However, judging by the half-severed corpse of this prodigy, the path ahead was undoubtedly fraught with danger.
Furthermore, Yun Fan noticed that it appeared to have been bitten off by something.
Suddenly, Yun Fan's expression changed, realizing that the severed half of the prodigy's body could not have flown here on its own.
This meant that the monster was likely nearby.
Subsequently, Yun Fan sensed carefully but could not detect the monster's presence.
The next moment, a rift suddenly appeared in the void behind him, and a gaping maw emerged from it.
It lunged directly at Yun Fan, aiming to bite him.
Yun Fan reacted swiftly. In the blink of an eye, a surge of power struck, and the monster's head instantly fell to the ground.
It was enormous, and Yun Fan's expression shifted immediately.
Because this monster could emerge from a void rift, it defied all logic!
No wonder he couldn't sense its trace; it was because the monster could hide within void rifts.
Looking at the monster again, Yun Fan instantly recognized its identity: a Taotie.
He hadn't expected to encounter a Taotie here, and it was not weak. If Yun Fan hadn't misjudged, even this lesser Taotie would have caused him considerable trouble.
Even a subordinate Taotie possessed the power to kill an ordinary Immortal Emperor, which was truly terrifying!
As expected, the further one progressed, the more dangerous it became. In the fourth trial, even he, who possessed the power to defy the heavens, felt pressure.
He had no idea how he would cope with the remaining five trials.
Just then, Yun Fan continued forward, not to rescue anyone, but because he wanted to ascertain the mission of the fourth trial.
What kind of existence resided in the fourth trial.
...
"Fairy Bi Lian, I'm afraid we won't survive this trial!"
Inside a defense base, about seven or eight prodigies were gathered, each wearing an expression of despair.
It was evident that they had been more numerous before, but now only these seven or eight remained, and they seemed to have been surrounded and cornered by some kind of monster.
The woman at the forefront was a cold and resolute fairy, before whom even the most brilliant stars would dim.
She was none other than Fairy Bi Lian, one of the ten great beauties of the universe. Her true form was a lotus flower that absorbed the essence of the sun, moon, and stars to achieve immortality.
Her strength was not weak; among the prodigies participating in the Path of the Universe, she ranked within the top ten, possessing the formidable cultivation of the seventh realm of the Immortal Emperor.
She stood out amongst the thousands of prodigies who had successfully entered the Path of the Universe, and of course, her beauty was also unparalleled.
At this moment, her expression was grim, for they had been trapped in the fourth trial for almost a year.
Initially, thirty of them had formed an alliance, but now, including her, only eight remained.
Such heavy losses were entirely due to encountering Taoties in the fourth trial.
Ordinary Taoties posed no threat to Fairy Bi Lian, but the Taotie King was terrifying. Not only was its strength superior to hers, but it also possessed the ability to traverse and tear through space at will.
She had been locked in combat with it for over a year with no effect. Instead, her companions were dwindling, and now they were cornered by the Taotie King.
It seemed they were destined for annihilation.
Fairy Bi Lian said, "Fellow Daoists, when the Taotie King appears, I will hold it back, and then you should all flee for your lives!"
"As long as you can escape to the entrance of the fourth trial, you can abandon participating in the Path of the Universe!"
Fairy Bi Lian knew that this would not be of much use, but these individuals had followed her from the very beginning.
Therefore, at this moment, she intended to do one last thing for these followers.
Things had far exceeded her expectations, as she had discovered that this Path of the Universe trial was far from simple.
Before participating, the elders had mentioned that the first seven trials of the Path of the Universe were not this difficult, with only the ninth trial being the most arduous.
Describing it as a "ten perish and one survives" scenario wouldn't be an exaggeration, yet this fourth trial was already at a hellish difficulty, indicating that this Path of the Universe was no simple undertaking.
At this point, the followers quickly replied, "Fairy, it is we who should be sacrificed. If you escape, there is still a glimmer of hope. If you do not, there will be no hope at all!"
"It is our honor to lay down our lives for you, Fairy!"
At this moment, their minds were made up.
However, Fairy Bi Lian was also a person of loyalty and righteousness, and she did not abandon them to escape alone.
"Roar!"
With a roar from the Taotie King, the next moment, pairs of green eyes, each larger than a fist, continuously emerged from the void.
There were hundreds of them, large and small, a number that inspired despair.
"Fairy, quickly!"
Everyone urged Fairy Bi Lian.
"I will not leave. At worst, we will perish together!"
Fairy Bi Lian said coldly. In reality, against such a force, she lacked the strength to perish together.
However, the others drew their swords and held them to their necks, forcing Fairy Bi Lian to leave.
Fairy Bi Lian was surprised that they would resort to such means to compel her departure.
"Take care!"
Fairy Bi Lian, filled with sorrow, then traversed the void and departed. These individuals were then directly devoured by the Taoties.
Traversing through the void, Fairy Bi Lian felt no sense of relief, as the Taoties possessed the ability to move through space.
As expected, the next moment, a massive dark shadow appeared and slammed into Fairy Bi Lian.
"Taotie King!"
Fairy Bi Lian's expression changed, and she was directly sent flying by the Taotie.
"Boom!"
Fairy Bi Lian fell from the void.
"Bang!"
And then she crashed heavily onto the ground.
"I'm fine?"
Fairy Bi Lian was astonished. With her strength, falling from such a height should not have been an issue, as the physique of an Immortal Emperor was not to be underestimated.
But she felt no impact, which was very strange.
"You landed on me, of course you're fine!"
Hearing a complaint, Fairy Bi Lian quickly got up, and Yun Fan struggled to crawl out of the pit.
"I'm sorry!"
Fairy Bi Lian said with deep apology. While she possessed a unique aloof aura, it did not mean she was cold and distant.
When Yun Fan saw her appearance, he was also surprised. He hadn't expected someone so beautiful.
Even his steely heart was almost melted.
However, Yun Fan had no intention of dabbling in romance.
At this moment, Fairy Bi Lian urged Yun Fan, "Quick, fellow Daoist, the Taotie King is coming!"
"Is it that one?"
Yun Fan pointed behind Fairy Bi Lian and asked.
Fairy Bi Lian's expression changed. She turned around and saw that the Taotie King, enveloped in green aura, had appeared behind them.
Fairy Bi Lian instantly despaired. She knew that her escape attempt was likely futile, and indeed, there was no chance at all.
"Fellow Daoist, you go! I will delay it for a while!"
Fairy Bi Lian knew that if she hadn't knocked Yun Fan to the ground just now, he wouldn't have suffered this misfortune.
Now, she would use her life to delay the Taotie King, giving Yun Fan enough time to escape.
Of course, in her opinion, Yun Fan would definitely not leave and would stay to fight the Taotie King with her.
However, that would be a futile resistance.
"Thank you, goodbye!"
The next moment, Yun Fan directly leaped through space and left. Fairy Bi Lian stood there, dumbfounded, not expecting Yun Fan to be so decisive in his escape.
In fact, Yun Fan couldn't be blamed for his swift departure. He had sensed the Taotie King's strength, at least at the eighth realm of the Immortal Emperor. Su Dan Novel Network.
An existence like that was not something he could contend with. Even if he fought to the end, it would be a thankless task.
"Never mind!"
Fairy Bi Lian shrugged it off and prepared to face the Taotie King. Unexpectedly, the Taotie King leaped forward, traversed space, and pursued Yun Fan.
It wasn't that the Taotie King intended to spare Fairy Bi Lian; rather, Yun Fan's spatial traversal in front of it was a provocation.
Therefore, it chose to pursue Yun Fan first.
The next moment, in the void, Yun Fan saw the Taotie King pursuing him, and its speed was far greater than his.
Knowing escape was impossible, Yun Fan was truly speechless. Why was the Taotie King pursuing him instead of dealing with Fairy Bi Lian?
In a one-on-one confrontation, he had no chance of winning, so he immediately turned back.
"Why are you back?"
Fairy Bi Lian, who was about to traverse space to escape, looked at Yun Fan with confusion.
Yun Fan, without a hint of exertion, said, "I suddenly realized that it would be unethical to leave you here, so I came back to help you!"
Just as Fairy Bi Lian began to believe in the existence of great love and Yun Fan's loyalty, the next moment, the Taotie King pursued them.
"Are you sure you came back to help me?"
Fairy Bi Lian looked at Yun Fan with suspicion.
"Of course, we are fellow Daoists, and we should help each other at such a time!"
Yun Fan said firmly.
But Fairy Bi Lian shook her head. "It's useless. This Taotie King has reached the eighth realm, its physique is incredibly powerful, and it possesses the ability to tear through and traverse space. Neither of us can defeat it!"
She had already gauged Yun Fan's strength to be at the peak of the fifth realm. Even if they joined forces, they would have no chance of winning.
"How do we know if we don't try?"
The next moment, Yun Fan suddenly attacked the smug Taotie King.
The Taotie King was enraged. It relished watching its prey struggle, and this prey dared to provoke it.
This was clearly a sign of disrespect.
In an instant, it opened its gaping maw to swallow him. However, when Yun Fan unleashed his Devouring power, the Taotie King seemed to recall a shadowy memory from ten thousand years ago.
It was so frightened that it immediately fled, tearing through space, not knowing how far it had gone.
"Hmm?"
Yun Fan revealed a hint of confusion. The Taotie King, which was so confident of victory, shouldn't have been so cowardly.
"How is this possible?"
Fairy Bi Lian began to question her own existence.