Compared to the boos that dominated his first appearance, the jeers this time were noticeably quieter, but the stream of foul curses remained the prevalent soundtrack.

Han Li, of course, paid little attention to this, his gaze fixed on the stone gate opposite the Xuan Dou arena.

After waiting a short while, the stone gate finally rumbled open.

Before Han Li could see what lay beyond, a violent roar echoed from the dark passage.

Then, a towering ape, standing a full thirty feet tall, devoid of fur and instead covered in cyan scales, emerged. Its arms were thick and long, held together in front of its body, almost thicker than its torso.

Scars crisscrossed its body from head to toe, chest to back. Some were clearly from fist gales, others from weapon wounds, and some even from the claws of fierce beasts, testament to its numerous past battles.

The Tongshan Ape's true combat strength was likely higher than Han Li had anticipated.

Han Li's brow furrowed, his expression turning solemn.

As he sized up the Tongshan Ape, the beast did not charge straight at him like the Tiger Scale Beast, but instead moved slowly along the edge of the Xuan Dou arena, as if sizing up Han Li as well.

This standoff immediately displeased the audience in the stands, who began to curse.

Just then, the Tongshan Ape suddenly stopped, raising its two incredibly thick arms and slamming its clenched fists into the ground.

"Boom!"

The entire Xuan Dou arena shook violently. An invisible force traveled through the ground, shattering the black stone floor into pieces. Dust billowed, and the stone slabs rose and fell like waves, surging towards Han Li.

Although Han Li tried his best to steady himself, his body swayed uncontrollably with the ground.

"Whoosh!"

A gust of wind sounded, and the Tongshan Ape's massive figure vanished in the dust.

Han Li's heart tightened, and he abruptly looked up.

A large shadow loomed overhead. The Tongshan Ape had instantly appeared above him, as if executing a "Thousand-Pound Drop," plummeting down.

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

At the critical moment, the two Xuan Apertures he had condensed on his legs using the Feather Ascension Art suddenly lit up. His figure blurred, instantly flashing from his original position to a spot dozens of feet away.

"Boom!"

Just as he moved, the Tongshan Ape crashed onto the ground, creating a massive crater in the center of the Xuan Dou arena.

Before Han Li could assess the situation, a shadow tore through the rising dust, a gigantic fist hurtling towards Han Li's head, accompanied by a fierce gale.

Han Li retreated a step, bracing himself. All the Xuan Apertures on his body lit up as he raised his fist and slammed it forward.

"Bang!"

The two fists, one large and one small, collided with a thunderous crash. A burst of immense force exploded outwards. Han Li felt every bone in his body absorb a violent impact, crackling sounds echoing throughout his body.

"Roar..."

The Tongshan Ape seemed to have not expected this tiny human to dare confront it head-on. It roared, applying more force to its descending fist.

Han Li, who had barely managed to hold his ground, was immediately overwhelmed. He was sent flying by the fist, tumbling a dozen times before crashing heavily into the high wall at the edge of the Xuan Dou arena.

The violent impact sent excruciating pain through Han Li's body, as if it were about to fall apart.

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

The Tongshan Ape had no intention of letting him off the hook. It charged forward and threw another punch at Han Li.

Han Li's heart tightened. He quickly mustered all his strength, lowered his body, barely dodging the Tongshan Ape's heavy blow.

After landing, he crouched down, pushed off the ground with explosive force, and shot upwards like an arrow. His fist, enveloped in white light, slammed into the Tongshan Ape's left knee with all his might.

A muffled "bang" sounded.

The Tongshan Ape's knee buckled outwards, and its body swayed, nearly losing its balance.

Han Li followed up with another punch, slamming it into the Tongshan Ape's forehead.

The Tongshan Ape, its lower body unsteady and its head struck with a heavy blow, lost its balance and fell backward, its limbs flailing.

Seeing this, Han Li immediately sprinted forward, leaping into the air.

Then, activating both the Feather Ascension Art and the Great Cycle Stellar Origin Art, he brought his foot down from high above, aiming straight for the Tongshan Ape's head.

The latter, seeing this, had no time to retract its arms to block. It could only open its massive maw and let out a piercing shriek.

The shriek was high-pitched, completely different from its previous roars.

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

From the Tongshan Ape's blood-red mouth, a blur of white light spewed forth, containing an incredibly sharp beast tooth, aimed directly at his chest.

At the crucial moment, the Xuan Apertures on Han Li's legs suddenly lit up. With a forceful kick in the void, he managed to twist his body in mid-air, narrowly avoiding the beast tooth.

"Pfft..."

A soft sound followed. Although Han Li did not make contact with the beast tooth, he was still struck by the white light surrounding it. The True Extremes Membrane covering his body was instantly torn apart, leaving a long gash across his chest and a wound deep enough to see bone on his shoulder.

He groaned, but endured the pain, slamming his fist down.

"Boom!"

With a deafening roar, the Tongshan Ape took the punch square in its forehead, its neck snapping back, its head slamming into the ground, crushing the earth beneath it and embedding itself deeply.

Having learned from the previous lesson, Han Li did not relax his guard this time. Standing over the Tongshan Ape, he clenched his fist and rained blows down on its head, one after another.

The stands of the Xuan Dou arena were almost in a frenzy, with nearly everyone shouting "Li Feiyu."

In the VIP seats, Chenyang crossed his arms, slowly stroking his dark cheek with his other hand, a contemplative look on his face. His gaze was fixed on Han Li's movements, and a hint of apprehension flashed in the depths of his eyes.

Han Li didn't know how many punches he had thrown. All he knew was that the Tongshan Ape's head was completely buried in the large hole, and the joints on the back of his hand were torn open, revealing white bone.

He stopped hammering and glanced at the Tongshan Ape, which was no longer moving. He plunged his hand into the deep hole and, after groping around on its massive head, brought together the two fingers refined by the Flower Branch Grotto Heaven and thrust them into its temple.

A muffled "bang" sounded, and Han Li's fingers stiffened, unable to pierce its skull.

Suddenly, Han Li's expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he kicked off the ground and shot backward, landing in the distance.

Almost simultaneously, the Tongshan Ape's two massive arms retracted and swung out towards him with no warning. Fortunately, Han Li had detected it early and dodged in time, otherwise the power of its arms would have been devastating.

The Tongshan Ape propped itself up on its elbows and let out a low growl. It jerked its neck and yanked its head free from the ground.

Seeing this reversal, another cheer erupted from around the Xuan Dou arena.

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

Its already low nose had been completely crushed by Han Li, turning into a large pit. Half of its eye socket was completely shattered, and the exploded eyeball was mixed with blood and fluids, creating an indescribable color.

Han Li looked at its pathetic appearance, but felt no urge to laugh.

On the contrary, looking at the new and old wounds on its body, he felt a hint of sympathy for the Tongshan Ape.

What difference was there between him and this Tongshan Ape, trapped in this Xuan Dou arena?

Whether they lived or died, they were nothing more than a high-stakes gamble for others, a topic of conversation and laughter after a meal.

Even if he narrowly won this round, what unpredictable enemy would he face in the next, what life-or-death crisis would he find himself in, and what kind of ending would await him?

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

The Tongshan Ape's external injuries looked gruesome, and it was hard to say what its internal condition was like, but its ferocious nature had been thoroughly ignited. Its one remaining eye, perhaps due to being bloodshot, had turned a crimson red.

It was utterly enraged!

It let out a roar that reverberated throughout the arena and charged towards Han Li at full speed. As it approached, it leaped into the air and thrust out both fists simultaneously, aiming to crush him.

Han Li could clearly see that strands of white light were illuminating the gaps between the scales on the Tongshan Ape's arms. It was pouring all its power into its arms, trying to kill him with one blow.

Seeing the Tongshan Ape descending from the sky, Han Li fully activated the Feather Ascension Art. The Xuan Apertures he had opened on his legs lit up, and with a twist of his footwork, his figure instantly shifted dozens of feet away.

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

"Boom!"

The ground of the entire Xuan Dou arena shook violently, and the sounds of explosions rang out continuously.

Dust billowed, rocks flew, and countless powerful fist gales shot upwards from the ground, turning into visible streams of energy that soared into the sky.

As soon as Han Li's feet touched the ground, a ball of fist gale exploded beneath him, blasting him and a large chunk of the floor into the air.

By the time he fell back to the ground, the fist gales erupting from the ground had not stopped, causing him to be blasted away again by a powerful force as soon as he landed. He could not stand firm no matter how hard he tried.

The once smooth Xuan Dou arena was now a chaotic mess, covered with jagged rocks that had been blasted up from the ground. It looked as if it had always been a rocky wasteland.

(867 has been revised. Fellow Daoists can read it again!)