Chapter 868: Life or Death

Compared to the first appearance, when the arena was filled with boos, the jeers this time were noticeably quieter, but all kinds of foul curses still dominated the atmosphere.

Han Li, naturally, paid little attention to this, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the stone gate opposite the Xuan Dou Arena.

After a short wait, the stone gate slowly opened with a rumble.

Before Han Li could see what was inside the gate, he heard a furious roar echoing from the dark passage.

Then, he saw a towering ape, a full three zhang tall, completely hairless but covered in green scales. Its arms were thick and long, folded together and propped in front of it, almost thicker than its own body.

From head to toe, from chest to back, its body was covered in conspicuous scars—some from fist strikes, some from weapons, and some even from the claws of fierce beasts. It was clear that this creature had been through countless battles.

The true combat strength of this Tongshan Ape was likely even higher than Han Li had estimated.

Han Li frowned, his expression turning more serious.

As he observed the Tongshan Ape, the creature did not charge directly like the Tiger Scale Beast had. Instead, it moved slowly along the edge of the Xuan Dou Arena, as if it too was sizing up Han Li.

The man and the beast both made no move, immediately arousing dissatisfaction among the spectators in the stands, who began to curse loudly.

Just then, the Mountain Ape suddenly halted its steps, raised its two massive, thick arms, clenched its fists, and slammed them heavily onto the ground.

With a thunderous crash!

The entire Mystic Combat Arena shook violently. An invisible force transmitted through the ground, shattering the black stone slabs one after another. Dust billowed, and the stone floor undulated like waves, surging toward Han Li.

Though Han Li had tried his best to steady himself, his body still trembled uncontrollably with the shaking ground.

Whoosh!

A sound of wind cut through the air, and the massive figure of the Mountain Ape had vanished into the dust.

Han Li's mind tensed, and he abruptly looked up.

A large shadow loomed overhead. The Mountain Ape had instantly appeared above him, plummeting downward as if executing a heavy drop.

Han Li felt the air around him tighten, an invisible pressure suddenly descending, making even his breathing labored.

At the critical moment, the two mysterious acupoints he had condensed on his legs with the "Feather Ascension Art" suddenly lit up, and his figure blurred, instantly flickering from where he stood to land over ten zhang away.

A thunderous "boom" rang out.

No sooner had he moved than the Mountain Ape crashed onto the ground, smashing a huge crater into the center of the Mystic Arena.

Before Han Li could see clearly, a shadow burst through the dust rising from the pit, charging out as a gigantic fist, wrapped in a gust of wind, came smashing down toward his head.

Han Li stepped back, steadied himself, and all the mysterious acupoints on his body lit up as he raised a fist and punched back fiercely.

A loud "bang" echoed.

A large fist and a small one collided with a tremendous force that exploded violently. Han Li felt his entire skeleton shudder from the impact, and a series of "crackling" sounds rang out continuously from his body.

"Roar..."

The Mountain Ape seemed not to have expected that this tiny human would dare to exchange blows with it head-on. It let out a furious roar and pressed its descending fist down with even greater force.

Han Li, who had barely managed to hold his ground, could no longer withstand the pressure. He was sent flying by the punch, tumbling over a dozen times before crashing heavily into the high wall at the boundary of the Mystic Arena.

The violent impact caused even Han Li to feel intense pain all over his body, as if it were about to fall apart.

He had originally intended to test the gap between himself and this beast with this punch, but now he somewhat regretted it.

Seeing that the Tongshan Ape had no intention of stopping there, it suddenly lunged forward, chased after him, and threw another punch at Han Li.

Han Li's heart tightened. He quickly mustered all his strength, dropping his body downward, barely dodging the heavy strike of the Tongshan Ape.

After landing, he curled his legs and kicked off the ground violently, shooting upward like an arrow. His fist, enveloped in white light, slammed with full force into the knee of the Tongshan Ape's left leg.

A dull thud was heard.

The Tongshan Ape's knee lurched outward, and its body swayed, nearly losing its balance.

Han Li seized the opportunity to press the attack, raising another fist and smashing it fiercely into the Tongshan Ape's forehead.

With its lower body unstable and its head struck heavily, the Tongshan Ape lost its balance and fell backward, landing on its back.

Seeing this, Han Li immediately sprinted forward, leaped into the air, and soared upward.

Then, he activated the Feather Ascension Art and the Grand Cycle Star Origin Art, and stepped down from the sky, heading straight for the Tongshan Ape's head.

The latter, seeing this, had no time to retract its arm to block, and could only open its massive mouth wide, letting out a sharp shriek.

This roar was shrill and piercing, completely different from before.

Han Li's eyes narrowed, and he was greatly alarmed.

From the Tongshan Ape's gaping maw, a blurry white light surged forth, within which was wrapped a sharp beast fang, aimed straight at his chest.

At the critical moment, the mysterious acupoint on Han Li's leg suddenly brightened, and with a kick in the void, he twisted his body mid-air, brushing past the fang.

"Pfft..."

With a soft sound, though Han Li did not touch the fang, he was still grazed by the white light surrounding it. The True Extreme Membrane covering his body was instantly torn, leaving a long bloody gash across his chest, and the wound on his shoulder was so deep that bone was visible.

He let out a muffled grunt but, enduring the intense pain, he slammed his fist down fiercely.

A thunderous boom!

A deafening roar resounded as the Tongshan Ape's brow was struck, its neck snapped back, and its head crashed heavily to the ground, creating a large pit and embedding itself deep.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Han Li did not let his guard down this time. Standing on the Tongshan Ape's chest, he clenched his fists and rained blow after blow onto its head.

The stands of the Mystic Arena were nearly boiling over, with almost the entire crowd shouting the name "Li Feiyu" at the top of their lungs.

In the VIP seats, Chen Yang held one arm across his chest while slowly stroking his dark cheek with the other, a contemplative expression on his face. His gaze was fixed on Han Li's movements, and deep in his eyes, a flicker of wariness appeared.

Han Li did not know how many punches he had thrown; he only knew that the Tongshan Ape's head was completely buried in the pit, and the knuckles on the back of his hand were torn open, revealing white bone.

After he stopped hammering, he glanced at the Tongshan Ape, which had stopped moving entirely. He reached his hand into the deep hole, fumbled around its massive head, and then, with the two fingers refined through the Flower Branch Cave Heaven, he stabbed fiercely toward its temple.

With a dull thud, Han Li's two fingers stiffened, failing to pierce its skull.

Suddenly, Han Li's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he kicked off and leaped backward, landing at a distance.

Almost at the same time, the Tongshan Ape's two massive arms snapped inward, sweeping toward him without warning. Fortunately, Han Li had detected it early and dodged in time; otherwise, with the strength of those arms, the consequences would have been dire.

The Tongshan Ape propped itself up with its elbows on the ground, let out a low roar, and jerked its neck upward, pulling its head out of the earth.

Seeing this reversal, another wave of cheers erupted from around the Mystic Arena.

But when the Tongshan Ape's face was fully revealed, the cheers abruptly stopped, replaced by a burst of laughter.

Its already low nose bridge had been completely smashed flat by Han Li, forming a large crater. Half of its eye socket was shattered, and the burst eyeball mixed with blood and fluid into an indescribable color.

Han Li looked at its pitiful state but felt no urge to laugh.

On the contrary, seeing its new and old injuries, he actually felt some sympathy for this Tongshan Ape.

Here in the Mystic Arena, how was he any different from this Tongshan Ape?

Life or death—wasn't it all just a high-stakes gamble for others, a topic for idle chatter after a meal?

Even if he narrowly won this match, what unpredictable strong enemy would he face in the next, what life-and-death crisis would he fall into, and what outcome would await him?

But sympathy aside, when it came to matters of life and death, Han Li would naturally not be foolishly careless, nor would he show mercy.

The Tongshan Ape's external injuries looked horrific, and its internal condition was uncertain, but its fierce and violent nature had been fully aroused. Its remaining single eye, perhaps due to blood congestion, had turned a bloody red.

It was utterly enraged!

With a roar that echoed throughout the arena, it charged at Han Li at full speed. As it approached, it leaped into the air, thrusting both fists forward to smash him.

Han Li could clearly see that in the gaps between the scales on the Tongshan Ape's arms, strands of shimmering white light were glowing. It had channeled all its strength into its arms, attempting to crush him with a single blow.

Seeing the Tongshan Ape descending from above, Han Li fully activated the Feather Ascension Art. The mysterious acupoint on his leg lit up, and with a shift in his footwork, his body instantly moved sideways more than ten zhang.

However, before he could land and steady himself, the Tongshan Ape's fists had already crashed onto the ground.

A thunderous boom!

The entire floor of the Mystic Arena shook violently, and explosive sounds of "bang bang bang" rang out incessantly.

Dust and rubble flew everywhere as countless powerful fist forces burst upward from the ground, turning into visible streams of energy that shot into the sky.

Just as Han Li's foot touched the ground, a cluster of fist force exploded beneath him, blasting him and a large chunk of the floor into the air.

When he crashed back down, the fist forces erupting from the ground had not yet ceased. As soon as he landed, he was sent flying again by another powerful force, tossed back and forth, unable to steady himself.

The once flat floor of the Mystic Arena was now a mess, covered with jagged rocks that had burst up from below. At first glance, it looked as if it had always been a rocky beach.