“Whoosh!” The sound of air being torn apart rang out as over a dozen golden beams shot forth from the six eyes of the Dharma Form, flashing instantly and striking the fleeing silver beasts with unerring accuracy.
The silver beasts let out agonized shrieks, their bodies melting away and vanishing within the golden light.
Witnessing this, the burly demon man and the elderly demon, despite knowing that Han Li’s cultivation far surpassed their own, couldn’t help but pale in shock.
After all, they had just spent considerable time entangled with those silver beasts and knew full well how formidable they were. Yet this “senior” had effortlessly annihilated them with a single strike—his power was beyond anything they could fathom.
With the silver beasts gone, the other demonic beasts lingering nearby, led by the green beasts, scattered in a chaotic retreat.
Countless demonic beasts surged like a tide into the depths of the grasslands, vanishing in the blink of an eye, leaving the nearby skies eerily empty.
Han Li showed no intention of pursuing them. Instead, he expanded his formidable divine sense further outward, detecting that demonic beasts in other areas seemed to have received the news and were also fleeing in panic.
This terrifying beast tide had been completely dismantled.
Sensing this, Han Li exhaled lightly, his expression relaxing.
“Many thanks, Senior, for saving our lives. Had you not intervened, we would have surely perished in the jaws of these Frost Wolf Beasts,” the burly demon man said with reverence after healing his shoulder wound and flying over with the elderly demon. He glanced warily at the three-headed, six-armed Dharma Form.
“It was nothing more than a trivial effort. Besides, I only acted after you agreed to my condition,” Han Li replied indifferently, glancing at them before his massive Dharma Form vanished with a flicker.
“Our lives were indeed saved by you, Senior. Is there any way we can be of service to you?” the elderly demon asked respectfully, blinking his triangular eyes.
“First, tell me about yourselves. Why are you here?” Han Li countered without directly answering.
“We are guardian cultivators of Blood Crow City. We were sent by the city lord to slay the Frost Wolf Beast King and disperse this beast tide. But we encountered unexpected trouble and nearly perished here,” the burly demon replied, standing stiffly.
Though they couldn’t discern Han Li’s exact cultivation level, they knew he must be an extraordinarily powerful Demon Venerable and dared not show the slightest disrespect.
“With your cultivation, venturing deep into the beast tide and slaying the Frost Wolf Beast King—whose power is no less than yours—must not have been easy. As for Blood Crow City, I’ve never heard of it. Is it nearby?” Han Li mused, a trace of doubt in his eyes.
Though he had gathered some information and received a jade slip from the Long Family Patriarch before departing, he naturally couldn’t be familiar with every city in the demon realm.
Since the records made no mention of it, Blood Crow City must not be particularly large.
“It seems Senior has come from another region. We were able to infiltrate the beast tide and slay the beast king only with the help of specially crafted treasures and spiritual medicines. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have dared risk our lives like this. Blood Crow City is indeed a small city not far from here. Though modest in size, it holds some local renown. Our city lord, Lord Bing, is also a Demon Venerable!” the elderly demon replied without hesitation, seeing no reason to conceal such details.
“Oh? From your tone, Blood Crow City seems quite prosperous, even with a Venerable presiding over it. Does it have any special significance?” Han Li asked, intrigued.
“Senior may not know, but Blood Crow City is built atop a vein of Bloodlight Crystal, a resource highly sought after by those cultivating blood-based demonic arts. Our city lord himself practices the renowned Blood River Art of the Sacred Realm. Otherwise, with his status, he would never deign to govern such a remote city. Though small, Blood Crow City is the only settlement within millions of miles. Any cultivators entering the grasslands to hunt demonic beasts pass through our city. If Senior doesn’t mind, you could rest there for a while. A small auction is about to be held—perhaps you’ll find something of interest,” the elderly demon suggested carefully.
“An auction? While that does pique my interest, I have urgent matters to attend to and no time to spare,” Han Li declined without hesitation.
The elderly demon couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“Senior, are you heading to the wasteland?” the burly demon ventured cautiously.
“How did you know?” Han Li’s expression darkened, a terrifying spiritual pressure leaking from him.
“Senior, don’t misunderstand! Any cultivator passing through this area is either hunting demonic beasts in the grasslands or heading to the wasteland. There’s no other destination along this route,” the burly demon hastily explained.
“Are you implying that reaching the wasteland requires passing through Blood Crow City?” Han Li asked coldly, catching the implication.
“Not necessarily! But if Senior intends to go now, you’d have to stay in our city for over half a month,” the elderly demon interjected.
“Why is that? Is the path blocked?” Han Li frowned, his tone turning icy.
“Senior jests—no one would dare obstruct travelers here. But to the east, another terrifying beast tide has erupted along the route to the wasteland. Compared to this Frost Wolf tide, it’s nothing. Even a Demon Venerable like yourself would be in grave danger if caught in it. The tide has been raging for half a month and will likely persist for another ten days. Currently, Blood Crow City is the only safe haven for rest,” the burly demon explained in detail.
“What kind of beast tide is so fearsome? Ironfang Beasts?” Han Li’s pupils contracted.
From his knowledge of the demon realm, Ironfang Beasts were among the most dreaded creatures of the grasslands—not only powerful but appearing in swarms of millions, striking terror into all nearby demon clans.
“If it were Ironfang Beasts, I wouldn’t advise against it. With Senior’s power and the right countermeasures, traversing their swarm would be manageable. But this time, the tide consists of Butterfly-Tail Beasts—a rarity even in the Sacred Realm,” the burly demon said, a trace of fear in his voice.
“Butterfly-Tail Beasts? The infamous venomous creatures? Impossible. They dwell in deep forests—why would they appear on the grasslands?” Han Li’s expression finally shifted.
“Indeed, it’s them. As for why they’re here, Blood Crow City has no answer. They surged from the grasslands half a month ago and have lingered to the east ever since. Many nearby cultivators have sought refuge in our city. But given their nature, they won’t stay in one place for more than a month. As long as we don’t provoke them, we should be safe. Even if they attack, our city’s defenses are formidable,” the burly demon assured.
This was troublesome.
Though Butterfly-Tail Beasts were only slightly stronger than Ironfang Beasts, their venomous mist was lethally potent—lingering for days and corroding protective barriers with ease.
The thought of being engulfed in an endless sea of toxic clouds gave even Han Li a headache.
His eyes flickered as he pondered.
“Wait here. This matter is significant—I must discuss it with my companions.”
With that, Han Li produced a yellow talisman, murmured an incantation, and sent it flying as a streak of red light that vanished into the void.
Though startled, the two demons dared not protest, obediently waiting for the “Demon Venerable’s” companions.
An hour later, the sound of rushing wind filled the sky as streaks of light appeared in the distance, converging before Han Li and revealing a group of men and women in varied attire.
Each exuded a faint, refined black aura—Long Family Patriarch and the others, having activated their pseudo-demon pearls.
“Greetings, Demon Venerables!”
The two demons inhaled sharply upon sensing their auras, immediately bowing deeply.
Their shock was understandable—encountering so many Demon Venerables at once was staggering.
Now, they could only tremble in awe, all other thoughts banished.
“Brother Han, is your message true? Another, even fiercer beast tide lies ahead—formed by Butterfly-Tail Beasts?” Long Family Patriarch asked gravely, ignoring the two demons.
“According to these two, yes. We can verify it with a brief investigation,” Han Li replied calmly.
“If so, our journey is indeed hindered. Even tens of thousands of Butterfly-Tail Beasts would be manageable, but a full tide would exhaust us breaking through,” Thousand Autumns Saintess sighed.
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