Chapter 21: Breaking Through to the Seventh Level

Yang Qi fought the white ape, facing the water mountain. He summoned his qi, unleashing a fierce attack, and struck the water mountain with one palm. The impact was so powerful that it sounded like a roaring waterfall.

The water mountain crumbled.

It transformed into a vast net that enveloped everything.

Strands of lethal water ropes entangled Yang Qi's limbs. The white ape's control over the water had reached a level of perfection, truly divine and beyond comprehension.

The lethal water ropes had jagged edges that sawed fiercely as they entangled.

Any protective qi would be cut by these water ropes.

Rope saws through wood, and water drips through stone.

"Divine Elephant Suppresses Hell, thousands of mountains and rivers, all demons and monsters, submit..."

Yang Qi was trapped in the surging water, facing cuts and sawing from all directions. His protective true qi was at risk of being dispersed. He couldn't see where the white ape was, only the violent water squeezing and cutting.

Fortunately, it was him. If it were anyone else, they would have been shattered to pieces.

Of course, the white ape hadn't used its full strength. It wanted to capture him and force him to reveal his cultivation techniques, not kill him in one blow.

In the midst of extreme danger, Yang Qi entered a deeper state of mind. The essence of the thunderous elephant in his body moved faster, replenishing the consumed true qi. The tiny particles in his body, influenced by the Divine Elephant Suppresses Hell technique, began to show signs of awakening.

Outside, the white ape continuously pressured him with its qi. Seeing that Yang Qi, instead of being exhausted, became more energetic, it was puzzled. This was something it had never encountered before. A sixth-level "Soldier Qi" cultivator dared to contend with an eighth-level "Transforming Qi" peak demon beast.

Just as it was about to increase its strength to completely wear down Yang Qi's true qi, Yang Qi, trapped in the water, suddenly burst with a shocking aura.

Under intense pressure, the thunderous elephant in Yang Qi's body melted further, awakening the fifth particle in his body, endowing him with the power of five ancient elephants.

At this moment, his limbs and neck seemed to awaken like ancient elephants, struggling fiercely. Large masses of qi exploded from his body, each as big as a water vat, bursting in succession, shaking the heavens and earth, and shattering the water ropes that entangled him into pieces.

In Yang Qi's body, due to the overwhelming true qi, the meridians began to crystallize. The qi-like true qi gradually "vaporized" into a liquid-like state, each inch of true qi becoming thick and dense, flowing in the qi sea, more refined than before by at least ten times.

Even if Yang Qi closed his eyes and looked inward, he could see the true qi liquid in the qi sea transforming into dragons, tigers, cranes, and elephants... These forms appeared and disappeared.

A powerful force rose from his limbs and bones, and in this critical moment, he broke through to the seventh level of qi, the "Elephant Qi" stage.

From the sixth level "Soldier Qi" to the seventh level "Elephant Qi," the true qi undergoes a qualitative change. The most significant feature is "liquefaction." The true qi that originally flowed in the body turns into a liquid, with a quality much higher than before, and its power also increases.

At this critical point, ordinary experts often linger for two to three decades, and some never achieve it in their lifetime.

Once this barrier is broken, it marks a new realm of qi cultivation. In the Fertile Continent, any noble family would highly respect a seventh-level "Elephant Qi" expert.

Levitation, gathering qi into form, flying over perilous terrain... These abilities can only be achieved at the seventh level "Elephant Qi."

Now, under the white ape's fierce pressure, Yang Qi finally broke through to the long-desired realm.

Once he broke through, his true qi surged tenfold. A single strike caused the air to explode like a chain of cannon fire. With a leap, he broke through the encirclement, jumping into the air. His true qi circulated, defying gravity and not descending.

Swish!

A pair of large wings appeared on his back.

These wings were entirely formed of true qi, black and profound, like the deepest darkness in the universe. On the dark wings, threads of runes and the forms of demons flowed. As the wings spread, a demonic aura enveloped the area, creating a hundred-step radius of dense black fog, as if bringing hell to the mortal world.

These wings were evil yet vast, black and mysterious, far more powerful than any "White Crane Wings" or "Great Peng Wings." Even the "Great Peng Wings" qi technique that appeared behind the white ape began to dissipate under the pressure of the demonic wings.

The demonic wings shimmered, and Yang Qi stood in the air, floating like a demon god, coldly staring at the white ape, as if trying to see through it completely.

Roar!

Although the white ape was surprised, it was also enraged. Seeing Yang Qi's improved cultivation, it was delighted rather than alarmed. It roared and grabbed with its hand, forming a massive flood into a huge club, like a tree, and struck down.

"Medusa Spear!"

Yang Qi didn't dodge. He grabbed, and a long spear appeared in his hand, several times larger than before, with dark qi rolling off it. He thrust it into the air, and immediately, ghostly cries and divine wails filled the air. The flood of the waterfall paled in comparison, and dark qi shot out from the spear, forming a figure in a black robe, the ruler of the underworld, the Medusa.

The Medusa Spear aimed at the flood club. Before they even touched, the flood club seemed unable to withstand the oppressive will and began to crack, shattering directly.

"Medusa Strike!"

Yang Qi didn't relax. His demonic wings flashed, and he held the Medusa Spear, striking the white ape's chest from the air.

The white ape roared again, and the flood condensed into water walls in front of it, attempting to neutralize the spear strike. But this time, it was ineffective. The Medusa Spear pierced through the water walls and reached its body.

Thud.

The white ape's body was struck by the spear, its white fur disheveled, and blood spurted. The will of the Medusa underworld deeply penetrated its soul.

Roar, roar, roar... The white ape never expected that the fish in its net would turn the tables and injure it. It roared in anger, using a set of movements to dodge the spear attack, and then, piercing through the waterfall, it disappeared without a trace.

"Hmm?"

Yang Qi was also surprised because he saw a deep, dark cave opening behind the waterfall, a natural wonder, a "Water Curtain Cave."

This giant ape was no ordinary creature, with deep qi cultivation and a lair, reaching the "Thousand Li Soul Lock" realm. If not eliminated, it would seek revenge, destroying the Yang family.

The white ape was a demon beast about to break through to the ninth-level qi master. Once it did, it would be terrifying.

Moreover, the white ape had initiated the attack, and in this battle, it was injured by Yang Qi. The deep hatred in its eyes promised a terrifying revenge.

For both reason and emotion, Yang Qi had to risk entering the lair to kill the white ape and eliminate the threat.

The white ape's intelligence was even deeper than a human's. It would not let go of such a defeat and humiliation.

"Medusa Protection!"

He circulated the Divine Elephant Suppresses Hell technique, and eggshell-shaped qi covered his entire body, airtight and watertight. This protective qi shield flowed like a vortex, like a steel ball spinning at high speed. A slight movement caused intense qi explosions.

This protection not only neutralized attacks but could also reflect them.

The strongest protection.

In comparison, the Golden Bell Cover technique was as weak as paper, easily punctured.

With a fish leaping through the waves, Yang Qi also rushed into the depths of the waterfall, entering the "Water Curtain Cave."

Thud!

His feet touched solid ground, the floor hard and smooth rock. The cave was enormous, five to six meters high, no wonder the white ape could enter. The further inside, the wider it became, seemingly deep into the mountain, forming a palace within the mountain.

On the stone walls, there were carvings of apes leaping, some practicing sword techniques, some practicing staff techniques, some sitting in meditation, and meridian diagrams glowing, representing various martial arts of the ape clan.

On the ground, there were faint bloodstains, marking the white ape's escape route.

Now, with his high cultivation at the seventh-level "Elephant Qi" and the demonic wings and Medusa Protection, Yang Qi, containing the power of five ancient elephants, had the upper hand. He followed the bloodstains, delving deeper.

Soon, the scene brightened, and he saw a spacious stone chamber. The white ape stood inside, holding a massive golden club, wide and thick, weighing who knows how many pounds, with intricate carvings.

The stone chamber could hold a thousand people, filled with stone bookshelves, books of various materials—paper, parchment, metal inscriptions, and bamboo slips, all ancient and elegant. There were also weapon racks with various weapons—swords, spears, axes, and hooks.

More surprisingly, in the southern part of the chamber, at the fire position, there was a large alchemy furnace.

It seemed the white ape used it for alchemy.

Moreover, not far from the alchemy furnace, there was an ancient zither, adding a refined touch to the lair, making it seem more like a hermit's retreat than a dirty demon beast's den.

At this moment, the white ape stood in the center of the lair, its injuries healed, bloodstains gone, as if it had never been hurt. It was full of energy, true qi abundant, eyes filled with ferocity, and it spoke in a human voice: "Boy, you are good! To actually chase me in here, this time you have no way to escape."

The white ape spoke in a human voice.

"Of course, I could leave now," Yang Qi said calmly, a faint smile on his face. "But are you sure you won't seek revenge?"

"Boy, I have never been forced to this extent by a human. I will destroy your entire family and eat your kin to wash away this humiliation," the white ape roared in anger.