The sight of the Purple Moon Blade suddenly humming, its body engulfed in purple flames, caused Hei Ming Shixuan, who had always kept the blade by her side, to look utterly astonished. Her large eyes were wide open; she simply couldn't fathom why this blade, which had always remained placid in her hands for so many years—never showing a hint of sentience—was reacting with such excitement in his grasp. It felt as though the blade had just encountered its dearest kin.

Seeing Hei Ming Shixuan’s look of bewilderment, Zi Feng offered a faint smile without uttering a word. This object was something he had left behind in the Demon Realm long ago, only for it to fall into the hands of Hei Ming Ba, who then gifted it to Hei Ming Shixuan. Such intertwined histories were impossible to fully unravel. He wasted no further breath, his figure flickering into a blur, transforming into an afterimage as he rushed toward Lu Ya. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Lu Ya, the Purple Moon Blade in his hand already unleashing a massive blade radiance, cleaving toward his foe. Feeling the sharpness of the incoming strike, Lu Ya’s brow furrowed slightly, and he swiftly retreated, conjuring a fiery crimson longsword to intercept the attack.

With a sharp clang, their weapons met. Zi Feng felt a dull numbness spread up his tiger’s mouth, while Lu Ya experienced a slight ache in his arm. Yet, both were masters of profound cultivation. Especially Lu Ya, who excelled in both close-quarters combat and divine abilities. Having parried Zi Feng’s Purple Moon Blade with his sword, he simultaneously tapped his other hand lightly, causing a fire dragon to materialize instantly in the void, lunging directly at Zi Feng.

Facing the streaking fire dragon, Zi Feng let out a long roar. A hint of a savage grin touched his stern face as a gigantic Flame Demon materialized behind him, opening its cavernous maw to swallow the fire dragon whole. The apparition of the Flame Demon was so immense that it devoured the dragon’s head in a single gulp, instantly shattering the entire beast into the most fragmented shards. Just as the Flame Demon prepared to surge forward to consume Lu Ya, seven great cauldrons appeared in Lu Ya’s hands—seven ancient, verdigris-colored tripods, each radiating an air of primordial antiquity.

The moment Ye Jingyu and the others saw these seven cauldrons, their expressions shifted dramatically. These were the Nine Cauldrons forged by King Yu the Great, identical to the two cauldrons held by Luo Ling’er. As the seven cauldrons manifested, they generated an intensely powerful suction force. The two cauldrons on Luo Ling’er’s person seemed to answer a summons, shooting out from within her body to merge with the seven, forming a peculiar formation that immediately encircled Zi Feng.

Witnessing this, everyone present gasped in surprise, save for Zi Feng, whose expression remained icy cold. Gripping the Purple Moon Blade with one hand, his purple eyes settled upon the Nine Cauldrons. He sensed an incredibly potent aura contained within each one—an aura of life itself. Could something be sealed within these Nine Cauldrons? The moment this intense life force was perceived, Ye Jingyu and his companions had barely reacted before Hou Yi’s face changed drastically. A memory he had almost entirely forgotten resurfaced, and a cry escaped his lips: "Be careful, the Golden Crows are sealed within!" Before his warning finished echoing, beams of fiery crimson light erupted from the mouths of the Nine Cauldrons. Immediately following, nine colossal, blazing figures flew out from their depths.

When they first emerged, they were no larger than ordinary eagles, but as they ascended into the sky, each swelled to a body tens of thousands of zhang high, their wingspans stretching to hundreds of thousands of zhang. Their bodies blazed with scorching fire, so blinding that from a distance, they resembled nine suns suspended in the heavens. The Primordial Golden Crows—the nine sons of the Celestial Emperor Di Jun shot down by Hou Yi in the past—their very souls were sealed within the Nine Cauldrons by King Yu. Even Hou Yi was unaware of this arrangement. And Lu Ya, through some unknown means, had managed to force these nine Crows to reveal their true forms. Seeing their figures that spanned ten thousand zhang, even Zi Feng’s expression subtly shifted.

Golden Crows—true Golden Crows! The nine sons of the Ancient Emperor Jun! In bygone eras, they commanded the primordial world through sheer brute force. If not for Hou Yi’s Sun-Slaying Divine Arrows being their bane, even a Divine Venerable like Zhu Rong might not have managed to subdue all nine. Despite Zi Feng’s confidence in his own might, the appearance of these nine Crows brought a sliver of apprehension to his heart. "Nine Revolving Golden Crow Array, Go!" Lu Ya commanded softly. The nine Golden Crows let out piercing cries and charged toward Zi Feng with their immense bodies. Although both wielded flame—Zi Feng with the Violet Heaven Divine Fire and the Crows with the purest Solar True Fire, both considered apex flames of the Three Realms—the outcome of their clash remained uncertain. At this moment, Hou Yi attempted to draw his bow, but the shattering of the grand formation earlier had severely wounded them; he could only watch powerlessly as the Crows attacked Zi Feng under Lu Ya’s direction. It was then that the weakened Ye Jingyu struggled to his feet. He took a light step forward, and a golden ancient book appeared in his hand—the He Tu and Luo Shu.

If it had been any other magical artifact or formation, Ye Jingyu’s current strength might not have sufficed to break it. But these were the Nine Cauldrons left by King Yu, and all of King Yu’s accomplishments were recorded within the Luo Shu. Now that the Nine Cauldrons were deployed, Ye Jingyu instantly understood what he needed to do. Though Fuxi and King Yu had long since perished, they had clearly left contingencies behind… He swiftly chanted an incantation. Instantly, the He Tu and Luo Shu pulsed with golden light. The Nine Cauldrons, which Lu Ya had been manipulating, began to hum again. The bodies of the nine Golden Crows, mid-charge toward Zi Feng, suddenly trembled violently, letting out tragic cries as if enduring immense torment. Their massive forms thrashed about, seemingly trying to break free from the Cauldrons’ constraints. Seeing this, Lu Ya’s expression changed. He had never expected Ye Jingyu to still possess something like the He Tu and Luo Shu. Hadn’t he given all his artifacts to his beloved? How could he still hold onto something like this?

Just as he prepared to forcefully drive the incantation to seize control of the nine Crows, Xi Yang, who had remained uninvolved until now, let out a soft snort. The azure Eastern Emperor Bell materialized from her body, soaring into the air. With a gentle shake, a tremendous bell sound resonated. The nine struggling Golden Crows instantly quieted down. They were the sons of Di Jun; facing their father’s artifact, even with their memories erased, their innate awe took over.

"Xi Xi, this is your chance!" Ye Jingyu shouted, swiftly snatching the Eastern Emperor Bell and hurling it toward Lu Ya. Having expended all his remaining strength, Ye Jingyu fainted, collapsing into Yao Rao’s embrace. Meanwhile, Xi Yang’s body transformed into a colossal firebird, soaring skyward. Each Golden Crow possessed a body tens of thousands of zhang tall—a three-legged crow wreathed in flame. But the Vermilion Bird Xi Yang transformed into towered a hundred thousand zhang high. It opened its beak and swallowed one Golden Crow whole, then swiftly pounced on the remaining eight, devouring them all in the blink of an eye. The already intense flames on her body roared to an even greater height, as if a bucket of oil had been dumped onto a blazing log. The entire sky seemed to be engulfed in this massive conflagration, the pillar of fire soaring so high that it was too piercing for anyone to look upon directly. Lu Ya watched in dismay as the Golden Crows he had worked so hard to obtain became trophies for another. He prepared to strike with full force to destroy Xi Yang and seize the Golden Crows’ souls, but the Eastern Emperor Bell was already hurtling toward him. Moreover, the Nine Cauldrons completely slipped from his control, seeming to awaken as they too converged upon him.

And Zi Feng, who had been braced to defend against the Crows, now attacked Lu Ya without reservation. With a flourish of the Purple Moon Blade, a brilliant purple blade radiance enveloped Lu Ya completely.

“Go…” At this moment, Liang Xiaoke, heavily wounded from the sneak attack and entirely without fighting strength, also let out a soft hum and unleashed the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords. Like Ye Jingyu, casting the swords drained him entirely, and he immediately fell unconscious. Lu Ya was immensely powerful, but facing the Eastern Emperor Bell, the Nine Cauldrons, and the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords—all supreme divine artifacts—his countenance drastically changed. Furthermore, Zi Feng’s relentless assault was formidable. "Extinguishing Flame Heaven-Shattering Blade…" Zi Feng let out a low hum. The radiance he launched instantly swelled, transforming into a massive, curved purple moon that positioned itself directly above Lu Ya’s head… “Wuji, save me!” Facing this absolute impasse, a desperate cry escaped Lu Ya’s lips. As soon as the words left him, the man entangled with Wang Xiaohu let out a heaven-shaking roar, his body expanding instantly. In a flash, he grew into a colossal figure over ten thousand zhang tall, bulging with muscle, yet possessing the head of an ox.

A terrifying wave of demonic energy exploded from the man. He took a single step forward, arriving directly in front of Lu Ya, catching him in a massive embrace, allowing Zi Feng’s blade radiance, the Eastern Emperor Bell, and the Nine Cauldrons to crash down upon his own body… Upon seeing the man’s full form, the crowd gasped in horror, especially Xing Tian. Though his eyes had been burned, the dense demonic energy radiating from the figure was intensely familiar. An expression of utter disbelief spread across his face… Meanwhile, Wang Xiaohu, transformed into Chi Yi Xiu, cried out in shock: “Chiyou?” (All the characters that needed to appear have emerged. The finale is approaching—let us welcome the final crescendo!)