340: Chapter 340 Level Nine Monster!

Inside the Formation, the three remaining Eighth-Grade Great Demons: the golden lion-shaped Yao Beast, the giant shark Yao Beast, and the octopus Yao Beast.

At this moment, they were still desperately attacking the surrounding grey Void Realm, trying to break this damn illusion-killing Formation.

The three Yao Beasts were completely panicked.

Their teammate's death was like a bucket of ice water, poured from head to toe, extinguishing all their arrogance.

They finally realized that they were not the hunters, but the prey!

This island was a carefully designed trap!

And they were the foolish prey who had plunged headlong into it!

That human Cultivator hiding in the shadows was just playing with them, leading them step by step into the abyss of death!

"Hurry! Push harder! This Formation is about to give way! I can feel its fluctuations weakening!"

The golden lion-shaped Yao Beast roared, its voice tinged with hysteria.

The golden Grade Eight Demon Core in its mouth flickered, dimming and brightening, clearly having consumed a massive amount of Yao power.

Its breathing became rapid and heavy, sweat the size of beans seeping from its forehead and dripping down its golden fur.

But it dared not stop, nor could it afford the slightest slack.

It knew that if it stopped, the next to die might be itself.

Regret filled its heart; had it known such a powerful figure was guarding this island, it wouldn't have waded into these muddy waters even if killed.

The giant shark Yao Beast also gritted its teeth, pouring all its mana wildly into that black bone fork.

The runes on the bone fork grew brighter, emitting a heart-palpitating black light, but its hands trembled slightly, the webbings between its fingers split, oozing dark red blood.

Long-term high-intensity output made its body unable to take it anymore, its internal Yao power nearly exhausted.

It lamented internally that even if it survived, it would probably need decades to recover its Origin Qi.

The octopus Yao Beast's eight tentacles now had two hanging limply, soft and dangling on the ground, covered in scars and dripping with blood, most of the suckers on the tentacles having fallen off.

But it still desperately swung the remaining six tentacles, crazily whipping the Void Realm, using all its strength with every blow.

Its eyes were bloodshot, the eyeballs almost bulging from their sockets, and it let out a low roar, acting like a madman.

It knew it was the most exhausted of the three; if it couldn't break the Formation soon, it would be the next to fall.

Just then, a flash of resolve appeared in the octopus Yao Beast's eyes!

It suddenly opened its large mouth and sprayed a blob of jet-black ink!

The ink was thick as pitch and gave off a pungent odor; as it landed in the Void Realm, it made a "hissing" sound, actually corroding a large hole in that grey Void Realm! The edges of the hole were still emitting white smoke and a nauseating smell.

"Quick! Get out through there! This is breaking-boundary ink I activated with my Origin Essence Blood; it won't last long!"

The octopus Yao Beast roared, its voice full of exhaustion and urgency, its whole body seeming to wither, its originally plump body becoming much thinner. This was its innate Divine Ability, the Boundary-Breaking Technique!

Every time it was used, it consumed a massive amount of its Origin Essence Blood and a hundred years of cultivation; it couldn't recover for decades!

This time, it had truly risked its life.

The other two Yao Beasts were overjoyed at the sight! Without hesitation, they rushed towards the large hole that had been corroded!

The golden lion-shaped Yao Beast didn't even have time to say thank you before being the first to rush out.

"Boom!"

A loud noise!

That grey Void Realm was finally torn open by them!

Outside light filtered in through the crack, and the long-lost sunlight felt exceptionally warm!

"Haha! We're out! We're out! I'm finally out!" The golden lion-shaped Yao Beast rushed out of the crack first, seeing the grey-white rocks and azure sky of Biling Island again, feeling the fresh sea breeze, and couldn't help but let out a wild laugh of survival!

Its laughter was full of pride and relief, as if it had returned from the gates of Hell.

However, its laughter had just begun when it came to an abrupt halt!

Because, the moment it rushed out of the crack, an invisible, needle-like Divine Sense attack had silently pierced into its Sea of Consciousness!

The attack came so suddenly, so cunningly, that it had no time to prepare any defense!

"Spirit Shocking Thorn!"

A cold voice, as if from the Nine Nether Hell, exploded in its mind!

The golden lion-shaped Yao Beast only felt a "buzz" in its head, as if it had been struck hard by an invisible giant hammer!

Its consciousness instantly went blank! Immediately after, an intense pain, as if its Soul were being torn apart, came from the depths of its Sea of Consciousness!

That pain exceeded the limits of the physical body, reaching deep into the Soul!

It felt as if its Primordial Spirit was being sliced apart, cut by cut, with a blunt knife!

"Ah—!!"

It let out an extremely shrill scream, filled with endless pain and fear, blood flowing from its seven orifices—eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—as its massive body crashed to the ground, kicking up dust. After a few twitches, it completely lost its life force!

Its eyes were wide open, staring even in death, and its Primordial Spirit had been directly shattered by Lu Qiu's incomparably domineering Spirit Shocking Thorn, dissipating into points of light in the air!

The giant shark Yao Beast and the octopus Yao Beast, having just rushed out of the crack, were scared out of their wits upon seeing this scene!

They could even clearly see the lingering fear and despair in the golden lion-shaped Yao Beast's eyes!

Before they could react, three figures pounced on them like ghosts from three different directions!

It was Lu Jiaoer, the Black Water Poison Python, and the Beast Owl hiding in the shadows!

Lu Jiaoer held a red longsword, the sword light like a rainbow, carrying sharp killing intent, aiming straight for the giant shark Yao Beast's head!

Her eyes were cold, without the slightest pity; suppressed for so long, she could finally strike to her heart's content!

The Black Water Poison Python turned into a black shadow, opened its large mouth, and sprayed a thick black poisonous mist, enveloping the octopus Yao Beast! The poisonous mist was highly corrosive; one touch meant death!

The Beast Owl, like a bolt of lightning, dived from high altitude, its sharp claws gleaming with cold light, plunging straight into the octopus Yao Beast's head!

Its speed was too fast, so fast that the octopus Yao Beast couldn't react at all!

At this moment, the giant shark Yao Beast and the octopus Yao Beast had consumed a massive amount of Yao power and stamina to break the Formation and were at their weakest! Facing the siege of Lu Jiaoer and the others, they had no power to resist! They didn't even have a chance to beg for mercy.

A moment later, the battle ended.

The giant shark Yao Beast had its head severed by Lu Jiaoer's sword; its massive head rolled to the ground, blood gushing out like a fountain, staining the ground red.

Its body twitched a few times in place before falling down unwillingly.

The octopus Yao Beast was first corroded by the Black Water Poison Python's poisonous mist, letting out shrill screams, then had its Grade Eight Demon Core crushed by the Beast Owl's claw, completely ending its life.

Its eight tentacles lay limply, like a pile of rotten mud.

Thus, all four invading Eighth-Grade Great Demons had fallen!

The air was filled with a thick smell of blood, and the ground was covered with traces of the battle.

Deep claw marks, scorched marks, shattered rocks.

Lu Qiu's figure appeared in the battlefield like a ghost.

He looked at the four massive Yao Beast corpses on the ground, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

These four Eighth-Grade Great Demons, though they had caused him some trouble, had also brought him rich Materials.

He skillfully dissected the four Yao Beast corpses, his movements clean and efficient, without any hesitation.

He took out four shining Grade Eight Demon Cores, each the size of a fist, emitting rich energy fluctuations. He then carefully collected other Materials—tough beast skin, hard beast bones, sharp claws and fangs, and some useful organs—and classified them into different Storage Pouches.

"Four Grade Eight Demon Cores, plus the previous one, that makes five. These things are all treasures. Whether used for Alchemy or Artifact Refining, they are top-tier Materials." Lu Qiu put the Grade Eight Demon Cores into his spatial bead, in a great mood.

With these Grade Eight Demon Cores, his cultivation could advance further.

However, the smile on his face didn't last long.

He suddenly looked up, gazing into the distant horizon with a solemn expression.

Lu Qiu's brows furrowed slightly, his gaze becoming sharp.

His Divine Sense sensed an extremely powerful aura, approaching the direction of Biling Island at a terrifying speed!

That aura was as conspicuous as a torch in the dark night, far more powerful than the four Eighth-Grade Great Demons just now!

If those four Eighth-Grade Great Demons were a stream, then this aura was a rushing river!

"Ninth-level Yao Beast!" Lu Qiu's expression instantly became serious, his pupils contracting slightly.

A Ninth-level Yao Beast was equivalent to a human in the Middle Stage of Nascent Soul!

Its strength was far beyond that of an Eighth-level Yao Beast!

A single Ninth-level Yao Beast could easily crush four or five Eighth-level Yao Beasts!

Although Lu Qiu was confident in his strength, he had never fought a Ninth-level Yao Beast and had to be cautious.

He didn't know what Divine Abilities or trump cards this Ninth-level Yao Beast had; everything was still an unknown.

He immediately took action, repairing the damaged Formation, replacing the torn Formation Flags, and replenishing the crushed Spirit Stones.

He also adjusted the positions of the Formation eyes and the distribution of the Spirit Stones to maximize the power of the Nine Nether Universe Formation.

He even set up a few extra contingency plans at key nodes of the Formation, just in case.

A moment later, a huge shadow appeared over Biling Island.

It was a Ninth-level Yao Beast covered in dark purple scales, shaped like a Qilin but with a ferocious Dragon head!

Its body was a hundred zhang long, hovering in the air like a small mountain, blocking the sky and casting a large shadow.

Its dark purple scales shimmered with a cold light in the sunlight, emitting a terrifying pressure!

That pair of giant eyes, like purple gemstones, looked down coldly at Biling Island below, as if looking at a group of ants.

Two streams of white Qi sprayed from its nostrils, making a low roaring sound.

A thunderous voice exploded in the air, shaking the entire island slightly: "Listen, creatures on the island! Immediately hand over the human Cultivator who is undergoing Nascent Soul Formation! Otherwise, don't blame this King for being ruthless and leveling your island, along with all the creatures on it, to the ground! This King means what he says!"

Lu Qiu's voice came from the island, neither humble nor arrogant, carrying a trace of a cold smile and mockery: "If you have the guts, come and break the Formation! I want to see what you're capable of! Don't just talk!"

The Ninth-level Yao Beast was furious upon hearing this!

"Courting death! Since you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit, don't blame this King for being ruthless!"

It roared, its voice full of anger and killing intent, and raised a giant claw covered in dark purple scales, its fingertips flashing with cold light, bringing a world-destroying power as it slammed down towards the outer Formation of Biling Island!

This claw seemed capable of shattering a mountain!

"Boom!"

The first layer of the Formation, like paper, instantly shattered before that giant claw!

The light curtain of the Formation shattered like glass, dissipating into points of light in the air!

"Boom!"

The second layer of the Formation didn't last long either, also shattered by one claw!

The claw's remaining force was undiminished, leaving a deep claw mark on the ground!

The Ninth-level Yao Beast flashed a look of disdain in its eyes, preparing to go deeper, only to find that it had unknowingly stepped into a more profound and powerful Formation!

"Hmm? This is..." The Ninth-level Yao Beast's expression finally became solemn. It stopped and looked around vigilantly.

It found itself as if placed in a vast starry sky, surrounded by endless stars, some bright, some dim, some close at hand, some far away.

And it seemed to have become a lonely boat, drifting aimlessly in the starry sky, unable to find direction or an exit.

It tried attacking the stars, only to find they were illusory; its attacks passed through the stars without causing any damage; it wanted to exit this starry sky, only to find the way back was cut off, and behind it was also a vast sea of stars.

"Ancient Formation?" The Ninth-level Yao Beast was knowledgeable and soon recognized this legendary ancient wonder Formation!

Its expression became extremely ugly, a hint of dread appearing in its eyes for the first time.

It knew this was an extremely troublesome trapping Formation; once trapped, it was extremely difficult to escape.

It tried various methods—tearing the Void Realm with its claws, attacking the Formation walls with Yao power, probing the Formation eyes with Divine Sense—but could never escape.

The profundity of this Formation far exceeded its imagination!

Every time it thought it had found a Breakthrough, it finally realized it was just an illusion.

The Great Demon finally couldn't help but let out an angry roar, its voice full of threats and killing intent: "Do you think you can trap this King with this broken Formation? Once I break this Formation and get out, I will ensure not a single chicken or dog remains on your island! At that time, I will pull your tendons and peel your skin, extract your Soul, and burn it with True Fire for a thousand years, making you unable to seek life or death!"

Lu Qiu stood in the Formation eye, hearing the Ninth-level Yao Beast's threat, a trace of cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.

His fists clenched slightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Hmph! Want to break the Formation? That depends on whether you have the ability!" He sneered, took several Mid-grade Spirit Stones from his spatial bead, embedded them in the Formation eye, and fully activated the Nine Nether Universe Formation!

The light of the Formation became brighter, and its operation became smoother.

Even if this Ninth-level Yao Beast could eventually break the Formation, Lu Qiu would make it pay a heavy price!