C1987 Step by Step Pressing Forward!

"Spiritual Projection!"

A tiny, bright yellow Heaven Palace Seal appeared between Cao Jiaze's eyebrows, opening like the eye of a deity.

With Tan Xiaotian's arrival, the vast Hellfire Mountain range, stretching for millions of miles, began to dim.

And it continued to grow darker.

It seemed that if Tan Xiaotian lingered any longer, the Hellfire Mountain would be transformed into a dark and strange landscape.

However, with the opening of the "Eye of God" between Cao Jiaze's eyebrows, the space surrounding Zhou Cangmin was suddenly flooded with light, and Cangmin's Yang God sparkled radiantly.

Cao Jiaze instantly noticed two soul shadows within the region of Cangmin's brain.

One soul shadow, trapped near the left ear and confined by a fiery red halo, appeared unaware of being observed as it frantically examined the flame patterns on the halo.

The other, a blood-red soul shadow, took up the central position in Cangmin's brain, with Flowing Flames like divine feathers, shaping into a stunning fire phoenix.

"Lord Imperial Advisor!"

Yuan Lianyao, who was nearest, also caught sight of the anomaly in Cangmin's brain as Cao Jiaze cast the soul technique. She quickly conjured the Red Demon Bell to shield herself.

"He's been possessed," Qin Luo sighed, crouching down to press his palm against the earth, channeling divine power into the Great Sun Sky Secret Diagram.

Hua! Hua!

Intense fire sparks erupted from the earth's fissures, crisscrossing in the sky to form a fierce sun.

Seven such suns encased the heavens above Cangmin's head, preventing any easy escape.

Beneath Lianyao's feet, another sun totem pulsed with Qin Luo's Divine Flame, safeguarding her, the beacon of hope for their sect.

"How did you know?"

Zhou Cangmin, trapped under the seven suns and targeted by Cao Jiaze's divine gaze, remained composed.

"It's merely a sphere of flame endowed with a sliver of beast soul. Even in death within the vast expanse, it cannot damage my core. What puzzles me is... you were all prepared even before I entered the Vast Ocean."

She addressed Zhou Cangmin from within his body.

"Creature from another world, why harbor so many doubts? You are no different from the Demon Phoenix. As part of the Phoenix Tribe, you should remain hidden beyond the heavens. How dare you trespass into our realm?"

Tan Xiaotian approached Zhou Cangmin with impatience, darkness spreading with each step.

Whoosh!

Countless pitch-black demonic clouds burst forth from him, resembling demons birthed from the abyss of eternal night, relentlessly advancing towards Zhou Cangmin.

As the demonic clouds surged, Cao Jiaze's God's Eye shattered with a crackle. The seven suns suspended above failed to penetrate the gloom with even a sliver of light.

Zhou Cangmin's Yang God form and the fiery phoenix soul within his mind were completely submerged in the darkness.

"The Vast Ocean, devoid of its realm wall, remains off-limits to extraterrestrial beings. Even the Demon Phoenix has not ventured here. What makes you think you can?" Tan Xiaotian mocked, ready to crush Zhou Cangmin's Yang God with the Dark Wheel.

"Mr. Tan, I ask that you spare Zhou Cangmin's Yang God," Cao Jiaze interjected.

Qin Luo was momentarily taken aback.

Zhou Cangmin, now merely a Yang God after losing his physical form and possessed by an otherworldly evil, was someone the sect master had resolved to forsake.

Lacking the power to banish the entity possessing Zhou Cangmin, the most prudent course of action seemed to be destruction.

Tan Xiaotian had reached the same conclusion.

Yet, Cao Jiaze, who had no personal ties to Zhou Cangmin and had scarcely interacted with him before, unexpectedly pleaded on his behalf.

"You really do fuss over things," Tan Xiaotian grumbled. Amidst the boundless darkness, he reached for Zhou Cangmin's mind, attempting to extract the fire phoenix.

Crack!

Beneath Zhou Cangmin's feet, the earth shattered like brittle glass.

Thick, roiling magma erupted from the earth's core like a gush of crimson blood, scorching Tan Xiaotian's dark magic and enveloping Zhou Cangmin.

"What is this...?"

Tan Xiaotian paused, suddenly uncertain, and refrained from further action.

Darkness receded like the tide, retreating into his form as if a myriad of streams were merging into the deep ocean.

Before long, Zhou Cangmin, ablaze like a crystal of fire, stood above the fractured earth. The fire phoenix that had possessed him was nowhere to be seen.

Below, sparks erupted from the crevices, accompanied by the echoing cries of a phoenix.

"It's the Geocentric Fire," Yuan Lianyao exclaimed.

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Luo added, "That fire phoenix understands the intricacies of the Flowing Flames and has even mastered the arcane methods of refining the sun. It seems... she can also smelt magma and fiery waters within herself. Her phoenix form embodies numerous fiery Dao principles, likely drawn here by the Geocentric Fire."

"She's also quite the catch for the Geocentric Fire. She must have been the one to coax Mo Baichuan out," Qin Luo speculated.

"I have a feeling..."

Cao Jiaze, touching his forehead, pressed the diminutive Heaven Palace Seal into his flesh and said, "She's sent forth a flame soul to willingly approach the Geocentric Fire, to let it know that in this world, there exists an exceptional being like her—a choice far superior to Mo Baichuan."

"What is that extreme flame up to?" Tan Xiaotian furrowed his brow and huffed, "If Mo Baichuan was slain by the Demon Phoenix and this fire phoenix, why would it leave behind that flame soul?"

"Do you think it possesses human emotions?" Cao Jiaze questioned.

Tan Xiaotian fell silent.

...

In the Time Secret Area, Loong Jie, having manifested as the Golden Dragon God, flicked his resplendent golden tail, stretching for millions of miles, reducing the fragmented land to dust.

In this shattered expanse of the Starry Forbidden Ground, he was an unstoppable force, impervious to any physical or magical assault.

Loong Jie, having just slain a Scarlet Scaled Beast God and torn its body asunder, transformed into a streak of golden brilliance.

The broad sweep of golden radiance sent shivers down the spines of all the Beast Gods present, as they realized that this Dragon God was a formidable menace beyond their capacity to confront.

As the second Blood Cloud Beast God braced itself, time seemed to decelerate.

Its massive body, crowned with sinister blood-colored mushroom clouds, burst forth violently, attempting to shatter the binding seal.

Zhong Chichen let out a scoff and laid his hand upon the Time Book.

Beside the Blood Cloud Beast God, two mysterious streams of light transformed into chains of order, binding the beast's soul in a temporal prison.

Rip!

Loong Jie, having cleared a path with his dragon horn, burst through the Blood Cloud Beast God. Clutching a pulsating beast heart in his dragon claw, he devoured it with relish.

With a menacing grin, Loong Jie turned his gaze to the Nine-Tailed Black Fox.

"I have yet to surrender my blood essence to our king!"

The Nine-Tailed Black Fox shrieked, fleeing aboard the Shrouded Tower, lacking the courage of the Scarlet Scaled Beast God and the Blood Cloud Beast God.

It understood that the two Beast Gods slain by Loong Jie might be resurrected in the Desolate Realm and possibly even receive the king's favor.

But if it perished, only the next leader of the Black Fox Clan would gain, as it would not return to life.

Thus, its only option was to flee.

Suddenly, another Shrouded Tower, tearing through multiple layers of space, descended upon the scene.

A colossal ape, whose head seemed to dwell among the stars of the outer cosmos, swung a massive hammer that seemed to punch a vast cavity through the firmament and the Time Secret Area.

A sparse array of starlight and blood energy spilled from the vast opening, mingling with the starry expanse.

Boom!

Loong Jie, in pursuit of the Nine-Tailed Black Fox, was struck dizzy by the hammer's blow, as if enduring the assault of innumerable mountains.

"Loong Jie!"

The giant ape bellowed with laughter, raising his hammer for another strike. "You've grown bold, daring to slay Beast Gods beyond the heavens!"

As the gleaming hammer descended, a majestic mountain, as if showered in a myriad of shattered stars, plummeted towards Loong Jie, conjured by the giant ape's demonic might.

Gazing at the star-encircled peak, Loong Jie felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance, as if his bloodline had been sealed away.

It wasn't long before he realized this was no mere feeling.

As the hammer and mountain crashed down together, Loong Jie's "Ultimate Golden Body" bloodline momentarily failed, rendering his dragon scales as fragile as mere glass, and hundreds shattered under the impact.

Loong Jie let out a heart-wrenching howl.

"This shattered Time Secret Area is now fragmented. I'm curious to see whether Yu Yuan will come to your rescue," the colossal ape declared, brandishing a gleaming silver hammer. The white python, Rat God Nors, Alex, and other Beast Gods materialized one by one.

"If Yu Yuan doesn't cross through the Abyss Gate, the two of you are doomed to die here. But if he does come, the Abyss Gate will be destroyed. I'm eager to see what choice he makes," the white python stated icily.

…