Seeing a dozen more strong Fire Apes charging at him, all at the second-tier level, Tang Yan's battle spirit was fully ignited!

"Good, come at me!" Tang Yan chuckled, his swirling dantian rapidly circulating, providing a steady flow of true qi.

"Bang, bang, bang!" The Fire Apes rushed at him one after another.

Fire Apes possessed immense strength and thick, tough hides, so Tang Yan couldn’t afford to hold back like he did in his battle with the giant wolves. He had to give his all with each strike to actually harm them. Their bodies were extremely agile, and in battle, they constantly adjusted their positions. Sometimes, they even feigned attacks, their moves deceptive and crafty.

Moreover, the Fire Apes attacked quickly, and with over ten of them attacking at once, it was a net of attacks that made it hard for Tang Yan to catch a breath.

Every move had to be executed flawlessly and smoothly. One slip-up, and he could get hit.

In this intense battle, Tang Yan's stamina rapidly depleted. After just half an hour, he had used up 70% of his energy.

"Bang, bang!" Finally, Tang Yan's stamina faltered, and the battle began to weaken. Compared to these naturally powerful Fire Apes, Tang Yan was at a disadvantage.

Due to his lack of energy, one of his moves failed to connect properly, and he took two powerful blows, sending his body flying.

As Tang Yan flew through the air, he felt a chill run down his spine and saw a Fire Ape already waiting for him.

His heart skipped a beat. With his true qi nearly drained, if he took another punch, escaping would be nearly impossible.

He couldn’t afford to fall into the hands of these Fire Apes!

Tang Yan desperately pulled from his dantian, forcing out what little true qi was left. But despite his efforts, he only managed to summon 20% of his qi.

Seeing the taunting glint in the Fire Ape's eyes, Tang Yan made a bold decision. He summoned a faint blue flame that suddenly appeared in front of his fist.

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The air around the flame warped, creating a strange and eerie atmosphere.

The Fire Ape, about to land a fatal blow, paused in its tracks, its eyes flashing with fear.

That split second of hesitation allowed Tang Yan to take a deep breath, twisting his body mid-air so that his stomach faced downward. His toes barely touched the ground before he propelled himself out, slipping through the Fire Ape’s armpit.

After breaking through the Fire Ape's encirclement, Tang Yan wasted no time, activating his Shadowstep and rapidly fleeing.

"Howl!" Seeing Tang Yan escape, the Fire Apes chased after him. After a few minutes, Tang Yan had disappeared from their sight.

“That was close!” Tang Yan, already exhausted, slumped to the ground and gasped for breath.

If he hadn’t thought of exploiting the Fire Ape's natural fear of fire, his life might have been over in that mountain.

What he didn’t know was that while the Fire Apes, being fire-elemental beasts, weren’t afraid of fire itself, they had an innate sensitivity to the terrifying aura hidden within that small flame.

The Heavenly Fire consumed vast amounts of true qi, and Tang Yan’s dantian was already drained. Fortunately, he had managed to escape.

Finding a safe and secluded spot, Tang Yan took some medicinal pills and began meditating to recover.

Once his strength was restored, Tang Yan replayed the battle in his mind, analyzing his mistakes, his predictions of the Fire Apes' attacks, and why he had failed to dodge the two punches.

After working through all the issues, Tang Yan grinned, moving through the mountains like a shadow. Soon, he reached the Fire Ape’s territory again.

“Howl!” A Fire Ape immediately recognized him and issued a warning cry.

The Fire Apes, who recognized Tang Yan as the troublemaker, immediately charged toward him.

"Bang, bang, bang!" Tang Yan quickly engaged in battle with the Fire Ape group.

After two hours of fighting, Tang Yan took another punch, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Realizing that he might have reached his limit, he unleashed the fifth punch of the Thousand Mountains Fist.

"Bang!" A violent shockwave erupted, and a Fire Ape was knocked back, sitting on the ground with a pale face, likely injured.

After pushing back his obstacles, Tang Yan did not linger, using his Shadowstep to dart away from the Fire Ape peak.

He found another safe place and once again took healing pills to restore his strength.

With the help of the healing pills, Tang Yan’s injuries soon healed, and he resumed analyzing the battle, finding more areas for improvement.

After finishing his analysis, and now fully recovered, Tang Yan, regardless of the late hour, moved swiftly through the mountains and returned to the Fire Ape peak.

“Howl!” As always, the Fire Apes spotted him immediately. This time, however, they stood in an orderly fashion at a high point, as if waiting for him.

Sensing something strange, Tang Yan scanned the Fire Ape group.

Soon, he noticed an even larger Fire Ape standing at the back of the group, quietly observing him from a distance.