The power of the blood-red river could melt even the Essence Blood of the Undead Nether Wind, let alone burn the Nascent Soul of a mere initial third-rank cultivator.
It was just that the power of that speck of blood-red was much weaker than the blood-red river, and it would take some time to overcome the opponent's resistance while they burned their Nascent Fire.
What's more, Li Yan had added an extra ingredient to the Demon-Sealing Needles—the Fragmented Poison!
Therefore, at this moment, Li Yan's mind was not on the Wind Goose Beast at all, but was focused on the Qiongqi Purgatory Art.
'If this Great Elder also cultivated a movement skill similar to Phoenix Soars to the Heavens, this Yan San would definitely not last half an hour against him. He would be beaten to a pulp.'
But this thought was fleeting. "Phoenix Soars to the Heavens" was a talent-based divine ability of the Undead Nether Phoenix, one of the top divine abilities in this world. It was not so easily obtained.
At least, Li Yan had not yet seen anyone of the same rank who was faster than himself.
If he had more Rongsun on hand, he was confident that he could shake off even a Late-stage Nascent Soul Great Cultivator just by relying on this movement skill.
For now, such things were just wishful thinking. A heaven-and-earth treasure like Rongsun, for an ordinary cultivator to obtain even a few drops, would require burning an unknown amount of high-grade incense.
Li Yan threw a punch. When the fourth-rank Wind Elephant Beast saw that Li Yan had put away that terrifying magical treasure and was attacking it at close range, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes.
In its mind, Li Yan's magical treasure was incredibly powerful, but nothing in the world was perfect. Therefore, that magical treasure must have some kind of limitation.
Such a powerful magical treasure, capable of posing a fatal threat to Nascent Soul cultivators, certainly couldn't be used without limit.
Otherwise, a being wielding such a weapon would have long been able to dominate the Nascent Soul stage, and it would have surely heard of this person's name.
Now that it was on guard, it would not be so easy to attack it again. The other party should also be well aware of this, which was why he had put away the magical treasure.
In fact, the situation was largely as this Wind Elephant Beast thought. Li Yan had never been able to figure out the origin of that blood river. He also wished he could use the materialized red cloud without limit; that would make his fights much easier. But alas, that was just a fantasy.
Seeing Li Yan's punch coming, the Wind Elephant Beast's body suddenly swelled to a hundred zhang in size. Then, it stomped one of its hooves heavily toward Li Yan's fist—or rather, toward Li Yan's entire body.
Compared to the Wind Elephant Beast at this moment, Li Yan was like an ant. Their attacks collided in an instant.
The Wind Elephant Beast clan was known for its strength. Even if the opponent was a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, in a head-on clash, it might even have a slight edge.
"Boom!"
Amidst a loud bang, a silver and a yellow light screen erupted between the giant foot and Li Yan's fist, spreading out horizontally.
The shockwaves from the two light screens instantly spread out in all directions with the two of them at the center, illuminating a thousand-zhang radius in a blinding light.
The two light screens were momentarily locked in a stalemate, emitting a series of "zizizi..." sounds.
A look of surprise appeared in the fourth-rank Wind Elephant Beast's eyes. This tiny human cultivator was actually evenly matched with it in a direct physical clash.
Its long trunk suddenly let out a long cry to the heavens. At the same time, its massive body rumbled like thunder, emitting a series of "long, long" sounds. The yellow light from its stomping foot instantly intensified several times over.
At the same time, the silver light around Li Yan's body also became blindingly bright. He too let out a shout.
"Break!"
As he shouted, his body leaned slightly forward. The leg he had planted in the void instantly grew a size thicker. His waist twisted and pushed forward, and his punching fist also spun and straightened rapidly.
"Bang!"
An earth-shattering bang echoed through the sky, shaking the very clouds. In the high sky within a seven- to eight-thousand-zhang radius, the Golden Core cultivators were struck as if by lightning.
These mid-level cultivators, who had just ascended and fought for only a few breaths, plummeted down like meteorites. Many of them had already fainted before they even hit the ground.
If it weren't for the toughness of a cultivator's physical body, they would have long been reduced to a pile of mush.
Following this loud bang, the dense yellow light in the sky was instantly shattered by the silver light.
"Ah... no!"
Another miserable scream came from the sky. The cry was so high-pitched, the voice so sharp, and the pain so palpable that it sent a chill down one's spine.
Then, a rain of blood poured down from the sky, dyeing a large expanse of the sky red. The bone fragments and chunks of flesh in the bloody rain smashed into the mountain peaks below, causing them to shake continuously.
"Dual Dharma-Body Cultivation!" a cry of alarm came from a Wind-Iron Beast above, its voice filled with horror. This was a mid-fourth-rank Wind-Iron Beast.
He too was a hegemon known for his immense strength and formidable defense, but he was also very clear about the strength of the fourth-rank Wind Elephant Beast.
Although its defense was not as good as his, the innate immense strength of the Wind Elephant Beast clan was such that even he, relying on his higher realm, could at best fight it to a standstill.
That green-robed young man had actually suppressed his companion with just his brute force, causing the Wind Elephant Beast's power to collapse. The momentum of his attack continued unabated, and with a single punch, he shattered his opponent's physical body.
All of this happened within his Divine Sense. It was simply unbelievable. In that case, his own physical body might not be able to withstand the force of the opponent's blow.
On the other side, the several Nascent Soul cultivators of the Tianli Clan were equally astonished. A sharp light flickered in the Great Elder's aged eyes, while the Second Elder and others had a hint of confusion on their faces.
Their clan was renowned in this realm for its body refining arts. To see another equally powerful body-refining cultivator today couldn't help but surprise them.
But amidst their surprise, they seemed to have sensed a trace of familiarity in Li Yan's aura just now.
'Qiongqi Purgatory Art? It shouldn't be... his aura comes from that silver light, and there's another hidden, pure, and vast power in his fist...'
The Tianli Clan's Great Elder's thoughts raced. He seemed to have sensed a faint, familiar power fluctuation just now. His Divine Sense quickly swept over, only to find two different powers.
'Perhaps it's A Ying...? No, that's not right either. This person is already a Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. He should be her elder in the Malevolent Spirit Sect...'
Another thought suddenly arose in the Great Elder's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
With Gong Chenying's talent and age, there were not many who could surpass her in cultivation. A stronger peer would be lucky to have just formed their Nascent Soul, yet this person before him had already reached the Mid-stage Nascent Soul.
Through Li Yan's continuous attacks just now, the Great Elder could confirm that the green-robed cultivator was a supreme expert among Mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. It was clear he had been at this realm for a long time.
Another reason the Great Elder dismissed his idea was that whether it was dharma cultivation or body cultivation, the final result was the same destination through different paths.
What's more, the green-robed cultivator practiced an equally powerful body refining art. If he felt a trace of familiarity in the opponent's attacking aura, the opponent would likewise feel the same about his.
Amidst the rain of blood, a faint yellow light flashed and disappeared into the distant horizon.
"Nascent Soul Instantaneous Movement again!"
Li Yan, who was retracting his fist, gave a slight flicker of his eyes but did not give chase. Instead, he turned and looked toward another fourth-rank Wind-Iron Beast...
He had no intention of using his Nascent Poison to pursue. The Wind Elephant Beast's Nascent Soul had already been severely injured by that last strike.
The main reason for this was that the opponent had not been at the fourth rank for very long. Its Nascent Soul had not yet completely stabilized before it eagerly came to attack the Tianli Clan.
The power of Li Yan's punch just now was not something a newly advanced Nascent Soul could endure.
Even if the opponent's Nascent Soul escaped, it no longer posed much of a threat. Even if it performed a Body Seizure, it would take time to adapt to the new body and re-stabilize its realm. To recover to its current strength, it might take a hundred years or more.
Moreover, Li Yan did not want to reveal too many of his trump cards at once. He had not yet grasped the specific situation of the Tianli Clan.
Today, he had been engaged in continuous, fierce battles from the moment he arrived. It was better not to display his full strength at this time.
Just like the strike just now, with the abnormal power of his current physical body, he could have blown up the opponent's body with a single blow, but he still chose to lock horns with the opponent for a moment.
Then, he pretended to have shattered the opponent's physical body only after erupting with his full strength. This way, he could both display his strength, laying the groundwork for the possible "Qing A Wang" competition later.
Secondly, it also allowed him to keep his trump cards, to quietly observe some of the unknown changes that might follow.
Li Yan's personality had always been like this. For matters not within his control, he always had to reserve some strength.
It was just that without using the Qiongqi Purgatory Art, if he wanted to blow up the physical body of a cultivator of the same rank, especially a Wind Beast that also followed the path of the physical body, Li Yan had to use not only the power of the Undead Nether Phoenix's Essence Blood but also a drop of the "Nine Cauldrons Gui Water" gravity he had condensed through years of hard cultivation.
However, the Qiongqi Purgatory Art was already deeply integrated into his flesh and blood. Even if he tried his best to hide it, when he finally erupted with power, it still carried a hint of the power cultivated through the Qiongqi Purgatory Art, causing the several Tianli Clan elders to feel a sense of astonishment and uncertainty.
Just then, a long cry suddenly rang out in the sky, a sound filled with boundless fury. The one who let out the cry was none other than Yan San, who was locked in a fierce battle with the Tianli Clan's Great Elder.
As soon as his long cry sounded, the other fourth-rank Wind Beasts fighting the Tianli Clan also let out long cries that shot into the sky, one after another, in an unbroken chain.
Seeing this strange scene, Li Yan, who was about to step forward, paused. He didn't understand what the other party was doing.
And in his moment of hesitation, he saw the Wind Beasts below, which were in the midst of their slaughter, suddenly pause, then turn and run back.
At the same time, Yan San and the others also launched a few fierce attacks, forcing the Tianli Clan elders to hastily defend. Their figures flashed, and they also flew quickly in one direction.
"Are they trying to run?"
Seeing this, Li Yan's eyes flickered slightly!