From the deep sea, the colossal sea monster, not yet fully surfaced, had already thrust several of its terrifying tentacles above the waves. Upon each tentacle were countless whirlpools the size of human heads, opening and closing with an indescribable, grim horror.

Just as White Horse mustered his strength to drag himself out of their reach, the whirlpools on the tentacles burst open, spewing torrents of powerful water jets. These water jets were incredibly sharp, as if piercing arrows arriving through the air, imbued with the ultimate degree of devastating power.

Even with Thunder’s current thick hide, he dared not carelessly endure many of them. He darted left and right, moving amidst the endless barrage of water arrows that filled the sky.

For a brief time, breaking through seemed utterly impossible. From the center of the sea, waves radiated outward, and the colossal body, like a mountain range, slowly began to emerge.

He Yi Ming vaguely sensed that if this gigantic monster truly managed to surface, he and Thunder would be in dire peril. Taking a deep breath, He Yi Ming’s eyes shone brightly as he aimed the furnace opening toward the seabed.

Slowly, a patch of bare skin began to rise from the ocean floor. Although He Yi Ming could not yet discern exactly what it was, the immense pressure alone was enough to make his breathing ragged.

In contrast, Thunder and Treasure Pig, despite their relatively small sizes, handled the immense pressure far better than He Yi Ming. His forehead was slick with cold sweat, and even the clothes on his body were completely soaked through.

He Yi Ming had no idea if it was his own cold sweat that had drenched him, or merely sea spray splashed up from the vast ocean. At this moment, he held only a single thought in his mind.

Big fellow, whatever you are, just die... His hands, steady as iron and stone, finally twisted open the lid of the Nine Dragons Furnace.

Red... In the center of the azure sea, a vast and boundless crimson abruptly materialized.

Water conquers fire, but when the power of fire expands to a degree bordering on the divine, even this boundless ocean cannot halt the flames of godly wrath. He Yi Ming’s vision suddenly flared bright; he could see nothing, feel nothing.

Around him was a sweeping inferno, an undying great fire burning atop the sea. As far as his sight could reach, there was only fire—fire everywhere, as if he had suddenly stepped into the world within the Nine Dragons Furnace, wandering through a realm made of flame.

Slowly, he gathered his composure and realized that above his head, a red flower was spinning rapidly. Unbeknownst to him, a strange protective shield had enveloped him.

Within this shield, there was not a single trace of heat. Yet, outside the barrier, the flames roared to the heavens.

Beneath him, Thunder stood completely still, not daring to move an inch. The shield emanating from the Flower of Fire above He Yi Ming’s head encompassed its body entirely as well.

Their eyes met. In both man and horse, there was a flicker of relief.

However, compared to He Yi Ming, Thunder’s gaze held a different quality—it seemed saturated with intense reverence, yet mingled within that awe was a trace of affection. He Yi Ming scratched his scalp, utterly bewildered by Thunder’s strange look.

In truth, while Thunder had accepted He Yi Ming, it had only been because Treasure Pig mediated, coupled with the fact that consuming the four Dragon Snake Horns in He Yi Ming’s possession allowed it to successfully break its limits and advance to the rank of Sacred Beast. This represented friendship, a heart full of gratitude.

But in Thunder’s mind, it had never truly acknowledged He Yi Ming’s strength, especially after ascending to Sacred Beast status, where it was inclined to look down upon every life form except Hundred and Eight and Treasure Pig. However, encountering this abyssal sea monster, and witnessing the sweeping sea of fire erupting from He Yi Ming, severely tested its still-nascent spirit.

Especially towards He Yi Ming, it now felt genuine awe, and all traces of disdain vanished. This great fire continued to burn on the sea surface.

Not just White Horse Thunder, but even He Yi Ming dared not move rashly. This was because he found the ability of his Flower of Fire to preserve their lives within this massive blaze utterly incredible.

The sheer power contained within such a great fire was unimaginable. Even the monster slowly surfacing from the ocean depths was utterly annihilated by this single burst of flame.

Whether it was burned to ash beyond recognition, or fled due to the overwhelming majesty of the fire, He Yi Ming could no longer detect any trace of it. Such intense fiery power—that his Flower of Fire could resist it—He Yi Ming would not believe it if it killed him.

Yet, the fact remained that the three of them had survived the inferno solely due to the merits of his Flower of Fire. Within the area encompassed by the Flower of Fire, the boundless flames did not dare to cross the boundary by so much as a step.

If not for this, before they could even force the sea monster to retreat, the three of them would likely have already perished in the sea of fire. For a full day and night, this great conflagration raged across the vast, empty sea before slowly dissipating.

He Yi Ming, however, was not foolish enough to wait out the entire twenty-four hours in the blaze. After more than half a day, He Yi Ming was already astride Thunder, shielded by the Flower of Fire, fleeing the sea of flame at maximum speed.

This time, Thunder obeyed He Yi Ming’s command without the slightest hesitation, following his intent step-by-step as they moved away from the inferno. It transformed into a white streak, galloping toward the distance.

A quarter of an hour later, they were far from the fiery patch. Looking back, the horizon was still saturated with crimson, and from afar, even the sky appeared a fiery red.

He Yi Ming subconsciously glanced at the Nine Dragons Furnace he held tightly. For the first time, he realized that a true divine artifact was indeed incomparable to any so-called divine weapon forged by common hands.

Compared to it, even the imitative artifact, the Five Elements Rings, seemed utterly worthless. Moreover, he now fully believed that the contiguous eight hundred li of Flame Mountains in the southwest of the continent must have been created by the hand of a Divine Path expert.

He gently patted the long mane on Thunder’s neck. The horse slightly tilted its head, seemingly relishing this unusual caress.

This shift in attitude only occurred after He Yi Ming displayed the might of the Nine Dragons Furnace, leading to White Horse Thunder’s complete submission. “Thunder, let’s go back,” He Yi Ming sighed genuinely, uttering the most classic realization: “The outer sea seems to be a place we cannot yet tread.” The mere thought of the colossal beast beneath the waves made even Treasure Pig shiver.

It nodded repeatedly, casting a fearful glance back towards the sea of fire. He Yi Ming’s suggestion was clearly approved by all his companions.

Even the proud and untamed White Horse Thunder offered no dissent. The high spirits it possessed upon arrival had mostly evaporated following this ordeal.

It quickly spun around, fixed its gaze in a certain direction, and bolted away like a phantom. He Yi Ming sat obediently, having no intention of leading the way.

Truthfully, he had long forgotten the exact location of that secluded island, but with Thunder present, he felt no worry. Didn't people always say old horses know the way?

Thunder was at least forty years old; it couldn't possibly forget the path home. However, after running for only a short distance, Thunder halted once again.

He Yi Ming was greatly alarmed, but the sensation he received from the horse indicated no particular danger. He remained puzzled, unable to fathom the reason for this stop.

Sweeping his gaze around, He Yi Ming’s eyes suddenly sharpened. He had spotted a severed tentacle drifting on the ocean surface.

Although most of the tentacle was charred black, He Yi Ming instantly recognized it as one of the appendages the terrifying sea monster had thrust out to block Thunder’s retreat. Now, this half-section of the tentacle was utterly severed from its master, floating aimlessly with the currents.

Yet, not a single fish dared to approach it, seemingly repelled by some deep emanation from its surface. After only a moment of hesitation, He Yi Ming gently squeezed the horse’s flanks.

Thunder moved its four hooves, running like wind and lightning, swiftly stopping beside the severed tentacle. He Yi Ming leaned down and picked up the half-piece.

The moment his hand touched this section of the tentacle, he could feel the immense power contained within it. This was pure water power, present in an almost unbelievable quantity.

While far inferior to the Nine Dragons Furnace artifact, it was still leagues beyond what He Yi Ming could command. Sadly, half of the tentacle was reduced to charcoal, and the very tip showed signs of vaporization, evidence that the sea monster had suffered grievous wounds, leaving it severely crippled even if not dead.

After a brief deliberation, he took out the silver ring and opened its miraculous internal space. However, he was immediately troubled: this space was already crammed with items, and he could not possibly discard this massive tentacle in his hands.

With a long sigh, He Yi Ming took out the huge bundle gifted by Jin Zhanyi, tying it tightly to Thunder’s back, and then rearranged the contents of the spatial storage. Black Iron, the Wind and Water Precious Fan, the Dragon Snake Horns, and other items were tightly packed together before he managed to fit the tentacle completely inside.

Having completed this task, He Yi Ming clapped his hands and murmured to the bundle, “Brother Jin, my apologies.” Then, he lightly patted Thunder, and instantly, a continuous white line streaked across the ocean surface. This white line ran perfectly straight toward the west, maintaining its trajectory as it rolled toward the endless distance, leaving behind a trail like a beam of celestial laser light that refused to fade.