This was by far the most intense battle to have occurred in the Great Luo Realm, with over a handful of Nine Tribulations realm powerhouses participating.
Nangong Feng of the Flying Immortal Mansion, Fu Tianling of the Black Sand Cave Heaven, and Qin Hao of the Giant Spirit Hall were all leading figures of their respective top factions, far beyond ordinary Nine Tribulations realm cultivators.
On the side of the Domain Lake, the beast overlords guarding its four directions had also entered the fray. The desolate realm savage bull, emanating an ancient aura, possessed immense strength. Its pair of slightly curved horns formed a sharp arc, and each charge destabilized space, creating ripples that seemed on the verge of tearing it apart.
The Four Directions Sacred Spirit Turtle, with a body akin to a small island, boasted astonishing defensive capabilities. Its shell was like a defensive immortal treasure, rendering Qin Hao's giant hammers' blows ineffective, as if striking a bedrock, without the slightest tremor.
Then there was the Nine Profound Whale, whose body resembled a sky-devouring behemoth. Every breath it took created a massive waterspout, and towering water pillars spun rapidly on the lake's surface, engulfing numerous cultivators.
A vast horde of aquatic beasts, led by the human-headed, serpent-bodied Nine-Patterned Red Spirit Snake, encircled the invading human cultivators.
However, most aquatic beasts were merely at the Golden Core realm. Although there were many at the Nascent Soul stage, they were predominantly low-level Nascent Soul stage, still a significant gap from the experts of the three top factions.
Immortal treasures and divine abilities rained down from the heavens, with countless aquatic beasts dying every second. The lake water turned a deeper shade of crimson, and a strong scent of blood permeated the air.
The residual shockwaves of the battle spread outwards, allowing those a thousand miles away to sense the intensity of the conflict. News of the Domain Lake battle rapidly spread throughout the Great Luo Realm.
The battle raged for an entire day. In the vast expanse of the Domain Lake, all beasts at or above the Nascent Soul realm were slain. It was rumored that Qin Hao used a secret treasure, unleashing an attack comparable to a Soul Transformation true immortal, tearing a massive rift in space. The shell of the Four Directions Sacred Spirit Turtle, like a defensive immortal treasure, was directly pierced. The other three overlords of the water domain also met their demise, falling under the combined assault of the three top factions.
This battle shocked both human cultivators and beasts in the Great Luo Realm, giving them a new understanding of the strength of the top sects in the Wu Shan star domain.
Although the strongest of the Domain Lake's four overlords, the Nine Profound Whale, was only at the mid-stage of the Nine Tribulations realm, they held the advantage of terrain in water combat. Even ordinary late-stage Nine Tribulations realm experts would find it difficult to deal with them.
Despite this, they could not withstand the combined might of the Flying Immortal Mansion, Black Sand Cave Heaven, and Giant Spirit Hall, and thus, the Domain Lake became a relic of history in the Great Luo Realm.
While everyone was shocked, they were also incredibly envious. The sheer number of beasts in the Domain Lake was immense. Although the three top factions suffered considerable losses themselves, these were negligible compared to their gains.
There were as many as four Nine Tribulations realm Nascent Souls alone, enough to allow their cultivation to advance further in a short period. Furthermore, the Domain Lake, which nurtured countless beasts, was also home to an abundance of Heaven-grade spiritual herbs.
However, it was somewhat regrettable that although there was a supreme-grade spirit crystal vein stretching for hundreds of miles at the bottom of the Domain Lake, its excavation would require significant manpower and time. With only three years in the Great Luo Realm, they could not extract much spirit crystal. Compared to other resources, the supreme-grade spirit crystal vein seemed somewhat redundant at this juncture.
After clearing out the aquatic beasts, the three top factions searched the Domain Lake for several days, obtaining a wealth of rare treasures, including even immortal herbs.
However, the news of the Domain Lake being scoured also reached the ears of some beast kings in the core region, who were greatly angered. Resounding roars of beasts continuously emanated from the dangerous areas of the core region, with large numbers of beasts gathering, a clear precursor to a beast tide.
On the crimson lake surface, individuals stood on the water, sorting through the spoils of war.
"Four Nine Tribulations Nascent Souls. According to our prior agreement, Brother Qin Hao consumed a secret treasure and gets two. Brother Nan Gong and I each get one. The remaining Nascent Souls and spiritual herbs will also be distributed according to the agreed-upon ratio." Fu Tianling waved his hand, and a large number of sealed Nascent Souls and spiritual herbs floated before them, emitting potent medicinal fragrance and powerful spiritual fluctuations.
Nangong Feng and Qin Hao both nodded, raising no objections. This battle largely relied on Qin Hao's secret treasure, capable of unleashing an attack comparable to a Soul Transformation true immortal. Otherwise, even with the combined strength of the three of them, they could not have breached the defenses of the Four Directions Sacred Spirit Turtle.
An item that could allow a Nascent Soul stage cultivator to unleash an attack of the Soul Transformation true immortal level was extremely rare. It was a treasure crafted by a Soul Transformation stage powerhouse of their Giant Spirit Hall for their juniors. Each use required a considerable amount of time to replenish the treasure's energy reserves, allowing only one use in a short period.
Such a treasure was somewhat redundant for Soul Transformation stage cultivators, but for Nascent Soul stage cultivators, it was priceless.
It was precisely because of such a treasure that the three factions had the confidence to attack the Domain Lake, and Qin Hao, as a result, received fifty percent of the Domain Lake's spoils, with the remaining fifty percent being equally divided between the Flying Immortal Mansion and the Black Sand Cave Heaven.
"In the time that follows, everyone should focus on rapidly increasing their strength. With the Domain Lake being scoured and our previous actions, a beast tide is inevitable. There will be another fierce battle after entering the core region," Nangong Feng said to the assembled group.
"Heh heh, when countless beasts charge at us recklessly, that's what I call exciting. Such opportunities are rare in the outside world," Qin Hao said with anticipation.
Fu Tianling's eyes gleamed as he asked, "Brother Nangong, have you forgotten Zhang Fan?"
Upon hearing this, Nangong Feng smiled and replied, "Brother Tianling need not worry. The immortal treasure of your Black Sand Cave Heaven will not escape. With the three of us united, we can even contend with Canglan Mingyue and Canglan Qiuyue. Who else could contend with us for the immortal treasure?"
"Perhaps, by then, we won't even need to act; the Six Prince's Estate and Zhang Fan's group will have perished in the beast tide. Our primary objective now is to convert the resources we have into strength, so that we can obtain even more resources during the beast tide."
Fu Tianling nodded, realizing his perspective had been too narrow. They had pushed through everything, acquiring vast amounts of resources, and their strength had increased rapidly. The Six Prince's Estate and Zhang Fan should no longer be worthy of his concern. Why should he still dwell on them?
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