Shen Feng, Li Keyi, and Qin Keyi rushed into the hall. It was a vast cavern, a testament to karst topography, a naturally formed cave. Water dripped rhythmically from the surroundings, and stalactites and stalagmites had formed over millennia under such conditions. Such a scene was rarely witnessed by ordinary people.
Shen Feng confronted the fifteen-meter-tall golden snub-nosed monkey in the corner. He held a gleaming long sword, its blade flashing with a dangerous glint under the firelight. The golden snub-nosed monkey in the corner had also slightly bent its body, its leg muscles taut, appearing ready to pounce and fight at any moment.
Li Keyi scanned the surroundings but found no other golden snub-nosed monkeys. She only saw numerous scattered footprints on the ground, leading into the distance and spreading out in all directions. This indicated that all the other golden snub-nosed monkeys had fled in various directions.
"Look, there are many bones and clothes on the ground, and books here too!" Qin Keyi exclaimed, seeing items near the campfire in the distance, and gasped.
Scattered around the campfire were many bones, including a human skull that was clearly identifiable. This suggested that the golden snub-nosed monkeys had indeed been treating humans as food, and the bones on the ground were the best proof.
Several sticks were also stuck in the ground near the campfire, with pieces of meat skewered on them. As they roasted over the fire, oil continuously seeped from the meat, dripping onto the embers and producing smoke. Qin Keyi had enjoyed barbecue before, but after witnessing this scene, her mindset gradually shifted. It turned out that humans could also end up on a grill!
At least for the time being, Qin Keyi had no appetite for meat.
Besides the skewers of meat, there were also many clothes near the campfire. These clothes appeared relatively clean, and it was unclear whether they had been stripped from humans or zombies. It was likely that these were the clothes the golden snub-nosed monkeys wore.
Looking further aside, there were even more books. Some books seemed to be burning in the campfire. These were books with text, while those without text, such as children's books, were placed separately. These books also bore many handprints, indicating the limited intelligence of the golden snub-nosed monkeys, who could only look at children's books because of the illustrations. They would be incapable of understanding other books.
"As expected, these monkeys are secretly evolving and have eaten many of our kind. We absolutely cannot let this continue!" Li Keyi said through gritted teeth. Initially, she felt uneasy about destroying an evolving species without cause, but now, after discovering that their kind had been eaten by monkeys, her opinion changed. The evolution of these monkeys was based on eating humans. If allowed to continue, the monkeys would continue to threaten humanity's position while consuming people. Therefore, they must be eliminated!
Shen Feng stood in front, holding his sword with one hand, his eyes fixed on the sole remaining giant golden snub-nosed monkey in the hall. Although he didn't know the monkey's status within its troop, it was likely the strongest individual, as monkeys rarely grew to such a size under normal circumstances.
"You two go chase after the fleeing monkeys. I'll handle this big guy. Be careful on your way!" Shen Feng whispered to the two behind him.
Li Keyi and Qin Keyi exchanged glances and moved to the side. The hall was left to Shen Feng for the battle.
"Shen Feng, do you know the monkey's weakness?" Li Keyi asked, not entirely at ease, before leaving.
Shen Feng nodded gently and said, "I haven't read comics for years for nothing. I know this much. The back of the neck, right? Give a big monkey like that a strike to the back of its neck, and it'll fall!"
At this moment, Shen Feng clearly recalled a comic he had read before. Although it had a rushed ending, Shen Feng remembered it clearly: the giants' weakness was the back of their neck.
"Something like that. For such a huge monkey, attacking vital organs like the heart might be difficult, so you'd better attack its neck!" Li Keyi nodded and, with Qin Keyi, moved to the side. They both held weapons, long sabers in their hands, and handguns at their waists.
"Roar!" The golden snub-nosed monkey saw the tiny humans trying to circle around to its side and immediately became enraged. This was the direction its troop had fled, and it would not allow humans to continue threatening its troop. It turned and lunged towards Qin Keyi and Li Keyi.
Li Keyi quickly used her powers, making herself and Qin Keyi instantly invisible.
The golden snub-nosed monkey seemed taken aback by this development and froze. It stared at the suddenly empty ground in confusion, utterly surprised that the enemy had vanished right before its eyes.
Shen Feng did not miss this opportunity. During their standoff, Shen Feng hadn't found the monkey's weak spot. However, as the golden snub-nosed monkey lunged towards Li Keyi, its flank was suddenly exposed, with its ribs and waist revealed to Shen Feng.
Shen Feng instantly used "As the Wind Follows," and in the blink of an eye, he was at the golden snub-nosed monkey's side. He leaped up, soaring seven to eight meters high, and thrust his long sword fiercely.
"Puchi!" With the power boost from Shen Feng, the long sword instantly pierced the golden snub-nosed monkey's skin, then its muscles, and penetrated into its abdominal cavity.
The golden snub-nosed monkey had only exposed its flank for a brief moment, a matter of seconds, but Shen Feng had seized this rare opportunity, thrusting his sword and directly breaking through the monkey's defense, inflicting damage.
"Awooo..." Severely wounded, the golden snub-nosed monkey cried out in pain and turned to swing its fist at Shen Feng.
The punch swung with great force, and Shen Feng dared not underestimate it. If he were hit, he definitely wouldn't be able to withstand it. So, Shen Feng twisted his body, forcefully pushed off the monkey's waist, and instantly distanced himself from it.
The golden snub-nosed monkey's punch landed heavily on its own body, causing it immense pain. Its eyes gradually turned red, and its gaze towards Shen Feng became increasingly fierce. It panted heavily, its fists clenched tightly. At this moment, it had marked Shen Feng as an enemy it had to kill.
Ultimately, the golden snub-nosed monkey attacked first. There were many stones in the cavern, and the monkey suddenly squatted down, picked up a stone from the ground, and hurled it at Shen Feng. The stones the golden snub-nosed monkey threw casually were the size of a child's head. Shen Feng could withstand a few, but he dared not try, as being hit would likely slow him down.
Therefore, Shen Feng quickly dodged. The golden snub-nosed monkey's stone-throwing action gradually slowed down. Shen Feng observed and found that there were no more stones on the ground near the monkey. All the stones around him had been thrown.
At this point, Shen Feng began to look for the golden snub-nosed monkey's opening. As long as it exposed a weakness for a moment, Shen Feng would use wind blades to inflict damage.
However, even though there were no more stones to throw, the golden snub-nosed monkey grabbed a stalagmite beside it, pried it forcefully, and broke it off. Then, the more than two-meter-long stalagmite was hurled at Shen Feng again.
Witnessing this, Shen Feng dared not underestimate it. Such a massive stalagmite, if it hit him, would be fatal.
Shen Feng used "As the Wind Follows" and disappeared, directly evading the stalagmite's attack. The crisis was temporarily averted.
The golden snub-nosed monkey suddenly found that the enemy that had hurt it had disappeared. It was stunned again. Two humans had disappeared before its eyes just moments ago, and now, the only remaining human had vanished again. Could all humans use this ability?
At this moment, Shen Feng quietly moved behind the golden snub-nosed monkey. He couldn't turn invisible, and the reason the monkey couldn't see his movements was his extreme speed. If eagles had such eyesight, they might be able to see his trajectory, but for the golden snub-nosed monkey, it could see nothing. It was as if a living person had suddenly disappeared before its eyes.
Shen Feng thought to himself, "If I just slash down with my sword at the back of the golden snub-nosed monkey's neck, victory will be mine!"
With this thought, Shen Feng immediately used his powers and climbed up a large stalagmite pillar beside him to a height of twenty meters. From above, he could see the golden snub-nosed monkey's head. The monkey was still looking around, seemingly trying to find the humans.
Shen Feng hung from the pillar, waiting silently. He was waiting for the golden snub-nosed monkey to expose its back. Once it revealed its back, his moment of attack would arrive.
In the cavern, stalactites form over many years. Even though the golden snub-nosed monkey had thrown away stalagmites around it, such thick stalagmites would take at least thousands of years to form. Water droplets dripped slowly from the stalactites above. The water contained many minerals, so the growth of stalactites was very slow. Stalagmite pillars formed when the stalactites from above and the stalagmites from the ground grew together, appearing as if the pillars had been dissolved.
The golden snub-nosed monkey was utterly perplexed. Its extremely low intelligence made it impossible for it to understand why Shen Feng had disappeared. It continued to search for Shen Feng with its head lowered, worried that Shen Feng was hiding behind the stalagmites. It casually broke off stalagmites, showing no regard for this intangible cultural heritage.
At this moment, Shen Feng, on the pillar above, found his opportunity. The golden snub-nosed monkey was breaking off a stalagmite with its back to him, and its broad back was facing him. Shen Feng leaped down from above, holding his refined steel long sword reversed, and as he descended, he aimed the tip of the sword at the back of the golden snub-nosed monkey's neck.
Shen Feng believed his attack was foolproof, but he inadvertently revealed his killing intent, startling the golden snub-nosed monkey, which was searching with its head lowered. In its surprise, the monkey turned its head, and Shen Feng was already descending from above.
"Puchi!" The long sword fiercely pierced the golden snub-nosed monkey's neck. However, due to the monkey's sudden turn, the sword did not strike the back of its neck but was deflected, missing the artery and brainstem. The sword became lodged in the monkey's muscles and spine.
"Awooo..." Severely attacked again, the giant golden snub-nosed monkey became even more enraged and began to swat at Shen Feng with its paws.
Shen Feng had no time to pull out his long sword and could only flee in disarray, dodging the monkey's swipes. This attack, Shen Feng had failed again.
In reality, primates have brainstems at the back of their necks, and the brainstem is closely related to respiration. Therefore, any damage to a primate's brainstem is fatal. Shen Feng's initial intention to attack the back of the golden snub-nosed monkey's neck was to take a shortcut, inflicting maximum damage with minimal effort.
Now that Shen Feng had lost his long sword, it meant he could no longer attack the back of the golden snub-nosed monkey's neck.
Shen Feng sighed in resignation and said, "I originally intended to interact with you using ordinary combat methods, but in return, I received distance. Now, I'm not pretending anymore. I'm revealing myself: I'm an ability user!"
Shen Feng's original plan was to replicate the method of killing giants with a long sword from the comic. But now that the plan had failed, Shen Feng couldn't be bothered to play along anymore. His strongest ability was not swordsmanship, but his extraordinary powers!
The space was narrow, and Shen Feng couldn't gather many wind blades. So, he summoned a thousand wind blades, and countless wind blades converged into a torrent, rushing towards the golden snub-nosed monkey.
The golden snub-nosed monkey sensed danger and immediately covered its head to dodge, curling its body into a ball.
However, how could Shen Feng's attack be successfully evaded by simply covering its head? The golden snub-nosed monkey's entire body erupted in blood, exuding a seductive charm under the firelight. Its flesh and blood were continuously shaved away by the wind blades.
"Chichi..." The wind blades landed on the golden snub-nosed monkey's body, shaving off layers of its flesh and blood. Finally, a "clang clang" sound was heard, indicating that the wind blades had shaved off all the accessible flesh and blood, leaving only bones.
Ultimately, all one thousand wind blades had struck, and the golden snub-nosed monkey was reduced to bare bones.