Chapter 186: Martial Arts Ninth Squad

Merit tasks triggered by random events were always being watched by cultivators. Li Fan directly accepted the task to avoid being snatched by others. Soon, a communication symbol with a friend request arrived.

Martial Arts Hall, Jiang Zhengji.

Li Fan accepted the request, and Jiang Zhengji's message came through: "Friend Li Fan, I have already checked your basic information. With your late Foundation Establishment cultivation and the assistance of formations, there should be no risk in completing this task with our team. I will send you the information for this trip to Wanlai Island later, so you can prepare in advance. We'll set off tomorrow morning and gather at the Transmission Square."

Li Fan didn't rush to check the information Jiang Zhengji sent but first examined Jiang Zhengji's personal information. When his spiritual awareness touched the star representing Jiang Zhengji in the starry sky, a brief message appeared in Li Fan's mind.

Jiang Zhengji, a member of the Tianbian Squad in the Martial Arts Hall on Wan Xian Island. He had a mid-Golden Core cultivation.

Li Fan had some knowledge about the Tianbian Squad. It was one of the nine martial squads in the Martial Arts Hall.

In the Wan Xian Alliance, matters related to martial arts were handled by the Martial Arts Hall, while the Law Protector Hall dealt with issues related to techniques. The other eight squads were Tianjun, Tiancang, Tianbian, Tianxuan, Tianyou, Tianhao, Tianzhu, and Tianyan. Apart from Tianjun, which had a slightly higher position for overall coordination, the other squads were on equal footing.

"I wonder how many members of the Tianbian Squad will be dispatched for this task."

With these thoughts, Li Fan opened the information about the task of clearing the exotic beasts on Wanlai Island.

Wanlai Island was located in the southwest region of the Congyun Sea. It was inhabited by a peculiar headless exotic beast with short lower limbs and robust arms. Although they crawled on the ground, their speed was extremely fast. These beasts had no heads; instead, there was a bloodthirsty mouth on their chest. They fed on sound, and whenever they were hungry, making any noise would satisfy them. With thick skin and the ability to quickly recover from injuries by absorbing sound, these beasts were formidable opponents. In addition, they utilized sound waves as a weapon and reproduced rapidly, making them the dominant force on Wanlai Island.

"Feeding on sound, quite interesting."

After roughly understanding the task, Li Fan purchased some array materials from the Heavenly Mirror. If he could complete this task without exposing his true strength, relying solely on formations to handle it, that would be ideal.

Without delving into too much detail about the preparations, Li Fan arrived at the Transmission Square early the next morning.

It didn't take long for Jiang Zhengji to lead six people towards him.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jiang!" Li Fan clasped his hands in salute.

"Fellow Daoist Li, sorry to have kept you waiting." Jiang Zhengji replied politely, then proceeded to introduce the six people behind him.

One of them also had a mid-Golden Core cultivation, while the rest, like Li Fan, were at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

After a brief exchange, everyone used the transmission array to reach the nearest Turtle Longevity Island. After flying for a considerable distance, a lush island appeared in the distance.

"I wonder how many members of the Tianbian Squad will be dispatched for this task."

Li Fan had such thoughts as he opened the information about the task of clearing the exotic beasts on Wanlai Island.

Wanlai Island was located in the southwest region of the Congyun Sea. It was inhabited by a peculiar headless exotic beast with short lower limbs and robust arms. Although they crawled on the ground, their speed was extremely fast. These beasts had no heads; instead, there was a bloodthirsty mouth on their chest. They fed on sound, and whenever they were hungry, making any noise would satisfy them. With thick skin and the ability to quickly recover from injuries by absorbing sound, these beasts were formidable opponents. In addition, they utilized sound waves as a weapon and reproduced rapidly, making them the dominant force on Wanlai Island.

"Feeding on sound, quite interesting."

After roughly understanding the task, Li Fan purchased some array materials from the Heavenly Mirror. If he could complete this task without exposing his true strength, relying solely on formations to handle it, that would be ideal.

Without delving into too much detail about the preparations, Li Fan arrived at the Transmission Square early the next morning.

It didn't take long for Jiang Zhengji to lead six people towards him.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Jiang!" Li Fan clasped his hands in salute.

"Fellow Daoist Li, sorry to have kept you waiting." Jiang Zhengji replied politely, then proceeded to introduce the six people behind him.

One of them also had a mid-Golden Core cultivation, while the rest, like Li Fan, were at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

After a brief exchange, everyone used the transmission array to reach the nearest Turtle Longevity Island. After flying for a considerable distance, a lush island appeared in the distance.

"That herd of beasts is extremely sensitive to sound. To avoid alerting them, once we enter their territory, everyone should refrain from speaking. Converge your breath and communicate with spiritual awareness," Jiang Zhengji instructed.

Everyone expressed their understanding.

Upon entering the range of Wanlai Island, the surroundings immediately became silent. The sound of waves and the wind disappeared.

Silently flying over Wanlai Island, Li Fan looked down and felt a chill in his heart. The vast island was crowded with headless exotic beasts. Most of them lay lazily on the ground, doing nothing. In some places where there was no space left, they didn't fight but rather piled on top of each other, forming many small hills.

The fur of these exotic beasts was red, and at first glance, the entire surface of Wanlai Island seemed to be covered with moving red fur.

Just looking at it made one's scalp tingle.

Occasionally, one or two headless exotic beasts felt hungry and refused to even get up. With a pat on their belly, the sound barely spreading, their large mouths on the torso opened and closed, swallowing the food almost instantly. Other nearby exotic beasts would also gather around, opening their mouths to share the meal.

Apart from eating, another common activity was reproduction. Intense movements often attracted many spectators of the same kind, forming a circle and enclosing the protagonist in the middle, all with mouths wide open and drooling.

This somewhat bizarre scene on Wanlai Island was discomforting not only for Li Fan but also for the five Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Tianbian Squad. It was evident that they were executing this task for the first time, and their expressions were somewhat unsightly.

Only Jiang Zhengji and another cultivator named Du Xingchang, who was at the Golden Core stage, remained unchanged, as if they were already accustomed to it.

"Let's get started!"

Jiang Zhengji tossed a purple array diagram into the air. The purple light swelled with the wind, quickly spreading to cover the entire Wanlai Island. The headless exotic beasts below remained entirely unaware.

A radiant light surrounded Jiang Zhengji as if snowflakes were falling around him. Soon, a blizzard spread, covering the entire island.

"Golden Core Dharma Image..." Li Fan, watching this scene, had a subtle glint in his eyes. Having already exchanged knowledge about the Golden Core stage, Li Fan was familiar with this.

After reaching the Golden Core stage, one could condense the laws within the Golden Core to form a Dharma Image. When the body and image merged, it could influence and control a large area using the laws.

At this moment, the snowstorm intensified, and the temperature on Wanlai Island dropped rapidly. Some headless exotic beasts gradually sensed that something was wrong, looking around.

However, Li Fan and the others suspended in mid-air made no sound, and the beasts couldn't find any trace of them.

Meanwhile, Du Xingchang also took action. Amidst the swirling snowstorm, plum blossoms broke through the ground and bloomed proudly.

In an instant, the entire Wanlai Island was covered with white snow and red plum blossoms.

"We and Xingchang will watch from above. Each of you can take action!"

Jiang Zhengji said. The five Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Tianbian Squad nodded without hesitation and rushed towards the headless exotic beasts below.

"It seems like it's a case of veterans leading newcomers, with a bit of training involved."

Seeing this, Li Fan didn't want to openly slack off. He quickly followed suit and casually set up a Spirit Sensing Life-Extinguishing Formation, affecting the five Foundation Establishment cultivators ahead.

This Spirit Sensing Life-Extinguishing Formation was one of the formations used by Zhang Zhiliang during the extermination of Chi Yan in the twelfth era. It had the effect of enhancing attacks and strengthening coordination among individuals.

However, the power of the formation Li Fan set up at this moment was reduced by dozens of times compared to before. Nevertheless, for the five Foundation Establishment cultivators, its effectiveness was still sufficient to produce immediate results.

Afterward, Li Fan consecutively set up several formations such as the Five-Direction Gathering Spirit Formation, Sticky Silk Sluggish Formation, and Celestial Spirit Fire Dragon Formation.

(End of this chapter)