The Beast Forest…
Space rippled violently as massive rifts tore open, and several figures, varying in stature, emerged into the primal jungle.
Lan An and his group stared grimly at the Great Monster Elder blocking their path—a creature with a human body and the head of a monkey.
"Obstinate and foolish. To be favored by the Young Master is your greatest blessing, yet you dare to flee!" Great Monster Elder Hou sneered. His withered, hairy arms were folded across his chest. Had Ju Yaotong not set his sights on Ju Meiying, he would have already struck them down.
In the eyes of Elder Hou, a group that had not even reached the Ninth Transformation was beneath his notice. He was a Tenth Transformation Early-stage Body Cultivator, ranked among the top ten elders of the Great Monster Clan; his strength was profound and unfathomable.
"Be careful! This one is famous for his speed!" Ju Meiying warned, recognizing the Elder's specialty.
Lan An nodded, his gaze flickering toward the cave behind the Elder. Deep within its depths lay the teleportation array that would lead him back to Yuelong Star. He hadn't been gone for long, yet he already missed his wives. Furthermore, the prophecy from the Heavenly Secret Hall and the sudden surge in his Prestige Points left him with a lingering sense of unease.
"Meddling in others' affairs is never wise. Allow this old man to teach you a lesson!" Elder Hou narrowed his eyes with a cruel grin. He could not harm Ju Meiying, but that didn't mean he wouldn't break Lan An and Wu San Niang.
His withered hand lunged through the air, throwing a punch that sent layers of force howling forward. His control over his strength was precise to the extreme—the strike was aimed squarely at Wu San Niang, perched on Meiying's shoulder.
"This old woman has been waiting for you!" Wu San Niang smirked. Layers of Jade Bone reinforced her arm as she activated the Gate of the Flesh. She met the blow with a cold, direct punch.
BOOM!
The two forces collided. Ju Meiying could not withstand the shockwave and was forced a step back. Across from them, Elder Hou's face filled with disbelief.
"A Bone Cultivator? And such high cultivation at that?"
He was startled by the Jade Bones of Wu San Niang and Man Kieu. He didn't even recognize the Gate of the Flesh she had manifested, as its outward appearance was subtle—unless one was an expert in the Eight Inner Gates, it was nearly impossible to detect.
"Die!"
Without waiting for a reaction, Lan An let out a sharp cry. He executed a Flash, his body vanishing as a draconic hymn shook the skies. His arm expanded, transforming into a True Dragon Claw that descended toward Elder Hou's massive head.
"You wish to compete with me in speed?" Elder Hou sneered. His lanky frame blurred as he leaped upward, vanishing. He moved so fast that space warped in his wake. A short staff appeared in his hand, which he slammed against Lan An's draconic claw.
BOOM!
Elder Hou's expression shifted. Upon impact, he was actually forced back several steps, his arms numbing from the force.
AWOOO—!
Lan An's eyes turned icy. A supreme, peerless aura erupted as he activated Matchless Under Heaven. His True Dragon Force surged, and the phantom of a blue dragon coiled around him, baring its claws in an indescribable display of majesty.
"What..." Elder Hou's face paled. A suppressive pressure born of bloodline hierarchy descended upon him, nearly making him buckle. His movements slowed considerably.
The Great Monster Clan were demi-beasts; they carried a portion of Spirit Beast blood within them. Thus, they were heavily suppressed by Lan An's heaven-shaking Dragon Might. However, since they were not entirely beasts and Elder Hou's cultivation was high, it was a fantasy to expect him to kneel like a common creature. Nevertheless, Lan An didn't need him to kneel—he only needed to weaken him.
"Dragon-Slaying First Palm—Grappling Dragon Palm!"
The Inverse Dragon force erupted. A dark-purple draconic phantom, even more tyrannical and savage than a True Dragon, lunged toward Elder Hou with its razor-sharp claws.
"Who exactly is this person?" Elder Hou gasped. The short staff in his hand became a blur of afterimages. His muscles bulged as he desperately fought off the Inverse Dragon phantom.
Thwack!
Ultimately, Elder Hou was still hindered by the Dragon Might. He missed a beat and was struck by the Grappling Dragon Palm, a bloody hole appearing in his side.
"World Divider!" Wu San Niang seized the opportunity. She leaped high into the air and brought a heavy kick down toward Elder Hou's head, her leg flickering with the wild energy of various Heavenly Fires.
"Vile wench, you seek death!" Elder Hou snarled. Since when did every stray dog think they could sneak-attack him?
"One Staff to Shatter Stone!"
His veins bulged, and his seemingly thin frame exploded with power. In an instant, he transformed into a muscular primate of terrifying proportions, swinging his staff toward Wu San Niang.
"Hmph! Don't forget me!"
Ju Meiying did not stand idle. She was the top prodigy of the Ju Clan, after all. With a thought, a pentagonal shield as heavy as Mount Tai—larger even than her own body—appeared in her hand. She charged forward to intercept the staff, bracing herself behind the shield.
BANG!
Ju Meiying and her massive shield were driven back dozens of steps, her arms trembling. But she had successfully neutralized the strike for Wu San Niang.
BOOM!
The World Divider kick landed. Elder Hou managed to dodge slightly, but the overwhelming force slammed into his shoulder.
CRACK!
His arm hung limp, shattered by the blow. Elder Hou roared in agony, his face contorted. "The experts of the Great Monster Clan are coming! You cannot defeat this old man!"
"Is that so?!" Lan An growled. Suddenly, multiple types of Heavenly Fires erupted from him, fusing together and descending upon Elder Hou to assist his master.
The illusions of the Nether Ghost Fire clouded the Elder's mind...
The Rock Elephant Gravity Flame intensified the weight on his body...
The Purple Heart Void-Burning Flame scorched the very air around him...
The Golden Crow Void Fire manifested as a protective, clawed avian...
The Eight Desolates Sky-Soaring Flame boosted Lan An's speed...
The Mighty Earth Flame enhanced his physical strength...
Only the Sky-Peak Flame remained somewhat passive as it couldn't assist directly in combat, but it added an agonizing heat to Lan An's aura.
"How is this possible? To fuse so many Heavenly Fires... what kind of monster are you?" Elder Hou screamed in terror. A great clan like his certainly possessed natural treasures for body tempering, but he had never heard of anyone refining so many primal fires for their own use.
Even Ju Meiying and Ju Aman stared with wide, shocked eyes. This was the first time they had seen Lan An's full, terrifying arsenal.
"Die!"
With boundless Emperor Fire gathering at his foot and his Body Power reaching its zenith, Lan An descended like a God of War with a Meteor Kick.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sequence occurred in the blink of an eye. Elder Hou, already reeling from Wu San Niang's kick and stunned by the Nether Ghost Fire's illusions, had no time to recover. The Meteor Kick slammed into his head, followed by the eruption of three types of savage Lightning Tribulations.
"This old man is finished..." Elder Hou gulped, clarity returning only as his doom arrived.
"Hmph! To strike an Elder of the Great Monster Clan... who gave you such audacity?"
Just as Elder Hou faced certain death, a cold, haughty voice rang out. A massive fist, covered in heavy iron armor, tore through space and slammed into Lan An's descending Meteor Kick.
BOOM!
Space shattered into fragments. The armored fist was stripped of its plating and burst into flames, but it stopped the kick.
"AAAAAAAA!"
A scream of agony echoed from within the spatial rift. The savior had clearly underestimated the power of the flames; their arm was now severely burned and wounded.
"Run!" Seeing his salvation, Elder Hou scrambled to leap out of Lan An's range.
Unfortunately, Lan An was determined to end this quickly. "Dragon-Slaying Third Palm—Void Dragon Palm!"
The strike tore through the dimensions. No matter how fast Elder Hou was, when the Void Dragon Palm traveled through the void to strike, his fate was sealed.
ROAR—!
The Inverse Dragon Force erupted from the void, slamming into Elder Hou with violent force and piercing his body.
Cough!
Elder Hou collapsed, critically wounded. His face was a mask of utter terror as he spat blood. He gritted his teeth and screamed, "This brat is terrifying! You must not let him escape!"
Having spent his last strength, he reverted to his thin, shriveled form, leaning on his staff for support.
"So powerful!" Ju Aman's eyes shone like spotlights. He hated that he wasn't this strong; he hated being a burden who could only watch as a man smaller than him fought across ranks as easily as breathing.
Even Ju Meiying felt a flutter in her heart. A powerful man always possessed an allure, especially to the women of the Ju Clan who valued martial prowess above all.
"Move! Now!" Lan An barked. The Great Monster reinforcements were closing in; they could not linger.
"World Divider!" Wu San Niang nodded firmly. She leaped into the air, her three Heavenly Fires roaring as she kicked the cave entrance with all her might.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The cliffside collapsed, and the ground split open, revealing a lake of molten lava deep below. At the heart of that magma, a massive teleportation array was spinning, unaffected by the intense heat.
"An array?" Elder Hou's expression shifted. He hadn't expected an array to be hidden in such a place, submerged beneath lava. It was exceedingly mysterious.
"Go!" Lan An didn't waste time. He moved to the rear with Wu San Niang to cover their retreat, signaling for Meiying and Aman to enter the array.
"You wish to flee? Destroy the array for this Young Master!"
With a thunderous roar, a furious Ju Yaotong appeared, his face flushed with rage. Flanking him were seven Elders—none lower than the Ninth Transformation, with four at the Tenth. Among them was the rhino-headed Elder who had just intercepted Lan An's kick.
This Great Monster Elder Xi (Rhino) was livid at his injury. His muscles exploded with power as he slammed a fist toward the teleportation array.
"You want to break my path? Have you asked me?" Lan An sneered. He activated Copper Skin Iron Bone and unleashed the Wild Beast Fist, using the True Dragon phantom to sap the enemy's strength.
ROAR—!
The sound of ten thousand beasts echoed as the two fists collided. The gargantuan Elder Xi actually buckled; his arm joint snapped as his eyes nearly popped out of his head. The other Monster Elders watched in horror.
Lan An only retreated two steps before stabilizing.
"What kind of freak is this boy?" Ju Yaotong was stunned. He remembered his earlier contempt for the "weak humans" Ju Aman had befriended and felt a surge of shame and fury.
"Get into the array!" Lan An ignored him, shouting at Wu San Niang beside him. This teacher of his was stubborn—she still hadn't retreated.
"We go together! If we stay, we stay together!" How could she listen to him? Her expression was resolute.
According to Lan An's plan, they would destroy the array after they had successfully returned to Yuelong Star. If anyone interfered while they were between worlds, the consequences would be catastrophic. The situation was now dire; the Great Monster Clan had arrived too early. Her husband intended to hold the line alone to allow them to escape—an act of extreme risk.
"We aren't going either!" At that moment, Ju Meiying and Ju Aman stepped forward. They had not fully entered the array.
Meiying's beautiful face and Aman's naive features were now set in stone, brimming with battle intent. To let Lan An face death alone while they fled like cowards? They would rather die.
"You lot..." Lan An was so angry his chest felt like it would explode. His body shook, and he was momentarily speechless.
"How touching. But you have no way out!" a Great Monster Elder mocked.
"I do not know where that array leads, but given the situation, even if a fool stays behind to block us, does he truly have the strength? He will only die a stupid death!" Ju Yaotong held his hands behind his back, acting as if he held the world in his palm.
"My cultivation is still too low... otherwise, my Dragon Might alone would make these bastards kneel!" Lan An clenched his fists.
Wu San Niang took his hand, her smile a mixture of seductive grace and fierce resilience. "Husband, we fight together. At worst, we stake our lives on the journey through the array and see what fate has in store!"
"Death is nothing to be feared. The loss of dignity—that is the true horror!" Ju Meiying added. She hoisted her massive shield onto her shoulder, as if it could suppress the nine heavens and ten earths.
She was not proficient with common weapons; her Great Shield was her perfect tool for both offense and defense.
Ju Aman took a deep breath. His strength was the lowest, but he was also the least afraid of death. He wanted nothing more than to give his life to protect his sister and his two benefactors. His breathing grew heavy, and something within his body felt as if it were being compressed to the breaking point.
"Fine! If that's the case, we fight! We push them back and retreat toward the array together! We stake it all!" Lan An barked solemnly.
"Ready!" they roared in unison.
The Great Monster Elders began to circulate their massive Body Power.
In an instant, the atmosphere was stretched to the absolute limit.