Hong Qian grabbed Li Qiang and gently lowered him to the ground, his heart burning with intense pain.
The slight tremor upon landing made Li Qiang open his eyes. The Tower-Subduing Heavenly Thunder was the most powerful Law Treasure of Heavenly Halberd Peak. If Li Qiang hadn't been protected by three layers of armor, he wouldn't have been able to withstand it at all.
He took a deep breath, swallowed a elixir, and said softly, " Hong Qian, you go back first! I'll just sit quietly for a while."
Hong Qian gritted his teeth and said, "No! I can't leave..."
Li Qiang was a little anxious and said, " Hong Qian, I can still handle it now. Go quickly and find the people of the Beast-Splitting Tribe and stop them! Go now!" Although his voice was low, his tone left no room for doubt.
Hong Qian was both angry and anxious. He was worried about Li Qiang's safety and didn't want to leave, but he dared not disobey Li Qiang's orders. He paced anxiously on the ground. Li Qiang said, " Hong Qian, I am protected by Fire Essence. No one can get close to me. Go now, or they really won't be able to hold out any longer."
Hong Qian said helplessly, "Take care, Uncle-Master, I'll be there in a moment!" He leaped into the air, his heart filled with boundless murderous intent.
He circled rapidly in the air, searching for traces of the Beast-Splitting Tribe. With a wide field of vision in the air, he soon detected a strange whistle coming from the southwest. He flew there silently, determined to kill all these harmful creatures, even if it would affect his cultivation.
Li Qiang calmed himself down and examined himself, and was secretly shocked to realize how terrifying the final blow he had just received had been. Although the Billowing Essence Battle Armor was not destroyed, he still had to start cultivating again, and his Nascent Soul had also been greatly shaken, seemingly somewhat listless.
He couldn't help but sigh. Things had been going too smoothly lately, and with his arrogance rising, he was bound to suffer a great loss when he encountered a powerful opponent. He smiled bitterly and focused his mind on his nascent Nascent Soul, channeling all his energy to repair it. However, he had overlooked the fact that he was sitting on a vast, open grassland. Although the wild grass concealed his figure, it could not hide the light emanating from his practice.
Driven mad by the explosion, the Earthfire Beast suddenly turned and charged towards the horde of monsters.
On the Heavenly Road Grassland, the Earthfire Beast is the most powerful of all monsters; when it charges at a group of monsters, chaos ensues.
Just then, a sharp whistle rang out from afar. As if hearing the call to attack, the monsters turned around and charged at the caravan again. The remaining uninjured Earthfire Beast, however, slowly turned around and retreated.
All the monsters charged at the caravan like madmen, their attack even more ferocious than before. Nashan gritted his teeth and said, "Damn it, what gruesome creatures have against me? They're really going at it! Bah! Come on, again!"
Paben said with a wry smile, "Everyone is exhausted, what are we going to do?"
" The Rainbow Cone Cannon can fire now! Where should we fire?" the Zhutou- headed man called out in a hoarse voice.
Thanks to Paben's care, who had saved him from the monsters' jaws several times, Wan Gong was now weak all over and seeing stars. He said, " Zhutou, just place it anywhere, it doesn't matter where it hits..."
Ban Dong directed everyone to gather in the center of the camp. The innermost layer consisted of the seriously wounded, while the outermost layer held the uninjured or lightly wounded. He roared, "Listen up, everyone! I, Ban Dong, am sorry to my brothers for bringing you to this desperate situation. Now, let's fight one last time. Kill one, kill two, and we'll make a profit. Even if we die, we'll die like men!" The caravan members were stirred up by his words and their blood boiled with excitement.
Nashan roared, " Ban Dong! You're a real man! I Nashan, will be your friend! Haha! Rainbow Cone Cannon... Fire!"
The Zhutou fired a cannon first, then dropped the Rainbow Cone Cannon, and raised the scythe to rush to the outermost layer.
All the men on the outer layer raised their sickles, each followed closely by two men wielding machetes.
In just a moment, Saber-Toothed Hao and Combat Beast rushed over the cart.
Nashan leaped out of the circle, his Light-Reversing Sword flashing with blue light. Paben also jumped out at the same time, his spear sending countless spear shadows flying. The two brothers huddled together, relying on their sharp weapons, and began to hack and slash wildly.
Seeing how fierce the two brothers were, everyone's spirits were greatly lifted, and they charged forward without regard for anything else.
When Hong Qian suddenly appeared in the middle of the Beast-Splitting Tribe Clan, they finally noticed him. Hong Qian immediately spotted a man dressed as a Spirit Master and, recalling the Spirit Master he had seen at the Duji Inn in Butang Earthen Stockade when he first arrived in the Western Continent, knew that this was the guy's doing. Without hesitation, he shot his flying sword at him.
Caught off guard, the Ghost Master was struck by the flying sword, and his body exploded instantly. Countless black shadows howled and tumbled out of his body, many of which were immediately annihilated by the Gold-Shattering Sword, while others shrieked and burrowed into the soil.
Hong Qian roared, "You all should die!" In his extreme hatred, he also began to refer to himself as "Laozi" (the one who is Laozi).
How could those members of the Beast-Splitting Tribe withstand the flying swords of cultivators? In the blink of an eye, most of them were killed or wounded by the Sword-Ray. The remaining ones lay prostrate on the ground, crying and begging for mercy.
Hong Qian was surprised; the Beast-Splitting Tribe he had captured last time was not this weak. He said sternly, "Immediately order all monsters to cease their attack!"
Two people got up from the ground, each with a red whistle in their mouth. They puffed out their cheeks and blew hard, the sound echoing across the grassland, creating a very eerie atmosphere.
Hong Qian relaxed slightly and asked, "Why did you order the monsters to kill people? What is this spirit medium here for?"
One of them said tremblingly, "We had no choice. A few spirit mediums came recently, and there were also people like you..." Seeing Hong Qian's expression change, he hurriedly said, "No... no, it's like you killing... killing people... with bright, shiny light..."
Hong Qian immediately understood: if someone was killed using a flying sword, then a cultivator must have been involved.
"All our people were cursed by the spirit master. We only came to our senses after you killed him. Please spare us! We are innocent too... Waaah..." the man cried loudly.
Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, Hong Qian felt deeply frustrated and asked through gritted teeth, "What was their purpose in doing this?"
One of the elderly men said, "We were just being used as tools by them; we didn't know what they wanted to do."
Hong Qian said coldly, "Is that so? Then what use are you if I keep you here?"
His words startled everyone, and cries erupted. Someone cried out, "Sir, sir, you know... we... they won't tell... why they did this, please... have mercy!"
Hong Qian felt both angry and amused. Looking at this group of the Beast-Splitting Tribe members, he really didn't know what to do with them. He remained silent with a gloomy face, just staring at these people, making them shudder and feel a chill run down their spines.
Finally, someone whispered, "I... I heard a little bit..."
Hong Qian's eyes lit up, and he said, "What is it? Tell me quickly!"
The man said, "They're collecting something, saying only the dead have it... and only those who died horribly have it, so they're having us secretly unleash beasts to harm people... Hmm, I also heard a spirit medium say that we need to contribute to the ancestor of the Wild Plains, and that a large number of people are needed to pay homage to Blessing Bailing... I don't know anything else."
Hong Qian pondered for a long time, thinking to himself, " The Wild Plains Patriarch? I feel like I've heard of him somewhere before." But after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't remember where he had heard of him.
Knowing he couldn't get any more information from them, he asked again, "Are there any more of your people ahead?"
The old man said, "Each route is controlled by a spirit master, and none of the caravans that have recently entered have been able to escape. Alas! The Beast-Splitting Tribe is doomed now; no one will let us go from here on out." Once he regained his senses, he immediately understood the perilous situation of his people and couldn't help but feel intense hatred for those spirit masters.
The caravan members were utterly desperate; the prolonged fighting had exhausted their strength. Nashan and Paben fought desperately, dodging and weaving, trying to plug the gaps in the defenses. Having used up their last ounce of strength, they finally succumbed to the monster's relentless onslaught and collapsed, their screams filling the air.
Nashan was panting heavily, his Baldy head covered in sweat and blood, his body limp and his hands powerless. Paben was slightly better than Nashan, thanks to his usual rigorous training, but at this moment he could only protect Nashan and had no extra strength to help the others. The monster corpses around the two brothers were piled up like mountains, blood flowing like rivers, and the two men were covered in bits of flesh, mud, and blood, looking utterly horrific.
He had discarded his Zhutou and was now holding a large machete, roaring orders for his squad to move closer to him. He knew all too well that anyone who was separated from the group at this point would have virtually no chance of survival, and that gathering the squad together would only prolong their time.
A Combat Beast slammed into Laitou's back, its sharp horn digging deep into his shoulder blade. Laitou was pushed forward by the Combat Beast, roaring in agony. Wan Gong stepped forward and plunged his knife into the Combat Beast's belly, then with a sudden twist of his wrist, he pulled out his cleaver and blocked a Saber-Toothed Hao's tail.
Choujiao howled and grabbed Laitou, stomping hard on the Combat Beast 'Laitou leather armor. Another Saber-Toothed Hao pounced, knocking Choujiao and Laitou to the ground, opening its mouth to bite Laitou. Choujiao roared and kicked, but the Saber-Toothed Hao bit him.
"Clang!" A sharp Spine-Piercing Spear rang out. It was Kazhu saved Choujiao's life. The shot accurately struck Saber-Toothed Hao's neck. The power of the Black Prison Spear was truly extraordinary; it broke Saber-Toothed Hao's neck with a single shot. Choujiao screamed and pulled his foot back, but a monster's head was still attached to his foot, biting him tightly.
Suddenly, a strange whistle sounded, and the monsters abruptly stopped attacking, scattering in all directions. Zhutou Head shouted, "The horde has retreated!"
Almost simultaneously, everyone collapsed to the ground as if their bones had been removed. Nashan also plopped down in the blood, opened his mouth wide, and burst into wild laughter. "Waaaaah... hahaha... hahaha... hahahaha!"
Zhutou collapsed onto the corpse of a Saber-Toothed Hao. He opened his mouth, but no laughter came out; tears, however, streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Someone cried out, "Look at that wounded Earthfire Beast... it's charging!"
Ban Dong shouted sternly, "Draw it away! Draw it away!" After much difficulty, they found a few Black-Tipped Mount, and several guards mounted them and quickly rode to meet them.
Nashan and Paben also found a Silver-Tipped Steed. Zhutou wiped away his tears, grabbed the Rainbow Cone Cannon beside him, chased after Nashan, and handed it to him, shouting, "Brother, be careful!" Paben used the butt of his spear to pull the Silver-Tipped Steed under his mount, and charged out after the guards.
Two small holes were blasted in the back of the Earthfire Beast, its armor was cracked, its head was covered in wounds, and thick, bluish-black fluid was flowing from one of its huge eyes. It had been blinded in one eye, and one of its six thick, long legs was also broken off. It swayed its massive body and staggered across the grassland.
The guards mounted on the Black-Tipped Mount, each wielding Spine-Piercing Spear, approached the Earthfire Beast from about a hundred meters away and fired. The energy bullets struck the Earthfire Beast's massive body, failing to injure it but successfully drawing its attention. A chilling roar erupted, and two streaks of blue-red flames shot out from either side of the Earthfire Beast's head.
The guards hadn't expected the Earthfire Beast to shoot flames so far. It was too late to run back. In an instant, they and their Black-Tipped Mount were engulfed in flames.
Nashan hurriedly turned his Silver-Tipped Steed around; he and Paben had gotten too close to the Earthfire Beast. The Earthfire Beast's eyes seemed very sensitive to movement, and it turned to chase after them. Nashan yelled, " Old Pa, you control the Silver-Tipped Steed! If this big guy catches up, we're done for! Run!"
Paben kept whipping the Silver-Tipped Steed's buttocks with the butt of his spear, and the Silver-Tipped Steed carried them both as it galloped forward.
Nashan turned around, raised the Rainbow Cone Cannon, and said, "Be careful, damn it, the crystals are almost used up." He pressed the activation button.
"Boom!" The energy blast exploded on the right side of the Earthfire Beast's head, causing it to roar and spew out flames again.
Nashan yelled, "Run!"
Paben lashed out at the Silver-Tipped Steed- Silver-Tipped Steed Rider with all his might, causing it to howl in pain and charge forward madly. The flame landed right behind them, and a blast of scorching heat rushed towards them.
Nashan shouted, "Run that way!" Luckily Earthfire Beast had injured a leg, otherwise the Silver-Tipped Steed wouldn't have been able to outrun it.
"Don't panic! Come this way!"
Upon hearing this, Nashan was overjoyed and said to Hong Qian in the sky, "Haha, if you hadn't come soon, I, Old Na, would have turned into roast meat!"
Hong Qian suddenly darted to Nashan's side and laughed, "Give me the cannon!" He grabbed the Rainbow Cone Cannon, turned around, and flew towards the wounded Earthfire Beast.
Nashan said enviously, "Oh! I wish I could fly."
Paben grabbed Nashan and exclaimed, "Look over there! What's that glowing thing?"
Hong Qian landed on the back of the Earthfire Beast from the air, nimbly stood on its back, raised his hand and inserted the Rainbow Cone Cannon into the wound on the Earthfire Beast's back, and sneered, "This still won't kill you?" As he pressed the activation button, he rapidly ascended into the sky.
With a muffled explosion, the massive body of the Earthfire Beast shattered into two pieces, its mangled flesh and armor scattering everywhere. Hong Qian dealt with the Earthfire Beast and turned to fly towards where Li Qiang had been.
The survivors in the caravan stared blankly as the Earthfire Beast was blasted apart.
Zhutou knelt beside Laitou, futilely trying to stop the wound on his back with his hands. Choujiao, ignoring his own bleeding legs, cradled Laitou, calling out, " Laitou, wake up! Wake up!" His voice was soft. " Laitou, we're brothers... I'm Choujiao, you're Laitou. If you leave, what will happen to Choujiao? Brother, wake up! Wake up!"
The Laitou's throat made a gurgling sound as he vomited a mouthful of black blood clots. He sighed and then lay still. Zhutou and Choujiao sat silently in the mud and blood, holding the Laitou's body.
Of the large caravan of over a thousand people, fewer than five hundred survived, and everyone was wounded; not a single one was unharmed. Zhutou's thirty-man squad only had eighteen survivors, seven of whom were seriously injured; this was already considered the squad with the most survivors.
Ban Dong sat amidst the pile of monster corpses, his face ashen as he looked at his caravan. He felt he would have been better off dead; the horrific scene was simply unbearable to witness.
Nashan and Paben dismounted from their Silver-Tipped Steed and slowly walked towards the glowing grass. Nashan tightened his grip on the Light-Reversing Sword and asked, "Could it be some kind of treasure?"
Paben waved his hand to silence him, and the two crept closer. Suddenly, Paben exclaimed softly, "Oh my god! It's Master!"
Hong Qian arrived at this moment. He raised his hand to signal and transmitted his voice, "Our martial uncle is cultivating. We will protect him from the side. Please do not disturb him."
Paben Nashan was full of questions, but dared not ask any more. The two men, carrying their weapons, protected Li Qiang.
Li Qiang focused his mind on his nascent Nascent Soul, slowly activating his Microcosm while carefully repairing his injuries. His advantage lay in mastering the cultivation secrets of two sects, coupled with the help of the Purple Flame Heart and the Fire Essence, allowing him to recover very quickly. In just a short while, his injuries had improved, and he even had the energy to cultivate his Billowing Essence Battle Armor.
Li Qiang noticed a strange phenomenon: the Supreme Radiance Shuttle seemed to have become very weak. After hesitating for a long time, he remembered the suffering he had endured in the Black Prison and finally gave up the idea of cultivating the Supreme Radiance Shuttle.
Later he learned that the Supreme Radiance Shuttle was at its weakest at this time because it had completely dissipated its energy. If he had taken advantage of this to cultivate it, he could have become the first cultivator in the Cultivation Realm to possess a celestial artifact at the Early Leaving the Body Stage of the Nascent Soul realm. Unfortunately, he missed this opportunity.
With Hong Qian protecting them in the air, Nashan and Paben kept watching Li Qiang from the side. The two huddled together and whispered to each other. Nashan whispered, " Old Pa, after you leave here and follow the boss to cultivate, will you come back?"
Paben smiled bitterly, "I just want to leave here as soon as possible. Sigh! Actually, I just wanted to live out my life peacefully, but after meeting my master, I decided to follow him forever. To be honest, ever since I learned that one can live this long after cultivating immortality, I've actually been a little scared."
Nashan exclaimed excitedly, "Hey! I'm so happy! Immortality! What could be more awesome than that? Hey, Old Pa, don't I look younger? Hehe, if I go back to my hometown, they'll be shocked!" He added smugly, "You know what? The boss said that if I cultivate to the Nascent Soul Realm, my blind eye can be restored! Just thinking about it makes me so happy!"
Paben, however, didn't think it was as simple as Nashan's. He said, "Perhaps in the future, when Master wants to settle down and find a place to cultivate in seclusion, I'll guard his home." He pondered for a moment, then added, "After a hundred years, if you find that your childhood playmates, old friends, and relatives are all gone, leaving you all alone, will you still find it interesting?"
Nashan paused for a moment, then said, "I hadn't thought of that. Oh well! I can't worry about that now, I'll deal with it when the time comes."
Paben shook his head, but secretly envied his carefree attitude.
The golden light emanating from Li Qiang intensified, and his Billowing Essence Battle Armor was enveloped in a layer of purple qi, radiating a dazzling and precious light. The fine cracks on the armor gradually Fusion, and a thick mist suddenly rose from his body.
Hong Qian caught a glimpse of it from the air and quickly landed beside Nashan and Paben, pulling them back rapidly. He said, "Uncle-Master has fully recovered. He seems to be forging a sword. Strange, how could this be? It looks like Sword Mist..."
Paben asked curiously, "What is Sword Mist? Is it very powerful?"
Hong Qian said, "I've heard of this Swordsmanship before. It's said that if you can refine your flying sword to the state of Sword Mist, ordinary flying swords simply can't handle it. Judging from your Sword Mist, it seems to have just been refined and is still in its initial stage. If you can advance it further, it will be incredible."
Nashan asked, "What's so terrible about it?"
Hong Qian laughed and said, "I only heard about it. You can ask your uncle when he wakes up. I don't know the details either."
Nashan chuckled, rubbing his Baldy. "Hey bro, you're keeping me in suspense! You only say half of what you mean, you're just trying to make me want to vomit."
Paben also said, "Senior brother, please tell us."
Nashan chimed in, "That's right, go ahead and say it. Even if you're wrong, we won't know, hehe."
Unable to find a way to stop him, Hong Qian had no choice but to say, "This Swordsmanship begins with the real, the illusory, and the unreal, then moves to the unreal, the real. As for how to refine it after that, I don't know."
Nashan shook his Baldy and grinned, "I don't understand, what's all this talk about real and fake? Hey bro, just one question: is the Sword Mist really that powerful?"
Hong Qian laughed, "Nonsense! Of course it's amazing; this is a top-tier cultivation method."
Nashan looked longingly at him and said, "I wish the boss could teach me sometime."
Hong Qian thought Nashan was simply daydreaming. He just smiled and said lightly, "Perhaps."
Paben pointed to the horizon and said, "Look! What's that?"
Li Qiang stood up and said, "Those were a group of cultivators; what you saw was just the shadow of Sword-Ray's edge."
Nashan exclaimed in surprise, "Boss! You're awake!"
Hong Qian said with a solemn expression, "I don't know if they are friend or foe?"