Ye Chen turned his head to look at Bai Yijun. Though she remained silent, her face had clearly turned ashen; she was only refraining from speaking out of consideration for his feelings.

A wave of emotion washed over him, and he squeezed her hand, sending a private sound transmission: "Don't worry, I won't let Bai Tian come to any harm."

Bai Yijun turned back to him, her gaze filled with gratitude.

Just then, Bai Tian and the Wheel-Turning Saint King ahead suddenly halted, their expressions turning grave. They stared up at the two colossal mountains in the distance. Behind these peaks seemed to be a cavern, from which low, guttural roars faintly emanated.

"Everyone, be cautious!" Bai Tian said in a deep voice.

Huo Feng’s demeanor was icy. He took a step forward, positioning himself in front of Bai Tian, his gaze fixed on the pitch-black maw of the cave. A wave of foul, putrid stench seemed to roll out from within, mingled with a thick, noxious gas.

"You all step back," Huo Feng sneered. He lifted and spread his hand, and dense firelight erupted from his palm like an underground spring, rapidly coalescing into a wickedly sharp, crimson longsword, resembling the jagged tooth of a monstrous dragon. He gripped the hilt, pouring the entirety of his strength into his arm, channeling it into the scarlet blade. With a pivot in mid-air, he brought the immense, crushing force of his entire arm down in a brutal slash.

Thwack!

A surging, perfectly straight beam of concentrated firelight, like a razor-sharp sword aura, shot towards the black cavern.

The air along the path of the sword light was visibly sheared, creating layers of ripple-like distortions. Just as the light was about to impact the entrance, a world-shaking roar of pure fury erupted from the depths of the black cave—a sound like thunder that boomed across the entire expanse, causing even the two massive mountains flanking the entrance to tremble slightly.

Boom!

A colossal figure burst forth from the cave, swinging a viciously sharp claw that smashed the incoming beam apart. Sparse light illuminated the massive creature. It towered a thousand zhang high, resembling a small mountain range itself. Its basic structure mimicked a Jurassic Tyrannosaurus Rex, yet from its abdomen sprouted a slender serpent's head, and on its back sprouted eight metallic wings. The dense plumage was composed entirely of metallic blades, which shrieked with a grinding sound like knives being shredded whenever they beat the air.

Ye Chen understood this was not true metal, but a substance far superior. The virus had forced this monster’s physiology into such a radical mutation, converting its cellular structure from flesh and blood into a rigid, quasi-metallic state.

"So, this is the monster," Huo Feng’s gaze was contemptuous as he looked down at the metallic, mutated dragon-beast. "Indeed, it possesses the strength of the Void Heaven Realm, but only just entering it, a mere novice. Humph!" With a cold snort, he raised his hand, rapidly forming a hand seal, muttering a few words softly. Then, he roared, "Dragon Flame Rend!"

The crimson longsword in his hand vanished instantly, dissolving into countless scarlet streaks of light that danced in the air. They resembled a shower of crimson rain, swirling around his body before rapidly shooting toward the mutated dragon-beast.

The beast's amber pupils flashed with a cold, metallic sheen as it fixed its attention on Huo Feng. It suddenly roared, unleashing a cataclysmic sonic wave that surged outward like a giant tide, violently scattering the myriad dancing sword lights, shattering their formation instantly.

Huo Feng’s expression sharpened. He thrust both hands forward violently, and the energy within him surged out like an unstoppable river, meeting the ferocious sound wave head-on.

Bai Tian, standing nearby, watched the exchange. His gaze flickered, and he exchanged a look with the Wheel-Turning Saint King. Both shouted in unison, activating their internal powers as they lunged toward the mutated dragon-beast.

Huo Feng’s face shifted; he roared in fury, "What are you doing!"

Bai Tian and the Wheel-Turning Saint King paused momentarily, then instinctively pulled back. The Wheel-Turning Saint King stammered, "We're helping you fight it."

Huo Feng glared at him, "Who asked for your help? Do you think I can't handle this thing myself!"

Bai Tian and the Wheel-Turning Saint King exchanged bewildered glances, surprised by Huo Feng’s aloof pride; he wouldn't even allow them to assist.

Huo Feng retracted his gaze from them, fixing it back on the colossal mutated dragon-beast. A raging fire ignited in his eyes, and his entire skin seemed to bubble with brilliant crimson flame, as if he had transformed into an ancient god of fire. With a mighty shout, he raised a hand, and all the scarlet sword lights that filled the air were instantly recalled, sweeping back into his palm like whales playing in the water, consolidating into a single crimson longsword.

A whirlwind of fire roared outward from the hilt. Huo Feng gripped the scarlet longsword tightly and shot toward the mutated dragon-beast, bringing the blade down in a direct cleave.

"Origin of Fire!"

Dazzling firelight blazed from the edge of his sword, intense and blinding, like a brilliant star in this dark world. It erupted with unmatched momentum, enveloping the entire mutated dragon-beast.

Bai Long felt the terrifying power contained within that intense white radiance and frowned, turning to Ye Chen. "Do you think he can do it?"

Ye Chen stared into the concentrated heat of the white light. "He can."

The instant his words fell, as if in prophecy, the intense white light suddenly exploded, scattering like ten thousand threads of light across the world, piercing tiny luminous holes through the natural barrier shrouded in black mist.

Then, the white light contracted like a tide and vanished in an instant. What was revealed before everyone was Huo Feng’s lean figure standing atop the back of the mutated dragon-beast. The monster was entirely covered in wisps of scorching smoke, its mutated quasi-metallic wings on its back scorched and deformed, the blade-like feathers curled and fused together. Its entire hide seemed petrified, hard as iron, yet now it was cracking inch by inch, like parched, cracked earth.

Huo Feng’s chest rose and fell slightly; he was drenched in sweat. He turned his head to look at Bai Tian and the others, his voice cold and arrogant. "Collect its carcass. Let's go." With that, he turned and strode back the way they came.

Bai Tian and the Wheel-Turning Saint King froze in mid-air, clearly astonished that this hunt had concluded so easily. The battle had ended without them contributing even a single effort.

The two exchanged a look, a wry bitterness in their hearts.

Bai Tian flashed forward, positioning himself above the mutated dragon-beast’s body. With a grasp of his hand, he absorbed the carcass into his internal universe. He then glanced back at Ye Chen and Bai Long, his brow furrowing slightly before his expression cleared into relief. He smiled and approached them. "Let's go. Today we relied entirely on the strength of General Huo Feng. Truly fortunate."

Ye Chen nodded slightly, intentionally or not glancing toward the distant sky behind the cave entrance. He frowned faintly, taking Bai Yijun's hand. "Since things are concluded, let's depart," he told Bai Long and the others.

"Mm." Bai Long and the others all nodded.

Then, under Ye Chen’s lead, the group started back along the path they had taken.

Bai Tian watched their retreating backs, his smile growing strained. The Wheel-Turning Saint King, flying up behind him, reached his side and murmured, "Let’s go. This place isn't safe. I keep feeling like a pair of eyes is watching us."

Bai Tian froze for a moment, then his brow furrowed deeply. "Go!" he said flatly.

Their figures flashed, and they quickly caught up to Ye Chen and his party, hurrying back the way they had come.

"Brother Ye, that powerful entity you mentioned—is it really here?" Zhuge Fan secretly transmitted to Ye Chen. "Why hasn't it appeared after we finished killing everything?"

Thought crossed Ye Chen’s features as he gazed into the distance, replying in a low voice, "Perhaps that powerful being has temporarily left this location, or perhaps... it was just my illusion. In any case, it's best that we are safe."

"Mm!" Zhuge Fan nodded firmly.

At that very moment, the entirety of the pitch-black earth, the forest of countless towering, straight trees, began to shake violently. The sound of the ground collapsing roared in tearing waves. The very land seemed to split apart, rupturing into immense gashes from which flowed magma, bright red as blood, intensely hot, and carrying a heavy scent of gore.

The entire earth seemed alive!

Ye Chen's pupils contracted. He roared, "Ascend quickly!" He immediately pulled Bai Yijun and shot like a rocket toward the sky. Hearing his warning, Bai Long and Zhuge Fan and the others snapped back to attention, swiftly boosting their speed and rocketing straight upward into the high altitude.

Huo Feng, walking ahead, reacted swiftly. Almost the instant Ye Chen gave the alert, he shot toward the sky, summoning his crimson longsword and gripping it tightly in defense.

As the group ascended skyward, the countless sharp, black trees rooted in the earth suddenly convulsed. Then, countless black tentacles burst forth from within them, lashing out to ensnare the fleeing figures.

The Wheel-Turning Saint King reacted with equal speed, but his forward momentum was slower. As the lightning-fast black tentacles shot toward him, he only managed to twist his body slightly to the side. A black tentacle pierced deep into his waist.

The tentacle drilled through his flesh and rapidly constricted, coiling tightly around his body like a venomous snake.

Bai Tian, beside him, gasped in shock. A flash of white light erupted from his hand, coalescing into a razor-sharp light saber, which he swung at the black tentacle gripping the Saint King.

Slash!

This peerless, sharp light saber, capable of instantly slaying a warrior of the initial Epoch Realm, failed to break even the slightest layer of the black tentacle’s surface!

Bai Tian’s pupils constricted sharply. He watched as the Wheel-Turning Saint King's body was squeezed tighter, his throat making clicking noises as blood began to well from his mouth. His handsome face was contorted by agonizing pain, twisting into a mask of horror. He cried out in terror, "Wh-what is this!"

The Wheel-Turning Saint King reached a hand out toward him, his eyes filled with despair. He realized that no matter how he exerted his internal power, he could not break free from the black tentacle. If a single tentacle possessed such devastating strength, the true form of these countless tentacles erupting from the earth below promised an unimaginable horror!

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Several black tentacles sprang upward from the ground, rocketing toward Bai Tian.

Bai Tian’s heart leaped in fright, and he quickly dodged sideways. Gritting his teeth, he once again condensed a white light saber and swung it at the tentacle binding the Wheel-Turning Saint King, but it was still useless.

Under the assault of those few attacking tentacles, he dodged left and right, finally sighing in resignation. He broke away, pulling upward, abandoning the Wheel-Turning Saint King, and shot toward the sky.