The air in the Dark Mountains was thick, laden with moisture and the dense scent of vegetation. Tall trees blocked most of the sunlight, leaving the surroundings in constant twilight. It wasn't the first time a squad of Vespers had ventured there to hunt demonic beasts. In previous training sessions, even in nearby areas, they had already proven they could take them down.
Unlike cultivators, who developed their spiritual energy, demonic beasts refined their bodies. They were faster, stronger, more resilient. But in the end, a well-placed bullet to the brain or heart was still lethal. The Mauser's caliber was no joke. A precise shot was often enough to bring down even robust prey, if it was caught off guard.
In that hostile environment, Captain Gao advanced in tight formation with his squad. They all wore black steel armor and robes covered in mud, leaves, and branches. Improvised camouflage, but effective. You had to smell like the forest if you didn't want something to smell you first.
Most of the group was composed of new Vespers. The special force was still expanding, now surpassing 300 members, though with strict standards to maintain operational quality. Gao had been a commander of the Yun Dynasty. He had direct experience fighting demonic beasts even with melee weapons, and had proven his worth under real fire. That's why Ethan named him captain and tasked him with leading the hunting missions.
This was one of them. And he didn't plan to return empty-handed.
"Movement at ten o'clock," one of the Vespers whispered, adjusting the sight of his rifle while pointing with the barrel.
Captain Gao raised his fist high. The entire squad stopped instantly.
Among the trees, a solitary black wolf emerged through the low mist. Its fur was bristled, dark as wet coal, and its reddish eyes gleamed with hostility. It was larger than a pack horse, muscular, with ribs showing beneath its taut skin. It sniffed the air, alert, but hadn't detected them yet.
Gao made a precise hand signal with two fingers.
Three shots rang out at once.
The wolf let out a muffled growl and dropped sideways, motionless.
"Target neutralized," confirmed one of the Vespers as he approached, rifle still steady. He knelt beside the body and nodded. "Confirmed kill. Tagged for extraction."
They quickly placed a red cloth on a nearby branch. A second team, following at a distance, would handle corpse retrieval and transport.
They resumed their advance without breaking formation.
During the next hour, they brought down two more solitary wolves. Both ambushed with the same efficiency—no casualties, no mistakes.
Then, the team halted upon detecting a different presence.
A demonic serpent was coiled among the roots of a dead tree. It measured at least eight meters long, with dark scales that reflected the faint light like metal plates. Its head was triangular, with a curved horn at the center of its skull and fangs protruding even with its mouth closed. It breathed slowly, as if asleep.
Gao raised his fist again. No one moved.
Years of experience screamed at him —this creature was dangerous. Those scales… he wasn't sure even their bullets could pierce them. His instincts told him to pull back, to vanish before it noticed them.
But before he could issue the order to retreat, a subtle crack broke the silence, coming from the left flank.
"Movement at my nine... unknown target approaching," murmured a Vesper in a restrained voice, turning his rifle precisely toward the sound's direction.
Gao looked up. The treetops swayed—not from the wind, but from something large moving among them.
And then they saw it.
Emerging above the branches, with slow yet imposing movement, appeared a black ape. Its chest as broad as a fortress shield, arms thick as trunks, and dark fur gleaming in the filtered light. It breathed deeply, each exhale a warning of contained power.
"What... is that?" one of the Vespers muttered, unable to help himself.
Gao narrowed his eyes. "Black War Ape," he said quietly. He had never seen one in person, but had read about them in reports from the Yun Dynasty fortress—brutality incarnate, unmatched strength. A creature that didn't need techniques to destroy.
He raised his hand in a halt signal. No one was to move.
The Black War Ape slowly turned its head toward them. Its gaze was cold, almost indifferent. It didn't assess them as a threat. It simply observed... like someone noticing a group of insects in the underbrush.
Gao felt a chill run down his spine.
The Vespers didn't move, but their fingers tightened on their triggers. Their breathing grew heavier.
A few meters away, the demonic serpent—until then coiled among roots—raised its triangular head, the horn upright. It opened its mouth with a sharp hiss, its bifid tongue flickering in the air as a warning. Not to the squad... but to the intruder disturbing its rest.
The air seemed charged with electricity. The tension was palpable. The two beasts stared at each other.
Both unleashed their demonic aura at the same time.
The Vespers held their breath as an invisible pressure descended upon them, as if two invisible giants were pressing their chests with force.
Now, they were in the middle of a battlefield about to erupt.
The two beasts studied each other under the canopy of gigantic trees. The demonic serpent raised its body even higher, slowly uncoiling its length. The horn on its head pulsed with a faint crimson glow. Its bifid tongue flickered in the air with an irritating cadence, marking territory.
In front of it, the Black War Ape did not back down. It pounded its chest with hammer-like fists, making the nearby forest reverberate. A roar erupted from its throat, shaking branches and sending birds fleeing from the canopy.
And then it began.
The serpent struck with speed, trying to wrap around the ape's torso. The Black War Ape intercepted it mid-air, grabbing its scaly body with both arms. The roots in the ground broke from the impact's force. Entire trees were uprooted as the two monsters grappled.
Cracking bones, deep roars, sharp hisses, and the crash of falling trees mixed in a savage uproar. The ground trembled under the squad's feet.
"Rank 1... peak level," murmured Gao Renli, gauging the destruction with his eyes. "Comparable to the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement..."
Gao Renli knew that facing either of those creatures head-on, without a plan or an ambush, was equivalent to a death sentence. His men wouldn't last half a second if detected as a threat.
Even cultivators of the same level hesitate before engaging a demonic beast in direct combat. Most would rather form groups to increase their survival chances.
He raised his hand signaling movement.
"Retreat. Twenty meters east," he whispered.
The Vespers began to withdraw, barely brushing the leaves. They moved through the low vegetation, always staying out of the beasts' line of sight. Gao didn't take his eyes off the fight: the serpent had managed to partially coil around the ape's torso, but the latter countered with a brutal headbutt, followed by a direct blow that shattered a nearby rock.
Gao narrowed his eyes, assessing the scene. Neither beast considered them a threat. They didn't even perceive them as worthy of attention.
An idea emerged in his mind, bold and dangerous.
The proverb crossed his thoughts: "When two tigers fight, the fox waits for the spoils."
"We wait until they gut each other," he murmured calmly.
None of the men argued.
The team settled in the underbrush, adjusting their sights. The air was still heavy with tension, but now there was a new purpose: to wait for the exact moment.