After suffering a loss, the Earth Demon Ape became even more cautious in protecting its weak points.
Xuan Yuan Xun's hundreds of attacks were all blocked by the Earth Demon Ape.
However, the Earth Demon Ape, with its untreated wounds, was already covered in blood.
Coupled with its continuous fierce attacks, its wounds bled faster and faster.
Thus, if Xuan Yuan Xun could just hold on until the Earth Demon Ape bled to death, he would win.
But Xuan Yuan Xun's own condition was not optimistic either.
Every attack he launched sent a sharp pain through his broken ribs and shattered heart.
Although Xuan Yuan Xun had taken healing pills, blood still trickled from the corners of his mouth, making him look even more miserable than the Earth Demon Ape.
Therefore, the longer the fight dragged on, the less it benefited Xuan Yuan Xun.
One person and one ape exchanged over a thousand more blows.
Despite Xuan Yuan Xun's caution, attempting to avoid direct confrontation with the Earth Demon Ape,
his injured body's flexibility and agility had significantly decreased, causing him to be swept by the wind of the ape's fists and legs multiple times.
If not for the support of his healing pills, Xuan Yuan Xun would have already collapsed.
Fortunately, his continuous injuries were not without result.
With his persistent efforts, the Earth Demon Ape's previous wounds became even more gruesome.
Furthermore, a deep gash was inflicted on the Earth Demon Ape's uninjured armpit by the Overlord Spear.
The constant injuries made the Earth Demon Ape increasingly irritable, its attacks more brutal, which in turn accelerated its blood loss.
Time passed.
The passageway became a scene of utter devastation.
However, for some unknown reason, the material of the passageway had not collapsed by now.
This greatly astonished Xuan Yuan Xun.
Two hours later, the Earth Demon Ape's attacks gradually lost their ferocity.
The severely blood-losing Earth Demon Ape gasped for breath, its massive body no longer able to stand steady.
Xuan Yuan Xun, on the other hand, had a pale face, and the hands holding the Overlord Spear trembled violently.
He propped the Overlord Spear on the ground like a crutch to support his body's weight, but even so, his legs shook uncontrollably.
At this moment, Xuan Yuan Xun's spiritual energy and the power of laws were almost depleted. If not for his strong will, he would have long since closed his eyes and fainted.
Yet, the Earth Demon Ape had again advanced a step closer to him.
Although the Earth Demon Ape's steps were unsteady, they still sounded like a drumbeat.
Helpless, Xuan Yuan Xun took out another handful of healing pills and, without looking, crammed them into his mouth.
The pills melted instantly, their potent medicinal energy flowing through his limbs and bones, invigorating his spirit and greatly dispelling the feeling of weakness and emptiness.
He struggled to raise the Overlord Spear, his gaze sweeping from top to bottom over the Earth Demon Ape.
Finally, his eyes locked onto the Earth Demon Ape's one remaining, uninjured right eye.
He took a deep breath, forcibly drawing out a newly recovered surge of spiritual energy from his body, and gathered it at the tip of the Overlord Spear.
"Ah!"
Xuan Yuan Xun roared, using the last of his strength to hurl the Overlord Spear.
Guided by his divine sense, it flew directly towards the Earth Demon Ape's right eye.
This was all precisely calculated. If this strike hit, the Earth Demon Ape would be completely incapacitated.
Seeing the Overlord Spear hurtling towards its eye, the Earth Demon Ape instinctively tried to dodge.
However, after hours of battle and severe blood loss, its reaction speed had plummeted to its lowest.
Combined with the divine sense lock on the Overlord Spear,
all these factors dictated that the Earth Demon Ape was utterly unable to evade this attack.
"Thwack!"
The Overlord Spear accurately pierced the Earth Demon Ape's right eye.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Earth Demon Ape's pained cries echoed once more in the first passageway on the left.
However, now at its last gasp, its roars lacked their former power.
With both eyes blinded, its armpits bleeding profusely, and its excreta vent grotesquely exposed, the Earth Demon Ape's fate was sealed.
"Boom!"
The Earth Demon Ape's colossal body crashed to the ground.
Then, with earth-shattering tremors that shook the passageway, the Earth Demon Ape made its final struggle.
Xuan Yuan Xun laboriously dragged the Overlord Spear and retreated thirty zhang towards where he had entered.
A moment later, silence finally fell in the passageway, and the Earth Demon Ape breathed its last.
Xuan Yuan Xun slumped to the ground, gasping for breath.
A smile of relief flickered across his face.
Humans fear the absence of pressure the most.
As Xuan Yuan Xun's tension eased, his internal injuries erupted.
He could no longer hold on, and with a sigh, he lost consciousness.
After an unknown period, he slowly regained consciousness.
Because he had consumed a large amount of healing pills before losing consciousness, his injuries had recovered by twenty percent upon waking, thanks to the pills stimulating his body's natural healing.
The awakened Xuan Yuan Xun carefully examined his internal condition, then took another handful of pills, closed his eyes, and began to cultivate.
Active healing and autonomous healing were vastly different.
Half an hour later, Xuan Yuan Xun's injuries had recovered by sixty percent.
He approached the Earth Demon Ape's corpse, collected it, and then quickly moved forward.
Soon, he reached the end of the first passageway, only to be stunned, for there were now nine more intersections.
What was going on?
Xuan Yuan Xun's brow furrowed, his mind racing with whether to press on or retreat to rendezvous with Rong Guang and Shangguan Yulin.
Ultimately, he decided to return the way he came and assess the situation with Rong Guang and Shangguan Yulin before making a further plan.
Unbeknownst to him, Rong Guang and Shangguan Yulin were facing troubles no less significant than his own.
Before Rong Guang, the Nine-Poison Yin Phosphor Python writhed its body, launching attacks at him.
The Nine-Poison Yin Phosphor Python was exceptionally agile. Caught off guard, Rong Guang was tightly ensnared by it.
Fortunately, the main body of the Toxic Tree was thick enough to create a pocket of space, saving Rong Guang from suffocating.
Having narrowly escaped death, Rong Guang's gaze became even more solemn.
However, against the Nine-Poison Yin Phosphor Python, his greatest reliance—his poisons—was useless, forcing him to contend with brute strength.
But as a poison master, Rong Guang's physical body was his weakness.
Therefore, facing the physically powerful Nine-Poison Yin Phosphor Python, Rong Guang was constantly at a disadvantage.