Chapter 317 - 313: The Power of Magic

Chapter 317: Chapter 313: The Power of Magic

As the Fire Dragon danced, the black poisonous mist released by a Profound Armor Centipede was instantly incinerated.

The two Demon Beasts couldn’t dodge in time and were swallowed whole by the Fire Dragon, letting out a series of piercing shrieks.

The two Demon Beasts had powerful defenses. Even their Protective Demonic Power was something an ordinary Cultivator could not easily break through.

But before the Fire Dragon, they were utterly defenseless.

Soon, the Demon Beasts were dead, not even having had the chance to use their Demon Pills.

Although the two Demon Beasts were dead, their claws and fangs were relatively tough and had survived.

Of course, Zhang Chi had done this on purpose.

After all, he was killing Demon Beasts for their Demon Beast Materials and Demon Pills, so he naturally had to control the mighty power of his Magic.

That was right—what Zhang Chi used this time was Magic.

Years ago, he had performed a Soul Search on a Ten Thousand Laws Sect Cultivator, effectively inheriting the sect’s legacy of Magic. Furthermore, his powerful Divine Soul gave him extremely high Comprehension, and the quality of his Golden Core was superb.

This directly elevated his mastery of Magic to an extremely high level, allowing him to far surpass even Ten Thousand Laws Sect Cultivators of the same Realm.

It was just that he had too many techniques at his disposal, so he generally didn’t use Magic.

ROAR!

After slaying the two Demon Beasts, the Fire Dragon’s mighty power showed no signs of weakening. It even seemed to grow more ferocious as it pounced, claws and fangs bared, at more Demon Beasts that had revealed themselves.

In an instant, the area ahead became a sea of flames, and the Demon Beasts within were burned to death one after another.

Moreover, the Fire Dragon specifically targeted Tier Three Demon Beasts.

Zhang Chi fully unleashed his powerful Divine Thought, locating every Tier Three Demon Beast within a radius of over a hundred miles.

In truth, the Beast Tide was an all-out assault, so the Demon Beasts were normally quite scattered.

But these Demon Beasts were cunning. They knew to kill the powerful human experts first and had various means of detection.

As a result, most of the Tier Three Demon Beasts had already gathered in this area, preparing to surround, kill, and devour Zhang Chi and the Profound Sun Sect’s Golden Core Cultivators.

Unfortunately for them, they had all become Zhang Chi’s targets. It was too late to escape.

Zhang Chi didn’t forget his own defenses, either. Despite his Armor and powerful Body Refining Cultivation, he still cast a set of Five Elements Defense Techniques, enveloping himself in a tight guard.

He was using the same technique as the Ten Thousand Laws Sect Cultivator he had encountered. The Defense Magic spells complemented and stacked on top of one another, forming a single, integrated barrier with defenses comparable to a Magical Treasure.

This way, even if a Demon Beast was lucky enough to slip through and get close, it would be utterly unable to breach his magical defenses and would be instantly killed by a casual Wind Blade or some similar technique.

"Wh-what is going on?"

"This Master Xiao’s mastery of Magic is that profound? His attacks are that destructive?"

"He killed two Tier Three Peak Demon Beasts just like that? He didn’t even need to use a Magical Treasure?"

"Don’t tell me he can fight this entire Beast Tide by himself?"

Mo Xue and the others were completely stunned. It took them a long moment to snap out of it, and they all began to exclaim in shock.

Clearly, they had never dreamed that this Master Xiao could be so overwhelmingly powerful and invincible.

"Quick, let’s join Master Xiao and take this chance to repel this Beast Tide!"

"Right!"

Then, as the cultivators saw more Demon Beasts charging out of the sandstorm, they delayed no longer. They immediately began to wield their Magical Treasures and various Secret Divine Techniques, joining the fray.

However, they quickly discovered that they could only manage to kill a few Tier Two Demon Beasts. All the Tier Three Demon Beasts were being found and slain first by Zhang Chi’s nine Fire Dragons.

In just a few moments, over a hundred Tier Three Demon Beasts had been slaughtered. The morale of the remaining Low Tier Demon Beasts instantly collapsed. They let out terrified cries and retreated like a receding tide.

The other cultivators seized the opportunity to give chase, killing many more.

After slaughtering the Tier Three Demon Beasts, the nine Fire Dragons pounced on the Low Tier ones like tigers let loose among sheep. Everywhere they went, the Low Tier Demon Beasts were reduced to ash, leaving only Demon Beast Materials and Demon Pills behind.

At the same time, the sandstorm dissipated. This wave of the Beast Tide had been repelled before it had even truly begun.

"Heavens, the Beast Tide is over just like that? We didn’t even have to fall back to the Oasis and rely on the Array?"

"Could it be that this Elder Xiao is actually a legendary Dharma Cultivator?"

Only then did the nine Fire Dragons finally dissipate. Zhang Chi stood there, completely unharmed, his spoils of war immense.

The desert fell silent once more. If not for the ground covered in ashes, the cultivators might have suspected the entire battle had been an illusion.

When they looked at Zhang Chi again, their eyes were filled with reverence.

Even the two Golden Core Peak Nascent Soul Seeds from the Profound Sun Sect now addressed Zhang Chi as "Elder."

It also brought certain legends to their minds.

It was said that in the Immortal Cultivation Realm, there were not only Sword Cultivators, Body Cultivators, and Talisman Cultivators, but also Dharma Cultivators—those who used only Magic and eschewed Magical Treasures.

Now, they suspected Zhang Chi was just such a Cultivator, and undoubtedly one of the finest among them.

As Golden Core Masters of the Profound Sun Sect, they had always been proud, believing their Combat Power was among the best for their Tier. But now, after seeing Zhang Chi, they realized they had been nothing more than frogs in a well.

After all, even they would need to gang up on a single Tier Three Peak Demon Beast to have any hope of victory.

"Elder Xiao is actually this strong?"

Mo Xue stared at Zhang Chi, her heart filled with the same astonishment, feeling as if she were seeing him for the very first time.

She couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret as she thought about how she had overlooked him all these years.

’If I had known he was this powerful,’ she thought, ’I would have tried to get closer to him. I’m sure I could have received his guidance and benefited immensely.’

’And with someone this strong, if I had managed to truly befriend him, he would surely be a huge help in the future.’

’But now, it seems I’ve missed that chance.’

"Thank you for your help, Elder!"

Still, she immediately went forward to thank Zhang Chi, who was in the middle of collecting his spoils.

’After all,’ she thought, ’even if I missed the chance to befriend him, being polite now can at least leave a good impression.’

Besides, she truly did have to thank him. If not for him, given how strong the leading Demon Beasts in this Beast Tide were, Bailu Oasis would have suffered significant losses, even with her sect brothers’ help.

"We also thank you for your help, Elder."

"Indeed. While we may not be from Bailu Oasis, Mo Xue is our Junior Sister. And Bailu Oasis is part of the greater Xuan Yang Oasis. As Cultivators of the Profound Sun Sect, it is our duty to thank you."

At this point, the Profound Sun Sect’s Golden Core Cultivators also came forward, bowing respectfully to offer their thanks.

Faced with such an expert, they all hoped to build a connection.

Even if they couldn’t become friends, they absolutely did not want to make him an enemy.

’We actually wanted to teach him a lesson earlier? We must have been insane!’

’Exactly! Thank goodness the Beast Tide showed up when it did. We didn’t have time to make a move, or even voice our intentions. Otherwise, we would have met a miserable end!’

At the same time, these Profound Sun Sect Cultivators were filled with lingering fear. They felt deeply ashamed thinking back on their earlier behavior.

’Thank goodness the Beast Tide stopped them from fighting earlier!’

Mo Xue’s heart was still pounding with fear. She had been worried that if a conflict broke out, Zhang Chi would be the one to suffer. Now she realized how wrong she had been.

With the immense Combat Power Zhang Chi had displayed, escaping unscathed would have been effortless for him. If he had decided to be ruthless, the Profound Sun Sect Cultivators would have suffered heavy casualties, and she would have been the one responsible.

Now, she finally understood why he had completely disregarded her earlier messages and warnings. He truly had the power to back up his confidence.

"It was nothing. Just a small matter. These Demon Beasts were blocking my path, so naturally, I had to kill them," Zhang Chi said with a faint smile.

But when the Profound Sun Sect Cultivators heard his words and saw his smile, a chill ran down their spines.

They all suspected Zhang Chi was warning them, implying that if they ever blocked his path again, they would end up just like the Demon Beasts.

"By the way, you said before you wanted to talk to me about something. What was it you wanted to discuss?"

Zhang Chi had finished collecting his spoils by then, but something occurred to him. He didn’t leave immediately and instead posed a question.

"It was nothing important, we just wanted to get to know you, Elder!"

"Exactly! We’ve long heard Junior Sister Mo speak of you with high praise, so we’ve been wanting to meet you!"

The Profound Sun Sect Cultivators were extremely awkward, but they were quick-witted and adapted on the fly.

"Yes, that’s right," Mo Xue quickly chimed in, grateful to her sect brothers for smoothing things over.

"Is that so? As it happens, I have a question for you. Do any of you have Nascent Soul Materials? If so, I’m willing to trade this for them, or purchase them outright."

Zhang Chi knew they were lying, but he couldn’t be bothered to call them out. With a flip of his hand, he produced a cyan-colored fruit.

The reason he had lingered to speak with them was precisely this: he had guessed that these Profound Sun Sect Cultivators might possess a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object.

After all, Mo Xue had mentioned in her message that two of them were Nascent Soul Seeds of the Profound Sun Sect.

"Heavens, it’s the Nascent Soul Spiritual Object, a Cyan Scale Fruit!"

"Elder, you actually have something like this?"

The cultivators’ eyes lit up at the sight of it. As expected of cultivators from a Major Sect, they had sharp eyes.

"Elder, although we are members of the sect, our Cultivation has yet to reach the Golden Core Limit, so we don’t possess any Nascent Soul Materials. However, we’ll surely acquire some in the future. If you’re willing to wait, Elder..."

"That’s right! We will contact you then, Elder. We definitely won’t let you get the short end of the deal!"

After a moment, however, the cultivators all looked disappointed, including the two Nascent Soul Seeds.

Clearly, Nascent Soul Materials were too precious; not even they possessed any.

"Elder, why not join our Profound Sun Sect?" one of the Nascent Soul Seeds in a green robe suddenly suggested. "With your strength, the Profound Sun Sect would certainly grant you preferential treatment. You might even have a chance to obtain a Nascent Soul Pill."

The others’ eyes lit up, and they all looked over, their faces full of expectation.

"No, thank you. Since you don’t have any, then let’s forget it. Everyone, farewell."

Zhang Chi shook his head in disappointment. He had absolutely no interest in joining the Profound Sun Sect.

He had already made inquiries about the Profound Sun Sect’s situation.

They already had two Nascent Soul cultivators but only a single, relatively small Tier Four Spiritual Vein. They clearly lacked the resources to support any more Nascent Soul experts.

Besides, the sect already had plenty of Nascent Soul Seeds. Even if they had a Nascent Soul Spiritual Object, it wouldn’t be his turn to receive it.

In fact, it wasn’t just the Profound Sun Sect. Other top-level sects on smaller oases, like the Golden Wind Sect, were likely in the same boat.

SWOOSH!

And so, with a slight movement, Zhang Chi transformed into a streak of fiery red Escape Light and vanished into the distance.