"What kind of demon beast is it?"

"It appears to be a Rank Thirteen Thunder Eel demon beast, a lesser lord, hiding deep within a massive rock cavern. It suddenly lunged out, firing a bolt of lightning that instantly killed over a dozen late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators. That lightning strike was too fast; the group under attack didn't even have time to flee before they were wiped out entirely."

"A Thunder-element demon beast lord? Those are quite rare!"

As numerous Nascent Soul cultivators retreated in disarray, they exchanged the latest intelligence.

Hearing the chaotic discussions of the retreating cultivators ahead, Ye Qin finally grasped the precise situation. A demon beast lord, even a lesser one, possessed the power of a Rank Thirteen entity, far surpassing ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators.

"Run or not?"

He now faced a decision: whether to immediately flee the area and circle around to continue his journey.

Just as Ye Qin was preparing to leave, he noticed a peculiar phenomenon: while a large contingent of Nascent Soul cultivators were retreating in a panic, several top-tier Nascent Soul squads were moving against the tide with excited expressions, actually charging toward the source of the chaos.

No less than a thousand late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators remained near the spot where the Thunder Eel lesser lord had been discovered, and violent roars continued to erupt from that direction.

Those Nascent Soul cultivators actually intended to slay the demon beast lesser lord?!

Ye Qin felt a degree of shock.

Yet, after a brief moment of confusion, he understood.

In the East Sea Cultivation World, a single Soul Transformation cultivator or a Demon Saint could utterly overwhelm all Nascent Soul cultivators in the entire realm. This was because the cultivators relied on sheer numbers to surround them; if outmatched, they would immediately flee and seek opportunities to pick off targets individually later. The massive groups of Nascent Soul cultivators were too slow to pursue, leaving the Soul Transformation cultivators and Demon Saints helpless. The idea of Nascent Soul cultivators slaying a Soul Transformation expert or Demon Saint was laughable.

However, demon beast lords were different. Demon beasts had long since gone berserk, losing most of their rationality. Once engaged in frenzied combat, they often fought to the death, never retreating.

A Rank Thirteen demon beast was undoubtedly formidable and could instantly kill one or a small number of Nascent Soul cultivators.

But who engages in a one-on-one duel?

This time, the Abyss Hunt had drawn hundreds of thousands of Nascent Soul cultivators. Even large swarms of ants could eventually kill a fierce beast, let alone well-trained cultivators. If a demon beast lesser lord faced an onslaught from over a thousand powerful late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators simultaneously, and the beast refused to flee, the outcome might not favor the lesser lord. Instead, it was more likely that the massive formation of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators would grind the lesser lord to death. Of course, the price paid would be agonizingly high; hundreds of late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators dying or being wounded was considered normal.

Furthermore, slaying a demon beast lesser lord yielded materials of Great Divine Ability grade, allowing the forging of corresponding artifacts that greatly aided in surviving the Heavenly Tribulation upon reaching the Soul Transformation stage. This held immense temptation for Nascent Soul cultivators.

Otherwise, why would so many Nascent Soul cultivators risk their lives to hunt them?

Ye Qin hesitated slightly.

Seeing Ye Qin's expression, Huangfu Bing'er immediately guessed his thoughts.

"Husband, why don't I scout ahead to assess the situation? If I spot an opportunity, I can join in and help the others hunt the demon beast lesser lord! If not, we can simply bypass this area," Huangfu Bing'er said, her eyes shining brightly.

"Mm."

Ye Qin considered it and nodded.

He knew the danger ahead.

In terms of raw combat power, Bing'er's Ice and Fire Twin Swords were no match for his Eight Trigrams Sword Formation. However, in terms of short-range maneuvering, Bing'er could effortlessly utilize the late-stage Wind Elemental Minor Divine Ability, "Void Blink," instantly moving seven hundred zhang—about four li—which was far superior to him.

The lightning attack from a Thunder Eel lesser lord was undeniably incredibly fast, so swift that the moment a Nascent Soul cultivator initiated an escape maneuver with their artifact, the strike had already arrived. However, even lightning strikes couldn't surpass the direct instantaneous travel of Void Blink, which allowed movement in any direction.

Bing'er, now at the late-stage Nascent Soul, possessed considerable combat strength, and her personal safety margin was exceptionally high.

Huangfu Bing'er flew her sword ahead alone.

"You intend to hunt a demon beast lesser lord? Didn't we agree that this trip was to find Abyss Strange Beasts and Spiritual Paste? Why this sudden deviation!" Wang Rong exclaimed, greatly startled by Ye Qin and Huangfu Bing'er's actions.

"Just looking around. Why the fuss? Are you scared?"

"Dou Hongshan" glanced at him coldly.

"This... how could I be afraid."

Wang Rong’s expression flickered, and he forced a smile. "As long as you two aren't afraid to die, what harm is there in taking a look!"

Ye Qin, "Dou Hongshan," Wang Rong, and the other Nascent Soul cultivators temporarily held their positions, waiting for intelligence from the front lines.

A short while later, Huangfu Bing'er returned and briefed Ye Qin on the situation ahead.

The actual situation differed slightly from expectations. The Thunder Eel demon beast lesser lord, perhaps due to a territorial dispute with another lord, was already severely wounded, covered in damaged scales, and its power was greatly diminished.

The large group of cultivators ahead, after the initial chaos and rout upon encountering the lesser lord, had recovered their composure. They realized the demon beast lesser lord's attacks were significantly weaker than anticipated, and they began to counter-attack in an encirclement.

Nearly a thousand mid-to-late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were currently locked in fierce combat with the demon beast lesser lord.

"So, it's a weakened demon beast lesser lord! That explains it. Lightning is the strongest attack element among the eight major types. A sneak attack from a Rank Thirteen demon beast lesser lord shouldn't only kill a dozen or so Nascent Soul cultivators. Only severe injury can account for this. ... There's still a chance to kill it."

Ye Qin's eyes gleamed, and his mind cleared.

"Moreover, it’s a Thunder-element beast; its hide naturally possesses extremely high lightning resistance, perfect for refining Great Divine Ability-grade defensive armor! Nothing could be better for resisting the Heavenly Thunder during the Soul Transformation stage," Huangfu Bing'er added quickly.

"Right. Let's go take a look!" Ye Qin declared decisively.

"Dou Hongshan" naturally agreed; her physical body was still at the ninth layer of Nascent Soul, and she also needed to break through to Soul Transformation and face that tribulation.

Their party transformed into ten streaks of light, shooting towards the forward area of the Abyss.

As they drew closer, the various hues of light intensified dramatically.

A colossal Thunder Eel, stretching over two thousand zhang in length, possessed incredibly smooth, black skin marred by numerous deep gashes. Compared to its massive body, its gong-like, pale eyes were rather small, bearing a slow, dull gaze. Its entire form crackled and pulsed with sizzling lightning as it thrashed wildly.

"Kill! Kill ruthlessly!"

"Fellow Daoists on the left, quickly draw the eel's attention away! Don't let it focus all its power on the right!"

"Don't cluster too closely! If you get hit by the lightning, you’re all finished. Spread out!"

Around the eel, nearly a thousand late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators were scattered, shouting excitedly.

Though these nearly one thousand cultivators were organized into about a hundred small squads, they had no formal affiliation or leadership, leading to some natural confusion. However, most late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators possessed rich combat experience and knew what needed to be done and what to avoid. Since their goal—hunting the eel—was unified without conflicting interests, their coordination in besieging the demon beast lesser lord was remarkably tacit.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Simultaneously, hundreds of high-level Fire, Wind, and Ice spells, Minor Divine Ability-grade spells, along with thousands of flying swords, magical blades, and heavy hammers, rained down upon the eel's head and existing wounds in a bombardment.

Taking advantage of its weakness was something these Nascent Soul cultivators understood implicitly. Almost every attack aimed for its vital spots or existing injuries. Striking the tough hide alone yielded almost no meaningful damage.

"Sss—!"

The demon beast lesser lord was completely enraged. Its tail continuously lashed out with thick bolts of lightning, striking the surrounding Nascent Soul cultivators.

Wherever the lightning struck, the air became a blinding haze of electrical discharge.

Cultivators who were close were instantly torn apart and obliterated by the bolts. Those further away felt their bodies paralyzed, almost incapable of movement.

In this short span, hundreds of immensely powerful lightning bolts had been discharged. If this were a human cultivator, they would have long since exhausted their spiritual power. But this demon beast lord possessed extraordinarily potent demonic energy; it released lightning so madly yet showed no signs of fatigue.

Wherever its tail swept, the Nascent Soul cultivators scattered in terror, dodging and weaving.

Fortunately, there were too many late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators—over a thousand in total. Under the relentless barrage aimed at its head, especially its eyes, the force was comparable to a Great Divine Ability spell, nearly stunning the creature. Many of the lightning bolts were released wildly in all directions, failing to strike any cultivator; the hits that landed were pure chance.

In total, roughly several dozen mid-to-late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators perished under the eel's electrical discharges, with nearly half having been killed in the initial surprise attack.

However, this casualty rate did nothing to dampen the fervor of the remaining cultivators.

Slaying this demon beast lesser lord meant obtaining an incomparably precious Rank Thirteen Core Crystal, and acquiring its entire hide, which offered supreme lightning resistance. Given its enormous size, the skin could likely yield hundreds of sets of Thunder Eel Armor. Furthermore, its Thunder Elemental Spirit Root, tendons, and flesh essence could be refined into elixirs that replenished blood and strengthened the body—it was truly a treasure from head to tail.

Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing'er, Qingqiu Li, and their party joined the fray, securing an open position. They summoned their flying swords and targeted the lesser lord’s weak points and existing wounds. The cultivators appeared exceptionally excited and energized.

A combined siege by so many Nascent Soul cultivators against a single demon beast lesser lord—such a spectacle could probably only be witnessed in this Demon Domain Abyss.

After an hour or two of continuous assault, the Thunder Eel bore dozens of deep, bone-visible wounds and was utterly exhausted, capable of releasing only one or two severely weakened lightning bolts with great difficulty.

Boom!

The two-thousand-zhang-long demon beast lesser lord crashed onto the Abyss floor, its eyes wide open in death, unwilling to close them.

It was simply unlucky to encounter a sweeping tide of Nascent Soul cultivators scouring the Demon Domain Abyss at this time.

Upon seeing the Rank Thirteen giant Thunder Eel fall, the nearly one hundred squads, comprising over a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators, rejoiced wildly. They swarmed forward, using their artifacts to slice at the eel's hide. The hide proved unbelievably tough; Spirit Artifacts could not scratch it at all, and even the sharpest late-stage Metal Elemental artifacts could only cut half an cun deep under full power. Slicing off large, intact sections of hide was no easy task. Digging out the Core Crystal and Spirit Root from its massive two-thousand-zhang body would also require time and effort.

The feast of dividing the spoils of the Thunder Eel demon beast lesser lord lasted for several days.

Ye Qin, Huangfu Bing'er, Qingqiu Li, and their group spent an hour carving out dozens of ten-zhang-sized pieces of Rank Thirteen Thunder Eel hide before departing. Without wasting further time, they continued deeper into the Demon Domain Abyss, following the main body of cultivators.