Swallowing the Stars: Starting with Panlong

Chapter 53: Fierce Battle

Time passed by, second by second.

The battle between the two high-level lord-class behemoths had raged from noon until dusk, with both the Mighty Demon Ape and the Seven-Colored Poisonous Python nearing their end. The Mighty Demon Ape's entire right arm had turned purplish-black; the snake venom was eroding its nervous system, making its movements increasingly sluggish, each punch a struggle in quagmire. The Seven-Colored Poisonous Python was in no better shape; its head was smashed into a bloody mess, one eye was completely blinded, and multiple bones were broken throughout its body; the grinding of bones could be clearly heard as it swam.

But they still did not back down.

The Mighty Demon Ape cannot retreat. Its mate and cubs are in the cave behind it; retreat means the destruction of its family. The Seven-Colored Poisonous Python also seems determined to conquer this nest. Lin Yun doesn't know why it's so persistent, but that's not important.

Lin Yun crouched on the rooftop, motionless like a statue. His mental energy constantly covered the battlefield, leaving no detail unnoticed. Twelve Series 9 throwing knives hovered silently around him, ready to strike at any moment.

"It'll be soon," he thought to himself. "Just a little longer."

Just as he was intently observing the battlefield, his mental energy suddenly detected an unusual fluctuation at the edge of his field of vision.

It's not a monster.

It is a human being.

Lin Yun frowned slightly. He extended his mental energy in that direction and quickly "saw" the situation there.

On the other side of the battlefield, about 1,500 meters away in an abandoned building, two people were crouching behind the roof railing, also observing the battlefield. Their position was even more concealed than Lin Yun's; they were wearing camouflage combat uniforms that blended into the environment and tactical helmets. Without the perception of mental energy, they would be impossible to spot with the naked eye.

Lin Yun focused his mental energy to the extreme, carefully observing the two people.

One was a tall, muscular Black man carrying a massive battle axe on his back; judging from his aura, he was probably a mid-level War God. The other was a tall, slender, blond Caucasian man with a cold expression; he carried a battle sword on his back, and his aura was significantly stronger—a peak high-level War God, clearly more powerful than Lin Yun.

"There are others eyeing this place," Lin Yun thought to himself, his vigilance immediately rising to its highest level.

His mental energy continued to extend, trying to see if they had any other accomplices. Within a radius of two thousand meters, there was no other human presence besides these two people.

"Just two people, and they dare to come to the core area of ​​City 003?" Lin Yun wondered. This was a place frequented by high-level lords. Although the two war gods were not weak, if they were targeted by a high-level lord, it would be difficult for them to escape unscathed. They must have a special purpose.

Lin Yun focused his mental energy on the two of them and began to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Although his mental powers couldn't directly hear sounds, he could reconstruct conversations by sensing the vibrations of his vocal cords and the fluctuations in the air. This was a new skill he had mastered after consuming the Jade Spirit Leaf, requiring extremely precise control, but it was no longer difficult for him.

"Smith, why aren't these beasts helping out? What are they doing here?" The black man's voice was clearly anxious, his eyes fixed on the direction of the demonic ape's lair. "We went through so much trouble to lure that venomous python here; we can't let it all go to waste."

Lin Yun's pupils contracted slightly.

Did they attract the seven-colored venomous python?

"Shut up!" Smith, the blond white man, hissed. "How should I know? These beasts stay in their den all day long and never come out. Those things are useless to them, so who knows why they're always guarding this place?"

Lin Yun's mind raced. What were these "things" they were talking about? Judging from their tone, it seemed there was some kind of treasure in the demon ape's lair, but they weren't sure what it was, or even if it would be useful to the demon ape. They had lured the seven-colored venomous python to attack the demon ape's lair to create chaos, then sneak into the cave and steal the treasure.

"But if we keep waiting like this, and this commotion attracts those Chinese people, these things might fall into their hands!" The black man's voice grew increasingly urgent. "How are we going to explain this to the congressman then? You know his methods!"

Your Excellency, Member of Parliament?

Lin Yun's brows furrowed even more. These two people weren't Chinese; they were clearly Europeans and Americans. Who was this "senator" they were talking about? A member of the HR Alliance? Or a high-ranking member of some other faction?

"Hmph, don't try to scare me with the senator." Smith's tone was tinged with disdain, but a hint of barely concealed fear flashed in his eyes. "You're afraid of him, but I'm not."

They say they're not afraid, but their actions tell a different story.

Smith paused for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. Then he gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"I'll go down and distract the monsters guarding the gate," he said in a low voice. "If they don't fall for it, then take them all out. It should take thirty seconds. But the Mighty Demon Ape will definitely spot us within thirty seconds, and it will come to our aid. However, the venomous python should be able to hold it off for a while."

He stared at the Black man and said, word by word, "So I'm giving you a maximum of thirty seconds. Go inside, bring the stuff out, and get out immediately. If you're not out in thirty seconds, I won't bother with you."

The Black man's expression changed slightly, but he ultimately nodded: "Okay, I'll bring it out within thirty seconds."

Lin Yun overheard their conversation and quickly formed a judgment. These two were after a treasure within the Demon Ape's lair. They planned to lure the Seven-Colored Poisonous Python to attack the lair, creating chaos, and then seize the treasure amidst the confusion. The plan wasn't particularly clever, but it was effective.

"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind." Lin Yun's lips curled up slightly.

He had only planned to harvest the materials after the two high-level lords were exhausted, but he hadn't expected such an unexpected bonus. Since someone was scouting ahead for him, he didn't mind playing the role of the unsuspecting predator.

Lin Yun concealed his aura and compressed his mental energy to the extreme to ensure that he would not be discovered by the two people. His position was farther away than theirs, and there were buildings to cover him. As long as he did not deliberately expose himself, it was unlikely that the two people would find him.

"Make your move." Smith's command was transmitted to Lin Yun's senses through lip reading.

Smith leaped from his hiding place, his entire body moving like lightning as he charged towards the demonic ape's lair. His speed was astonishing, showcasing the full extent of his peak-level advanced war god power. He covered the hundreds of meters in less than two seconds.

The two low-level lord-level demonic apes at the entrance of the lair simultaneously became alert, letting out angry roars as they pounced on him. Instead of fighting head-on, Smith swiftly picked up two massive concrete blocks and smashed them precisely at the heads of the two beasts.

"Bang! Bang!"

Two concrete blocks exploded, sending debris flying. The two demonic apes, dazed and enraged, were completely enraged. They no longer guarded the cave entrance, but roared and charged towards Smith.

The two high-level beast general-level demonic apes outside the city walls also joined the battle, flanking from both sides. Four monsters attacked Smith simultaneously, but he moved with incredible agility, weaving through their claws and teeth, narrowly avoiding each attack. His battle blade flashed like lightning, decapitating one of the high-level warrior demonic apes in the blink of an eye, enraging the other apes even more.

"Thirty seconds!" Smith roared.

The black man was already poised to strike. The moment Smith lured away the gatekeeper monster, he darted out of his hiding place like a cheetah and rushed into the cave at top speed.

Lin Yun's mental power followed him into the cave.

The cave was deep and winding, filled with a strong, fishy stench. The black man moved quickly, weaving left and right through the cave, clearly having done thorough reconnaissance beforehand. Lin Yun's mental power detected him passing through a long passageway and entering a spacious stone chamber.

In the center of the stone chamber, the female mighty ape was curled up in a corner, cradling a cub in her arms. She was smaller than the male outside, and her aura was much weaker, probably at the mid-level lord level. But she was still a lord-level being, and a mother beast guarding her cub; her combat power should not be underestimated.

The moment the Black man rushed into the stone chamber, the female ape spotted him. She let out an angry roar, shielding her cubs behind her, and swung her enormous hand toward the Black man.

The Black man was prepared; he dodged to the side, simultaneously swinging his battle axe across the female ape's arm. Blood splattered, a deep wound appearing on the female ape's arm, but her movements didn't slow; her other hand was already reaching for the Black man's head.

"Damn it!" the black man cursed under his breath, scanning the stone chamber as he dodged, searching for his target.

Then, his eyes lit up.

In the deepest corner of the stone chamber, there was a raised stone platform. On the platform lay a set of combat clothing and some miscellaneous items.

Lin Yun's mental power was unable to clearly distinguish what those things were.

The Black man had clearly seen it too; it was his target. He exerted all his strength, his battle axe slicing through the air as it struck the female demonic ape, forcing it back half a step, before charging towards the stone platform.

The female ape seemed to realize his intention, letting out an even more frenzied roar and lunging forward recklessly. It was much faster than the black man had anticipated, its massive hand slamming into his back.

"puff--"

The Black man was sent flying, crashing into the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Several deep, bone-revealing gashes were torn open on his back, bleeding profusely. But he gritted his teeth and did not fall.

"Fuck!" he roared angrily, struggling to his feet, gripping his battle axe, ready to charge again.

But he had already wasted too much time. More than half of the thirty-second time limit had already passed.

Outside the cave, Smith was locked in combat with the remaining two low-level lord-level demonic apes. Both high-level beast general-level demonic apes were already decapitated.

However, the mighty ape on the distant battlefield seemed to sense the anomaly in the nest. It let out a deafening roar, ignoring the seven-colored venomous python's entanglement, and turned to charge towards the nest.

The seven-colored venomous python, of course, wouldn't let this opportunity pass. Its body suddenly coiled around the mighty demon ape's leg, constricting it tightly and preventing it from escaping. The mighty demon ape, held back, angrily pounded its fists on the snake's body, but each blow was weaker than the last.

Lin Yun squatted on the rooftop, taking in all of this.

His mental powers were simultaneously monitoring three battlefields: the life-or-death struggle between the Mighty Demon Ape and the Seven-Colored Poisonous Python, the entanglement between Smith and the two monsters, and the battle between the black man and the female Demon Ape in the cave.

"It's time to make a move." Lin Yun stood up, twelve throwing knives swirling around him, emitting a faint buzzing sound.

This was the moment he had been waiting for. The two high-ranking lords were no longer a threat, and the treasures in the cave were about to be taken away. If he didn't act soon, the things in the cave would fall into the hands of those two foreigners.

He didn't care whether those two people lived or died. This was the wilderness of China, and two foreign martial artists had sneaked in and even tried to lure monsters to create chaos. Whatever their purpose was, they were no pushovers.

Lin Yun stepped onto the battle blade and flew silently toward the demon ape's lair.

He was fast, but flew low, skimming the shadows of buildings and ruins to ensure he wouldn't be spotted by Smith. His psychic powers completely concealed his presence; in the darkness, he was like a true shadow.

The entrance to the cave is just ahead.

Lin Yun jumped off his battle sword and landed silently on the ground. His figure disappeared into the darkness of the cave. He had already mastered the basics of "Shadow Stealth," although it was far from being as effective as in the Panlong world. However, he would use his mental power to completely conceal his aura, body temperature, and even heartbeat.

The cave was dark, but Lin Yun's mental power served as his eyes. He quickly traversed the passageway, heading towards the stone chamber.

Inside the stone chamber, the Black man was still fighting with the female demon ape.

He was already covered in wounds, blood still flowing from the wound on his back. But he continued to swing his battle axe, each strike filled with desperate ferocity. The female demonic ape was in even worse shape; it had several deep wounds on its body, blood staining its black fur red.

Lin Yun did not rush into the stone chamber. He stood at the corner of the passageway, using his mental power to observe every corner of the stone chamber.

A stone platform, combat uniform, a combat knife, and a small box.

The Black man finally reached the stone platform. He grabbed the small box and the combat uniform and prepared to flee!

The female ape pounced again, this time completely enraged. Ignoring its wounds, it opened its massive jaws and lunged to bite at the black man's head.