Chapter 29: Zhu Yan Awakened
Bai Jinlong was not in a hurry to end the fight. He continued to provoke the White Ape, taking its attack head-on again and again to demonstrate his overwhelming defensive prowess to the spectators.
To him, the fight was nothing more than a performance. He wanted to remain the center of attention and the most eye-catching presence in the arena at all times. And he had successfully done so. All the spectators were chanting his name, and he was thoroughly enjoying the feeling of being worshiped and adored by the masses, especially when this admiration and adoration could directly bring him wealth.
Effortlessly deflecting the blows, he stared down the Zhou Tai-controlled White Ape with a contemptuous smirk playing on his lips. "Feeble punches. If this is all you've got, what difference does it make whether I provoke you or not?"
As expected, after his remarks, the White Ape's attacks became even faster. But the White Ape was a creature of flesh and blood after all. Its strikes did absolutely nothing against Bai Jinlong's black alloy body. Instead, its fists began to split and bruise.
Zhou Tai roared, "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Just die already!"
Under Zhou Tai's control, the White Ape's eyes turned blood-red, and a massive surge of adrenaline flooded its system. In this state of acute stress, the creature felt absolutely no pain.
After Bai Jinlong had turned his body into black alloy, the strength that the White Ape so prided itself on was utterly useless. The White Ape could shatter rock and punch through steel plating with a single blow, yet it couldn't inflict a single shred of damage on Bai Jinlong. A body once durable enough to withstand bullets had similarly become vulnerable by comparison.
Kill. Kill. Kill. Zhou Tai's heart boiled with murderous intent. Even if he couldn't injure Bai Jinlong, he refused to stop throwing punches.
Unbeknownst to him, driven by his fury, the White Ape's blood gradually began to heat up. Large amounts of latent power awakened and surged through its body. Compared to the White Ape's original personality, his own temperament was actually far more compatible with the bloodline flowing through the creature's veins.
Sensing the White Ape's sudden increase in power, Bai Jinlong was taken aback. "So, it was actually holding back!"
The next instant, he noticed a flash of crimson spreading across the White Ape's arms. Recognizing the changes occurring to the White Ape, Bai Jinlong immediately roared toward the stands. "Bloodline awakening? Ladies and gentlemen, the White Ape before us is actually undergoing a bloodline awakening! Do you want to see it? This is a once-in-a-century spectacle! Cheer! Make some noise!"
Cheers erupted across the entire arena. In response to Bai Jinlong's question, countless voices roared "yes" in unison. A smirk curled the corner of his lips as he decided to grant the audience's wish. Given my strength, what can a White Ape even do, even with an awakened bloodline?
Bloodline awakening? Zhou Tai had picked up Bai Jinlong's words. Through the Brain-Clinging Neural Parasite, he sensed that the White Ape was indeed undergoing an earth-shattering transformation. However, based on the aura it released, even a bloodline awakening wouldn't make the White Ape a match for Bai Jinlong.
Zhou Tai was no mindless brute. Even as his murderous intent boiled over, he maintained a clear, rational mind. It's useless unless I guide the bloodline of the White Ape into a deeper awakening!
Zhou Tai instantly grasped the catalyst for the White Ape's bloodline awakening: fighting spirit and murderous intent! He relentlessly flooded the White Ape's brain with fury and killing intent.
Consequently, the structure of the White Ape's brain began to change. Originally, its brain was just an ordinary biological structure. But under Zhou Tai's stimulation, a blood-red substance rapidly secreted within it. Under the influence of this blood-red substance, the Brain-Clinging Neural Parasite unexpectedly fused with the White Ape's brain.
At the same time, the temperature of the White Ape's blood surged to a thousand degrees. Under this terrifyingly high temperature, its bones, meridians, and internal organs all mutated. Strands of fiery red spread through its pure white fur like flames, especially across its arms and legs, which had already turned a deep crimson.
Initially, Bai Jinlong was brimming with confidence, fully believing he could suppress the White Ape despite its bloodline awakening. But as blow after blow rained down on him, he quickly realized he could no longer hold his ground. The White Ape's physical strength had become terrifyingly immense, and its punches were growing faster, heavier, and more relentless by the second.
The White Ape's combat prowess was changing too quickly for him to react. The moment he tried to counterattack, another fist would blast toward him, forcing him into a defensive guard. The moment he tried to reposition, another punch arrived.
Bai Jinlong's heart sank. Not good. This is getting out of my control!
He tried to retreat, but the White Ape seemed to see through his intention and closed in on him. Raising his head, he looked straight into the White Ape's eyes. They were burning with literal flames, as though all the warfare and calamities of the world were contained within them.
Bai Jinlong cried out in shock, "Zhu Yan's bloodline!" [1]
The next instant, Zhou Tai sent him flying with a punch. Bai Jinlong crashed heavily against the cage, his solid black-alloy body battered completely out of shape.
Shock washed over the audience. The cheering ground to a screeching halt, and every gaze locked onto the White Ape. The White Ape standing before them now was entirely unrecognizable from moments before. They murmured among themselves.
"Is-is it growing bigger?"
"Heavens, its eyes are on fire. I feel like my heart is beating a bit too fast."
Suddenly, someone realized the grim truth, leaping to their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs, "Run! That's Zhu Yan! Run!"
That person spun around and fled, with several clever onlookers immediately following suit.
A heartbeat akin to war drums resonated through the air.
Thump!
Thump! Thump!
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Some of the slower-reacting spectators realized a moment too late that this pounding sound originated from the White Ape. At the same time, they felt their own hearts pounding in panic. The next instant, everyone's hearts thudded violently and exploded!
Numerous spectators collectively coughed up mouthfuls of blood and collapsed into the stands. A few of the more powerful supernatural beings among the spectators immediately began to evacuate. Everything was happening far too quickly.
Right then, four individuals charged out from the arena's tunnels. One of them phased straight through the cage to enter the ring and unleashed a strike directly at the White Ape's heart.
He could phase through matter. In combat, he would drive his arm straight inside an enemy, seize their heart, and tear it out in a single motion, killing most opponents with ease. This time, however, he had miscalculated.
The moment his palm phased into the White Ape's body to seize its heart, the blistering, extreme heat instantly burned his hand. "Ahhhh!"
He instantly lost control of his phasing ability. Screaming, he tried to retreat, but the White Ape had already grabbed hold of him. Since the White Ape's body temperature was extremely high, being touched by it felt like being burned by branding irons. The man immediately let out an even more miserable scream.
The White Ape opened its mouth and swallowed him in one gulp. The creature, whose body had become somewhat gaunt due to the deeper bloodline awakening, instantly received a surge of energy, its physique rapidly filling back out.
It turned its gaze toward the remaining three figures standing outside the cage. "Come on in!"
The trio retreated in unison.
The private box that Yu Xian and the others were in was seemingly constructed with materials capable of blocking Zhu Yan's abilities, so the earlier wave of attack had not affected them.
Yu Xian stood up, his eyes fixed on the arena below. "Not good. Things have gone sideways. Zhang Shou, check if anyone's still alive in the stands. I'll stall for time!"
Everything had happened far too quickly. From the White Ape's counterattack to the slaughter of a large number of spectators, only about ten seconds had passed. By the time Yu Xian realized this was not a performance, the stands were already filled with countless casualties.
Nora stood up. "I'm going too!"
Yu Xian replied, "No. Stay with Chen Ling. If things really get dangerous, leave here right away."
At this moment, the White Ape was clearly not something one could deal with using firearms. Even Yu Xian would have fled as far as possible by now if he hadn't undergone rigorous training the last few days. He was willing to step in only because he had confidence he could retreat unscathed.
1. 朱厌 (Zhū Yàn) is a mythical creature from the ancient Chinese text Shan Hai Jing (《山海经》, Classic of Mountains and Seas). It is typically described as a white, ape-like beast regarded as an omen of war and chaos. In later fictional interpretations, it is often reimagined as a powerful primordial ape-type entity or bloodline associated with violence and battlefield destruction. ☜