BOOM!
Sage Monarch's trunk smashed downward like a divine pillar. Jin Huang crossed both arms overhead-
CRACK!
The ground beneath him exploded apart and his legs sank knee-deep into the earth. Before he could recover, Behemoth barreled in from the side.
The enormous hippo-man moved with horrifying speed, a shoulder slam striking Jin Huang square in the ribs.
The impact launched him away from the river bank, crashing through trees before he skidded across the fractured battlefield.
"JIN HUANG!" Qin Shuyue cried out from behind Cho Yanshi, who was utilizing Shen Wuyou's runes to silently aid the others.
Dust exploded outward, then a golden figure shot back out of the debris like a cannonball.
Jin Huang twisted midair, cried out and drove a punch straight into Behemoth's jaw.
BOOOOM!
The Immortal Hippo staggered backward several steps, visibly stunned.
Sage Monarch immediately capitalized, and a gigantic foot descended from above.
Jin Huang rolled aside at the last instant as the stomp pulverized the ground into a crater.
The two immortal beasts did not give him even a second to breathe. One relied on overwhelming force, the other on terrifying momentum.
Despite having lost their internal energy, both were still immortal cultivators whose physiques had been tempered over countless years.
Jin Huang laughed wildly through it all, as though he did not notice the blood dripping from his split knuckles.
His golden aura surged hotter, and the hair tie that had been holding up his yellow hair snapped, allowing his hair to open up and fall to his shoulders.
Evidently, this was the kind of battle he enjoyed. Craved, even.
Sage Monarch swung both tusks toward him like hooked blades. Jin Huang grabbed one tusk with both hands, his veins bulging along his arms.
The two monsters strained against one another, feet carving trenches through the earth. Then Behemoth arrived from behind.
He was entirely too fast and heavy.
Jin Huang barely turned before the immortal hippo's fist crashed into his spine.
BAAAANG!
Pain erupted through his body. A mouthful of blood sprayed from Jin Huang's lips as he was driven directly into Sage Monarch.
The mammoth beast seized the opportunity instantly, a massive hand wrapping around Jin Huang's throat.
"Supreme Immortal Body," Sage Monarch rumbled, eyes glowing with savage delight despite the absence of divine energy. "You are strong... but you are still not enough."
His trunk coiled around Jin Huang's torso, then both immortal beasts pulled in opposite directions, aiming to render him completely immobilized.
Muscles bulged and bones creaked. Even Jin Huang's monstrous physique groaned under the pressure.
Far away, Lu Chen finally buried the tip of his spear into the neck of an immortal, whose face was still frozen in disbelief.
Thus, the immortal bear collapsed.
Breathing heavily, Lu Chen looked toward Jin Huang and his expression immediately changed. "Shisan!"
Hei Shisan had just finished smashing the pommel of his sword into another immortal's temple. "What!?"
"Huang needs our help!"
Hei Shisan looked over as he caught his breath, sucking his teeth when he saw Jin Huang's predicament. "These motherfuckers..."
Even from a distance, the clash looked apocalyptic.
The two immortal beasts fighting Jin Huang were in an entirely different league from the others.
Without hesitation, the two sprinted toward Jin Huang.
Meanwhile, Jin Huang roared as golden veins erupted across his body. The runic mark on his forehead got brighter and less opaque by a small margin.
BOOM!
A violent shockwave exploded outward from him. Sage Monarch's grip loosened for the briefest instant.
That was more than enough.
Jin Huang slammed his forehead directly into the mammoth beast's much larger face.
CRACK!
Sage Monarch stumbled backward, a tusk splintering.
Jin Huang tore free from the trunk binding him, only for Behemoth to immediately grab both his arms from behind.
The Immortal Hippo locked him in place with brute strength alone.
"NOW!" Behemoth roared.
Sage Monarch charged, lowering his head like a charging mountain. Jin Huang's pupils contracted.
At that exact moment, a spear flashed across the battlefield.
SHING!
One of Sage Monarch's eyes exploded with blood. The mammoth beast bellowed in agony and veered sideways.
Lu Chen landed nearby, his spear trembling as it returned to his grip. "Hah... that was close..."
A blur darted beneath Behemoth's legs. Hei Shisan, grinning viciously.
"Nice set of balls you've got there, hippo!"
Before Behemoth understood what was happening, Hei Shisan kicked upward with all his strength. The Immortal Hippo's eyes bulged.
"...!!!"
His grip on Jin Huang withered instantly. Jin Huang spun around the moment he was free and buried his fist deep into Behemoth's stomach.
The giant hippo-man folded around the blow before hurtling across the battlefield like a launched boulder.
Hei Shisan winced. "Damn, that looked painful."
"Compared to what you just did?" Lu Chen scoffed.
Agreeing, Jin Huang subconsciously massaged his own special place.
Sage Monarch ripped the ruined remains of his eye free with a snarl. "You insects!"
The mammoth beast charged again. This time, Lu Chen met him head-on with the shaft of his spear.
Tusk collided against steel.
Lu Chen was instantly blown backward, feet tearing through the earth.
Too strong!
Even without divine energy, Sage Monarch's raw physique was absurd.
The immortal mammoth swung his trunk sideways, but Lu Chen managed to narrowly duck under it.
Only for Sage Monarch's knee to smash into him.
"GUH!" Lu Chen coughed blood as he was blasted away.
"LU CHEN!" Hei Shisan shouted, running after him.
Sage Monarch prepared to run after him as well, then froze. A hand had caught his ankle.
Golden energy burned violently.
Jin Huang, bloodied from head to toe, looked over at Sage Monarch as he held him in place. His grin had become feral.
"You forgot about me."
Sage Monarch gasped, his one eye widened as the next empty socket gaped.
Jin Huang grimaced and twisted violently. "Ugh! Don't do that!"
The enormous mammoth beast lost balance for a fraction of a second. That fraction was fatal, causing Sage Monarch to lose his balance.
The next instant, Jin Huang's fist smashed directly into Sage Monarch's ribs.
CRAAAAACK!
The sound of shattering bone echoed across the battlefield.
Sage Monarch vomited blood.
This time, before he could recover-
Another punch came, and another after that. Jin Huang unleashed a brutal storm of blows that shook the land itself.
Behemoth roared and tried to intervene, but Hei Shisan returned at just the right moment to leap onto his back like a rabid animal.
"NOPE!"
He even went so far as to jam dirt directly into the immortal hippo's eyes.
Behemoth howled in fury, blindly reaching backward while stumbling wildly.
Lu Chen had forced himself upright again, after urging Hei Shisan to leave him. He breathed raggedly for a moment, then he charged once more.
Both him and Hei Shisan pummeled Behemoth, while Jin Huang was yet to let up.
Sage Monarch was suddenly helpless; Jin Huang laughed maniacally.
"You're strong, Magic Elephant! But you're still not enough!"
A barrage of earth-shaking punches followed.
"Go train for a few thousand years. Maybe then you'll be a match for me!"
Devastating attacks to the immortal mammoths face caused it to be disfigured, his other tusk cracking.
"Maybe if you kowtow and call me Daddy, I'll let you off with a warning."
Jin Huang paused his attacks; the light of hope finally shone in Sage Monarch's one eye.
"Just kidding!"
The onslaught continued. In between the explosive sound of Jin Huang's attacks, it was possible to hear Sage Monarch weeping.
It was not long before both Behemoth and Sage Monarch were beaten senseless.
....
Jin Huang sat atop Sage Monarch, striking a pose as Hei Shisan, Qin Shuyue and Shen Wuyou laughed along with him.
Lu Chen put his spear away, and was checking the bodies alongside Cho Yanshi.
Han Jianyu was fast asleep on a comfy bed of bodies. Hei Shisan had gathered them up and placed him and his broken sword there.
"Feels wrong to kill them when they're like this," Jin Huang sighed.
"We could cut off their balls and send them back to wherever they came from," Hei Shisan gave an evil look.
Jin Huang gave him a peculiar look. "What is it with you and balls, Shisan?"
"You said what?" Hei Shisan asked, looking clueless.
"I think we should interrogate them. Find out more about the hunt," Qin Shuyue said. "If we know what they know, we might be able to evade their search for a while longer."
Jin Huang and the others seemed to be seriously considering it.
Jin Huang suddenly had an idea. "Orrr..."
Later, somewhere in the forests of Albion, scents of hippo stew and barbecued mammoth filled the air.
They had made camp, and the youngsters were reminiscing on the battle.
"I rolled the dice on the fly, and tossed a pebble into a tree. It hit another tree, then another, then struck a nest of these strange wasps that started stinging the immortal. It was a sight to see." Shen Wuyou shook his head, pleased with himself.
"I skinned a snake," Hei Shisan said. "It was sad."
Qin Shuyue smiled weakly, and sighed. Jin Huang noticed, but didn't address it.
Han Jianyu was still soundly asleep near the fire.
Lu Chen and Cho Yanshi exchanged a look, then Lu Chen cleared his throat.
"You guys. We need to talk."