The bamboo spear struck true, its momentum unrelenting. As the elk wavered, the rotational force Chen Xu imparted carried through its neck, driving the weapon straight through. In an instant, the spear buried itself deep into the yellow sand, the haft vanishing entirely.
The impact pinned the creature to the beach with merciless precision. The wound widened violently under the sheer force of Chen Xu's strike, tearing a gaping hole through the unfortunate elk's throat. The animal thrashed against the bamboo as blood gushed forth, its strength fading with each convulsion, until it gradually fell silent, life ebbing away.
With one elk secured, Chen Xu refrained from further action. The herd moved too swiftly; any distant strike risked error. Moreover, amidst the chaos, his five companions—the apes—had already claimed two intact prey. Any additional intervention might merely benefit others at the expense of their hard-won gains.
Chen Xu's judgment proved accurate. As the elk lay in a growing pool of blood, a pack of hyenas that had failed to claim prey circled closer, baring their teeth in a silent challenge. Had Chen Xu not pinned the elk with brutal efficiency, they might have struck at him already.
"Fools. Did you think I was waiting for nothing?" His eyes gleamed with cold amusement. Without hesitation, he transferred the bamboo spear from his left to his right hand, channeling his inner qi fully, enhancing both power and precision. Like a barrage of arrows, he sent the pack's challengers crashing into the sand.
In mere moments, all ten bamboo spears he carried were launched, striking every target within a few meters. The first spear had slain the elk; the remaining nine found their marks with unerring accuracy. Six hyenas fell in total—some pierced by a single spear, others requiring a follow-up strike.
In the briefest span, nearly a third of the pack lay dead, robust beasts felled instantly. The chaotic hunting ground fell silent, the carnivores and herbivores alike instinctively avoiding Chen Xu's position. His simple yet devastating demonstration made clear: this was no ordinary opponent.
The remaining hyenas dared not enter a five-meter radius around him, yet they prowled at the edges, teeth bared, restless. Chen Xu's lips curved into a grim, inhuman smile. With a backward gesture, he called for the five bamboo spears held by the third ape, reclaiming them with a deft sweep.
Eyes narrowing on the nearest bristling hyena, he sprang into motion. Channeling the Eagle Soaring Technique, his body coiled and released like a tightly wound spring. In one bound, he closed the distance. The hyena's terrified gaze met his as Chen Xu swung his arm, hurling all five spears with lethal force.
The hyena, likely the pack leader, had barely a chance to evade. The bamboo missiles tore through it like a swarm of wasps, pinning it to the ground in a single devastating assault, not even a whimper escaping its jaws.
Flowing inner qi, Chen Xu spun midair like a great bird, passing over the fallen hyenas. He removed two spears from one corpse, tossing them to nearby targets, dispatching threats with precise, graceful efficiency. With one hand gripping the pack leader—its weight well over a hundred pounds—and the other clutching two spears, Chen Xu stood amidst the remaining twenty hyenas, a solitary figure of unstoppable force.
Even the five normal sabertooths hunting nearby paused, their attention caught by the sheer audacity and power of this being. The crimson blood of the hyena's leader dripped from his hands, an unmistakable testament to the lethality he wielded. One by one, the remaining hyenas grudgingly acknowledged their inferiority, retreating to join their pack in pursuit of distant prey.
With the immediate threat neutralized, Chen Xu and the apes gathered the spoils: seven hyenas and one elk, along with the gazelle previously sent by the tyrant sabertooth. He hefted the elk and gazelle with ease, leading the hunting party back into the forest. Following the trail, they found another ten hidden apes.
Using the Eagle Soaring Technique, Chen Xu leapt to a smooth, sturdy tree, placing the carcasses safely on its branches, temporarily concealed. Then, he instructed the female apes to retrieve the bird eggs they had stolen earlier.