Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Evil in the Cultivation World Chapter 1003 - 488: Manipulating Fate, Reaping the Fisherman’s Profit (Part 2)

"Looks like ever since the conflict in Demon Flame City, these human cultivators have started to look down on us. Do they really see us exotic beasts as so feeble that they're now crossing lines they shouldn't?"

"That's right, we have to wipe out all these human cultivators, otherwise they'll never grasp whose domain this truly belongs to."

"Slaughter them, eliminate every human bold enough to invade our Ice Crystal Mountain Range."

Fury burned fiercely in every Void Refining Beast.

They were seething with rage at being so thoroughly belittled by human cultivators.

At this point, it transcended mere vengeance for their fallen offspring; it had exploded into an interspecies clash, a desperate fight for existence.

Unless they delivered a harsh, unforgettable blow to these insolent human cultivators, the latter might swarm into the Ice Crystal Mountain Range unchecked—and that was utterly intolerable.

Rumble~~

With the order given, hordes of exotic beasts surged forth from the heart of the Ice Crystal Mountain Range, cascading over the peaks and unleashing a horrifying beast tide that assaulted from every angle.

Their directive was clear: slay any human cultivator in sight and purge all life they met to uphold the exotic beasts' honor.

The human cultivators had to be utterly expelled from this range.

Any intruder into the Ice Crystal Mountain Range stood as a deadly foe to the exotic beasts.

Yet another day slipped by.

The beast tide across the entire Ice Crystal Mountain Range burst out with shocking suddenness.

This caught the swarm of Noble Descendants venturing inside utterly off guard, since their earlier assessments indicated the exotic beasts had taken massive casualties in the prior fight and wouldn't muster another tide so quickly.

A touch of vigilance ought to have shielded them from danger.

Yet none foresaw this nightmarish beast tide erupting out of nowhere, with exotic beasts overwhelming every corner.

Terror gripped these Noble Descendants to their core.

After all, they'd mostly dwelled in urban safety their whole lives, never facing such a dire, inescapable nightmare.

"Curse it, have these exotic beasts lost their minds entirely? Why are they suddenly coming after us like this?"

"Beats me, they're slaughtering everyone in sight, looking absolutely enraged—something big must have set them off."

"Didn't those exotic beasts get badly wounded before, supposedly depleted of power? So where are all these beasts pouring in from without end?"

"We've misjudged how many exotic beasts lurk in the Ice Crystal Mountain Range. Clearly, the ones that hit Demon Flame City were only a tiny portion of their might, far from their full force."

The Noble Descendants buzzed with intense debate, their faces etched with utmost severity.

For they saw themselves encircled by vast numbers of exotic beasts.

Even worse, the beasts encircling them included not only Divinity Transformation Level ones but also those at Void Refining Level.

If things dragged on like this, total wipeout seemed inevitable right here.

Their initial scheme had been a thorough sweep of the area to hunt down Guan Tianqi.

But now, every scheme lay in ruins.

Without escaping this spot, they dreaded perishing entirely on these grounds.

"What do we do next? Charge into battle against these exotic beasts?"

"Battle them? They keep coming in waves—how could we possibly hold?"

"Exactly, our smartest move right now is to run; the faster we get out of here, the safer we'll be."

"The issue is, Void Refining beasts have us in their sights—slipping away from here won't be simple."

"Our sole option is to alert the family patriarch and pray he hears about this and rushes to pull us out."

"If the patriarch skips the rescue, we're finished for good."

"I warned ages ago against stepping into the Ice Crystal Mountain Range—it's exotic beast turf through and through."

"Sigh, it's all on account of that cursed Guan Tianqi. Had he stayed away, we wouldn't be trapped like this. Spot his trail, and I'll rip him apart myself."

"Truth be told, I think Guan Tianqi stirred up this beast tide on purpose, using it to take us out indirectly—how else to explain the perfect timing?"

"For real? Does that rogue cultivator Guan Tianqi really possess that kind of pull?"

"Hah, this rogue cultivator's full of mysteries; heaven knows what tricks he's got up his sleeve."

"Even if that's the case, it changes nothing. Surviving and getting out alive comes first."

Waves of Noble Descendants fumed against Guan Tianqi, viewing him as their ultimate adversary. Spotting him would mean they'd shred him without mercy.

Regrettably, they could only rage in words for the moment.

Guan Tianqi had vanished long ago, leaving them powerless to act.

In a flash, throngs of Family Cultivators scattered in desperate flight.

Trouble was, countless exotic beasts had locked onto them, making departure from this zone a grueling ordeal.

.....

Right then, within Hunyuan Valley.

Jiang Fan made his way back to Hunyuan Valley.

Simultaneously, he triggered the Celestial Cicada Spirit Leaf upon himself, promptly shrouding the whole Hunyuan Valley in an immense, unseen barrier.

Right away, Hunyuan Valley's aura faded into oblivion, seamlessly blending with the Ice Crystal Mountain Range.

The valley appeared no different from the surrounding terrain.

Its very existence was wiped clean from perception.

Human cultivators and exotic beasts nearby would pass it by without a second thought, treating it like mere scenery.

Evidently, reaching the Eighth-Layer Divinity Transformation let Jiang Fan draw greater might from the Celestial Cicada Spirit Leaf.

This treasure's potency extended beyond hiding the user's own aura; it could veil an area's essence too, rendering that zone invisible to the world and turning it into a flawless haven.

That said, should Jiang Fan depart, the veil would lift completely.

Yet this spared Hunyuan Valley from the ongoing conflict.

Be it from exotic beasts or Family Cultivators, no one could detect Hunyuan Valley's location.

It resembled a hidden paradise, untouched by the outside.

"Using others to fight your battles truly proves an inexhaustible clever ploy."

"It demands no effort from me, yet it drains the power of two mighty sides."

Jiang Fan extended his divine sense across tens of thousands of kilometers.

He effortlessly detected the clashes dotting the Ice Crystal Mountain Range.

Exotic beasts clashed head-on with Family Cultivators in droves.

Even Void Refining cultivators, alerted to the trap, raced toward the Ice Crystal Mountain Range.

The two forces collided with savage intensity, the combat brutally fierce.

Innumerable Family Cultivators and exotic beasts were fated to fall in this strife.

They remained oblivious that a hidden hand had sparked this war to ensure mutual devastation.

Truthfully, sparking a proxy conflict demands precise timing and location.

Lacking the guidance of fate's warnings, he never could have seized this ideal moment.

It felt as though every creature's destiny danced to his tune.

Not even Void Refining or Integration Cultivators could slip his influence.

Mere marionettes under his sway.

"Once this war concludes, those Family Cultivators ought to finally calm down."

"They won't risk barging into the Ice Crystal Mountain Range lightly anytime soon."

"And the Integration Great Powers overseeing the cities likely won't venture here either."

Here, Jiang Fan also grasped the fearsome depth of the Ice Crystal Mountain Range.

Legends spoke of multiple Integration Realm exotic beasts dwelling in its depths, their strength beyond measure, serving as unbreakable guardians for all exotic beasts.

Void Refining Cultivators could enter without rousing the horde.

But an Integration Great Power's arrival would ignite their full wrath.

That would inevitably unleash a clash among Integration Great Powers.

No great power could endure such fallout.

For Hunyuan Valley, though, this proved a tremendous boon.

The mutual weakening granted Hunyuan Valley lasting tranquility.

Outside forces would probably steer clear of eyeing the Ice Crystal Mountain Range henceforth.

"In this war, I'm the one who stands to gain the most."

"Surviving this turmoil should bring me heaps of rewards."

With these thoughts, Jiang Fan brimmed with anticipation.