The vast majority of red-haired exotic beasts had their attentions fixed on the five Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Martial Hall.
This allowed Li Fan to watch the battle leisurely within the shelter of the Celestial Spirit Fire Dragon Array, barely facing any pressure.
The five sword-shaped Foundation Establishment Curios struck in alternating sequence, their movements resembling a sharp, spinning drill bit.
They churned every exotic beast blocking their path into a bloody pulp.
Despite facing the rapidly advancing squad of five, the massive Golden Core exotic beast seemed utterly indifferent. It simply grabbed and devoured its own kind at a faster pace.
The red-haired exotic beasts along the drill’s path, however, fought with fearless ferocity. They used their own bodies to forge defensive lines, blocking the attack at any cost.
While the squad's swords were sharp, these exotic beasts possessed strength at the Foundation Establishment realm after all. Under the relentless, wave-like onslaught of the beast tide, the cultivators inevitably saw their forward momentum slow.
They had relied on a single burst of power to make a sharp, aggressive forward push. Now that they were hindered and their assault was slowed, the pressure they faced from the seemingly endless horde of red-haired exotic beasts increased greatly. This, in turn, caused their assault speed to slow even further.
The situation swiftly deteriorated. At this critical moment, Huan Sui roared, "Change formation!"
Instantly, the other four took positions behind Huan Sui, channeling all their spiritual qi into him.
The five swords glowed brilliantly, then gradually merged into a single blade.
As the five became one, their power and momentum surged explosively. Sword light crisscrossed through the air, effortlessly carving a deep gully into the earth.
The red-haired exotic beasts blocking the way were shredded by the sword light as if they were made of paper.
In moments, the giant sword arrived before the Golden Core beast.
Having devoured vast numbers of its kin by now, the upper half of the Golden Core beast had transitioned from illusory to solid.
But with the sword light upon it, it had no further opportunity to enhance its power. It pounded its chest in frustration, then thrust its thick, powerful arms out, holding back the giant sword poised to strike its head in a tight grip.
The giant sword erupted with a blinding white light, struggling to break free. But the Golden Core beast's claws were wreathed in a dark, misty energy. These tough, unbreakable threads of energy firmly wrapped around the sword.
The massive, gaping maw on the beast's torso suddenly yawned open, and a horrifying roar erupted from within.
The sword light abruptly dimmed. Then, the blade itself appeared to warp and distort when viewed from a distance, as if crushed by an invisible, colossal force.
"Change!" Huan Sui's voice rang out again.
The sword light disintegrated, separating back into five distinct blades.
The Golden Core beast's hands closed on empty air.
The five squad members of the Celestial Change division flashed to different positions, and five different swords struck the Golden Core beast simultaneously.
"Roar!" The beast howled in agony. No blood sprayed forth, but its form grew slightly more translucent.
It shook its arms violently, knocking the five swords away. It then threw a powerful punch toward one Foundation Establishment cultivator.
But before the shockwave from its punch could reach that squad member, they shifted formation once more.
The five regrouped, reappearing behind the Golden Core beast. This time, a different member took the lead.
The five swords merged into one again, and slashed down hard into the beast's back.
Caught off guard by the heavy blow, it staggered, nearly thrown to the ground. It quickly grabbed a handful of its own kind and shoved them into its mouth, healing its wounds. Simultaneously, it swung its arms, deflecting the sword light.
The squad of five, however, refused to engage it head-on. Moments later, the five separated again, appearing in different positions and leaving five new wounds on the giant beast’s body.
And so, through this dance of scattering and regrouping, the squad steadily whittled away at the Golden Core beast's strength.
Though the beast possessed immense brute force, it could never land a solid blow. It was left with no choice but to endure the relentless assault, watching helplessly as its injuries accumulated.
Rage drove its breathing into harsh, uneven gasps, and every strand of red hair on its body stood erect.
After suffering another combined strike of sword light, its anger finally peaked. The red hair suddenly seemed to take on a life of its own, growing frantically.
The beast tore a large clump of hair from its own body and hurled it into the air. This twisted mass of red hair radiated a sinister aura, then began to grow like a nest of writhing tentacles.
The Golden Core beast continued its frantic motions, ripping all the hair from its body. A tangled web of these interweaving crimson threads filled the space around it.
When a strand of sword light accidentally touched a thread, it was captured, and took tremendous effort to break free.
As the red hair continued to grow, the squad of five had less and less space to maneuver. It often took a prolonged skirmish just for them to land a single sword strike.
Meanwhile, with the red hair acting as both its shield and ally, the Golden Core beast fought with increasing ease.
No longer worried about the sword light attacks, it launched its own assaults while casually tossing its own kind into its mouth to bolster its own power.
It seems the situation is turning unfavorable. Li Fan murmured inwardly, frowning as he incinerated a sneaky exotic beast trying to approach. Watching from a distance, he began considering whether to intervene covertly.
Just then, Jiang Zhengji's voice echoed from above: "Do you understand your mistake? The moment the beast manifested, you should have attacked with everything you had. Instead, you hesitated, waiting until it had devoured a horde of other beasts and undergone a qualitative transformation before acting.
"In a life-or-death struggle, a moment's hesitation can seal your fate.
"Once it reached the Golden Core realm, the outcome of your trial was already decided.
"Though the Celestial Change Array is powerful, this Golden Core exotic beast has a near-endless supply of its own kind to consume. It will only grow stronger with each battle, while your own strength will only diminish.
"However, the fact that you forced it to reveal its red-haired form is surprising. It seems your daily training hasn't been in vain.
"This time, I'll consider it a narrow pass."
Huan Sui and the other four first showed a flicker of shame at these words. But upon hearing that they had passed their trial, they couldn't help but sigh in relief.
Before his voice had even faded, Jiang Zhengji appeared directly above the Golden Core beast.
The beast sensed the danger and began to react, but it was already too late.
The snow falling across the world suddenly swarmed and gathered, and the blizzard blotting out the sky converged upon the creature's form.
In mere moments, the beast was completely encased, and a somewhat comical giant snowman now stood beneath Jiang Zhengji's feet.
At first, the colossal beast trapped within the snow figure struggled violently, but as the snow accumulated around it, its movements grew progressively weaker, until finally, all resistance ceased completely.
While the Golden Core beast remained imprisoned within the snowfall, the twisted crimson hair surrounding it writhed desperately, attempting a rescue.
However, the red plum blossoms blooming abundantly across Wanlai Island now scattered their countless petals into the wind.
These plum petals sliced through the air like blades, endlessly shredding the crimson threads into finer and finer fragments.
The shredded red hair, mingled with falling petals, drifted down beneath the plum trees.
The petals enveloped the crimson strands, gradually withering together, transforming into dust that was absorbed by the plum trees' roots. Only their delicate fragrance lingered in the world.
Jiang Zhengji gazed appreciatively at the plum trees now stripped bare to their branches, then took a light step forward onto the snow figure's head.
The massive snow construct began shrinking steadily beneath his foot, until it became a palm-sized miniature that Jiang Zhengji casually stored away.
Before the astonished expressions of Huan Sui and the others, the Golden Core beast that had utterly stymied the five-member Foundation Establishment squad had been captured with effortless ease.
Thus demonstrated the vast chasm between the mid-stage Golden Core realm and the Foundation Establishment realm.