The five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Yanwu Hall attracted the attention of the majority of the red-haired exotic beasts.
Li Fan took the opportunity to hide within the [Heavenly Fire Dragon Formation], leisurely watching the intense battle on the island.
Five sword-shaped Foundation Establishment mystical treasures alternately struck, resembling a sharp drill that turned all the obstructing exotic beasts into minced meat.
Facing the rapidly advancing Tianbian Squad, the giant Golden Core exotic beast remained indifferent.
However, its speed of grabbing its own kind for food increased significantly.
On the way, the red-haired exotic beasts, fearless of death, crazily used their bodies to form a defensive line.
They spared no effort to stop the Tianbian Squad.
These exotic beasts indeed possessed the strength of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Wave after wave of beast tide surged, and although the Tianbian Squad's swords were sharp, their progress unavoidably slowed down.
They originally relied on a trace of sharpness, and now, with their sharpness obstructed, their advance slowed down. Faced with seemingly endless red-haired exotic beasts, the pressure sharply increased.
This, in turn, led to an even slower assault.
At this critical moment, Huan Hui angrily shouted, "Change formation!"
In an instant, the other four people stood behind Huan Hui, infusing all their spiritual energy into his body.
The five swords gradually merged into one amidst a dazzling light.
The unified power of the five swords surged.
Sword qi crisscrossed, easily carving a deep trench into the ground.
The red-haired exotic beasts blocking the way dissolved like paper in the sword light.
In a moment, the giant sword had reached the front of the Golden Core beast.
At this moment, the Golden Core beast, which had consumed a large number of its own kind, had completed the transformation from virtual to real in its upper body.
However, as the sword light arrived, it had no chance to further enhance its strength.
Unwillingly, it hammered its chest and then extended its robust arms, firmly gripping the giant sword about to strike its head.
The giant sword burst into a dazzling light, attempting to break free.
But on the claws of the Golden Core beast, there was a black mist winding around, firmly entangling the sword like an incredibly resilient thread.
The huge beast opened its blood basin wide.
A strange and eerie roar emanated from it.
The sword light suddenly dimmed.
As if crushed by an invisible force, when viewed from a distance, the sword became distorted.
"Change!"
Huan Hui's voice sounded again.
The sword light disintegrated, returning to five.
The Golden Core beast's hands, exerting force, were left empty.
The Tianbian Squad members each flashed to different positions, and the five different swords simultaneously struck the Golden Core beast.
"Roar!"
The beast emitted a painful roar, but there was no spurt of blood; its form just became a bit more illusory.
With a shake of its arms, it brushed off the five swords.
It then swung a fist towards one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
But before the shockwave from the fist could approach the member of the Tianbian Squad, the formation changed once again.
The five people gathered again in one place, appearing behind the Golden Core beast.
This time, however, a different person led the way.
The five swords merged once again.
Fiercely slashing at the back of the beast.
Suffering a sudden heavy blow, it staggered, almost falling to the ground.
Then, it grabbed one of its own kind, threw it into its mouth, and restored its injuries.
At the same time, it swung its arms to block the sword light.
However, the Tianbian Squad did not engage it directly.
After a moment, the five individuals separated again, appearing in different positions.
Leaving the beast with five new wounds.
In this way, the Tianbian Squad, amidst the changing formations, continuously weakened the strength of the Golden Core beast.
Despite having great physical strength, the beast couldn't hit anyone.
It could only helplessly endure the beating, watching its injuries gradually worsen.
Its anger accumulated, and its breathing became heavier.
In a fit of rage, the red fur on the beast's body stood upright.
After another heavy blow from the unified sword light, its anger finally reached its peak.
The red fur suddenly seemed to come to life, growing madly.
The beast tore off a large chunk of fur from its body and threw it into the air.
This twisted red fur emitted an ominous aura and then, like twisted tentacles, continuously extended.
The Golden Core beast's actions didn't stop as it tore off all the fur from its body.
And the space around it, those red hairs seemed like one bundle after another of yarn, connecting and intertwining.
The sword light occasionally touched them, captured by them, requiring considerable effort to break free.
As the red hairs grew, the space available for the Tianbian Squad to maneuver became smaller and smaller.
Often, it took a long struggle to unleash a sword strike.
On the other hand, with the red hairs as a protective shield, the Golden Core beast became increasingly adept.
No longer worried about the sword light's attacks, it not only launched its own attacks but also casually threw its incoming kind into its mouth, enhancing its strength.
"It seems the situation is not good." Li Fan, watching from a distance, incinerated a red-haired exotic beast trying to sneak up on him, and his brows furrowed slightly as he considered whether to secretly lend a hand.
At this moment, Jiang Zhengji's voice came from above, "Do you know where you went wrong? The moment that beast manifested, you should have launched a full-scale attack, not hesitated until it had swallowed a large number of red-haired exotic beasts, undergone a qualitative change in strength, and then acted."
"In a life-and-death battle, a moment of hesitation can lead to a failed outcome."
"After it entered the Golden Core realm, the outcome of this mission was already determined."
"Although the Tianbian Formation is powerful, this Golden Core beast has almost endless similar beings as food, making it stronger as the battle progresses."
"And your strength will only get weaker."
"However, under your mutual cooperation, you managed to force it into the red-haired form, which is beyond my expectations."
"It seems your usual practice was not in vain."
"This time, even if you barely pass."
Huan Hui and the others, upon hearing this, first showed a hint of embarrassment.
But then, upon hearing that they had passed the mission, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Before Jiang Zhengji's words could settle, he appeared on top of the Golden Core beast.
The beast sensed the crisis and was about to react.
But it was already too late.
The snow falling from the sky rushed towards the beast.
Blizzard covered the sky, but it all landed on the beast.
In an instant, the beast was completely wrapped up.
A somewhat comical giant snowman appeared under Jiang Zhengji's feet.
Initially, the beast inside the snowman wanted to struggle, but as the snow piled up, its movements became weaker and weaker.
Eventually, it completely lost the power to resist.
While the Golden Core beast was sealed by the heavy snow, the twisted red hairs around tried to come to its rescue.
However, the red plum blossoms that bloomed all over Wanlai Island scattered in the wind, cutting through the red threads endlessly.
The red plum blossoms, like knives, continuously cut these red thread bundles, tirelessly.
The red hairs, split into extremely fine pieces, accompanied by petals, fell under the red plum tree.
The petals, carrying the red hairs, gradually withered.
Turning into dust, absorbed by the red plum tree.
Leaving only a lingering fragrance in the world.
Jiang Zhengji, admiring the now bare branches of the red plum tree, took a gentle step forward, stepping on the head of the snowman.
The giant snowman gradually shrank.
In the end, it turned into a miniature model the size of a palm, which Jiang Zhengji collected.
In the blink of an eye, in the astonished expressions of Huan Hui and the others, the Golden Core beast, which had left the Tianbian Squad helpless, was easily captured.
The vast difference between the mid-Golden Core and Foundation Establishment stages was evident.
(End of this chapter)