"Boom..." The Taotie's ram horns and the Thunder Hammer collided heavily. A black light shot out from the center of the explosion. The Taotie's single remaining horn let out a crisp crack and was broken off again, but the Thunder Hammer was also violently knocked away. The Ice Daoist, whose spirit was intimately connected with that hammer, immediately spat out another mouthful of blood, his face instantly turning deathly pale—his nascent soul had clearly suffered a severe injury.

As for the Taotie, its injuries were even more grievous, yet it charged toward the Ice Daoist with reckless abandon. For this creature that had enraged it, the Taotie had only one thought: to devour him alive.

Sensing the Taotie’s overwhelming killing intent, a sliver of fear crept into the Ice Daoist's heart. Although this Thunder Hammer was not his natal magic treasure, it was a Primordial Supreme Treasure he had discovered in some ancient ruin, possessing immense power. Yet now, it had been struck so hard that he lost connection with it. Just how powerful was that collision? At this moment, the Ice Daoist only had the Heaven-Shaking Bell left on his person—this was his natal magic treasure. He had absolutely no confidence in whether it could withstand the Taotie's onslaught.

At this juncture, Xuanmiao Tianjun watched the Taotie act with such ferocity, closing in rapidly on his subordinate, and felt a surge of anxiety. He only had two Juexian experts by his side, and one had already perished. If even this last one fell, his personal strength would be severely diminished. There was no way he could allow the Taotie to actually kill his subordinate.

Forgetting all about subduing Niubo, he abruptly raised his right hand, preparing to snatch at the Taotie. But Niubo’s form continued to swell, and a defiant will to fight actually broke free from the mountain forged by Xuanmiao Tianjun's spiritual energy. Its massive body charged directly toward him.

Seeing this Niubo exhibit such insane battle fervor, Xuanmiao Tianjun let out a cold snort. His left hand snatched at the void, and an ancient bronze cauldron appeared in his grasp. With a swing of his hand, the cauldron surged forward, transforming instantly into a colossal bronze tripod, which inverted and lunged to cover Niubo.

At this moment, Niubo’s body was already immense, but the bronze cauldron grew even larger, its mouth emitting a cyan-purple light that enveloped Niubo completely.

Facing the descending bronze cauldron, Niubo felt its body being subjected to immense pressure, tethered firmly no matter how hard it struggled. Deafening dragon roars erupted from its maw, yet it was utterly unable to evade the ancient bronze tripod.

Finally, the bronze cauldron covered Niubo and crashed heavily onto the ground with a tremendous sound, its size beginning to shrink.

However, Xuanmiao Tianjun had no time to reclaim his cauldron. His body flickered, and with a single clap of his hand, a gigantic palm swept toward the Taotie.

"Awoooo-wooo..." The Taotie roared, golden light flashing in its eyes. Waves of golden ripples ignited beneath its feet—Dragon-Pattern Battle Waves.

Wave after wave of violent power relentlessly bombarded the giant palm descending upon it, even as the Taotie’s body continued to charge forward.

"A thing that courts death!" Seeing that the Taotie could actually resist the giant palm conjured from his divine sense, Xuanmiao Tianjun was thoroughly enraged. He planted his feet in the void, and a golden-yellow iron chain appeared in his right hand, which he hurled directly at the Taotie, successfully snaring its head.

The Taotie raged, its body struggling violently, desperate to break free from the chain and continue its assault on the Ice Daoist. But though Xuanmiao Tianjun was not a cultivator of the Body Dao, his magical power was immense. No matter how much the little Tao Tao struggled, it could hardly shake off the chain’s restraint.

Xuanmiao Tianjun firmly gripped the chain with one hand. No matter how the Taotie struggled, it could not cause the slightest tremor. A cold sneer appeared on his face—just two strange beasts, could they possibly overturn the heavens?

"Come here to this Lord!" Xuanmiao Tianjun let out a cold snort, pulling harder on the chain he held. The Taotie, lunging toward the Ice Daoist, was dragged entirely toward him. Its huge mouth emitted a sound of unwillingness, but facing Xuanmiao Tianjun's might, it possessed no power of resistance whatsoever.

In Xuanmiao Tianjun's other hand, a black long whip appeared. He intended to teach this mad creature a proper lesson. Just as the Taotie was being pulled close and he prepared to unleash the whip, the Taotie’s massive mouth suddenly opened, spewing forth a stream of sickly green flames that resembled a sea of fire, shooting directly toward Xuanmiao Tianjun.

Seeing the flames, which were not of the highest grade, a cold smile curled the corner of Xuanmiao Tianjun’s mouth. "At this late hour, you still think you can injure me? Truly a beast that doesn't know its place?"

Wanting the little Tao Tao to witness his power, Xuanmiao Tianjun didn't even bother using his defensive magic treasure. He merely set up a fire-repelling restriction in front of him and allowed the sea of green flames to roll over him, while simultaneously snapping the inky black long whip fiercely at the Taotie.

With a crack... the long whip lashed brutally across the Taotie’s massive spine. Bolts of lightning exploded continuously along its backbone, blasting away great swathes of flesh and muscle, so much so that faint sounds of cracking bone could almost be heard.

"Awooo..." A miserable cry issued from the Taotie's mouth; that single blow had clearly inflicted severe wounds. A trace of fear flashed through its frenzied eyes.

Seeing that flicker of dread in the Taotie's eyes, a triumphant smile spread across Xuanmiao Tianjun's face. What use was a ferocious beast against the Soul Dragon Whip? It could only beg for mercy.

But it was precisely at this moment that Xuanmiao Tianjun, who was already enveloped by the green flames, suddenly discerned a figure concealed within the green fire, which had materialized directly in front of him.

This person was none other than Ye Jingyu, who had remained unseen until now.

Him? How could it be him? Extreme shock flashed in Xuanmiao Tianjun’s eyes. In his estimation, after being struck by the Ice Daoist’s Ice Mountain Seal, Ye Jingyu should have been utterly annihilated, with not even bones remaining. Only the Taotie could possibly shatter the seal; how could he have imagined Ye Jingyu was still alive, hiding right next to the Taotie all this time?

With Xuanmiao Tianjun completely unguarded and no time left to react, Ye Jingyu gathered all his strength and hurled a devastating punch toward him.

With a thunderous boom, that punch slammed directly into Xuanmiao Tianjun's sternum. The restriction he had placed before himself was instantly shattered to dust...