Chapter 117

Wan Tianjue's hand claw, condensed with massive Spiritual Power, wrapped in the aura of death, was about to strike down!

Wang Shan's drooping eyelids shot open; the faint fatigue and pallor he had feigned vanished instantly, replaced by a bone‑chilling sharpness!

"Old dog, I've been waiting for you!"

Before his voice even faded, Wang Shan's seemingly limp hands flashed with countless afterimages, so fast they dazzled the eye—not a single Talisman, but several profound runes that leapt and linked at his fingertips; in the span of a breath, they formed a palm‑sized micro‑array that exuded an ancient, vast aura!

A gloomy light flickered from the array; it did not attack outward but released an invisible, supremely overbearing ripple that spread like water waves.

"What the hell is this?!" Wan Tianjue's heart rang alarm bells; the ripple made his hairs stand on end, a throb from deep within his soul causing his assault to falter.

It was precisely that hesitation!

"Hum——!"

Wan Tianjue felt his head "boom" as if struck by an invisible giant hammer; immediately, the miscellaneous beast power driven by his Ten Thousand Beast Method, which had been running smoothly, turned into boiling water that had exploded its pot, completely losing control; the beast souls he had forcibly fused and driven now acted like rabid dogs turning on their master, wildly colliding, howling, and counter‑devouring within his Meridians.

"Pfft!"

The Spiritual Power giant claw that was about to smash Wang Shan's skull let out a mournful cry in the air, like a punctured balloon, and suddenly dispersed.

Wan Tianjue's face shifted from a feral grin to bewilderment, then to utter horror, finally turning ashen; he could clearly feel that his pride, the Ten Thousand Beast Method, had completely lost control at this moment! The beasts he commanded also emitted uneasy low growls, their attacks visibly slowed, some even began spinning in place, dazed and looking around.

"No… impossible! My Ten Thousand Beast Method… how could… you… what did you do?!" Wan Tianjue's voice, twisted by extreme fear into a shrill scream, could not comprehend how such a bizarre method could directly dismantle his fundamental technique from within.

Wang Shan would not give him a chance to catch his breath or think!

"Old dog, this is the 'feast' I prepared for you!"

Strike while he's ill, take his life!

A cold light flashed in Wang Shan's eyes; he poured every last trace of his remaining Spiritual Power into both palms, pushed off with his feet, and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, not retreating but advancing, boldly meeting the temporarily stiffened Wan Tianjue, whose technique had backfired.

"【Thunder Rush Palm】!"

With a low shout, crackling electricity coiled around Wang Shan's right palm, emitting a sharp crackling burst; the air filled with a scorched smell. This palm gathered all his strength and his towering hatred for Wan Tianjue.

"Bang——!"

A solid palm strike slammed hard onto Wan Tianjue's chest!

The Protective Body Light Wan Tianjue hastily gathered was as fragile as paper before the violent thunderforce of the Thunder Rush Palm, shattering instantly.

"Ugh——!"

An earsplitting shriek burst from Wan Tianjue's mouth as a destructive force pierced his body, shattering his breastbone inch by inch and seeming to blast his viscera into fragments; his eyes bulged, and he flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing with a booming thunder into a stone wall over ten zhang away before sliding limply to the ground, leaving a shocking trail of blood.

"Pfft… cough cough…" Wan Tianjue lay on the ground, vomiting mouthfuls of blood mixed with tiny fragments of his organs. He was wracked with pain, unable to summon even a shred of strength, but what he found harder to bear than his bodily wounds was the soul‑deep fear and humiliation.

He stared fixedly at Wang Shan, disbelief filling his eyes: "You… you actually… can counter my Ten Thousand Beast Method… just who are you?!"

This brat is merely at the early stage of the ninth level of Body Refinement—how could he possibly master such unfathomable techniques? This is no simple overwhelming of strength; it is absolute suppression at the level of cultivation methods! Could it be… could it be that the Beast Taming Sect inheritance he received is even more complete and profound than what his own family records show?!

Just thinking of this, the greed and killing intent in Wan Tianjue's heart, like weeds gone wild, instantly overrode his fear.

"Kill… kill him! Everyone, attack! No matter the cost, kill him!" Wan Tianjue bellowed with all his strength, his voice hoarse and grating from anger and injury, "His secret… must be mine!"

The Wan Family cultivators and beasts, stimulated by their leader's gruesome state and frenzied order, after a brief hesitation, surged forward again with bloodshot eyes.

Wang Shan was no better off.

That Thunder Rush Palm had nearly drained all his Spiritual Power, and adding the earlier use of the profound Beast Taming Rune Array, he now felt waves of darkness before his eyes, his body swaying on the verge of collapse, his breath tinged with a bloody taste. The spot where a lizard beast's tail had struck his shoulder blade burned fiercely, clearly a serious injury.

"Damn… this old dog really isn't just tough…" Wang Shan gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stay upright. He knew this was their only chance; if they missed it, all three of them would be done for here.

"Brother Wang!"

"Old Dog Wan got wounded by Brother Wang! Hahaha!"

Li Hu was being pressed by two demon wolves, his hands and feet in disarray, when he caught sight of Wan Tianjue vomiting blood and flying backward in his peripheral vision; his spirits lifted instantly, and he roared while swinging his great axe: "You mongrel‑bred Wan Family rabble, your chief's about to kick the bucket, yet you still act arrogant! Watch me, Tiger Grandpa, not chop you into mincemeat!"

He seemed to have been injected with chicken blood; his great axe swung with tiger‑like vigor, each strike heavy and powerful, actually forcing the two demon wolves back several steps.

Zhang Mei's eyes also lit up; her nocking and drawing speed increased a notch, her arrows becoming more cunning and vicious, specifically targeting the vitals of any cultivators or beasts trying to surround Wang Shan.

"Li Hu, that shorty to the front‑left is about to throw a hidden weapon!"

"Whoosh!" a feathered arrow tore through the air, striking true on that Wan Family cultivator's wrist; accompanied by a wail, several poison‑coated short needles clattered to the ground.

The commander severely wounded, the blow to the Wan Family cultivators' morale was huge. In contrast, on Wang Shan's side, Li Hu and Zhang Mei grew braver the more they fought, cooperating to carve a bloody path for Wang Shan.

"Pfft!" Wan Tianjue coughed up another large mouthful of black blood, trembling as he fished out a pill from his bosom and swallowed it whole. The pill's entry released a chilling, violent energy that exploded inside him; his previously feeble aura visibly surged, his eyes filling with bloodshot veins that flashed with mad, vengeful light.

He actually managed to forcibly suppress the rampaging beast power within his body!

"You little beast… do you think… this is enough to kill me?" Wan Tianjue's voice sounded as if it came from the Nine Nether Hell, each word piercing with bone‑chilling cold: "Today, if I don't flay you, tear out your tendons, and annihilate body and soul, I swear I will not rest as a human!"

An even richer, more frenzied killing intent burst from Wan Tianjue, enveloping the entire valley floor.

Wang Shan's heart gave a sudden jolt.

"Not good! This old coot is truly enraged, wanting to fight us to the death!" If they kept fighting, even if they could wear Wan Tianjue down, the three of them would surely not come out well, and might even be wiped out entirely.

Flee! We must flee immediately!

"Li Hu! Zhang Mei! Don't linger in battle! Withdraw quickly! Head deep into the Cleft Valley!" Wang Shan made a snap decision, bellowed, ignoring his own severe pain, stomped his foot, and charged toward the gap where Li Hu and Zhang Mei were tearing at the encirclement.