Zhi Xuan darted first. He did not use the conspicuous Three Traces Shadow Step. Instead, he channeled essence to his feet, making him move with deadly speed, silent as a creeping shadow.

  He approached the rock crevice where the two high-level Spiritual Beasts were resting. A distance of a hundred meters was only two breaths for him.

  As he reached the crevice threshold, Fei Sheng unleashed his Law of Wind. The wind was no longer merely a shield. It swirled, forming an invisible spiritual storm that encircled the crevice, ready to cleave the Spiritual Beasts and impede their movement.

  Inside the rock crevice, two majestic entities rested. One was the Fire Azure King—a winged lion with a blue-red flaming mane, radiating a scorching Yang aura, an early-phase Organ Transformation realm.

  Facing it was the Earth Azure King—a stone armored rhinoceros, its essence dense and heavy like a submerged mountain, a middle-phase Organ Transformation realm. Both Beasts, who should have been undisturbed, suddenly raised their heads. Fei Sheng's Law of Wind storm had disrupted their tranquility, but what was more oppressive was the cold aura coming from Zhi Xuan.

  In his palm, the Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron spun with a low hum. Zhi Xuan did not use it as a weapon, but as a spiritual magnet radiating an ancient, oppressive aura. The Fire Beast reacted first. As an aggressive Yang entity, it roared, its roar shaking the air.

  Zhi Xuan stopped at the crevice threshold. He stared straight at the Fire Azure King. His Blood Transformation aura, as cold as an icy abyss, burst forth. The explosion was not large, but incredibly dense—like frozen jade law.

  Zhi Xuan's Black Jade ice aura immediately locked onto the Fire Azure King, as if binding the Beast with invisible essence chains.

  "You are first," Zhi Xuan hissed in his mind, directing his cold will.

  The Fire Azure King, which usually dominated with its fire essence, suddenly felt a bone-chchilling coldness. It did not understand why this lowly Blood Transformation Zenith human could radiate such an oppressive aura. It did not resist, but it was provoked.

  WHUSSSHH!

  The Fire Azure King roared, forgetting the Earth Azure King facing it. It shot out of the rock crevice, leaping high, its fiery wings emitting pure spiritual flames. Its target was absolute: Zhi Xuan, the source of coldness who dared to challenge its majesty.

  As the Fire Azure King leaped into the air, Fei Sheng moved. His jade fan opened, and the strong Law of Wind whizzed. The wind was not directed at the Fire Azure King, but at the Earth Azure King, cutting off the Beast's running path and forming a spiritual wall that separated the two.

  "Junior Sister, now!" Fei Sheng shouted, his voice calm, accompanied by the thud of the Law of Wind controlling the battlefield.

  Feng Yi was waiting. She stepped forward gracefully, the Fire Sword in her hand radiating a fierce blue-red light. She did not attack the Fire Azure King. Her target was the Earth Azure King, which was now alone and confused after being separated from its companion.

  "Phoenix Fire!" Feng Yi roared.

  She did not use a sword technique; she used pure Azure Sacred Fire. Instantly, the blue-red flame on her blade exploded, forming a mini Phoenix made of spiritual fire. The Phoenix shot forward, not to burn, but to strike the Earth Azure King.

  BUOOMM!

  The Phoenix Fire slammed into the stone armored Beast's protection. Although the fire could not immediately penetrate the Earth Beast's defense, the force of the impact alone was enough to shake the Beast's foundation, pushing it further into Fei Sheng's Wind storm.

  Zhi Xuan, who was the lure, did not retreat. He faced the Fire Azure King that was darting toward him with deadly calmness. He did not waste energy on mortal martial arts. He focused his Zenith Black Jade essence. His spiritual blood spun wildly, and in his Sea of Consciousness, the Heavenly Samsara Wheel trembled.

  "Sky Destroyer Footprint," Zhi Xuan muttered.

  He merely moved his right hand. There was no complicated spell formation; it was a simple and brutal manifestation of will. The Black Jade essence from his Zenith shot from his palm, not in the form of energy, but in the form of frozen essence law.

  In the blink of an eye, the Black Jade Essence solidified in the air, forming a pitch-black gigantic footprint. The Footprint had no fire, no roar, but possessed an unimaginable ancient weight.

  WHUMMM!

  The Sky Destroyer Footprint struck the leaping Fire Azure King, right on the Beast's chest. The Beast's fire essence, which was usually invincible, instantly froze. However, it was only for a moment before a spiritual shockwave swept and pushed Zhi Xuan back. The Fire Azure King roared loudly and recovered quickly, its recovery extremely fast and as if the Sky Destroyer Footprint had no effect on it.

  "Pure Yang energy," Zhi Xuan hissed in his mind. He clenched his jaw. The Fire Azure King was an entity forged by the pure essence of the secret realm, giving it incredible regeneration and resistance to cold essence law-based attacks.

  "Monkey! Lure it into the Wind! Do not let it get close!" Ruo Xianxue roared from the Ancient Devil Monument. "Fire needs space to burn!"

  Zhi Xuan ignored the advice for a moment. He did not retreat, but advanced. If the simple Sky Destroyer Footprint was ineffective, he had to increase the intensity. He inhaled a cold breath, his essence circulating wildly. In his Sea of Consciousness, he focused the Law of the Four Seasons—absolute Winter.

  A second Sky Destroyer Footprint shot from his palm. This time, the Footprint was enveloped in a layer of frost, every line of the Footprint radiating an energy as cold as vacuum.

  WHUMMM! CRACK!

  The second Sky Destroyer Footprint struck the newly recovered Fire Azure King's chest. This time, the Beast felt real pain. The fire scales on its chest cracked. Not just because of the impact force, but because of the Law of Winter channeled through its essence.

  The Fire Azure King roared in pain, pushed back ten meters. The fire around it dimmed for a moment.

  At the same time, on the other side of the rock crevice, Feng Yi was engaged in intense battle. Her Phoenix Fire, although strong, struggled to penetrate the stone armored Earth Azure King's protection.

  "Phoenix Fire: Nine Crimson Slashes!" Feng Yi shouted. She moved her Fire Sword, and nine spiritual fire blades shot out, hitting the same point on the Earth Azure King's armor.

  CRACK! CRACK!

  The Earth Beast growled. Its armor creaked, and a small piece of stone armor broke off. However, the Beast immediately retaliated. It stomped its large foot, and the surrounding volcanic rocks shot out, forming a stone wall that protected it from further attack.

  Fei Sheng, standing between the two battles, smiled coldly. He was the perfect restrainer. His Law of Wind formed a spiral wall around the Earth Azure King, preventing it from escaping or approaching the Fire Azure King.

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  "Junior Sister, do not let it defend! Break its defense!" Fei Sheng shouted, his jade fan shaking, and his wind spiral pressed the Earth Beast harder.

  Zhi Xuan saw an opportunity. The Fire Azure King was injured, and its energy was focused on Zhi Xuan. He leaped forward, letting the Divine Cauldron in his hand spin faster. Zhi Xuan waved his open hand, and in the air appeared a formation of ten swords with blood-red blades.

  "Blood Wind Vortex, Swords Unite!"

  The circular formation trembled faintly, whizzed loudly, and one by one the swords merged. From behind the circle, a large golden sword shrouded in blood appeared slowly. With one wave of Zhi Xuan's hand.

  ZINGGG! SRAKK!

  The sword detached and caused volcanic ash to fly around the sword's path. The large sword was immediately countered by the Fire Azure King.

  The Fire Azure King roared loudly, spitting a barrage of Pure Yang Fire Balls—spiritual fireballs the size of a human head that radiated heat capable of melting ordinary steel. These fireballs, channeled by pure energy, aimed to destroy the Blood Sword before it could hit.

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  The first three Fire Balls collided with the gold-blood blade. The collision released a spiritual shockwave that shook Fei Sheng's Wind formation. The Fire Balls exploded into fragments of fierce Yang light, but the Blood Sword, forged by dense spiritual essence, only lost a little of its speed.

  The sword continued to shoot forward, cutting through the next Fire Balls, as if splitting cloth. The sword, although shrouded in a blood color, radiated a sharp blood aura, creating a strange restraining effect on the Beast's fire essence.

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw. He knew that the Fire Azure King was merely wasting its essence trying to destroy the concentrated Blood Wind Vortex attack.

  The Blood Sword was not the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade, but a blade of pure essence forged from his spiritual blood, possessing enough power to penetrate the Fire Azure King's attack. The gold-blood sword finally cut through all the fire resistance.

  SRAKK!

  The sword struck the Fire Azure King's right shoulder. This time, the impact was far more brutal. The essence enveloping the sword not only cut flesh and bone but also implanted a blood laceration and a corrosive absorbing effect into the Beast's meridians.

  The Fire Azure King roared in real pain. The fire in its mane and wings drastically dimmed, and it was forced to retreat, trying to heal its wound with pure regeneration. However, the Blood Sword had paralyzed the essence flow in its shoulder.

  Zhi Xuan did not waste the opportunity, with a slow movement, he waved his hand and channeled his essence into the divine cauldron, making the cauldron enlarge and whiz loudly.

  "Autumn, Corrosion!"

  The Divine Cauldron spun rapidly, from the cauldron's mouth spewing the Law of Autumn, channeling a green light that immediately struck the Fire Azure King's body. The Fire Azure King roared loudly and did not have time to manifest a spiritual fire shield.

  "Fire Bird Maiden!" Zhi Xuan shouted, calling Feng Yi who was now immobilizing the Earth Azure King with the help of Fei Sheng's Law of Wind.

  Feng Yi nodded and lightly, roared sharply and kicked the Earth Azure King towards the green light wave, with the strength of the kick, the Earth Azure King was thrown and struck the Fire Azure King's body.

  "Nine Fire Revolutions, Fire Destroyer Sword!"

  Feng Yi no longer held back. Her pure and dense Organ Transformation aura exploded, merging with her fire essence. She leaped into the air, the Fire Sword in her hand spinning nine times above her head, each rotation drawing fire essence from the air, condensing it into a revolving destructive spiral.

  The green light from the Law of Autumn that came out of Zhi Xuan's Heavenly Trifold Reincarnation Cauldron enveloped the Fire Azure King, causing its fire scales to look yellow and withered—a deadly Corrosion effect on pure Yang essence. The Fire Azure King struggled to free itself from the Earth Beast that struck it, which was now further pressing its wound.

  In the middle of the Fire Beast's moment of vulnerability, Feng Yi's Nine Fire Revolutions struck. It was not an ordinary slash; it was a concentrated spiral of spiritual fire, aimed straight at the same spot wounded by Zhi Xuan's Blood Sword—its right shoulder.

  BOOOMMM!

  This time, the impact was brutal and final. Pure Phoenix Fire, combined with Autumn Corrosion, penetrated the Beast's defense. The Fire Azure King's shoulder was torn, and its spiritual fire essence gushed out, not as a majestic flame, but as a thin, dimming mist.

  The Fire Beast let out a roar of despair. Its eyes, which were ferocious, now dimmed, and its large body collapsed beside the confused Earth Azure King.

  Fei Sheng, seeing the opportunity, shouted, "Restraining Wind!"

  His Law of Wind, which had previously only functioned as a dividing wall, now spun wildly, forming a dense net that enveloped the still-staggering Earth Azure King. The Earth Beast was trapped, its heavy essence impeded by the invisible wind spiral.

  Feng Yi landed gracefully, her high-tied black hair fluttering for a moment. Her breath was slightly labored, indicating that the attack consumed most of her essence. She glanced at the dead Fire Azure King, then turned to Zhi Xuan with a complex gaze—a mixture of surprise and satisfaction.

  "Sky Destroyer Footprint, and that Blood Sword. Your attack power is not bad, Herald of Devil," Feng Yi praised, her tone reluctant yet honest. "But you wasted too much essence with that strange Autumn! Let me finish off this Earth Beast now!"

  Zhi Xuan ignored the taunt. He immediately retracted his Divine Cauldron. The artifact shrank back into a gold-jade bead and returned to his hair. He did not care about Feng Yi's comment.

  He stepped forward, the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade appearing in his left hand—a pitch-black blade that radiated a thick black jade essence aura. The Blade, a half-broken Heaven Grade, immediately drew the wild spiritual essence in the Falling Star Secret Realm, channeling it into Zhi Xuan's newly forged Divine Wheel.

  "No," Zhi Xuan replied flatly, his voice calm and firm. "I will kill it. I want to try this broken blade."

  The words surprised Feng Yi. "You? A Blood Transformation Zenith wants to kill a hard Organ Transformation Beast like the Earth Azure King?"

  Fei Sheng, who was still controlling his Law of Wind to restrain the Earth Beast, smiled faintly. "Junior Sister, do not underestimate the desire to forge the Dao. Brother Zhi Xuan, do it. My Law of Wind will hold its movement, but you must be fast. This Beast has very strong spiritual defense."

  The Earth Azure King struggled inside Fei Sheng's Wind net, growling angrily. Its small eyes were fixed on Zhi Xuan, who was now approaching with the pitch-black Blade in hand.

  Zhi Xuan wasted no time. He channeled his essence into the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade. The black jade energy resonated with the ancient thunder wood and the hell-black iron of the Blade, releasing a deadly and cold Thunder aura.

  "Ocean Thunder, Body Severing Thunder!"

  Zhi Xuan staggered momentarily from the surge of essence drawn from his Divine Wheel. The Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade, a half-broken Heaven Grade Artifact, demanded an essence equivalent to the Organ Transformation realm to unleash its full power—a heavy burden for Zhi Xuan.

  The torrent of thunder flashes from the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade was a terrifying sight. It was not mortal thunder, but cold spiritual thunder, forged by black jade essence and ancient thunder wood. The thunder struck the Earth Azure King trapped in Fei Sheng's Wind net.

  CRACKK! BOOM!

  The first strike, pure severing thunder energy, hit the Earth Beast's stone armor. Unlike Feng Yi's Phoenix Fire which needed many attacks to penetrate. The Thunder did not try to burn; it tried to sever the connection between essence and flesh.

  The Earth Azure King's stone armor, which was extremely strong, suddenly radiated a strange sheen before cracking. The crack was not due to physical impact, but because the Thunder energy had disrupted the spiritual essence arrangement that held it.

  The Earth Azure King roared in pain far greater than when struck by the Phoenix Fire. The Body Severing Thunder had penetrated its skin, plus corroded the Beast's core meridian. The entire Beast's body trembled violently, breaking free from Fei Sheng's Wind net.

  Zhi Xuan clenched his jaw, ignoring the draining essence. He focused the remnants of his essence into the Thunder Blade, ignoring the Divine Cauldron.

  "Body Severing Thunder, Shatter!"

  He did not attack physically. He merely moved the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade horizontally. A cold Thunder wave, already shrouded in the aura of slaughter, shot forward like an invisible blade.

  This attack relied entirely on the power of the Heaven Grade Artifact resonating with an essence far beyond Zhi Xuan's realm.

  SRAKK!

  The Thunder wave sliced the Earth Azure King's neck. The thunder blade did not leave a gruesome scar, but the effect was fatal: it severed the Beast's Sea of Consciousness from its physical body. The spiritual essence that was previously dense and alive, suddenly dimmed and died.

  The Earth Azure King, whose body was as large as an ancient tree, collapsed to the ground with a loud rumble, turning the volcanic sand into dust. At the same time, the injured Fire Azure King, which had collapsed beside it and was corroded by Zhi Xuan's Law of Autumn, was also struck by a thunder flash from the fading black cloud.

  From the two beast carcasses, the core of the beast only found in the Secret Realm emerged, shining brightly with an orange color. Two orange Beast Cores, glowing with pure Organ Transformation essence, floated above his cold left palm.

  Although the cores were valuable resources in the Falling Star Secret Realm, Zhi Xuan's sapphire eyes radiated dissatisfaction. He had over-spent his Zenith essence—using the Sky Destroyer Footprint twice, the Blood Wind Vortex, the Law of Autumn, and finally, two waves of Body Severing Thunder from the Ocean Shattering Thunder Blade. The burden of the half-broken Heaven Grade Artifact almost crippled his Divine Wheel.

  "Two beast cores," Zhi Xuan muttered, his voice as cold as a sword blade. He turned his face to Fei Sheng and Feng Yi. "These are for you."

  He allowed the two orange cores to float toward them. His movement was quick and final, as if he was discarding useless trash.