Heaven Ape glared furiously at Fox King Cyril and shouted, "You filthy fox, how dare you launch a sneak attack on him! I'll split you in half right here today!"
In an instant, a black staff appeared in Heaven Ape's hand. Forged from Wujin and Seabed Profound Iron, the staff weighed nearly a thousand jin, but in Heaven Ape's grip, it felt as light as air.
"Heaven Ape, don't forget this is the territory of my Southern Beast King Hall. If you dare to cause trouble here, you'll never leave alive!" Bear King Bran strode up to Fox King Cyril and declared.
Evan glanced at the two in front of him and quietly asked Heaven Ape, "Old Ape, who exactly are these two? I can feel an overwhelming pressure from them—either one could kill me in an instant."
"Evan, those two are Bear King Bran of the Southern Beast King Hall and Fox King Cyril of the Northern Beast King Hall. Both are at the Second Layer of the Saint Martial Realm. You were lucky to dodge Fox King's sneak attack just now," Heaven Ape replied.
Evan's face turned pale. Two Saint Martial experts—just his luck. Suddenly, the humiliation and bitterness of being powerless surged up again: no matter how hard he fought, the gap between him and true monsters like these was still an abyss.
"Evan, in a moment I'll keep those two occupied. You get out of here fast—don't worry about me. For now, they can't do anything to me," said Heaven Ape.
Evan nodded. Against monsters like these, the only choice was to run. But could he really escape? Especially with Alex Xiao, the Violet Thunder Fox, at his side—he couldn't abandon her, not after all they'd been through.
Heaven Ape then addressed Bear King Bran and Fox King Cyril: "If you two are willing to let this boy go, my Western Beast King Hall will owe you a favor—we'll repay it someday. But if you insist on making things difficult for him, then it's a fight to the death today!"
Heaven Ape's tone had clearly softened—he couldn't afford to let his anger take over. For Evan's safety, he had to hold back his temper.
"Heaven Ape, your so-called favor isn't worth a damn to me. I don't care. Today, not only does that brat have to die here, but you're not leaving alive either! Once I kill you, your Western Beast King Hall will be ours." Bear King Bran boasted arrogantly.
Evan, you guys go now. I'll block them!" Heaven Ape shouted.
Without hesitation, Heaven Ape transformed into his true form—a gigantic ape appeared before everyone, clutching a black staff and radiating an awe-inspiring presence.
Evan called out to the Violet Thunder Fox, "Alex Xiao, get on me—hurry! We need to get out of here, fast."
The moment Alex Xiao heard Evan's voice, her body flashed with violet light. A small fox silhouette appeared before everyone and then vanished.
At the same instant, Evan shot off toward the Western Beast King Hall, moving so fast he covered several hundred meters in a blink.
"Stop him—now!" Bear King Bran roared when he saw Evan escaping.
Meanwhile, Fox King Cyril stared at Evan in shock—not because of Evan's speed, but because of the girl at his side. She was wreathed in violet light.
And that light revealed a fox's shadow. Others might not understand, but Fox King Cyril knew better than anyone what was happening—because he was a fox himself.
Fox King Cyril realized that the girl was a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox. Judging by her current power, she had at least four tails—a true member of the fox clan's purest bloodline. He had to bring her back to the clan: there were too few Nine-Tailed Spirit Foxes left, and even he didn't have ten tails. Some of the remaining ones weren't strong enough to break through.
But this Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox could already take human form at such a young age—her talent was extraordinary. She might really break through to the true nine-tail stage. Fox King Cyril knew his own limits; no matter how he tried, he'd never reach that realm.
If she reached nine tails, the entire monster beast race would bow to the fox clan—even the Four Great Saint Beasts would have to obey.
With that thought, Fox King Cyril immediately said to Bear King Bran, "Bear King, you keep Heaven Ape busy. I have something urgent to handle—this concerns the future of my fox clan."
With that, he darted after Evan, but Heaven Ape's massive body blocked his way. "If you want to chase him, you'll have to get past me first!"
Heaven Ape spun his Wujin staff, unleashing a flurry of staff shadows at Fox King Cyril. Cyril grew anxious—if Evan escaped, it would be even harder to bring the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox back to the clan.
Cyril quickly retreated, transforming into his true form—a snow-white fox the size of a small mountain, with seven long tails trailing behind him, each dozens of meters long.
Seeing Cyril revert to his true form, Bear King Bran did the same—a massive black grizzly appeared in midair, wielding a gigantic copper hammer weighing at least ten thousand jin.
"Fox King, I'll handle this guy. You go after that brat—we must get the Wood Spirit Pearl!" Bear King Bran thundered, his voice booming like a storm.
Cyril flashed away, heading off in pursuit, but Heaven Ape wasn't about to let him catch Evan. He quickly blocked Cyril's path, while Bear King Bran raised his copper hammer and smashed it toward Heaven Ape from behind.
If that hammer landed, even Heaven Ape's strength wouldn't save him from serious injury. He dodged the blow just in time.
If Fox King Cyril had attacked Heaven Ape in that moment, Ape wouldn't have been able to dodge. But Cyril let the chance slip—he rushed after Evan instead.
Seeing Cyril fly past, Heaven Ape was startled. He raised his staff and smashed it against Bear King Bran's copper hammer—a deafening crash echoed through the sky.
The massive clash of energy whipped up a tornado in midair, warping the space itself. The Millennial Tree Fiend's fallen leaves were swept up into the sky.
For a moment, the sky was filled with leaves—no one could see where anyone was. Meanwhile, the Millennial Tree Fiend had shrunk to a third of its original size, with only a few leaves left on its branches.
Bear King Bran was sent flying hundreds of meters by Heaven Ape's blow—though some of that was the force of recoil. Heaven Ape used the momentum to chase after Fox King Cyril.
Evan moved swiftly and nimbly, easily shaking off any monster beasts trying to intercept him.
He glanced back and saw the nearest pursuer was still hundreds of meters away. Evan finally let out a shaky breath—maybe, just maybe, he'd actually managed to escape this time. His heart hammered, hope and dread tangled together.
But just then, a furious roar echoed behind him: "Where do you think you're going, brat? Hand over that fox spirit beast!"
Evan's heart jumped. He looked back and saw a gigantic white fox chasing him. Heaven Ape's warning echoed in his mind—never let the Northern Beast King Hall master discover Alex Xiao's identity. But now she was exposed, and there was no way Cyril would ever let him keep Alex Xiao. Gritting his teeth, Evan steeled himself for another desperate gamble.