The Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship was rapidly advancing through the sky, crossing numerous mountain ranges.
Inside the Spirit Ship's cabin, Li Mu was multitasking; he was simultaneously carving Puppet cores with Soulwood Heart and monitoring the situation outside the ship with his Divine Sense.
After the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship flew into the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range, the number of various high-level Yao Beasts became extremely high.
"Crack!"
A silver electric snake suddenly tore through the sky, carrying the power to destroy everything.
Li Mu quickly stopped the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship, halted his carving of the Puppet core, and retracted some of his Divine Sense to observe the continuously gathering thunderclouds in the sky.
The dense black cloud rapidly accumulated, like a funnel vortex, brewing infinite thunder power.
Guiding the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship to slowly land on the Peak of a thousand-zhang tall mountain, Li Mu flew out, casually putting the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship into his storage bracelet, and looked towards the sky, where a high-level Yao Beast was Undergoing Tribulation.
In the direction of Tianfeng Mountain, a Yao Beast King was Undergoing Tribulation, and the power of the Lightning Tribulation was incredibly vast, affecting an area two to three hundred miles wide. To be safe and avoid any accidents, Li Mu stopped his advance.
At the same time, Li Mu was also curious what kind of Yao Beast was Undergoing Tribulation and whether it could successfully Undergo Tribulation. He had never seen a Yao Beast or Cultivator Undergoing Tribulation before, and it seemed he would also have to Undergo Tribulation when his Golden Core advanced to Nascent Soul. Now was a good time to gain some experience.
Thunder rumbled, and dense lightning bolts struck down repeatedly, illuminating the entire world.
Li Mu clearly saw the Yao Beast that was being continuously struck by countless lightning bolts; it was a Fifth Order Azure Scaled Thunder Lion. Its entire body was covered in brilliant blue scales, it had a lion's head, a horse's body, two horns on its head, and was over two zhang tall, strong and magnificent.
This was the most beautiful Yao Beast Li Mu had ever seen to date, with its huge lion head, horse-like body, plus a mane like blue flames, and blue scales interspersed with blue and white on its body and lower abdomen, making it demonic and extremely magnificent.
However, under the bombardment of countless lightning bolts, its massive body and brilliant blue mane were spattering blood, and its blue scales were shattering and flying.
The thunder rumbled incessantly, and thick lightning bolts struck one after another, as if to completely kill it.
"Boom!"
A lightning snake as thick as a bucket slammed down, striking the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's body, knocking it down from the sky. Immediately after, lightning bolts continued to smash down, taking advantage of its weakness to claim its life!
The merciless Heavenly Tribulation seemed to be tired of the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's challenge, intending to end this Lightning Tribulation as soon as possible, giving it no chance to breathe.
Li Mu noticed some high-level Yao Beasts gathering outside the Lightning Tribulation's range, observing the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion Undergoing Tribulation from afar.
Once the Lightning Tribulation ended, if it failed the Tribulation, or if it succeeded but was heavily injured, then a feast would begin.
Li Mu frowned, hesitating whether to intervene.
There were too many high-level Yao Beasts; if they discovered him, he would definitely be in trouble.
Among those secretly observing were a Fifth Order Jade Eyed Golden Tiger, a Fifth Order Blood Crested Black Snake, a Fifth Order Three Headed Demon Wolf, a Fifth Order White Feathered Demoness, and a Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng circling in the sky… Five Fifth Order and seven or eight Fourth Order Yao Beasts were lurking around, in the sky.
Once the Lightning Tribulation ended, a fierce battle for supremacy was sure to erupt.
The Lightning Tribulation continued, with lightning bolts striking one after another. The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's life was extremely tenacious; it endured the thunder's strikes, struggling to stand up from the ground, seemingly able to get through this Lightning Tribulation.
The high-level Yao Beasts secretly observing seemed unable to wait. They all simultaneously approached stealthily, surrounding it from all directions, waiting eagerly at the periphery of the Lightning Tribulation.
If the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion could pass the Lightning Tribulation, it would become a Sixth Order Yao Beast. Heavily injured, facing the attacks of numerous Fifth Order and Fourth Order Yao Beasts, there was a possibility of a mutually destructive outcome.
Intervening in it, no matter which side won, would yield many high-level Yao Beast corpses.
Thinking of this, Li Mu hesitantly chose to intervene, preparing to reap the benefits of others' struggles.
After Little Gold and Little Tile reached the Peak of the Fourth Order, their growth had now stagnated.
Firstly, each hunt involved battling Yao Beasts one or two orders lower in strength, so they lacked experience fighting high-level Yao Beasts and lacked the desire to advance. Secondly, there was no high-level Yao Beast meat resource; only places like the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain Range could offer so many high-level Yao Beasts at once.
Now, the opportunity had arrived!
Li Mu flew forward, found a place to set up an illusion array and a Demon Trapping Great Array, and at the same time, constantly monitored the Lightning Tribulation and the situation of the Yao Beasts.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion let out a fierce roar towards the sky, a hint of joy in its tired voice. The tribulation clouds in the sky were slowly dissipating; it had successfully passed this Lightning Tribulation, and its heavily injured body was rapidly recovering.
It was this roar that instantly ignited the greedy Fifth Order Yao Beasts around. A black shadow suddenly darted out; it was a massive Jade Eyed Golden Tiger. It pounced fiercely from behind the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion, biting savagely at its neck and back.
The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion had sensed it early; its entire body erupted in thunder flames, and it leaped nimbly on all fours. Its massive body created a series of afterimages, and its figure vanished from its original spot.
The Jade Eyed Golden Tiger's attack missed, its four limbs clawing the ground. It watched the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion warily, preparing to pounce again.
As soon as the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion landed, a thick black snake darted out from the shadows, opening its large mouth to bite the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's abdomen. A pair of sharp fangs emitted a translucent glow, clearly indicating potent venom.
The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion reacted incredibly swiftly, quickly condensing a bolt of lightning on its body and shooting it fiercely towards the black snake that had launched the sneak attack.
With a "boom," the lightning struck the Blood Crested Black Snake's head, deflecting its sneak attack. The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion pushed off with its four limbs, dodging again.
"Hiss!" The Blood Crested Black Snake's attack missed, and it coiled up again, its eyes fixed on the heavily injured Azure Scaled Thunder Lion, preparing to find another opportunity to attack.
The next moment, the Three Headed Demon Wolf also joined the battle. Its three heads simultaneously opened their mouths, spitting out three streams of spiritual energy—one black, one green, and one red—which instantly merged into one, fiercely striking the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's body, instantly exploding and sending it flying.
As soon as the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion was injured, the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger, the Blood Crested Black Snake, and the other lurking Yao Beasts swarmed forward, launching attacks on the heavily wounded Azure Scaled Thunder Lion.
"Roar!"
A fierce blue light flashed in the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's eyes. The next moment, lightning erupted from its entire body.
With a loud "boom!" countless electric snakes suddenly exploded, and the world changed. More than a dozen Fifth Order and Fourth Order Yao Beasts were all blasted away, and their combined attack was completely declared a failure!
When the blue lightning dissipated, it could be seen that the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion in the center of the battlefield was much weaker, its chest and abdomen heaving violently as it gasped for breath.
Presumably, that thunder attack just now had consumed a large amount of its demonic power.
Li Mu's Divine Sense was focused on the battlefield, and he deeply felt the terror of that group thunder attack, its power comparable to a Lightning Tribulation.
After the lightning strike!
The Fourth Order Yao Beasts were all heavily injured. They struggled to stand up and fled the battlefield, not daring to intervene in this battle again.
Of the five Fifth Order Yao Beasts, except for one Golden Winged Demon Peng that increased its flight altitude, the other four Fifth Order Yao Beasts continued to surround the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion, unwilling to give up and leave.
The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's previous strike had injured them all, but it wasn't fatal. The opportunity to devour a Sixth Order Yao Beast was at hand, and they were reluctant to give it up.
Li Mu extended his Divine Sense to probe the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's condition. It had just used its innate secret technique, and now it was injured on top of its existing injuries, leaving it with only half a life.
Let them fight a little longer, and the benefits of the fisherman would be within easy reach.
Li Mu's face was tense as he stared at the battlefield, waiting for the opportune moment.
However, just then, the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion seemed to sense something, detecting Li Mu's Divine Sense probing. It suddenly roared angrily in a certain direction.
Hearing the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's angry roar, the five Fifth Order Yao Beasts surrounding it paused, abandoning their attack. Their eyes showed surprise, and they all turned their heads to look in a certain direction.
Seeing this, Li Mu's heart "thumped," and his expression became tense.
No way!
Could these high-level Yao Beasts, currently in a fierce battle, actually unite to deal with him?
However, things developed in the direction Li Mu least wanted to see.
"Ow!" The Fifth Order Jade Eyed Golden Tiger roared, abandoning its siege on the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion, and with its thick limbs, it suddenly pounced towards Li Mu's location.
The Blood Crested Black Snake twisted its thick body and followed directly, crawling towards him with lightning speed.
The Three Headed Demon Wolf's eyes were filled with intelligent light; it paused in place, not rashly moving forward.
The Azure Scaled Thunder Lion gained a chance to breathe. Blue lightning snakes gathered on its body, and it licked its wounds, using the opportunity to recover.
The White Feathered Demoness, with a horse's body and an eagle's head, had a pair of beautiful short white wings and head wings, and sharp claws on its four limbs. It paced back and forth on the ground, its beautiful short white wings extended, preparing to pounce.
The Golden Winged Demon Peng circling in the sky changed its circling direction, its sharp eyes fixed on a certain spot in the dense forest.
Seeing the expressions of the six high-level Yao Beasts on the scene, Li Mu knew he had been targeted by them.
At present, they intended to deal with him, the 'fisherman,' first, before continuing their battle.
This was going to be bad!
The overall combat power of a single Fifth Order Yao Beast far exceeded that of a Human cultivator at the Nascent Soul True Lord stage. Being besieged by five Fifth Order Yao Beasts, not to mention a Sixth Order Yao Beast nearby, even if it was heavily injured...
This situation was terrible!
Li Mu's mind raced as he looked at the pouncing Jade Eyed Golden Tiger and Blood Crested Black Snake, devising a strategy to counter them.
Li Mu looked up at the Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng circling in the sky. The biggest threat to him was not the few Yao Beasts on the ground, but the Golden Winged Demon Peng in the sky.
If he didn't deal with the Golden Winged Demon Peng, he wouldn't be able to use the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship and would be unable to escape the siege of the Yao Beasts.
Next was the recuperating Sixth Order Azure Scaled Thunder Lion. It could actually perceive his Divine Sense probing and his hidden location. If he didn't deal with it soon, the upcoming battle would truly be dangerous.
In an instant, countless thoughts flashed through Li Mu's mind, analyzing his priority targets and battle strategies.
Li Mu quickly regained his composure, his expression becoming serious.
Previously, when dealing with the nine Demonic Lords, Li Mu could still hold back a little. Now, facing so many high-level Yao Beasts, he had to fight with all his might.
Within just a few miles, the Fifth Order Jade Eyed Golden Tiger covered the distance in a few leaps, pouncing and plunging into the Demon Trapping Great Array.
"Roar!"
Seeing the Human cultivator in the array, the Fifth Order Jade Eyed Golden Tiger's eyes turned bloodshot, and it let out a roar that echoed through the sky, deafeningly loud.
The Jade Eyed Golden Tiger pounced forward, raising its giant claw and savagely swiping down at the Human cultivator.
Facing the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger's pounce, Li Mu smiled slightly, unmoved.
With a "bang," Li Mu transformed into a piece of wood. The giant claw struck a thick wooden branch, and the branch exploded into countless fragments.
The Human cultivator's figure vanished in a blink of an eye.
The Jade Eyed Golden Tiger looked around, sniffing fiercely, searching everywhere for the Human cultivator's location.
The Jade Eyed Golden Tiger's pair of jade-green tiger eyes suddenly lit up; it had found something and pounced forward, slamming a claw down fiercely.
However, just then, the Blood Crested Black Snake darted into the illusion array, the Demon Trapping Great Array, and its figure appeared precisely at the spot where the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger had swung its claw.
With a "puch!" sound, blood splattered.
"Hiss!" The Blood Crested Black Snake roared in pain, biting back immediately and savagely biting the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger's right foreleg shoulder.
"Roar!"
The Jade Eyed Golden Tiger roared in pain, leaping away, realizing it had fallen for the Human cultivator's trick and had harmed the Blood Crested Black Snake.
Poisoned by the Blood Crested Black Snake, the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger felt dizzy and quickly lay down to lick its wound.
The Blood Crested Black Snake had taken a fatal claw strike from the Jade Eyed Golden Tiger, its seven-inch mark torn open, and it immediately lost the energy to bother the Human cultivator.
Seeing the two Yao Beasts licking their wounds in the array, temporarily losing their combat ability, Li Mu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He used Earth Escape and left the illusion array.
Upon exiting the illusion array, Li Mu immediately directed his Divine Sense into the nine storage spiritual pearl, retrieved eighteen Fourth Order Gold Element Spirit Swords, and with a hand seal, the eighteen Fourth Order Gold Element Spirit Swords with spirit artifacts transformed into peregrine falcons and fiercely attacked the Golden Winged Demon Peng circling in the sky.
"Caw!"
The Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng let out a panicked, shrill cry, spread its wings, and flapped them fiercely, fleeing from the invasion of the golden peregrine falcons.
Upon discovering the Human cultivator's appearance, the other Yao Beasts immediately took action.
The Three Headed Demon Wolf simultaneously opened its mouths, spitting out demonic flames towards the Human cultivator. The three demonic flames arrived in a blink of an eye, with built-in tracking capabilities, curving to lock on.
Li Mu multitasked, continuously using the Five Elements Illusionary Body in conjunction with the Five Elements Escape Technique, sometimes disappearing with Earth Escape, sometimes stealthily moving with Wood Escape... allowing the three demonic flames to pursue him, destroying large areas of forest and land, but unable to catch him.
At the same time, Li Mu controlled the eighteen Gold Element Spirit Swords, catching up to the Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng, and began to surround and kill it.
Streaks of golden sword shadows continuously attacked the Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng's massive body from all directions, without end.
Soon, golden feathers and a shower of blood began to fall.
"Chirp!"
The White Feathered Demoness let out a sharp cry, and the Three Headed Demon Wolf stopped its demonic flame pursuit.
The White Feathered Demoness galloped wildly, transforming into a white shadow, and launched a surprise attack.
Li Mu was already prepared, releasing Little Gold and Little Tile from his Spirit Beast Pouch and directing them to fight through the Spirit Control Contract Seal.
Little Gold, clad in armor, appeared and immediately swung its golden greatstaff at the pouncing white shadow.
The white shadow was startled and immediately changed direction with agile speed, dodging the attack.
Unexpectedly, large areas of earth element wildly exploded around it. With a loud "boom," sharp earthen spikes erupted from the ground, knocking it back.
With a loud "bang," the golden greatstaff arrived as expected, striking the White Feathered Demoness fiercely and sending her flying several miles away.
The recuperating Azure Scaled Thunder Lion saw the appearance of Little Gold and Little Tile, as if its nerves had been touched. Its eyes turned bloodshot, its Aura suddenly surged, and its gaze towards Li Mu was filled with intense killing intent.
Li Mu seemed to sense it, and he sighed silently in his heart.
It seemed this life-and-death battle was unavoidable!
Originally, Li Mu had planned to retreat on the Celestial Shuttle Spirit Ship after heavily injuring the Fifth Order Golden Winged Demon Peng.
However, seeing the Azure Scaled Thunder Lion's reaction, Li Mu immediately knew that his enslavement of Little Gold and Little Tile had touched its reverse scale. Even if he was willing to retreat now, this Azure Scaled Thunder Lion, as well as the other Fifth Order Yao Beasts, would not let him go and would surely pursue him to the end.