The grand Luo Sea was no longer as lively as before, with only cultivators from the Flying Immortal Mansion, Black Sand Cave Heaven, Sun Shadow Cave Heaven, and the Tengshe clan remaining.
Indeed, as Ling Xiu had said, the Tengshe clan's strength was still quite a distance from the top-tier powers. They dared not get involved in the power plays among the top factions, but they harbored a killing intent towards Zhang Fan.
"He's out."
Nangong Pu vaguely sensed spatial fluctuations. As soon as he spoke, everyone saw a spatial rift appear above the Grand Luo Sea. Two youths with extraordinary bearing emerged from it, namely Zhang Fan and Liu Mu.
"You little beast, you're finally out! Die for me!" The Tengshe clan leader was the most agitated. Before anyone could react, he charged towards Zhang Fan.
A massive phantom of a Tengshe coiled around him. He unleashed a punch that was like a divine dragon flicking its tail, its immense power causing space itself to tremble.
"This old mudfish indeed has some skill. With this single punch, his strength is no less than ours," Nangong Pu remarked.
"The Tengshe clan is, after all, a force that dominates a region on the Jie Xin Continent, second only to the six top-tier powers. As Tengtiangu, the current leader of the Tengshe clan, his strength naturally is..."
The Grand Elder of Black Sand Cave Heaven hadn't finished speaking before something seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter the rest of his words. His cloudy eyes were filled with shock.
The others, witnessing this, were also momentarily stunned. They saw Tengtiangu, who was emitting fierce power, charge menacingly towards Zhang Fan. Before his punch could land, he was sent flying by a casual slap from Zhang Fan, the speed astonishingly fast.
"Rumor has it that this child not only cultivates the Way of the Sword but also has a profound understanding of the Way of Thunder. It seems the rumors are true," Nangong Pu's expression grew even more solemn.
"Why the immediate aggression? I, Zhang Fan, do not kill the nameless. State your names one by one." Zhang Fan glanced at the cultivators on the Grand Luo Sea. There were fifteen in total, with four at the peak Nascent Soul stage. The remaining eleven were between the early and late stages of the Nine Tribulations realm. Gathering such a force on the Jie Xin Continent was quite a difficult feat.
"This old man is the Grand Elder of the Flying Immortal Mansion, Nangong Pu!"
"The Grand Elder of Black Sand Cave Heaven, Zhao Nanqiang."
"The Grand Elder of Sun Shadow Cave Heaven, Fu Yu."
"Little beast, listen carefully. I am Tengtiangu, the leader of the Tengshe clan. Don't die without knowing who killed you." Despite being slapped, Tengtiangu's mouth remained defiant, believing Zhang Fan was merely fast.
That slap had little damage but was immensely humiliating.
"Very well, I just finished my seclusion and have not a single spiritual crystal left. You are all elders or clan leaders, so you must be quite wealthy." Zhang Fan smiled. He took a step forward, treading on the void, his surging spiritual energy seeming capable of stirring heaven and earth.
The waters of the Grand Luo Sea churned, and dark clouds gathered, enveloping everyone.
At this moment, no one doubted Zhang Fan's strength anymore.
"Let's attack together. We absolutely cannot let him escape." Tengtiangu shouted fiercely, but he didn't make a move. Zhang Fan's spiritual energy was already subtly suppressing them. No one wanted to be the first to act.
"If no one is going to act, then I will." Zhang Fan directed his first target towards the most talkative Tengtiangu. He drew his blood-colored iron sword and used his thunderous movement technique to rapidly close in. By the time Tengtiangu reacted, Zhang Fan was already within ten feet of him.
A torrent of sword shadows rained down, and the sharp sword qi made Tengtiangu's skin prickle, causing him to feel a deadly threat.
He retreated rapidly and, without hesitation, unleashed the Tengshe clan's innate divine ability, 'Netherworld Eye Light.' Two soul-devouring beams of light shot from Tengtiangu's eyes, piercing into Zhang Fan's sea of consciousness, attempting to obliterate his soul.
Tengtiangu was worthy of being a peak Nascent Soul realm expert. His execution of this divine ability was far more powerful than that of Teng Chongyun and others. Although it couldn't inflict damage on Zhang Fan, it did affect his speed, giving him an opportunity to escape.
"What are you waiting for? Attack together! It won't do you any good if I die!" Tengtiangu, seeing that the cultivators from the other three factions had not yet moved, became enraged and roared.
At the same time, a sense of desolation welled up in his heart. As the leader of the Tengshe clan and a peak Nascent Soul realm expert, the elders of the other three factions did not even consider him important and never cared about his life or death. It was simply because the Tengshe clan was not a top-tier power and lacked their formidable backing.
"The old mudfish is right. Let's attack together, but be careful not to lose your lives." Nangong Pu looked at Zhao Nanqiang and Fu Yu and said.
The two nodded. Nangong Pu then glanced at Liu Mu, who was standing far away and not participating, and said to the three elders beside him, "That brat is in league with Zhang Fan. The three of you attack him and capture him."
He didn't care who Liu Mu was, but since he was Zhang Fan's companion, capturing him would surely affect Zhang Fan's state of mind.
"What does this have to do with me!" Liu Mu immediately shouted, as if to distance himself.
However, the elders of the Flying Immortal Mansion paid no heed. Given the enmity between the Flying Immortal Mansion and Zhang Fan, anyone associated with him was to be killed without mercy.
All three elders were at the Nine Tribulations realm. The strongest among them had even reached the late stage of the Nine Tribulations realm. With the three of them working together, how could they possibly take a cultivator who had just entered the early stage of the Nine Tribulations realm seriously?
However, the moment the three entered within ten feet of Liu Mu, his originally nonchalant gaze instantly turned sharp. An ice-blue long sword, emanating an ethereal aura, appeared in Liu Mu's hand.
"Immortal treasure?" Everyone present was drawn to the immortal treasure sword in Liu Mu's hand. But the next moment, as Liu Mu moved, even the three elders' pupils contracted.
It was too fast. Even a peak Nascent Soul realm cultivator would not possess such speed.
A sword light of ice blue streaked across the sky, and a massive head was flung into the air. The Nascent Soul within the body immediately abandoned its physical form and fled backward. Liu Mu intended to pursue, but the other two elders quickly unleashed their magical artifacts to attack Liu Mu.
Their offensive obstructed, Liu Mu could only abandon the chase and engage in a battle with them.
"No wonder he could enter the third level of the Grand Luo Realm and obtain an immortal treasure. It seems he is not a simple character." The elders from Black Sand Cave Heaven and Sun Shadow Cave Heaven quickly surrounded him as well.
A fierce battle erupted.
Zhang Fan fought alone against four peak Nascent Soul realm cultivators, handling them with ease.
Liu Mu, relying on the power of his immortal treasure, engaged in a back-and-forth battle with ten Nine Tribulations realm powerhouses.
"This place is not suitable for lingering. I must find a new body first."
The elder whose body had been destroyed was left with only his Nascent Soul. He quickly fled the battlefield, preparing to find a suitable physical form.
However, after flying for over a thousand miles, he faintly felt something was amiss. He had the sensation of being targeted by something terrifying.
Suddenly, a colossal palm shot out from beneath the sea and grasped him. He struggled desperately, but it was futile. In an instant, he was captured and sealed.
...