"The opportunity is right before us. Judging by your demeanor, are you prepared to risk it all?"
Zhang Fan, accompanied by Xue Jing and Lin Yunfei, approached Daozun and the others. Seeing that they were not afraid and even had a hint of ruthlessness on their faces, he couldn't help but tease.
"What if we are? We've crossed countless star systems to reach this barren star system on the edge of the Wu Shan star domain, searching for hundreds of years for this place of opportunity. With just a few words from Saint Master Zhang, you won't scare us away!" The sect master of Wenxinmen snorted, his voice low.
"You've misunderstood," Zhang Fan waved his hand, quickly saying, "I'm not trying to scare you away. I just want to see how many of you can leave Earth alive today!"
By the end of his words, Zhang Fan's voice carried a hint of icy killing intent.
"Attack!"
Daozun knew that a peaceful negotiation was impossible today. If they wanted to stay on Earth, they had to prove their strength. They didn't seek to defeat Zhang Fan, but as long as the four of them could survive Zhang Fan's onslaught, they would have the right to establish themselves on Earth.
A peak second-class Golden Core realm expert, along with three late-stage second-class Golden Core realm experts, unleashed a terrifying aura when they attacked.
The Central Siberian Plateau was perpetually covered in snow, and even now, large snowflakes were falling. The wind howled, making survival extremely difficult for ordinary people. However, for this group of Golden Core realm cultivators, it was no different from living in the tropics.
Zhang Fan, clad in white and holding an ancient bronze sword, watched as the approaching figures charged at him. A strong fighting spirit surged within him.
Fighting on the island in the lake had made him feel somewhat restrained. But on this vast, snowy plateau, Zhang Fan's heart was completely open, filled with an indescribable sense of comfort and exhilaration.
Daozun, wielding a gleaming saber, advanced directly towards Zhang Fan. Bai Zhen and Liyangzi, one with a long sword, the other holding the Liyang Spiritual Fire Furnace, circled towards Zhang Fan from the flanks.
The three formed a pincer formation, attacking simultaneously, unleashing powerful strikes that converged on Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan's figure split into three, each unleashing a sword strike. Three powerful sword energies, emanating from Zhang Fan, carved streaks dozens of feet long across the snowy expanse...
The sect master of Wenxinmen remained motionless. He glanced at the figures locked in combat, then took out several array discs etched with strange runes. With a casual toss, these discs transformed into streams of light, scattering across the plateau and burying themselves in the snow.
"Heh heh, I didn't expect you old fellow to know formations. But to set up a formation right in front of me? You're really not taking me seriously, are you?"
Xue Jing transformed into a streak of blood-red light, a stark contrast against the snowy landscape. A sinister smile played on his jade-white face, and combined with the backdrop of the white snow, it sent a chill down the sect master of Wenxinmen's spine!
He had witnessed Xue Jing's strength before. Even Daozun, renowned for his offensive prowess after comprehending the way of the saber, had found it difficult to gain an advantage against Xue Jing.
Daozun hadn't intervened in their battle earlier, causing the sect master of Wenxinmen to almost overlook him. It was only when Daozun appeared before him now that he remembered Zhang Fan had such a powerful subordinate by his side.
"Blood Axe Grinding Mill!"
Xue Jing hurled his massive blood-red axe. The axe spun, transforming into what seemed like a grinding mill covering the sky, carrying a potent grinding force as it flew towards the sect master of Wenxinmen.
In the face of these contenders for opportunity, Xue Jing harbored boundless killing intent. Anyone who dared to obstruct his master's pursuit of opportunity must die!
Therefore, Xue Jing launched a powerful killing blow without any hesitation, aiming to end the battle quickly.
The sect master of Wenxinmen practiced a variety of techniques. He excelled in spiritual sense attacks and had also achieved some success in formations. Coupled with his primary cultivation of the formless dao, he was considered quite a formidable opponent among those of the same level.
However, it was precisely because of this diversity that he had a fatal weakness: his offensive and defensive techniques were ordinary, not outstanding.
Cultivators like the sect master of Wenxinmen, who practiced a wide range of techniques, had an advantage against opponents of similar strength or those weaker than them. But when facing cultivators stronger than himself, his techniques often proved inadequate.
"Formless Divine Demon!"
Ghostly flames flickered in the sect master of Wenxinmen's eyes as he unleashed his powerful spiritual sense, sweeping it towards Xue Jing.
Simultaneously, the sect master of Wenxinmen invoked the 'Formless Dao'. A phantom 'Formless Divine Demon' slowly rose behind him, emitting an intangible formless power, attempting to affect Xue Jing's soul and shake his resolve!
"Haha, ridiculous!"
Xue Jing's spiritual sense power was no weaker than the sect master of Wenxinmen's. Although he didn't specialize in spiritual sense attacks, mere defense was effortless for him.
As for the sect master of Wenxinmen's formless dao, it was like an illusion to Xue Jing. His blood-red eyes, like those of a demon from hell, saw through all falsehoods!
Seeing that Xue Jing was completely unaffected, and the grinding mill formed by the blood axe was still flying towards him, the sect master of Wenxinmen's expression changed slightly.
"Open!"
A golden lotus appeared in the sect master of Wenxinmen's hand. The lotus had nine petals, which slowly unfurled, enveloping the sect master of Wenxinmen within.
"Boom!"
The blood axe grinding mill struck the nine-petaled lotus. The lotus rotated, deflecting most of the impact force. However, it was still sent flying, and the sect master of Wenxinmen, enclosed within the nine-petaled lotus, turned red in the face, having sustained a considerable impact.
"Since it can withstand one of my attacks, it seems this nine-petaled lotus is also a treasure!"
Xue Jing was not surprised but delighted. He brandished his blood-red battle axe and charged towards the sect master of Wenxinmen again. At the same time, he unleashed his 'Boundless Blood Sea' domain, shrouding the sect master of Wenxinmen and greatly restricting his speed.
With the suppression of the domain, the sect master of Wenxinmen's speed was severely hampered. Even when he tried to use his 'Formless Domain' to resist, it had little effect.
While suppressing the sect master of Wenxinmen in combat, Xue Jing also divided his attention to observe the other battlefield.
...
Facing the encirclement of three second-class Golden Core realm cultivators, Zhang Fan could fully resist with his sword dao alone, but he found it somewhat difficult to kill any one of them.
"It seems it will be difficult to deal with them all without paying a price!"
After dozens of exchanges, once Zhang Fan had become familiar with their moves, he vaguely understood.
If it were a one-on-one fight, Zhang Fan was confident he could defeat Bai Zhen, who had only condensed a second-class mid-grade Golden Core and had only reached the late stage of the Golden Core realm, within ten moves.
But with Daozun assisting from the side, every time Zhang Fan clashed with Bai Zhen, he would be separated, making it difficult to sustain his attacks on Bai Zhen.
As soon as he repelled Bai Zhen with a sword strike, Zhang Fan intended to pursue, but Liyangzi's attack descended.
"Suppress!"
Liyangzi tossed the Liyang Spiritual Fire Furnace in his hand. The furnace spun in the air, rapidly expanding and descending towards Zhang Fan.
At the same time, Daozun seized the opportunity and unleashed a peerlessly domineering saber technique, sending an extremely sharp saber energy towards Zhang Fan.
With Zhang Fan's current divine body's resilience, even enduring a direct blow from Daozun would only result in minor injuries. However, Zhang Fan felt it was unnecessary and abandoned his pursuit of Bai Zhen.
"Never mind, I originally intended to save this move for later arrivals, but this furnace is truly suitable for alchemy, so I'll take it."
Zhang Fan suddenly put away his long sword and smiled as he looked at the giant furnace spinning above his head.