The assassin leader pointed to two men next to him, "You two, go play with them."
"Yes sir!"
The two men looked quite different from each other. One was bulky and muscular while the other was lean and fast. They activated their beast arts as they approached. The larger one grew larger in size as horns sprouted from his forehead. It was the same Bull Transformation Art that Ji Ming used during the tournament. The other one turned into a hairy rat man with long sharp claws like little swords and looked almost like an overgrown groundhog.
"Switch, I'll take the big guy!" Zhou Ziyun yelled.
"Ok!" Lin Qingcheng replied as she faced off against the clawed enemy.
The bull man was offended by this as Zhou Ziyun was still in the Mind Focusing Realm.
"Bitch, don't look down on me! Mooo!"
He charged at Zhou Ziyun. Zhou Ziyun activated her Flying Sentinel armor to dodge the charging bull. Somehow, she was able to get away and found herself behind him. Even with Flying Sentinel and her power boost, she was probably around the 10th Level of Mind Focusing in speed and power. However, Zhou Ziyun felt a strange warmth from a foreign spiritual energy and she was able to avoid the full speed charge.
She didn't hesitate as she launched her strongest attack towards the bull man's back. Her immortal saber sang as it cut a blinding arc in the air. The white light crashed against the bull man's spiritual cloak and managed to split it, drawing blood. It seemed her saber was also more powerful than usual, but it wasn't enough.
"That's a nice weapon!" He grimaced in pain from the cut.
Zhou Ziyun gasped for air as she stared at her opponent. She had used all her strength and the strongest attack in the Flying Dragon Saber Art but it only caused a small cut. The gap between Spirit Initiate and Mind Focusing was simply too large. Her enemy was too strong!
"Ziyun, don't be scared." A soft ghostly voice drifted between the two.
"Master?"
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
Both Zhou Ziyun and the bull man heard the voice and looked around for the source. Zhou Ziyun was sure it was Chen Wentian but she couldn't see him.
"I won't fall for that trick again! There's nobody to save you!" The bull man roared in anger.
He charged over again but this time, the Insightful Swallow leaped out of Zhou Ziyun's hand. It seemed to have a mind of its own as it spun towards her opponent.
Sshhiiinng! Splat!
The blade sliced completely through the bull man's arm as he tried to block. The power of the slice was way beyond the Spirit Initiate Realm!
"Ahhhhh!" He fell as he clutched his stump of an arm in agony.
"Ziyun, go to Qingcheng..." Chen Wentian's voice sounded again.
Zhou Ziyun turned to see Lin Qingcheng was barely holding off the claws of her attacker. She looked pretty tired but her immortal armor protected her from harm.
The assassin leader frowned, "Not good, they have some secret artifacts, everybody attack with full power, suppress them!"
The grassland instantly filled with fourteen bestial auras as the assassins unleashed their beast cultivation arts. The various beast transformations arts turned them into half wolves, half lions, half bulls, and more.
Zhou Ziyun reached Lin Qingcheng and they stood back to back as they stared at the army of savage beast men.
"Elder sister, did master talk to you?" Lin Qingcheng asked.
"Yeah... wait, what?"
"Girls, don't be so tense." Chen Wentian's voice laughed in their ear.
"What?" They were both shocked and looked around but found only enemies. What was going on?
"Get them!" The fourteen beast men roared as they charged at the girls. But as they approached, something unexpected happened!
Lin Qingcheng first felt and then saw her Golden Serpent Robe lose its color and power as a large mass of energy emerged from it. It then expanded in size and morphed into a giant golden phantom. There were golden scales that glittered in the sunlight as the phantom coiled itself completely around her and Zhou Ziyun.
Boom!
Fourteen bodies slammed into the ghostly golden scales but were blown back, as if they had charged into solid metal! Some sported a squashed face as they had charged headfirst. Others found their claws had become chipped and broken.
"What is this!"
"Ahhh!"
They looked up to see the image of a massive serpent! Its skin was completely golden but see through. The body was thicker than tree trunks and the triangular head could easily swallow three or four people at a time. The eyes, larger than dinner plates, blinked as they stared down at Lin Qingcheng and Zhou Ziyun.
"Attack! It must be a protective treasure; it can't last for long!"
They tried once again, but their attacks were woefully ineffective as they bounced uselessly off the golden snake skin. The serpent formed a complete protective shield as it wrapped around the two girls. It was impossible for them to breakthrough.
The snake opened its mouth... and laughed!
"Hahaha, you trash dogs of He Zicheng. Do you think you can kill my disciples that easily?"
"Master?" Lin Qingcheng stared up at the snake in confusion.
"It's master!" Zhou Ziyun yelled as well. She wasn't really sure but it was good to spook the assassins.
The fourteen assassins had looks of shock and horror as they stared up at the gigantic ghostly snake. They had never seen something like this before. Chen Wentian would take at least a few hours to get to this place. How could he be here now? How could he be a snake? The leader was extremely shocked and was quickly debating his options. He was strongly considering retreating when a voice cut into his thoughts.
"Thinking of running? You're all going to die here!" Chen Wentian's voice sounded again, but not from the snake this time and it also seemed slightly higher pitched.
An apparition flew out of the Insightful Swallow, leaving the sword dull and grey. It shot into the air and transformed into a large white swallow with wings five meters wide. Its wing tips and feathers seemed to glow and emit a sharp light. Its beak was silvery and contained a mysterious power. The swallow flapped in midair and hovered overhead, its small black eyes sweeping the battlefield.
"Four 10th Level Spirit Initiates, a decent attempt! But you can leave your lives here!" The swallow opened its mouth as it spoke in a familiar voice.
The bird suddenly dived towards the nearest two enemies.
"Ahhhh!"
Thud!
Before the two unfortunate men could react, the swallow was already in the air behind them. They felt their lower body separate from their torso as they crumpled to the ground. Dead! Cleaved in two! The swallow flapped its wings again and began a massacre.
"Ahhh!"
"Impossible!"
"Stop it!"
"This is not possible!" The assassin leader muttered in terror as he backed away. "You're not Chen Wentian. Who are you?"
They were fourteen of the best cultivators from the Lion Lord's faction, many of them with decades of experience. The assassin leader was even an elder within the Beast God Sanctum. Yet they simply stood no chance against an immortal. The plan was supposed to be airtight and they had made sure there were no immortals living within ten thousand miles of this place. Yet there were two apparitions in front of him that were clearly at the immortal level. There was no way they could be Chen Wentian! There was no way he could travel thousands of miles in an instant!
The assassin leader stared at the serpent and the swallow with hatred and remorse. But it was too late for that. The swallow shot down from the sky and twirled its body around as it spun. It was like a meat grinder, leaving only a bloody mist behind.