Chapter 35: The Corpse Ape [First Update—Seeking Recommendations]

“We are the four heroes of the apocalypse. Let’s have a drink together sometime. I have something to take care of, so I’ll be off.”
Lei turned to Long, gratitude clear in his eyes.
“Farewell.”
With those words, he turned and vanished into the night.

“If you have time, you’re welcome to visit me in Jiuzhou City. Farewell!”
Ji Xiaozhi—who had changed her name from Nalan Yanlan, as she’d heard the old one was unpleasant—clasped her fists in a martial salute to Long, then turned away, her departure scented by a trace of fragrance.

“We met by chance on this wild road; until we meet again.”
Ximen Yu smiled at Long before turning and taking his leave.

Luffy said nothing and made no move to depart, for he had already discovered the entrance to the underground passage. The evil Corpse Beast below was a rare prize—he had to go down and destroy it.

A drop of this Corpse Beast’s blood was something Luffy absolutely had to acquire.
A single drop of dragon blood—who knows how many dragon-body elixirs it would take to produce one?
For him, it was a treasure beyond compare.
Moreover,
He had used the Samsara Heavenly Eye to see that the Corpse Beast possessed only three hundred and eighty times human strength; if he gave it his all, perhaps he could defeat it.
After all, he had previously used a strength of just over one hundred and thirty times to defeat a third-rank Devouring Zombie with two hundred times human power.
If he didn’t try, how would he ever know how strong he truly was?

With this thought, he immediately moved toward the side, where five hundred meters away there was a passage leading underground.

“Woof woof…”
Suddenly, a few barks echoed through the darkness. Luffy glanced over and saw the Teddy Divine Beast approaching, which left him speechless.

He saw Dragon Maiden walking gracefully toward him, dressed in a white gown, beautiful and enchanting, like a celestial maiden descended to the mortal world.

“Why are you here?” Luffy looked at her, a little exasperated.

“We came to see if you were dead,” Dragon Maiden replied slyly.

“How could I possibly die?” Luffy rolled his eyes and continued walking.

Dragon Maiden and the Teddy Divine Beast followed him.

The night was dim, rain pouring down in sheets.
But none of this hindered Luffy’s movements.

Dragon Maiden’s white dress was soaked, turning partly translucent, making her even more alluring. She stepped in front of Luffy and rubbed against him, “Did you miss me?”

“Miss you? Not a chance.” Luffy kept walking.

“So you like my nonsense? Fine, I’ll show you some.” Dragon Maiden teased, lifting her skirt.

“Tsk… trying to seduce me? Not happening!”
Luffy veered away, coming to a hillside where a hidden cave served as the entrance underground.

He strode forward.

Dragon Maiden stamped her foot, biting her lip in anger—this guy was impervious to both softness and toughness.

...

Jiuzhou City, in a luxurious room.

Li Chaodan was repeatedly dialing Bing on his satellite phone, but no one answered. In frustration, he slammed the phone to the floor.

Bang—

The satellite phone shattered, pieces flying everywhere.

“They’re all in trouble—damn it, my Tiger Gallbladder.”
Li Chaodan’s expression was grim when suddenly a dark figure burst into his room and collapsed, covered in blood.

“Yinba, what happened?”
Li Chaodan hurried over to support him.

“I… I…” Yinba hadn’t finished his sentence before he fainted.

He was sent to the Li family’s private hospital.

When Yinba awoke, Chaodan was standing at his bedside.

Yinba’s face was pale as he struggled to sit up.
“Young master… everyone’s dead. We were attacked by an unknown force. I was wounded by that third-rank Wild Tiger Beast. I don’t know what kind of weapon that mysterious force used, but they wiped out our people in an instant. Heads shot through, hearts pierced—it was terrifying.”

“In an instant? Gunfire, hidden attackers—what kind of force is this? I’ve never even heard of them. Bing and Master Chen are dead too?”
Li Chaodan was utterly shocked. His powerful team, wiped out just like that? It was a nightmare.

“Who could it have been?”
Li Chaodan was furious. Not only had they failed to bring him the Tiger Gallbladder, but they hadn’t killed Luffy either—utterly infuriating.

“I don’t know. That force was too strong. I didn’t even see them. If I’d hesitated even a second, I’d have been shot dead.”
Yinba shuddered at the memory.

“If I ever find out who did this, I’ll wipe out their entire bloodline—eighteen generations!”
Li Chaodan’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared in fury.

...

Luffy had no idea anyone was cursing him at that moment.

He simply yawned twice,
then walked on, entering the cave. It was damp and dark inside.

Luffy had no need for a flashlight; the deeper he went, the wider the cave became. Droplets of water dripped now and then, echoing softly.

Dragon Maiden and the Teddy Divine Beast followed close behind.

After a hundred meters, candles lit up on either side, brightening the passage. Ahead lay a pool, from which a chilling aura emanated. Luffy wondered why there would be a pool here—was there some strange creature inside?

Blurp—

Suddenly, bubbles rose on the surface, as if the water were boiling.

Whoosh—

In an instant, two gigantic black monsters leapt out from the water. Both were covered in jet-black fur, towering at least two meters tall.

“Damn, gorillas?”

Luffy stared in disbelief. The two monsters were, in fact, gorillas—massively built, their eyes blood-red and filled with rage.

Moreover,
an intense aura of death emanated from their bodies.

Clearly,
these were not living creatures, but corpse gorillas.

Roar—

They let out terrifying howls, their breath foul and nauseating.

Bang, bang—

Their enormous fists pounded their chests, then they charged straight at Luffy.

The ground trembled beneath their pounding steps.

“Damn it all…”

Luffy was speechless. Who would have thought such terrifying creatures were kept here? This Heavenly Evil Sect was truly disgusting—the pool was nothing but a corpse-raising pit.

Whoosh, whoosh—

From his hand, Luffy shot out two flaming swords with the Thousand Thunder Sword, aiming at the oncoming gorillas.

Bang, bang—

The flaming swords struck the gorillas, forcing them back a few steps, but barely injuring them—only grazing them slightly.

“Wow, these gorillas’ hides are several times thicker than those zombies from before,” Luffy marveled. The two massive gorillas, enraged by Luffy, charged at him, their enormous fists crashing down.

Despite their size, their speed was astonishing.

Luffy dodged aside just in time—the spot where he had stood was smashed into a deep pit, dust raining down from above.

The other gorilla barreled toward Luffy like a truck.

Boom—

Luffy dodged again, and the gorilla smashed straight into the cave wall, creating a massive hole. Dust fell in clouds, nearly causing the cave to collapse, though it managed to hold.

Luffy’s eyes turned cold. These two gorillas were indeed powerful and ferocious, but if a tiger never roared, it would be mistaken for a sick cat.