Yes, with that colossal roar, nearly everyone whose spirit had been stunned by the sound of the Luo Po Bell instantly woke up. When they regained consciousness, what they saw was the Male and Female Twin Swords being violently flung away by that immense force, while Lin Xiaoyi’s body had transformed into the sharpest blade aura, tearing apart a swath of the void, and tearing apart everything of him in this world.

“Xiaoyi…” Witnessing all this firsthand, Luo Ruofeng felt his heart clench fiercely. All along, Lin Xiaoyi had been the ignored one. If not for the fact that he was once Ye Jingyu’s attendant boy, no one would have paid attention to this lucky fellow. He was timid, introverted, and utterly indecisive about everything he did. But now, to shield Xiyang from that strike, he had bravely chosen self-immolation.

Self-immolation meant the utter destruction of the soul, leaving no chance for even reincarnation.

If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have imagined that this overlooked minor figure possessed such a magnificent side… Even minor figures have their dignity; even minor figures can possess their own greatness… Lin Xiaoyi was dead, just like that, abruptly gone… Dead, everything was lost, even his appearance was still somewhat vague in everyone’s memory… An indescribable wave of grief swept through everyone’s hearts… At this moment, the Heaven-Overturning Seal descended once more, smashing fiercely onto the Eastern Emperor Bell. The massive recoil force once again caused Xiyang to spit out a mouthful of blood, her face turning deathly pale. She didn’t even have time to mourn Lin Xiaoyi, who had blocked that sword strike for her, before she fainted dead away.

The Heaven-Overturning Seal was utterly shattered, while the Eastern Emperor Bell shed a pure light, enveloping Xiyang within it… Seeing that his perfect strike had failed to kill Xiyang, Guangchengzi’s face darkened with rage. The Heaven-Overturning Seal was a chess piece he had planted long ago, but now that the Seal was destroyed, and he still hadn't seized the Eastern Emperor Bell, wouldn't he have suffered a huge loss? Everything had been within his grasp, yet unexpectedly, it was ruined by some unknown minor figure—one who didn’t even qualify to be a pawn. How could this not infuriate Guangchengzi? He took a step forward, moving toward Xiyang. The Eastern Emperor Bell was an absolute necessity for him; it was crucial to whether he could become the player of the game, perhaps even transcend to the far shore. To obtain the Eastern Emperor Bell, he had already cast aside his dignity, and if he still failed, how could he face himself? Just how powerful was Guangchengzi’s cultivation? Not a single person present was his match; who could stop him? It was precisely at this moment that Fang Zhuguo, already severely wounded from the siege by the Heavenly Spirit Daoist and Earthly Spirit Daoist, had his eyes flash with brilliant light.

It was a moment of realization, a look of utter resolve. He knew that both Xiyang and Lin Xiaoyi had fallen into the trap set by the enemy to save him. Now that Lin Xiaoyi was dead, how could he allow the enemy to continue harming Xiyang?

At this point, even the perceptive could see that Guangchengzi was determined to seize the Eastern Emperor Bell. The Eastern Emperor Bell was the foremost divine artifact of the Three Realms, an absolute magic weapon integrating offense and defense, a supreme artifact that stabilized the Three Realms. How could it be allowed to fall into the enemy’s hands? It could be said that a significant portion of their destiny stemmed from the Eastern Emperor Bell; without this super artifact, how could they have reached this stage?

No matter what, they absolutely could not let him take the Eastern Emperor Bell… “Explode for me…” Although Fang Zhuguo’s cultivation was stronger than Lin Xiaoyi’s, he understood that with his own strength, he couldn't even stop Guangchengzi, let alone fend off the attacks from the Heavenly Spirit Daoist and Earthly Spirit Daoist.

His only recourse was self-immolation—yes, self-immolation, a complete detonation from soul to flesh… Not only did he detonate himself, but he also triggered all the magic treasures on his body… A mushroom cloud, nearly obscuring the sky, billowed upwards, and a blinding light illuminated the entire heaven and earth, radiating an aura of absolute destruction. The Heavenly Spirit Daoist and Earthly Spirit Daoist were instantly submerged by this radiance before they could even summon their defensive artifacts… Even Guangchengzi was forced to take a step back when facing the power of such an explosion… Meanwhile, within the Southern Cloud Empire’s ranks, a black shadow had already shot out, instantly arriving beside Xiyang, grasping her tightly and retreating into the main formation of the Southern Cloud Empire… It was Ni Bo…

“Retreat…” At this moment, Luo Ruofeng understood that with Guangchengzi making a move, he and his group were definitely no match. He hastily recalled the Jade Emperor's Great Seal and issued the command to withdraw.

They had to retreat immediately to the base of Tongtian Mountain, relying on the Twelve Heavenly Witches’ Annihilation Grand Formation to withstand the enemy’s assault… As his words fell, no fewer than ten thousand warriors of the Southern Cloud Empire charged directly out of the formation, unleashing their power without reservation as they rushed forward.

To cover the retreat of the others, these death-sworn soldiers, handpicked long ago and trained for countless years, also chose self-immolation.

Among those self-destructing were Fang Zhuguo’s son and grandson; their cultivation had all been personally taught by Fang Zhuguo. Now that their grandfather had chosen to self-immolate, how could they show less courage than him?

In life, one must die eventually… Yes, simply die… To cover the retreat, they utterly disregarded their lives, even if it meant they could never re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.

What kind of obsession was this, an obsession that should never appear in the hearts of cultivators…

“Still trying to self-immolate? Do you really think blowing yourselves up solves everything?” Seeing these people beginning to desperately unleash their power, Guangchengzi coldly snorted… The bronze-colored Luo Po Bell reappeared in the sky, and another chime rang out. The seven orifices of these ten thousand warriors simultaneously spurted blood; their very souls were instantly shattered by the vibration… Their bodies began to fall like raindrops… Seeing this, Liang Xiaoke’s son, Liang Xing, suddenly roared, “Follow me and charge…” As he spoke, his body was already surging forward. Behind him, the Hundred Thousand Corpse Generals—one hundred thousand elites refined entirely from zombies—charged out as well.

Most of the Fang Family Army were cultivators; their souls had not yet fully merged with their flesh bodies, making the Luo Po Bell their nemesis. But these individuals were different; these zombies, inheriting the bloodline of the Witches, already had their souls fused with their bodies, thus they were naturally unafraid of the Luo Po Bell’s soul attacks.

Seeing these zombies also beginning to unleash their power, Guangchengzi’s expression became as ugly as it could be. It had taken immense effort to refine these creatures to this degree; why did they cherish their lives so little? Didn't they know that self-immolation would erase every trace of them in this world? Turning to ash—that was something all immortals dreaded!

“Li Jing, why aren’t you acting? When will you strike?” He knew his Luo Po Bell could not shatter the souls of these zombies, but being intent on seizing the Eastern Emperor Bell, he naturally refused to give up so easily. He coldly snorted, “Li Jing, when will you step forward? What are you waiting for!” As his voice faded, a handsome man clad in armor and a black cape walked out from the ranks. A Demon-Slaying Sword hung at his waist, and he held a golden pagoda in his hand. The moment he stepped out of the formation, the pagoda in his hand soared into the sky, instantly transforming into a colossal tower tens of thousands of feet high, directly engulfing the Hundred Thousand Corpse Generals… This man was none other than Nezha’s father, the former Marshal of the Heavenly Court, Li Jing, and the pagoda in his hand was the Exquisite Pagoda, housing the Purple Flame Celestial Fire—the nemesis of all evil spirits.

The Corpse Generals enveloped within the tower didn’t even have time to self-immolate; their bodies were burned to ashes by the immense flames. Only a very few powerful Corpse Generals managed to barely withstand the flame’s might, but attempting to self-detonate was already impossible.

At this moment, Luo Ruofeng’s face also grew grim. He truly had not expected the enemy to deploy such a formidable array.

Tongtian had said that the Nine Dragons Tongtian Ladder could only be activated once every hundred years, sending down a maximum of nine people at a time. Last time they saw Nezha and Yang Jian; now Guangchengzi and Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing had also arrived. Who were the remaining few? If they all came, how could they possibly resist?

“Who dares harm my child!” Just as Luo Ruofeng was sinking into despair, a colossal roar echoed from afar. Immediately after, a black figure shot across the distance in an instant.

It was a gigantic monster, covered entirely in scales, with two fangs protruding from its mouth, a single horn growing from its head, and a pair of wings sprouting from its back. Its height reached ten thousand fathoms, and an aura of death, both familiar and alien to Luo Ruofeng, emanated from the massive creature.

Is that Liang Xiaoke? Under the astonished gazes of Luo Ruofeng and his group, Liang Xiaoke’s enormous frame arrived directly before the Exquisite Pagoda. He raised his massive, razor-sharp claw and smashed it fiercely towards the pagoda’s apex…

CRACK… With a sound, Liang Xiaoke’s single blow shattered the Exquisite Pagoda. Li Jing, whose spirit was deeply connected to the pagoda, spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body was forcibly pushed back a step, his face filled with horror.

The tower was broken, but the Hundred Thousand Corpse Generals had long since been reduced to ashes. The very few who tried to protect Liang Xing were also completely incinerated. Even Liang Xing was left clinging to life. Upon seeing Liang Xiaoke’s colossal form, Liang Xing only managed to utter one sentence: “Father, avenge me…” before completely dissipating… Witnessing his son turn to nothingness with his own eyes, Liang Xiaoke’s blood-red eyes shot out two crimson beams of light. A tremendous roar erupted from his throat, and an overwhelming surge of black, furious flames shot skyward…