I'm in Yellow Maple Valley, and I have one equipment slot!

On the small island.

Zhou Yuan stood quietly on a huge black rock jutting out of the sea, his robes fluttering slightly in the sea breeze.

His vast divine consciousness spread in all directions like an invisible tide, covering the entire island and the surrounding hundreds of miles of sea.

They closely monitored the Shadow Python's final stage of its tribulation, while also remaining vigilant against any uninvited guests that might approach.

Finally, the thick tribulation clouds in the sky, containing dark purple destructive lightning, began to slowly dissipate after the last terrifying bolt of lightning, as thick as a water vat and almost pure purple in color, was barely neutralized by the Shadow Python.

Rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds once more, illuminating the giant python in the valley below, its breath faint, its body charred and smoking, its scales shattered in many places, yet still stubbornly holding its head high.

A wave of the laws of heaven and earth, similar to that experienced by the Sea Rhinoceros Beast during its tribulation but carrying a chilling aura, descended and enveloped the Shadow Python.

Its massive python body began to emit a faint black light, slowly shrinking, twisting, and deforming... A black cocoon of light, several meters in diameter, gradually formed in the place where it had originally been coiled, beginning the shaping process after its transformation.

"Another success."

Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up with even more joy.

Within a single day, two of his generals successfully transcended their tribulations and entered the eighth level of the Transformation Realm, which will bring about a qualitative leap in their strength and provide immeasurable assistance to his future.

However, this joy did not last long.

He frowned slightly, and his gaze suddenly turned to the horizon where the sea met the sky in the northwest of the island.

In his divine sense, two powerful demonic energies that had "visited" not long ago and then retreated had returned, and were now rapidly approaching the island without any attempt to conceal their presence!

"Two tribulations of human transformation... What strange thing happened on this remote island?"

A hoarse, low voice, filled with doubt and greed, faintly drifted over as the demonic aura drew near.

Before the words were finished, two streaks of light had already reached the sky dozens of miles away from the island. The light faded, revealing the figures of two transformed demon cultivators.

These were the two level-eight demon beasts that had been frightened away by the Gale Beast!

One transformed into a gaunt old man in black robes, with sunken eyes and a sinister gaze; the other was a man of imposing stature. The burly man, with light blue skin and a long mustache, had a look of surprise and curiosity in his small, beady eyes.

The two demons hovered in the air, their eyes scanning the islands below with intense gazes. They lingered for a long time in the direction of the two valleys that were still emitting transformation fluctuations, and the greed on their faces grew stronger.

One transformation tribulation might be a coincidence, but two in a row within half a day, and both successful? That's definitely not normal!

There must be a secret here!

Perhaps it is some kind of spiritual object that can greatly increase the success rate of demonic beasts in overcoming tribulations.

The immense temptation outweighed any fear of the Gale Beast.

The two demons exchanged a glance, both seeing the determination in each other's eyes—this time, they couldn't leave empty-handed!

It's you guys again!

"Dare to approach again, and you will be killed without mercy!"

The figure of the Gale Beast instantly appeared above the edge of the island, confronting the two demons across the air. The pressure of an eighth-level demon cultivator was released without reservation, with a dark blue-black vortex flowing around its body and its gaze as cold as a knife.

"Hehe, fellow Daoist, why be so aloof?"

The gaunt old man in black robes chuckled sinisterly, his voice like that of a night owl, "Successfully transforming twice in a row—even in my nearly thousand years of life, I have never seen such a sight."

"This place... must have something extraordinary about it. Fellow Daoist, aren't you lonely guarding this secret all by yourself? Why not share it with us, and we can study it together, perhaps we can gain more benefits."

"good!"

The burly, blue-skinned man's voice boomed like thunder, "This incredible opportunity is for everyone! You think you can keep it all to yourself? If you know what's good for you, hand over the secret, and maybe you can get a share. Otherwise..."

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and his body was enveloped in mist, with faint phantom images of ocean waves appearing around him.

"Since you're not leaving, then don't leave." A calm, emotionless voice came from the island below, clearly reaching the ears of the two demons.

The two demons were startled and looked down. They saw that on the giant rock below, the human youth in black robes, whom they had ignored and whose aura seemed to be only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, was slowly raising his head and looking at them indifferently.

His gaze was icy cold and devoid of any emotion, as if he were looking at two dead bodies.

"Are there still human cultivators here?"

The old man in black robes frowned, a vague sense of unease creeping into his heart, but greed overcame everything.

Even against a mere early-stage Nascent Soul human and a newly transformed Gale Beast, their chances of winning are still very high in a two-on-two battle!

Moreover, they are powerful in their own right and are not without trump cards.

"Let's attack together! First, deal with this human and this hairy beast, then we can slowly explore the secrets of this place!"

The blue-skinned, burly man let out a low growl, unable to contain himself any longer.

"You're courting death." Zhou Yuan shook his head and said no more.

With a thought, the illusory image of "Wind and Thunder Wings" behind him instantly solidified, and the blue and purple wings unfolded with a "whoosh," with spiritual light flowing and the aura of wind and thunder appearing.

"Crack!"

A soft rumble of thunder rang out, and Zhou Yuan's figure suddenly blurred and disappeared from the spot!

The next moment, a flash of lightning appeared, and he had already appeared out of thin air, only about two hundred feet away from the two demons!

With the Wind and Thunder Wings and Thunder Escape technique, the distance was reduced to two hundred feet in an instant, directly closing the gap!

"What?!" The two demons were shocked; this speed was simply too fast!

This human cultivator actually possesses such a powerful flying magic weapon?!

What horrified them even more was that as Zhou Yuan appeared, he raised his hands and drew his sword incantation!

"Clang clang clang—!"

Thirty-six golden streaks shot out from his body, growing larger as they faced the wind, transforming into thirty-six golden flying swords with a chilling light and soaring sword energy!

It was the Azure Bamboo Bee Cloud Sword infused with Geng essence! The sword trembled, emitting a clear and resonant sword cry, and the sharp Geng metal sword energy cut through the surrounding air as if it were about to tear it apart.

Sword shadows split into beams, the Great Geng Sword Formation!

Zhou Yuan made a hand seal, and the thirty-six flying swords shone brightly, instantly splitting into two, then four... In the blink of an eye, hundreds of incredibly solid, indistinguishable from real swords, each containing terrifying sharpness, filled the sky in front of Zhou Yuan, like a golden death nebula, exuding a destructive aura that made one's scalp tingle!

"go!"

Zhou Yuan pointed his sword technique forward!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!"

Hundreds of golden sword lights, like a swarm of bees receiving a command, or a golden torrent bursting its banks, swept towards the two terrified transformed demons with a shrill cry that tore through the sky!

Before the sword light even arrived, the incomparably sharp sword energy had already caused the two demons' skin to sting and their protective demonic energy to fluctuate violently!

"Watch out! There's something strange about that sword light!"

The old man in black robes let out a strange cry, not daring to take the hit head-on. He retreated rapidly, and at the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a bone shield shrouded in black mist, which instantly expanded and blocked in front of him.

The bone shield exuded a sinister aura, clearly crafted from the bones of a powerful demon beast, and possessed considerable defensive capabilities.

The blue-skinned strongman roared and advanced instead of retreating. His body shone with blue light, revealing some of his true form. A huge arm covered with thick blue scales suddenly expanded, its muscles bulging and gleaming with a metallic sheen, and it grabbed directly at the incoming sword light!

His true form is the "Overturning Sea Whale," possessing immense strength and astonishing defense, confident that he can withstand magical treasures with his bare body!

"Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!"

However, the next scene caused the two demons to be utterly destroyed!

The seemingly sturdy black bone shield, upon contact with the torrent of golden sword light, lasted less than a breath before its surface was covered with spiderweb-like cracks. Then, with a "crack," it was pierced and torn apart by countless sword lights, turning into bone fragments scattered everywhere!

The blue-skinned giant's massive claws, which he was confident could crush magical artifacts, collided with several golden sword lights, producing a piercing sound of metal clashing and sparks flying everywhere! But immediately afterward, his skin, covered in thick scales, was easily sliced ​​open by the Gengjin sword energy, revealing the bone!

A sharp pain shot through him, and the blue-skinned strongman screamed in agony, instinctively pulling his hand back. Several deep, gruesome wounds, revealing the bone, were now visible on the enormous demonic claw, from which blue demonic blood gushed. One of his fingers had almost been severed at the root!

"Ah! My claws! This... what kind of flying sword is this? How can it be so sharp?!"

The blue-skinned, burly man was both shocked and furious, his eyes filled with disbelief. His physical strength was comparable to a top-tier defensive magic weapon, yet he had been easily injured by the opponent's flying sword?!

"Not good! This Fang Sword Formation is powerful! We cannot fight it head-on!" The black-robed elder, with his broader knowledge, instantly realized that he had kicked a hornet's nest. This human cultivator's flying sword must have been mixed with some extremely sharp and rare material, specifically designed to break through defenses!

He lost all will to fight and retreated hastily. At the same time, he let out a shrill cry, and black energy rolled around him, transforming into countless twisted ghostly shadows, trying to interfere with the sword light and buy time to escape.

The blue-skinned, burly man finally became afraid and, despite the excruciating pain, tried to turn and flee.

But at that moment, the Gale Beast had already arrived! With a flap of its wings, it summoned two enormous azure wind dragons, one on the left and one on the right, blocking the two demons' retreat! The wind dragons roared, containing tearing gales, their power not to be underestimated.

"Trying to leave? Too late!" Zhou Yuan's eyes were icy cold. He manipulated the sword formation with his mind, and hundreds of golden sword lights suddenly contracted, like a huge golden millstone, enveloping the two demons and the Gale Beast's wind dragon, and frantically killing them!

Sword light flashed like rain, and wind dragons roared.

The two demons were caught in a pincer attack by the sword formation and the wind dragon, and were in a sorry state, struggling to defend themselves.

The old man in black robes kept spewing out black gas and summoning various sinister magical treasures, but they all shattered in the face of the indestructible Gengjin sword energy and the raging winds of the Gale Beast.

The blue-skinned, burly man had thick skin and flesh, but he was getting more and more sword wounds, and half of his body was stained red with demon blood. His aura was rapidly weakening.

"Fight him!" The blue-skinned, burly man's eyes turned bloodshot. Knowing there was no escape, he let out a desperate roar. His body suddenly swelled up, and black light flashed, instantly revealing his enormous form, which was tens of feet long.

It was none other than the "Overturning Sea Whale," a ferocious sea beast covered in thick blue scales, with a single horn on its head, resembling a whale but also possessing four strong and sharp claws!

It opened its mouth and spewed out an incredibly thick blue jet of water containing terrifying power, which slammed into the sword formation.

The old man in black robes also let out a fierce roar and revealed his true form, which was a "One-Horned Black Python" that was over thirty feet long, jet black, with fine scales and a single horn on its head!

Its massive tail swept across, stirring up a storm of foul wind and poisonous mist. A dark, eerie light condensed on its single horn and shot towards Zhou Yuan.

"A dying struggle." Zhou Yuan snorted coldly, and his sword technique changed.

The Great Geng Sword Formation suddenly contracted, and the hundreds of sword lights no longer dispersed, but converged into two extremely condensed and dazzling golden sword rainbows, like two golden dragons, one on the left and one on the right, respectively slashing at the water column spewed by the Overturning Whale and the black light shot out by the Unicorn Black Python!

"Boom! Sizzle!"

The golden sword rainbow clashed fiercely with the water column and the black light! The water column was cleaved in two by the sword rainbow, disintegrating into a shower of water droplets; the black light was instantly annihilated by the sword rainbow's twisting motion!

The sword rainbow continued its momentum, and amidst the horrified gazes of the Overturning Whale and the One-Horned Black Python, it slashed fiercely at their massive bodies!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Scales shattered, flesh and blood flew everywhere!

The tough blue scales of the Overturning Whale were like paper in front of the Gengjin Sword Rainbow. A terrifying wound, tens of feet long and deep enough to see the bone, was cut open, and the internal organs were vaguely visible. Blood poured down like a waterfall, accompanied by a deafening wail.

The one-horned black python fared slightly better, but its tail, several meters long, was still severed by the sword rainbow, spraying demonic blood and hissing incessantly.

The two demons were severely injured and had no power to resist. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Gale Beast pounced, its sharp claws and wind blades striking out simultaneously, in conjunction with Zhou Yuan's sword light that attacked again.

Just a dozen or so breaths later.

"Boom!" "Thump!"

Two heavy, muffled thuds.

The massive bodies of the Overturning Whale and the One-Horned Black Python crashed heavily onto the beach and shallow sea at the edge of the island, stirring up clouds of sand and waves.

Their eyes were devoid of light, and they were lifeless; they were already dead.

The battle is over.

Zhou Yuan slowly descended and stood beside the two enormous monster corpses.

The Gale Beast folded its wings and landed to the side, its gaze towards Zhou Yuan filled with awe. Its master's strength was far more terrifying than it had imagined.

Zhou Yuan remained expressionless, raised his hand to summon the Azure Origin Sword Light, and began to skillfully dissect the two demon heads, extracting the level-eight demon cores that radiated immense demonic power.

The demon core was cool to the touch and contained pure water and yin attribute demonic power, making it quite valuable.

Just as he took out the second demon core and was preparing to dissect other useful parts, his divine sense suddenly stirred again.

He paused in his hand movements, slowly raised his head, looked towards the southeast sky, and raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly.

"The aura of human cultivators... and two of them are at the mid-Nascent Soul stage."

He muttered to himself, his tone calm, but a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes, "Interesting... My little island is quite lively today."

He didn't stop what he was doing, continuing to process the monster materials at a leisurely pace, peeling off valuable scales, tendons, bones, venom sacs, and other items, seemingly completely unconcerned about the two powerful auras that were rapidly approaching.

Before long, two streaks of light broke through the sky and arrived at great speed. They landed one after the other on the outer edge of the island, but did not directly break in. They had obviously also sensed the fluctuations of the island's restrictions and... that thick smell of blood.

The light faded, revealing two figures, a man and a woman.

The man was burly, with a rugged face, eyes like copper bells, and hair that stood up like steel needles. He was shirtless, revealing a bronze-colored, muscular chest. He was the same man who had discussed with the woman in white the purpose of coming to "congratulate" her.

The woman was graceful and wore a long, thin, almost transparent white gauze dress. Her skin was as white as snow, and her face was exquisitely beautiful.

As soon as they landed, their sharp gazes swept across the island.

"Brother, there are traces of restrictions on this island. Judging from the method, it doesn't seem to be set up by demonic beasts, but rather by human cultivators." The woman in white said in a soft voice, but with a hint of coldness.

"Yes, and not just in one place." The burly man's voice boomed as his gaze swept over several hidden array flag nodes on the island. "The person who set up the array is quite skilled. It seems that the one who trained the spirit beasts to undergo tribulation is a human cultivator."

As the two were talking, their gazes were simultaneously drawn to the thick smell of blood at the edge of the island and the two enormous monster corpses.

When they saw Zhou Yuan standing beside the corpse, slowly wiping the blood off a small golden sword, and the humanoid Gale Beast standing beside him with wings on its back, both of their eyes narrowed.

The burly man's gaze lingered on the Gale Beast for a moment before landing on Zhou Yuan, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

This person's aura... seems to be only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm? But being able to cultivate a transformed spirit beast and having just experienced a great battle, he is by no means an ordinary person.

Especially the demon cultivator standing next to him, whose posture was respectful, clearly regarded this person as his master.

"This fellow Daoist is quite unfamiliar."

The burly man spoke first, his booming voice breaking the silence, "May I ask your esteemed name? To slay two transformed demons on this desolate island in the outer sea, truly impressive skill!"

He said "impressive skills" but his gaze held scrutiny and a hint of barely perceptible arrogance.

Zhou Yuan then stopped what he was doing, sheathed the golden sword, looked up at the two of them, and asked in a calm tone, "And who are you?"

"My surname is Lan, and this is my younger sister."

The burly man grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth. He gave a brief introduction, saying nothing more, clearly believing that his reputation was enough for the other party to know.

"Blue?" A hint of understanding flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "So it's the Lan Clan's Twin Demons. I've heard so much about you."

The Lan Clan's Twin Demons!

Hundreds of years ago, a notorious demonic overlord in the Chaotic Star Sea!

The brother and sister are Lan Du, who cultivates the "Hundred Poisons Demon Body," possessing a powerful physical body and domineering poison skills; and Lan Mei, who is skilled in seduction and is ruthless.

The two joined forces and, a hundred years ago, slaughtered two islands guarded by small and medium-sized sects in a single night. Countless cultivators and mortals were killed or injured, committing a heinous crime that shocked the entire Chaotic Star Sea.

Finally, the powerful Tianxing Twin Saints personally pursued and killed them. The brother and sister were seriously injured and fled into the depths of the outer sea, disappearing without a trace.

"Giggle giggle..."

Upon hearing this, Lan Mei let out a charming laugh, her eyes sweeping over Zhou Yuan as if hooked. "I never expected that after so many years, there would still be someone in the Star Sea who remembers us siblings. You are truly a man of great experience, young man."

She spoke words of flattery, but her feet, together with her brother Lan Du, slowly took a few steps forward. It seemed casual, but in reality, it subtly formed a pincer attack, and they were less than ten feet away from Zhou Yuan! This distance was extremely dangerous for a Nascent Soul cultivator; they could be reached in an instant!

The two were incredibly perceptive; they had already noticed the Fierce Wind Beast's respectful attitude towards Zhou Yuan, and they could also tell that although Zhou Yuan's aura was only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, he must have something to rely on to kill two level-eight demons.

However, both of their own were at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm, had been famous for many years, and still possessed formidable power, making them confident that they could suppress their opponents.

Although that transformed demon cultivator was strong, he had only recently transformed and was not a threat.

If they can capture this person, not only will the treasures on his body and the two newly produced transformation demon cores be theirs, but they might also be able to force him to reveal the secret of continuously cultivating demon beasts into human form!

"Gentlemen, if there's nothing else, please leave. Outsiders are not welcome here."

Zhou Yuan seemed oblivious to their intention to approach, or rather, completely unconcerned, and directly ordered them to leave, his tone remaining indifferent.

Blue Poison's smile vanished abruptly, replaced by a fierce glint in his eyes:

"Leave? Fellow Daoist, you've received such a tremendous benefit, and you also possess the secret to cultivating transformed spirit beasts, do you think you can just so easily dismiss my brother and me?"

Before the words were finished—

"boom!"

Blue Poison made his move without warning! He suddenly threw out his right fist, not at Zhou Yuan, but at the ground beside Zhou Yuan!

Where the fist passed, the air exploded, and an extremely condensed fist aura, with an eerie deep blue color, was like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave, tearing apart the earth and stirring up countless sand and stones containing deadly poison, forming a violent blue poisonous mist storm that swept towards Zhou Yuan!

This poisonous mist not only corrodes spiritual power, but also defiles magical artifacts and erodes the soul!

At the same time, Lan Mei chuckled and lightly raised her hand. A large cloud of pink mist, exuding a sweet and exotic fragrance, burst forth from her sleeve, instantly spreading out and covering an area of ​​a hundred feet in radius!

This pink mist seemed to possess a life of its own, ignoring the protective aura and drilling straight into the mouths, noses, and pores of living beings, capable of disturbing the mind and inducing turmoil. It can even erode magical power, making it extremely vicious!

The two worked together seamlessly, clearly not for the first time in a joint operation against an enemy.

Blue Poison launches a frontal assault, using poison mist for disruption; Blue Charm launches a flanking attack, weakening her charm.

Ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators, even those at the mid-stage, would inevitably be caught off guard and suffer heavy losses if suddenly attacked by such a combined force.

"court death!"

Zhou Yuan's eyes suddenly turned cold, and killing intent erupted! He had long known that these two were no good people, but he did not expect them to be so decisive and ruthless, resorting to killing without a word.

Faced with the sweeping blue poisonous fog storm and the pervasive pink mist, the phantom image of wind and thunder wings behind him suddenly solidified!

"Crack!"

With a flash of lightning, Zhou Yuan's figure had vanished from the spot!

With the activation of Wind and Thunder Wings and Thunder Escape, he instantly teleported to a distance of over a hundred feet, easily escaping the core area of ​​the blue poisonous fog storm and avoiding most of the pink fog.

The Gale Beast reacted just as quickly. Almost at the same time as Zhou Yuan used his Thunder Escape Technique, it flapped its wings, creating a fierce cyan whirlwind that dispersed some of the approaching pink mist. At the same time, its figure blurred, transforming into a gentle breeze, and using Wind Escape Technique to follow closely behind Zhou Yuan, escaping the mist's coverage.

Lan Du and Lan Mei's sneak attack missed instantly! Both of them showed expressions of astonishment. Such fast escape techniques!

"You've got some skill! But today, you will die!"

Lan Du grinned maliciously, his figure leaping up like a savage ancient beast as he pursued Zhou Yuan. Deep blue poisonous mist swirled around him, instantly withering and killing any vegetation in his path. He recognized Zhou Yuan's formidable escape techniques, but as long as he could entangle him and prevent him from using them freely, combined with his sister's alluring and poisonous skills, he could still defeat him!

Lan Mei also let out a delicate shout, transforming into a pink streak of light. Together with her brother, they flanked Zhou Yuan from the other side. With a series of swift movements, strands of pink, thread-like qi, like threads of love, were tender and affectionate, yet concealed deadly intent, shooting towards Zhou Yuan's vital points.

Zhou Yuan's eyes were icy cold; facing the two men attacking him from both sides, he held nothing back.

With a thought, he patted a specially made spirit beast pouch at his waist.

"roar--!!"

A roar filled with violence and cruelty, as if from the deepest hell, resounded through the heavens! A huge black shadow rushed out of the spirit beast pouch, and landed in a terrifying corpse beast that was three zhang tall, covered with black scales that were as black as iron and shimmered with a metallic luster. It resembled a tiger but was even more ferocious, and had a tightly closed vertical eye on its forehead—it was the Beast Demon!

As soon as the beast demon appeared, the dense aura of death and the ferocity of an eighth-level demon beast caused Lan Du and Lan Mei's forward momentum to come to a halt!

Another transformed-level spirit beast?! And its aura is so strange and ferocious!

It still carries the aura of death?

"Gale, Beast Demon, entangle that woman!" Zhou Yuan ordered coldly.

"Yes!" The Gale Beast responded, spreading its wings and unleashing a barrage of sharp wind blades towards Lan Mei.

The beast let out an excited roar, its vertical eye on its forehead suddenly opened, and a gray-white beam of light filled with an aura of death, decay, and corruption—the "Light of Death"—silently shot towards Lan Mei!

At the same time, its massive body, enveloped in billowing black mist, charged toward Lan Mei like a tank, its sharp claws tearing through the air!

Lan Mei's expression changed slightly. Not daring to be careless, she clapped her hands repeatedly, and pink qi transformed into layers of peach blossom barriers, attempting to resist the deathly light and wind blades.

That deathly light was incredibly eerie. When it touched the peach blossom barrier, it caused the vibrant pink color to quickly dim and wither, as if it had been stripped of its vitality!

The beast's impact was incredibly powerful, causing the barrier to shake violently.