Chapter 88: The Rampaging Ape King, Full Retreat

The expressions of the group changed dramatically.

Dou Wenle frowned and asked in a low voice, "Hua Piaowu, didn't you say this guy would never leave his territory easily?"

Hua Piaowu was also startled. She stared blankly and replied, "I'm sure of it—my mother’s information can’t be wrong!"

"How could this happen? Why is he here?" Wang Mo gripped his twin blades, his voice grave. "Well, now that he's here, it's just as well."

"Hua Piaowu, try to lure him toward Xu Han!"

Hua Piaowu nodded. With a graceful wave of her hand, two spirit puppets, each wielding a longsword, charged at the Titan Ape King from either side.

"Roar!"

The Titan Ape King slammed his fist into one of the puppets.

Boom!

Just one blow, and the puppet was driven deep into the earth, reduced to a bloody pulp.

"Ugh…" Hua Piaowu spat out a mouthful of blood.

Her eyes widened in terror as she gazed at the Titan Ape King. She had paid dearly for these spirit puppets, crafted from the corpse of a second-tier exotic beast. Yet, faced with the Titan Ape King's fist, they couldn’t withstand even a single strike!

"This is bad—the plan has changed. Run!" Hua Piaowu tugged her finger, and the remaining puppet swiftly retreated to her side. Without hesitation, she turned and dashed back the way she came.

"What the—?!"

The other three exchanged bewildered glances. They hadn’t expected Hua Piaowu to flee so decisively!

Wang Mo gritted his teeth, sheathed his blades, and quickly retreated as well.

Dou Wenle and Dong Yan were less fortunate. Both were spellcasters, lacking agility. They managed only two strides before Dou Wenle saw a dark shadow rapidly growing overhead.

Boom!

His vision went black, pain wracking his body.

When his sight returned, he found himself standing on the sports field, trembling, his eyes full of terror. The death he just experienced had been far too real.

A flash of light beside him—Dong Yan was also ejected.

In the audience stands, seeing the two, a stir rippled through the crowd.

"That's odd—aren’t those Dou Wenle, ranked fifth, and Dong Yan, ranked seventh?"

"Why did they come out together?"

"Did they provoke some powerful being?"

"That can’t be. The only formidable creatures in the secret realm are the Rock Dragon and the Titan Ape King."

"The Rock Dragon has already been slain by Xu Han, and the Titan Ape King is said to never leave his territory."

"Weren’t they in the black zone just now, far from the Titan Ape King's domain? There’s no way they encountered him."

"If it were another exotic beast, they could have escaped even if defeated."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Zhong Zhen and the others noticed the anomaly.

"How did those two get ejected at the same time?"

"Let’s check the area where they were. See what happened."

The screen changed.

In the dense forest, the colossal Titan Ape King, eyes red with fury, charged madly forward. Wherever it passed, trees toppled, and the woodland, once pathless, was forced into a broad avenue by its rampage.

The deans' faces transformed.

Zheng Gang frowned. "How did it get out? Isn't it supposed to guard Giantwood Lake?"

Gao Zhengguo adjusted his glasses, his brow furrowed. "Something's wrong. The Titan Ape King isn't acting like usual."

"It seems… more frenzied than ever."

"As far as I know, its temperament is gentle—it would never act so crazily."

Zhong Zhen nodded slightly. "It seems there's more to this than meets the eye."

"But for now, we must ensure the students avoid its path, lest they come to harm."

"I’ll make an announcement," Shui Tianluo spoke.

She picked up a microphone and said, "Attention, all students in the secret realm!"

"The Titan Ape King has left its core territory and is heading southeast."

"It is in a frenzied state. Please avoid it promptly."

Inside the secret realm, many students heard the warning, their faces blanching.

"No way! The Titan Ape King? What level of boss is that?"

"Forget it—even if all the students here teamed up, we couldn’t take down that monster."

"Let’s retreat. If the Titan Ape King kills you, you’re ejected and get nothing."

Everyone hurried to avoid the Titan Ape King's advance.

At that moment, Xu Han also heard the notification.

He raised an eyebrow.

A platinum-tier boss?

This was the strongest boss-level exotic beast he’d encountered so far.

If he managed to slay it, perhaps it would drop a piece of epic equipment!

And with his little hawk, even if he couldn’t win, he could certainly escape.

He glanced at the map, checked his direction, then waved his hand.

The little hawk swooped to his side.

Xu Han climbed onto its back and pointed southeast. "That way—let’s go!"

A sharp cry rang out as the hawk’s wings beat powerfully, lifting them into the air toward the southeast.

Zhong Zhen and the others watched the overall map with grave expressions.

The map showed all the freshmen’s positions. Most in the southeast had already moved out of harm’s way, with only a few remaining. Soon, all would be clear.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

Had the Titan Ape King caused mass casualties, it would have been a major teaching incident.

Although death in the secret realm wasn’t real, the pain and terror lingered in the students’ minds. Some had suffered after-effects, unable to break through their cultivation as a result.

Zheng Gang suddenly pointed at a fast-moving dot on the screen. "That’s Xu Han. He’s heading straight for the Titan Ape King!"

The other deans’ expressions shifted as they stared at the dot.

In moments, it moved from the black zone to the red zone, flying directly toward the Titan Ape King's position.

"How is Xu Han moving so fast?" Huang Zhengtian exclaimed.

"It must be that eagle pet of his," Shui Tianluo guessed.

"Dean Zhong, should we stop Xu Han?"

Zhong Zhen’s face changed, then he shook his head. "No, let him go."

The others were surprised.

"But—"

Zhong Zhen waved his hand. "Without trials and tribulations, how can one forge an unparalleled weapon?"

"Whether he succeeds or fails, this will be a valuable experience for the boy."

"Our task is to investigate what caused the Titan Ape King’s rampage!"

"I refuse to believe it would go berserk without reason. Its peaceful nature was why I placed it deep within the secret realm years ago."

Huang Zhengtian rubbed his chin, a cold gleam in his eyes. "I see your meaning, Dean Zhong. You suspect the Abyssal Church is behind this?"

Zhong Zhen nodded slightly, his gaze icy. "Those rats lurking in the sewers—there’s nothing they wouldn’t dare."

"If they’ve come, they should be prepared to die."