No one on the battlefield miles away noticed that an elder of the Feixian Mansion had his Nascent Soul captured and sealed.
At this moment, Nangong Pu and the others grew more alarmed with every passing moment. They had initially believed that even if Zhang Fan's cultivation reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, they could easily subdue him with their numerical advantage and extensive combat experience.
However, after dozens of exchanges, they hadn't managed to inflict a single scratch on Zhang Fan. His aura remained steady, as if he hadn't even gone all out.
While fending off Nangong Pu and the other three, Zhang Fan sought to understand their respective sect's daoist techniques. He also kept an eye on Liu Mu's battle. Seeing that Liu Mu was taking too long to secure a kill, Zhang Fan couldn't help but taunt him, "You can't even take down someone who hasn't reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage? If that old man from the Great Luo Realm sees this, he'll surely regret giving you treasures."
Liu Mu was somewhat enraged. He had only recently broken through to the Nine Tribulations stage. Although his spiritual energy was as profound as that of a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, and he possessed an immortal treasure, each of these ten Nascent Soul cultivators had been practicing for over a thousand years. While not overwhelmingly strong, their means of self-preservation and prolonged combat were formidable. Apart from the initial surprise kill, it was now difficult to find their vulnerabilities.
Hearing Zhang Fan's taunt, he couldn't help but snort, "Stop spouting nonsense. If you're so capable, why don't you try it?"
"Why not try?" Zhang Fan chuckled.
"Killing them would be like slicing through vegetables for me, but if I make a move, the treasures will be mine."
"Insolent brat, how dare you be so arrogant!" The group of ancient cultivators, who had been practicing for millennia, felt increasingly enraged at being so lightly dismissed by Zhang Fan. They unleashed a torrent of swift attacks, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't break through Zhang Fan's defenses, nor could they even touch the hem of his robes.
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Liu Mu sensed something amiss, worried he might snatch the spoils. The thought had barely surfaced when a familiar sensation enveloped him.
Boundless sword dao rules erupted from Zhang Fan's body, filling the firmament. In an instant, a colossal Sword Dao Domain took shape.
Nangong Pu, Zhao Nanqiang, Fu Yu, and Teng Tiangu acted in perfect sync, simultaneously unleashing their own domains to counter Zhang Fan's Sword Dao Domain. However, how could the dao rules they cultivated compare to Zhang Fan's? The moment they were unleashed, they were ruthlessly crushed. The terrifying power of the sword dao suppressed every cultivator within the domain.
"What a terrifying Sword Dao Domain!" Teng Tiangu and the others had never witnessed a cultivator who had mastered the rules of dao to such an extent. The sheer might of the domain so heavily constrained their movements, and their perception of the world's rules became increasingly blurry, severely diminishing their strength.
"Old cur, die!" While the others were momentarily stunned, Zhang Fan struck decisively. He controlled his sword with his body, unleashed the divine ability of the Kunpeng's Wings, and channeled the power of thunder rules, charging towards Teng Tiangu with unparalleled speed.
"Not good!" At this critical moment, Teng Tiangu truly felt the presence of death. He knew he couldn't possibly block this sword strike, nor could he evade it. At the last moment, he roared to the heavens and revealed his true form as a Teng Snake, intending to withstand the blow with his demonic beast body.
The moment the colossal Teng Snake materialized, Zhang Fan was already upon it. He himself was like an peerless immortal sword. From the Teng Snake's head, he cleaved horizontally. The other three only saw a flash of blood, and the Teng Snake, dozens of zhang long, was cleanly split in two. Blood cascaded down like a waterfall, and its massive corpse plunged into the sea, turning the water within a radius of several kilometers crimson.
Zhang Fan, holding his blood-stained iron sword, immaculately clean, grinned at Nangong Pu and the others, sending a jolt of fear through their hearts.
Their mindsets had completely shifted from initial disbelief to a grim understanding. This was no mere peak Nascent Soul cultivator; this was a genuine half-step Soul Transformation realm expert!
"Escape!"
This thought simultaneously sprang into the minds of the three.
Killing a peak Nascent Soul cultivator in a single move was undoubtedly the strength of a half-step Soul Transformation realm, and not a weak one at that. How could they, mere peak Nascent Soul cultivators, possibly resist him?
The three simultaneously transformed into streaks of light, fleeing in three different directions in utter disarray.
The ten Nine Tribulations stage cultivators who were entangled with Liu Mu saw this and their movements visibly faltered.
Teng Tiangu was actually dead just like that? He was a peak Nascent Soul expert, yet he couldn't withstand a single sword strike from Zhang Fan.
Panic seized their hearts. If even a peak Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't withstand Zhang Fan's sword, then facing him with their own strength, they would truly be like "slicing through vegetables," just as Zhang Fan had said.
Seeing the three peak Nascent Soul cultivators scatter and flee, they dared not resist any longer and all retreated towards the Sword Dao Domain.
Liu Mu rejoiced inwardly. With the ten of them working together, it would have been difficult for him to break through their defenses anytime soon.
But now, thoroughly intimidated by Zhang Fan, their fighting spirit was gone, giving him the opportunity to pick them off one by one.
"This speed is too slow. With my current strength, none of you should be able to escape."
Zhang Fan flickered and was the first to intercept Fu Lan, the Great Elder of Ri Ying Dong Tian. Fu Yu's face contorted in shock, and he rapidly retreated by stepping on the void.
"Your speed isn't bad. I'll kill you first."
Before Zhang Fan's words had even finished, he struck. He held his sword in one hand, his posture graceful and relaxed. He seemed to be strolling, yet it was as if he was shrinking the space between them. In just three steps, he was before Fu Yu.
"Swish!"
The sword light flowed like water, tearing through the void. Uninterrupted slashes rained down upon Fu Yu.
Each sword light was incredibly gentle, like a lover's caress. Fu Yu was involuntarily entranced, a fleeting daze appearing in his eyes.
But, in an instant, he awoke, cold sweat beading on his back.
"This brat can actually infuse his divine soul power into his swordsmanship. Truly terrifying," Fu Yu thought, awestruck. He truly felt the gap between a peak Nascent Soul cultivator and a half-step Soul Transformation realm expert.
"Get out of my way!" Fu Yu brandished his long sword, pouring all his spiritual energy into his magic treasure. In the blink of an eye, he unleashed several sword strikes.
However, the disparity in their strength was too great. After barely parrying a few blows, he could no longer hold on. He was struck by a sword light, and a massive wound appeared on his chest, blood gushing out.
Before he could even react, he was engulfed by the endless sword light.
"Next."
Though it seemed prolonged, it only took two breaths of time to kill Fu Yu and seal his Nascent Soul.
Nangong Pu and Zhao Nanqiang, who had not yet escaped far, saw this and were terrified to their core. Both cursed Fu Yu as a complete waste in their hearts, dying far too quickly.
Zhang Fan transformed into a bolt of lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he caught up to the fleeing Zhao Nanqiang.
"Although you possess the strength of a half-step Soul Transformation realm, my Hei Sha Dong Tian does as well, and not just one. If you kill me, my Hei Sha Dong Tian will be your eternal enemy." At the brink of death, Zhao Nanqiang knew he couldn't contend with Zhang Fan and could only resort to invoking the backing he had, hoping to deter him.
"Are you deafened by fear, old fool? My Hei Sha Dong Tian and I have long been sworn enemies. As for the half-step Soul Transformation realm you mentioned, I'd very much like to meet them." Zhang Fan smiled and unleashed a "Fen Tian" sword strike from a distance. Zhao Nanqiang turned to block it, intending to use the force to escape.
But who would have thought that this "Fen Tian" sword strike was too powerful? He was directly sent flying and plunged into the sea.
...