Miles away from the purple-clothed youth, Li Xiaotian concealed his aura and observed the battlefield, his brow furrowed.
He had sensed everything that transpired there and, relieved that his intended destination remained undiscovered, breathed a sigh of relief.
However, it also presented a complication. The place the Demon Lord had spoken of was near the combat zone of those individuals, meaning he could only proceed after they had departed.
"People from Manzhou, a Hegemon, and ten peak Emperor realm experts. They must belong to some Hegemon-level force in Manzhou."
Li Xiaotian analyzed internally, privately astonished by the purple-clothed youth's identity. A mere mid-stage Emperor realm martial artist, yet accompanied by a Hegemon and ten peak Emperor realm guards. Even the two attendants by his side were late-stage Emperor realm experts, indicating the extraordinary nobility of the youth's status in Manzhou.
Simultaneously, he felt a touch of curiosity towards the monstrous beast trapped within the giant net. To be treated with such importance by the purple-clothed youth, the beast was surely no ordinary creature, possibly a mythical divine beast.
As for the five experts currently burning their essence blood to restrain the beast, Li Xiaotian felt a measure of pity for them.
These five were clearly not subordinates of the purple-clothed youth, evident from the latter's demeanor towards them. Yet, they were willing to risk their lives for the youth's command.
This could only signify that the purple-clothed youth's standing in Manzhou was terrifyingly high, capable of ordering five peak Emperor realm experts to their deaths with a single word.
The black-clothed middle-aged man could see that the five were incapable of containing the beast; Li Xiaotian could also discern this.
However, none of this concerned him. He only needed to wait for the purple-clothed youth's party to leave before attending to his own affairs.
"Roar!"
A beastly roar echoed from afar, and Li Xiaotian’s divine sense probed once more.
He saw the massive iron chain net suddenly expand violently, with individual chains snapping one after another.
Immediately afterward, the five experts from the Iron Chain Division maintaining the net spat blood simultaneously, their auras rapidly declining. One elder, unable to dodge in time, was pierced through the body by a chain and died on the spot.
"Fourth Brother!!!"
The other four shouted in unison, their expressions grief-stricken. In normal circumstances, with Fourth Brother's strength, he wouldn't have been killed by a single chain.
But at this moment, all five had exhausted their energy, their strength less than a tenth of their peak. A single misstep could lead to their demise, and Fourth Brother had fallen victim to this.
"Useless! What are you standing there for?! This beast is about to break free, hurry and restrain it for this young master!"
On the throne, the purple-clothed youth's face was cold, a flicker of pleasure in his eyes, coupled with disdain. One had already died so quickly, too pathetic.
The iron chain net thrashed about wildly, fewer and fewer chains remained intact, and the beast trapped within was on the verge of escape.
Hearing the purple-clothed youth's words, the remaining four from the Iron Chain Division were filled with grief and indignation, their eyes filled with despair. Yet, they gritted their teeth, waved their hands, and each shot out a chain, connecting them to the net in an attempt to re-contain the beast.
"Roar! Scram! Ants!!! You trapped me while I was asleep, and now you want to try again? You seek death!!!"
A roar emanated from within the net. The four newly connected chains instantly snapped, and simultaneously, the net suffered significant damage, revealing the figure within. It was vaguely discernible as a golden demonic beast.
"Pfft!"
Two of the four from the Iron Chain Division died instantly, their bodies instantly turning into blood mist.
"Third Elder, Fifth Elder!!!"
The other two cried out, tears of blood streaming from their eyes.
"Two more dead, useless! That beast is about to break free, you two useless wretches, what other methods do you have? If not, the Iron Chain Division awaits annihilation!"
The purple-clothed youth’s tone was disdainful, his expression one of displeasure.
The two from the Iron Chain Division trembled upon hearing this. They glanced at the net, now half-shattered, despair flashing in their eyes.
Even with their full strength, the five of them couldn't contain the beast. How could these two possibly succeed? Furthermore, at this moment, they were both extremely weakened.
"Roar!!!"
The beast's roar sounded, and the chains binding the demonic beast grew fewer. Blinding golden light erupted from its body, and it was about to break free.
However, the purple-clothed youth and his companions watched indifferently, showing no apparent tension regarding the golden beast's imminent escape. Instead, the purple-clothed youth watched the remaining two from the Iron Chain Division on the ground with amusement.
"I heard your Iron Chain Division has a secret technique, 'Body as Chain, Blood as Lock.' Why haven't you used it? Have you not taken this young master's words to heart from the beginning?"
Upon hearing this, the complexions of the two from the Iron Chain Division turned instantly pale. This was clearly an attempt to force them to their deaths!
Yet, even knowing this, they dared not resist.
"Young Master Chen, our strength has greatly diminished, and our essence blood is also scarce. Even if we were to use our secret technique, I fear we still couldn't contain this beast."
An elder from the Iron Chain Division said. He was white-haired and aged, the Grand Elder of the Iron Chain Division, while the other, an old woman, was the Second Elder.
The purple-clothed youth remained silent, his icy gaze fixed upon them.
Seeing the purple-clothed youth's reaction, the Grand Elder of the Iron Chain Division gave a tragic smile, then knelt on the ground, looking at the youth and continuing,
"Since Young Master Chen wishes to witness our Iron Chain Division's secret technique, it is our honor. The Second Elder and I will serve as the chain and the lock, respectively, to demonstrate our Iron Chain Division's ultimate move for Young Master Chen."
"Then what are you waiting for? Hurry and act!"
The purple-clothed youth spoke unhurriedly, his eyes filled with mockery.
"Young Master Chen, what about our Iron Chain Division then?"
The Grand Elder of the Iron Chain Division asked tentatively. Although he had decided to sacrifice himself, he still cared for his tribesmen.
"It depends on my mood. For now, I shall spare them."
The purple-clothed youth said casually. The lives of tens of thousands in a tribe meant nothing to him.
"Thank you, Young Master Chen!"
The Grand Elder of the Iron Chain Division spoke. For him, those words were enough. Then, he and his companion walked hand in hand towards the golden demonic beast in the distance.
At this moment, the golden demonic beast had broken free from the last chain. It had a dragon's head, a horse's body, and was engulfed in golden flames. It was, in fact, the mythical exotic beast, the Dragon Horse!
It let out a sky-shattering roar, its eyes filled with fury as it looked at the purple-clothed youth. It knew that this entire affair was orchestrated by him.
But then, the Dragon Horse's expression shifted in alarm, and it looked at the two from the Iron Chain Division approaching it.
Suddenly, their bodies disintegrated into blood mist. One’s body ignited, the blood mist intertwining with the flames, and a blood-red chain was born from the inferno.
"Whoosh!"
Only a red streak remained in the air. Immediately, a blood-red chain appeared around the Dragon Horse's neck.
Everything happened so fast that only the black-clothed middle-aged man reacted; everyone else hadn't even seen what transpired.
"Roar!!! Damn it!!! What is this thing?!"
The Dragon Horse roared, its voice filled with shock. It thrashed its body desperately, trying to shake off the chain around its neck, but a binding force emanated from the chain, inducing a desire to not resist deep within its soul.
This terrified it immensely; it had never encountered such a frightening situation.
"Good! Good! Good! Hahaha!!! This move is excellent!"
High in the sky, the purple-clothed youth laughed heartily, clearly impressed by the Iron Chain Division's secret technique.
However, the red chain, after all, was a manifestation of the Iron Chain Division's members in their final moments. It was on the verge of being broken again by the Dragon Horse.
"Enough playing, Gu Ji. It's your turn to act!"
The purple-clothed youth commanded.
"Yes, Young Master!"
The black-clothed middle-aged man, Gu Ji, nodded. He took a step forward, and reappeared before the Dragon Horse, reaching out to grab it.
"Roar!!!"
The Dragon Horse roared and charged towards Gu Ji.
"Boom!"
With a loud crash, Gu Ji remained unmoved, but the Dragon Horse was sent flying. Although it possessed Hegemon-level combat power, it was not yet a true Hegemon.
"Vermin! Surrender!"
Gu Ji shouted and reached out to grab the Dragon Horse again.
The Dragon Horse's eyes widened in alarm at this. Flames erupted from its limbs, and in an instant, it vanished from its spot.
Dragon Horse, an exotic beast of heaven and earth, mastering extreme speed.
Gu Ji frowned upon seeing this, withdrawing his hand. He did not pursue it, knowing that he wouldn't be able to catch it.
"Activate the formation!"
Gu Ji shouted towards the four directions.
This was a command to the ten peak Emperor realm experts who were sealing off the area. They had previously only been suppressing the aura, but upon hearing Gu Ji's words, their energies erupted.
"Hum!"
A wave of fluctuations spread out, and tens of miles in every direction were instantly enveloped by a light screen.
"Not good!!!"
At the same moment, Li Xiaotian, who had been hidden in the shadows, watching the spectacle, his face drastically changed, for he had been trapped within this grand formation!