In the pitch-black cave, something suddenly emerged and grabbed Wu Tianzhen's shoulder, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
His flashlight had fallen outside the cave when he was startled and dropped in earlier. It seemed to be caught by the monkey corpses, preventing him from seeing anything in the cave.
The thought of the Emei Mountain Monkey King resurfaced in his mind, but there was no foul odor around his nostrils, unlike the monkeys.
…Damn it, this Monkey King is quite clean. Could it be that their monkey tribe selects their king based on cleanliness?
A jumble of thoughts raced through his mind, but Wu Tianzhen's subconscious reaction was swift.
No matter what strange entity was behind him, he would first give it an elbow strike!
As the thought arose, he swung his elbow backward with a thud!
He poured almost all his strength into this elbow strike, even leaning his entire body backward due to the exertion.
Based on his judgment of the monkeys' combat strength, this blow would be enough to make the Monkey King loosen its grip.
Then he would roll away from the dangerous monkey's grasp, and Xiao Ge would descend to deliver a fatal blow to the Monkey King—
Wu Tianzhen: Humph, today I'll show you monkeys why your butts are so red!
The plan was meticulous. After throwing the elbow, Wu Tianzhen prepared for the next step. He focused intently ahead, found a suitable spot, and intended to roll away—
He rolled—
He didn't roll.
The elbow he thrust backward was firmly pinned by the thing behind him, leaving him no room to struggle.
Wu Tianzhen: …Holy crap, crap, crap!
With no time to think, he twisted his body and kicked out with his leg!
With his elbow controlled, the kick was incredibly contorted. Wu Tianzhen could almost hear his lower back crack, and as a result, this awkward kick was easily dodged.
Both attacks missed, but Wu Tianzhen didn't have time to dwell on his accuracy.
The sideways kick allowed him to turn over. Looking back, the thing behind him was not the furry Monkey King he had imagined.
—It was a person of unknown origin!
This person was hidden in the dark corner. He could only see that they were dressed in black; any further details were completely unclear.
While Wu Tianzhen thrashed around like a flipping salted fish, the person's hand remained clamped around his elbow joint like an iron vise, sending waves of pain.
…This is unbelievable. In these deep mountains, filled with monkeys, there's actually a living person?!
Wait, is this really a living person?
A chill ran down his spine. Wu Tianzhen began to feel that with his status as the "King of Evil Seas," the cultivation of this human "feudal remnant" before him would not be less than a thousand years.
The scream chicken in his heart was itching to break free, but at that moment, he looked up and saw a dark figure rapidly descending from above.
There was no need to guess the identity of this dark figure. Wu Tianzhen instantly felt at ease. He skillfully dodged into a corner as Zhang Qiling kicked towards the mysterious person.
The sound of a fierce collision rang out. The person was clearly too preoccupied with Zhang Qiling's attack to pay attention to the escaping Wu Tianzhen.
The cave was dark and lightless. Both Zhang Qiling and the mysterious person were dressed in black. Wu Tianzhen hid in the corner, unable to see anything with his mortal eyesight.
He could only discern that after a bout of physical grappling, the two simultaneously drew their weapons like lightning.
The clash of weapons sparked, flashing on and off like shooting stars in the dark space, possessing extreme aesthetic power. Both maintained a consistent silence during the fight, making the battle resemble a breathtaking performance art.
But the more Wu Tianzhen watched, the more alarmed he became.
…This mysterious person is actually able to contend with Xiao Ge for so long?!
…How is this possible?!
Although the dim environment here would cause some interference for Xiao Ge, with his skills, he could suppress his opponent using only his hearing even without seeing anything.
This mysterious person is extremely dangerous!
Wu Tianzhen knew something was wrong, gritted his teeth, and slowly drew his dagger.
In such an unknown cave, he dared not fire his gun, but holding a dagger, he didn't know how to join the fray. For a moment, Wu Tianzhen had the heart to help but could only anxiously wait in place.
Just then, several crisp "crack" sounds were heard, like bones snapping!
Wu Tianzhen's heart tightened, and he instinctively cried out with concern: "Xiao Ge—"
But a voice suddenly rang out, interrupting him, filled with shock and confusion.
"Whoa, mute, you don't have to be this ruthless, do you? What kind of deep-seated hatred is this?"
…This, this voice?!
"Swoosh—"
A fiery red flame rose, illuminating the mysterious person's face.
The familiar sunglasses appeared, followed by the cynical face of Hei Yanjing.
He was holding a lit lighter in his hand, raised slightly.
And against his neck, the Black Gold Ancient Saber was steadily pressed, just a little further and it would have sliced Hei Yanjing's throat.
Zhang Qiling remained silent.
He calmly gazed at Hei Yanjing's face, a hint of confusion gradually appearing in his eyes. Yet, the knife in his hand did not move, its tip pressing against Hei Yanjing's vital point.
…This person is somewhat familiar.
Zhang Qiling intuitively felt he had known this person before, but the faint sense of aversion lingering in his heart made him dare not relax even slightly.
This subconscious negative emotion represented uncertainty, and the person before him was too dangerous.
…He couldn't risk Wu Tianzhen's life.
The scene froze. At this moment, Wu Tianzhen, who was shocked by Hei Yanjing's appearance, suddenly noticed something was wrong—
Zhang Qiling was now unnaturally holding the Black Gold Ancient Saber with only one hand, while his left arm hung limply at his side as if devoid of all strength.
Wu Tianzhen was startled and instinctively ignored the strangely appearing Xiao Hei: "Xiao Ge, what's wrong with your hand?"
He rushed forward to support that hand, but Hei Yanjing suddenly spoke to stop him.
"I advise you not to do that," he said, looking thoughtfully at the wary Zhang Qiling for a moment, then turning to Wu Tianzhen with a rogue smile, completely disregarding the sharp knife.
Although he was smiling, his tone was serious.
"When I had him under control, he forcibly used bone-shrinking techniques to break free from my grasp. Doing that during combat, even though he's returned to normal now, his hand is probably so painful that he can't move it."
"Hei Yanjing, what are you—"
"Ah," Hei Yanjing suddenly showed a look of disappointment, "I was thinking of changing the win-loss ratio in the darkness, but I was defeated by a feigned injury. Black Lord, I'm indeed too kind~"
He looked at Zhang Qiling again. Zhang Qiling, clearly hesitant because of the name Wu Tianzhen had just called out, had also loosened the knife that had been pressed against his neck.
Wu Tianzhen was worried about Zhang Qiling's arm, and also wanted to explain Zhang Qiling's current condition to Hei Yanjing. Amidst the confusion, he suddenly heard Hei Yanjing say something.
"But it looks like the win-loss ratio for this period can be reset to zero."