Two hours before midnight,

Ashen had already explained the deal with Qin Feng to Fanrong and the other prefecture lords. They were welcoming of it since it increased their chances of victory.

Qin Feng's group had the largest number of King realm cultivators, and allying with them was the best thing that could happen for the Zhuji Tribe.

Moreover, their trust in Ashen was already high, making them accept his plans without much protest.

Right now, the righteous tribes and demonic tribes all worked together to engage the huge amounts of beasts.

The righteous tribes attacked from the left side, and the demonic tribes attacked from the right.

They both recognized the fact that the beasts were too large in number for them to be fighting amongst themselves.

They at least needed to reduce their number before going after the treasure.

Since there were two hours left till midnight, they could take their time in reducing the beasts' numbers before competing amongst themselves to go after the treasure.

The sky had turned dark as the battlefield roared with chaos—an ocean of blood, fire, and qi that churned beneath a dark sky split by lightning.

Mountains trembled as hundreds of King Realm Spirit Beasts surged forth in a tide of destruction.

Flames blazed and storms howled as the ground quaked under their colossal forms—Fire-Breathing Pythons, each more than fifteen meters long, spewed torrents of molten fire that melted even the stones they slithered upon.

Ice Blue Antelopes, swift as winter gales, exhaled freezing mist that turned towering trees to crystal sculptures in a breath.

Among them slithered Poisonous Lavender Anacondas, their scales gleaming like polished amethyst, releasing waves of venom that corroded the very air.

Overhead, the sky darkened beneath the shadows of Metal Claw Eagles, their talons sharper than divine swords, swooping down with shrieks that tore through the noise of battle.

Blue Lightning Bulls rampaged across the field, arcs of electricity crackling across their horns, while Tempest Wolves dashed through the storm, their howls summoning violent whirlwinds.

Golden-Furred Lions, their roars shaking the clouds apart, and Needle Spiders, enormous and swift, rained down from the trees, firing thousands of venomous spines.

Even Lesser Dragons, scales glimmering in gold and crimson, joined the fray, releasing breath attacks that turned plains into blazing infernos.

And yet, standing against this tide of devastation were the King Realm Cultivators of the Eight Tribes—each unleashing their unique cultivation paths in a symphony of chaos and glory.

The Yedu Tribe, masters of venom and toxin, moved like shadows through the battlefield.

Streams of dark-green qi poured from their palms as they released clouds of poison mist that coiled around the Fire-Breathing Pythons and Anacondas.

The moment the beasts inhaled, their scales dulled, and their strength waned.

Screams echoed as the Yedu tribes' Poison Scripture of the Thousand Venoms spread through the air, corroding life itself.

Across from them, the Mei Hua Tribe turned the battlefield into a dreamscape. Mei Xueyao and other enchantresses danced amidst the chaos, their eyes glowing with pink and violet light.

Illusory lotuses bloomed from their footsteps, releasing beguiling fragrances.

The Ice Blue Antelopes turned upon their own kin, maddened by illusion, while the Golden Lions clashed with the Tempest Wolves, their roars echoing through a mirage of shifting light.

From the rear, the Xue Mo Tribe unleashed crimson waves of blood.

Their cultivators drew blood from their palms, summoning Blood Phantoms and Crimson Spears that rained from the heavens.

Each strike burst with explosive force, shattering groups of beasts in showers of gore.

The ground turned slick with blood essence, feeding their blood arts even further.

Qin Feng conjured his signature blood spikes from the ground, piercing multiple beasts at once.

Meanwhile, the Zhuji Tribe marched with their enslaved beasts. The prefecture lords stood behind their beast, releasing multi-colored fog from their hands.

The enslaved beasts bellowed as this fog surrounded them, making them go berserk, boosting their strength and speed.

When they were wounded, green mist flowed from their masters' hands, knitting flesh and bone anew.

Empowered, the beasts turned the tide, ripping apart the enemy spirit beasts with ruthless efficiency.

At the frontlines, the Tian Jian Tribe's swordsmen stood like a silver storm.

Thousands of sword lights crisscrossed the battlefield, forming rivers of sharp qi that severed claws, tails, and wings.

Every swing of their blade left arcs of white light carving through the air—Sword Path Manifestation that shredded even the scales of Lesser Dragons.

The Baihu Tribe fought bare-handed—warriors cloaked in white qi that shaped itself into tiger-like auras.

Their fists cracked through scales and armor, bones splintering beneath their strikes.

When they roared, their qi surged into spectral white tigers that tore through multiple beasts at once.

Each punch shook the earth, their physical might rivaling spirit weapons.

Above them, the Tianlu Tribe summoned divine wrath from the heavens.

Their leader's voice thundered as he raised his hands, pulling down a massive Celestial Palm formed of golden clouds.

The palm descended with crushing power, flattening dozens of beasts into the earth, leaving a crater hundreds of meters wide.

The air trembled with divine pressure, and even the dragons howled before being reduced to dust.

Lastly, from the left flank, the Qing Long Tribe advanced like a winter storm.

Frost spread beneath their feet as their cultivators wove intricate sigils of the Ice Path.

Entire regions of the battlefield froze solid, beasts trapped mid-roar, shattering into glittering shards.

At the center of their ranks, Wang Ling-Er stood upon a floating lotus of ice, her long hair whipping in the wind.

Her hands glowed with icy-blue qi as a majestic Ice Dragon coiled around her—its roar shaking the heavens.

With a command, the dragon surged forward, devouring dozens of King Realm beasts before crushing their remains with its claws, leaving behind a field of frozen corpses.

~

The chaotic battle went on for another hour and a half, leaving only forty beasts defending the treasure; however, even they were wounded.

The onslaught of the eight tribes' different cultivation arts wasn't something they could endure.

However, the beasts weren't the only ones with casualties.

Many cultivators lost their lives in the previous battle; however, their numbers were minimal when compared to the slaughter of the beasts.

Two cultivators were each killed from the Yedu and Mei Hua Tribes.

The Tian Jian Tribe lost three cultivators, similar to the Baihu Tribe.

The Qinglong Tribe lost one, and the Tianlu Tribe lost two.

The only tribes left without any casualties were the Zhuji Tribe and the Xue Mo Tribe.

The Zhuji tribe was safe due to Ashen.

Even though Ashen didn't participate directly in the slaughter of beasts to conserve his strength, he still helped the cultivators of his tribe to escape any lethal attacks.

Similarly, Qin Feng helped his own tribe to remain casualty-less.

Both these tribes received envious and cautious glares from others.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)