The sudden exclamation from the Vampire Elder, Vex, startled even Ji Changkong! He hadn't expected this Vex of the Blood Clan to know of the Tianyuan Pearl. Judging by Vex's reaction, he not only knew of the Pearl but seemed profoundly fearful of it. Ji Changkong couldn't fathom what caused such shock. "Tianyuan Pearl! 'Tianyuan Pearl!' 'Tianyuan Pearl!'"

The members of the Blood Clan and the Ice Clan cried out one after another, their gazes fixed on Ji Changkong filled with utter astonishment. Ji Changkong was rendered completely speechless. Their excessive reaction left him adrift, as if everyone present was already intimately familiar with the existence of the Tianyuan Pearl.

As the Tianyuan Pearl emerged, a dazzling halo erupted, spreading outwards from the Pearl as the epicenter. Under the influence of this radiance, every current of water in the vicinity seemed to instantly freeze in place.

After their initial gasps, the few Vampire Elders appeared to recall some crucial detail. Vex roared, "Restrain that brat!" Ren and Figg, the other two Vampire Elders, charged toward Ji Changkong without hesitation.

Bina, the female leader of the Ice Clan, hesitated only for a moment before swiftly closing in on Ji Changkong, an expression of profound strangeness flashing in her icy eyes.

With the "Blazing Thunder Sacred Fire" dancing in his palm, Ji Changkong watched helplessly as the Tianyuan Pearl drifted out and hovered above his head. He attempted to use his divine sense to recapture it back into his body, only to discover the Pearl was strangely unresponsive.

The Tianyuan Pearl remained suspended above him, continuously releasing its various blinding halos. No matter how he summoned it, the Pearl stubbornly refused to move from its position over his head.

A faint sense of excitement emanated from the Tianyuan Pearl, suggesting some peculiar life form within harbored an intense desire for something belonging to the bearer. The "Blazing Thunder Sacred Fire" in his palm began to flicker more erratically, stirring restlessly, seemingly on the verge of breaking free from his control as well.

Not far off, the "Nether Cold Flame," previously concealed within the small vortex, began to shift inch by inch, drawn by the call of the "Blazing Thunder Sacred Fire," its distance from him shrinking...

"Don't let the light of that Tianyuan Pearl cover all the vortices!" Vex shrieked, his voice cracking, "Kill that boy!"

Ren and Figg’s eyes suddenly flushed crimson, bloodshot streaks radiating like lightning within their pupils. The grotesque fangs protruding from their lips elongated by several inches. The two Vampire Elders suddenly appeared terrifyingly monstrous, suggesting they had fully unleashed the inherent divine abilities of the Blood Clan.

In this specific location, the Blood Clan was still constrained, unable to fully deploy their vital essence or soul power. However, by mobilizing the power within their blood and activating their innate talents, their auras surged, faintly surpassing even that of Bina, the Ice Clan leader.

"Foolish child, hurry and channel the power of the Tianyuan Pearl to let its halo engulf the entire area!" the Ice Clan leader, Bina, suddenly shrieked. "The energy within the Tianyuan Pearl is sufficient to disrupt every single vortex here, perhaps even absorbing the strange power within them—but you must be quick!"

Bina's urgent cry caused a jolt in Ji Changkong’s heart. Though he didn't understand why she would say such a thing, he perceived a genuine sense of goodwill from her. "Be careful!" Fire Phoenix suddenly warned. In the next instant, the Ice Clan Elder Ren blurred and vanished from sight.

When his silhouette reappeared, he was already behind Ji Changkong. Without hesitation, a dense ball of bloody light coalesced in his palm, and a surging, bloodthirsty power violently flooded into the back of Ji Changkong’s heart. Like the collapse of a mountain range, that savage, bloodthirsty force suddenly lashed back out from Ji Changkong’s own palm.

As the rampant bloodthirsty power poured into him, Ji Changkong’s body was violently propelled forward. The cracking sound of shattering bone echoed incessantly from his back—a chilling, brittle kaka that was utterly horrifying to hear.

Surprisingly, the Tianyuan Pearl did not abandon him even as his body was blasted away. The Pearl, which had been floating above his head, flashed with an arcane light and settled back above his crown. "It's over!" Bina cried out frantically, screaming, "That brat is dead! Everyone, grab the Tianyuan Pearl!"

All the Ice Clan members sprang into action, their bodies shimmering with crystalline ice-light. In a synchronized movement, the Ice Clan instantly surrounded Ji Changkong at the center.

An intensely chilling cold emanated from every Ice Clan member, enveloping the entire area, including Ji Changkong. A massive ice sphere, ten zhang long, violently took shape. Within the sphere, Ji Changkong was immobilized, seemingly frozen solid.

However, the strange halo of the Tianyuan Pearl remained utterly unaffected by the ice sphere, piercing through it to continue spreading in all directions. "Bina! Do you really think the Blood Clan dares not destroy your Ice Clan?" Ren roared in fury.

After landing his successful strike, he surged forward, about to seize Ji Changkong, but abruptly slammed into the colossal ice sphere, punching a hole through it before halting his momentum.

The other Elder, Figg, his face equally filled with murderous intent, casually seized an obstructing Ice Clan member, thrusting his five fingers deep into the body. With a brutal twist, the Ice Clan member dissolved into a slurry, life immediately extinguished.

Vex stood with a grim expression, coldly observing the Ice Clan members but refraining from immediate attack, instead watching the black vortex with heightened vigilance, seemingly awaiting something.

"Good! Since you break the rules first, don't blame us for being impolite!" Bina’s expression shifted, turning cold as deep frost. "After this, any Blood Clan member who dares set foot in the Extreme Cold Land will surely perish!" "Hmph! We’ll have our prize this time, and this Inner Earth World will belong only to our Blood Clan!" Figg sneered. "Huo Tuo! Did you hear that?" Bina’s eyes flashed with vicious intent as she shouted to a powerful Flame Demon standing nearby. "I heard," the Flame Demon named Huo Tuo replied, nodding. He waved his hand, "Take out the Blood Clan!"

Several masters of the Flame Demon race swarmed forward, instantly surrounding Figg. Huo Tuo struck first, strange magma-like fluid surging within his body, spewing forth a sulfurous flame energy that instantly transformed into a massive, colossal greatsword of fire.

Huo Tuo hefted the enormous flame greatsword, swinging it casually. A wave of savage fire rushed out, striking Figg heavily.

Figg staggered, scarlet blood blooming in his palm, his crimson eyes filled with brutality and malice. "Seize the Tianyuan Pearl! That is the priority!" Ren snapped impatiently. "Once we have the Tianyuan Pearl, the Ice Clan and the Flame Demon race will eventually become our slaves!"

Hearing this, Figg seemed to regain a sliver of clarity. He moved strangely out of the Flame Demon encirclement and rejoined Ren. "Pfft!"

Ren deliberately spat out a mouthful of blood. This scarlet blood resembled red crystal—an unnaturally alluring, deep red, saturated with sinister power.

This single spurt of blood arced above the ice sphere. The sphere, painstakingly refined by Bina and several Ice Clan experts, became as fragile as tissue paper under the impact of that blood, shattering with a single strike. The jet of blood exploded within the sphere like a cannonball. "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Repeated explosions echoed from within the ice sphere. Ice spikes shot out in all directions as the sphere disintegrated. The frigid essence it contained blasted into the water currents, forming shards of ice that attacked indiscriminately.

Fire Phoenix and Xiao Han, who had just cautiously approached Ji Changkong’s side, were forced to halt their advance by the barrage of flying ice shards, compelled to focus their efforts on defending against the scattered attack.

Vex, leading a contingent of Blood Clan experts around the black vortex, seemed to sense a surge in the vortex's evil energy—perhaps a consequence of Ji Changkong being encased in ice.

The small vortex that had been drifting towards Ji Changkong struggled a few times before turning back, drawn toward the main black vortex. "Leave this to me. All of you go reinforce Ren!" Vex bit his lip, giving a chillingly cold order.

The Blood Clan experts behind him swarmed out like demons, their fangs fully bared, their blood energy soaring skyward as they charged toward the Ice Clan and Flame Demons.

Chaos reigned supreme!

"Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!"

The last large chunk of ice shattered, revealing Ji Changkong, who had been imprisoned within.

The Blood Clan members grew even more excited upon seeing Ji Changkong emerge. Some moved to intercept the Ice Clan and Flame Demons, while the rest rushed to capture him.

The Ice Clan and Flame Demons could exert their peak strength only within the Extreme Cold Land and the Lava Abyss, respectively. In this current mixed zone, the power of both races was significantly curtailed. This was especially true since the Ice Clan and Flame Demons were sharing the same space!

These two races were mutually restrictive: the Ice Clan could not tolerate the dense fiery power of the Flame Demons, and the Flame Demons could not withstand the cold aura of the Ice Clan. When together, their powers would be checked by the other, causing a massive overall weakening. The Blood Clan seemed acutely aware of this, thus showing no fear of the Ice Clan and Flame Demons uniting.

Before Vex could act, the Blood Clan forces led by Ren and Figg managed to hold back the combined assault from the Flame Demons and the Ice Clan.

However, due to the disruption caused by the Ice and Flame races, the Blood Clan could not achieve their goal of seizing Ji Changkong easily.

Vex scowled, hesitating beside the black vortex for a moment before finally losing his restraint. His form blurred, and he joined the fray, instantly arriving beside Ji Changkong.

A fierce, predatory glint flashed in Vex’s eyes. He lunged, his five fingers curled, sending five torrents of blood energy surging forth.

At that precise moment, Ji Changkong, who had kept his eyes tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open. His gaze held no discernible emotion, and a power of utter annihilation suddenly erupted from within him.

In the next instant, Ji Changkong’s body drastically transformed. His fingernails burst outward, grotesque bone spurs sprouted from his arms and shoulders, and scales began to cover his neck and chin!