I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 36 - The Little Blood Ape King

—

“Commander, are we just going to watch this?” one of the Flame Mastery cultivators asked, frowning as he watched Xu Shen charge straight toward the Little Blood Ape King.

Dong Tianming shook his head solemnly. “The strong of Xia Nation once made a pact with these ghoul emperors.”

“Soldiers fight soldiers, generals fight generals.”

“The Little Blood Ape King is only at the second-tier peak, equivalent to a Core Solidification peak cultivator. We have no reason to intervene.”

His voice was calm, devoid of emotion, but his clenched fist behind his back betrayed his inner turmoil.

“This isn’t fair! These creatures outnumber us by so much, and that Little Blood Ape King is beyond what we can measure!” the Flame Mastery cultivator shouted angrily.

“Fair?” Dong Tianming’s cold gaze turned to him, followed by a sharp laugh. “Have you been on the battlefield so long that you’ve forgotten how the world works? Where is fairness in this world?”

“This is already the best outcome. If anyone breaks the rules and intervenes, it will spark chaos!”

Dong Tianming’s tone was icy as he continued. “Do you understand the old agreement?” an elderly Flame Mastery cultivator asked quietly, glancing at Dong Tianming.

“Yes,” Dong Tianming nodded slightly.

The group fell silent. They all understood the weight of that agreement.

“If Xu Shen is in danger, I will step in to save him. A genius like him must not die here,” the elderly cultivator said firmly. “I’m an old man; my life doesn’t matter.”

The others said nothing, tacitly agreeing with his sentiment.

—

Meanwhile, Xu Shen’s golden figure streaked across the battlefield like a comet. Every second-tier peak corpse ape that approached him was obliterated with a single punch—either their heads exploded or their chests caved in from the impact.

Some ghouls attempted to flank him, but they were intercepted by Core Solidification peak Xinhuo Guards who had rushed to assist. They had clearly realized that Xu Shen’s target was the blood-red Little Blood Ape King.

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“Boss! Kill that little bastard! We’ll hold them off for you!!” Yang Dian roared, his shirt shredding as his Sky Eagle Rune erupted in a burst of green light. His aura became ethereal, and his hands transformed into sharp talons. With a swipe, he tore a chunk of flesh from a second-tier peak corpse ape.

Zhang Zhuangshi wasn’t far behind. Flames surged around him as his Crimson Flame Lion Rune came alive, roaring fiercely. Waves of fire rolled outward, holding back two corpse apes at once.

Xu Guang kept it simple—his rune manifested as two crossed long blades. Swinging them wildly, he managed to slice off one of a ghoul’s arms.

But the most striking presence was Wang Qingqing. Shrouded in ghostly energy, she moved like a specter, her blood-red eyes glinting ominously. Each thrust of her black spear left gaping holes in her enemies.

—

“Who are these people with Xu Shen? How are they all so strong?”

“They’re not heavily injuring the ghouls, but holding them off like this is no small feat.”

“And their runes… Aside from the girl and the bald guy, the others’ runes look common but feel… different somehow.”

“They’re young and raw, but their potential is undeniable. Why haven’t we heard about these kids before?” The Flame Mastery cultivators watching from afar couldn’t help but be impressed by Wang Qingqing and the others.

—

BOOM!

The ground trembled violently as Xu Shen finally clashed with the Little Blood Ape King.

The first exchange left Xu Shen reeling—he could hear faint cracks in his arm bones from the impact. Meanwhile, the Little Blood Ape King only staggered back a few steps, seemingly unscathed.

“You… human… strong,” the Little Blood Ape King growled suddenly, its voice low and guttural. A sinister grin spread across its face.

Xu Shen’s eyes widened in shock as his scalp tingled. This was the first time he had encountered a ghoul capable of speech!

Normally, only third-tier ghouls or higher—those classified as “Jiang”—possessed intelligence and could speak.

“No wonder you’re the Blood Ape King’s offspring. Even at second-tier peak, you can talk,” Xu Shen muttered, shaking out his arm before smirking coldly.

“I… noble… they… ants…” The Little Blood Ape King spoke slowly, its words dripping with disdain.

Xu Shen narrowed his eyes as an inexplicable chill crept over him. This creature wasn’t just intelligent—it understood hierarchy and superiority.

Could ghouls truly possess such concepts?

—

BOOM!!

Without warning, Xu Shen lunged forward and threw a punch aimed directly at its face!

Caught off guard, the Little Blood Ape King failed to react in time and took the hit squarely. Its body was sent flying backward.

“Shit!” Xu Shen cursed as pain shot through his hand—it felt like punching solid steel.

But he didn’t hesitate. Following up immediately, he closed the distance and delivered another powerful punch!

CRACK!

To his surprise, the Little Blood Ape King recovered mid-air and twisted its body unnaturally to block his attack with its arm. Then it countered with a claw swipe!

SLASH!

Xu Shen barely dodged in time but couldn’t avoid it completely. Three deep gashes appeared on his arm, blood dripping freely.

“Hmph!” He grunted as Battle Art and Nine Observations of the Nether Immortal roared to life within him. Golden light enveloped his body as his wounds began to heal slowly.

Xu Shen’s expression darkened. This creature wasn’t just physically tough—it was cunning. It had feigned being knocked back to lure him closer for a counterattack.

The Little Blood Ape King steadied itself and sneered with eerie human-like malice.

“Human… fight… die… I eat you!” it growled menacingly.

“Eat your mother!” Xu Shen roared back, charging again without hesitation. This time, he abandoned all caution—there was no room for testing anymore.

His eyes burned with madness as golden energy surged around him. Every punch carried explosive force that shattered the air itself!

The Little Blood Ape King met him head-on with equal ferocity.

BOOM!

Blood sprayed as their blows collided again and again. Xu Shen’s fists struck with relentless fury, leaving dents in the creature’s body and tearing away patches of its fur. Black, foul-smelling blood splattered everywhere.

Strong! This human was unbelievably strong!

The Little Blood Ape King had slain countless so-called human geniuses before but had never encountered anyone like this—a human who could suppress it in combat!

—

Suddenly, Xu Shen’s aura surged dramatically once more. His muscles tore open as blood mist erupted from his body. Yet his presence grew even more terrifying—he no longer seemed like an Awakening Realm cultivator at all.

“Die!!” Xu Shen bellowed as he unleashed another devastating punch.

For the first time, the Little Blood Ape King felt a genuine sense of danger. Its gray-white eyes turned blood-red as it roared furiously. Its crimson fur bristled and grew longer, almost like flames dancing in the wind.

With a swift motion, it raised its uninjured arm to block Xu Shen’s attack while countering with its other hand aimed at his neck!

Realizing the threat, Xu Shen retreated hastily just in time to avoid a fatal blow.

The Little Blood Ape King stood tall once more, its broken arm emitting cracking sounds as it began to heal rapidly. Its blood-red eyes locked onto Xu Shen with even greater intensity—its aura now far more menacing than before.

—

“Bloodline Burst! Xu Shen actually forced the Little Blood Ape King into a bloodline burst?!” Dong Tianming exclaimed as shock rippled through him and the other Flame Mastery cultivators.

Bloodline Burst was an innate ability of ghouls that allowed them to temporarily enhance their combat power by burning their corrupted black blood. The Blood Ape King had once used this ability to nearly kill a Yinshen Realm expert from Xia Nation.

—

“Human… despicable!!” The Little Blood Ape King snarled at Xu Shen angrily.

“What a shame—I was hoping to crack your skull open before you could react,” Xu Shen replied with a cold smile despite the searing pain coursing through his body.

From the beginning, he hadn’t used his full strength in order to deceive the creature. But when he finally unleashed everything—pushing Battle Art to its limits—it still wasn’t enough to kill it outright.

Now that it had entered its bloodline burst state, Xu Shen knew this fight would only get harder.

“Damn it… Looks like I’ll have to use that technique,” he muttered under his breath as he prepared himself mentally.

The old man had warned him about this—the “blood-spitting technique.” It was a method that allowed one to temporarily break past Extreme Realm limits at great physical cost.

At first glance, it seemed reckless and self-destructive—but sometimes recklessness was necessary for survival.

“Activate!” Xu Shen growled as he pushed Battle Art to its absolute peak.

In his mind’s eye, the golden figure atop the illusory mountain suddenly stood up and took a step forward!

In an instant, it expanded and merged seamlessly into every fiber of Xu Shen’s being—becoming one with him entirely.

Golden blood mist erupted from his body as his aura skyrocketed once more. Pain wracked every inch of him like fire coursing through his veins—but he could feel it clearly:

Beyond Extreme Realm lay an invisible lock—a barrier he couldn’t describe in words.

And now… that lock had been broken!