"Hmph..." Seeing the primeval fierce beast suddenly materialize and attempt to swallow her whole, Dou Yuancui let out a cold snort, flicking her wrist. The fiery red longsword appeared in her grasp, ready to cleave down upon the Taotie, but just as she moved, she caught a sharp gleam in the beast's eyes. Immediately, the surrounding void seemed to solidify, and her body became utterly immobile, striking a sudden terror into her heart.

It was Taotie employing the Dragon Clan divine ability: Imprisonment.

In that precise instant, Ye Jingyu's figure had already surged before Dou Yuancui, his right palm rising directly to smash toward her head.

Dou Yuancui’s cultivation level was at the Cosmic level (Zhou Ji). With Xiao Taotao’s current strength, the longest she could hold him was for an infinitesimally brief moment—less than the blink of an eye. Such a short duration wouldn't even be enough time for Taotie to strike on its own. Yet, the coordination between Ye Jingyu and Taotie was utterly seamless. Ye Jingyu had already begun his rapid approach before Taotie even initiated the Imprisonment, and the moment the restraint took hold, he was already upon Dou Yuancui.

By the time Dou Yuancui regained motor function, Ye Jingyu’s hand was hovering above her skull. Faced with Ye Jingyu's breathtaking speed, she had no time to evade; instinct forced her to raise her arms to block.

But she was an Immortal, a classically trained one, specializing in various Celestial Arts, not physical cultivation. Her mortal flesh could never compare to that of the demons. How could she possibly withstand the brute strength of Ye Jingyu's physical body? A sharp crack echoed as her arms were instantly shattered. Next came her head, which followed with a snap, exploding outward.

With her physical body destroyed, her Primordial Spirit shrieked piercingly, rocketing out from the crown of her head, intent on fleeing toward the safety of her grand formation. But Taotie’s massive form was already upon it, its enormous maw directly overhead, swallowing the spirit whole.

To swallow a Cosmic-level Immortal alive might prove difficult to digest, after all. Immortals possessing a physical body and those who have lost it are worlds apart in power. A True Immortal (Jue Xian) stripped of their body could even be annihilated by an Arid-level (Huang Ji) Demon.

With Taotie’s current cultivation, was swallowing a True Immortal’s soul alive truly an effortless task?

All of this transpired too quickly. By the time Taotie had devoured Dou Yuancui, the other True Immortal within the formation, the Ice Daoist, had only just registered the need to intervene. But Taotie had already consumed Dou Yuancui’s soul—it was far too late.

At this moment, the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign (Xuan Miao Tian Jun), who was currently subduing Ni Bo, expressed surprise. He truly hadn't expected that this individual would not only possess a fiercely combatant Ni Bo but also a Taotie capable of using Dragon Clan divine abilities. And his speed—how could it be so fast? How could his coordination with that fierce beast be so flawless? Had these two monstrous beasts grown up alongside him since childhood?

This seemed the only plausible explanation. Otherwise, with his maximum level being merely Celestial (Hong Ji), how could he possibly subdue these two strange beasts? His only advantage must lie in his physical strength, then.

Even now, the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign did not truly take Ye Jingyu seriously. Despite the fact that he had just slain a True Immortal, the Sovereign still did not believe that represented Ye Jingyu's actual capability.

An Immortal, unless specifically a body cultivator, generally focuses on refining spirit over refining flesh. Although an Immortal's body is far stronger than that of a common person, it pales in comparison to a demon's. Their Primordial Spirits are so potent that they can more easily manipulate the energies of heaven and earth, granting them formidable offensive power. Generally, a Cosmic-level Demon would struggle in a head-on fight against a True Immortal. However, in close quarters, it wouldn't just be a Cosmic-level Demon; even an Arid-level or Heavenly-level Demon might manage to kill an unshielded True Immortal.

The physical bodies of Immortals are fragile. Dou Yuancui's death by Ye Jingyu’s sneak attack was merely a matter of coincidence. Without the presence of the fierce beast Taotie, how could he have killed Dou Yuancui so easily with his level of cultivation?

Ye Jingyu, however, was clearly oblivious to the Mysterious Heavenly Sovereign’s thoughts. His body lunged directly toward the Sovereign. A mere True Immortal—he truly didn't give him a second glance.

The Ice Daoist could no longer sit idle. Losing his companion was one thing, but allowing this upstart to spoil his master's amusement was entirely unacceptable! He stepped forward, exiting the grand formation. A flash of violet light erupted from him as he summoned his defensive artifact. He had no desire to follow Dou Yuancui's path and be killed up close by Ye Jingyu.

Lifting one hand, a sapphire-blue triangular ice spike shot forth, instantly appearing above Ye Jingyu’s head, transforming into a massive iceberg tens of li in circumference, which plummeted downward with crushing force.

This iceberg not only radiated immense pressure but also emitted a cold so intense that the surrounding air seemed to stiffen, a chill felt even by the demons arrayed below.

The appearance of this iceberg was so sudden that Ye Jingyu had no time to react. He was struck squarely on the head by the colossal mass. The sheer force drove him straight down, slamming him into the earth. The terrifying impact created a massive depression in the ground, causing the very earth to tremble. Half of the towering iceberg, several thousand zhang tall, plunged into the soil.

Witnessing this scene, the entire assembly fell silent once more. Especially the demons, who had been cheering moments before over Ye Jingyu slaying one of their own True Immortals. They exchanged nervous glances at the enormous iceberg embedded in the ground. What kind of destructive power was that? If such an iceberg fell upon their ranks, how many demons would be utterly annihilated? At least tens of thousands, surely?

Judging by that display, even a Cosmic-level expert couldn't emerge unscathed from such a direct impact. Even Yuan’s facial muscles twitched violently. If he were struck like that, even if he survived, he would be gravely injured. Would that fellow actually be crushed to death? And what about Taotie? It was smashed down too—could it really die so easily?

Several breaths of time passed. When the dust kicked up by the iceberg finally settled, there remained no sign of movement beneath the colossal ice mass. The entire battlefield was eerily quiet; even the ragged sounds of the demons’ breathing were clearly audible...

Dead? Was he truly dead? Had that somewhat perverse individual perished just like that? He must be reduced to dust, right?

"Ao..." Just as everyone assumed the man and the beast were finished, a colossal roar—like a dragon mixed with a tiger—resounded from beneath the iceberg...