouged massive craters into the earth.
Compared to this beast, the human cultivators were no more than ants. Tens of thousands of Blade Domain warriors unleashed wave after wave of blade energy, their attacks clanging off the ape's hide with hollow thuds—leaving not even a scratch. Even Fengyun Wuji couldn't help but marvel at its terrifying resilience.
With a sudden earthshaking bellow, the enraged Demon Ape turned toward a group of dozens of ancient experts before it. The blast of sound alone crushed their chests and hurled them through the air like broken kites. They landed far away, some embedded deep into the ground, motionless.
ROAR!
Again, the ape roared. This time, it hurled the mountain in its hand straight at a distant line of Blade Domain warriors launching ranged attacks. The mountain soared like a tsunami crashing down. Though the stone itself wasn't what terrified them—it was the brute force behind it, the sheer, unstoppable power of the ape's throw. Even as the warriors slashed at the airborne mass with sword energy, none dared remain in place. They leapt skyward in unison.
BOOM!
The mountain crashed into the earth, carving out a massive crater. Even Fengyun Wuji, from afar, could feel the impact's force ripple through the land.
The Demon Ape raised another mountain and hurled it toward the skyborne cultivators. Again and again, it ripped chunks of mountain from the land, using them like missiles. Its wide-reaching attacks drove all cultivators back—none dared venture within a kilometer of the beast. All who approached were chased away by its rampage.
"This beast… is a monster," Fengyun Wuji muttered in awe from a distance.
He clenched his fists. With so many experts already engaged and a surge of fury rising in him—brought on by a strange memory of a flat-feathered bird back in the Demon Realm—Fengyun Wuji sprang into motion, launching himself toward the battlefield like a bolt of lightning.
Against a foe nearly immune to conventional physical attacks, ordinary techniques were useless. So, as soon as he approached, he unleashed his most devastating technique: the Heavenly Sword.
Raising his right hand high, Fengyun Wuji hovered in midair, his expression solemn. That same mysterious sensation filled him again—that eerie, elusive feeling of grasping something both tangible and not.
CRACK!
A streak of white lightning tore across the gathering clouds. Fengyun Wuji swung his right hand downward.
"Heavenly Sword!"
The voice echoed with majestic power, instantly drawing the attention of every faction present.
"It's… him!"
"He's alive?!"
"Impossible! He actually escaped?!"
Shock rippled through the Blade Domain forces. They recognized him at once—his mastery of swordsmanship had left an unforgettable mark.
All eyes locked on Fengyun Wuji. He brought his hand down—not fast, not slow—just steady. The Demon Ape, in the midst of chasing Demon Domain warriors, suddenly paused. It turned sharply and fixed its bloodshot gaze on him.
Though Fengyun Wuji's hand held nothing visible, everyone felt it—something gripped in that hand, intangible and strange. A sensation at once contradictory and inexplicably real.
Before anyone could react, the Heavenly Sword struck.
Sssshhht!A sound like silk tearing echoed through the battlefield. A clean, bloodless slash opened silently across the Demon Ape's chest—neat, precise, shallow. No blood flowed, but the injury cut deep enough to enrage it.
The beast howled, its eyes flaring red.
ROAR!
It beat its chest wildly and threw back its head. Its fur stood on end, and beneath its skin, a faint pink glow began to pulse.
"Not good! It's drawing down stellar power!" a gaunt old man in black robes shouted.
As if in response to his cry, the skies above split. A hole tore open in the thick clouds. From it descended a pillar of blood-red light, speckled with starlight, and it shot straight into the Demon Ape's gaping maw...