Immediately thereafter, the white-robed elderly man made a hand seal and began to chant something in a solemn manner.
A scintillating ball of golden light that resembled a radiant sun instantly appeared within the glacial peak, then revolved on the spot before transforming into a massive rune that was around an acre in size.
The rune was shimmering with golden light, and it descended silently like a shooting star.
"What are you doing? Wait, this is a talisman from the True Immortal Realm!" the true immortal exclaimed as he sensed what was happening within the glacial peak.
However, before he had a chance to do anything, the giant golden rune plunged into the formation down below in a flash.
A resounding boom rang out, and the true immortal's voice was abruptly cut off. The white-robed elderly man was completely unsurprised by this, and he began to chant with even greater urgency.
In the next instant, the entire glacial peak tremored, and golden patterns erupted out of it in a frenzy, forming a gigantic rune that was imprinted on one of the smooth faces of the glacial peak.
Hints of blue light immediately became intermingled in the white light emanating from the glacial peak, and the glacial Qi being released also became significantly denser.
Only then did the white-robed elderly man's chanting cease, and his expression also eased slightly.
If one could see through the underside of the glacial peak, they'd discover an unconscious golden-robed young man with runed chains and layers of translucent ice all over his entire body.
Imprinted on his glabella was a golden pattern that was completely identical to the rune on the face of the glacial peak, and the white-robed elderly man was ecstatic upon discovering this with his spiritual sense, and he immediately plunged into the glacial peak, vanishing into it in a flash.
Unbeknownst to him, in the instant that the golden-robed young man had fallen unconscious, a daoist priest with a dark complexion suddenly opened his eyes in another realm. The daoist priest was seated under an enormous tree, and he murmured to himself, "What happened? Why is the true soul badge displaying such a strong reaction?"
The daoist priest swept a sleeve through the air as he spoke, and a miniature pagoda that was several inches tall flew out of his sleeve amid a flash of green light, then swelled to over 100 feet tall in an instant.
The daoist priest then strode into the pavilion in an unhurried manner, and in the hall on the first level of the pavilion were hundreds of pristine jade tables, each of which had around a dozen identical yellow wooden badges placed upon them.
The badges had silver patterns running all over their surfaces, and after sweeping his gaze over all of the jade tables, a hint of surprise appeared in the daoist priest's eyes as he suddenly raised a hand before waving it toward a huge rusty cauldron in a corner of the hall.
There was a yellow wooden badge in the cauldron as well, and it immediately flew out before landing in the daoist priest's grasp.
The daoist priest stared at the wooden badge with a hint of a surprise in his eyes for a moment before his expression darkened slightly. "So it's his soul that's in peril. In that case, this isn't something I can ignore; I have to find him!"
......
Han Li was hovering high up in the air with 72 streaks of azure light flashing around him. These were none other than his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, and they were tearing through the inky-black devilish beasts pouncing toward him.
However, there seemed to be no end to these devilish beasts, all of which had backs that were covered in scales and a single horn on each of their heads.
The streaks of azure sword Qi swept forth before blooming into azure lotus flowers, and all of the devilish beasts in their wave were instantly sliced in half.
The Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords were far too powerful for these low-grade devilish beasts to oppose, and the pungent odor of blood and gore had filled the entire surrounding area.
However, these devilish beasts seemed to have no regard for their own lives and continued to pounce toward Han Li with single-minded ferocity.
Han Li could only heave a faint resigned sign upon seeing this.
Chapter 2027: Grassland Beast Tide
As he continued to control his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords, Han Li cast his gaze behind himself, where the Long Family patriarch and the others were also busy slaying other devilish beasts.
The woman from the Ye Family was flicking her fingers through the air, releasing streaks of silver light that shot forth like a torrential storm, felling hordes of devilish beasts around her.
The man from the Lin Family had summoned a translucent crimson jade ruler, which was releasing scorching fireballs in all directions to incinerate the devilish beasts around him into nothingness.
The Long Family patriarch's hands had transformed into a pair of giant golden dragon claws, and they were sweeping through the air with unstoppable might. He was accompanied by Elder Hui, who was releasing bursts of green Qi out of his sleeves.
All of the devilish beasts that reached within a radius of 1,000 meters from the duo were either instantly torn into countless shreds, or poisoned to death on the spot.
As for the Holy Spirits, Zang Xing had summoned an antiquated azure lamp that had released several tens of purple fireballs to encompass an area that was around an acre in size.
All of the devilish beasts that came into contact with the purple fireballs were instantly reduced to plumes of smoke.
Bai Qi was merely drifting along within his usual layer of protective white spiritual light, but all of the devilish beasts around him were being dismembered as if they were being ravaged by countless invisible blades.
Jin Gu had summoned a gong-like treasure that wasn't emitting a very loud sound, but all of the oncoming devilish beasts immediately began to sway unsteadily as if they were inebriated as soon as they approached the treasure, then fell to the ground and didn't get up again.
Zhi Shui had donned a suit of silver armor that had encapsulated his entire body without leaving even a single sliver of skin exposed, and he had plunged into a horde of beasts up ahead as a tornado.
All of the devilish beasts around him were being torn limb from limb, presenting a very gruesome and violent sight to behold.
Han Li's brows furrowed slightly as he took in the situation unfolding around him. Perhaps they were experiencing rotten luck or had simply entered this grassland at the wrong time, but they were only around half a month into their journey, and they had already encountered this enormous beast tide.
Han Li and the others had all experienced the horrors of the beast tides in the Spirit Realm, so they naturally immediately tried to avoid this beast tide, but they had still underestimated it in the end.
There was seemingly no end to the devilish beasts pouring out of the grassland, and all of them were the same type of wolf-like devilish beast.
Most of these devilish beasts were only at the Foundation Establishment Stage or Core Formation Stage, and even the most powerful ones among them were only comparable in power to Deity Transformation cultivators, but their sheer numbers alone would be enough to strike despair into the heart of the average cultivator.
As such, Han Li and the others had all unleashed powerful abilities from the get to wipe out over 1,000,000 of these devilish wolves, but they were still forcibly swept up by the beast tide in the end.
These devilish beasts surrounded Han Li and the others in unrelenting waves, and no matter how many of them were killed, there was always more to take their place.
Under these circumstances, everyone could only band together and join forces to plow their way through the beast tide.
However, these devilish wolves seemed to be determined to hunt them down, launching constant suicide attacks day and night without affording them any opportunity for rest and respite.
They had been slaughtering these devilish wolves for two days and two nights thus far, yet there were still no signs indicatin
g that they were about to reach the other side.
As such, everyone was starting to become rather concerned. In contrast with this beast tide, the beast tides that appeared on the human territory of the Spirit Realm were mere child's play.
Perhaps only the gargantuan hordes of sea beasts in the oceans of the Spirit Realm could compare with this vast beast tide.
All of a sudden, Han Li raised a hand to release several thick bolts of lightning amid a loud thunderclap. The bolts of lightning plunged into a group of oncoming devilish beasts, and around 300 to 400 of them were instantly eradicated.
Even with the fearless nature of these devilish beasts, they couldn't help but falter in the face of such a devastating attack, and Han Li immediately took advantage of this opportunity to vanish on the spot.
In the next instant, spatial fluctuations erupted beside the Long Family patriarch, and Han Li re-emerged.
"Brother Long, we can't continue like this. There's no end to these devilish beasts, and they're clearly targeting us, so they must be receiving instructions from a beast monarch. No matter how many of them we kill, they'll never let us go," Han Li said in a grim voice.
"Indeed, Fellow Daoist Han; I've arrived at the same conclusion. Otherwise, these devilish beasts would've definitely left us alone after we killed so many of them. It would be rather troublesome for us if we were to be discovered by high-grade devilish beings while we're caught up here, so we have to kill the beast monarch and scatter these devilish beasts as quickly as possible," the Long Family patriarch said with a grim nod before thrusting a palm forward.
A massive palm projection instantly appeared up above before crashing downward, sending a burst of enormous invisible force descending toward the devilish wolves up ahead.
Hundreds of devilish beasts were instantly crushed into mincemeat.
Immediately thereafter, the Long Family patriarch transmitted his voice toward the Holy Spirits, and after a brief discussion, he turned to Han Li, and said, "Fellow Daoist Han, I've spoken with Fellow Daoist Thousand Autumns, and we've agreed that the best course of action is for the four late-Body Integration Stage beings among us to split up from the rest of the group to hunt down that beast monarch. Fairy Ye and the others will remain here to attract the attention of the devilish beasts while we branch out in four different directions to seek out that beast monarch. We'll set a time limit of six hours; once that time passes, return here right away, and we'll figure out another way to escape from this beast tide. If you ask me, the beast monarch shouldn't be too far away. Otherwise, its control would be too weak to be making these devilish beasts attack us in such a fearless manner."
Han Li nodded in response. "I released my spiritual sense toward the east earlier, and there's a high concentration of powerful devilish beasts in that direction, so it's very likely that the beast monarch is hiding there; I'll make a trip there myself."
The Long Family patriarch naturally had no objections to this, and after issuing some instructions to Elder Hui, he began to head toward the west.
As for Holy Maiden Thousand Autumns and Bai Qi, they went south and north, respectively, and the three of them disappeared into the throngs of devilish beasts in the blink of an eye.
Han Li also shot forth toward the east as they had agreed upon earlier, and everyone else gathered together in a tight circle with their backs facing one another as they continued to oppose the oncoming devilish beasts.
Streaks of azure sword Qi flashed through the air, felling one devilish beast after another, and before Han Li knew it, he had been plowing through the beast tide to the east for over four hours.
Along the way, his 72 flying swords were like 72 azure wyrms, slashing through the air around him with peerless sharpness. Some of the devilish beasts had their bodies torn apart even before the sword Qi had made contact with them, and it was quite clear that Han Li's Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords had become a lot more powerful with the advancements he had made in his cultivation base.
However, he was beginning to grow rather concerned.
He had encountered several mutated devilish beasts during the past few hours, but even the most powerful ones among them were only at the late-Deity Transformation Stage, so there was no way that any of them could be the beast monarch.
The six-hour time limit was quickly approaching, yet the number of the devilish beasts up ahead hadn't dwindled in the slightest, and he was beginning to hesitate about whether he should turn back to reunite with everyone.
Just as these thoughts were running through his mind, a hint of surprise suddenly flashed through his eyes as he cast his gaze toward a certain direction.
Almost at the exact same moment, bursts of violent explosions rang out, and the ferocious devilish beasts that were pouncing toward Han Li howled as they turned back in unison, as if there were some kind of tacit understanding between them.
Han Li faltered slightly upon seeing this before immediately setting off in pursuit, flying through the air as a piercing streak of azure light.
The devilish beasts directly up ahead were all shredded by his streaks of azure sword Qi, but even so, the other devilish beasts were still retreating as quickly as they could, paying no heed to Han Li at all.
Han Li was rather intrigued to see this, and he held the power of his Azure Bamboo Cloudswarm Swords as he followed the devilish beasts toward the location where the string of explosions had rung out earlier.
Now that there were no longer any devilish beasts impeding him, he was able to cover close to 100 kilometers in the blink of an eye, yet right at this moment, he suddenly stopped, and his expression changed slightly as he cast his gaze forward.
No more than a few kilometers up ahead, a large group of green devilish beasts had suddenly appeared up in the air.
These devilish beasts were far more massive than their brethren, and their fur was releasing a faint green light, as well as a pungent odor, indicating that they were extremely poisonous.
The retreating devilish beasts gave these mutated beasts a wide berth, parting on either side before rushing around them.
Han Li paid no heed this and merely cast his gaze into the distance toward the direction in which these devilish beasts were fleeing.
Behind this group of green devilish beasts was a pocket of open space where around a dozen burly silver devilish beasts were attacking a pair of humanoid figures relentlessly.
Beside these silver devilish beasts was a black-furred devilish beast with two five-colored horns on its head. The black-furred devilish beast had blood flowing all over its body, and it was lying in mid-air in a completely still manner.
Above the devilish beast was a silver incense burner that was also hovering in mid-air, and protruding out of the incense burner was a half-burned stick of grey incense that was releasing faint azure smoke.
The smoke had formed a barely visible ring around this pocket of empty space, which had been entirely surrounded by the wolf-like devilish beasts.
All of the devilish wolves were snarling with fury, but none of them dared to charge into the ring formed by the azure smoke, seemingly extremely wary of it.
Chapter 2028: Rescuing the Devils
Blue light flashed through Han Li's eyes, and he immediately caught a clearer glimpse of the two humanoid figures that had been surrounded by the dozen or so silver devilish beasts.
One of them was a burly devilish man who was built like a brick house, while the other was an elderly devilish man with blue devilish patterns on his face.
Both of them were at the late-Spatial Tempering Stage, and the burly devilish man had devilish Qi surging all over his body. He was waving a massive black club through the air, unleashing a burst of black Qi that swept forth in a frenzy to keep most of the silver beasts at bay.
The elderly devilish man had a pair of triangular green eyes, and he was holding an inky-black bowl, from within which one monstrous bird projection after another was being released.
As soon as these projec
tions reached the silver beasts, they would immediately explode into balls of silver light that forced the silver beasts into retreat.
However, it was quite clear that the black Qi and bird projections were only just barely able to keep the silver devilish beasts at bay, but unable to inflict any substantial damage upon them.
These devilish beasts had bodies that seemed to be no less resolute than the average treasure, and they would simply shrug off the oncoming attacks before pouncing toward the two devilish men again.
If things were to continue like this, the two devilish men were eventually going to completely exhaust their magic power and be slain by the silver beasts.
Judging from the powerful remnant aura of the devilish beast carcass with the five-colored horns, it was most likely the beast monarch that he was searching for.
Could it be that those two devilish beings were the ones who had killed it? How had they managed to do that? They were indeed both quite powerful, but they shouldn't have been powerful enough to kill the beast monarch!
Han Li was rather perplexed by this current situation, and it was quite an unexpected turn of events that someone had killed the beast monarch in their stead.
Thus, Han Li began to consider what he was going to do next.
The green devilish beasts up ahead seemed to be aware that Han Li was not to be messed with, and they didn't pounce toward him like the other ordinary devilish wolves. As such, an impasse ensued between them.
Just as Han Li was still hesitating about how to proceed, the burly devilish man suddenly yelled toward his companion, "We can't keep wasting time here, Old Man Wu; the effect of the beast repellent incense is about to wear off, so we have to get out of here right away. I'll take on these beasts by myself; you focus on teleporting us away from here!"
As soon as the burly man's voice trailed off, he let loose a thunderous roar, and his aura instantly became extremely violent while the black Qi being released by his club became more than twice as dense as before, thereby allowing him to keep all of the silver beasts at bay.
A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality c1-2248 Page 1169