Chapter 182: He Lingchuan Takes a Shortcut

Ke Jihai dodged a blow from the giant ape, circled around to its rear, then leaped high, aiming his spearhead directly at its back neck. The giant ape's head and back were protected by bone armor, but its neck needed to move freely and thus could not be covered. Ke Jihai intended to exploit this vulnerability for a fatal strike.

The ape demon stood one *zhang* tall, and Ke Jihai’s long spear was also one *zhang* in length, so he had to leap to stab it. Meanwhile, his attendants also attacked from the front, helping to distract the enraged ape. Its body was far less agile than the werewolf’s, making it impossible to turn around in time.

Just as Ke Jihai was about to land a decisive blow, a sudden transformation occurred: Two eyes suddenly opened on the back of the ape demon's head, and two more arms abruptly extended from its rear shoulders! Ke Jihai finally understood the purpose of those two small holes specially crafted in the ape demon's bone helmet. This monster could actually transform into a four-eyed, four-armed creature, and it had been hiding this ability until now!

No, this was wrong. Its demonic power was clearly suppressed, and its supernatural abilities diminished, so how could it instead enter a new form? Ke Jihai even felt the aura around its body suddenly grow more violent. With three iron caltrops embedded in its body, its strength was not weakened; instead, it seemed to have grown! The giant ape swatted away the spearhead, throwing Ke Jihai off balance. Unable to change direction in mid-air, he saw the opponent’s millstone-sized fist coming straight at him! This monster was unexpectedly strong.

On the other side, the werewolf monster knocked down a large tree. Before it could even shake its head twice after getting up, it was met by He Lingchuan’s frontal leaping slash. The Hundred Refinements Blade was incredibly sharp; the creature dared not confront its edge directly and could only dodge. A broken blade was still stuck in its left shoulder, rendering its entire arm unusable. Fortunately, the tail whip behind its skull rose like a snake, lashing directly at He Lingchuan’s face. The two creatures fought fiercely, each aiming for a quick, decisive blow.

Since He Lingchuan had learned to expand his divine sense, all his five senses had become sharper. Now, with the added blessing of primal energy, the monster’s speed seemed to slow down slightly in his eyes, no longer moving so fast as to be indistinguishable. Though it was only a slight difference, his vision could just barely keep pace. This was also because the werewolf monster’s primary talent lay in speed; its high agility was half instinctual and half supported by demonic power, which was precisely countered by the primal energy emanating from He Lingchuan.

However, he was still just a novice. Even with primal energy augmenting him and his "Swallow's Return" technique fully employed, he barely managed to achieve a stalemate. This was also considering that the werewolf monster had one claw incapacitated; otherwise, with its fangs, sharp claws, and tail whip, He Lingchuan would have been instantly killed. In just a dozen breaths, He Lingchuan sustained several wounds, though fortunately none were deep. The monster’s tail whip was incredibly agile, causing far more damage than its claws. He Lingchuan, unable to recover his defense after a slash, was hit on the shoulder, leaving a gaping wound that made his face contort in pain.

Fortunately, at that moment, He Chunhua finally shouted the words He Lingchuan most wanted to hear: "Chuan’er, lure it here!" Without hesitation, He Lingchuan executed a back jump towards his father. The monster’s attacks were like a furious storm. He Lingchuan truly couldn't hold on any longer and desperately needed someone to shield him. The monster’s original target was He Chunhua, but He Lingchuan’s persistent entanglement had provoked its ferocity. Now, seeing him run towards its initial target, it naturally gave chase with renewed vigor, its hind claws kicking off the ground with such force that lichen and snow dust flew far behind.

As He Lingchuan rushed towards his father, his expanded divine sense had already clearly perceived what was in his father’s hand. So, as soon as He Chunhua shouted "Get down!", he made a flying dive, then prostrated himself, sliding more than two *zhang* across the snowy ground. As he slid, he didn't forget to turn and guard himself, watching the werewolf monster pounce towards He Chunhua. He Chunhua remained remarkably calm; just as the werewolf’s sharp claws were about to strike his face, an object shot out from his hand, accurately enveloping the monster head-on! The distance between them was so short that the monster, no matter how agile, couldn't dodge. The object shot out with such force that it nearly pinned the monster firmly to the ground.

He Lingchuan saw it and immediately recognized it: the Entangling Silk Sky Net he had encountered previously. There was even a torn hole along its edge. In the Coiling Dragon Illusion, Grand Master Sun Fuping had used this large net to tightly bind him. If it hadn't been for the astonishing sharpness of his broken blade, he would have had no chance to escape, just like the monster currently ensnared. It struggled desperately in the net, trying to tear it apart, but how could Grand Master Sun’s personal treasure be easily damaged? It barked furiously in frustration; He Lingchuan heard a few barks and confirmed it was indeed a wolf demon.

Although the Sky Net was effective, it required a long activation time. He Chunhua's cultivation was far less profound than Sun Fuping's, and his control over the Entangling Silk Sky Net was not as skilled, which was why he needed He Lingchuan to buy him preparation time. Against such an astonishingly agile opponent, the Sky Net was perfectly suited. He touched his waist, and the broken blade had automatically returned.

He Lingchuan looked back at the giant ape. If the Sky Net were used against such an immensely powerful creature, it would likely be ineffective and might even damage the magical artifact. Fortunately, Ke Jihai was still fighting actively; otherwise, if the giant ape had freed itself to attack the He family, no one here would have survived. He watched the man and beast fight, both startled by the giant ape’s combat power and envious of the dark primal energy emanating from Ke Jihai. Human physique, strength, and cultivation were often inferior to demon beasts, but primal energy could instantly bridge that gap.

Then, the giant ape suddenly transformed into a creature with two heads and four arms, eliciting gasps of surprise from everyone. "What in the world is that!" He Chunhua's expression also changed. "I've never heard of an ape demon undergoing such a transformation. Could this creature have stumbled upon some strange, ancient fortune?" He Lingchuan thought to himself, *Isn’t that like the Great Sage Sun?* However, seeing the giant ape's combat power suddenly increase, he also knew it was very abnormal. Furthermore, the giant ape suddenly roared repeatedly, and its fighting tactics became far less organized than before. It seemed that the sudden increase in combat power would further ignite its berserk nature.

He Lingchuan’s eyes darted around. He turned back and asked He Chunhua, "Dad, did you bring the Walnut Boat? Let me borrow it!" He Chunhua looked at the mountain path. "The boat is too large, and the path is too narrow; it can't be used here. There's no water, nor any suitable beasts of burden to pull it, unlike in the desert." Still, he retrieved the Walnut Boat. He Lingchuan snatched it from his father’s palm and ran with all his might towards Ke Jihai, lamenting as he inserted a profound crystal into the Walnut Boat: "My wallet's going to bleed heavily this time."

He didn't take a direct route; instead, he took a slight detour, slipping to a position above the man and the beast. Ke Jihai was fighting and retreating, already engaged in combat within a mountain hollow, with the four-*zhang*-high Skyscraper Cliff towering directly above. The so-called Skyscraper Cliff was a massive rectangular boulder. He Lingchuan executed the Swallow's Return movement technique, scaling the boulder's summit in a few swift steps, and then shouted down, "General Ke, move aside!" Fearing his message hadn't been heard, he channeled energy into his dantian and roared three times in succession: "Move aside! Move aside! Move aside!" Then he forcefully hurled the Walnut Boat.

The cliff top and bottom were not far apart; these thunderous shouts were heard by both warring parties below. The giant ape instinctively looked up at him, but Ke Jihai touched the tip of his spear to the side wall, using the leverage to spring three *zhang* away. As a military general, he acted without hesitation. Meanwhile, He Lingchuan, with a voice like spring thunder, roared, "Grow!"

The Walnut Boat plummeted. Although the giant ape was massive, its eyesight was keen, and even in the dark night, it could still see a walnut-sized object plummeting towards it. It caught the object in one swift motion, then picked it up and examined it. "Hmm, it really is a walnut." He Lingchuan was speechless. Ke Jihai was speechless.

Fortunately, after consuming one of He Lingchuan's profound crystals, the expected transformation of this walnut, though delayed, finally occurred: it suddenly expanded under the gaze of all three! The giant ape immediately sensed danger and tried to throw the object away and escape. But it was too late. The object’s growth rate was astonishingly fast; in less than two breaths, it reverted to its complete form: a massive wooden boat over five *zhang* long and one *zhang* high!

The mountain hollow on the winding path was not very wide, and the moment the wooden boat appeared, it completely blocked the space. The giant ape let out an earth-shattering roar—it had been one step too slow, and everything from its waist down was pinned by the wooden boat. Although immensely powerful, with tens of thousands of *jin* suddenly pressing down, it was only saved from being flattened by its thick skin and tough flesh. The sensation of being crushed by a mountain must have been excruciating.

Seeing it finally subdued, Ke Jihai let out a long breath and, leaning on his spear, said, "Good job, kid. You really pulled it off." He had been fighting this monster in a fierce, life-or-death struggle, yet He Lingchuan had simply arrived, found an advantageous angle, and suppressed the giant ape. He was at a loss for words. The conventional use for this wooden boat magical artifact was not like this; the young man had employed a clever trick, but it had worked wonderfully. He Lingchuan gave a dry laugh. "Just luck, just luck." Before rushing over, he hadn’t known the mountain hollow was so small. If the Walnut Boat’s full form had been even slightly larger, it would have gotten stuck against the rock wall, unable to pin anything down, which would have been incredibly embarrassing.

Still catching his breath, Ke Jihai jabbed his spear towards the giant ape. "Who sent you? Speak!" What demon would sneak into Shiheng City without reason to ambush a high-ranking general? The giant ape ignored his question, roaring and scratching. It dug not only at the ground and trees, but also scratched the rock wall until dust continuously fell. He Lingchuan saw its eyes were still bloodshot and couldn't help but frown. This creature seemed to have completely lost its mind. Could it even understand human speech?

Just then, from upwind, a scream and a shriek echoed. Both men’s hearts tightened as they simultaneously looked back, only to see seven or eight figures darting out from the dense forest, hacking directly at He Chunhua. A coachman, who was very close to him, was screaming incessantly, having been struck in the eye by an arrow. Madam Ying, on the other hand, was tackled by the civilian youth. A gray-feathered arrow was lodged in the youth's back shoulder, its fletching still trembling. There were actually hidden attackers in the dense forest!

Both men were shocked and enraged. He Lingchuan strode back immediately. After the werewolf was trapped, he had just taken the Walnut Boat and rushed to assist Ke Jihai. However, He Chunhua needed to fully suppress the werewolf monster, He Yue’s cultivation was mediocre, and Madam Ying had no supernatural abilities at all! The ambushers in the dense forest first shot an arrow at He Chunhua, which he dodged just in time, resulting in the arrow striking the coachman behind him. Another arrow was aimed at Madam Ying’s life, but the civilian youth reacted with incredible speed, tackling Madam Ying to the ground, taking the arrow in his own body. He Chunhua still needed to maintain his hand seals to control the Sky Net, which meant he couldn't dodge as fluidly as usual. If he were to abandon the seals and retreat, the Sky Net might no longer be able to contain the wolf demon.