Seven beast kings at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage gathered together. If they had relied on their innate divine abilities to resist, Zhang Fan would have found it difficult to deal with them for a while. However, under the influence of the Golden Sparrow Silver Thread Lamp, the seven beast kings became blind with their eyes open, experiencing a brief moment of panic.
Zhang Fan, also prepared, pushed his speed to the extreme. Holding the blood-colored iron sword, he instantly charged into the beast king formation. Sharp sword shadows crisscrossed wildly, and with each swing of the blood-colored iron sword, beast kings fell one after another.
Given their physical resilience, they couldn't withstand the sharpness of the blood-colored iron sword. After only a few breaths, the dazzling brilliance released by the Golden Sparrow Silver Thread Lamp dissipated. The winged black tiger saw the scene before it and its eyes nearly burst with rage.
All the massive beast kings lay on the ground, their heads severed without exception. Their Nascent Souls were dug out from their bodies, and scarlet blood spurted from the wounds like a spring.
Countless demonic beasts were terrified, and the herds began to scatter in all directions. With their kings dead, how would they dare to linger?
"Such means are truly terrifying," Gong Yiyi's heart chilled as she witnessed this. Those were seven beast kings at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, beings of the highest caliber even in their True Fire Cave Heaven, yet they were all slain in mere moments.
At this moment, Gong Yiyi's resolve became immensely firm. After leaving the Great Luo Realm, she would surely remind the old fellows in the sect not to make an enemy of this individual.
"Not good!"
Canglan Mingyue felt a sense of foreboding. He had forgotten that Zhang Fan possessed an immortal treasure, and that he had so decisively and efficiently killed the seven beast kings.
Just as he had predicted, the two beast kings who had been fiercely battling him exchanged glances and, without hesitation, fled outside the Domain of Sword Dao. The remaining few Nine Tribulations Realm demonic beasts also used their abilities and fled.
"Go all out, or all our efforts will be in vain!" Canglan Mingyue roared, his entire body radiating golden light, and he seemed to grow taller.
Canglan Qiuyue, standing beside him, did the same. She instantly activated her Crimson Gold Refining Emperor Body to its extreme, her speed and strength surging. Each of them pursued one beast king.
Knowing that the tide had turned, the winged black tiger dared not linger. With a flap of its wings, it flew hundreds of miles, intending to escape.
But how could Zhang Fan give it such an opportunity? This winged tiger cultivated both body and Qi, and its Nascent Soul was significantly stronger than those of other beast kings. Its entire being was a treasure, and Zhang Fan couldn't let it go.
Dealing with a pack of beast kings would have bound Zhang Fan's hands somewhat if he hadn't used some tricks, but dealing with the winged black tiger was extremely simple.
A bolt of lightning flashed across the horizon. In a single breath, Zhang Fan intercepted the winged black tiger.
Without giving the winged black tiger a chance to speak, Zhang Fan struck with his sword. Although the winged black tiger's physical body was strong, it couldn't ignore the attack of a top-grade Heavenly Treasure divine sword.
Zhang Fan, relying on his profound movement techniques and unparalleled speed, continuously attacked the winged black tiger. Each blow that landed would transfer layers of power into its body.
Gradually, the winged black tiger's body was covered in sword marks. Its internal organs were damaged, and blood seeped from its seven orifices. It knew it was unlikely to escape, yet it was unwilling to become nourishment for this human cultivator.
"Even if I die, I won't let you have your way!"
The winged black tiger roared in defiance. It stopped resisting Zhang Fan's attacks, instead rapidly absorbing the power of heaven and earth, intending to gather it upon its Nascent Soul.
"You want to self-destruct? I haven't agreed to that." With a cold laugh from Zhang Fan, divine light flickered from his body, and the Collapse Domain was unleashed, suppressing the power of heaven and earth and disrupting the winged black tiger's circulation.
"It's time to end this..."
"Sword of Thunder!"
Nearly two million strands of Dao rules converged upon him. Zhang Fan unleashed a sword strike. The winged black tiger could no longer resist. Its massive head flew off, and then it crashed to the ground like a falling meteor. Its Nascent Soul, unable to self-destruct, was dug out and sealed by Zhang Fan.
"Rumble!"
The winged black tiger's body, which crashed to the ground, was like a mountain, shaking everything. A powerful beast king, nearing Half-step Void Transformation, had also failed to escape.
Thus, all nine great beast kings who had besieged Zhang Fan perished. When he turned his head, there was no sign of the beast tide outside the periphery of the Dark Plains.
The mighty beast tide that had besieged them now left behind only mountains of corpses and seas of blood, with scattered limbs everywhere. The demonic beasts that had fled tens of thousands of miles away trembled, their hearts filled with a fear that lingered long, lest the human cultivator become addicted and slaughter the entire Great Luo Realm.
Zhang Fan surveyed the scene. Only less than forty human cultivators remained, a considerable loss. Even the True Fire Cave Heaven had only six surviving disciples.
Naturally, the group with the most members intact was Zhang Fan's side.
The battle formation formed by Luo Xiaoxiao, Lin Haotian, Heavenly Sovereign Tianhua, and Immortal Jian Wuchen had cut a swathe through countless demonic beasts in this beast tide, even slaying several at the Eight Tribulations Realm, yielding substantial gains without a single casualty.
The Six Kings' Manor, apart from one disciple who unfortunately perished, had several injured disciples. However, compared to other factions, they could be considered to have achieved complete victory.
On the current battlefield, apart from Zhang Fan and the personnel from the three top powers, the remaining twenty-odd human cultivators were divided into three small groups. Their leaders were all cultivators at the Eight Tribulations Realm, which was precisely why they had managed to survive.
"Congratulations, Elder Zhang Fan, for slaying the Nine Great Beast Kings and reaping considerable rewards," Shen Feichen walked forward, smiling.
Although he had managed to kill one of the beast kings, he had also killed several Nine Tribulations Realm demonic beasts, and his gains were not insignificant.
At this moment, two streaks of golden light tore through the sky, rapidly approaching from afar. They were Canglan Mingyue and his sibling, who had gone to pursue the beast kings. Judging by their expressions, they seemed to have achieved something.
"The vitality of these beast kings is too tenacious. After catching up, I had to strike hundreds of times before finally killing it," Canglan Mingyue said with some frustration as he approached.
"Brother Mingyue's strength is indeed extraordinary. Without external aid, he can kill a beast king at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage one-on-one. This strength must be close to breaking through to the Half-step Void Transformation realm, right?" Shen Feichen shook his head, filled with emotion.
When he had become famous, Canglan Mingyue had not even been born. Strictly speaking, he could only be considered his junior, yet his current strength had completely surpassed him, filling him with a sense of the inexplicable.
"Half-step Void Transformation?" Canglan Mingyue shook his head. Despite being only half a step away, there was a world of difference.
The winged black tiger, whose strength was on par with his own, was still so easily killed by Zhang Fan, unable to even self-destruct its Nascent Soul. This was the difference between the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and Half-step Void Transformation.
Although Zhang Fan had not yet begun to fuse his divine soul with the rules, his strength was indeed comparable to that of a Half-step Void Transformation realm cultivator.
...