Chang Sheng Daozhang and Bai Tu were the weakest among the five, but both were cunning individuals, so Zhang Fan decided to eliminate them first.
"Heaven Concealing Hand!"
Before he even got close, a giant palm print materialized from the void and slammed directly at Bai Tu.
The palm print, spanning over ten meters and as large as half a basketball court, descended from the sky. Underneath it, Bai Tu and the others appeared as insignificant as insects.
"Everyone, attack together!"
The immense pressure brought by the palm print caused the expressions of Chang Bai Shan Wu Sheng and the others to shift. From this single move, they could tell that Master Zhang's strength had at least reached the late stage of the Core Formation realm, on par with Daoist Niu.
As for who was stronger between him and Daoist Niu, they found it difficult to judge. Daoist Niu had been in the late Core Formation realm for a hundred years and had not displayed his full power in front of others for a long time, making his true depth hard to gauge.
Following Chang Bai Shan Wu Sheng's loud shout, Bai Tu and Chang Sheng Daozhang also unleashed their respective abilities, blasting towards the giant palm print. Chang Bai Shan Lu Wu Sheng directly transformed into a golden light and charged straight at the handprint.
Under their combined efforts, the Heaven Concealing Handprint was shattered and dissipated into a gust of air before it could even land.
Daoist Niu, from beginning to end, had not made a move. He watched calmly from the side, while Wuchen Jianxian, seemingly stunned by Zhang Fan's earlier words, remained frozen in place, devoid of any fighting spirit.
Zhang Fan was unfazed by the shattered palm print. He moved with incredible speed, and in less than the time it took for a breath, he appeared beside Chang Sheng Daozhang.
"Myriad Dao Fist!"
Channeling the power of his physical body, he unleashed a fist technique from the Thirty-Six Forms of the Battle Emperor. The punch struck out like smashing a small world interwoven with myriad daos. Its speed far surpassed the speed of sound, and sharp sonic booms echoed through the air.
Even Chang Sheng Daozhang, who had been constantly wary of Zhang Fan, had not anticipated such a level of speed. He only reacted after Zhang Fan had thrown his punch.
To dodge was clearly too late; he could only defend with all his might.
"Eternal Flowing Fire Wall!"
In a flash, Chang Sheng Daozhang flicked his palm across the gourd at his waist. Endless flames erupted from it, forming a wall of fire laced with purple flames in front of him.
Chang Sheng Daozhang enjoyed drinking and was skilled at brewing alcohol with various elixirs. Originally, his flames were merely an aid to his alchemy, but as he cultivated further, they became one of his most formidable techniques.
"Eternal Flowing Fire" was a unique flame cultivated by Chang Sheng Daozhang himself. It was gentle, but once it clung to something, it was extremely difficult to extinguish.
He had initially thought to use the "Eternal Flowing Fire Wall" to buy himself some time, but he never imagined that Zhang Fan would completely ignore the fire wall blocking his path. With a single punch, he tore through the flames and slammed heavily into Chang Sheng Daozhang's chest.
Chang Sheng Daozhang was sent flying, spewing blood that stained the sandy shore, a striking sight.
Now that the Myriad Domain Godly Body had reached the quasi-minor accomplishment stage, Zhang Fan's strength was sufficient to contend with genuine Golden Core realm cultivators. His physical body was so robust that only Golden Core cultivators could injure him. Killing an early Core Formation realm cultivator was as easy as slaughtering a dog.
If he had used his full strength with that punch, he could have shattered Chang Sheng Daozhang's Nascent Soul and killed him instantly.
However, he had not done so.
Firstly, being able to kill an early Core Formation realm expert with one punch, even after they had deployed defensive measures, was something even Daoist Niu could not accomplish. If Zhang Fan had done so, his displayed strength would have been too immense, causing them all to retreat in fear.
Secondly, every Core Formation realm expert contained a Nascent Soul filled with pure energy, which was of great benefit to Zhang Fan's current cultivation. Naturally, he was reluctant to destroy it.
To ordinary people, cultivators consuming the Nascent Souls of other human cultivators was considered cannibalism, a violation of ethics, and a despicable act.
However, in the world of cultivation, this was a perfectly normal occurrence. It was precisely because of this that the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest, was more vividly displayed in the world of immortal cultivators.
In fact, in the myriad star domains, some powerful demonic cultivators would raise entire planets of humans, cultivating them specifically. Once they became powerful, they would then consume them.
While such acts were taboo in the cultivation world, many demonic cultivators still engaged in them to improve their cultivation.
...
Even with only thirty percent of his strength, Zhang Fan's punch caused Chang Sheng Daozhang's chest to cave in, leaving him severely injured and instantly incapacitated.
Bai Tu, who was not far from Chang Sheng Daozhang, saw this and felt a chill run down his spine at Chang Sheng Daozhang's miserable state.
Chang Sheng Daozhang's strength was comparable to his own, yet he couldn't withstand Zhang Fan's single punch. Could he?
Without any hesitation, Bai Tu lightly brushed his palm across the white jade bone token at his waist. Instantly, thirty-three ghost generals of various forms flew out from the bone token and surrounded Bai Tu.
Each ghost general exuded a powerful aura of the Divine Realm. Bai Tu mobilized the ghost generals and quickly formed a Di Sha Ghost General Formation, protecting him within.
Originally, the Di Sha Ghost General Formation, comprised of thirty-six ghost generals, could unleash its ultimate power and contend with early Core Formation realm experts.
However, three of the ghost generals had been refined by Zhang Fan's lightning fire. The speed was too great, and he had no time to recall them, resulting in the loss of three ghost generals.
The Di Sha Ghost General Formation was currently his strongest method. Once activated, it was equivalent to fighting two opponents against one in the same realm, with perfect coordination.
But the Di Sha Ghost General Formation formed by thirty-three ghost generals could only barely reach the threshold of the early Core Formation realm.
After heavily injuring Chang Sheng Daozhang, Zhang Fan turned his gaze to Bai Tu. Chang Bai Shan Wu Sheng and Daoist Niu clearly understood Zhang Fan's intention. They flashed forward and stood in front of Bai Tu.
Although Bai Tu's strength was ordinary, he was still a Core Formation realm Earth Immortal. They did not want to give Zhang Fan an opportunity to pick them off one by one.
"I'm very curious about what body technique Master Zhang cultivates," Chang Bai Shan Wu Sheng radiated golden light all over his body, like a god of war. His voice rumbled low, filled with immense power.
"Dead men don't need to know so much!"
Lightning and fire erupted from Zhang Fan's eyes, engulfing them. Daoist Niu and Chang Bai Shan Wu Sheng could easily resist, but the Di Sha Ghost General Formation formed by Bai Tu could not.
Although the thirty-three ghost generals combined possessed the power of a Core Formation realm Earth Immortal, individually they were only at the early Divine Realm. Under the refining flames of lightning and fire, the bodies of each ghost general gradually became illusory, and they let out piercing ghost howls.
Sensing his nurtured ghost generals rapidly weakening, Bai Tu felt his heart grow cold, yet he was helpless.
This was because Zhang Fan's lightning fire domain also exerted considerable suppression on him, leaving him barely able to protect himself.
"Withdraw!"
After Zhang Fan unleashed this move, Bai Tu knew that his Di Sha Ghost General Formation was useless. He could only withdraw them all into the bone token.
After all, those ghost generals were the result of his hard work in nurturing them for hundreds of years to reach their current level.
"Water come!"
Daoist Niu formed a cryptic palm seal and then gestured with both hands. The waters of Bibo Lake were stirred, and two water dragons transformed into soaring columns of water, continuously pouring into the lightning fire in an attempt to extinguish it.
Seeing this, the corners of Zhang Fan's stern face curled up into a slightly mocking smile.
The flames within the lightning fire domain were divine flames. Ordinary lake water posed no threat to the lightning fire domain.
...