27. Slaying the Ape-like Monster

"How... how is this possible?"

Wu Jingxing stood dumbfounded, his expression frozen. He had always regarded his scythe as a supreme artifact, believing it to be no less formidable than the one held by the Grim Reaper himself. Yet, after a single, simple clash, it had been cleaved in two.

He could not bring himself to believe that his scythe was inferior to the Pure Yang Sword, but the reality was undeniable; he had no choice but to accept it.

"Swish!"

Taking advantage of Wu Jingxing's stunned state, Lin Fan lunged forward with his sword. Having survived so many grueling battles, he wielded the Pure Yang Sword with fluid ease. Once in close quarters, he struck, severing Wu Jingxing's life force with a single blow.

With that, only Huang Dongshan and Yang Muyu remained from Laboratory 701.

"Hahaha! Good, very good!" Huang Dongshan laughed instead of getting angry. "As expected of the Pure Yang Sword—to possess such immense power! Lin Fan, you have truly given me a magnificent gift."

Huang Dongshan did not care about Wu Jingxing's fate, not even sparing him a glance, as if he were nothing more than a stranger. He signaled to Yang Muyu, who understood immediately and produced a belt of peculiar design. Its leather was pitch-black and lustrous, emitting a faint, eerie glow, and it was carved with strange, twisting, and winding symbols.

"Another special weapon?"

Lin Fan was taken aback. From the spiked club to the scythe, and now this belt—Laboratory 701 seemed to have emptied the entire Ghost Ship of the Underworld. They had only been inside for ten days, yet Laboratory 701 had equipped themselves with so many artifacts. It was as if they had known all along that they would end up here.

"Roar!"

Yang Muyu slashed his own finger and bathed the black-patterned belt in his blood. Activated by the sacrifice, the belt erupted with a dazzling light. Suddenly, Yang Muyu’s clothes burst apart as his body surged to a height of thirty feet—standing twice as tall as an ordinary man. His broad shoulders resembled small hills, muscles bulging beneath coarse fur. His limbs were thick and powerful, his arms hanging down until they almost touched the ground.

He let out a deafening roar; at this moment, he looked more like a mutated, ape-like monstrosity.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Yang Muyu beat his chest with his arms, the sound echoing like a giant drum. With every step he took, the underground palace shook violently.

"Is this a mutated ape?"

Lin Fan was shocked. Looking at this behemoth, a sense of crisis surged within him. Seeing a man transform into an ape was a first for him. It had to be related to the black-patterned belt, which triggered a bestial transformation in the human body.

There was no time to ponder how Yang Muyu had changed. In a flash, the creature was upon him, raising a palm the size of a winnowing fan and pressing it down toward his head.

"Boom!"

A massive sense of danger washed over him. Yang Muyu was more than ten times stronger than Wu Jingxing. Lin Fan swung his spiked club, but with a *crack*, the weapon was easily crushed by Yang Muyu like a toy.

The earth trembled; the walls, unable to bear the strain, collapsed instantly.

Lin Fan was struck by Yang Muyu’s palm. With a loud thud, his entire body was swatted away by the immense force, leaving a basin-sized crater in the ground where he had been pressed.

The spiked club had been crushed? That strength was at least two thousand catties.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Yang Muyu strode toward him again. Lin Fan channeled his internal energy, his body dodging the attacks with the agility of a serpent.

"Stop dodging, Lin Fan. It will crush your body with ease," Huang Dongshan said, arms crossed, eyes gleaming with a smile.

He had given the black-patterned belt to Yang Muyu. However, there was a side effect: once transformed into an ape-like monster, one could never turn back, and human intelligence would slowly regress into that of a beast. This was why Huang Dongshan hadn't used it himself—he did not want to become a monster unless absolutely necessary.

Suddenly, Yang Muyu’s eyes turned blood-red, like those of a frenzied wild beast. *Boom, boom, boom!* The creature became a massive machine of destruction; walls, iron pillars, and the palace itself collapsed and shattered the moment his hands touched them.

Lin Fan cursed, "You people are truly insane! He will turn into a monster completely!"

"As long as I can kill you, it doesn't matter if I'm the only one left on the Ghost Ship of the Underworld!" Huang Dongshan waved his hand, keeping his distance, fearing that Yang Muyu might harm him.

Fortunately, Yang Muyu’s target had been Lin Fan from the very beginning.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Lin Fan used the Pure Yang Sword to strike every part of Yang Muyu—arms, thighs, underarms, chest... there were no weaknesses. Yang Muyu’s fur was as hard as armor; whenever the sword struck, sparks flew, and the vibrations left Lin Fan’s wrists throbbing with pain.

"Bang!"

Yang Muyu’s eyes grew even redder. Having completely lost his sanity, he swiped a claw at Lin Fan. The violent impact sent Lin Fan flying; he felt as if he had been hit by a truck. His chest caved in, God knows how many bones were broken, and his front was soaked in blood.

Was he injured?

This blow was heavier, bordering on a fatal, near-death state. Lin Fan slammed into the ship’s wall, his heart sinking. At that moment, the ape-like monster approached, its gaze growing increasingly ferocious.

"I underestimated the people of Laboratory 701."

Just as Lin Fan thought about fleeing, a sudden wave of weakness washed over him, as if something were draining his strength. He looked down and was startled by the unexpected change.

The Pure Yang Sword was madly absorbing his blood. As the crimson liquid flowed into the blade, the sword grew scalding hot. It was as if the Pure Yang Sword had received a sacrifice; it emitted a blinding light as intense as the midday sun, enveloping the blade. Gripping the sword, Lin Fan felt a powerful force within it, ready to erupt.

"Swish!"

Lin Fan swung the sword instinctively. The blade-light flashed like lightning, instantly slicing into Yang Muyu. It easily parted the golden, armor-like fur. The ape-like body suddenly froze in place, as if time had stopped. *Thud!* Yang Muyu was cleaved in two from his right shoulder to his left abdomen, his tower-like frame crashing to the ground.

Internal organs and blood spilled everywhere.

In his final moments, Yang Muyu struggled in defiance, but suddenly a black light swallowed his body, leaving only the black-patterned belt behind.

He was dead!

Yang Muyu had been killed by a single strike from Lin Fan!

How was this possible? Just moments ago, Yang Muyu had held the upper hand, forcing Lin Fan into retreat, making him consider flight.

Huang Dongshan stood frozen, his expression one of utter disbelief. He forgot to breathe, forgot to think, and a chill surged straight to his brain. The undeniable fact lay before him.

It was no longer a matter of whether he believed it or not.

"Roar!"

Just then, a furious roar erupted from behind Huang Dongshan. The terrifying sound waves brought him back to reality. It was Tu Lixian. The Golden Crow blood he had consumed had taken effect; his body had grown to several dozen meters in height, covered in dense, fish-like scales. With a slight movement, the chains binding him shattered instantly. He looked at Huang Dongshan with cold, towering indifference.

A sense of despair, dark and invasive, seeped into Huang Dongshan's consciousness. His face twitched; gone was his high-spirited demeanor, gone was his calm composure. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move, trembling uncontrollably in terror.

"Another mutated monster!"

Lin Fan hurried toward the eighth level. As for Huang Dongshan, he couldn't care less; the man was courting his own destruction. If he hadn't fed the Golden Crow blood to Tu Lixian, would he have ended up like this?

"Whoosh!"

Lin Fan fled toward the outside at full speed. Killing Yang Muyu with that last strike had completely exhausted him.

"No! Don't kill me! Tu Lixian, wake up!" Huang Dongshan, desperate to survive, tried to awaken Tu Lixian’s consciousness. However, all he received in return was biting, crushing, and the slow, agonizing torture of a monster.

Before turning into a monster, the person Tu Lixian hated most was Huang Dongshan. Now, as a monster, his only purpose was to torture Huang Dongshan to death.