Chapter 185

After all this was done, Li Fan was pale and panting.

"Please, fellow Daoists, lead these beasts near the formation I've set up," Li Fan transmitted his voice.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator named Huan Sui nodded. "You've worked hard, fellow Daoist. Leave the rest to us."

It is well known that the path of formation arrays is arduous and abstruse. Studying it requires a great deal of time. It's quite reasonable for someone with high formation array mastery to be a bit weaker in actual combat. Moreover, they hadn't expected this external aid to accomplish much; setting up so many effective magic formations so quickly was already a pleasant surprise.

Huan Sui took out a small drum and struck it hard. A roar, like that of an ancient fierce beast, immediately emanated from the drum, spreading in all directions.

On Myriad Sounds Island, the headless strange beasts, lounging idly on the ground, all abruptly stood up and looked in the direction of Li Fan and the others. Then, they beat their chests, appearing very excited. They surged forward like a rushing tide, vying to be first.

Huan Sui and the other four stood by the formation, their expressions unchanged as they faced the surging tide of strange beasts. The five cultivators' Foundation Establishment artifacts simultaneously appeared; they were five swords of various shapes. The sword lights intertwined, seemingly forming some kind of sword array. Any strange beast that entered was annihilated by the sword light. Under the scorching flames of the fire dragons generated by the Heavenly Spirit Fire Dragon Formation, they turned to ash.

The drumbeats continued, like a death knell, attracting the strange beasts to charge forward to their deaths, one after another. The Heavenly Transformation five-person squad, like a meat grinder, relentlessly and efficiently reaped their lives.

Slowly, the deaths of many strange beasts caused unrest within the horde. They began to counterattack.

"Roar!"

The headless strange beasts beat their chests, opened their enormous mouths, and simultaneously let out earth-shattering roars. Invisible sound waves converged above Myriad Sounds Island, forming a seemingly tangible fist-shaped shadow. The red fist-shaped shadow instantly blasted towards the five-person sword array.

"Bang!"

Huan Sui and the other four simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood, their faces showing alarm. The five swords trembled slightly, and the sword array became chaotic. Immediately, many red-furred strange beasts seized this opportunity, broke through the blockade, and charged at the five cultivators. Although they were quickly and easily slaughtered, the five cultivators' expressions were no longer as relaxed as before.

Seeing this, Li Fan knew he couldn't slack off too much. He, too, put on a solemn expression, took out several beast bones from his storage ring, and set up a new magic formation.

This time, just as the fist-shaped shadow formed by the howls of the numerous red-furred strange beasts was about to take shape, many jarring, dissonant metal grinding sounds suddenly mixed in. It was like pure water mixed with mud, becoming cloudy and indistinct. This fist-shaped shadow, formed by the roars of the red-furred strange beasts, became somewhat blurred and significantly weaker after the strange noises were mixed in. It was easily blocked by the five-person sword array.

Huan Sui and the others showed joy. "Fellow Daoist, what excellent methods!"

Li Fan, however, waved his hand, his face pale, looking as if he couldn't continue.

The scales of victory once again tilted towards the Heavenly Transformation squad. Hundreds of thousands of headless strange beasts were slaughtered one after another. But their numbers were simply too vast. The number slaughtered by the Heavenly Transformation squad was merely a drop in the ocean compared to all the red-furred strange beasts on the island. Perhaps if they continued like this, with the Spirit Gathering Formation replenishing their spiritual energy, given enough time, they could slowly complete the mission.

However, after half a day, when the number of deceased comrades reached a certain magnitude, the red-furred strange beasts again found that the roaring fist-shaped shadow had no effect. They stopped roaring. Even their fearless charges ceased.

Seeing this, Huan Sui was puzzled. He repeatedly struck the small drum, trying to regain the red-furred strange beasts' attention. But the previously irresistibly alluring drum sound now had no effect.

"Bang!""Bang!""Bang!"

They stopped attacking and instead uniformly and rhythmically beat their chests. The sound grew louder and louder amidst continuous resonance and reverberation. Li Fan noticed something was wrong; although he timely activated the Disturbance Murky Water Formation he had previously set up, the chaotic noise could not significantly affect the grand symphony.

Fortunately, Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang, who had been observing, finally stopped standing idly by. Goose down-like heavy snow began to fall again between heaven and earth. The intensity of the combined sound was absorbed by the rustling snowflakes, suddenly decreasing significantly. A strong gust of wind swept through. While whipping up thousands of piles of snow, it also blew down the petals of the red plum blossoms, which bloomed vibrantly against the snow. The petals danced with the wind, like deadly sharp blades. Each time they drifted past a strange beast, they silently claimed its life.

It was evident that with two mid-stage Golden Core cultivators working together, these red-furred strange beasts, only at the Foundation Establishment stage and acting purely on instinct, had little to no ability to resist. However, both Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang seemed to hold back, striking only to a certain extent. There was no large-scale slaughter; they merely slightly reduced the power of the red-furred strange beasts' combined sound and did not completely prevent its formation.

Thus, amidst the increasingly rapid and loud beating sounds, a gigantic, illusory red-furred strange beast slowly took shape. The faint oppressive aura emanating from the illusion was only slightly weaker than that of Jiang Zhengji.

"Golden Core Realm!"

Li Fan and the five members of the Heavenly Transformation squad grew serious. Although it seemed a bit weaker than a true Golden Core Realm cultivator, it was definitely far beyond the scope of the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, after manifesting its form, the Golden Core giant beast did not immediately rush to attack Li Fan and the others. Instead, it grabbed its kin from the ground, put them into its mouth, and began chewing ferociously. The countless red-furred strange beasts on Myriad Sounds Island, upon seeing their kin being eaten, not only showed no fear but instead let out excited, strange cries. The Golden Core giant beast, showing no mercy, continuously devoured its weaker kin. Gradually, its illusory form slowly began to solidify. It seemed that as it consumed more of its kin, it could actually transform from an illusory state to a solid one!

Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang stood with their arms crossed, their expressions indifferent, quietly observing the situation.

Huan Sui, however, grew anxious. "If we wait for that giant beast to solidify its form, its strength will be comparable to a true Golden Core cultivator. Even if we unite and fight to the death, we might not have a chance of winning!"

Another person also spoke up, "Exactly, we can't wait any longer!"

Li Fan also nodded. "I can set up one final last-stand formation to aid all of you fellow Daoists!" Then, he took out formation materials from his storage ring. In a short while, the Last-Stand Formation was set up. The Heavenly Transformation five-person squad's momentum surged dramatically.

"The formation can only last for about a quarter of an hour," Li Fan said weakly, his face as white as paper. His mental energy seemed to be greatly depleted.

Huan Sui and the other four exchanged glances and nodded. "If we can't defeat that giant beast, even if we survive, we'll lose our qualification for promotion."

"There's no retreat, only a fight!"

"Kill!"

The five cultivators' faces were resolute; relying on each other, they were like a sharp sword. They fiercely charged towards the Golden Core giant beast.