In Li Fan’s field of vision, under the worship ceremony of the exotic beasts, the drifting heavenly fate in the depths of the wilderness began to madly converge toward the top of the black three-legged tower.
Like a massive storm vortex, lightning flashed and thunder roared, making the sky darken ominously.
Seeing this, Li Fan attempted to use the Feather of the Black Bird to seize control of the heavenly fate. However, the outcome was clear—it was utterly futile. Compared to a mere feather, the black mysterious bird perched at the top of the three-legged tower was the true ruler of this beast race world.
Under that immense suction force, Li Fan even faintly sensed that the strands of drifting heavenly fortune he had previously absorbed into his body were beginning to loosen and show signs of being forcibly drawn away.
Although Fang Zaiji could not see the changes in heavenly fate, the increasingly lifelike appearance of the black mysterious bird was visible to the naked eye.
A solemn look flickered across his face, but he remained disdainful. “The dead are dead—do you really think bowing and begging will bring them back to life?”
Despite his words, Fang Zaiji remained extremely cautious. Without waiting for the beasts to complete their ceremony, he conjured a towering giant hand, gripping a massive gray-black hammer, and violently smashed it toward the black bird atop the tower.
“Buzz!”
The colossal hammer filled the sky, making even the towering three-legged tower seem like nothing more than a toy. As the hammer descended, a piercing boom erupted.
However, at that very instant, a bolt of lightning suddenly struck from the sky, smashing into the gray hammer. The hammer momentarily paused mid-air, and then dozens of massive lightning bolts, each as thick as a water bucket, rained down.
With each strike, the hammer’s form shrank slightly. In just a brief moment, the once-mountainous hammer had diminished to the size of an ordinary human tool.
As the lightning struck the tower’s peak, Fang Zaiji’s expression subtly changed—not merely because the hammer was attacked, but because the very space around him underwent a cataclysmic shift.
Dark clouds rolled across the sky, thick and heavy, as if they could drip water. A yellow demonic wind howled, its razor-sharp edges slicing through the earth like sentient blades, all converging toward Fang Zaiji. Beneath his feet, violent earth fire erupted, like a furious dragon roaring to consume him. Chains of golden talismanic script emerged from the void without warning, coiling tightly around his limbs. Overhead, black lightning continued to flash.
It was as if the entire beast race world had declared him its mortal enemy. Wind, fire, thunder, lightning—every force in existence, under the decree of fate, launched an unrelenting assault upon him.
“Young Master, stay back for now,” Fang Zaiji said seriously, tossing out a cyan bell that shielded Li Fan, who had already retreated to a safe distance.
Then, he opened his mouth and spat out thirty-six willow-leaf-shaped flying blades.
The emerald-green blades danced with extraordinary agility, as if they were alive. In an instant, they surrounded Fang Zaiji, effortlessly deflecting the raging wind, fire, and lightning.
With a composed expression, Fang Zaiji strode toward the spire of the pagoda. The golden chains wrapped around him tightened instantly, attempting to restrain him. Yet, his steps remained firm. After just a moment of resistance, cracks began to form in the space where the chains were anchored.
The chains stretched longer and longer. Ultimately, they could no longer withstand the force and shattered piece by piece, scattering golden light across the sky.
“The entire world stands against him—this is the ultimate form of the Formless Killing Intent. But even so, it cannot harm Fang Zaiji in the slightest. After all, this world is inherently weaker. No matter how fiercely it resists, it cannot contend against a Dao Integration-level powerhouse from another realm,” Li Fan thought calmly as he observed from within the protective bell.
Fang Zaiji drew closer to the black three-legged pagoda, and the exotic beasts that had been bowing in worship gradually lost their composure.
Some, overwhelmed with fear, prostrated themselves even more fervently. Others, in blind panic, attempted to flee—only to be instantly executed by the leader-like beasts. Still, some, with reckless determination, charged at Fang Zaiji without regard for their lives, hoping to sacrifice themselves in a desperate attempt to exhaust this terrifying invader.
But their fate was already sealed. The power gap between the two sides was too vast. When Fang Zaiji finally stood atop the three-legged pagoda, looking down at the trembling, kneeling beasts below, he felt an overwhelming sense of boredom.
“How dull!” He snorted coldly before summoning Li Fan from the distance.
“Sect Master, is this the thing you were looking for?” Fang Zaiji asked.
Without the support of the exotic beasts’ ritual, the Black Bird’s projection at the pagoda’s peak returned to its original form—it was merely the projection of a black bird statue.
The vast amount of drifting Heavenly Fate that had gathered above the tower, now unrestrained, began to scatter like flowing water toward the corners of the world.
Standing before the small black statue, Li Fan lifted his head and gazed at it. At the same time, he activated the divine ability [Heaven’s Mandate is Mine], using the Black Bird’s Feather to frantically absorb the drifting Heavenly Fortune.
Like a hundred rivers converging into the sea, the process of absorbing Heavenly Fortune was astonishingly smooth. There was almost no resistance, and in less than half a day, Li Fan had completely drained the accumulated Heavenly Fortune in this place.
The effect was immediate.
With the three-legged pagoda as the center, within a radius of several thousand miles, every movement of the wind and grass was instantly perceivable to Li Fan with just a thought. Moreover, within this area, Li Fan nearly achieved the ability to replace Heaven itself.”
Sunshine or storm, wind or rain—everything was under his control with a single thought.
After closing his eyes and searching for a moment, Li Fan furrowed his brows slightly.
He realized that Xiao Hei’s remains were not here. The reason the beasts had been able to manipulate fate through their rituals was merely because the statue had been imbued with a trace of Xiao Hei’s divine authority.
“No matter. As long as I remain in this minor world, I will find it sooner or later.” Li Fan did not mind.
In the following days, Li Fan and Fang Zaiji traveled across the Beast Realm. Everywhere they went, the beasts had no power to resist and submitted one after another.
Any lingering thoughts of defiance quickly vanished when a new passageway was established, and Liu San led the main forces of the Medicine King Sect into the realm.
“Young Master, you’ve really found a great place this time! I was just worrying that Longevity Valley was too small for the disciples to train in!” Liu San scanned the Beast Realm with his divine sense and nodded in satisfaction.
“Most of these beasts are too weak to be of any real use, but they can still help with farming and managing the spiritual fields. The slightly stronger ones would make decent guards.”
“This plan is feasible. Once I refine a batch of Beast-Controlling Rings, we won’t have to worry about these creatures going out of control.”
…
With just a few casual remarks from the two Dao Integration cultivators, the fate of the Beast Realm’s creatures was already decided.