Apex War God

Skinny Monkey looked up at the sound of the voice, finding nine inmates he had never seen surrounding him.

“And you are…?” The sight did not particularly bother him. Rather, he welcomed the strangers with a smile.

“A twig like you rules over cellblock 68? Centipede must have been weaker than I thought!” Li Futu sneered contemptuously, eyeing the young man before him.

“Yeah! How strong can such a skinny guy be? I could crush him with one hand!” the prisoner next to Li Futu laughed.

Another prisoner chimed in. “We have each paid fifty kilograms of Scarlet Steel Rock to get here. Guess that was overkill. This will be a walk in the park.”

Every one of these strangers disregarded Skinny Monkey as a threat. They stood by, laughing at him and judging him based on his build.

It was then that Fei Leng, Bei Zi, and their crew of twenty-odd prisoners noticed and gathered around Skinny Monkey. They could see these newcomers were here to challenge their boss but wanted to be nearby in case a fight broke out.

Li Futu was no fool and noticed the gathering crowd. But instead of fear, his expression held only disdain.

“I doubt you gentlemen came here just to make comments. Am I right?” Skinny Monkey asked, squaring his shoulders.

As block 68’s boss and a cultivator with ten stones of strength, his air had changed a little.

“Heh, I heard that you killed Centipede?” Li Futu got to the point.

“So what if I did?” Skinny Monkey responded coldly.

“It doesn’t matter anymore if you did. Clearly, he was a piece of trash. I can only fault him for being so weak that he lost control over cellblock 68.” Li Futu did not dwell too deeply on this, sweeping the matter aside. After a pause, he continued, “Since you’ve taken this block as your own, you’ll obey Black Ape from now on. You will regularly supply Scarlet Steel Rock, and we’ll forget about everything. Disobey, and you’ll share Centipede’s fate.”

As Li Futu spoke, a murderous aura filled the air.

The Wuhou Gang members inched closer. Crowbars at the ready, they waited for Skinny Monkey’s orders.

But Skinny Monkey only smiled, saying, “I'm sorry. I’m not interested in becoming one of Black Ape’s lackeys.”

“I gave you a choice, and you still want to do this the hard way.” Li Futu frowned.

“Whatever you say,” Skinny Monkey said, throwing up his hands.

“Let’s cut the crap, sir. This runt obviously needs a lesson on manners,” one of the inmates next to Li Futu said darkly.

“And what gives you the right to start a fight with our boss?!” the one-armed Fei Leng shouted, standing.

Over the last two days, Skinny Monkey had sparred with Fei Leng when they both had time. He had not been a match for the older man at first, but after a day, the tables had turned. Now, Fei Leng could not hold his own against Skinny Monkey.

Although Skinny Monkey was not as strong as Fei Leng, his incredible perception allowed him to spot openings in the other man’s defenses. If he wanted, Skinny Monkey could kill the one-armed man in a single blow. Thus, Fei Leng truly submitted after a few sparring matches.

“It seems we have no choice. Don’t get cocky just because you outnumber us. To us, you’re nothing but lowly livestock.” His words light, Li Futu gestured to the inmates he had brought with him to begin.

All of the eight people under his command were Medial Grade Foot Soldiers who had, through violence, earned their place in cellblock 45. And all of these outlaws were brutal fighters.

Under Fei Leng’s and Bei Zi’s orders, the twenty-odd Wuhou members ran forward to meet these newcomers in battle.

Naturally, as the boss, Skinny Monkey did not stand by and watch. He charged at Li Futu, unleashing his Rainstorm Spear Art with his first attack. If he could crush their leader, this little expedition party would fall apart.

Unfortunately, Li Futu was a Consummate Grade Foot Soldier with sixteen stones of strength at his command, making him far more powerful than his foe. Skinny Monkey’s attack meant nothing to him.

Li Futu was also skilled in a fist-focused martial art. He dodged the first incoming strike, sending a powerful punch to Skinny Monkey’s ribs.

Shocked by the hit, Skinny Monkey staggered back a few steps, almost falling to his knees in pain.

“How weak!” Li Futu hissed, holding his ground.

But Skinny Monkey straightened, adjusting his grip on his crowbar to a thrusting hold. Like raindrops, his crowbar rapidly shot toward Li Futu’s vital areas, again and again.

Li Futu’s brows lifted in surprise as he retreated, but his opponent continued the chase, using all his power in his attacks.

One step after another, Li Futu backed away until he felt gravel under his toes. He kicked the debris up and toward Skinny Monkey, forcing the younger man to defend himself from the small stones.

Keeping his range of movement to a minimum, Li Futu punched, his fists shooting out like striking serpents, forcing Skinny Monkey to defend against the complex attacks.

The strikes were too quick for Skinny Monkey, and he took a few hits. The force threw him back through the air.

“I'll give you another chance. Submit to the Black Ape Gang, or die!” Li Futu snarled, giving the thinner man a frosty glare.

“Fuck you!” Skinny Monkey cursed, relying on his Rainstorm Spear Art again.

Undeterred, Li Futu attacked again, one hand lashing out to grip Skinny Monkey by the throat. Squeezing, he swore to choke the life out of the young man with his own bare hands.

At this crucial moment, a red light flashed in Skinny Monkey’s eyes, the crimson glow making Li Futu jump back in surprise. Seeing the opening, Skinny Monkey swept his crowbar up, slamming it into Li Futu’s abdomen.

As Li Futu retreated in pain, Skinny Monkey pursued, his strikes falling like rain in a thunderstorm.

“You dare attack me?! You deserve only death!” Bloodlust flooded Li Futu’s mind, and he tossed aside any idea of mercy. He dodged the attacks, taking an offensive position as his fists flew in a flurry of blows.

Superior Grade Soldier Class technique: Rockcrusher Fist…!

He could crush stone with his punches. Crushing a skull would be child’s play!

Once that red light began to show in Skinny Monkey’s eyes, his perception sharpened to an incredible extent, and Li Futu’s attacks, although vicious, became futile. Skinny Monkey easily dodged every blow, not taking a single hit.

This only heightened Skinny Monkey’s confidence, and feeling triumphant, he thought, This sight is perfect in battle! This is awesome!

While Skinny Monkey and Li Futu reveled in their battle, their comrades suffered a much less enjoyable fate.

Both Fei Leng and Bei Zi were powerful combatants and could each handle a single opponent, but the others lacked the strength of Medial Grade Foot Soldiers. They were no match for Li Futu’s followers.

Those eight inmates were ruthless. It was obvious by their stances that they were all seasoned fighters, and they easily knocked down an opponent with each blow.

Of course, with one arm, Fei Leng did not have the combat power he used to. As his fight dragged on, he realized he was at a clear disadvantage against his opponent, who had reached the same cultivation realm. He knew he would lose before they exchanged fifty blows.

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Bei Zi, on the other hand, had lost against a Superior Grade Foot Soldier after only twenty moves. He had taken five or six hits to the abdomen, sustaining damage to his internal organs. Vomiting blood, he rolled to the ground, beaten.

Even as the twenty-odd Wuhou members fell, Skinny Monkey and Li Futu continued to fight.

Guards and prisoners alike watched the battle unfold from a distance. However, none of them interfered. This had nothing to do with them, after all.

In this prison, the guards never interfered with prisoner infighting. This time, they had received strict orders from their superiors to allow Li Futu and his men the freedom to start this conflict. Thus, they turned a blind eye.

The prisoners were victims, regardless. No matter who led them, they all had to turn in their hard-earned Scarlet Steel Rock, a fate they were already numb about.

But to these prisoners, Skinny Monkey and the Wuhou Gang were better masters than Wang Yan or Centipede. The Wuhou Gang only demanded one-third of their daily haul. Their previous bosses demanded half, if not all, of their Scarlet Steel Rock.

This kid is a freak! Guess I’ll have to use my trump card, Li Futu thought, realizing he had gained no ground after such a prolonged battle. He was starting to grow impatient.

The longer they fought, the calmer and more collected Skinny Monkey became. He could now easily counter Li Futu’s attacks. At this rate, Skinny Monkey would not lose.

“I’ll finish this in one hit!” Li Futu growled, gathering his energy. With a battle cry, he took a few steps before attacking with his Rockcrusher Fist.

Li Futu had already exhausted most of his strength. Meanwhile, Skinny Monkey’s perception only sharpened further. His eyes burning red like fire, he saw the trajectory Li Futu’s punches would take and counterattacked with his crowbar.

Li Futu's strikes were so powerful they bent the crowbar on impact. Now useless, Skinny Monkey threw the weapon aside. But as the next punch flew toward him, Skinny Monkey had an idea. He rolled, reaching out and clutching Li Futu. Skinny Monkey then lifted the man by his feet and threw him on his head.

Taking this opportunity, Skinny Monkey struck with his elbow. If Li Futu had been a little slower in his roll to escape, that blow would have left him severely injured.

“Why are you just standing around?! Attack him!” Li Futu shouted to his subordinates, scrambling to his feet.

Without any hesitation, the eight inmates swarmed Skinny Monkey.

The young man may have had extraordinary perception, but facing a crowd who were just as, if not more, powerful than himself was a challenge. He managed to injure three inmates, but the others’ crowbars kept coming, beating him down and scattering his blood on the gravel.

Watching from nearby, Xiaoman ran toward Skinny Monkey, shouting, “Stop hitting Big Brother Sun! Stop fighting!”

Far faster than she had been in the past, it was clear even Xiaoman had grown a lot stronger.

“Where did this brat come from? Get lost!” One of the inmates intercepted Xiaoman, a hand flashing to slap her across the face.

Reacting instinctively, Xiaoman raised a palm to meet his.

Smack!

“Ah!”

The sound of the two hands colliding rang out a split second before the man screamed.

For some reason, the inmate who tried to beat Xiaoman clutched his hand, crying out in pain.

“I…I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!” Xiaoman innocently apologized.

“You little runt!” The prisoner caught his breath and cursed as he kicked at Xiaoman.

She was not familiar with any combat techniques or postures, so all she could do was dodge. However, her opponent was relentless, attacking again with clenched fists. Forced to defend herself, Xiaoman retaliated by slapping the man wherever she could. He recoiled as if shocked with electricity, and the bones in his shoulders screamed as if they were about to break. Again, his pained screams filled the air.

“You forced me to! I…I really didn’t mean to!” Xiaoman was at a loss.

Although she knew she was no weakling, she had no idea that her strikes would hurt so much.

Hostile and frustrated with his previous fight, Li Futu stalked toward her. “It turns out they have some brat with hidden talent. Killing you should suffice!”

Frightened by Li Futu's savage glare, Xiaoman retreated. “Please let Big Brother Sun go! If you don’t, the young master will never forgive you.”

“Your ‘young master’ is a piece of shit! Every wretch in this prison will submit to me!” Li Futu snarled, spitting on the ground.

“Well, once this ‘piece of shit’ beats you into the ground, what will that make you?” A cold voice replied from nearby.

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