Chapter 238: Fire Flying Monkey

"Fellow Daoist Yun Qiong, we shall meet again!" Qin Sang cupped his hands to Yun Qiong, bidding farewell.

Above his head, a multicolored auspicious cloud had appeared. He didn't need to consciously control it; it would automatically follow him. With a thought, Qin Sang could transform it into a protective cloud screen or have it unleash threads of rain against enemies, all without expending his spiritual energy. However, the cloud was not permanent; it would dissipate once its power was exhausted.

"We shall meet again!" Daoist Yun Qiong's aura was noticeably weaker. Bestowing the power of the Five-Colored Glaze had taken a significant toll on her, and she needed some time to recover her breath. She returned the gesture, then quickly sat down to meditate and circulate her cultivation technique, preparing to leave the ancient dwelling once she had recovered.

Qin Sang walked to the edge of the stone platform and gazed at the seemingly calm mist, his expression grim and devoid of any relaxation. Since arriving at the stone platform, both he and Daoist Yun Qiong had been careful to conceal their auras, making sure not to disturb the fire spirit beasts within the mist. They had no idea what these fire spirit beasts looked like or what abilities they possessed for this trial.

Qin Sang's figure gradually faded, eventually vanishing into thin air. While it would be ideal to pass this stage using an escape technique, Qin Sang knew it wouldn't be that simple.

He moved silently along the iron chain. Just as he entered the mist, Qin Sang saw a red cloud, formed by fire spirit beasts, dart past him. He stopped, staring intently, and realized these fire spirit beasts looked extremely bizarre, like monkeys with wings.

With their pointed mouths, sunken cheeks, and two stiff, straight wings, they were incredibly grotesque.

Thousands of fire monkeys chattered noisily. Their cries were like those of ordinary monkeys, unlike the firebirds' calls which could assault one's soul. This indicated that they must possess other abilities.

Their habits were also identical to those of real monkeys: they frolicked, played, and moved in a chaotic swarm.

However, the moment the red cloud darted past Qin Sang, the noisy chattering abruptly ceased. All the fire monkeys suddenly stopped playing and simultaneously turned their gaze towards Qin Sang's hidden location. A strange golden light gleamed in the eyes of every flying monkey, and a hint of ferocity gradually appeared in their direct stares.

"This is bad!" Qin Sang's heart sank.

In the previous trial stage, the firebirds forced intruders to activate their spiritual energy or divine sense for protection through their calls. Those like Qin Sang, who could withstand the sonic impact, could use escape techniques to avoid the firebirds' perception. It seemed these flying monkeys' eyes could directly see through escape techniques, leaving no one hidden under their gaze.

*Whoosh!*A cold wind suddenly arose.Six ghost banners unfurled against the wind, instantly setting up a grand formation around Qin Sang.

After entering the mist and avoiding Daoist Yun Qiong's sight, Qin Sang had quietly taken out his ghost banners to prepare the Ten Directions Yama Formation. Now that the fire spirit beasts had discovered his presence, he naturally couldn't hold back.

The moment the Ten Directions Yama Formation took shape, the flying monkeys suddenly let out extremely furious shrieks. Their expressions twisted into grotesque contortions, becoming even uglier, and their cries contained boundless savagery and rage.

Engulfed in their frenzy, the flying monkeys had but one thought: to tear apart the intruder who had entered their territory!

*Whoosh!*Blazing flames suddenly erupted from the flying monkeys, turning them into a sea of fire. The monkeys became even more frenzied, and when the flames landed on their palms, they transformed into fiery staff-like weapons.

Then, amidst a chorus of piercing shrieks, all the flying monkeys simultaneously lunged at Qin Sang, their staff-like weapons appearing like a dense forest of blows.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*A rapid succession of crisp sounds, like raindrops, erupted as countless staff blows landed on the cloud screen.

The swarm of flying monkeys engulfed Qin Sang. He activated the power of the Five-Colored Glaze, allowing it to absorb the monkeys' attacks. The cloud screen began to violently undulate, like a cloud caught in a hurricane, torn apart by omnipresent chaotic forces until it could barely maintain its form.

Fortunately, at that moment, the Ten Directions Yama Banners erupted with black energy. Countless spectral spirits swarmed out of the ghost banners, even outnumbering the flying monkeys. The area around Qin Sang transformed into a battlefield where spectral spirits and flying monkeys clashed fiercely.

"What immense power!" Qin Sang felt a chill in his heart. If he hadn't intervened promptly, the Five-Colored Glaze might have been shattered by these flying monkeys. While the firebirds' sonic waves assaulted the soul, these flying monkeys represented absolute strength, meaning he could only confront them head-on!

Fortunately, despite the large number of flying monkeys, the Ten Directions Yama Formation commanded even more fiendish spirits, easily splitting the monkey horde and defeating them one by one.

However, Qin Sang soon noticed that after realizing they were no match for the spectral spirits, the flying monkeys began to merge. Several monkeys would combine into a single entity, growing many times larger with a corresponding surge in power. Yet, their agility remained completely unaffected. Their malevolent flames blazed, and a single swing of their long staffs would scatter the spectral spirits that surrounded them.

Their merging seemed limitless; one giant monkey instantly devoured hundreds of its kin, growing even taller than Qin Sang!

At this point, disturbances erupted from deep within the mist, indicating that more and more flying monkeys were being drawn to the battle.

If all these flying monkeys were to merge into a single, colossal entity, how terrifying would its power be?

The thought sent shivers down Qin Sang's spine. He couldn't stay here long, and he absolutely couldn't allow them to keep merging!

He dared not hesitate any longer. A sword light flashed between his brows, and the Ebony Sword whistled forth. Working in tandem with the Ten Directions Yama Formation, it instantly cut down more than half of the flying monkeys in front of Qin Sang, clearing a path.

Qin Sang fully activated his movement technique, using the Five-Colored Glaze to protect his body. He rapidly flew forward, employing the Ten Directions Yama Formation to kill as many flying monkeys as possible.

At the same time, his mind remained completely alert. His divine sense spread out, and the Ebony Sword darted back and forth like a swimming fish. Whenever he detected flying monkeys that had merged dozens of their kind, he prioritized eliminating them, preventing potential future threats.

More and more flying monkeys emerged from the mist. Fortunately, Qin Sang had adopted the correct strategy, and he still managed with relative ease.

However, as time passed, the rate at which the fire monkeys merged accelerated, and the Ebony Sword alone was no longer sufficient to clear them out efficiently.

Several giant-like flying monkeys had already formed behind Qin Sang. Each swing of their staffs created a fiery hurricane, unleashing such immense power that Qin Sang was secretly astonished and could only dodge from side to side.

As a result, he could no longer continuously advance along the iron chain. He could only try to maintain a forward direction, proceeding one step at a time.

To make matters worse, Qin Sang now encountered another red cloud. The other party seemed much more at ease than Qin Sang, despite facing an encirclement of countless flying monkeys.

Evidently, the other party had also detected Qin Sang. The red cloud paused slightly, then approached him without a word.

The distance was still significant, and the monkey horde's encirclement made it impossible to discern who the other party was.

The other party's demeanor immediately raised Qin Sang's suspicions.

Qin Sang's eyes glinted. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly pointed a hand towards the Ten Directions Yama Formation.

The six main spirits, currently engaged in fierce combat, roared skyward and devoured all the spectral spirits within the formation. In a flash, they transformed into six burly fiendish specters, ferociously pouncing on the giant monkeys behind them.

After the giant monkeys were torn apart by the fiendish specters, the situation around Qin Sang stabilized.

The red cloud paused briefly where it was, seemingly hesitant. A moment later, it began moving in the opposite direction, putting a significant distance between itself and Qin Sang before finally vanishing into the depths of the mist.

Qin Sang scoffed lightly and withdrew his gaze.