Yu Han and Yu Guo felt they were witnessing the most laughable scene in the world.
A Late Spirit Transformation cultivator daring to face two Peak Fifth-Grade beasts? Who gave this kid such audacity?
"Some geniuses can fight above their level. This guy might be one," Yu Guo sneered at Lan An.
"Haha, you're not wrong," Yu Han shrugged, his tone mocking. "But surviving our Peak Fifth-Grade beasts with Late Spirit Transformation cultivation? His talent would need to rival the Golden Generation!"
"Maybe he's got that potential," Yu Guo said slyly, burning with envy at the thought of Lan An claiming the Extreme Ice Demon Monarch's treasures. They wanted to humiliate him.
"Let's test him. Worst case, we use a stronger card!" Yu Han agreed nonchalantly.
ROAR! ROAR!
The two battle-hardened beasts encircled Lan An.
Beasts tamed by the Beast Taming War Sect had a trait: they couldn't transform into human form or, in some cases, speak. They were war machines, obeying their masters' commands.
The Dark Cloud Leopard and Azure Mist Panther were agile predators, their scythe-like claws making them fearsome hunters. Few prey escaped their pursuit.
"Tear him to shreds! Feast to your heart's content!" Yu Han and Yu Guo commanded in unison.
As their words fell, a horrifying scene unfolded.
"Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles!"
Before the ferocious beasts could react, cyan flames flared. Lan An's body flickered, appearing beside them. Piercing Weakness Vision activated, his speed meteoric as he seized their tails.
He hoisted them skyward.
Each beast weighed thousands of jin, yet in Lan An's hands, they were light as feathers. Despite their frantic struggles, they couldn't break free.
Testing his Late Fifth Transformation body cultivation for the first time, Lan An felt exhilarated. He wanted to gauge his strength's limits.
With a shout, he spun fiercely in midair.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The beasts, gripped by their tails like kittens, whirled with him, forming a vortex in the sky.
BOOM! BOOM!
At peak speed, Lan An sneered and hurled them. The beasts rocketed hundreds of li, crashing into the earth, shattering trees.
"High-grade movement art? Body cultivator?" Yu Han and Yu Guo's eyes narrowed. A dual spiritual-body cultivator, with both realms aligned, was unexpected.
"So what? All brawn, no brains!" Yu Han scoffed.
Indeed, the Dark Cloud Leopard and Azure Mist Panther rose, their scratched hides fueling their bloodlust. Their faces twisted with rage at being toyed with.
In a flash, the Dark Cloud Leopard became a black blur, vanishing.
The Azure Mist Panther followed, a cyan gust dancing through the air.
At maximum speed, they lunged, craving Lan An's blood.
"No time for games!" Lan An muttered, channeling boundless physical power into his fists, infused with a spark of lightning.
Piercing Weakness Vision locked onto the beasts despite their speed.
As their claws neared, he unleashed two strikes.
"Gentleman's Demon Subduing Fist!"
Purple tribulation lightning flashed briefly, the air exploding around him.
In Yu Han and Yu Guo's bulging eyes, their Peak Fifth-Grade beasts were torn apart, blood spraying the sky, dead beyond revival.
"Soul Seize!"
Seizing the moment, Lan An's White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye activated, capturing and refining the beasts' fleeing souls.
The Soul Nurturing Lotus spun faster, absorbing them, soul force enveloping him.
In that instant, his long-stalled Peak Nascent Soul soul cultivation broke through to Early Spirit Transformation.
"Talk about timely aid in a snowstorm," Lan An grinned, satisfied.
Earlier, Hua Qing Zhu's palm had obliterated the Blazing Flame Bird and Mysterious Ice Crane's souls, leaving him helpless. But his physical strikes preserved these souls, perfect nourishment.
"How is he so strong?" Yu Han and Yu Guo's faces darkened, stunned that their Peak Fifth-Grade beasts couldn't even serve as appetizers.
"He used a body technique—extremely powerful, high-grade," Yu Guo said gravely.
Yu Han nodded, serious. Body cultivators were rare, and their techniques rarer still. This man's strength and skill hinted at an extraordinary identity.
"We fight for real now!" They exchanged glances, their beast bags trembling.
ROAR! GROWL! SCREECH!
Beast roars echoed endlessly as a horde of ferocious creatures emerged.
From Yu Han's bag came a Blazing Cloud Bird and Rock Crystal Ape, both Early Sixth-Grade.
From Yu Guo's, three beasts appeared: a Fire Lion, Earth Mountain Ox, and Wind Spirit Monkey, the latter at Mid Sixth-Grade, the others Early Sixth-Grade.
Five beasts, five distinct auras, surrounded Lan An under their masters' commands.
"Still holding back?" Lan An ignored the five, his gaze fixed on the small creature in Yu Han's arms.
That was the true threat, with the greatest potential. It had to die before it matured.
The five beasts, seeing Lan An's disregard, raged. Was this human mocking them?
The fiery-tempered Fire Lion roared proudly, its crimson mane blazing. It unleashed a scorching fireball.
Lan An shook his head, not bothering to dodge. Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame erupted, its majestic wings capable of burning the sky.
The Fire Lion's flames dissolved before reaching him, consumed by the flame's terrifying heat.
Playing with fire before Lan An was the height of folly.
"Strange Flame? Top six?" Yu Han and Yu Guo's hearts jolted. A Late Spirit Transformation cultivator with a top-six Strange Flame—only slightly below that freak Lan An.
"All out, no mercy!" they shouted, commanding the five beasts.
"Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles!"
Lan An, done dallying, became a cyan flame, his fiery wings propelling him into a blur.
A massive Heavy Sword appeared in his hand as he materialized beside the Fire Lion.
It had attacked first; it would pay dearly.
Sensing danger, the Fire Lion roared, enveloping itself in a fiery vortex to ward off threats.
Sadly, it faced a superior flame user.
"Heavy Flame Sword Art – Mountain Suppression!"
The Heavy Sword blazed with deep cyan flames, piercing the Fire Lion's vortex like a blade through silk.
ROAR!
Feeling the intrusion, the Fire Lion roared furiously, slashing at the sword.
BOOM!
The Heavy Sword ignored the claws, descending with mountain-crushing arrogance.
Crack!
The lion's claws shattered like glass, the sword smashing its body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Bones broke, and the Fire Lion hurtled dozens of meters, lying still, its fate uncertain.
SCREECH!
Unseen, the Wind Spirit Monkey struck from behind, leveraging its wind-like speed for a sneak attack.
"Nice! Use Wind Spirit Kick!" Yu Guo cheered, seeing his strongest beast's ambush.
The monkey nodded, its leg surging with wind energy, forming a tornado aimed at Lan An's head.
But All-Seeing Thousand Miles had mapped the surroundings. A sneak attack was impossible.
Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame's wings flared, striking the kick without Lan An turning.
"Not good!" Yu Guo paled. Facing a top-six Strange Flame for the first time, they lacked experience with its terror.
SCREECH!
The Wind Spirit Monkey, agile and clever, redirected its Wind Spirit Kick to the air, flipping to dodge the fiery wings.
"Impressive," Lan An praised, surprised by the monkey's wit and agility.
But as enemies, it had to die.
Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles pursued, the Heavy Sword aiming for the monkey's head.
SCREECH!
The monkey squealed, terror gripping it.
"Hmph!"
A sturdy figure appeared, its lava-clad arms blocking the Heavy Sword.
SCREECH!
Claws swooped, snatching the Wind Spirit Monkey to safety.
The Rock Crystal Ape and Blazing Cloud Bird had saved their ally.
BOOM!
The Heavy Sword struck the ape's seemingly indestructible arms, shattering its lava armor. The ape staggered back dozens of steps, its bell-like eyes wary of Lan An, baffled by his strength.
RUMBLE!
The ground shook as the Earth Mountain Ox charged, its sword-like horns lowered to gore Lan An from behind.
"Getting spoiled, are we?" Lan An sneered, his killing intent surging. "You all die!"
Slamming the Heavy Sword onto his back, he spun to face the charging ox, hands forming seals.
A majestic aura coalesced.
"Wild Cosmos Suppression Seal!"
His hands unleashed a grand seal, its domineering force capable of subduing the cosmos—the strongest Tribulation Realm technique of Zhong Wu Ming.
"No!" Yu Guo roared, eyes bloodshot, foreseeing the ox's fate.
BOOM!
The seal's devastating power crushed the Earth Mountain Ox into pulp, blood staining the sky.
Clang!
Its chipped horns fell, the only remnants of the Early Sixth-Grade beast.
Its soul, swiftly seized by Lan An, fueled his Soul Nurturing Lotus.
Of the five Sixth-Grade beasts, only three remained battle-ready: the Wind Spirit Monkey, Rock Crystal Ape, and Blazing Cloud Bird. The Fire Lion lay dying.
"What kind of monster is this? Why haven't we heard of him?" Yu Han swallowed hard, staring at the sword-wielding youth.
Among their peers, only one had inspired such dread—Lan An.
But that Lan An didn't wield a Heavy Sword or possess a top-six Strange Flame.
Who was this man?
"Why hold back? Release it!" Yu Guo, eyes crimson, roared at Yu Han.
Yu Han nodded grimly, releasing the small beast.
ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!
The creature transformed, swelling into a mountain-like form. Black fur shimmered with darkness, its maw a bottomless abyss, utterly terrifying.
Devouring Dog—Mid Sixth-Grade, bearing a trace of Taotie bloodline.
"You finally let it out," Lan An mused. "Mid Sixth-Grade in such a short time. Worthy of Taotie blood."
On the other front, the elder saw his disciples struggling and Yu Han forced to unleash the Devouring Dog. His face darkened.
Ordering the Iron Scorpion to attack Hua Qing Zhu relentlessly, he opened his beast bag, releasing another creature to aid his disciples.
It burrowed underground, leaving a massive tunnel dozens of zhang wide, hinting at its size.
As Lan An targeted the Devouring Dog, he sensed danger below. Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame's wings flared, launching him skyward.
SNAP!
Jagged teeth erupted from the earth, biting where he'd stood, leaving a black void in space.
Missing its target, the beast dove back underground, awaiting another chance.
Lan An identified it—a shark-like beast with saw-like teeth, pale gray skin etched with ancient patterns, swimming through solid earth like water.
Jin Ni puffed her cheeks, pouting. "Earth Prime Shark, Peak Sixth-Grade beast…"