The area around Star Lake was already shrouded in a wild and fierce aura due to the large gathering of demonic beasts. Most Golden Core stage human cultivators felt a sense of dread, their fighting spirit extinguished.
"Let's break through eastward together."
At this moment, facing the encirclement and slaughter of the demonic beast horde, Ouyang Ye glanced indifferently at Zhang Fan and his group, leading his people to break through eastward.
Dozens of demonic beasts immediately swarmed them, but Ouyang Ye's group was not weak, and with two Nascent Soul stage powerhouses at their core, they could still resist with their powerful techniques and divine abilities, slowly distancing themselves from Star Lake.
"What do we do?"
Fu Sisi, born with a silver spoon in her mouth and doted on by her family, had rarely experienced hardship even after cultivating to the peak of the Golden Core stage. Unlike other cultivators who had faced various schemes and deceptions since embarking on the path of cultivation, she was already in a panic, unable to be protected even by her father's presence in such a desperate situation.
"These demonic beasts are not to be feared. We can resist them together. However, that White Cloud Tiger is watching from the side. If it attacks, even I can only run."
Liu Mu appeared quite calm. Although he couldn't defeat the White Cloud Tiger, no one could stop him if he wanted to leave.
"Let's break through with Ouyang Ye and the others. Even if they desperately want to kill me, they wouldn't dare to act in such a desperate situation. As long as we break out of the demonic beast encirclement, we can scatter and escape, and there's still a chance to survive," Fu Feng said with a grave tone.
"That's the only way," Liu Mu said, looking at Zhang Fan and nodding.
"Why escape? So many Golden Core stage demonic beasts, that's also a significant fortune."
While Zhang Fan was planning his escape, he appeared quite relaxed, speaking with a smile.
"Madman!"
Fu Sisi was so angered by Zhang Fan's words that she couldn't speak. Not to mention the White Cloud Tiger that had survived three Nascent Soul tribulations and was watching from the side, nearly a hundred Golden Core stage demonic beasts were enough for them to fight with all their might. At this point, for this Golden Core stage youth to still want to hunt demonic beasts for their cores was utterly baffling.
"Junior Zhang Fan, this is no time for jokes," Fu Feng said with a solemn expression.
"Who's joking with you?"
Zhang Fan took a step forward, facing the silver moon wolf pack that was pouncing with fierce energy, and unleashed a punch. It was a simple, unadorned punch, without any spiritual energy. With a low sound, the demonic beasts within ten meters of Zhang Fan were instantly turned into mist of blood. With mere fist force, he had killed several peak Golden Core stage demonic beasts.
"What?"
"What happened?"
"How can a human youth at the Golden Core stage possess such strength?"
This punch not only terrified the ferocious demonic beasts but also stunned the human cultivators present. Killing several Golden Core stage demonic beasts with just fist force was something even ordinary Nascent Soul stage powerhouses couldn't achieve.
Ouyang Ye, who had already broken through to the edge of Star Lake, saw this and felt a trace of fear in his eyes. This young Golden Core stage cultivator's strength far exceeded his imagination. He himself admitted he couldn't achieve this.
"The stronger you are, the better my chances of escaping," Ouyang Ye's resolve to break through grew even stronger.
Zhang Fan naturally noticed the movements of Ouyang Ye's group, but he paid them no mind. A cultivator who hadn't even passed his first Nascent Soul tribulation, and who cultivated the lowest grade of black Nascent Soul, was not someone he took seriously. At this moment, this horde of Golden Core stage demonic beasts and that White Cloud Tiger were his targets.
...
Originally, after obtaining the Golden Light Immortal Mansion, Zhang Fan was not short of cultivation resources. The abundant spiritual herbs within the immortal mansion were enough to support his cultivation for a long time. However, to protect Qin Luoshui and the others, Zhang Fan had to entrust the Golden Light Immortal Mansion to Xue Jing for safekeeping. Therefore, he was truly poor now. Although there were some spiritual pills and herbs stored in the Star Diagram Space, they were insufficient for his rapidly improving strength. He had now cultivated to the peak of the Golden Core stage and was preparing for the breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, naturally requiring a vast amount of cultivation resources.
After Zhang Fan's punch had killed several Golden Core stage demonic beasts, he ignored everyone's reaction and, like a starving tiger, charged into the beast horde.
"With Daoist Friend Zhang Fan here, perhaps we can truly resist the White Cloud Tiger. Let's attack together!"
Fu Feng, after regaining his senses, quickly made up his mind. Rather than fleeing in disarray, it was better to fight desperately. At least, based on the current situation, they had the qualifications to do so.
Liu Mu looked at Zhang Fan, his upper body bare and stained with the blood of demonic beasts, a wildness that made even the beasts fear him. A peculiar look flashed in his eyes.
"Clang!"
A dazzling sword light flashed, and powerful sword energy swept out in all directions. Several Golden Core stage demonic beasts, unable to evade, were cut down.
"Roar!"
Seeing his offspring being slaughtered, the White Cloud Tiger finally couldn't sit still. It had underestimated these human cultivators and paid a heavy price. These three major demonic beast tribes were its most powerful forces, the power that allowed it to control the entire Star Lake Forest. In just a few short breaths, nearly twenty Golden Core stage demonic beasts had been killed.
"My children, kill them all! Leave no one alive!"
The White Cloud Tiger, which had initially intended to toy with these human cultivators, no longer had the mood. Now, it only wanted to kill these human cultivators as quickly as possible and seize their cultivated Golden Cores and Nascent Souls. With a deafening roar, the White Cloud Tiger revealed its true form: a fierce beast three zhang tall and over seven zhang long. Its fur was pure white, and faint golden patterns resembling the character "King" adorned its tiger head.
"Die!"
The White Cloud Tiger leaped, its huge tiger eyes filled with icy ferocity, and pounced at Zhang Fan. Its body was larger than the largest heavy-duty trucks on Earth, and Zhang Fan felt the light instantly dim before his eyes.
"Good!"
Zhang Fan's eyes were filled with excitement. He had been beaten into a sorry state by the Black Flame King and had only survived by luring it into a spatial rift and relying on the spatial turbulence storm. Now that his strength had reached the peak of the Golden Core stage, and with two first-grade Golden Cores, he was eager to know what his current strength truly amounted to. Zhang Fan pushed off the ground with all his might, his fists clenched. The power of his two first-grade Golden Cores surged like a raging tide, and his fists were instantly covered in flickering lightning.
The White Cloud Tiger's single paw was comparable in size to Zhang Fan's body, yet Zhang Fan fearlessly met it, his fists covered in lightning. To onlookers, it was like a fat arm trying to block a chariot.
From afar, although everyone was resisting the demonic beast encirclement, they still paid some attention to Zhang Fan. If Zhang Fan couldn't resist the White Cloud Tiger, they would likely face a dire fate.
When the two clashed, the powerful forces collided, creating a strong gust of wind in the forest that spread outwards. The giant trees within a kilometer radius were impacted by the airflow and snapped. This standoff lasted for less than half a breath before Zhang Fan couldn't resist. He was slapped down by the White Cloud Tiger, falling into the mud and creating a human-shaped crater.
"A mere Golden Core stage cultivator daring to provoke the White Cloud Tiger, commendable courage, but suicidal!"
Ouyang Ye, watching from afar, saw this and couldn't help but sneer. With Zhang Fan holding off the White Cloud Tiger and Fu Feng and the others resisting the demonic beast horde, their pressure was significantly reduced. In just a few breaths, their group had broken through several hundred meters.
Fu Feng and Liu Mu watched this scene with great worry, wondering if he had been crushed to death.
Zhang Fan struggled to climb out of the crater, casually dusting off the dirt. He looked at the White Cloud Tiger hovering in the air, a smile appearing on his face.
"Demonic beasts that have survived three Nascent Soul tribulations are indeed powerful. In terms of pure strength, even with a Minor Accomplishment Divine Body, there's still a gap."
The first exchange made Zhang Fan realize that even with his two first-grade Golden Cores and Minor Accomplishment Divine Body, there was still a significant gap compared to a powerful demonic beast like the White Cloud Tiger that had survived three Nascent Soul tribulations. However, after his resistance and weakening the attack, the White Cloud Tiger's strike could barely injure him.
"You can't hurt me, but I can kill you!"
Zhang Fan casually summoned a bronze ancient sword into his hand.
"Slash!"
A sharp sword intent, carrying destructive lightning, struck the White Cloud Tiger with unparalleled speed. The White Cloud Tiger's huge eyes narrowed. It felt a threat from a Golden Core stage human cultivator for the first time. The White Cloud Tiger extended its claw and swept through the void, forming a streak of majestic spiritual energy that collided with the sharp sword light.
However, to everyone's surprise, the streak of majestic spiritual energy was easily dispersed by the sharp sword light and then landed on the White Cloud Tiger's body. The sharp sword light, with its strong penetration, did not break through the White Cloud Tiger's fur, but its force penetrated into its body, causing it to be injured.
"Demonic beasts' bodies are truly formidable. Your body is almost comparable to a Minor Accomplishment Divine Body."
Zhang Fan was not surprised. Demonic beasts and human cultivators had different cultivation methods and strengths. Most demonic beasts had extremely powerful bodies, so they fought using their physical strength. At the same level, only human cultivators who practiced powerful body techniques had the qualification to compete with demonic beasts in terms of strength. However, despite their powerful physiques, demonic beasts had a great flaw: they were not adept at divine abilities and spells. Although they possessed majestic spiritual energy, their application was too crude. Just like the previous sword strike, Zhang Fan's spiritual energy was clearly a level below the White Cloud Tiger's, but his spiritual energy was more condensed, easily slicing through the streak of spiritual energy the White Cloud Tiger had unleashed. Although the White Cloud Tiger was injured, the wound was insignificant to it. It didn't damage its core, and it wouldn't be killed even after enduring a thousand more sword strikes.
...