"Hmph, you want to take my spiritual treasure? I doubt you have the ability!"
Li Yangzi sneered, thinking this Saint Master Zhang had gone mad.
The Li Yang Spiritual Fire Furnace, as a mid-grade spiritual treasure, although originally intended for alchemy, also possessed formidable suppression, attack, and defense capabilities, making it a top-tier mid-grade spiritual treasure.
Li Yangzi had refined and nurtured this treasure for centuries, integrating it deeply with himself. How could Zhang Fan possibly take it with just a word?
"Is that so?"
Zhang Fan let out a cold laugh, offering no further comment.
As the Li Yang Spiritual Fire Furnace descended to suppress him, Zhang Fan's breathing gradually steadied. He took a deep breath, clasped his hands together, and a terrifying energy began to gather within him!
"Chaos Devour!"
Zhang Fan roared to the sky, a voice that seemed to echo from antiquity, resounding across the vast snowy plains.
A colossal phantom of a mythical beast slowly rose behind Zhang Fan. It towered hundreds of feet high, its head piercing the clouds. Though merely a phantom, its intangible pressure sent shivers down the spines of everyone present.
"What kind of beast is this?" Daozun and the others, hailing from the Wushan Starfield, lacked Xue Jing's knowledge and couldn't identify the beast.
However, this did not prevent them from sensing the ancient and powerful aura emanating from the phantom's body.
The moment the beast appeared, a gale erupted on the plateau. The surrounding cold snow energy converged towards the phantom, swirling snowflakes into a colossal vortex.
"Master is finally using this divine ability!"
Xue Jing, who was currently pummeling the Sect Master of Wenxin Sect, trembled with excitement upon witnessing this scene.
He had personally witnessed the terrifying power of this divine ability when Zhang Fan cultivated in the Ancestral Castle. It had even devoured their Blood Clan's secret space, a memory etched vividly in Xue Jing's mind.
Seeing it again, the phantom of the Taotie appeared even more substantial than the one he had seen in the Ancestral Castle. Clearly, Zhang Fan's divine ability had improved considerably during this time.
"What kind of beast is this? I've roamed for thousands of years, ventured into numerous dangerous star systems, yet I've never seen or heard of it."
Lin Yun, who was observing from a distance, having not joined the fray, stared at the phantom beast whose body resembled a mountain range. He was utterly astonished.
Fortunately, Zhang Fan wasn't using this attack against him; otherwise, he doubted he would even have the courage to fight back.
"Devour it!"
The beast, with a human face and a cow's body, unleashed a powerful devouring force from its mouth. Like a black hole, it drew the Li Yang Spiritual Fire Furnace, which hovered several zhang above Zhang Fan's head, towards its maw.
"How is this possible!"
Li Yangzi was horrified. He quickly employed a secret art to reclaim his spiritual treasure, but he found that the connection between him and the treasure seemed to be severed by the devouring force. He could no longer sense its existence.
Under the terrified gazes of everyone present, the enormous Li Yang Spiritual Fire Furnace was swallowed whole by the Taotie phantom. Then, its gaze turned towards Li Yangzi and the others.
"Flee!"
Sensing the emotionless indifference in the phantom beast's eyes, Li Yangzi was filled with fear. His will to fight vanished instantly. With a roar, he soared towards the heavens.
"To hell with opportunities, I need to save my dog life."
Brilliant flames erupted from Li Yangzi's body as he pushed his speed to its absolute limit.
Daozun and Bai Zhen were also stunned by this sudden turn of events. How could they possibly fight when a powerful Golden Core cultivator's innate spiritual treasure could be snatched away?
"Flee!"
Once Daozun and Bai Zhen recovered from their shock, their will to fight completely evaporated. The Sect Master of Wenxin Sect was being held by Xue Jing, and Li Yangzi's innate spiritual treasure was lost, his combat power reduced by at least thirty percent. How could they contend with Zhang Fan now?
"Daozun, save me!"
The Sect Master of Wenxin Sect was being beaten by Xue Jing, barely able to defend himself with treasures, and had already sustained serious injuries.
Seeing his companion being chased like a mouse by Zhang Fan, the Sect Master of Wenxin Sect fell into despair and cried out for help.
Daozun glanced at the Sect Master of Wenxin Sect, a bitter smile playing on his lips. He executed an escape technique, transforming into a sharp blade of light that pierced the void, flying towards the heavens without looking back.
The individuals had sworn a life-bound oath to not kill each other and to aid each other in battle, but that was only under the condition of preserving their own lives.
Now that their lives were in peril, how could they possibly help their companions?
"Think you can escape!"
A cold smile flickered across Zhang Fan's lips. He unleashed his divine ability once more, and an endless devouring force spread out, drastically reducing the speed of Bai Zhen, Li Yangzi, and Daozun.
"It still can't be swallowed? It seems I have to deal with them myself!"
Zhang Fan was somewhat dissatisfied. He had expected to swallow Bai Zhen and Li Yangzi directly, but he had underestimated them.
While the divine ability "Chaos Devour" was indeed powerful, Zhang Fan had only practiced it for a short time. It was still a considerable distance from minor accomplishment, so its power was naturally somewhat lacking.
"Heaven Splitting Horn!"
To ensure he could keep as many of them as possible, Zhang Fan held nothing back and unleashed the divine ability of the Liantian Si.
A beast resembling a rhinoceros materialized above Zhang Fan. It was even more substantial than the previous Taotie, exuding a more ferocious aura.
Zhang Fan had cultivated this divine ability to minor accomplishment, making it significantly more potent.
"Block it!"
Bai Zhen saw the rhinoceros-like phantom beast charging at him with its single horn, possessing an unstoppable momentum, as if it could pierce through the very sky. Bai Zhen found it difficult to muster any desire to resist.
Yet, the instinct for survival drove away his fear, and he managed to thrust his long sword horizontally before his chest.
"Boom!"
There was no surprise. The long sword snapped, and Bai Zhen was impaled by the horn. The immense force shattered his internal organs, killing him instantly.
After dispatching Bai Zhen, Zhang Fan looked up at Daozun and Li Yangzi, who were fleeing in separate directions. After some thought, Zhang Fan pursued Li Yangzi.
"Why are you chasing me!"
Li Yangzi felt a bitter despair. He and Daozun had split up, naturally hoping Zhang Fan would pursue Daozun. As long as he could escape to a starship in space, he would not fear Zhang Fan.
"Die!"
Zhang Fan's speed was already faster than Li Yangzi's. Under the effect of the gravity domain and the "Chaos Devour" divine ability, Li Yangzi's speed was pathetically slow. In a blink of an eye, Zhang Fan caught up.
Having lost his innate spiritual treasure, Li Yangzi's combat power was even slightly weaker than Bai Zhen's. He didn't even have time to beg for mercy before he was brutally torn apart by Zhang Fan's endless sword light.
"I'm chasing you because you're weak!"
Zhang Fan collected Li Yangzi's Golden Core and storage artifacts, speaking softly.
In the time it took to blink, Daozun, who had fled in the opposite direction, had already flown beyond his domain, disappearing into the clouds. Zhang Fan's divine sense could no longer detect his presence.
By the time Zhang Fan landed on the snowy plain, the corpse of the Sect Master of Wenxin Sect also crashed heavily onto the ground, staining the snow a deep crimson.