Chapter 128: Controlling the Beast Tide

Heijiu heard this, blinked slightly, then flew into a rage. Lu Fan didn't even take him to heart; at such a moment, he actually spoke to a beast, completely disregarding him!

Lu Fan, I will kill you!

Heijiu let out a violent shout, the arm holding his sword suddenly swelling, veins like small snakes wriggling out; in the blink of an eye, both arms became as thick as a grown man's thigh, utterly terrifying!

Splitting mountains and parting seas, a strike that pierces the clouds!

He blocked the fire sword with a single swing, then leapt up, stepped into the void, and immediately reversed his descent, as if coming from the nine heavens' void, carrying a shocking momentum, he slashed down.

Lu Fan didn't even glance at him, gripping the air with one hand; the fire sword exploded, shattering into dozens of light clusters that shot out in all directions.

Almost at that very moment, the Kun Python arrived before him, its bloody maw open, letting out a heaven‑reaching howl filled with hatred, and lunged to bite.

This beast was cunning; just a moment ago it was glaring at Heijiu, but now it charged straight at Lu Fan. It seems its intelligence had initially aimed to devour Lu Fan.

Haha, you lifted a stone only to drop it on your own foot—you're practically begging to die!

Heijiu alighted from his carriage, seeing Ye Lu Fan and the Kun Python in this state, he couldn't help but laugh triumphantly.

Lu Fan raised his head, the corner of his mouth twitching into a strange smile, and said, 'Oh? Is that so? Did you see clearly?'

Just as his words fell, a shrill howl suddenly rose from all around, myriad beasts wailing, the sound shaking the nine heavens. The entire primeval forest trembled, wild winds sweeping, dark clouds covering the sky!

Almost at the instant the myriad beasts wailed, the Kun Python's biting motion halted abruptly, frozen just above Lu Fan's head, barely three feet away.

A blue light rose from the Kun Python's head, shining brightly; as the wind swept it, it condensed into a blurry silhouette—unmistakably Lu Fan's likeness.

What is this?

Heijiu froze, instinctively sensing something amiss. Yet his descending figure sped up by a third, swift as chasing wind and lightning, sword in hand, he came down with a booming slash.

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, not taking his opponent to heart at all; his body flickered slightly, vanishing like a breeze.

Boom—

Blinding sword light exploded on the spot, a twisting, spiraling force bursting forth, blasting a huge pit several zhang deep where Lu Fan had just stood.

Not good!

Heijiu's face changed; without thinking, he flung his hand back, releasing a surge of supreme true qi that blasted toward his rear.

Yet this mighty strike sank like a mud‑ox into the sea, stirring only a faint whisper of wind before falling utterly silent.

His expression shifted slightly as he leapt away and turned in mid‑air, but saw no trace of anyone behind him—empty space. Meanwhile, Lu Fan stood upright on the Kun Python's head, the blue, blurry silhouette standing shoulder‑to‑shoulder with it.

Lu Fan's gaze was calm; he gave Heijiu a faint smile, then pointed a single finger and shouted clearly, 'Beast Control Spirit Array, open!'

In an instant, the remains of demonic beasts within a hundred‑zhang radius trembled, black whirlwinds coiling up from them; almost immediately they shot skyward, condensing at a height of a hundred zhang. Mystic light flowed, and a vague, shadowy grand array slowly appeared.

Roar—

The Kun Python twisted its body, its bloody maw flung open, roaring fiercely. An indescribable aura surged forth, rushing toward the grand array in the high sky.

The surging power caused the light‑shadow array to display, one after another, dozens of phantom demonic beasts; a quick look revealed they were exactly the shapes of the beasts whose remains littered the ground below.

What kind of formation is this?

Heijiu stared, already feeling a tremendous force emanating from that height of a hundred zhang, his heart pounding with shock.

Hmph! Young Fan already said it—Beast Control Spirit Array—are you deaf or something?

Yang Sheng and the others snorted in contempt, especially hostile toward this black‑clad youth, and began to sneer and jeer.

Heijiu's face darkened; he utterly looked down on Yang Sheng and company, yet in Lu Fan's presence he dared not move.

Listen well! Since you've come to the heart of the beast tide, surely you have some design; Lu Mou will gladly lend you a hand.

Lu Fan gave a cold smile, raised a hand, struck the heavens, and a solid talisman array surged forth, crying, 'Myriad Beasts Come to Court!'

As the talisman array sank into the high‑altitude beast‑shadow formation, vital energy flowed, turning into a wave that swept up those vague beast phantoms; they all leapt down and scattered around the Kun Python, ending in a kneeling, worshipful posture.

In an instant, the Kun Python's aura surged, its savage flames blazing to the heavens, as if the majesty of an ancient ferocious beast had erupted.

Thud—thud—thud!

The earth quaked, low, muffled booms rolling from far to near, gradually approaching.

Crack! Crack!

A colossal beast crashed through towering trees, its tremendous force transmitting even through the void, striking awe into the heart.

Yang Sheng and the others all turned pale, unable to make sense of what they saw; yet they vaguely guessed that Lu Fan had just controlled the Kun Python, subduing a small group of demonic beasts here, and now, by using that 'Beast Control Spirit Array,' he must be aiming to suppress even more demonic beasts.

Could he really intend to control the beast tide? This is utterly unimaginable, sheer fantasy!

Having reached this point, they all considered it—Heijiu surely had too. He was even more astonished, his face strange, and he shouted, 'How can you control the beast tide? Are you perhaps a Beast Master?'

Talisman cultivation is a path that encompasses everything, divided into many categories. The most common are naturally artifact refiners, talisman makers, alchemists… Besides these, there are many rarer, more formidable cultivation paths, and Beast Mastery is one of them.

Beast Masters possess powerful mental strength, enabling them to communicate with and command demonic beasts. Ordinary martial cultivators must fight to the death to slay a beast, but for a Beast Master, a single thought may be enough to make the beast willingly submit and follow at their side.

Lu Fan glanced around, paying no heed to Heijiu; to him the man was irrelevant, while the lone demonic beast that had come to worship before him was what truly mattered.

Hmm! Although this beast tide isn't huge, its numbers are quite considerable; it seems the Star Vow Spell Seal won't be able to hold me!

He lightly nodded, his body leaping forth, drifting toward a four‑eyed giant ape.

Sensing danger, the four‑eyed giant ape let out a low growl, its muscles bulging; though originally about two zhang tall, its frame swelled with a 'crack,' more than doubling in size. The innate divine ability of a fourth‑tier demonic beast was about to erupt.

Just then, mystic light circulated around the Kun Python; on each beast phantom, a ripple suddenly rose, surging toward the central Kun Python.

The phantom of 'Lu Fan' hovering above the Kun Python's head gave a strange smile, flicked a finger, and sent that ripple shooting out, instantly suppressing it upon the four‑eyed giant ape's body across the void.

With a muffled 'thud,' the four‑eyed giant ape's upright body felt immense pressure; its two knee‑like old‑tree roots bent sharply, and it knelt down.

Lu Fan walked over slowly; the towering giant ape knelt before him, yet its massive form still exerted endless pressure. With a lofty gaze, its copper‑bell‑sized eyes glowing crimson, it stared fixedly at him.

It seems that, had I not intervened, you wretched beast might have been one of the leaders of this beast tide; dying like this is truly a pity.

He shook his head slightly, then surged upward, planting himself on the ape's shoulder; his two hands, wrapped in boundless pressure, pressed down on the ape's crown. A wisp of blue light drifted out, then seeped into the ape's head, stirring it, and the ape's body shuddered violently.

Boom‑crack!

Spider‑web‑like cracks split the ground beneath the ape's feet for dozens of zhang; its formerly kneeling body gradually rose to stand upright.

What's going on? This giant ape has no right to break free of the restraint!

Heijiu's eyes flickered, as if he couldn't comprehend the situation before him.

"You have keen eyes! I just don't know what your capabilities are!" Lu Fan shifted his gaze over, patted the giant ape's head, and said coolly: "Kill him!"

He finished speaking and leapt down. The four-eyed giant ape, however, glared with killing intent, swung its arms, and casually uprooted a huge tree, then hurled it sideways with a booming crash.

Heijiu's face turned pale with shock; he never imagined the four-eyed giant ape would obey Lu Fan's orders, so agile, it was astonishing. Even though he was confident in himself, being in the midst of countless demonic beasts, he stood no chance against Lu Fan.

"Damn it! Lu Fan, you brat, you're formidable! We'll settle the score in front of the Dragon Tower!"

He didn't think, just threw out a harsh line, turned and fled. But it wasn't that simple; the giant ape strode forward, each step covering tens of meters, and in the blink of an eye it was behind him. It swung its massive fist, smashing forward.

A tremendous, heaven‑supporting force suddenly bore down on him; he had no time to react, his entire back felt as if struck by a giant hammer, skin split and flesh torn. The destructive energy flooded his apertures, obliterating everything, and countless blood vessels inside his body burst open.

With a "puff," a large mouthful of blood spurted out, and Heijiu's whole body slammed into a large tree, clinging to life.

"Pfft‑pfft!"

The four‑eyed giant ape was very pleased with this blow, beating its chest with both huge hands and roaring loudly; it swung its basket‑sized fists again, aiming to smash Heijiu into a pulp.

"Hehe!"

A light laugh rang out; light and mist swirled, dark qi drifted, and a vague figure slowly appeared, stepping onto the treetop, looking down from above, and chuckled: "Lu Fan, you're truly impressive. You can even control this beast tide, and the renowned Black Vulture of the Zhan family was taken down by you so easily—little sister truly admires you!"

Everyone was stunned, but when they looked at that hazy figure, they jumped in fright. It appeared to be a young girl, not old, but her face was deathly pale, yin qi swirling around her, not like a living person. Especially Yang Sheng here, his expression was strange, a look of resentment.

The four‑eyed giant ape also halted its movements, its eyes filled with shock, deeply wary of the opponent, to the point that it even forgot about Heijiu.

Lu Fan gave a faint smile, the corners of his mouth twitching up, and said: "Miss Xiulan, you've been hiding for quite a while, haven't you? Coming out now, are you trying to stand up for this Black Vulture?"

This girl was indeed Xiulan, standing beneath the treetop where the giant tree that Heijiu leaned against grew. If one said she wasn't there to speak up for him, nobody would believe it.

"Tsk tsk! Your powers are vast, I'm no match for you, but rest assured—someone will entertain you!"

Xiulan clicked her tongue twice in admiration, her expression strange. Before her words even faded, ghostly qi drifted around, and wails of ghosts and howls of wolves rose, soft but eerily penetrating.

Amidst the hazy gloom, a ghostly face slowly emerged.

Lu Fan's gaze sank, his expression instantly turning solemn. He had long sensed Jiang Xiulan's presence, but this ghostly face—before now, he had felt not the slightest stir; it had arrived as if unbeknownst to gods and ghosts.

"You are Lu Fan, with that appearance—could it be that we have met before?"

The ghostly face seemed to see through Lu Fan's thoughts, its cold gaze fixed upon him.

Lu Fan glanced briefly, then waved at the Kun Python, leapt up, stepped onto its skull, and said lightly:

"Young Master Wan Li of the renowned Myriad Spirits Hall—who doesn't know you? It's strange that I've seen you."

As soon as those words left his mouth, the ghostly face and Xiulan both changed color, never expecting Lu Fan to see through their true identities.

"Oh? Interesting!"