The human-shaped fire's ice-cold expression looked at the approaching ape, then flew in the air in a straight line with unprecedented speed, appearing in front of the beast in the blink of an eye.
An eerie blue fire punch was thrown out, connecting with its chest.
Howl!
The wrathful black ape growled in pain as it retreated three steps, two more than with Tian He's previous battle skill combination with a single punch!
The ape grunted from the strike, then swept the ground before it with its hand, threatening to smash its opponent with its palm.
Before it could reach him, Tian He jumped high in the air. The enormous strength from the ape's hand created a huge gash in the earth, sending grass and soil flying.
Following his sweep, the wrathful black ape formed a fist and punched in Tian He's direction, still in the air as the wind howled.
Swoosh!
Sparks of dark blue flames flashed under Tian He's feet as he narrowly evaded it, then flew at the beast's side and threw a torrent of fire through his flame-like hand.
The wrathful black ape growled wretchedly as nearly a third of its body was on fire. It threw itself on the ground and rolled multiple times before the intense flames receded, but the burning pain and the melting flesh of its arm remained.
On top of a small hill not too far away, a muscular young boy looked at the clash between Tian He and the beast with rapt attention.
"So this is what a battle at this level of power looks like...." Ye Mo was very interested.
He felt he could die just going a bit too close to the lair where the bout ensued.
Tian He's movements under this amplification battle skill looked like teleportation from his perspective, and the limbs of this heavy, monstrous ape seemed to vanish in a flash when it attacked.
Before going back to the city after slowly recovering from his injuries, Ye Mo went to the location where the ape emerged to pursue him.
Searching for the lair where it was resting, he was finally able to pinpoint its location after two hours. It wasn't that far from his position, and at least half of the time searching was due to Ye Mo being extremely careful to not get too close and anger the beast.
When Liu Guan Tao's defensive battle skill wore off, he decapitated him and used his demonic art on the body, leaving only the head displayed near the entrance of the jungle.
Liu Guan Tao wanted to bargain and save his life, unfortunaly, there was only one thing Ye Mo wanted and it required him to die and this elder to come look for him.
He dragged the corpses of Liu Guan Tao's other fallen comrades and used them to lead Tian He towards the ape's lair with the shortest route.
He placed a good distance between the corpses to lead him the furthest possible while still making sure they weren't too far from each other so there was no risk for Tian He to lose himself or take another path, spoiling his plan.
Ye Mo knew of the spiritual sense, so he couldn't get too close to him, and if he showed himself from the start, Tian He could easily catch him with his speed.
That's why he appeared on the pine tree only when they were already close to the lair and chose to use purposefully left traces he made previously to attract him to the wrathful black ape while he went into hiding.
Actually, even with this much preparation, a proper Foundation Establishment cultivator would still have been able to catch him when he showed up on the tree.
At this level, Foundation Establishment cultivators from sects and great clans from the central lands know several peak-tier Yellow class techniques and would already have started dabbling in Star Class battle skills and cultivation arts.
Most of them could catch up to him in a split second and take him into custody, kill him from the distance, or restrict his movements with a battle skill.
This plan could only work because the Liu clan was a small clan from a mid-sized city of the Mountain Breeze province.
They had many low and mid-tier Yellow class battle skills but no peak-tier at all, and the number of high-tier ones they had could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Using a mid or high-tier battle skill as a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator was the same as a battle-hardened warrior going to war with a small pocketknife; it couldn't exhibit their true strength.
Ye Mo used this weakness to assure himself he would not be caught before the elder faced the ape.
"Now the only thing I can hope for is for Tian He to have enough battle strength for them to kill each other."
Ye Mo didn't have any grand expectations towards Tian He. Blood beasts at a similar level to a cultivator were dangerous enough without talking about the gap between a rank 3 beast and a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator. He only wished Tian He could wound him enough before being killed for the ape to succumb to its injuries later.
"The wrathful black ape is very weakened currently, with enough battle strength from its opponent, it's possible for it to die. If not, I will have no choice but to risk it again and attract other elders." Ye Mo observed the battle with keen interest.
He was the kind to think long and hard before taking a decision, but once one was taken, he would see it through to the end. If he hadn't dirtied his hands and placed such efforts to realize his plan, he would be able to let it go easily, but now that he involved himself and took a risk, he had to make sure all this time and bloodshed was not wasted or it would be all in vain.
Yet, in his heart, he hoped he would not have to repeat the process up to this point. Ye Mo was not a fool and he knew one success didn't mean everything would proceed the same way again. The world was not fixed after all, people learned and adapted from situations, those who had been deceived would no longer be as trusting, and even if they did not understand what had happened, they would feel that something was wrong. Patterns, once invisible, might now begin to take shape in hindsight. Small details that went unnoticed before could draw attention the next time.
At the same time, new variables could appear and unforeseen circumstances could throw everything in disarray. He was aware that his chances to succeed would lower drastically the second time and if he failed, his life would be in danger.
The ape stood up furious, with a gleam of craftiness in its eyes. It used a backhand strike to attack, but Tian He avoided it once again using the propulsion of his flames to move away.
However, a powerful wind emerged following the backhand, and Tian He's flying abilities were disrupted.
Simultaneously, a giant palm covered the sky, enshrouding Tian He in darkness as it slammed his body on the ground in a thunderous sound.
A cloud of dust was raised and when it settled down, Ye Mo could see the ape's hand embedded on the ground, the earth filled with innumerable cracks.
The power was such that even a mountain boulder would be reduced to smithereens, much less Tian He.
Ye Mo was left disappointed and perplexed, "This ape is very smart, just Tian He alone wasn't enough. With their elder's death, the Liu clan might close this case and forget about this matter, fearful to throw themselves into a suicide mission and increase the death count when they are already in a pressing situation."
"At worst, I will have to reveal my identity, giving out my concealment ability, to draw them out. Their hatred for me should be such that they won't pass the chance to kill me no matter what."
Giving out this information was very detrimental for Ye Mo. Letting the Liu clan learn about his doings and Shadow Walk would give a lead, which would turn into many as it was bound to propagate among their members until even outsiders could know of this matter if they tried to investigate him.
However, Ye Mo had planned out his future carefully and for it to go as he wished, Shadow Walk had to remain hidden for as long as possible from as many people as possible.
No one but yourself should be trusted with a secret, and if it isn't the case, then it should be considered public knowledge.
Ye Mo needed to go to the cave of pure iridescent iron, but the ape blocked his way and was too dangerous. Although it was currently injured, what if it healed on the way back? What if it suddenly decided to attack nonetheless? Wild beasts were unpredictable after all.
That's why the best scenario for him was to kill the ape.
Yet, if he were successful in his endeavor, the benefits would outweigh the risks by far and would propel his cultivation by leaps and bounds.
For strength, what couldn't he sacrifice? If it were necessary, he would even hand over the Nine Revolutions Fiend Body technique without hesitation!
All these were only tools, cards to keep hidden or use up when the situation was the most beneficial. What was truly important was the finality, the process didn't matter.
As he was contemplating, Ye Mo's train of thoughts was cut off by the commotion in the distance.
In the gap between the wrathful black ape's fingers, four trails of flames flew off and converged above the hand, forming Tian He's mass of flame.
Without waiting, a ball of concentrated dark blue fire took shape on Tian He's hand and erupted out, engulfing the ape in flames.
Roar!!!
The beast cried out as it was sent frenetically rolling on the ground a second time.
In the air, Tian He's scarlet pupils looked at the beast with dominance while it put all its efforts into trying to extinguish the fire.
The Human Starfire battle skill was his ace, his very own trump card!
It was an exceptional amplification technique that would turn the user's body into a wild dark fire giving him boundless, untamed power once activated, but in return would eat at his life force.
Under this skill, the cultivator was like a shooting star, shining dazzingly for a short time before dying away.
Tian He wasn't originally from Azure Water City but came from a small village in another province. This village couldn't provide him with the resources needed to progress in his cultivation, so when he was a young peak Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, he left and roamed the central lands, going from regions to regions and taking a step into other provinces.
He sought lucky chances and encounters in the wild that would help him grow stronger throughout his journeys, which rarely came. Instead, he fell into dangerous situations and risked his life many times against the perils of the wilderness.
The greatest was precisely chancing upon this Human Starfire battle skill on the corpse of an unfortunate cultivator.
Nevertheless, the breath of death stimulated him, and with sufficient talent, he was able to breakthrough the barrier separating the Qi Gathering Realm from the Foundation Establishment and continue improving his cultivation.
Still, after decades he grew aged and tired, his old dream of becoming a self-made powerhouse who would leave the Blazing Sun Continent in awe turned into fading grey smoke as he progressively looked for peace and stability, contented with the post of an external elder.
He tried several clans in multiple cities before arriving at Azure Water City, but they all rejected him. Either his cultivation was insufficient or they didn't want an outsider in their ranks, but in fact many wanted him to hand over the Human Starfire technique which was out of the question.
Actually, when he came to Azure Water City, the Liu clan was far from his first choice, but in the end it was the only one that didn't require him to offer his battle skill.
Human Starfire was his life's work, his best achievement from a life spent outside vying for occasions to develop himself, how could he give it to anyone?
Moreover, this battle skill gave a seamless pressure to others, as he could still use it to get out of dire situations if it was ever required, making those having thoughts of harming him reluctant to put them in action.
However, if everyone could use it as well, what advantage would remain for him?
It was the only thing that kept the other elders and even Liu Hao at bay. The Liu clan barely had any high-tier battle skills, the view of a peak-tier Yellow Class battle skill was enough to drive them mad with greed.
However, they were also in dire need of Tian He's strength in the service of the clan, and even more so with their current situation. The threat of Tian He's retaliation with the Human Starfire battle skill if they tried to take it by force was the last straw to convince them it was not worth it, so eventually, they behaved.
It was simply a life-saving skill to use as a last resort when nothing else worked.
The explosive surge in strength Tian He experienced was exhilarating and made him confident he could fight even a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator right now, but at the same time, he gradually felt a sense of weakness, like he was a frail old man maneuvering an invincible killing machine.
He knew it was probably due to his lifespan continually reducing at an alarming rate, but he had no way to see the changes with his body covered in blue-golden flames.
He seldom used this battle skill in the past, and it ended with the enemy being killed in a flash, so the reduction of his life force was negligible. Never before did he deploy its strength so extensively.
Tian He was about to attack once again when the ape looked at him under the flames and quickly reacted, ignoring the pain. Spreading his arms wide, he clapped his hands together in one swift movement, blasting the air and sending his opponent uncontrollably flying away.
When Tian He was able to stop himself and charge back, the ape had just finished putting the flames away.
Its appearance was gruesome, but its vitality was extraordinary and although its imposing aura clearly diminished, it was still ready to fight. Unfortunately, the blood loss from the cutting injury the beast originally had was cut short as Tian He's fire cauterized its wounds.
The wrathful black ape roared furiously, the cry resounding in the jungle.
The remaining fur he had on his body was all stiff and upraised, showing its murderous mood.
In the distance, Ye Mo could feel this battle was coming to an end.