This was a blue energy sphere with a diameter of several dozen kilometers. Within its covered range, terrifying energy washed over everything countless times per second. Rocks, trees, everything in its vicinity was reduced to dust at this moment.

The eight demon saints' eyes sparkled with shock. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they would find it hard to believe that this was an attack created by a human martial artist in the True Martial Realm. Even their all-out strikes couldn't reach such a level.

"If it were me, I'd probably already be on our honored clan's heroic spirit monument by tomorrow."

"It's terrifying. How could there be such a terrifying human in this world? Do we demons still have hope?"

"No wonder the Clan Leader of the Rift Sky Beast personally brought him here and even withdrew the demon saints from their clan."

"Is that old turtle gone?"

"I think it's likely. Maybe it really is gone!"

The impact of this energy lasted a full ten minutes before gradually subsiding. Zhang Menglong's figure slowly emerged from the thick smoke. Apart from being a bit dusty from the aftershocks of the explosion, he was completely unharmed.

As for that Wood Forest Dragon Turtle Beast...

It had retracted its body into its shell, and the runes on the shell had become incredibly dull, as if the energy contained within had been completely exhausted. Besides the original patterns on the shell, there were a few large cracks.

If the force of this attack were any stronger, even the shell might have been shattered!

The Wood Forest Dragon Turtle Beast's body slowly shrank back into the form of an old man in a dark green robe. However, at this moment, he was far from vibrant, looking weak and disheveled, with even blood at the corner of his mouth.

"That old turtle is injured!"

"If I remember correctly, hundreds of years ago, during the all-out war between our Wild Bear Beast clan and their Dragon Turtle Beast clan, three demon saints besieged him but couldn't make him bleed, right?"

"True to being the most defensively powerful race, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't have survived."

For a moment, the eight demon saints didn't know whether to praise Zhang Menglong for his powerful attacking force or to praise the Wood Forest Dragon Turtle Beast's defensive gift.

"Sorry about that, I concede," Zhang Menglong said. "I suppose I won this gamble?"

"Thank you, young friend, for going easy on me at the end," the old man said with a slight bow towards Zhang Menglong.

Being the one who bore the brunt, he naturally understood the power of that shockwave.

The runes on their Dragon Turtle Beast's bodies are a natural gift. The plants that grow on them are not ordinary; while they provide an environment for these plants to grow, the plants in return give back an energy which drives the ancient runes on their bodies.

Relying on this defensive talent, they can withstand attacks one level higher than their own realm. As a high-level demon saint, his shell can even withstand the attack of a peak demon saint!

However, Zhang Menglong's shockwave exhausted all of his defensive energy in less than a second, leaving him to endure the attack with just his body. If Zhang Menglong hadn't held back a bit at the end, he definitely wouldn't have escaped destruction!

"I didn't come here intending to start a conflict, and I didn't want to harm any of you," Zhang Menglong explained.

It's not that he isn't capable, but if he killed this group, he would have offended the Nine Great Demonic Clan. Although he isn't afraid, it would eventually become a hassle, and turning enemies into friends is sometimes more meaningful than killing them.

"I lost this gamble," the old man admitted. "You may pass; I will explain this to the clan. Old ghosts, what about you?"

"We're willing to accept our loss as well!" The other eight demon saints chimed in, admitting defeat was no problem for them.

"By the way, who just mentioned about becoming brothers?" a demon saint suddenly asked.

"Yes, kid, you do have some skill. Becoming brothers with you wouldn't diminish our status."

"Right, I, Liman, thought you weren't an ordinary person from the start. I acknowledge you as my brother!"

"Sure, why not!" Making a trip and gaining several demon saints as brothers, Zhang Menglong naturally wouldn't refuse, having the people of the Ten Great Honored Clans as backing meant he could walk unhindered in the Demon Beast Dynasty in the future.

"Big Brothers, I'm 41 this year, probably the youngest among us, right?"

"I'm Old Niu, 5732 years old."

"I'm 7233 years old!"

"This beauty..."

"What are you looking at? Want me to kill you?" Shadow Moon remained extremely sensitive about her age.

...

"I am 127,876 years old." As expected, the Wood Forest Dragon Turtle Beast was the oldest; although it appeared as an old man, for their lifespan, it might only be halfway through.

"Alright, with Heaven Above, today I, Zhang Menglong, form a sworn brotherhood with these eight elder brothers and one elder sister. We will share blessings and face difficulties together!"

"You sure know how to talk!" Hearing the term 'elder sister', Shadow Moon broke into a smile.

"Menglong, what exactly are you planning to do in the Divine Tree Domain?" Liman asked.

"I want to accompany my friend to the forbidden area of the Sky Beast Clan."

Hearing those words, the nine exchanged looks. In fact, it's not only the Sky Beast Clan that has such an altar; each of their clans has one, and so do some of the larger demon beast races besides the Ten Great Honored Clans.

However, no one has ever returned alive from it so far.

After Zhang Menglong briefly explained the situation, the nine couldn't help but admire his determination.

"Since you've decided, we won't stop you," they said.

"You may enter!"

"You letting me in won't cause any problems?" Zhang Menglong asked.

"Hahaha, you're only True Martial rank nine now; how much you can consume is probably negligible."

"You don't understand," Zhang Menglong said. "My cultivation technique is extremely powerful, and the energy from each of my breakthroughs is terrifying."

"This..." the group exchanged looks and realized it made sense. Despite his current rank, he could unleash such terrifying power, and these 200,000 energy pearls could help ordinary demon beasts break through to demon saints, but for Zhang Menglong, it might not be much.

They were stationed here to guard the Divine Tree Domain under the orders of their respective top tiers, and it wasn't the nine of them who had the final say. The ten-year deadline was fast approaching, and if the energy pearls of the Divine Tree weren't harvested, they couldn't escape responsibility.

"It's alright, we'll face some punishment, but it won't be too severe," the old man assured.

Though they might face a charge of negligence, given their status within their clans, it would likely just result in some reprimands.

After all, these energy pearls are harvested every ten years, and losing ten years isn't significant for the lifespan of a demon beast; it's like a blink of an eye.

"No, since we're brothers now, I can't let you get punished," Zhang Menglong insisted.

"Hahaha, the clan rules are set by our honored clans; they aren't so easily changed," the nine brothers and sister laughed.

"If you all become the leaders of your clans, couldn't you change them?" Zhang Menglong grinned. "If you can defeat your Clan Leader, I'd like to see who would dare to punish you."

The group froze for a moment; indeed, in the demon beast world, strength is king. The leaders of their clans are the strongest in their races, but defeating the Clan Leader is easier said than done.

Zhang Menglong searched through Gou Dan's database for a while, "I have some amazing cultivation techniques. I think they'd be perfect for you guys; want to check them out? Train for a few months, and promotions and raises, becoming Clan Leaders, won't just be a dream!"