After completing all this, Li Fan's face turned pale, and he was panting.
"Please, friends, lead these beasts near the formations I've set up."
Li Fan conveyed through voice transmission.
A Foundation Establishment cultivator named Huan Hui nodded, "Friend, you've worked hard. We'll take it from here."
As everyone knew, the path of formations was arduous and obscure, requiring a considerable amount of time for study. It was reasonable for one to excel in formations but be slightly weaker in actual combat. Moreover, there was no expectation that this external aid could do much. Being able to set up so many remarkable formations at once was already an unexpected joy.
Huan Hui took out a small drum and struck it forcefully.
A roar resembling that of ancient fierce beasts immediately echoed from the drum, spreading in all directions.
On Wanlai Island, the headless exotic beasts lying lazily on the ground all abruptly stood up, looking towards the direction where Li Fan and the others were.
Afterward, they patted their chests, seemingly very excited.
Like a surging tide, they rushed over one after another.
Huan Hui and the others stood in formation, facing the approaching tide of exotic beasts without changing their expressions.
Five Foundation Establishment magical treasures simultaneously appeared around them, surprisingly five differently shaped swords.
The sword lights intersected, as if forming a certain sword formation.
Any exotic beast that entered it was annihilated by the sword light.
Under the activation of the Celestial Spirit Fire Dragon Formation, formed by the [天灵火龙阵], they turned into ashes.
The drumbeat continued, like a death knell, irresistibly drawing the exotic beasts to come and die one after another.
The Tianbian Squad operated like a meat grinder, harvesting their lives ruthlessly and efficiently.
Gradually, the death of many exotic beasts caused unrest among the group.
They began to counterattack.
"Roar!"
The headless exotic beasts pounded their chests, opened their huge blood mouths, and simultaneously emitted earth-shaking roars.
Invisible sound waves converged, forming a substantial fist shadow above Wanlai Island.
The red fist shadow instantly struck towards the five-person sword formation.
"Bang!"
Huan Hui and the others simultaneously spat out blood, their faces showing horror.
The five swords trembled slightly, and the formation became chaotic.
Immediately, many red-haired exotic beasts took advantage of this opportunity, broke through the blockade, and rushed towards the five.
Although they were easily slaughtered, the expressions of the five were no longer as relaxed as before.
Seeing this, Li Fan knew he couldn't be too passive.
Also showing a serious expression, Li Fan took out several beast bones from his storage ring and set up a new formation.
This time, just as the fist shadow formed by the roars of the red-haired exotic beasts was about to take shape, a series of very discordant, grating metallic friction sounds suddenly emerged, mixed within.
It was as if pure water had been mixed into the mud, becoming muddy.
The fist shadow formed by the roars of the exotic beasts, after being mixed with the strange noises, became somewhat blurred, significantly reducing its power.
It was effortlessly blocked by the five-person sword formation.
Huan Hui and the others showed joyful expressions, "Friend, impressive means!"
Li Fan waved his hand, looking pale, seemingly at a loss.
The scales of victory tilted back towards the Tianbian Squad.
Hundreds and thousands of headless exotic beasts were slaughtered one after another.
However, their numbers were just too many.
The Tianbian Squad's slaughter, compared to all the red-haired exotic beasts on the island, was just a drop in the bucket.
Perhaps if this continued, with the Spirit Gathering formation supplementing spiritual energy, given enough time, they could slowly complete the task.
However, after half a day, when the number of dead companions reached a certain level, the red-haired exotic beasts discovered that their roaring fist shadow was no longer effective.
They stopped roaring.
Even the fearless charges came to a halt.
Seeing this, Huan Hui was puzzled.
He struck the small drum again, attempting to attract the attention of the red-haired exotic beasts. However, the previously irresistibly alluring drumbeat had now lost its effect.
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
"Bang!"
They stopped attacking and instead rhythmically pounded their chests.
The sound, amidst the continuous resonance, became louder and louder.
Li Fan sensed that something was wrong. Although he promptly activated the previously arranged Entangling Muddy Water Formation, the interference from this grand ensemble was too significant.
Fortunately, Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang, who had been watching the battle, finally stopped being bystanders at this moment.
The goose feather-sized snow began to drift in the sky.
The intensity of the coordinated sound was significantly reduced as the snowflakes fluttered.
A gust of wind blew through, lifting thousands of piles of snow and, at the same time, blowing off the petals of the blooming red plum blossoms reflecting the snow.
The petals danced with the wind, resembling deadly blades.
Every time they floated past a headless exotic beast, it silently took away their lives.
It could be seen that the combined efforts of the two mid-level Golden Core cultivators made these red-haired exotic beasts, which acted purely on instinct with Foundation Establishment strength, utterly powerless.
But Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang seemed to have a limit in mind.
There was no widespread slaughter; they merely slightly reduced the power of the red-haired exotic beasts' coordinated sound.
However, they didn't completely stop its formation.
So, amidst the increasingly urgent and loud drumbeats, a giant shadow of a red-haired exotic beast slowly took shape.
The pressure faintly emanating from the shadow was only slightly weaker than Jiang Zhengji's.
"Golden Core stage!"
Li Fan and the Tianbian Squad of five became serious.
Although it seemed to be weaker than the true Golden Core stage, it was undoubtedly far beyond the Foundation Establishment level.
However, after the giant Golden Core beast showed its form, it didn't rush to attack Li Fan and the others.
Instead, it grabbed its own kind from the ground and voraciously chewed them up.
Countless red-haired exotic beasts on Wanlai Island, seeing their own kind being eaten, not only showed no fear but also excitedly emitted strange cries.
The Golden Core beast didn't hesitate, continuously devouring its weaker kin.
Gradually, its shadow unexpectedly became more solid.
It seemed that with an increasing number of consumed companions, it could complete the transformation from virtual to real!
Jiang Zhengji and Du Xingchang, with their hands crossed over their chests, had cold expressions as they calmly watched the situation unfold.
However, Huan Hui became anxious, "If that beast becomes solid, its strength will be comparable to a true Golden Core cultivator. Even if we all join forces and fight to the death, we might not win!"
Another person spoke up, "That's right, we can't wait any longer!"
Li Fan also nodded, "I'll set up the last formation, the [Backwater] Formation, to assist you all!"
Then, he took out the formation materials from his storage ring.
In a moment, the [Backwater] Formation was set up.
The Tianbian Squad's momentum suddenly soared.
"The formation can only last for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."
Li Fan, looking as pale as paper, said weakly, seeming to have suffered significant mental exhaustion.
Huan Hui and the others exchanged glances and nodded.
"If we can't defeat that beast, even if we can save our lives, we'll lose the qualification for promotion."
"There's no way back, only a desperate fight!"
"Kill!"
The five people, with resolute expressions, mutually supporting each other like a sharp sword, fiercely attacked the Golden Core beast.
(End of this chapter)