Word Count: 2,594 Words
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"If a Dou Saint were to appear in the Ancient Wasteland Region, it would immediately alert those Demon Saints. That's why all major clans have an unspoken agreement: no dispatching Dou Saints here. If we provoked the Demon Saints into unleashing a Saint-level battle, every single one of us would perish," Gu Qing Yang explained.
The Flower Sect elders couldn't suppress a shudder of lingering fear. They had previously considered summoning their secluded Half-Saints to clear a path, hoping to obtain Bodhisattva Seeds to refine into Bodhisattva Pills and break through to the Dou Saint realm.
Bodhisattva Pills were effective even for Half-Saints, representing the absolute pinnacle of tier 8 pills. A single Bodhisattva Pill could persuade even a Half-Saint expert to take action!
In hindsight, they were fortunate that Yun Yun had stopped them. Otherwise, disaster would have struck.
"The Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe's appearance was unexpected, though," Gu Hua remarked.
Gu Zhen suddenly interjected. "Not particularly strange. I've heard Jiu Feng maintains good relations with Yao Tian of the Yao Clan. He likely came to obtain Bodhisattva Seeds and trade them with Yao Tian for medicinal pills."
"Yao Tian?" Xiao Yan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Hehe, Yao Tian possesses the highest alchemy talent among the Yao Clan's younger generation, far surpassing that Human Medicine you once met. If there's anyone among the younger generation whose alchemy talent could exceed yours, it would probably only be Yao Tian."
Little Fairy Doctor and the others couldn't hide their surprise. They knew exactly how formidable Xiao Yan's alchemy was. Even the Pill Tower's strongest prodigies, Cao Ying and Dan Chen, had been utterly outmatched, crushed by Xiao Yan at the Pill Gathering.
Yet this Yao Tian could supposedly rival him!
Gu Hua raised an eyebrow at Xiao Yan, his tone deliberately provocative. "Moreover, I've heard Yao Tian might already be capable of refining tier 9 pills. Who knows whether that's true or not."
Even Xiao Yan's eyes widened with surprise. Was the Yao Clan's Dou God Bloodline truly that dominant? Refining Tier 9 Treasure Pills as if it were nothing?!
Gu Hua, never one to shy away from stoking the flames, laughed heartily. "When the Yao Clan holds their Medicinal Ceremony, you should go and thoroughly crush their arrogance. I'm certain your alchemy surpasses that so-called Yao Tian!"
While Gu Hua was busy stirring trouble, green light flickered through Qing Lin's eyes. She pointed ahead. "Young Master Xiao Yan, we've arrived."
As the main force crested a verdant mountain peak, a black plain stretching beyond the horizon appeared before everyone's gaze.
Xiao Yan's eyes swept past the crowd toward that black plain. He sucked in a sharp breath and clicked his tongue.
Across the endless plain, black clouds churned overhead while the ground below teemed with ferocious beasts of every shape and size, stretching to the very limits of vision. Their violent roars and howls thundered ceaselessly across the land like continuous peals of lightning.
Giant apes the size of small mountains. White bulls wreathed in crackling electricity. Desert eagles soaring through the sky. And swarming across the earth in dense, writhing carpets, countless giant ants. Without exception, every last ferocious beast radiated a savage aura, eyes flickering red with madness and hatred. Anyone who dared invade their territory would face an assault like a tidal wave.
"No wonder no one can pass through. These numbers are truly terrifying." Nalan Yanran surveyed the beast tide, her face growing extremely grave.
Rank 8 magical beasts, the kind considered overwhelmingly powerful in the outside world, were everywhere here. Rank 7 magical beasts were as numerous as cattle!
"A forbidden zone for humans... not an exaggeration at all." Hai Bodong swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine. The magical beasts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range were like children by comparison!
Xiao Yan's gaze traveled beyond the endless beast tide toward the distant horizon, where everything lay shrouded in a blanket of black fog. Through his Bodhisattva Seed, however, he could sense it clearly: the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree, waiting within that strange mist!
While everyone stood stunned, Hun Yu's voice transmitted to all from the front. "Everyone, the beast tide lies directly ahead. Now is the optimal moment to charge. Since this alliance was my proposal, my people will initially take the most dangerous position at the spearhead. However, once they're exhausted, they'll need to fall back and let others take their place."
Xiao Yan shook his head, knowing the Hun Clan's 'excellent character' all too well. A wolf wishing the chickens a happy new year.
"Everyone, let's move! The Bodhisattva Ancient Tree lies just ahead. The chance to become Saints awaits us!" Hun Yu called out.
The Hun Clan experts stepped through the void as his words fell. Under Hun Yu's lead, they formed an arrowhead and charged straight at the beast tide. The sight of the Hun Clan surging forward, combined with talk of the opportunity to become a Saint, proved irresistible. One by one, cultivators unleashed their agility techniques and followed in Hun Yu's wake.
From a distance, they resembled a swift arrow shooting toward the beast tide's perimeter.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!!
The charging mass of humans triggered furious roars from every ferocious beast in sight. The cacophony of howls was deafening. The very earth trembled.
"KILL!!!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
The Hun Clan's strongest experts unleashed their most devastating techniques. Soul Techniques flew forth one after another. Magical beasts were naturally weak in soul, and under the barrage, countless spirits were annihilated in an instant. Beasts collapsed in droves, vast stretches of death opening up before the advancing column!
The Dou Venerates and Dou Ancestors trailing behind, all hoping to ride these coattails, revealed delighted expressions at the Hun Clan's overwhelming might. Each one harbored thoughts of clinging to powerful thighs and scavenging whatever they could, and they attacked the ferocious beasts with desperate intensity, determined to help tear open a path to the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
"Be careful. The real danger comes when we reach the middle section. That's when we'll be completely surrounded," Xiao Yan warned his companions.
Everyone nodded solemnly. Many outside their group had already lost their heads, believing Hun Yu could truly lead them through the beast tide. In reality, the opening stretch was the safest part. The true crisis would come once everyone had entered the beast tide and found themselves encircled from all directions by countless magical beasts.
By then, even escape would be impossible. And that was precisely Hun Yu's goal!
Sure enough, upon reaching the middle section, magical beasts swarmed from every direction: front, back, left, right, even from the sky above and the ground below. As more and more Rank 8 magical beasts appeared, even Hun Yu and the other Hun Clan elite began to struggle. Once forced into close combat, their advance slowed considerably.
The death toll climbed rapidly. Watching the group shrink at an alarming rate, Xiao Yan and the others grew grim. Even Dou Venerate experts who had reached six or seven stars gradually exhausted themselves under the endless siege. Thrown into the horde of ferocious beasts one after another, they were torn to shreds and devoured in the blink of an eye.
Even several of Qing Lin's summoned snake slaves perished. She Tianhao, for one, finally met the end of his sinful life, ripped apart by countless ferocious beasts and completely devoured.
"Xiao Yan, Hun Yu and his group have disappeared." Cai Lin's voice was sharp and grave. She had been watching them closely the entire time.
"Those bastards are making their charge through the final section. Follow them! We can't let them break through first!" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. His Spiritual Strength had long since locked onto Hun Yu's group. He shouted the command, and the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark blazed to life on his forehead. His Dou Qi cultivation surged upward by a full three changes!
"That's the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark!"
"Wait, how does Xiao Yan have the Xiao Clan's Clan Mark? And at that grade?!"
The Clan Mark on Xiao Yan's forehead and the boiling Dou God Bloodline within him left Gu Qing Yang and the others utterly stunned.
Xiao Yan mobilized the Heavenly Flames within his body and roared, "Heavenly Flame Dou Technique, Wind and Thunder Fury Tornado!"
Yellowish-brown flames surged from his body. The instant the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame appeared, the entire sky was blanketed in yellow sand, blinding every magical beast in the vicinity. A tornado wrapped around Xun Er and the others and swept toward the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree like a raging dragon!
Sand filled the sky like a desert storm unleashed. Vision became impossible. The particles were so thick and abrasive that eyes couldn't even be forced open, while Heavenly Flames roared within the terrifying sandstorm. Even Spiritual Strength fell into chaos, unable to sense any trace of Xiao Yan's group.
A thunderous boom split the air as a yellowish-brown fury dragon carrying Xun Er and the others burst forward. Xiao Yan wasn't the only one who had seen through Hun Yu's scheme. Several powerful factions had also realized the latter half of the beast tide required their true strength.
Multiple waves of experts shot skyward simultaneously. These individuals had clearly understood Hun Yu's conspiracy from the start. They, too, had simply wanted to use other people's strength to reach this point.
Yun Yun's beautiful eyes dimmed as she shook her head with a silent sigh. Those deceived by Hun Yu were destined to die within the beast tide. They had been sacrifices from the very beginning, nothing more than meat to draw the beasts' attention.
Once these true elite experts departed, the thousands of remaining cultivators were ultimately devoured by the ferocious beasts. They died lost in their fantasy of becoming the second Bodhisattva Ancient Saint, never to awaken from it.
Xiao Yan's Heavenly Flame technique carried them a considerable distance, and they quickly caught up with Hun Yu's group. Behind Hun Yu, those with spread Demon Phoenix wings were naturally Jiu Feng, Feng Qing Er, and the other Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe members.
A fierce light flashed through Jiu Feng's eyes the moment he spotted Xiao Yan following closely behind.
ROAR! ROAR!!
The elite experts who had charged into the latter section barely had time to think before wave after wave of peak Rank 8 magical beast auras surged upward!
These immensely powerful magical beasts formed the beast tide's final defensive line!
No Demon Saints had joined the Ancient Wasteland Region's beast tide, because a Dou Saint's intervention would change everything entirely. Dou Saints stood at the current pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent. If Demon Saints took action, it would mean all-out war between humans and magical beasts.
"Don't stray too far. Preserve as much Dou Qi as you can and watch out for those fellows." Xiao Yan's Ancient Phoenix Wings unfurled in an instant as his Vajra Glass Body erupted to full power.
He didn't resort to major techniques like the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame. This wasn't the time for desperate measures. His goal had never changed: the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree. Until he laid eyes on the Bodhisattva Heart, he would not go all out!
Besides, Xiao Yan had no intention of letting Hun Yu and Jiu Feng benefit from his efforts.
For a time, everyone seemed to reach an unspoken consensus. Nobody fought the super ferocious beasts to the death. Instead, they gradually weathered the attacks from these peak Rank 8 beasts while inching steadily toward the Bodhisattva Ancient Tree.
Everyone understood perfectly well that erupting with too much power would draw the beasts' focus. Nobody wanted excessive attention from the beast tide. Each faction silently wished the magical beasts would swarm toward the others instead.
Xiao Yan's group ground through this short stretch for half an hour, locked in a rolling battle with numerous super magical beasts. Strangely enough, by engaging these apex predators directly, the rest of the beast tide didn't dare approach, and the clashing titans inadvertently formed a barrier around them.
They fought in rotation, taking turns against multiple peak Rank 8 ferocious beasts in close combat simultaneously. Using the massive bodies of these beasts as living shields, they inched closer and closer to the edge of the latter section!
"We're almost there!" Nalan Yanran gasped, breathless but unable to contain her excitement.
Just as Xiao Yan's group prepared to burst free of the beast tide and enter the black fog zone, a streak of colored light shot toward them from the distance!
"Xiao Yan ge-ge, be careful!" Xun Er cried out.
A soft hum cut through the air. The colored light passed through the void and landed squarely on Xiao Yan. Strangely, it contained no killing power whatsoever!
"Spiritual Illusion Realm!!"
"This is bad! Xiao Yan's been trapped in a Spiritual Illusion Realm!"
Colored light clouded Xiao Yan's eyes and he froze in place. But in the very next instant, a faint golden light flashed from his pupils and shattered Jiu Feng's Spiritual Illusion Realm as though it were glass.
Xiao Yan's expression turned dark. Then something seemed to occur to him, and a cold smile curved his lips as his Spiritual Strength surged in secret.
Beside Jiu Feng, Feng Qing Er's beautiful eyes suddenly went blank. Under everyone's astonished gazes, she gathered wind-lightning power in her palm and drove it squarely into Jiu Feng's back.
BOOM!
The Heavenly Flame hidden within the wind-lightning power detonated on impact. Blindsided by the ambush, Jiu Feng coughed up a spray of blood and was blasted directly into the beast tide.
"Feng Qing Er, what are you doing?!!" Jiu Feng shrieked, his eyes bulging with fury.
Feng Qing Er snapped back to her senses in an instant, her face draining of all color. Xiao Yan had controlled her! It had lasted only a fleeting moment, but he had undeniably seized command of her body!
"It wasn't... he..." She gritted her teeth and glared at Xiao Yan. You're framing me!!
Xiao Yan returned her glare with a cold smile. Playing spiritual illusions against me? If I weren't conserving Spiritual Strength for the battles ahead, I'd make this Jiu Feng taste what the Asura Illusion Realm truly means!
"Let's go!" He swept his hand forward and led everyone in charging out of the beast tide. Hun Yu had already used the window to push ahead and vanish into the black fog.
Feng Qing Er's palm strike was, of course, not fatal to Jiu Feng. But the psychological blow was devastating!
Jiu Feng was already beside himself with rage. Everything had happened far too quickly. To any outside observer, it looked exactly as though Xiao Yan had fallen into his illusion, and Feng Qing Er had ambushed Jiu Feng to protect her lover!
"Feng Qing Er! You treacherous slut!" Jiu Feng roared while battling his way through the beast tide.
He had always considered Feng Qing Er his exclusive possession, fully intending to claim her as his own. Now she had actually attacked him for the sake of an outsider! How could this not drive him to madness?!
Cuckolded from head to toe!
"It wasn't me! I didn't do it!" Feng Qing Er scrambled for an explanation, but none would come. Could she possibly reveal that Xiao Yan had been threatening her, that she had already betrayed her tribe for him in more ways than one?!
Framed so thoroughly by Xiao Yan, Feng Qing Er truly found herself damned no matter which way she turned!