The first reason why Fang Han retreated was that he was unwilling to independently face the two great giants in battle.
Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei were Eternal Giants of an orthodox major sect, unlike ordinary rogue cultivators such as Daoist Dragon and Daoist Wood. They definitely possessed lethal trump cards. If he fought them head-on, Fang Han had the means to defeat them, but he could also suffer an intense counterattack.
And right now, Fang Han was already incapable of crossing over Eternal Giants.
Having lost Fang Qingxue's Minor Destiny Art, crossing over Eternal Giants had become nearly impossible, especially Eternal Giants like those from the Limitless Star Palace who came from a righteous major sect.
Therefore, he used the excuse of suppressing the thirty-four great Golden Core experts to withdraw from the battlefield, allowing the Soul Devouring Holy Beast to engage them.
This was also perfectly reasonable and logical; anyone who had just suppressed thirty-four great Golden Core experts would definitely be left without the slightest bit of combat strength.
At the same time, Fang Han was also secretly employing a tactic to lure the enemy, hoping that the Soul Devouring Holy Beast would seize this opportunity to attack him. He could then wait for the right moment to clearly see this demonic beast's true body, and subsequently unleash his strongest means to kill, subdue, or suppress it in one fell swoop, thereby seizing the six Dao artifact-level God Sealing Monuments!
Even if the Soul Devouring Holy Beast did not attack him and instead chose to fight Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei first, it would still bring a hundred benefits and not a single harm to him.
Although the Soul Devouring Holy Beast was formidable and incomparably cunning, Fang Han had already placed himself in an invincible position, allowing him to obtain the maximum benefit in this struggle.
"This Life Snatching Scholar is truly formidable! Striking just once, he suppressed thirty-four great experts at the seventh level of the Divine Ability Realm with Golden Cores, minor giants of the ages. There is also a Wang Fulong. I wonder what magic treasure he is utilizing? The aura is so strong!" The Soul Devouring Holy Beast was currently hiding in the dark as well. While urging the six God Sealing Monuments to fiercely oppress Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei, various schemes flashed through its mind once again regarding what to do next.
"Thirty-four Golden Core experts were suppressed in one fell swoop. The power of this Life Snatching Scholar has definitely suffered extreme constraint. Should I give up the opportunity to kill Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei right now and kill this person instead? Devouring his soul will definitely provide a massive nourishment."
"No, this person is full of tricks and deceit, the most crafty and treacherous fellow I have ever encountered. I better not act rashly for now, and wait until the Golden Core disciples inside him self-detonate. If the Golden Core disciples inside detonated, then he truly wouldn't be able to hold on anymore. I will immediately make my move and kill this person!"
While calculating, the Soul Devouring Holy Beast in the dark once again spat out a mouthful of pitch-black rain of blood. This pitch-black rain of blood burned violently in the air, releasing the wails of ghosts and the howls of gods. It was unexpectedly the Immortal Slaughtering Great Art!
Within the Demonic Path, executing the Immortal Slaughtering Great Art even once would cost a cycle of sixty years of lifespan.
Unexpectedly, the Soul Devouring Holy Beast also knew this great art.
"Good! I have finally caught the true body of this beast." At this time, behind Fang Han, three thousand demonic eyes manifested, constantly rotating. Instantly piercing through the layers of demonic fog, he saw the existence deep within the demonic fog—an entity resembling a human yet not a human, a beast yet not a beast, endlessly urging divine abilities.
This demonic beast had the head of a human, yet its body was that of a lion. A pair of wings grew from its back, making it incomparably bizarre, a sphinx.
This was the true body of the Soul Devouring Holy Beast!
Fang Han's current natal Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol, the three thousand demonic eyes, had already been thoroughly cultivated, fully capable of seeing through the Nine Netherworlds.
This Soul Devouring Holy Beast was a sphinx monster. Moreover, Fang Han could also see that around its body was an intense ring of precious light entwined, seemingly a powerful magic treasure protecting it.
Having seen through the true body of the Soul Devouring Holy Beast, Fang Han secretly locked onto its position in his heart. Suddenly circulating his arts, continuous explosions erupted across his body, as if he had swallowed fire lightning inside.
Then he unleashed a fierce roar, forcibly suppressing this explosion.
This was acting, making it seem as if the Golden Cores inside were currently detonating.
The Soul Devouring Holy Beast hiding deep within seemed to have noticed this point, and an eerie smile appeared on its face. However, it did not take action, but instead transmitted a wave of divine intent over.
"How is Fellow Daoist Life Snatching Scholar faring? Are you able to suppress these thirty-four Golden Core experts along with Wang Fulong?"
"Hmph!" Fang Han sneered coldly, putting on a nonchalant appearance. "I possess a magic treasure that can suppress the heavens; mere Golden Core experts cannot flip the sky! Moreover, I have already cultivated half an Undying Body. Even if I suffer minor injuries, it is of no hindrance!"
His divine intent projected a tyrannical appearance.
However, falling into the eyes of the Soul Devouring Holy Beast, it was a display of appearing strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
Yet the Soul Devouring Holy Beast did not make a move to deal with Fang Han, only transmitting a wave of divine intent over. "Then Fellow Daoist be quick to firmly suppress these disciples, and watch me deal with Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei!"
While transmitting the divine intent, the Soul Devouring Holy Beast once again opened its mouth to spurt blood.
"Pfft!" Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft pfft pfft… Fully dozens of mouthfuls of fresh blood were spat out. Every mouthful of fresh blood naturally contained a cycle of sixty years of lifespan.
The intense black rain of blood condensed in the sky into tribulation clouds akin to a doomsday natural disaster.
"God Sealing Tribulation!" From the void, the deeply ominous voice of the Soul Devouring Holy Beast transmitted over.
Amidst the rain of blood, the six mountain-sized God Sealing Monuments expanded once again, swelling up fully by a factor of one! Covering the sky and obscuring the sun, they suppressed downwards. The earth began to collapse, and the intense airflow created one black hole after another. The surrounding void was torn apart, and space-time storms surged wildly out of them, assaulting towards Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei!
"Not good, this holy beast wants to kill us! We fight to the death!"
Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei were oppressed by the power of the God Sealing Monuments to the point where they could not catch their breath. They could not help but exchange a glance, fiercely bit their tongues, and also spat out a long rainbow of blood, seemingly releasing all their fresh blood in this instant.
The fresh blood burned intensely. Along with the burning fresh blood, fully one million Pure Yang Pills flew out from their bodies, also fusing into their fresh blood.
The Pure Yang flames burned fiercely, completely burning a massive gap through space.
In this instant, the Dao artifacts on the two great Eternal Giants, the "Comet Needle" and the "North Pole Saber," flew out, swallowing the flames synthesized from the two people's blood and the Pure Yang Pills in their entirety like a giant whale drinking water.
"Buzz!"
The two major Dao artifacts seemingly went mad and began to expand, the grand formations within operating to an unprecedented limit, violently crashing toward the six God Sealing Monuments.
They unexpectedly intended to self-detonate their natal Dao artifacts to destroy the God Sealing Monuments! And then kill the Soul Devouring Holy Beast!
These two great giants were utterly ruthless.
Once the two lower-grade Dao artifacts swallowed a million Pure Yang Pills and used the fresh blood of the two as a catalyst to explode, it would be equivalent to an Eternal Giant self-detonating their Heaven and Earth Dharma Idol, capable of destroying an area spanning several thousands of miles. It would directly cause a nation-sized landmass to sink into an abyss tens of thousands of feet deep.
The Limitless Star Palace was immensely wealthy, and as Eternal Giants, they were still capable of refining Dao artifacts. Therefore, the two felt no pity, and this was also their greatest reliance.
Who would have known that just as they urged their Dao artifacts to an utter frenzy, crashing toward the God Sealing Monuments, the originally ferocious God Sealing Monuments suddenly changed direction. Instead of suppressing downwards, they flew off to the side!
"Pursue and kill!"
Without a doubt, witnessing this scene, Cang Yingzi and Luo Shuibei immediately commanded their Dao artifacts to pursue!
"Life Snatching Scholar, let me see if you still won't die this time! I will use the Six-Eyed God Sealing Monuments to smash into you, and simultaneously draw the self-detonation of the two Dao artifacts towards you as well. This time you are certain to die without a doubt! Hmph! Wanting me to take action to deal with the two great giants so you can take advantage, where could there be such an easy thing!"
The Soul Devouring Holy Beast had long already calculated everything at this moment.
The direction the Six-Eyed God Sealing Monuments deflected towards inexplicably happened to be precisely Fang Han's coordinates. Carrying a rumbling, majestic might, it struck down!
In other words, the Soul Devouring Holy Beast's God Sealing Monuments were originally suppressing towards the two great giants, but just when the two great giants were risking their lives, it suddenly turned back to attack Fang Han.
Under its guidance, the Dao artifacts the two great giants were about to self-detonate also attacked towards Fang Han.
Under this strike, if Fang Han took the hit, even if he possessed an Undying Body and was an expert with no regard for the laws of heaven, he would still fearfully meet a fallen end.
Making a feint to the east while attacking the west, crossing the sea by deceiving the sky, and killing someone with a borrowed knife! The execution of these tactics by this Soul Devouring Holy Beast attained pure perfection!
Furthermore, it also hoped that Fang Han's counterattack right before his death would heavily injure the two great giants, so that it could truly take the advantage, devour the souls of the three great giants, and reign supreme over the world.
Vicious!
Vicious!
Vicious!
Such was the cunning of the Soul Devouring Holy Beast.
The Six-Eyed God Sealing Monuments, carrying the momentum of a mighty thunderbolt, suppressed downwards towards Fang Han, enveloping the entirety of the surrounding void, even sealing the space. At this moment, even if Fang Han had the "Void Shuttle," it would be useless.
Following closely behind the Six-Eyed God Sealing Monuments, the Comet Needle and the North Pole Saber also caught up, unleashing continuous bombardments and attacks.
However, at this very moment, Fang Han suddenly vanished without a trace. He broke through the blockade, disappearing entirely, causing the suppression of the six God Sealing Monuments to strike seemingly empty air!
"Not good!"
The Soul Devouring Holy Beast hiding in the dark felt a hollow discomfort in its heart at this moment; a sense of danger spontaneously arose within, but at this point, withdrawing its hand was already too late.
Boom!
Before its thoughts could completely process this, the space beside it vibrated violently. An ancient, blood-stained stone bridge, tainted with the infinite blood of gods and demons, forcibly bored out of the void, much like a dragon king or dragon emperor from the primordial era! Fang Han stood atop the bridge, wearing a sneer as he looked at it coldly, as if passing a death sentence upon it!
"Soul Devouring Holy Beast, I already knew long ago that you would strike a hand against me, but I didn't expect this. Did you think I actually suffered from the self-detonation of the Golden Core experts, or that your Six-Eyed God Sealing Monuments could actually seal me? Let me allow you to die with your eyes a bit more open! This bridge of mine is called the Bridge of Helplessness, and it is a supreme-grade Dao artifact! A supreme-grade Dao artifact, do you know what that is? I burned a million of your Pure Yang Pills to directly tear through your blockade and arrive right next to you, simultaneously sealing off your surroundings entirely. So accept your death right now!"
Fang Han's tyrannical divine intent swept out, and the words supreme-grade Dao artifact struck like a bolt from the blue!
"You!" The Soul Devouring Holy Beast turned pale with fright, but Fang Han gave it absolutely no opportunity to react. The Great Chaos Lightning Sword in his hands and the Indestructible Lightning Talisman coiled together as he directly slashed downward.
At the exact same time, he unleashed the Eight Divisions Pagoda, with myriad rays of Buddhist light emanating as the four great Eternal Giants inside continuously chanted in unison. Furthermore, the newly crossed over thirty-four great Golden Core experts along with Wang Fulong also flew out their natal Heaven and Earth Dharma Idols and Golden Cores, wildly bombarding towards the Soul Devouring Holy Beast!