"The Hundred Saints True Immortal of the Sky-Soaring Sacred Elephant Clan!" Nan Zun's voice was low, and the words cast a heavy mood upon everyone. Sky-Soaring Sacred Elephants were known for their might, and the Hundred Saints True Immortal was an outstanding among them, rumored to possess more raw strength than a hundred Soul Transformation cultivators combined.
"Southwest direction, perhaps there's a sliver of hope," said Tian Hua Heavenly Monarch. The moment he realized they were ambushed, he had begun deducing possibilities. Hearing his words, the Blood Demon Dragon, Blood Dragon, writhed its colossal body and charged southwest.
"A mere four-star Marquis, even forming a grand formation is nothing to fear. They're actually charging towards me. Do they think I'm the easiest to bully?" Sitting in the southwest was Fei Yu True Immortal of the Nine Cliffs Starfield, his power reaching the late stage of the Spirit Refining realm. With a wave of his hands, a torrent of flying needles rained down towards Nan Zun and the others.
The flying needles sliced through the void, causing ripples in space. Facing the attack of a late-stage Spirit Refining realm expert, the Blood Demon Dragon's massive tail swept out, blocking them all.
A crisp clang of metal on metal echoed for a time.
Even though its physical body was comparable to a celestial artifact, and its blood-red scales were nigh-indestructible, this immense power still sent it flying backward, inflicting no small internal injuries. With the array's augmentation, Fei Yu True Immortal was capable of unleashing the peak strength of the Spirit Refining realm.
"Give up your struggle. I hear the Ten Absolute Golden Immortals bestowed many treasures upon you. After I slay you, I should reap a considerable harvest." Three teams converged simultaneously. Just then, a brilliant sword light erupted from the Blood Dragon Ascending Formation, slashing towards Fei Yu True Immortal.
Liu Mu made his move. Although he was only in the Nascent Soul realm now, with the aid of a Great Dao secret treasure and the formation, the might of this sword strike made Fei Yu True Immortal feel threatened.
The set of flying needle immortal artifacts in his hand numbered three hundred and sixty. Though each individual flying needle was merely a common immortal artifact, their combined power was no less than that of a supreme-grade immortal artifact. Three hundred and sixty flying needles formed a mirror-smooth shield before Fei Yu True Immortal, blocking the strike and repelling him several kilometers.
"Great Dao secret treasure?" All the cultivators present sensed the aura of a Great Dao secret treasure and their eyes lit up with excitement. They hadn't expected a cultivator in the Nascent Soul realm to wield a Great Dao secret treasure; this was an unexpected joy.
The Blood Demon Dragon unleashed its Blood Dragon Evasion technique, taking advantage of the opening created by Fei Yu True Immortal's forced retreat to rapidly break out. The four colossal elephant legs of the Hundred Saints True Immortal, like pillars holding up the sky, pursued it with a single stride, then stomped down ferociously towards the Blood Demon Dragon.
Space collapsed, surging outward like a tide. Nan Zun and the others narrowly dodged, yet they were still struck by the residual force. The entire formation trembled and swayed. Lin Haotian and the others, being weaker, were all sent flying backward, spitting blood.
"The strength of this Hundred Saints True Immortal is too great. He has likely crossed the threshold of the Soul Transformation realm, no less than Pu Ji True Immortal," Nan Zun said, gazing at the massive sacred elephant.
The Blood Demon Dragon's scales emanated a rich, bloody light. Its eyes were fixed on its surroundings, and a ruthless thought arose in its heart, "It seems I cannot escape today without paying a price. All the effort I put into cultivating the Blood Dragon bloodline to this level will be wasted."
Nan Zun's heart stirred upon hearing this. He knew the Blood Demon Dragon still had a trump card: burning its internal Blood Dragon bloodline, which could temporarily boost its strength by several levels. However, this suicidal forbidden technique was extremely dangerous, and after using it, its cultivation realm would likely plummet back to the Nascent Soul realm.
"Stop blabbering. If you don't act soon, we'll all die!" Lin Haotian snapped.
The Blood Demon Dragon suddenly felt a tremor in its soul. Seeing the three teams closing in again, its tensed body suddenly relaxed. It blinked and said, "Perhaps, we don't need to fight to the death today."
Lin Haotian and the others all cast questioning glances at the Blood Demon Dragon, not understanding what it meant.
"Do you mean you've given up struggling?" Fei Yu True Immortal chuckled as he watched the Blood Demon Dragon suddenly halt its charge, feeling a slight easing of tension. He said with a light laugh.
"I advise you to leave quickly, or you won't be able to later," the Blood Demon Dragon said, staring at the Hundred Saints True Immortal and the others, its eyes devoid of fear, now filled with defiance.
"Oh? In this Star River Battlefield, I don't believe anyone can keep me here!" The Hundred Saints True Immortal took this as the Blood Demon Dragon's death throes and scoffed.
"Is that so?" A figure appeared out of thin air in this patch of star-filled space. Even though the Hundred Saints True Immortal was constantly suppressing space, he couldn't resist its spatial displacement. Zhang Fan had arrived.
"Haha, I told you! You're all dead today!" the Blood Demon Dragon roared madly, its heart filled with immense pleasure as it looked at the terrified expression of the Hundred Saints True Immortal.
As Zhang Fan's mount, it shared a special soul connection with him. Therefore, the Blood Demon Dragon had sensed Zhang Fan's approach to the Star River Battlefield long ago. It just hadn't expected Zhang Fan's speed to be so terrifying now.
"Master!"
"Master!"
Nan Zun and Wuchen Sword Immortal, among others, called out, their hearts filled with immense excitement. They hadn't expected Zhang Fan to arrive at this moment of life and death.
"Senior Ten Absolutes, you are a mighty being at the Void Returning realm. According to the rules of the Star River Battlefield, you cannot enter the Star River Battlefield again, nor can you interfere in the battles within it. Otherwise, you will be jointly hunted by the Nine Cliffs Starfield and the Violet Firmament Starfield," the Hundred Saints True Immortal and Fei Yu True Immortal quickly said.
"Rules?" Zhang Fan glanced at the cultivators from the Nine Cliffs Starfield and sneered, "Rules are restraints for the weak. They are merely means for the strong to maintain order. Haven't you cultivated to this level and still not understand this principle?"
"Liuli Immortal King attacked me, does that count as breaking the rules? Today, I will see. I will break the rules of this Star River Battlefield. Who can stop me then!"
With a casual flick of his wrist, Zhang Fan unleashed the Myriad Beast Cauldron. Under the terrified gazes of the Hundred Saints True Immortal and the others, he suppressed the entire group of Soul Transformation True Immortals within it. They were utterly incapable of resisting.
The Blood Demon Dragon and Nan Zun and the others stared blankly at the scene, deeply awed by Zhang Fan's methods. These were a group of Soul Transformation realm cultivators, and they were suppressed so easily.
Zhang Fan, however, paid it no mind. With his current strength, even a Void Returning cultivator at the Great Dao realm couldn't withstand one full-power strike from him. This group of Soul Transformation cultivators was like mortals in his eyes.
"Master, why have you come to the Star River Battlefield?" the Blood Demon Dragon asked, transforming into human form and approaching Zhang Fan.
"I have severed ties with the Violet Firmament Starfield. You are no longer suitable to remain in the Star River Battlefield. Leave with me," Zhang Fan said slowly.
"What happened?" Liu Mu stared at Zhang Fan with a bewildered expression. He knew how powerful the Violet Firmament Starfield was. What had transpired to make Zhang Fan stand in opposition to them?
...