Although the gray-clothed old man was anxious, he chuckled.
"Yan San, you're really getting impatient. Even with two newly advanced Fourth-rank Wind Beasts, it's still not enough to be a threat! If you let them stabilize for another ten or eight years, maybe there'd be a glimmer of hope."
At the same time, he sighed inwardly. The enemy had been continuously attacking with low and mid-rank Wind Beasts, trading life for life. Besides constantly wearing down the Tianli Clan's cultivators and mortal warriors, it was to prevent them from cultivating in peace, to stop more and stronger cultivators and warriors from emerging.
Today, he finally understood another reason for the Wind Beasts' frenzied attacks: it was to cover up the aura of their own who were about to break through to the Fourth rank.
"I wonder if the disappearance of Shanhe and Old Sixth was a plot they set up!"
Gong Shanhe and the Sixth Elder had been missing for over a decade. Originally, even with all three clans combined, the number of high-level cultivators was less than that of the Tianli Clan. But the Wind Beasts lived deep underground, where the strange winds could only be tolerated by them. Even Spirit Transformation cultivators dared not venture deep inside. This wasn't to say that all Wind Beasts were as powerful as Spirit Transformation cultivators; it was easy to understand, like how a fire sprite can swim freely in magma, while a cultivator might not dare to jump in. Therefore, to eradicate a clan of Wind Beasts, one must have the ability to destroy their "Sky Eye Pit."
Over ten years ago, even after Gong Shanhe and the Sixth Elder left, the Tianli Clan's high-level cultivators were still slightly stronger than their opponents. The Wind Beasts still couldn't gain an advantage in high-end combat power.
However, three months ago and six months ago, two prolonged "Sky Eye Winds" erupted in the territories of the "Wind-Goose Beast" and "Wind-Elephant Beast" clans, obscuring the sky and sun. The Tianli Clan, exhausted from fighting the three Wind Beast clans, did not investigate carefully, thinking they were just two unusually long "Sky Eye Winds."
Now, after half a day of fighting, the auras of five high-rank Wind Beasts suddenly appeared and flew straight towards them. Feeling six powerful auras rushing over, the Tianli Clan's Great Elder and the others were greatly shocked and flew out to meet the enemy.
The enemy's high-rank Wind Beasts, who had been hidden until now, had suddenly all appeared, and there were two more Fourth-rank Wind Beasts among them. The Tianli Clan elders were shocked, but after a moment's thought, connecting it to the location of the "Sky Eye Wind" eruption and the species of the newly advanced Wind Beasts, they, being old monsters who had lived for ages, quickly figured everything out.
The Fourth-rank Wind Beasts immediately unleashed their respective divine abilities at full power. Fortunately, the two new Fourth-rank Wind Beasts had only just advanced, and their combat power was limited. After a fierce battle, the Fourth Elder was injured by a "Wind-Goose Beast" that was stronger than him and was forced to use a secret art. Now, his aura was fading. The Second and Third Elders were also outnumbered and in a dangerous situation.
"Is that so? We'll see in a moment if it's enough!" Yan San said, his face devoid of emotion.
"Then what are you waiting for!"
The Great Elder's figure suddenly vanished from his original spot. He knew the situation could not wait for any other opportunity. At the same time, Yan San's figure also blurred.
In an instant, the space around them became a distorted mess. Whether it was figures or spiritual art attacks, everything was blurry and illusory, making it feel extremely unreal. The final battle had finally erupted...
Gong Chenying was surrounded by three "Wind-Iron Beasts." In half a day, she had already killed four "Wind-Iron Beasts" of the same rank.
Her strength, close to that of an Initial-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, was completely exposed, finally attracting the joint siege of three Third-rank "Wind-Iron Beasts." Each one of them was equivalent to a Pseudo-Nascent Soul cultivator. They had judged that Gong Chenying could only briefly burst forth with that kind of strength that could easily crush those of the same rank. She must be using a technique beyond her level, and her magical power and stamina would definitely not be able to keep up.
Although Gong Chenying was only at the Late-stage Golden Core realm, she had displayed her formidable strength before, but the Wind Beasts would usually retreat after a wave of attacks. In the past, the mortal warriors would suffer more deaths. Although there were casualties among the Foundation Establishment and higher cultivators, under a defensive posture, most of them suffered heavy injuries. After returning and having the elders perform witchcraft and using medicinal pills for healing, they could recover after a period of recuperation.
The clan's various resources were still sufficient, which was also why the "Wind Beasts" had always coveted this place.
But today, the Wind Beasts seemed determined to have a final showdown with the Tianli Clan. Since morning, the attacks had come in waves, one stronger than the last. One by one, familiar faces had departed today.
"A Cheng, Cui Zhu, Xiong Shan, A Qing, Xiao Xia, Gui Yue, Dan Yue..."
Although Gong Chenying's heart had long gone numb, seeing one familiar clan member after another fall, she still felt a pang of pain.
She recklessly unleashed powerful attacks, bursting forth with combat power far beyond her usual level. She only wanted to kill the things before her that had turned the Tianli Clan's life into a nightmare.
But such attacks consumed her magical power and stamina at a tremendous rate, like the rushing waters of the Yangtze River. She had no choice but to swallow large amounts of medicinal pills to replenish them.
The sounds of battle raged around them. Both sides, whether warriors or cultivators, were intertwined in a chaotic and brutal melee.
Cultivators in the sky, mortal warriors on the ground—at this moment, they all had only one thought: kill every enemy they could see.
Gong Chenying sensed the dwindling number of clansmen around her and could feel that the battles elsewhere were still raging fiercely. At this moment, she couldn't help others, and others had no time to help her.
A "Wind-Iron Beast" stomped heavily on the void with its four feet. In mid-air, it stretched its body and quickly lunged. It opened its mouth wide, revealing a mouthful of dense, thorn-like sharp teeth, and bit at Gong Chenying's neck.
At the same time, a dim light glowed on the dark iron armor of the second "Wind-Iron Beast," and its iron plates instantly stood up like a porcupine's quills. Its body arched, and the plates, with a sharp whistle that cut through the wind, slammed towards Gong Chenying's lower back.
The third "Wind-Iron Beast" had a slender waist and a long tail like a thin iron whip. In a blur, it whipped towards the long halberd in Gong Chenying's hand. Clearly, it wanted to control her magical treasure. This "Wind-Iron Beast" was exceptionally cunning.
Although "Wind-Iron Beasts" were known for their brute force, it had seen Gong Chenying's previous battles and felt that her physical body might be even stronger than theirs. So it chose to use long-range support attacks, keeping Gong Chenying's attention from a distance to prevent her from using her close-combat advantages, while its two companions launched a close-range assault.
Gong Chenying's beautiful eyes were devoid of joy or sorrow. At the beginning of the battle, she had seen these three "Wind-Iron Beasts" in human form, standing with several others behind a large group of their kind.
The three of them—two men and one woman—one was built like an ox, one had the presence of a sharp blade, and the woman was tall and slender, with a narrow waist, full chest, and long limbs. Each of them exuded an astonishing aura. In Gong Chenying's eyes, all three were just a step away from becoming Fourth-rank Wind Beasts.
In the ensuing battle, it was indeed as Gong Chenying had judged. The three of them were incredibly ferocious. Several of the clan's Golden Core realm members—Xiong Shan, A Qing, and Xiao Xia—had died at their hands.
And Gong Chenying had been firmly blocked by the other Third-rank "Wind-Iron Beasts" they had sent, unable to join up with others for a time. After a great battle, her side had suffered even greater casualties. Including her, there were only five Golden Core realm cultivators left, and all of them were injured. The enemy, however, still had ten Third-rank "Wind-Iron Beasts" left.
The remaining ten Third-rank "Wind-Iron Beasts," upon seeing this result, also felt their hearts bleeding. Today, they had come out in full force, trading life for life to kill a large number of the Tianli Clan's Golden Core cultivators. They too had lost thirteen Third-rank "Wind-Iron Beasts" earlier. Today, the King had demanded that this be the final battle. They could only win, not lose. Otherwise, they would be dead even if they returned. The Wind Beasts were extremely cold-blooded; when an order was given, there was no room for negotiation.
And the Tianli Clan members they encountered were naturally fierce. Even when heavily injured, they would use self-detonation to take the enemy with them, which caused heavy casualties among the "Wind-Iron Beasts" as well.
By now, all the "Wind-Iron Beasts" had revealed their true forms, especially the two men and one woman, who had been in human form until now. Clearly, Gong Chenying posed a greater threat to them, so the three of them immediately adopted their true forms for a pincer attack.
Three attacks arrived simultaneously. The first "Wind-Iron Beast's" mouth was already at Gong Chenying's nape. She could even feel the thick, bloody stench from its mouth.
Like a gracefully lined female leopard, Gong Chenying's waist twisted, and her body abruptly shifted to the left. Just as she dodged the gaping, bloody maw, she used her body to power her waist, swung her left elbow, and spun around, delivering a counter elbow strike. The tip of her elbow viciously slammed into the cheek of the first "Wind-Iron Beast" in the air.
The second "Wind-Iron Beast," with its iron plates standing up like knives, had also crashed into her. The plates on its back, gleaming with a man-eating light, sliced towards Gong Chenying's body.
As Gong Chenying sidestepped and swung her elbow, she pivoted on her right foot, her body spinning like the wind. She swung her left leg in a sweeping motion, delivering a fierce reverse hook kick. The target of her reverse hook kick was precisely the weak spot on the second "Wind-Iron Beast's" jaw and neck, which was exposed as it crashed towards her.
Gong Chenying's reaction was incredibly fast, as if for any attack, as long as it came close, she could instinctively react without thinking, making the swiftest response. Moreover, every part of her body, her muscles and bones, could coordinate to produce attack angles that others couldn't imagine. In situations where others would feel extremely awkward, or even unable to exert force, she could unleash an incomparably sharp and fatal attack.
At this moment, Gong Chenying's body was already twisted in a left-backward swinging motion. The azure long halberd held out in her right hand was entangled by a black iron tail that flew out of nowhere before she could even exert force.
Then, a scene that greatly surprised the three Wind Beasts appeared. Gong Chenying's right hand suddenly let go of the azure long halberd. At this time, her left elbow and left foot attacks had just been launched.
Just as the tip of her left elbow was about to smash into the first "Wind-Iron Beast's" cheek, this "Wind-Iron Beast," seeing its bite miss and the opponent counter with an elbow, reacted extremely quickly. Its massive head blurred, and it instantly dodged the elbow aimed at its cheek. Instead, its sharp teeth clamped down on the tip of Gong Chenying's left elbow in an instant.
At the same time, an immense force erupted from the tip of Gong Chenying's left elbow. Although this "Wind-Iron Beast" had caught her elbow in its mouth, when its upper and lower teeth were just three inches from her skin, it felt as if a tremendous force erupted from the surface of her body. It couldn't bite down any further. That immense force propped open its jaw, which could usually break metal and swallow mountains, preventing it from closing. The next moment, it felt a sense of dread.
Although Gong Chenying's elbow strike hadn't hit the "Wind-Iron Beast's" cheek, the tip of her elbow had already brought with it a gust of wind that would make even a Golden Core cultivator's heart tremble. At this moment, this gust of wind followed the first "Wind-Iron Beast's" mouth and shot straight down its throat.
This "Wind-Iron Beast," having failed to bite down, was just about to muster its strength again when it felt a suffocating gust of wind pour from its mouth down to its neck and throat. It instinctively surged its magical power to block this force.
Instantly, between its mouth and Gong Chenying's left elbow, two waves of aura, one black and one azure, collided. The massive body of this "Wind-Iron Beast" was instantly sent flying backward by the huge blast wave.
While Gong Chenying was dealing with the first "Wind-Iron Beast," the second one saw her spin, her foot hooking towards its jaw and neck with a phantom-like afterimage. Apart from a layer of reasonably tough skin, that spot had no armor protection. If it continued to ram her with its back, Gong Chenying, in her spin, had already moved out of the fatal position. It would only manage to "graze" her body. And if it were kicked, it would definitely be severely injured, or even killed instantly. How could it be willing to accept such a trade?
Thus, in an instant, its body suddenly became like a heavy meteorite and plummeted towards the ground.
Gong Chenying's hook kick hit empty air. At the same time, she was sent sliding backward by the counter-shock force from the tip of her left elbow.
All of this, though long to describe, happened in the blink of an eye between four top-tier Golden Core cultivators.
With that huge counter-shock, Gong Chenying's body slid rapidly to the side. She instantly caught up with the azure long halberd she had just let go of, which had been entangled by the iron tail. She didn't try to grab the halberd. Instead, her hands had already conjured a series of overlapping palm shadows, like the overlapping shadows of mountains. As her body slid backward rapidly, she struck the shaft of the azure long halberd, one palm faster than the last. She struck the azure long halberd's shaft so hard that it trembled violently, creating a waterfall of azure afterimages. The power of the initial-stage fifth level of the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art" burst forth at full strength in an instant.
In the distance, the slender-waisted "Wind-Iron Beast" was overjoyed to see that in a single round of their three-on-one attack, the opponent's magical treasure had been snatched away before she could even activate it. But as long as the Divine Sense imprint on the magical treasure was not erased, the opponent could still control it from a distance. So she had to control this magical treasure as quickly as possible.
But she had never imagined that the opponent would let go with a flick of her jade-like hand and then catch up with a lightning-fast slide. Moreover, Gong Chenying's seemingly random palm strikes on the halberd's shaft were domineering and brutal.
Before this "Wind-Iron Beast" could react, an intense pain came from her tail. The vibrating force transmitted from the azure long halberd suddenly formed a kind of resonance. Under this resonance, these forces instantly re-gathered. Gong Chenying had instantly combined the hundred palm strikes she had delivered in a very short time into a huge torrent, which surged out with devastating force and was instantly transmitted to her long tail.
Before she could react, the hundred strikes from the initial-stage fifth level of the "Qiongqi Purgatory Art" had condensed into one and charged towards her.