"Hahaha, Fufeng, your Fu family's intentions are malicious, daring to ambush us in Star Lake Forest! Once I return, I will surely expose your Fu family's crimes, contact all parties, and exterminate your Fu family to rid Great Yan Star of this tumor!"
Because Zhang Fan was entangled with Bai Yunhu, blocking the greatest threat for them, Ouyang Ye and his group quickly broke through the siege of the demon beast horde. After escaping the battlefield, they let out hearty laughter.
"This Ouyang Ye is too insidious. It was clearly he who contacted Li Yunhai to ambush us," Fusisi's fair and beautiful face showed extreme indignation as she spoke.
Fufeng's expression was also extremely grim, but he remained silent, for he understood that since Li Yunhai had sided with Ouyang Ye, it also meant that the Li family and the Ouyang family had formed an alliance. It was only a matter of time before they would deal with the Fu family.
It could be imagined that those Golden Core realm cultivators who had followed Ouyang Ye to break through would likely have few survivors.
Although angered, they were currently surrounded here. Whether they could escape was still a question, let alone seek revenge on Ouyang Ye.
"If we can survive, we must immediately send this news back to the family, otherwise, facing the sudden attack from the Ouyang and Li families, the family might be in danger."
As Fufeng thought of this, his desire to survive grew even stronger. This matter not only concerned their lives and fortunes but also the fate of the entire family.
However, before Bai Yunhu, a cultivator who had not even passed his first Nascent Soul tribulation, he could only place his hope on Zhang Fan.
...
Although Zhang Fan had also heard Ouyang Ye's words, none of it concerned him much. He was currently wielding the Bronze Ancient Sword, locked in a fierce battle with Bai Yunhu.
On one side was a powerful demon beast that had passed three Nascent Soul tribulations, and on the other was a human cultivator with a nascent divine body and two first-grade top-tier Golden Cores. Both sides possessed extremely powerful physical bodies, making the battle exceptionally intense.
"It seems that relying on this Bronze Ancient Sword to break through your physical body is indeed somewhat difficult. Since that is the case..."
Relying on his agile footwork and extreme speed, Zhang Fan had gained a complete advantage. The two had exchanged hundreds of blows, and the Bronze Ancient Sword had repeatedly struck Bai Yunhu. Although it could wound him, the injuries were still too weak for Bai Yunhu.
Zhang Fan sheathed the Bronze Ancient Sword. The boundless spiritual power contained within his two first-grade Golden Cores surged forth, and the Rending Sky Yakura scripture within his body was illuminated.
As a colossal phantom of the Rending Sky Yakura slowly materialized above Zhang Fan's head, an aura imbued with ancient desolation permeated the forest. The Golden Core realm demon beasts, influenced by this aura, all trembled in their hearts, their ferocity gradually receding from their eyes, replaced by an innate fear.
"What kind of strange beast is this!"
Bai Yunhu's eyes also held a trace of dread. From the phantom of that strange beast, it sensed a soul-crushing pressure that caused its fearless heart to stir with a hint of fear, preventing it from fully engaging its fighting spirit.
A mere phantom could affect its spirit. If its true form were present, wouldn't it be forced to submit instantly?
"This is not some strange beast, but a chaotic ferocious beast."
"Rending Sky Horn!"
With Zhang Fan's thunderous roar, the Rending Sky Yakura phantom seemed to come alive. It raised its single horn, capable of piercing the heavens, and charged towards Bai Yunhu.
"Roar!"
Bai Yunhu let out a deafening tiger roar, echoing throughout the entire Star Lake Forest, causing the weaker demon beasts to tremble uncontrollably.
"I see you're just bluffing!"
Bai Yunhu forcefully dispelled the ancient aura that affected his spirit. The hint of dread in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by a bloodthirsty coldness.
Facing the colossal phantom of the Rending Sky Yakura, Bai Yunhu, like a pure white and adorable kitten, fearlessly sprang forward, swinging its tiger claws, attempting to shatter the phantom.
However, this was, after all, a divine-grade divine ability. And as Zhang Fan's strength increased, the power of this divine ability was far beyond what it was in the past.
The collision between the two was almost like a crushing force. The physical body that Zhang Fan had struck dozens of times without causing significant damage was directly pierced by the Rending Sky Yakura's single horn.
Simultaneously, a translucent phantom flew out from Bai Yunhu's body and then rapidly fled towards the depths of the forest. That was Bai Yunhu's Nascent Soul.
"After expending so much effort to defeat you, do you think I'll let you escape?"
Seeing this, a cold smile flickered across Zhang Fan's lips. He had done all this for this very moment.
Whether it was a human cultivator or a demon beast, as long as they cultivated a Nascent Soul, it could detach from the physical body. As long as the Nascent Soul was not destroyed, it possessed the opportunity for possession and rebirth.
Of course, the physical body that a Nascent Soul possessed through possession could never be as compatible as its original body. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, no one would engage in such a practice.
At this moment, Bai Yunhu's powerful physical body had been pierced by the Rending Sky Horn, leaving it with no choice but to make this decision.
Although it knew that even with its intact physical body it was no match for the incredibly monstrous human cultivator, the chances of its Nascent Soul escaping were slim.
Bai Yunhu's Nascent Soul fled at an extremely high speed, far surpassing ordinary Golden Core realm cultivators. However, compared to Zhang Fan, who cultivated the path of lightning and condensed a first-grade top-tier Golden Core, it was still somewhat inferior.
Moreover, it was currently in its Nascent Soul form, capable of exerting less than thirty percent of its peak strength. This made its chances of escape exceedingly slim.
As Zhang Fan fully unleashed his movement techniques and swept towards the direction Bai Yunhu had fled, Fufeng and Liu Mu could only catch a fleeting glimpse of a residual image flashing by before it disappeared from their sight.
In just a few breaths, Zhang Fan returned. This time, he was holding a white cloud tiger, no larger than his fist, in his hand.
"Human, spare my life. I can help you rule the entire Star Lake Forest, and you will be the king of Star Lake Forest from now on."
Bai Yunhu's Nascent Soul was held in Zhang Fan's hand, completely devoid of resistance, and could only bow its head and beg for mercy.
"Truly a frog in a well. Your offer has tickled my funny bone."
Zhang Fan merely smiled at Bai Yunhu's words. He reached out and tapped Bai Yunhu's Nascent Soul, completely sealing its spiritual power, and then took out a bag to put it in.
Let alone this small forest, even if he were to stay in Great Yan Star and be its star lord, he would have no interest.
Due to Bai Yunhu's demise, the demon beast horde that had been besieging Liu Mu and the others instantly retreated. On the Star Lake, apart from hundreds of human cultivator corpses, there were also dozens of Golden Core realm demon beast corpses.
"You monster, how exactly did you cultivate?" Liu Mu couldn't help himself, his bright eyes filled with curiosity as he stared at Zhang Fan and asked.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that a Golden Core realm cultivator could kill a powerful demon beast that had passed three Nascent Soul tribulations.
Liu Mu came from an extraordinary background and had considerable experience. Even he could be considered an unparalleled genius. During his Golden Core stage, he had also condensed a first-grade top-tier Golden Core. However, at that time, he could at best contend with some weaker two-tribulation Nascent Soul experts. It was difficult even to defeat them, let alone kill them.
Even now, after breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage with a first-grade top-tier Golden Core and condensing a golden Nascent Soul, he was still no match for Bai Yunhu.
Fufeng and Fusisi's backgrounds and knowledge were far inferior to Liu Mu's. Regarding Zhang Fan killing Bai Yunhu, even though they had witnessed it with their own eyes, they found it hard to accept.
If not for the fact that he could clearly sense that Zhang Fan had not yet condensed a Nascent Soul, he would have suspected that this was a master in disguise.
"It was merely a fortunate encounter, not worth mentioning," Zhang Fan waved his hand, not dwelling on the matter, and then turned to collect the demon cores.
"How could such a thing be done by Daoist Friend Zhang Fan himself?" Fufeng quickly stopped Zhang Fan and then said to Fusisi, "Sisi, help me clear the battlefield and sort out Daoist Friend Zhang Fan's spoils of war."
Just as Zhang Fan was about to speak, Fufeng continued, "If it weren't for Daoist Friend Zhang Fan's presence, perhaps neither you nor I would have survived. These spoils of war naturally belong to Daoist Friend Zhang Fan and Daoist Friend Liu Mu."
With Zhang Fan's discernment, how could he not see why Fufeng was being so enthusiastic? Collecting demon cores was also a bit troublesome. Since Fufeng was willing, he did not say more.
Liu Mu stood by, saying nothing. He didn't even glance at the corpses stained with blood on the ground, not paying them any mind.
Soon, with the diligent efforts of Fufeng and Fusisi, all the demon beast cores were extracted. The storage artifacts of the deceased human cultivators were also collected. Fufeng did not inspect them and put everything into a storage artifact, respectfully handing it over to Zhang Fan.
Zhang Fan accepted it without any pretense and then said to Liu Mu, "Looking at you, you don't lack these low-level items. I'll accept them."
Liu Mu pouted and said nothing, implicitly agreeing.
The strongest of the deceased human cultivators had only condensed a second-grade Golden Core, so how much wealth could they possess? Given his status, he indeed did not place much value on them.
"Daoist Friend Zhang Fan, this time you killed Bai Yunhu and saved the lives of my Fu family. My Fu family owes you a favor. If you have any requests in the future, my Fu family will not refuse." Fufeng cupped his fists towards Zhang Fan and thanked him sincerely.
"With your Fu family's strength, it's truly difficult to help me much. Moreover, you haven't forgotten what Ouyang Ye said before he left?" Zhang Fan said with a light laugh.
That matter concerned the fate of his entire Fu family. How could he forget?
Fufeng took a deep breath. He understood that Zhang Fan had seen through everything, so he stopped being polite and said, "I implore Daoist Friend Zhang Fan to help my Fu family this once. My Fu family will surely repay you handsomely!"
"Oh, if I were to help, how would your Fu family thank me?"
"A high-grade spiritual treasure, or something else?" Zhang Fan asked curiously.
Upon hearing this, Fufeng's face immediately showed difficulty, unsure how to speak.
With Zhang Fan's strength, he likely wouldn't value ordinary treasures. But a high-grade spiritual treasure...
Their Fu family only possessed one, which was their clan's most treasured possession. He did not have the authority to decide its fate.
"Hahaha, just kidding."
Seeing Fufeng's expression, Zhang Fan burst into laughter and then said, "We have experienced life and death together, and I really can't stand that Ouyang Ye. It's a good opportunity to deal with him."
"Doesn't their Ouyang family already have a high-grade spiritual treasure? Let's use that as a reward then."
"If that's the case, then thank you, Daoist Friend Zhang Fan." Hearing this, Fufeng's tense heartstrings relaxed, and he bowed deeply to Zhang Fan once more.
Fusisi stood by, watching silently. At this moment, her gaze towards Zhang Fan was filled with complexity and gratitude. She had initially thought Zhang Fan was a reckless fool who didn't know his limits, but she hadn't realized it was her own narrow vision that led to such thoughts.
"I'm going to kill Ouyang Ye. Are you coming?" Zhang Fan looked at Liu Mu and asked.
"Why wouldn't I? I hate these despicable and shameless scoundrels the most." Liu Mu was like an angry youth at this moment, wanting to step forward and right the wrongs.
"With the addition of Daoist Friend Liu Mu, even if Ouyang Ye joins forces with the Li family, there's nothing to worry about." Liu Mu's words made the smile on Fufeng's old face even brighter.
Although Liu Mu had few opportunities to act, his strength was absolutely formidable, even surpassing his own. With such a powerful expert joining them, he was naturally happy.
After everyone reached an agreement, to prevent further complications, they immediately set off towards the outside of Star Lake Forest.
...