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

"Mid-stage Nascent Soul?"

Master Mulan, with her fiery red hair, fixed her gaze on Zhou Yuan. Sensing the unfathomable spiritual pressure emanating from him, which far surpassed that of Bu Yunhe, she couldn't help but furrow her brows.

He never expected that this seemingly inconspicuous border outpost would actually be guarded by a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

This exceeded their expectations.

"Hmph, so what if he's in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm? I'll handle him. You two, quickly take down that old man in the early-stage Nascent Soul realm over there! Our goal in this battle isn't to fight to the death, but to crush them with a thunderous strike and break through this valley's defenses as soon as possible!"

The black-robed cultivator beside him snorted disdainfully, his eerie green eyes beneath his hood flashing with cold confidence, seemingly not taking Zhou Yuan, a mid-stage cultivator, seriously.

The black aura around him churned slightly, exuding an eerie and unsettling aura.

"Mr. Tianku, we must not be careless."

Master Huo Hong was more cautious than him. He shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Since this stronghold is guarded by a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, the defense must be very strong. A direct attack might lead to unforeseen circumstances."

"I have already used a secret method to send a message. My clan's 'Master Yue' is currently on another mission nearby. Upon learning of the mid-stage Nascent Soul opponent here, he has promised to come to our aid shortly. At that time, with Master Yue's mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivation and the three of us, we will surely be safe!"

"Will Master Le come?"

Upon hearing this, a faint green light flashed beneath the black-robed cultivator's hood. His tone seemed to carry a hint of apprehension, but more than anything, it conveyed a sense of relief.

"Very well, with her involved, things are definitely safer. Let's wait and let these Tiannan cultivators live a little longer."

The three did not try to conceal their voices during their conversation, clearly confident that Zhou Yuan and the others were hiding inside the barrier and would never dare to take the initiative to attack.

While waiting for reinforcements, they observed the restrictions in the valley and plotted how to break through the formation with minimal losses.

However, they never expected that the seemingly young cultivator from Tiannan was not the ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator they had imagined who only knew how to hold his ground, but the terrifying fiend who had stirred up a bloodbath in Fengyuan Kingdom a few days ago and killed three Mulan masters!

Their decisiveness and ruthlessness in killing far exceeded their comprehension.

"Three..."

Zhou Yuan calmly swept his gaze over the three people opposite him, silently calculating in his mind, "Kill these three, plus the previous three, that makes six. The land for establishing a sect will then be secured."

He had originally intended to annihilate all three of them, and now, judging from their words, it seemed that a "Master Le" was on his way.

Also in the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm?

Perfect, let's solve it all at once, and maybe we can even exceed our target.

Just when the three opponents thought they would have to hold out for a while longer and wait for reinforcements—

"Go, Gale."

Zhou Yuan suddenly patted the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

"Hey——!"

A clear, high-pitched bird cry, carrying the aura of ancient wilderness, suddenly rang out and resounded through the sky!

In a flash of inspiration, a figure with wings on its back, standing in human form, surrounded by a blue whirlwind, appeared out of thin air beside Zhou Yuan!

His face was handsome, yet it carried a hint of bird-like sharpness. His eyes were like lightning, locked onto the tall and thin Master Mulan opposite him. He was none other than the eighth-level spirit beast after his transformation—the Gale Beast!

"A transformed spirit beast?!"

"How is that possible?!"

"This...this is a demon race member equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage! How could they willingly be driven by others?!"

The three Mulan masters opposite them, along with the Mulan army waiting in formation behind them, instantly erupted in huge exclamations and commotion!

In Tiannan, there are only a handful of cultivators who can possess a transformed spirit beast. Each of them is a renowned figure with an unfathomable background or strength!

I never expected that this seemingly young cultivator would have such a powerful spirit beast companion!

This completely disrupted their plans, and their initial contempt vanished instantly, replaced by intense shock and unease.

"Fellow Daoist Bu, that red-robed sorcerer is your responsibility. Make sure you keep him occupied."

Zhou Yuan whispered a message to Bu Yunhe beside him.

Bu Yunhe was also deeply shaken, but upon hearing Zhou Yuan's instructions, his spirits immediately lifted, and his eyes revealed excitement and fighting spirit: "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Zhou, I will certainly not fail you!"

With such close proximity, the battle erupted instantly, leaving the opponent no time to think or adjust their formation!

"Lie Feng, entangle the one with the bone staff!" Zhou Yuan thought to himself.

"Yes, Master!"

With a long roar, the Gale Beast flapped its wings and transformed into a blur of blue light that was difficult to see with the naked eye. With a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, it rushed straight at the tall, thin master who held a white bone staff and had a cold aura!

Its speed was astonishing, and it instantly engaged in battle with the opponent, with the cyan wind blades clashing fiercely with the pale bone light.

"Let's do it!"

At the same time, Zhou Yuan shouted to Bu Yunhe, and then his figure flickered as he took the initiative to meet the black-robed cultivator with the most sinister aura!

To catch the thief, first catch the king. This black-robed cultivator is clearly the most troublesome and strange of the three, and must be dealt with first!

Bu Yunhe reacted extremely quickly. Almost the instant Zhou Yuan set off, he also summoned his natal magic weapon, a pair of tortoise-shell-shaped flying wheels that shimmered with earthy yellow spiritual light. One on the left and one on the right, carrying heavy wind pressure, they slashed at the fiery red-haired master, and the two became entangled.

"Let me see what level a mid-stage cultivator from Tiannan is really at!"

The black-robed cultivator was enraged when Zhou Yuan dared to charge at him. A dark green light flashed beneath his hood.

He let out a fierce shout, and without any visible movement, the swirling black energy around him suddenly condensed, transforming into a gigantic ghost claw, dozens of feet in size, covered with hideous ghost faces, exuding a strong stench of corpses and resentment, which slashed down towards Zhou Yuan's head! Before the ghost claw even arrived, the sinister aura that eroded the soul and defiled magical artifacts had already rushed towards him.

However, a cold mockery flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes as he faced the seemingly ferocious ghost claw.

"Evil-repelling divine thunder!"

He didn't even summon his flying sword; he simply raised his right hand, palm up, fingers slightly spread.

"Crackling sound—!"

A pure, dazzling golden lightning, seemingly containing the most yang and masculine will of heaven and earth, suddenly lit up from his palm. It then transformed into a golden lightning net, woven from countless fine golden arcs, covering an area of ​​dozens of feet in radius, and rolled back to meet the giant ghost claw that was grabbing down!

The golden lightning net and the pitch-black ghost claws collided with a deafening roar!

"Zzzzzzzzz—!!!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a series of dense, ear-piercing sounds, like cold water being poured into boiling oil, as the oil was being violently melted!

That seemingly mighty and eerie giant claw was like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun in front of the supremely yang and powerful Divine Thunder that could overcome all evil and demonic energy!

Wherever the golden lightning net passed, the dense black energy on the ghost claws rapidly dissipated and evaporated at a speed visible to the naked eye. The hideous ghost faces emitted a silent, mournful shriek before vanishing.

In a single exchange, the enormous ghost claw was completely pierced, enveloped, and strangled by the golden lightning net!

"No! How is this possible?! This is...this thing..."

The black-robed monk let out an incredulous scream of horror, his voice filled with boundless fear.

His Ghost Claw Divine Power was one of his trump cards, containing the resentment of countless living souls. It was extremely insidious and could even corrupt the magic treasures of cultivators of the same level and erode the protective spiritual light of Nascent Soul cultivators. He never thought that it would be broken so easily and with such restraint.

However, his scream came to an abrupt halt.

Because after the golden lightning net shattered the ghost claw, its momentum did not diminish at all. It instantly contracted, like a golden net for catching birds, enveloping his entire body along with the protective black aura that had not yet dissipated around him!

"ah--!!!"

A piercing scream, so shrill it was inhuman, erupted from the lightning net, but it lasted only half a breath before disappearing completely.

The lightning net suddenly contracted inward, and golden lightning flashed and exploded violently.

When the lightning dissipated, the black-robed cultivator was no longer there; only the storage bag remained.

Instant kill!

A true instant kill!

From the moment Zhou Yuan made his move until the black-robed cultivator was completely annihilated, the entire process took only two or three breaths!

quiet!

A deathly silence enveloped the battlefield.

Whether it was the tall, thin master who was fighting fiercely with the Gale Beast, or the fiery red master who was already terrified and entangled by Bu Yunhe's flying wheel, or the thousands of Mulan Dharma Masters who were waiting in the rear, or even Bu Yunhe himself, they were all dumbfounded, staring in disbelief at the place where the black-robed cultivator had disappeared, their minds blank.

Dead? A black-robed master from the Great Jin Demonic Path, at the early Nascent Soul stage, just like that... gone?

Can't even struggle? What... what kind of method is this?

What kind of lightning magic is this?! It's terrifyingly powerful!

Bu Yunhe's heart was filled with turbulent waves.

He knew Zhou Yuan was strong, capable of killing early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators, but he never imagined he was this strong!

Killing those of the same rank is like slaughtering dogs?

No, it's even easier than slaughtering dogs!

This completely overturned his understanding of battles between Nascent Soul cultivators!

He originally thought it would be a tough battle, but who would have thought that it would be over so soon?

"It's him! It must be him!"

The fiery-faced guru was the first to recover from his shock, his face instantly turning ashen, his eyes filled with boundless fear, and his voice trembling:

"The person in Fengyuan Kingdom a few days ago... that must be him!"

Those black-robed cultivators came from the Great Jin Dynasty. They were incredibly powerful, rarely matched among their peers, and even a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator might not be able to defeat them easily…

But now!

Also, there were two demonic cultivators who disappeared in Fengyuan Kingdom before the New Year.

He died silently!

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already crystal clear.

The seemingly young black-robed cultivator before them was none other than the mysterious fiend who had stirred up a bloodbath in Fengyuan Kingdom, enraged the Mulan leadership, and forced them to change their tactics!

Faced with such an existence, even the three of them working together might not be a match, let alone now that the black-robed figure is dead, leaving only the two of them.

"Run! Run! Split up and run! Go find Master Le!"

With no more fighting spirit, the fiery master roared at the tall, thin master in the distance who was being forced into a precarious situation by the fierce wind blades of the Gale Beast. At the same time, he transformed into a blazing streak of blood flames and ignored Bu Yunhe's flying wheel attack, forcefully breaking free from the entanglement.

Without looking back, he fled desperately towards the direction of the Mulan army behind him!

Without looking back, he fled desperately towards the direction of the Mulan army behind him!

The tall, thin master was already terrified by Zhou Yuan's terrifying method of instantly killing the black-robed man. Upon hearing this, he was even more terrified and let out a strange scream.

Ignoring all pretense of appearance, he tossed the white bone staff behind him, causing it to explode into a thick, pale cloud of bone dust. This temporarily obscured the Gale Beast's vision and pursuit. He himself transformed into a streak of gray light and fled desperately in another direction!

The two Mulan lamas were so terrified that they fled without a fight!

"Trying to leave?" Zhou Yuan's eyes turned cold; he wouldn't let them have their way.

"Crackling! Crackling! Crackling!"

With three short claps of thunder in succession, Zhou Yuan's figure left three pale golden streaks in the air, instantly covering a distance of hundreds of feet, and was already close to the fiery red master who was desperately fleeing towards his own army of mages!

When the fiery-red master saw Zhou Yuan chasing after him so quickly, he was terrified and knew he couldn't escape. A hint of madness flashed in his eyes.

He abruptly stopped his escape, formed a strange hand seal, and pointed at the phantom of a crimson fire python that was originally used for defense and attack, which was circling around him.

"The fire spirit transforms into a dragon, scorching the heavens and boiling the seas!"

The crimson fire python let out a hiss, its body suddenly swelled, and red light shot into the sky!

A single, curved, crimson horn rapidly sprouted from the python's head, and four ferocious claws emerged from its belly. Its scales became clearly visible, and light flowed around it. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a red-scaled fire dragon, over ten zhang long, baring its fangs and claws, and radiating terrifying heat!

This fire dragon is so lifelike; it is clearly its trump card for survival and fighting to the death!

"A fire spirit transforming into a dragon? Interesting."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. Master Mulan's mastery of fire-attribute spiritual arts was indeed extraordinary.

However, that's all.

With a thought, he raised his left hand, and a point of dark blue ice flame quietly appeared in his palm.

"go!"

Ice Flame flew out of his hand, swelled in the wind, and transformed in the air into an Ice Crystal Phoenix with a wingspan of several feet, its entire body composed of crystal-clear blue ice crystals, radiating extreme cold!

With a clear cry, the ice phoenix, carrying a chilling aura that could freeze the soul, fiercely pounced on the menacing fire dragon!

The ice phoenix formed from the azure ice flames collided violently with the fire dragon formed from the fire spirit!

"laugh--!!!"

Ice and fire clashed, unleashing a violent energy annihilation and white mist!

The high-temperature flames on the fire dragon's body scorched the ice phoenix, while the extreme cold emanating from the ice phoenix rapidly froze the fire dragon.

However, the Azure Ice Flame is a wondrous flame of heaven and earth, far superior in quality to the fire dragon formed from spiritual power.

After only two breaths of stalemate, the red light on the fire dragon's body dimmed at a visible speed, its size began to shrink, and it let out a mournful cry of unwillingness.

At the same time, Zhou Yuan drew a sword gesture with his right hand.

"Clang clang clang—!"

Eighteen gleaming green bamboo bee cloud swords emerged one after another!

Since he hadn't had time to fully refine and integrate the Geng Essence he had obtained into the remaining flying swords, he could only use half of the previous seventy-two swords at the moment.

Even so, the power of this half of the Great Geng Sword Formation should not be underestimated!

The thirty-six flying swords instantly split into hundreds of sharp and incomparable golden sword lights. Like a metal storm, they bypassed the core of the battle between ice and fire and shot towards the pale-faced, fiery-red master who was desperately maintaining his fire dragon form from all directions!

"Block them!"

The fiery master was utterly horrified. He opened his mouth and spat out a crescent-shaped, bright red flying knife, which transformed into a streak of red light and met the sword light head-on.

This is a fire-attribute magic weapon he treasures, and it is quite powerful.

however--

"Clang clang clang clang—!"

After only three or four collisions with the foremost golden sword lights, the crimson flying knife let out a mournful cry of being unable to bear the weight. The spiritual light on the blade flashed wildly, and then with a "crack," it was actually cleaved in several deep cracks by the Gengjin sword energy. It lost its spiritual power and flew back with a mournful cry.

"What?!"

The fiery-red master's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets; his heart ached terribly, and he was utterly horrified.

Although his throwing knife wasn't top-of-the-line, the materials were still quite good, yet it was so easily defeated.

What material was that golden flying sword made of? Its sharpness was simply unbelievable!

A deep sense of powerlessness and despair rose within him.

The Mulan Grassland is poor in resources. These sorcerers rely more on their own arduous cultivation of spiritual arts and their exquisite control over the spiritual power of heaven and earth. In terms of the crafting of magical treasures and the materials used, they are far inferior to the wealthy cultivators of Tiannan.

Faced with Zhou Yuan's natal flying sword, which incorporated top-tier materials like Geng Jing, the disadvantages of their magical weapons were magnified infinitely.

Just as his magic weapon was destroyed and his mind was thrown off balance, the ice phoenix formed from the Azure Ice Flame finally overwhelmed the fire dragon, freezing and shattering it! The ice phoenix slowed its advance slightly, but still carried a chilling aura as it pounced on the fiery red master.

Meanwhile, the hundreds of golden sword lights controlled by Zhou Yuan had already broken through the several layers of fire shields that he had hastily set up, completely sealing off his escape routes.

"No--!"

The Fiery Master let out a desperate roar, no longer caring about anything else, and turned to charge into the dense army of Mulan mages below! He wanted to use the army for cover, and even hoped that the army could help him hold them off for a while.

The thousands of Foundation Establishment stage mages below, along with seven or eight Core Formation stage mages, saw their masters retreat and were pursued by powerful enemies. Although they were terrified, driven by military orders and tribal honor, they quickly formed a strange battle formation under the stern command of several Core Formation stage mages.

All the sorcerers simultaneously raised their staffs or ritual implements, chanting a unified, obscure, and ancient incantation.

A surge of powerful spiritual energy emanated from each mage, converging, intertwining, and resonating in the sky!

In an instant, the temperature in the sky plummeted! Countless thin, sharp ice spikes, gleaming with a chilling white light, materialized out of thin air, densely packed, covering the sky for hundreds of feet in radius, numbering well over ten thousand!

Each ice spike emitted a considerable amount of spiritual energy, and when they converged, the resulting pressure was suffocating!

It was the "Combined Attack Spiritual Technique" that the Mage Mulan relied on to rampage across the grasslands—"Ten Thousand Ice Falls"!

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, it's futile and overestimating one's own strength."

Faced with this combined spiritual technique that would make even ordinary early-stage Nascent Soul cultivators pale, Zhou Yuan's eyes were filled with only coldness and indifference.

He didn't even stop walking; he simply raised his right hand again, spread his five fingers, and made a fist in the air towards the sky full of ice spikes.

Improved version – Ten Thousand Swords Technique!

"Buzz—!"

More dazzling, denser, and exceeding ten thousand golden sword energies than before, instantly bloomed in the void in front of Zhou Yuan!

The sword energy trembled, emitting a "humming" resonance, and converged into an even more vast and terrifying golden sea of ​​swords!

"go!"

Ten thousand golden sword energies transformed into an even more powerful and sharper golden torrent, surging upwards and crashing fiercely into the "Ten Thousand Ice Falls" that was falling from the sky!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Gold and white, sword energy and ice cones, collided, annihilated, and exploded wildly in mid-air! Countless tiny ice crystals and scattered golden spiritual light poured down like a torrential rain, leaving the earth below riddled with holes and dust billowing everywhere.

The violent turbulence of spiritual energy swept in all directions, causing the Mulan mages who were forming an array to lose their footing and their formation to become slightly scattered.

The combined attack technique was indeed astonishing, managing to fight Zhou Yuan's Myriad Swords Technique to a standstill, with both techniques annihilating in mid-air.

However, unleashing such a large-scale combined spiritual attack would be extremely taxing for thousands of Foundation Establishment mages and several Core Formation mages.

At this moment, they were all pale-faced and their breathing was unsteady; they needed time to catch their breath and replenish their spiritual energy. Normally, any cultivator who cast such a powerful spell would also suffer significant physical exertion and need to recover.

However, Zhou Yuan's situation is not "common sense".

With the near-infinite mana regeneration from his equipment slots, the cost of that Thousand Swords Technique was negligible for him.

Just as the aftershocks of the combined spiritual spell and the Myriad Swords spell colliding and annihilating each other had not completely dissipated, and the lower-level mages were catching their breath.

A cold glint flashed in Zhou Yuan's eyes. He raised his hand again, his five fingers shifting as he formed an even more complex and ancient hand seal.

"Heavenly Fire—Falls!"

With a low shout, the sky within a radius of several hundred feet suddenly turned crimson!

It wasn't the sunset glow, but rather the clouds in the sky seemed to have been ignited, transforming into rolling lava clouds!

The intense heat distorted the air, and a chilling aura of destruction descended.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."

The next moment, countless fist-sized, crimson-red meteorites with lava flowing on their surfaces and trailing long black smoke plumes poured down from the crimson fire cloud like a torrential rain!

The power contained in each "Heavenly Fire Meteorite" far exceeds the full-force attack of a late-stage Core Formation cultivator, and even faintly touches the threshold of the False Infant Realm!

"Defend now!!"

"Erect the protective shield! Form the array!"

The Mulan mages below had just experienced a huge drain on their energy. Now, faced with this even more terrifying and wider-ranging "heavenly fire meteor shower," they were terrified and frantically tried to gather their spiritual power to defend themselves once again.

Various colors of protective aura and the light of defensive artifacts shone, and some quick-reacting Core Formation mages also attempted to organize a small-scale joint attack defense again.

However, how can a hastily prepared defense withstand the "Heavenly Fire Technique" that is about to be unleashed?

"BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!"

Lava meteorites rained down on the mage army, creating a continuous series of deafening roars.

Flames and shockwaves raged, accompanied by screams, wails, the sounds of magical artifacts shattering, and protective shields breaking apart.

In just one round of "Heavenly Fire Meteor Shower", more than a third of the mages were either killed or injured, and the army formation was completely broken and thrown into chaos.

But this is not over yet!

Zhou Yuan seemed determined to completely crush this vanguard force. He raised his right hand again and cast a spell for the third time on the chaotic and heavily wounded remnants of the mage army.

Thousand Swords Technique!

Although the number of sword energies condensed this time was slightly less than the previous two times due to continuous casting, there were still as many as seven or eight thousand!

The golden sword light, like the scythe of death, swept across that area once again.

The remaining mages were already terrified, their defenses collapsed, how could they possibly resist?

As the sword flashed, like harvesting wheat, another large group of mages fell amidst screams.

After two rounds of magical attacks, more than half of this vanguard force of over a thousand mages had been killed or wounded, and they had completely lost their fighting capacity. The survivors cried out for their parents and scattered in all directions, no longer able to form any effective resistance or restraint.

While Zhou Yuan single-handedly nearly wiped out the entire vanguard of the mage army, on the other side, the fiery red master failed to escape in the chaos.

Bu Yunhe's escape technique was known for its speed and agility, and he kept a close eye on his opponent.

When Zhou Yuan swiftly defeated the mage army, Master Huo Hong was shaken to his core, and his escape light momentarily faltered.

It was this slight lapse that Bu Yunhe keenly seized upon!

"Go!"

Bu Yunhe shouted, and the pair of tortoise-shell flying wheels that had been relentlessly pursuing him suddenly accelerated, drawing two mysterious arcs in the air, one above and one below, and crashing hard into the fiery shield that the Fiery Master had hastily condensed!

"Bang!"

The flame shield shattered instantly, and the Crimson Master groaned, staggering as his speed decreased further.

At this moment, Zhou Yuan had already dealt with the miscellaneous soldiers below and his cold gaze was fixed on this side.

Thunder escapes again!

Three streaks of lightning flashed, and Zhou Yuan appeared less than fifty feet behind the Fiery Red Master! This distance was already a killing opportunity for a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The fiery master felt the terrifying killing intent and sharp sword energy behind him, and his face showed utter despair and unwillingness.

He didn't even have time to turn around, nor did he have time to make any effective defense or dodge.

The golden sword light, condensed to its extreme, pierced him instantly like a deadly golden thread.

Blood spurted out, and the physical body collapsed.

The terrified crimson nascent soul had just escaped when it was shredded to pieces by several sword lights that followed closely behind.

The second-ranked Master Mulan has passed away!

"Fellow Daoist Zhou... your divine might is unparalleled!"

Bu Yunhe retrieved his flying wheel and looked at the scene before him, especially the devastated battlefield of the sorcerers, where many had died, and the recently fallen Fiery Master. Even with his centuries of cultivation and unwavering resolve, he couldn't help but gasp in shock and exclaim in admiration, his voice filled with awe and reverence.

What kind of "battle" is this?

It was clearly a one-sided crushing and massacre!

Zhou Yuan alone almost destroyed a vanguard force of the Mulan people, killing two Nascent Soul cultivators, including a Great Jin demon cultivator!

Such achievements, once spread, are enough to shake the entire border battlefield and greatly boost the morale of the cultivators in Tiannan!

"You're in charge of cleaning up this mess."

Zhou Yuan nodded to Bu Yunhe, his tone indifferent, as if he had only done a trivial matter: "I'm going to chase after the other one."

Before he finished speaking, the blue-purple light of the Wind and Thunder Wings behind him shone again. With a sway, he transformed into a faint golden-blue lightning bolt and shot towards the direction where the tall, thin master and the Gale Beast had disappeared, vanishing into the horizon in an instant.

Although the tall, thin master had already escaped dozens of miles away, under Zhou Yuan's terrifying divine sense, which far surpassed that of an ordinary late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, his escape trajectory was as clear as a firefly in the dark, leaving him nowhere to hide.