Zhang Fan stood in the void, gazing at the dark plains tens of thousands of miles away, watching the overwhelming tide of demonic beasts, his heart as still as water, his dark, deep eyes devoid of any ripple.
However, behind him, Lin Haotian, Luo Xiaoxiao, and the cultivators of the Six Royal Mansions had eyes filled with uncontainable fervor. Three months of cultivation had brought their fighting spirit to its peak, and they could no longer hold back, looking as if they wished to charge into the beast tide and slaughter to their hearts' content immediately.
Seeing this, Zhang Fan couldn't help but smile. He turned to face everyone and said softly, "Treasures stir the heart, but do not lose your minds. I have sensed it carefully just now; among this beast tide, there are thirteen demonic kings at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and thirty-eight top-tier demonic beasts at the Nine Tribulations realm."
At these words, the excited faces of everyone instantly froze.
"Thirteen beast kings, thirty-eight top-tier Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts?"
"Are there that many Nine Tribulations realm cultivators on the entire Jie Xin Continent combined?" Lin Haotian asked Xiao Yi dazedly.
Xiao Yi shook his head helplessly. Although more than ten Nine Tribulations realm cultivators were gathered in the Great Luo Realm this time, several of them had broken through with the help of immortal herbs within the Great Luo Realm. The remaining Nine Tribulations realm cultivators were all prodigies cultivated by top forces from various regions.
Such as Cang Lan and Ming Yue, brother and sister, Nangong Feng, and Fu Tian Ling, and others, all of whom were geniuses encountered once in a thousand years.
At least, based on the information Xiao Yi knew, the number of Nine Tribulations realm cultivators on the Jie Xin Continent was indeed fewer than the Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts gathered in this beast tide.
As for how many hidden Nine Tribulations realm cultivators were lurking in the dark, those were secrets and trump cards of various factions, not to be easily exposed.
Tian Hua Heavenly Monarch also sighed upon seeing the scene, saying, "As expected of a minor world opened up by a Void Returning mighty being. The power gathered in this beast tide alone is enough to contend with all the human cultivators in the entire Wu Shan Star Domain, and this is only a portion of it."
The other cultivators, upon hearing Zhang Fan's words, felt despair. With over fifty Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts holding sway, how could they possibly fight?
Not to mention the countless ordinary demonic beasts, any one Nine Tribulations realm demonic beast could easily crush a group of cultivators below the Seven Tribulations realm.
Seeing the reactions of everyone, Zhang Fan shook his head and chuckled, "There's no need to worry too much. Although the number of Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts is considerable, the dark plains are ultimately too vast. If they want to prevent us human cultivators from entering, they must be scattered and stationed in various locations."
"If they are too concentrated, it will be easy for us to find a weak point and break through. Therefore, the number of Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts we face simultaneously will not be too large."
"When we charge into the beast tide later, I will maintain my Domain of the Sword Path within a radius of a thousand miles. Whether you want to temper yourselves or hunt as many demonic beasts as possible to obtain their Nascent Souls, you must stay within this range. I can guarantee your lives will be safe."
At this moment, a middle-aged man stepped forward, bowed to Zhang Fan, and respectfully asked, "Senior Zhang Fan, may we follow behind you and enter the dark plains together later?"
Zhang Fan scanned the crowd and saw pairs of expectant eyes staring at him. He chuckled helplessly.
After a slight pause, Zhang Fan said, "You may enter the range of my domain. The Domain of the Sword Path will not harm you in the slightest, but I will not spare any attention to looking after your safety. If you perish within, you can only blame yourselves."
"Thank you, Senior Zhang Fan."
Upon hearing this, everyone's faces lit up with joy, and they bowed to Zhang Fan in unison, expressing their gratitude.
They were not related to Zhang Fan, so they had never expected him to provide any special care. But as long as Zhang Fan allowed them to enter the range of the Domain of the Sword Path, it was already a great boon.
The pervasive sword path energy had a very strong suppressive effect on demonic beasts. Within the Domain of the Sword Path, they could easily hunt demonic beasts of the same level as themselves. A powerful demonic beast's Nascent Soul could fetch an exorbitant price in the outside world. As long as they could leave alive, even if they gained nothing in the Great Luo Palace, it would still be a worthwhile trip.
"Move out!"
Zhang Fan flew forward, leading the way towards the dark plains. The cultivators behind him quickly followed. Even the Cang Lan and Ming Yue siblings and the cultivators from the True Fire Cave did not act alone, clearly preparing to follow behind Zhang Fan and venture in together.
Shen Feichen followed beside Zhang Fan, a trace of worry on his brow. He secretly transmitted to Zhang Fan, "Brother Zhang Fan, if all of us act together, won't our target be too concentrated? I fear it might attract the siege of many beast kings."
Zhang Fan glanced at Shen Feichen, a mysterious smile appearing on his face, and said, "You are right. As a group of us gathers and charges into the dark plains together, many beast kings will surely gather. However, this is precisely the situation I wish to see."
"Didn't Nangong Feng and the others push through various dangerous lands and slay countless demonic beasts before, just to create this situation? It's just that they didn't have the lives to reap the rewards."
Shen Feichen said no more. Looking at the increasingly approaching beast tide and feeling the fierce aura washing over him, even with his composure, he felt a tremor deep within his heart. It was a longing for battle.
Since entering the Great Luo Realm, his strength had improved considerably, but he had not yet had a hearty battle, and the power within his body needed to be released.
Although there were quite a few Nine Tribulations realm demonic beasts, with the help of the Domain of the Sword Path, he felt he could fight a group by himself.
In the sky, there were soaring birds that blotted out the sun. Their bodies were enormous, and as they flapped their wings like covering the sky, even before the human cultivators approached, they felt strong gusts of wind blowing towards them. The sharp wind made the muscles of Nascent Soul stage cultivators tingle.
On the ground, some demonic beasts were as colossal as mountains. As they trampled the ground, it felt as if the entire minor world was trembling. Swarms of golden-devouring rats, no bigger than a palm, gathered and emitted ear-piercing sonic waves that tormented the souls of the cultivators.
"Too terrifying!"
Even with a large number of powerhouses leading the way, several cultivators with weaker cultivation bases could not suppress their inner fear and turned to flee.
The opportunities in the Great Luo Palace were indeed tempting, but one had to have the life to contend for them.
"Boom!"
Zhang Fan unleashed his Domain of the Sword Path. Within a thousand-mile radius, all attacks dissipated into nothingness. Sharp sword energy filled the space. Even without Zhang Fan deliberately controlling it, thousands upon thousands of demonic beasts died under the Domain of the Sword Path.
A battle that had been brewing for a long time finally commenced.
...