Surprise Attack!

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Shi Jian and his eleven Nascent Spirit Transformation burst forth from the Sunken Abyss Valley and sped southward.

The Shan Yue stood in the center, its Earth Dao energy extremely restrained, like a silent, stubborn rock; Cang Wuji followed on the flank, his true form, the ten-thousand-foot giant bear, was not visible, but transformed into a pale blue bear demon only a few dozen feet long, lazily following behind.

Shi Jian and Shan Li walked side by side, the purple-gold lightning arc pressed into their bodies without leaking out at all. It seemed ordinary, but in fact it was the result of their absolute Divine Sense power and precise control over their Immortal Foundation.

The remaining seven Nascent Soul Spirit Transformation were all vassal clans transferred from the valley this time.

Three of them came from the Ape King's command, two from the Tiger Emperor Lineage, and the other two were Dao of Wind Spirit Transformation of the Black Eagle Imperial Clan.

The eleven Spirit Transformation were dispersed into three segments, separated by millions of miles, communicating with each other through Divine Sense consciousness, yet remaining apart from one another.

This was a special instruction from the Shan Yue, that they should not gather in one place; the eleven Spirit Transformation stage auras intertwined together would be too conspicuous.

As they traveled south, the sky above the Dao Realm grew increasingly dark.

Of the seven strangely colored suns, only four were faintly visible here; the remaining three were obscured by a thick layer of grayish-yellow clouds, and a heavy, oppressive atmosphere permeated the world.

Shi Jian released his Divine Sense, scanning the continuous black mountain range beneath his feet.

The further south you go, the denser the writhing patterns on the mountain's surface become; some patterns even glow slowly, emanating ancient Daoist charm.

This is the mark left by the Dao Venerable Liyuan during his most prosperous period, a testament to his Daoist prestige that permeated the world.

Even though the origin has declined to this extent, those marks still remain, like claw marks left by a giant beast, distorting the rationality of this world's Treasured Earth.

"Someone's there."

Shi Jian narrowed his vertical pupils slightly, and his Divine Sense probed into the depths of the mountain range on the left.

In an instant, he detected an extremely concealed aura hidden within the mountain; the aura was deliberately concealed, but it still revealed a trace under Shi Jian's Divine Sense.

The Early Spirit Transformation. It's unclear what kind of Immortal Foundation they've cultivated, but it's definitely not from the Beast Realm; it most likely comes from another realm.

"There's more than one of these rats," Shan Yue's voice transmitted. "There are two more Spirit Transformation cultivators hiding in the canyon ahead."

Shi Jian Divine Sense something and his expression darkened: Sure enough, someone was watching.

The various factions within the Dao Realm are deeply intertwined, and the gathering of forty-two Nascent Spirit Transformation from the Beast Realm could not possibly have escaped everyone's notice.

These spying individuals are mostly spies planted here by forces from other realms.

"Should we ignore them?" Cang Wuji transmitted his voice, his tone carrying a hint of eagerness.

"Never mind," Shan Yue said decisively. "Our mission is clear; we mustn't create any unnecessary trouble. These spies are just watching; making a move would only alert them and cause more problems."

Cang Wuji pursed his lips and said nothing more.

Shi Jian also withdrew his Divine Sense. Although those prying eyes were annoying, they were not hostile; they were more like idle people sitting on the mountain watching tigers fight, waiting to pick up the bargains.

Let them watch; this grand show was bound to begin sooner or later.

The eleven Nascent Spirit Transformation continued their journey south, passing several probing auras along the way; some were hidden within the mountains, while others concealed themselves in void rifts.

There was even an extremely sophisticated Divine Sense, disguised as fluctuations in Spiritual Qi.

Shi Jian memorized the directions one by one, but ignored them.

They traveled for several more days.

A range of ochre-colored mountains suddenly appeared on the horizon ahead.

That mountain range was completely different from the black mountains at the edge of the Dao Realm. It was covered with a thick, earthy yellow luster, and the Spiritual Qi was extremely rich.

The mountain's surface is covered with dense, intricate patterns of restrictions, which intertwine to form a net that envelops the entire mountain range.

Southern section of the Treasured Radiance Mountain Range.

One of the outer strongholds of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan.

Shi Jian extended his Divine Sense and perceived it for a moment.

"Two auras of Treasured Earth, one cultivated by [Vast and Broad Earth], the other by [High Ramparts and Peace]; both are located at the core of the mountain range, separated by no more than a million miles."

"Besides..."

Shi Jian suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of seriousness flashing in his pupils.

"What's wrong?" Shan Li asked.

"There are probably more than two auras," Shi Jian said in a low voice. "I can sense at least five Spirit Transformation auras deep within that mountain range."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions darkened.

The Shan Yue stopped, its Earth Dao energy fluctuating slightly as it probed the mountain range with its Divine Sense.

A moment later, he withdrew his Divine Sense, his face grim.

"Seven Nascent Spirit Transformation."

"Besides the two Middle Spirit Transformation from the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan, there are five other Early Spirit Transformation; their auras are mixed, and they are not from the Giant Beast Clan..."

"They must be some minor vassal tribes; it won't be so easy to succeed."

Cang Wuji's expression changed. "When did the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan acquire so many Nascent Spirit Transformation? Didn't the initial reports indicate there were only two?"

The Shan Yue did not answer, but turned its gaze to look deeper into the mountain range.

Shan Li suddenly spoke up, "No, there's still a breath."

Her body radiated a faint earth-yellow Daoist aura as she sensed the flow of Daoist energy within the Treasured Radiance Mountain Range.

"Deep within the mountains, there should be even more auras hidden; those auras are concealed by restrictions, so I cannot see them clearly, but there are definitely more than just five vassals."

Shi Jian looked at Shan Yue, Shan Yue expression darkened completely. He then turned to look at the Nascent Spirit Transformation of the vassal clans.

The leader of the three Nascent Spirit Transformation under the Ape King's command was a giant ape with golden fur all over its body, who also had the cultivation of Middle Spirit Transformation; at this moment, its expression was also extremely ugly.

"Senior Shan Yue, this contradicts the previous intelligence," the golden-haired giant ape said in a deep voice. "Yuan Bugui said there were only two Middle Spirit Transformation in the south, but now seven have appeared. Should we still fight this battle?"

"Beat."

The Shan Yue remained unmoved, standing perfectly calm.

"The vassals of the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan are nothing more than small clans that depend on them for survival; the only real tough nuts to crack are those two Middle Spirit Transformation."

"Moreover, with four sides attacking simultaneously, the other three are likely already engaged in battle; if we retreat, we risk jeopardizing the overall situation."

"Now that the Li Yuan Giant Beast edifice is on the verge of collapse, whether these vassal Spirit Transformation will fight to the bitter end remains to be seen."

"Those five subordinate Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivators are all only at the Early Spirit Transformation; the truly troublesome ones are only the two at the mid-stage."

"Eleven against seven, we still have the advantage."

Cang Wuji stretched his limbs, his bones cracking as he said, "Let's stop talking nonsense and just charge in."

Shan Yue raised his hand to stop him.

"Don't rush." Shan Yue's gaze was serious. "The intelligence was flawed; we cannot act rashly. If there are still ambushes deep within the mountains, charging in recklessly would be like walking into a trap."

He surveyed the crowd and quickly made arrangements.

"Shi Jian, Cang Wuji, you two attack from the south and first kill those two Middle Spirit Transformation; Shan Li and Shan Li will flank from the north and cut off the vassal's retreat."

"Metal Dao, your clan's three Nascent Spirit Transformation will provide support from the center, filling in wherever there is trouble, and working together to stabilize the overall situation."

"The Tiger Emperor, the Black Eagle, and their four fellow Daoists sealed off the east and west exits of the mountain range, compressing it inwards like a barrel, ensuring no one escaped."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Shan Yue took a deep breath, and the Earth Dao energy around him was released with a roar.

"Let's do it."

The moment the words left his mouth, eleven beams of light shot out simultaneously!

Shi Jian transformed into a gigantic, pale bear, unleashing a barrage of purple-gold lightning that tore through the outer layer of the Treasured Radiance Mountain Range ' protective barrier from the south, heading straight for its core.

The restriction was as fragile as paper before the power of the Nascent Spirit Transformation, shattering in an instant.

Cang Wuji followed closely behind, and the ten-thousand-foot-tall azure bear slammed its fist into the mountain, shattering the entire peak and sending debris flying like rain.

Deep within the mountains, the seven auras surged almost simultaneously.

"Enemy attack!"

A furious roar came from the heart of the mountain range.

Two extremely powerful Treasured Earth Dao soared into the sky, stirring up the Spiritual Qi of the entire mountain range; an earth-yellow light curtain rose from the ground, enveloping the core area.

Immediately afterwards, five weaker Spirit Transformation auras also appeared.

The five subordinate Nascent Spirit Transformation were three enormous rock rhinoceros demons, one black-backed giant tortoise, and one earth-yellow pangolin demon; all were at the Early Spirit Transformation stage, but they did not all cultivate the Earth Dao Immortal Foundation.

Shi Jian scanned the area with his Divine Sense and immediately understood the situation.

These vassals varied greatly in combat strength; some barely reached the threshold of the Nascent Spirit Transformation, while others possessed some genuine skill. However, compared to the two Middle Spirit Transformation, they were insignificant.

However, just as Shi Jian was preparing to charge straight at those two Middle Spirit Transformation...

Deep within the mountains, an extremely concealed aura suddenly erupted!

That aura... was not from the Earth Dao.

It is neither Immortal Foundation below the level of the Treasured Earth Dao Fruit.

Instead, it was an extremely profound Daoist aura that Shi Jian had never sensed from the Li Yuan Giant Beast Clan before.

Shi Jian's vertical pupils suddenly contracted.

The aura surged forth from the depths of the mountain range, transforming into a gray-white pillar of light that shot straight into the sky; within the gray-white pillar of light, a giant gray lizard with an extremely slender body slowly emerged, its body shrouded in a layer of eerie gray-white mist.

Wherever the vital energy passes, life is extinguished, and all things wither and Returning to Stillness!

His cultivation level had reached the Late Spirit Transformation; moreover, the Dao Path of cultivation he followed was Death Dao that all races avoided like the plague!