"Kill!"
Hundreds of disciples from the great sects and clans, each like wolves and tigers, brandished their weapons or treasures, charging into the valley.
*Gah gah gah…*
Inside the valley, a swarming, dark mass of Earth Corpse Monkeys appeared, lashing their tails as they lunged forward to meet the assault.
"Hahaha, you vile beasts, perish!"
Crown Prince Tianmo of the Azure Dragon Sacred Land was among those leading the charge. He threw a punch forward.
*Boom!* *Rumble…*
A massive fist-print surged ahead, spiritual power like a roaring ocean, a tide of fury resembling ten thousand cavalry or a hurricane.
*Bam! Bam! Bam!*
Over a dozen Earth Corpse Monkeys in front were instantly shattered, flesh and blood splattering everywhere.
"Die!"
A man in a pale yellow robe, wielding a sabre curved like a crescent moon, swung it forward. This strike carried the imposing might to look down upon all living beings, no small matter.
*Kacha!*
Over a dozen Earth Corpse Monkeys before him were sliced in two cleanly from head to toe, their bodies splitting down the middle. This man in the pale yellow attire was Lü Tianyou of the Primal Yellow Sacred Land, the one who had clashed with Ye Yunfei aboard the warship.
*Boom! Boom!*
A youth in a golden robe held a long spear, its tip vibrating at high speed as he executed a peerless spear technique. It rolled forth like relentless, crashing waves, its power terrifying. Wherever the spear’s radiance reached, one Earth Corpse Monkey after another was instantly killed!
This golden-robed youth was Jun Changsheng of the Primal Yellow Sacred Land, the leader among the young generation of his sacred land.
Additionally, among the vanguard were also the young prodigies from the Five Clans and Nine Sects, each erupting with formidable battle prowess, pressing deeper into the valley.
"Kill!"
The other disciples also unleashed sword rays, sabre auras, palm imprints, and fist winds, clashing head-on against the Earth Corpse Monkeys.
It had to be said; these young martial artists hailing from the great powers of the Eastern Region indeed possessed decent combat strength. In the initial clash, they slaughtered a vast number of Earth Corpse Monkeys, akin to wolves plunging into a flock of sheep.
"We'll join the fight too!"
Yuan Dayong retrieved a thick stone rod, gripping it with both hands before fiercely swinging it out.
He sent several Earth Corpse Monkeys flying on the spot. His fighting style, all sweeping movements, was simple, crude, relying a bit on brute force to win.
"Tian Fei, stay behind me, I'll protect you!"
Xiao Hui placed herself in front of Ye Yunfei, dashing forward and leaving behind faint traces of a young girl's gentle fragrance.
"Fine," Ye Yunfei gave a wry smile, having no choice but to follow closely in Xiao Hui's footsteps.
They saw Xiao Hui thrust her palm forward, unleashing a rolling wave of flames that erupted from her palm. Faintly, they coalesced into illusory true phoenixes that landed on the Earth Corpse Monkeys ahead, burning them to the point of emitting strange shrieks and madly fleeing.
In terms of combat prowess, Xiao Hui seemed to slightly surpass even Yuan Dayong. Her True Phoenix bloodline hadn't truly activated yet. Otherwise, if the slightest wisp of her flames touched these Earth Corpse Monkeys, it would incinerate them to ash. Ye Yunfei observed this, thinking to himself.
"Hey, wait for me!" Wu Heishan yelled from behind as he followed.
And so, the hundreds of young martial artists pressed forward with unstoppable momentum, charging directly into the valley. Although the number of Earth Corpse Monkeys surging out of the valley was considerable, they were powerless to stop the assault.
*Boom! Boom!*
Energy erupted from the fierce fighting, shaking the very earth underfoot.
Ye Yunfei and Wu Heishan were rather idle, just following behind the siblings Xiao Hui and Yuan Dayong, not having to lift a finger themselves.
"Boss, I must admit, the feeling of living off soft food is pretty comfortable," Wu Heishan couldn't help but sigh.
"Living off soft food?" Ye Yunfei asked.
"Ahem... you know, relying on women, not having to put in effort yourself…" Wu Heishan explained.
"Keep blabbering nonsense, and I'll throw you out there to deal with those Earth Corpse Monkeys on your own," Ye Yunfei said.
"Absolutely not!" Wu Heishan was startled and hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
Not far away, Senior Brother Fang and a team of over a dozen disciples from the Azure Dragon Sacred Land fought forward together. Seeing Xiao Hui closely protecting Ye Yunfei, Senior Brother Fang's face grew ashen with intense jealousy.
"Kid, just you wait! I'll make sure you're ground to dust! Only that will ease the hatred in my heart!" Senior Brother Fang's gaze towards Ye Yunfei was filled with intense, poisonous resentment.
After a moment.
Finally, the hundreds of young martial artists successfully broke into the valley.
And then.
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
Within the valley stood a tall, towering altar. Though the altar appeared rather primitive and crude, it was imbued with a profound sense of historical antiquity. Endless waves of demonic energy coiled above it, writhing like dragons or jiao, emanating an aura of utter malevolence.
Piled high upon that altar were Ancient Demon Crystals!
Their number was immense, reaching over a hundred thousand!
"Hahaha…"
"There are enough Ancient Demon Crystals here to be shared among all of us!"
"Once we seize these Ancient Demon Crystals, it means we'll all pass the assessment and become official students of the Hudao Academy!"
"Originally, I thought this assessment would be incredibly difficult, a life-or-death struggle! Who would have thought it’d be so easy!"
"Getting into Hudao Academy doesn't seem that hard after all!"
Looking at the heaps of Ancient Demon Crystals piled up like small hills upon the altar, everyone couldn't help but laugh uproariously.
"No time to waste! Everyone, press the advantage and seize those Ancient Demon Crystals!"
Jun Changsheng of the Primal Yellow Sacred Land, his golden robe fluttering, roared towards the sky, appearing utterly full of satisfaction.
"After getting our hands on these Ancient Demon Crystals, this assessment will be a perfect success for us. After that, we can focus all our efforts on hunting down Ye Yunfei!"
"Exactly! First seize the Ancient Demon Crystals, then kill Ye Yunfei! Let’s move!"
The others all chimed in agreement.
However.
Right at that moment.
*Gah gah gah…*
The entire valley began to erupt. From both sides of the valley, deep within it, and even from outside, massive swarms of Earth Corpse Monkeys poured out continuously like an incoming tide.
Within moments, every inch of space within the valley seemed filled with Earth Corpse Monkeys!
The sheer number of Earth Corpse Monkeys reached, at the very least, tens of thousands. Possibly, it could have exceeded one hundred thousand!
The terrifying mass of Earth Corpse Monkeys tightly surrounded the several hundred young martial artists, roaring and screeching while letting out provoking, malicious shrieks.
Moreover, among them were many Earth Corpse Monkeys with notably larger bodies, standing over three meters tall! Their bodies were covered in black scales, with blue faces and fierce fangs. Their stiff tails were even thicker than an adult human's arm; a light flick could gouge a deep crack in the ground.
"Damn! We've fallen into an ambush!"
"Earlier, those Earth Corpse Monkeys feigned weakness on purpose to lure us inside!"
Finally, everyone caught on.
*Gah gah...*
The dense crowd of Earth Corpse Monkeys, each one letting out strange laughs, fixed their evil gazes on the several hundred young martial artists trapped at their center, drooling profusely.
These several hundred human martial artists were nothing less than a sumptuous feast for these Earth Corpse Monkeys!