At that moment!
An unprecedented feeling surged into Zhuang Zhentian's heart!
This feeling was not the overwhelming killing intent from the Butcher skill, which sought to annihilate all living beings.
It was not the Resentment skill's soul-shocking impact either.
Instead, it was…
A sense born from battling through mountains of corpses and seas of blood!
A scornful disdain for all living things!
A soul tainted with the blood of countless innocents!
This was…
Human Butcher Aura!
"Back when I evolved, the Human Butcher Aura skill disappeared from the system panel when Lin Li was my swordmaster, and I wondered why," Ye Fan thought to himself. "It turns out the previous swordmaster hadn't developed this mindset, so the skill wasn't activated."
"But now, Zhuang Zhentian has fully realized that he can rely on me to slaughter and evolve. His killing intent has grown even stronger!"
"This intense bloodlust has reactivated my hidden skill—Human Butcher Aura!"
Ye Fan glanced at the system panel, where the Human Butcher Aura skill, which had remained hidden ever since his swordmaster had changed, was now fully revealed again.
Human Butcher: Bloodhand Butcher! Only those who have killed countless people can earn this title! Swordmaster Ye Fan earned the terrifying reputation during the Hundred-Star Sacred War, where he slaughtered his way to fame, earning the title of "Bloodhand Butcher" from the terrified people of the Boundless Empire. When this skill is activated, the swordmaster will gain immense authority and pressure. Enemies who are significantly weaker than the swordmaster will lose all will to fight under the overwhelming presence. Even those on par with the swordmaster will find themselves paralyzed by fear, unable to unleash their full strength.
"This is…"
For the first time, Zhuang Zhentian felt this mysterious power, a sensation where his overpowering killing intent alone could strike fear into the hearts of others!
Following the feeling, he released the overwhelming killing intent in his heart, intent on wiping out every person here!
In an instant—
A wave of brutal, savage, and bloodthirsty energy rippled out from Zhuang Zhentian, spreading across several miles in all directions!
Having reached the Out-of-Body Stage, Zhuang Zhentian was already the highest-ranked cultivator present!
Aside from the late Nascent Soul elders of the five great sects, who merely felt their hair stand on end and an overwhelming sense of danger, even the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator Fairy Luanmei of Luoxian Valley and several early-stage Nascent Soul elders felt the impact of Zhuang Zhentian's Human Butcher Aura.
Their faces turned deathly pale, their bodies stiffened, and even their spiritual energy flow was obstructed, causing a temporary drop in their strength!
As for the Core Formation cultivators…
The moment Zhuang Zhentian's Human Butcher Aura reached them, they were immediately plunged into a mental hell!
It was as if they were facing the most terrifying mass murderer in existence, the infamous Bloodhand Butcher. They felt as though their lives were seconds away from being taken, and any will to resist was utterly crushed under the weight of this unimaginable fear.
In mere moments, every Core Formation cultivator present—each struck by Zhuang Zhentian's aura—rolled their eyes back in terror and fell from the sky, losing all ability to fight!
Simultaneously—
Zhuang Zhentian entered his Butcher state!
Butcher: When activated, the swordmaster enters a state where every move generates powerful, area-wide attacks. The Butcher state continually drains the swordmaster's spiritual energy.
Now that Zhuang Zhentian had reached the Out-of-Body Stage, he no longer feared running out of spiritual energy like Lin Li once did—his reserves, even without Ye Fan's support, were more than enough to maintain the Butcher state for an extended period!
In this state, not only did the Butcher Sword Arcs he unleashed grow even more powerful, but his area-of-effect attacks became far stronger as well!
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
His body glowing with red energy, his eyes burning with bloodlust, Zhuang Zhentian swung his sword in a wild frenzy!
Blood-red Butcher Sword Arcs shot out, cutting through the air like death itself!
They sliced straight toward the dozens of Core Formation cultivators who had fallen from the sky like leaves under the crushing weight of his Human Butcher Aura.
The early and mid-stage Nascent Soul elders, who were affected by the aura, couldn't react in time.
Even the late-stage Nascent Soul elders, despite their faster reflexes…
They couldn't make it in time!
In the air, a series of blood clouds exploded as the Butcher Sword Arcs hacked through the unconscious Core Formation cultivators.
[Killed Luoxian Valley Core Formation Stage Elder (Level Nine), gained 98,765 Evolution Points]
[Killed Guangwu Pavilion Core Formation Stage Elder (Level Seven), gained 78,123 Evolution Points]
[Killed Luoxian Valley Core Formation Stage Elder (Level Eight), gained 89,123 Evolution Points]
[Killed Baoguang Temple Core Formation Stage Monk (Level Three), gained 34,123 Evolution Points]
…
In just a few blinks of an eye, dozens of Core Formation cultivators from the four great sects, all of whom had come as reinforcements, were slaughtered by Zhuang Zhentian's Human Butcher Aura!
"Two million six hundred and fifty thousand evolution points!"
Ye Fan looked at the system panel, feeling a surge of excitement. "With the previous two million points, I now have over four million seven hundred thousand evolution points!"
"I'm only about three million away from the eight million required for my evolution!"
At this point, ten Nascent Soul elders from the five great sects remained.
Each Nascent Soul elder could provide Ye Fan with hundreds of thousands of evolution points!
"Today, I will undoubtedly evolve into an Upper-Grade Spirit Treasure!"
At that moment—
The Nascent Soul elders finally managed to dispel the negative effects of the Human Butcher Aura and return to their normal states.
However…
Seeing the dozens of Core Formation cultivators mercilessly slaughtered in front of their eyes, each and every one of the Nascent Soul elders was deeply shaken by the scene.
Their eyes filled with tears, their faces contorted in grief, and their hearts burned with volcanic rage!
"Zhuang Zhentian!!!!"
"You killed my child and Xugu's child! I'll fight you to the death!!!"
Fairy Luanmei from Luoxian Valley, a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, screamed like a crazed woman.
Xuantian Sect's Qi Peak elder, Xugu, was equally shocked when he heard this. "Luanmei, what did you say?! Your… child?!"
"Yes, Xugu! The Ninth Elder of Luoxian Valley, who died just now, was our child from that night six hundred and thirty-two years ago!"
"What?! Luanmei, why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Xugu was dumbfounded. "I never thought I… could have a child?"
But then, in the very next moment, he realized that his child had been slaughtered before his very eyes by Zhuang Zhentian!
In an instant—
An uncontrollable wave of fury overtook him. "Zhuang Zhentian! I'll make you pay for this!"