Beside Dou Yuancui was a set of flaming-red armor. He was strikingly handsome, with a fair complexion and red lips, possessing a beauty that surpassed most women. Most notable were his eyes, which burned with intense, raging fire, looking as though they could incinerate one’s very soul.

As he appeared, a vast surge of flame power emanated from him, sending waves of searing heat rushing directly toward Ye Jingyu.

Without wasting any words on Ye Jingyu, he slashed his longsword across the empty air, summoning a colossal tidal wave of fire into the sky, which then swept toward Ye Jingyu.

Facing this overwhelming inferno, which could trouble most experts at the Zhou level, Ye Jingyu, and even Ni Bo, displayed mocking smiles. As for Ye Jingyu, being the Chaos Body, he was nearly immune to such elemental attacks unless the opposing realm was vastly superior.

As for Ni Bo, his body contained the formidable Netherworld Fire, a flame superior to many others; how could Dou Yuancui's meager fire wave possibly harm him in the slightest?

Even Xiao Taotao struck a languid pose, paying absolutely no mind to the surging tidal wave of fire.

Almost instantly, the sky-filling flames enveloped Ye Jingyu and the others. However, based on their recent experience, no one believed this single wave of fire could utterly incinerate Ye Jingyu, despite Dou Yuancui’s cultivation being a full realm higher than that of Sui Yi and the others from before.

Dou Yuancui himself hadn't expected to kill Ye Jingyu outright with such a small burst of flame. Just as he prepared to launch his next assault, he suddenly noticed a streak of black flame erupting within the crimson sea of fire. Immediately afterward, he watched as the red flames he had unleashed were directly consumed by the dark fire.

The black flames, as if having received vital nourishment, suddenly blazed brighter, completely supplanting the original crimson flames in the blink of an eye.

Witnessing this scene, everyone displayed expressions of horror. Had Ye Jingyu’s physical body already become that formidable? Or was his control over flames also so profound? However, their surprise quickly vanished, for from the heart of the black conflagration, a colossal Ni Bo strode forth, the roaring black inferno emanating directly from its form.

Sensing the immense dark flames radiating from Ni Bo, Dou Yuancui’s expression shifted slightly, as he realized that this Ni Bo had actually reached the Zhou level of cultivation.

The Fire Phoenix beneath his feet had cultivated for thousands of years, barely achieving the Desolate level. How could this Ni Bo have attained the Zhou level? Recall that the Ni Bo was merely an ordinary Desolate Beast, its innate talent nowhere near as powerful as the Phoenix or the Celestial Dragon. Even if this Ni Bo possessed half the bloodline of a Qilin, reaching the Celestial level should have been its absolute peak. But now, it had reached the Zhou level? This… this completely defied common sense!

What he failed to grasp was that while Ni Bo's innate talent wasn't comparable to Ferocious Beasts like the Taotie or divine beasts like the Qilin, it was arguably the most diligent exotic beast. Since birth, it had relentlessly pursued evolution, constantly challenging itself, perpetually improving its strength solely through sheer effort. Moreover, having later accepted the inheritance of that old dragon, reaching the Zhou level was merely a natural progression.

Setting aside the demons of the Earth Alliance, even the expressions of the Heavenly Generals of the Heaven Alliance were bizarre, clearly struggling to comprehend how a Ni Bo could evolve to such a realm. However, when Xuanmiao Tianjun saw the blazing flames surrounding Ni Bo, his eyes lit up.

A mount that had reached the Zhou level—that was the ideal mount he desired! Even the Qilin beneath him, which had consumed countless precious elixirs, had only barely reached the Vast level, scarcely worthy of his status. But look at this Ni Bo; despite lacking a pure divine beast bloodline, it possessed an aura absent in other divine beasts—a battle intent.

Yes, it was an unyielding, unbending, fearless, and unretreating aura of profound fighting spirit.

He made a firm decision: regardless of the cost today, he would subdue this Ni Bo and make it his mount. As for Ni Bo’s current master, Ye Jingyu, he was utterly disregarded—how could someone below the Zhou level be qualified to command such a magnificent beast?

Both Xuanmiao Tianjun and Dou Yuancui overlooked a crucial point: if Ye Jingyu lacked immense strength, how could he possibly have tamed a formidable exotic beast like Ni Bo?

Ni Bo's four hooves pounded the ground, the black flames burning ever hotter. The Fire Phoenix under Dou Yuancui’s feet began to tremble uncontrollably upon feeling this scorching heat; it dared not fly further forward. Although its bloodline was purer and nobler than Ni Bo’s, its cultivation was far inferior, rendering it incapable of withstanding the powerful pressure radiating from Ni Bo.

Sensing the terror of the Fire Phoenix beneath him, Dou Yuancui knew it was useless. He vaulted into the air, his flaming-red longsword leaving his hand and shooting directly toward Ye Jingyu.

This Immortal Sword was a supreme artifact forged from Heaven-Quenching Gold, further sealing the soul of a Fire Dragon within. It was an Immortal Sword definitely above the Zhou level; while it lacked the trace of Rule Power found in Innate Magic Treasures, its might was in no way comparable to ordinary Immortal Artifacts.

In an instant, the Immortal Sword blazed with intense red light, subtly forming a giant fire dragon that lunged straight at Ye Jingyu.

Facing this fierce sword strike, Ye Jingyu’s brow arched slightly. The power of this Immortal Sword surpassed all the previous ones by a significant margin—it was comparable to, or perhaps even stronger than, the Demonic Blade Shen wielded in the arena duel long ago.

However, he showed no intention of evading. He suddenly extended his right hand, pointing two fingers forward. A streak of golden sword light materialized upon his fingertips, forming a golden longsword to meet the charging fire dragon.

Lingxi Sword Finger percentage mark…

With a faint "crack," the sword projection condensed by Ye Jingyu’s Overlord Force was instantly shattered, and the golden beam was knocked violently off course.

At that moment, Dou Yuancui snatched a black iron fan from the empty space, fanning it toward Ye Jingyu from a distance. A gale instantly formed, sweeping directly toward Ye Jingyu.

This hurricane was laden with abrasive sand, each grain weighing tens of thousands of jin. Combined with the hurricane’s power, it was enough to severely wound a Zhou-level demon. Ye Jingyu, still recovering from deflecting the Immortal Sword, had no time to react before being engulfed by the tempest, and the countless grains of sand slammed down upon him and Ni Bo…