The Great Luo Sea was no longer as bustling as before, with only cultivators from the Flying Immortal Mansion, Black Sand Grotto-Heaven, Sun Shadow Grotto-Heaven, and the Teng Snake tribe remaining.
Indeed, as Ling Xiu had said, the Teng Snake tribe's strength still had a considerable gap compared to the top factions. They dared not get involved in the power struggles between the top factions, but they harbored a strong desire to kill Zhang Fan.
"He's out."
Nangong Pu vaguely sensed spatial fluctuations. As soon as he spoke, everyone saw a spatial rift appear above the Great Luo Sea. Two youths with extraordinary auras emerged from it, and they were indeed Zhang Fan and Liu Mu.
"You little beast, you've finally shown yourself. Die for me!" The Teng Snake tribe leader was the most agitated. Before anyone else could react, he charged towards Zhang Fan.
A colossal phantom of a Teng Snake enveloped him. He unleashed a punch that resembled a divine dragon's tail sweep, and its immense power made space itself tremble.
"This old mudskipper indeed has some skills. With just this punch, his strength is no less than ours," Nangong Pu remarked.
"The Teng Snake tribe is, after all, a force that dominates one side of the Jie Xin Continent, second only to the six top factions. As the contemporary leader of the Teng Snake tribe, Teng Tiangu's strength is naturally..."
The Great Elder of Black Sand Grotto-Heaven hadn't finished his sentence when something seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter the rest. His cloudy eyes were filled with shock.
The others present were also momentarily stunned. They saw the ferociously powerful Teng Tiangu charge towards Zhang Fan with great momentum. Before his punch could land, he was slapped away by Zhang Fan with astonishing speed.
"Rumor has it that this child not only cultivates the Sword Dao but also has a profound understanding of the way of lightning. It seems the rumors are true," Nangong Pu's expression grew a bit more solemn.
"Why the immediate hostility? I, Zhang Fan, do not kill the unknown. State your names one by one." Zhang Fan surveyed the cultivators on the Great Luo Sea. There were fifteen of them in total. Four had reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and the remaining eleven were between the early and late stages of the Nine Tribulations realm. Gathering such a lineup on the Jie Xin Continent would be quite difficult.
"This old man is the Great Elder of Flying Immortal Mansion, Nangong Pu!"
"The Great Elder of Black Sand Grotto-Heaven, Zhao Nanqiang."
"The Great Elder of Sun Shadow Grotto-Heaven, Fu Yu."
"Little beast, listen carefully, I am the leader of the Teng Snake tribe, Teng Tiangu. Don't die without even knowing who killed you." Despite being slapped, Teng Tiangu's mouth was still defiant, believing Zhang Fan was merely fast.
That slap was not very damaging, but it was extremely insulting.
"Very good. I've just finished a closed-door cultivation session, and I don't have a single spirit crystal left. You all are elders or tribe leaders; you must be quite wealthy." Zhang Fan smiled. He took a step forward, treading on the void. His immense magical power seemed capable of stirring the heavens and earth.
The waters of the Great Luo Sea surged, and dark clouds gathered in the sky, enveloping everyone.
At this moment, no one doubted Zhang Fan's strength anymore.
"Let's attack together. We absolutely cannot let him escape." Teng Tiangu shouted fiercely but didn't make a move. Zhang Fan's magical power was already subtly suppressing them, and no one was willing to be the first to attack.
"If no one is going to attack, then I shall," Zhang Fan directed his first target at the most vocal Teng Tiangu. He drew his blood-colored iron sword and used his lightning-fast movement technique to rapidly approach. Before Teng Tiangu could react, Zhang Fan had entered within ten zhang of him.
A torrent of sword shadows rained down. The sharp sword energy made Teng Tiangu's skin tingle, and he felt a fatal threat.
He rapidly retreated and, without hesitation, unleashed the Teng Snake tribe's innate divine ability, 'Netherworld Eye Ray.' Two soul-devouring beams of light shot out from Teng Tiangu's eyes, piercing into Zhang Fan's divine sea, aiming to obliterate his soul.
Teng Tiangu was indeed a peak Nascent Soul realm expert. The power of this divine ability was far greater than that of subordinates like Teng Chongyun. Although it couldn't inflict damage on Zhang Fan, it did affect his speed, giving him an opportunity to escape.
"What are you all waiting for? Attack together! If I die, it won't do you any good," Teng Tiangu roared in fury as the cultivators from the other three factions still hadn't moved.
At the same time, a hint of desolation crept into his heart. As the leader of the Teng Snake tribe and a peak Nascent Soul realm expert, the elders from the other three factions didn't even regard him with respect, nor did they care about his life or death. It was simply that the Teng Snake tribe was not a top faction and lacked their powerful backing.
"The old mudskipper is right. Let's attack together. But be careful, don't lose your lives," Nangong Pu said, looking at Zhao Nanqiang and Fu Yu.
The two nodded. Nangong Pu then glanced at Liu Mu, who remained distant and unmoving, and said to the three elders beside him, "That brat is with Zhang Fan. The three of you attack him together and capture him."
He didn't care who Liu Mu was, but since he was Zhang Fan's companion, capturing him would surely affect Zhang Fan's state of mind.
"What does this have to do with me!" Liu Mu immediately shouted, as if to distance himself.
But the elders of the Flying Immortal Mansion paid no heed. Given the enmity between the Flying Immortal Mansion and Zhang Fan, anyone associated with him was to be killed without mercy.
All three elders were at the Nine Tribulations realm, with the strongest having already entered the late stage of the Nine Tribulations realm. With the three of them joining forces, they wouldn't even bat an eye at a cultivator who had just entered the early stage of the Nine Tribulations realm.
However, the moment the three entered within ten zhang of Liu Mu, his previously casual gaze instantly sharpened. An ice-blue sword radiating immortal spiritual energy appeared in Liu Mu's hand.
"Immortal treasure?" Everyone present was drawn to the immortal treasure sword in Liu Mu's hand. But the next moment, as Liu Mu moved, the pupils of the three elders constricted.
It was too fast. Even a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator wouldn't possess such speed.
An ice-blue sword light cleaved through the sky, and a massive head flew off. The Nascent Soul within his body immediately abandoned his physical form and fled backward. Liu Mu intended to pursue, but the other two elders, seeing this, quickly summoned their magical treasures and attacked Liu Mu.
Their attack was obstructed, forcing Liu Mu to abandon the pursuit and engage them in a fierce battle.
"No wonder he could enter the third level of the Great Luo Realm and obtain an immortal treasure. It seems he's not a simple character." The elders from Black Sand Grotto-Heaven and Sun Shadow Grotto-Heaven also quickly surrounded them.
A great battle erupted swiftly.
Zhang Fan single-handedly fought against four peak Nascent Soul realm cultivators, handling them with ease.
Liu Mu, relying on the power of his immortal treasure, fought against ten Nine Tribulations realm experts, engaging in a back-and-forth battle.
"This place is not suitable for lingering. I need to find a new body first."
The elder whose body was destroyed, with only his Nascent Soul surviving, quickly fled the battlefield, preparing to find a suitable physical form.
However, after flying for over a thousand li, he felt a sense of unease, a feeling of being targeted by a terrifying entity.
Suddenly, a massive hand shot out from the seabed and grabbed him. He resisted desperately but to no avail. In an instant, he was captured and sealed.