In Li Fan's field of vision, under the strange beasts' ritual of prostration, the ambient heavenly fortune drifting through the depths of the wilderness began to wildly converge toward the top of the black three-legged tower.
Like a colossal storm vortex, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled incessantly as the firmament darkened in response.
Seeing this, Li Fan attempted to use the Feather of the Profound Bird to contend for control of the heavenly fortune. The outcome was evident—a purely futile effort. Compared to a mere feather, the black Profound Bird atop the three-legged tower was the true sovereign of this Beast Seed Realm.
In fact, before that tremendous pulling force, Li Fan could faintly sense that even the ambient heavenly fortune he had already absorbed into his body showed signs of coming loose, threatening to be snatched away.
Although Fang Zaiji could not see the shifts in heavenly fortune, the black Profound Bird growing increasingly lifelike was plain to the naked eye.
A look of solemnity crossed Fang Zaiji's face, though his tone remained scornful. "Dead is dead. Does it think groveling will bring it back to life?!"
Yet Fang Zaiji was remarkably cautious. Without waiting for the beasts to finish their ritual, he conjured a heaven-propping giant palm wielding a massive, grayish-black hammer and smashed it violently toward the black bird at the tower's spire.
*Buzz!*
The gray warhammer filled heaven and earth, making even the towering, cloud-piercing three-legged tower look like a toy before it. As the hammer descended, it unleashed an ear-splitting, explosive roar.
It seemed as though in the next breath, the black three-legged tower and the myriad strange beasts below would be pounded into paste by this strike!
However, right at that moment, a bolt of thunder suddenly fell from the sky, striking the gray warhammer with vicious force. The hammer paused slightly in midair, and then dozens of lightning bolts as thick as water barrels crashed down in succession.
With every strike, the hammer's form shrank by a fraction. After merely moments, the mountain-sized gray hammer had been reduced to the size of a mortal tool. And the moment the lightning from the tower's spire struck, Fang Zaiji's expression changed slightly.
It was not merely because the gray hammer had come under attack, but because an apocalyptic upheaval had also erupted around where he stood.
Dark clouds rolled in across the sky, hanging so heavy and gloomy that moisture seemed ready to drip from them. A howling yellow demonic wind, sharp as blades, sliced open the earth and swept toward Fang Zaiji in unison, as if possessing sentience. Raging earth fire abruptly erupted from beneath Fang Zaiji's feet, roaring like an infuriated fire dragon eager to swallow him whole. Bands of golden runic chains materialized out of the void without warning, coiling around his limbs. Coupled with the black lightning flashing relentlessly overhead...
Fang Zaiji seemed to have become the mortal enemy of the entire Beast Seed Realm. Wind, fire, thunder, lightning, and everything in the world, under the sway of heavenly destiny, began launching relentless, mortal attacks against him.
"Young Master, step back for now." Fang Zaiji's gaze turned serious. He tossed out a green bell that hovered over the head of Li Fan, who had already retreated far into the distance.
Then Fang Zaiji opened his mouth and spat out thirty-six flying blades resembling willow leaves.
The emerald blades were exceptionally agile, dancing with life as they formed a protective barrier around Fang Zaiji in an instant.
No matter the battering wind, driving rain, searing fire, or crashing lightning, all were effortlessly deflected by the fleeting wisps of green light.
With a composed expression, Fang Zaiji strode toward the towering spire. The golden chains bound around him tightened instantly, trying to drag him back. Yet Fang Zaiji's footsteps were unwavering; the chains held taut for merely a breath before fissures began spreading where they connected to the void.
The chains stretched longer and longer. In the end, unable to endure the extreme strain, they shattered inch by inch. Golden light instantly drifted across the sky.
*Heaven and earth turned enemy—this is truly an ultimate version of Formless Killing Intent. Yet even so, it cannot harm Fang Zaiji in the slightest. The realm's tier is a cut below after all. Against a Dao Integration expert crossing over from another world, no amount of resistance can make it a match,* Li Fan thought calmly as he watched the battle under the protection of the green bell.
As Fang Zaiji drew closer to the black three-legged tower, the strange beasts that had been bowing and prostrating began to lose their composure.
Some grew even more terrified and kowtowed with greater fervor. Others panicked and tried to flee, only to be struck dead on the spot by several beasts that appeared to be leaders. Still others staked everything on one desperate gamble, charging Fang Zaiji without fear of death in an attempt to wear down this terrifying invader with their lives.
Yet their fate was already sealed. The disparity in power between the two sides was simply too vast. When Fang Zaiji finally stood atop the three-legged tower, looking down at the trembling beasts kneeling across the ground, he felt only dull boredom.
"Tedious!" he snorted coldly, bringing Li Fan over from afar.
"Sect Master, is what you're looking for right here?" Fang Zaiji asked.
Deprived of the ritual's support from the myriad strange beasts, the image of the Profound Bird atop the tower reverted to its original form. It was merely the projection of a Profound Bird statue.
A vast expanse of ambient heavenly fortune had gathered above the tower. Now freed from restraint, it began drifting toward other corners of the world like flowing water.
Standing before Xiao Hei's statue, Li Fan looked up and gazed at it, simultaneously activating the divine art Destiny Is Mine and using the Feather of the Profound Bird to frantically draw in the ambient heavenly fortune.
Like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, the process of absorbing the heavenly fortune went remarkably smoothly. Meeting almost no resistance, Li Fan claimed every scrap of heavenly fortune gathered here in less than half a day.
The effect was immediate.
With the three-legged tower at the center, Li Fan could instantly discern every stirring within a radius of thousands of li with a mere thought. Moreover, within this territory, Li Fan had almost achieved replacing heaven with himself.
Clear skies, dark clouds, rain, snow, or howling tempests—all hung upon a single thought of his.
Closing his eyes to search for a moment, Li Fan furrowed his brows slightly.
He discovered that Xiao Hei's physical remains were not here. The only reason the beasts could manipulate heavenly destiny through their ritual was that Xiao Hei had bestowed a sliver of its authority upon the statue.
*No matter. As long as it is in this pocket world, I will find it sooner or later.* Li Fan paid it no further mind.
In the days that followed, Li Fan took Fang Zaiji across the entire Beast Seed Realm. Wherever they went, the strange beasts offered no resistance and submitted one after another.
And what little rebellious spirit they possessed was extinguished entirely once the new passage was established and Liu San arrived with the main force of the Medicine King Sect.
"Young Master, you truly found a fine place this time! I was just fretting that the Valley of Longevity was too cramped for the disciples to move about!" Liu San swept his divine sense across the Beast Seed Realm, nodding slightly with a look of satisfaction.
"Although the vast majority of these strange beasts have negligible strength, they are more than adequate for helping cultivate and manage the spiritual fields. Those few slightly stronger ones won't be bad for guarding our courtyards either."
"This is workable. Once I refine a batch of beast-taming rings, we won't have to worry about these brutes breaking free of control."
...
With just a few casual words, two Dao Integration experts decided the future fate of the beasts in the Beast Seed Realm.
Chapter 666