"I surrender!"
Under Zhang Fan's relentless assault, Ju Feng Zhen Xian finally couldn't hold on. Even with his robust physical body and his Dao body nearing completion, he couldn't withstand Zhang Fan's fierce attacks. His body was covered in sword wounds, and he had lost over thirty percent of his blood, staining the ground of the dueling platform a deep crimson.
Zhang Fan held his immortal sword, and drop by drop, essence blood was devoured by its blade. Zhang Fan could even feel the immortal sword trembling with excitement.
For blood-refined divine weapons, devouring the blood of powerful cultivators was a method for them to rapidly advance.
"Your strength is not bad. To last this long under my sword, you are indeed a powerhouse of the Giant Spirit tribe," Zhang Fan said with a faint smile. "Right, don't forget to transfer one hundred thousand military merits to me from the armory."
Hearing Zhang Fan's words, Ju Feng Zhen Xian felt utterly humiliated. They were both late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, and he, a strong member of the Giant Spirit tribe, had been ruthlessly crushed by Zhang Fan. It was indeed a great loss of face.
After speaking, Zhang Fan turned to look at Prince Wu You in the audience and said, "Ju Feng Zhen Xian has been defeated. Do you want to give it a try?"
Prince Wu You, usually composed and calm, appeared grim when Zhang Fan addressed him this way. However, the vast difference in strength forced him to lower his head. He didn't dare to accept the challenge and could only snort coldly and walk away.
"Nascent Soul realm powerhouses are nothing more than this. In front of my master, they can only bow their proud heads," the Blood Demon Flood Dragon said with a sneer, adding fuel to the fire.
What was expected to be a closely matched battle ended so quickly, leaving the onlookers feeling unsatisfied. Zhang Fan's power far exceeded their understanding.
To be able to pressure a veteran late-stage Nascent Soul realm powerhouse like Ju Feng Zhen Xian shortly after entering the late-stage Nascent Soul realm was truly incredible.
"I will present the information from this battle to Lord Zhen Cang Xian later. I believe Fellow Daoist Shi Jue's Marquis rank can be increased by two levels," Zhen Cang Zhen Xian said from the side.
He was already a seven-star Marquis. To be promoted by two more levels would make him a nine-star Marquis, a level that at least required a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivation.
"Furthermore, with Fellow Daoist Shi Jue's talent, if he were to reach the peak Nascent Soul realm, he would have a great chance of being conferred the title of King," Zhen Cang Zhen Xian said with admiration. To be conferred the title of King while in the Nascent Soul realm was a destiny of extraordinary achievement. Among the over one hundred thousand Nascent Soul realm cultivators in the Zi Xiao Star Domain, only Fairy Zi Ling had ever received the title of King.
Zhang Fan nodded. His physical body was now only one step away from complete Daoization. With his achieved Dao body, he could easily grasp the Great Dao and even merge it with his own. Why would he care about such empty titles?
"Master, your strength has improved too quickly! How can I possibly catch up?" the Blood Demon Flood Dragon ran over to complain.
Zhang Fan smiled and said, "Let alone catching up to me, if you don't work hard, you might even be left behind by Nan Zun."
After chatting with Nan Zun and the others for a while, Zhang Fan went to the armory again, exchanged a pile of herbs for refining Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills, and then returned to his secret chamber to resume his closed-door cultivation.
...
Time quietly flowed by. Half a year later, above the war base, another thousand Nascent Soul Cultivation Pills ascended into the sky to undergo tribulation. However, the quality of the pills this time was significantly higher than the previous batch. Less than a hundred pills were destroyed by the pill tribulation. This scene once again caused quite a stir in the war base, making even some Nascent Soul realm cultivators envious.
However, after Zhang Fan demonstrated his strength last time, no one dared to come looking for him to force a sale or purchase. After all, even Ju Feng Zhen Xian, who had reached the eight-star Marquis level, had been completely annihilated by Zhang Fan. With such strength, even a nine-star Marquis would likely not gain any advantage.
Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian were also helpless. After being defeated by Zhang Fan, their strength couldn't improve in a short period. However, they were worried that the ancient temple on the edge of the Dark Forest would disappear due to spatial distortions. After all, they had genuinely sensed the aura of a Great Dao treasure within it, which was enough to make them take risks.
Thus, after discussing it, Prince Wu You and Ju Feng Zhen Xian decided to invite a top-tier nine-star Marquis to venture with them. If they succeeded, even if they couldn't monopolize the Great Dao treasure, they would still gain a considerable share.
However, it was precisely this venture of theirs that caused a huge sensation in the Starry Sky Battlefield. Unbeknownst to them, someone had triggered a restriction within the dilapidated ancient temple, fully activating it. The temple transformed into a palace complex spanning over a light-year, standing majestically in the starry sky.
Boundless radiance shone forth, assimilating a portion of the dark matter in the Dark Forest, causing its scope to shrink slightly.
Lord Zhen Cang Xian, who was stationed at the war base, was also alarmed. When he arrived at the edge of the Dark Forest, he was also awestruck by the scene before him.
"If I'm not mistaken, this ancient temple is the dojo of the legendary Evil Buddha Demon Lord, a figure from a million years ago at the Immortal Venerable level. This place is no longer something you can interfere with; leave as soon as possible," Lord Zhen Cang Xian believed that it wouldn't be long before the old man guarding the Starry Sky Battlefield of the Jiu Ya Star Domain received this news. After all, involving a figure of the Immortal Venerable level, even they dared not take risks lightly and could only quickly send the news back to the Zi Xiao Star Domain.
...
"The Dao body has fully matured. The Great Dao is within my grasp." In the dark secret chamber, at the moment the Dao body became fully complete, Zhang Fan could finally easily control the power of the Great Dao. If he wished, he could break through the Nascent Soul realm and transcend the Immortal King realm to reach the Immortal Venerable realm in a single thought.
"The promise to that Great Luo Artifact Spirit has not been fulfilled. I cannot break through now." To obtain the Myriad Beasts Cauldron, Zhang Fan had promised the Great Luo Artifact Spirit to kill cultivators from the Jiu Ya Star Domain in the Starry Sky Battlefield and accumulate one million military merits. For his previous self, this goal was quite difficult, but now, it was without pressure.
If he were to break through to the Void Returning or even the Dao Integration realm, according to the rules of the Zi Xiao Star Domain and the Jiu Ya Star Domain, he would have to leave the Starry Sky Battlefield. Therefore, Zhang Fan could only suppress his realm for now and break through after accumulating one million military merits.
With this thought, Zhang Fan took out the Myriad Beasts Cauldron. This Myriad Beasts Cauldron was still a half-finished product, and the primordial spirits of the Nascent Soul realm exotic beasts within it had not yet reached ten thousand. However, Zhang Fan was now preparing to complete this number, making this Myriad Beasts Cauldron truly complete and forging it into a veritable Immortal King Sacred Artifact.
On this day, Zhang Fan emerged from his seclusion. His gaze swept towards the direction of the Dark Forest. The cultivators in the Nascent Soul realm of the Starry Sky Battlefield were mostly exploring that area. For Zhang Fan to quickly accumulate military merits, he naturally set his battlefield there as well.
...