Although the Second-Rank Long-Armed Macaque was fast, it was gravely wounded and had been fighting for a long time, so its speed gradually slowed.
Wang Hao and Wang Yanfeng pursued it for about fifteen minutes, repeatedly harassing it with the Earth-Chaos Seal, the Wind-Cutting Sword, and other spirit artifacts. But the Second-Rank demon's hide and muscles were so tough that they couldn't land a killing blow. They did, however, inflict more bleeding and further weaken it.
After chasing it for some two hundred miles, the macaque was covered in slashes—but by then it had left Mount Ruojun's territory and entered the Broken-Yuan Range. Its will to survive remained strong, and it knew humans like Wang Hao would hesitate to travel too deep into the mountains, so it fought desperately to escape.
After several more hours of pursuit—over a thousand miles into the range—Wang Hao was nearly ready to give up.
"If we don't finish this creature, it will become a calamity for our Wang Clan," Wang Yanfeng warned. Second-Rank demon beasts possess intelligence and terrible vengeance. We seized its territory and slaughtered its tribe—if it survives now, it could exact ten- or even a hundredfold revenge!
By this point the macaque was nearly spent. Spotting Wang Hao and Yanfeng relentlessly on its trail, it let out a sorrowful cry, stopped, and braced for a final fight.
But Wang Hao and Yanfeng did not charge headlong. They knew it was fighting in pure desperation.
Instead, they struck-and-retreated, ensuring it could not flee while keeping out of its reach.
For a time, the macaque could only take their blows.
After another fifteen minutes of combat, its movements grew sluggish. Seeing the moment approaching, Wang Hao signaled to Yanfeng to tighten the net.
As Wang Hao closed in, the macaque's eyes glowed with hatred. It flung out its long arm, grabbed a fallen branch, and swung at him.
"Just what I wanted," Wang Hao thought, steel flashing in his gaze. He had been waiting for this move, eager to test his body's strength.
He didn't dodge. Instead, he activated two defensive talismans and slammed into the macaque.
Wang Hao staggered back two steps to steady himself; the macaque was hurled to the ground. It tried to rise but could not.
"It's over," Wang Hao declared, guiding the Wind-Cutting Sword to pierce the macaque's face. But as the creature spasmed trying to stand, the blade cleaved its chest instead.
"Uu uu!" At that moment, macaque calls echoed from afar.
The wounded macaque on the ground suddenly stirred and answered the call, its voice loud despite its injuries. Although Wang Hao and Yanfeng had killed it quickly, distant brethren had been alerted.
"Oh no—other macaques coming to help?" Yanfeng cursed.
Wang Hao shook his head: "How would I know? Did something go wrong on Mount Ruojun? There were four Establishment-Foundation cultivators there!"
He was partially right. After Wang Hao left, the tide of battle swung in the Wang Clan's favor: Wang Longyou slew his mid-rank opponent, then helped Wang Yanzhao and Li Yaozu defeat theirs. Seeing defeat, the macaque king abandoned its tribe and fled.
And its escape path led directly toward where Wang Hao and Yanfeng were—because that was the only route deeper into the Broken-Yuan Range.
"We stand no chance against a high-rank Second-Rank demon beast. Let's hide and wait for reinforcements!" Wang Yanfeng urged.
Wang Hao agreed. They had pursued for so long and were nearly out of spirit power. If the king caught them, they would be torn apart!
But they had no way to know what message the fallen macaque had sent; its king pursued mercilessly, frustrating Wang Hao greatly. Fortunately, the leader was wounded and not much faster than them, allowing their flight to continue.
Pursuers and pursued pressed on for another full day. Yanfeng's legs felt like lead. They had enough elixirs to restore spirit power, but physical fatigue was inevitable. Wang Hao fared better—he led the way, clearing obstacles and constantly consulted his map to avoid falling into a demon-beast nest.
Yet the map's reach was limited, and his choices weren't always ideal.
The terrain ahead grew rugged and forbidding. After another ten miles, Wang Hao despaired as he saw their path blocked by a sheer cliff.
"Uncle Eighth, you really have the worst luck," Wang Hao muttered. He almost left Yanfeng behind to flee alone.
Yanfeng himself looked dejected: "It's not my fault. At least the beast hasn't caught us yet! Otherwise, we'd have to jump off the cliff."
"The roar!!" The beast's thunderous call sounded again.
Yanfeng's face fell: "Ahem…still not my fault…But what now?"
"What now? You already said it!" Wang Hao pointed at the precipice. "We jump!"
"I was joking—we can't really jump!" Yanfeng protested awkwardly. "We can't see the bottom. We'd splatter!"
Wang Hao wondered if Immortal Laws forbade cliff-jumpers—but another reason he wanted to try was that in his mind-map, a house icon had suddenly appeared at the cliff's base. Perhaps there was an opportunity hidden in the valley below.
The demon beast drew nearer; its silhouette was now clear—its king, covered in blood. What had wounded it he could not say.
It charged them for vengeance. In their current state, escape was their only chance.
"If you don't jump, you'll be devoured. I'd rather be crushed than digested!" Wang Hao turned and leaped from the cliff.
Yanfeng stamped and followed!
During the fall, Wang Hao tried to use Body-Light and Pulling Technique to catch the cliff face, but it was smooth—no handholds. He panicked. After six years in this world, with all his techniques and resources, now he would die like this?
At the brink of despair, his Beast-Spirit Bag vibrated. The Golden-Eyed Duck sensed his turmoil and awakened.
Wang Hao's face lit up—he had raised that duck for this very moment. He couldn't fly himself, but Ya Ya's wings could carry him. Though the duck couldn't sustain long flights, it could certainly break their fall.
He released the duck. Ya Ya quacked excitedly, grew to ten meters in wingspan, beat its wings fiercely, and darted beneath Wang Hao, cushioning their descent.