A tiny skeletal bird, no bigger than a fist, with three thin bone spurs on its head and three bone feet beneath it.

Though small in stature, the Desolate Sun Bone Demon exuded an aura of terrifying might. A crimson bead, the size of a fist, floated high above the miniature skeletal bird. A colossal wave of energy, like an impending avalanche, erupted from the void between the Bone Demon and the bead, striking Gu Xiechen and the others so forcefully they staggered backward repeatedly.

Its deep-set eye sockets glared intensely at Gu Xiechen and the Giant Spirit God. Two faint red glints flashed within the sockets, and the ground around them suddenly shook violently. Thick layers of rock surged skyward, and countless streams of molten lava transformed into fiery dragons that ascended into the sky. The temperature in the void skyrocketed, bathed in a haze of violet and red light. In the blink of an eye, the rocks and earth that had shot into the air melted into embers, the ground rapidly liquefying until the land spanning tens of thousands of miles became a pool of searing liquid.

Rumble! Amidst the colossal roar, the Desolate Sun Bone Demon let out a triumphant, piercing shriek toward the heavens. It flapped its two short bone wings toward the boundless sea of lava below, sending thousands of huge magma bubbles, each hundreds of feet across, soaring into the air. Streaks of red light continuously shot forth from the crimson bead hovering above its head, compressing those bubbles with faint sounds of thunder until, in an instant, they condensed into several thousand orbs of Pure Yang Earth Fire Thunder, each no bigger than a green bean. The Desolate Sun Bone Demon cast a malevolent glance toward the group, suddenly flapped its wings, and sent the thunder orbs hurtling toward them.

Gu Xiechen hurriedly activated the Yin-Yang Robe, summoning a black-and-white Taiji vortex, roughly a hundred feet in diameter, to shield himself and the pale-faced members of the Flame Family huddled behind him. Immediately, the rain of thunder orbs descended. Nothing was visible beyond the rapidly flashing crimson light and the violent tremors shaking the surrounding void. The deafening peals of thunder caused Gu Xiechen sharp pain in both ears, and the immense impact force shattered the Taiji vortex repeatedly, shaking him violently.

Fortunately, the profound power of the Grand Yin Mystic Pearl and the Grand Yang Mystic Pearl poured forth copious amounts of Grand Yin and Grand Yang energy to replenish the Yin-Yang Robe, barely managing to maintain the integrity of the Taiji vortex. Although Gu Xiechen felt as if his internal organs had been turned inside out, he remained motionless amidst the relentless assault, solid as a small mountain.

Baxin, Lasco, and the others fared far worse. They had never imagined the Desolate Sun Bone Demon’s attack would be so swift and ferocious, possessing a world-destroying might. They barely had time to summon their protective magic treasures before the thunder orbs slammed into them, exploding with flesh and blood flying everywhere, blasting them hundreds of miles away.

One member of the Flame Family, possessing a cultivation of Second-Grade Celestial Immortal, was the most unfortunate. Three thunder orbs struck his chest simultaneously, blowing a basin-sized transparent hole through him. His internal organs were pulverized, leaving only his spine connecting his upper and lower halves.

Just as Gu Xiechen thought the man was surely dead, the man shouted a Buddhist chant. A white light flashed from his brow, and a Sarira the size of a thumb shot out as a beam of white light. Strands of golden light surged out from within the man, and his flesh rapidly regenerated and swelled. His skin, muscles, and exposed spinal bone all took on a faint golden sheen. Following this with a loud roar, the man's body rapidly expanded to thirty feet tall, surrounded by swirling Buddhist flames, clearly having transformed into a Buddhist Dharma Protector Vajra.

Yes, Gu Xiechen suddenly remembered Chi Long. Flame had mentioned that the Flame Family had fortunately obtained a Buddhist divine ability, the Three Heads and Six Arms Demon-Subduing Golden Body. What this man was using now was certainly that profound Buddhist technique. Buddhist cultivation techniques excel in defense, best preserving life essence, and uniquely possess the marvelous effect of vanquishing demons and subduing fiends—making it perfectly appropriate for the current situation. Conversely, the Burning Heaven Art, which the Flame Family primarily cultivated, was a fire-attribute technique, which would be largely useless against the Desolate Sun Bone Demon in a place brimming with lava.

Dozens of shouts, near and far, echoed as everyone behind Gu Xiechen, including the dozen or so Flame Family members, unleashed the Buddhist Demon-Subduing Golden Body ability. Their forms swelled rapidly as they transformed into their Dharma Bodies. Especially Baxin, who had reached Fifth-Grade Celestial Immortal cultivation; his manifested Golden Body Dharma Idol now possessed three heads and six arms, standing sixty-four feet tall. His six arms held a Vajra Pestle, a Vajra Sword, a Dharma Wheel, a Conch Shell, a Precious Mirror, and the Wisdom Pearl—six artifacts purely condensed from Buddhist belief power. Golden lotuses and necklaces entwined around him, presenting a magnificent spectacle, truly like a genuine Buddha descending to the world.

"Magnificent technique!" Gu Xiechen praised loudly, throwing the Azure Lotus Ring off his hand. It transformed into a streak of blue light that shot rapidly toward the Desolate Sun Bone Demon.

The Desolate Sun Bone Demon, using an incredibly fast (Evasion Technique), either because it was overconfident in its own strength or intensely curious about the Flame Family's transformation, had remained suspended in the air, staring blankly as the muscular figures entirely enveloped in golden light emerged one after another from the magma. Gu Xiechen's Azure Lotus Ring, transformed into a swift blue light, took advantage of the Bone Demon’s distraction and swiftly encased it within the ring.

Specks of azure lotus blossoms burst forth. The power of the realm contained within the Azure Lotus Ring transformed into an invisible restriction, binding the Bone Demon’s movements. Although the realm inside the Azure Lotus Ring was still small and its spatial power not yet formidable, this realm power, combined with the perfectly synchronized efforts of Baxin, Lasco, and the others cooperating with Gu Xiechen without the slightest hesitation, allowed the Azure Lotus Ring to completely surround the Bone Demon. Immediately, Baxin and the others simultaneously waved their hands: "A barrage of dazzling golden beams—the Great Buddhist Demon-Subduing Golden Light Divine Thunder shot toward the Desolate Sun Bone Demon!" Buddhist divine abilities are intrinsically linked to mental focus, emphasizing immediate manifestation upon thought. This lightning instantly struck the Desolate Sun Bone Demon, and several clusters of Demon-Subduing Divine Thunder of varying strengths exploded simultaneously.

The Desolate Sun Bone Demon let out a painful screech, its sharp cry stirring up tens of thousands of gigantic whirlpools, hundreds of miles high, on the magma ocean below. The unleashed Demon-Subduing Divine Thunder shattered a layer of protective red light covering its body, blasting it backward nearly a hundred miles. Streams of black smoke continuously erupted from the Bone Demon’s skeletal structure. As the black energy spewed out, its bones became increasingly radiant with red light and perfectly crystalline.

Noticing this unusual transformation in the Desolate Sun Bone Demon, Gu Xiechen frowned. He tapped his right hand repeatedly, unleashing hundreds of grayish-white Grand Yin Divine Thunders, each a hundred feet long. Each Grand Yin Divine Thunder contained a Grand Yin Divine Talisman. Wherever the lightning passed, the surrounding magma instantly froze into grayish-white rock masses that plummeted from the sky. The intense heat waves suffocating the void receded rapidly under the chilling air, and ice shards faintly began to form in the atmosphere. Before the Desolate Sun Bone Demon could recover from the assault of the Demon-Subduing Divine Thunder, the Grand Yin Divine Thunders continued to press in relentlessly.

Dull explosions sounded continuously as streaks of Grand Yin Divine Thunder exploded one after another upon the Desolate Sun Bone Demon. Vast plumes of cold air erupted, rapidly transforming the area within a hundred miles of the Bone Demon into a frozen wasteland. The swirling magma tornadoes instantly solidified into ice blocks. Tens of thousands of ice pillars, hundreds of feet high, stood between the earth and the sky. Below was the surging magma, while above was a scene of ice and snow—truly a rare and spectacular sight.

The Desolate Sun Bone Demon was frozen solid within a block of deep-blue profound ice, spanning ten miles in circumference. Wisps of cold air continuously vented from the ice. Occasionally, a few strands would fall onto the magma sea, instantly freezing several miles of magma into a patch of dark-gray rock layer.

Shaking his head, Gu Xiechen flew over to Lasco: "With such a ferocious creature on this planet, how did you manage to erect the teleportation array here back then?"

Lasco hammered his shining golden head and responded in a deep, muffled voice, "Heaven knows! At least thirty years ago, when we inspected the teleportation array on this planet, it wasn't like this."

It wasn't like this thirty years ago? Gu Xiechen subconsciously looked toward the ice-encased Desolate Sun Bone Demon.

With that glance, Gu Xiechen noticed something was off about the Desolate Sun Bone Demon. Its movements bound by the Azure Lotus Ring and its body frozen by the Grand Yin cold, a flash of red light suddenly appeared in its eyes. The temperature across tens of thousands of miles soared once more. The vast sea of magma that had been frozen suddenly emitted a muffled roar. Countless magma streams shot into the sky, thawing the frozen magma, which then transformed into fist-sized, semi-transparent liquid droplets that ascended aloft.

Gu Xiechen startled. Just as he was preparing to use his power to seal the Desolate Sun Bone Demon, the crimson bead suddenly spewed forth a mass of black flames. In the blink of an eye, these black flames rapidly enveloped the massive block of profound ice. Within one or two breaths, the profound ice condensed by the Grand Yin cold melted away completely. The Desolate Sun Bone Demon revealed its true form, and wisps of black flame also spewed from its skeleton. The void surrounding its body distorted and shimmered indistinctly, revealing the incredibly high temperature and absolute dominance of this black flame.

This black flame was too familiar to Gu Xiechen—it was the Solar Blazing Flame he had cultivated for so long, the source of all flames in heaven and earth! "Damn it!"

Crying out "Damn it," Gu Xiechen was about to recall the Azure Lotus Ring when his spirit suddenly trembled, and a mouthful of blood shot out a great distance. The azure light and azure lotuses emanating from the Azure Lotus Ring had already been scorched to shreds by the Solar Blazing Flame. The ring's body was pitted and spotted, resembling a rusty iron hoop. The severely damaged Azure Lotus Ring let out a mournful cry and fled back as a streak of blue light, swiftly retreating into Gu Xiechen's body. A vast amount of Primordial Five Elements Spiritual Qi spewed out from Gu Xiechen's internal organs, rapidly nourishing the nearly destroyed Azure Lotus Ring.

Gu Xiechen felt stars dancing before his eyes, and his mind buzzed with a continuous weng-weng-weng. His previously solidified Primordial Spirit even ejected golden spiritual fluid from all seven orifices. His once vigorous Primordial Spirit became listless, and his divine sense rapidly dropped by a major realm. The Grand Yin and Grand Yang energies within him became chaotic, and he nearly lost control of his true energy.

Although the Azure Lotus Ring had been re-refined by Gu Xiechen, integrated with large amounts of pure Yang materials, and nourished by Solar energy, becoming an extraordinary treasure imbued with both Yin and Yang attributes, Gu Xiechen's cultivation was still too low. The Azure Lotus Ring, despite its potential for infinite future evolution, was currently only at the level of an ordinary Immortal Artifact. The crimson bead driven by the Desolate Sun Bone Demon was of unknown origin, possessing terrifying power. Upon unleashing the Solar Blazing Flame, it instantly dealt a critical blow to the Azure Lotus Ring and simultaneously wounded Gu Xiechen’s Nascent Soul.

Mao E, who was resting in Gu Xiechen’s Sea of Consciousness, cried out in utter astonishment: "Exalted One, why use your natal magic artifact directly in combat? You must know that one never lightly employs a natal artifact unless facing a life-and-death crisis! What about the great ancient treasures and divine abilities?"

"Uh..." Gu Xiechen felt a surge of internal conflict. Was that the case? Natal artifacts shouldn't be used carelessly in battle?

Now that Gu Xiechen's divine consciousness was powerful, his thinking speed was astonishingly fast. After a moment of contemplation, he confirmed Mao E's assessment. Yes, natal artifacts should not be casually used against enemies. Natal artifacts are intimately linked to the Nascent Soul, serving as its external extension. Who ever heard of using one's own Nascent Soul to engage in a head-on clash during an enemy approach?

The heavens and earth contained countless strange and bizarre magic artifacts and divine abilities. No one could be certain that their natal artifact was invincible and possessed nothing that could counter it. If one habitually used their natal artifact in every battle, what if they encountered an object that precisely countered it, thus offering themselves up to have their Nascent Soul damaged?

A clear stream of consciousness flowed from Mao E into Gu Xiechen's Primordial Spirit. She transmitted the methods and experiences of ancient great powers in refining various natal artifacts to Gu Xiechen. Natal artifacts were usually kept inside the body, nurtured carefully to grow ever stronger; they were never revealed lightly unless a vital, life-threatening juncture arose. For Gu Xiechen to refine his natal artifact into a common combat implement and constantly use it in head-on confrontations was exceedingly rare since the Primordial Era.

"Damn the Grand Yin True Monarch!" Having received all the experience imparted by Mao E, Gu Xiechen cursed the utterly annihilated Grand Yin True Monarch over and over again. The memories of the Grand Yin True Monarch contained none of this related experience or technique. However, considering the True Monarch's status and the grade of his natal artifact, the Grand Yin Mystic Pearl, he likely never needed to use artifacts in general combat. When he did, the Grand Yin Mystic Pearl solved all problems instantly. He never needed to temper his natal artifact with such caution, thus lacking the very concept of nurturing a natal artifact! After cursing the Grand Yin True Monarch, Gu Xiechen angrily slapped his sword casket. The True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword swiftly escaped into the spatial barrier, transforming into a black-and-white sword waterfall that cleaved toward the Desolate Sun Bone Demon.

In Gu Xiechen’s perception, just as the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword was about to strike the Bone Demon's true body, the crimson bead suddenly emitted a large swath of black, sharp rays. These rays, like long needles, spun erratically around the Desolate Sun Bone Demon, faintly flickering with five-colored flames within them. The Bone Demon appeared as if it were clad in a shimmering layer of five-colored armor, incredibly magnificent to behold.

The True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword collided directly with those sharp rays. From a distance, the black and white intense light flickered, and the sword suddenly disintegrated into a mass of black and white light mist that rapidly retreated toward Gu Xiechen. Gu Xiechen’s Primordial Spirit trembled; threads of black light pierced out from it, causing streams of golden spiritual fluid to spray forth. Gu Xiechen’s Nascent Soul suffered another severe blow. This strike nearly pulverized his Nascent Soul. Fortunately, the Haotian Pagoda ejected a massive amount of Primordial Chaos Qi, barely stabilizing his Primordial Spirit enough to prevent its collapse.

Puff, puff! With several muffled sounds, Gu Xiechen spat out large amounts of blood. Filaments of blood plasma continuously spurted from every pore on his body. In the blink of an eye, he was reduced to a blood-soaked figure.

Staggering backward a few steps, Gu Xiechen’s knees buckled, and he nearly fell from the air into the magma sea. He stared blankly at the black rays carrying the faint five-colored flames, roaring in fury and frustration: "Anti-Five Elements Celestial Divine True Light... Truly Anti-Five Elements God-Slaying True Light! How can this realm possess such a perverted thing?"

The Anti-Five Elements God-Slaying True Light was the only vicious substance in existence capable of countering the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Light—much like a viper naturally preys on a mouse, this light specialized in devouring the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Light and possessed a strong corrosive and dissolving effect on the Nascent Soul. The True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword was condensed from True Magnetic Dual Polarity Light. To use such a flying sword to inflict harm, a large amount of divine thought must be attached to it to guide its constant flight through the void. As a result, touching the Anti-Five Elements God-Slaying True Light immediately damaged both the sword and the attached Nascent Soul, resulting in devastating harm.

Records left by numerous unaffiliated cultivators mentioned that if someone refined a defensive magic artifact using the Anti-Five Elements God-Slaying True Light, they must never engage it with the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword, or they would suffer grievous injury. However, the Anti-Five Elements God-Slaying True Light was far rarer than the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Light. Even with the insight of the Great Foolish Unaffiliated Cultivator, he had never heard of anyone having refined this substance into a magic treasure! Yet, today, Gu Xiechen had encountered this vicious thing and it had instantly shattered his True Magnetic Dual Polarity Splitting Sword, severely wounding his Nascent Soul and nearly causing his Primordial Spirit to disintegrate.

"Good, good, good!" He shouted "Good" several times sharply. Gu Xiechen suppressed the True Magnetic Dual Polarity Light lingering around his body and swiftly drew it back into his sword casket. He then rapidly stripped off his Yin-Yang Robe and the Grand Yin artifact, storing them inside his body. He no longer dared to use such natal artifacts casually against enemies. Even the Dragon Whisker Fan in his hand was carefully integrated into his body to be nurtured alongside his other natal artifacts internally.

Glancing coldly at the Desolate Sun Bone Demon letting out a self-satisfied shriek, Gu Xiechen turned to Lasco, who was protectively shielding him, and commanded sternly: "Can you hold this fiend off for three months?"