254: Small fire broke out

The Nether Yin Fire Arrow, condensed by Zhongli Wu, traveled faster than thought. Carrying the dual horrors of freezing the Soul and incinerating all things, it arrived behind Tao Yuanyi's heart in an instant!

Tao Yuanyi only had time to rapidly spin his long spear backward. The crimson patterns on the spear's body glowed brightly, barely forming a Fire Spirit Barrier, as he desperately tried to dodge to the side.

"Puchi—Boom!"

The Nether Yin Fire Arrow first easily pierced the hastily deployed Fire Spirit Barrier as if it were poking through paper. Its yin-cold nature had a certain restraining effect on the fire attribute, weakening the barrier's effectiveness. Immediately after, it slammed heavily into the Earth Rank Peak Grade protective soft armor on Tao Yuanyi's back, which had been meticulously forged by the Medicine King Valley!

There was no earth-shaking explosion, only a tooth-aching sound of corrosion and shattering! That precious soft armor, capable of withstanding several attacks from an ordinary Early Stage Martial Emperor, lasted less than a breath under the extremely condensed destructive power of the Netherworld Yin Fire. Its light dissipated, and countless spiderweb-like black cracks appeared on its surface before it completely shattered! The remaining power of the yin fire blasted squarely into Tao Yuanyi's body!

"Ugh—ah!" Tao Yuanyi felt as if ten-thousand-year profound ice was piercing his body, yet also as if he were being burned by the fires of Hell. He let out an irrepressible groan of pain, and blood sprayed wildly from his mouth. His body was thrown forward like a tattered sack, slamming heavily into a pile of jagged rocks. His aura instantly withered to the extreme, and his face turned as pale as gold paper. He had clearly suffered extremely severe internal injuries, and the yin-cold fire poison was frantically eroding his Meridians and internal organs!

"Husband!" Cold Peach Blossom's cool countenance instantly drained of all color. She gave a mournful cry and, ignoring the opponent in front of her, turned into a peach-colored afterimage. She rushed to Tao Yuanyi's side, her thin sword tapping several times to seal his vital acupoints. Simultaneously, she stuffed several precious Heart-Protecting Essence-Preserving Medicinal Pills into his mouth. Her palm pressed against his back, and her icy yet gentle True Essence poured in without regard for cost, desperately fighting to disperse that terrifying yin fire poison. She looked toward Zhongli Wu, and for the first time, a sky-toppling hatred and resolve ignited in her eyes.

"Senior Brother Tao!" Qin Feng's eyes were also nearly splitting with rage, but the Four Symbols Battle Array was under immense pressure, and he could not pull away. Seeing Tao Yuanyi's shattered armor and miserable state, fury and chill intertwined in his heart. He shouted sternly, "Use fire to restrain him! Xiao Chun! Little Fire!"

"Yi—ya!!!"

Little Fire, the little Qilin who had been held in Xiao Chun's arms and trembling slightly from tension, seemed to feel its master's fury and Tao Yuanyi's critical state. The Bloodline within it, originating from a top-tier fire-type exotic beast, suddenly boiled! It let out a shrill cry full of majesty and wrath, which belied its small size!

It leaped down from Xiao Chun's arms, its body growing rapidly the moment it jumped! It didn't turn into its full form but suddenly expanded from the size of a kitten to the size of a large golden retriever! Although it was still not huge, the crimson fur all over its body was now like burning flames, standing on end. The originally faint red-gold patterns beneath the fur were fully revealed, flowing with light and color. Its four hooves stepped on fire as it suspended in mid-air. Two small bumps on its head faintly emitted light. It opened its mouth and spat out an extremely condensed, golden-red, scorching flame so hot it distorted the surrounding air. Like a flame whip, it lashed out fiercely at Zhongli Wu, who was preparing to continue his ruthless attack on Tao Yuanyi!

Once this flame appeared, its pure and blazing extreme Yang aura formed a sharp contrast with the yin-cold destruction of the Netherworld Yin Fire, even faintly suppressing it! Wherever the flame passed, the lingering yin-cold Death Qi in the air made "chi chi" sounds as it melted like ice and snow.

"Hmm? A fire-type exotic beast?!" For the first time, the gaze beneath Zhongli Wu's hood revealed a hint of surprise and solemnity. Little Fire's flame was of a very high level; although it lacked in quantity, its quality faintly restrained his yin-cold Cultivation Technique. He had to temporarily give up on finishing the blow and flicked his finger, shooting out a yin fire finger wind that collided with the golden-red flame.

"Chi—!"

The two flames of extreme attributes eroded and annihilated each other, making a piercing sound before both eventually dissipated. Little Fire was pushed back by the counter-force, tumbling a few times in the air, its aura slightly disordered. However, it was completely undaunted. It raised its head again and let out a threatening low growl at Zhongli Wu, flames rising around its body as it stood firmly between Tao Yuanyi, Cold Peach Blossom, and Zhongli Wu.

A flash of greed and killing intent crossed Zhongli Wu's eyes. "An infant stage Fire Qilin... what an unexpected joy! Capturing you would be worth far more than those few juniors!" He no longer paid attention to the heavily injured Tao Yuanyi, his focus drawn by Little Fire. At the same time, he shouted coldly, "What are the rest of you waiting for?! Attack together and finish them off as quickly as possible!"

"Yes!" The surrounding experts from the Yin Demon Sect and Corpse Demon Sect, who had been somewhat intimidated by the Four Symbols Battle Array and Little Fire's sudden outburst, regained their spirits upon hearing this. Their eyes once again gleamed with ferocity as they launched an even more violent siege. Three Mid-stage Martial Emperor Elders struck out with full force, using various sinister Martial Skills and Magic Treasures to blast toward the Four Symbols Battle Array.

The pressure intensified once again! The Formation of the four under Qin Feng was pushed to its limit. Xia Ya's mouth overflowed with blood, Ji Ruxue's flickering figure brought forth sprays of blood, and Xiao Chun's face was pale; maintaining the flow of life within the array had become extremely difficult.

"Now is the time! Xiao Chun, Ghost Cry Vine!" Qin Feng's voice transmitted sternly through the Formation's connection.

Xiao Chun's gaze sharpened, and the Soul-Nurturing Wood Box she had been holding suddenly flew open! The Green Wood Ghost Cry Vine seed, which she had previously used the Fusion power of the heart of the wood spirit and the Myriad Medicine Body to coax a tiny sprout from, was thrown without hesitation onto the ground in front of the battle array. Simultaneously, she spat a breath of emerald green, containing her Origin life force and the essence of the heart of the wood spirit, onto it!

"Weng!"

The seed hit the ground and sprouted instantly! That tiny sprout grew frantically as if injected with endless vitality! Dark green vines, like countless living venomous snakes and giant pythons, surged out from the seed and spread in an instant. The vines were as thick as a child's arm, their surfaces covered in sinister spiral patterns and dense barbs, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of paralysis and Spirit-Eroding!

"What is this?!"

"Watch out for these vines!"

Several Late Stage Martial Kings from the Yin Demon Sect and two Golden Corpses charging at the front bore the brunt of it! The Ghost Cry Vine seemed to possess intelligence, automatically coiling around them with startling speed! The Martial King experts swung their blades to strike, only to find the vines exceptionally tough; Earth Rank weapons could only cut an inch deep, and the severed parts of the vines would spray dark green sap with a strong paralyzing effect! Even more terrifying was that once the vines touched skin or protective True Qi, that "Spirit-Eroding" strange poison would penetrate like a maggot on a bone, eroding True Qi and paralyzing nerves!

"Ah! My True Essence!"

"I can't move!"

In an instant, three or four Martial Kings and those two Golden Corpses were tightly bound by the Ghost Cry Vine. The more they struggled, the tighter it coiled and the faster the toxins penetrated. Soon, they stood frozen on the spot, having lost their combat capability.

Seeing this, an Early Stage Martial Emperor Elder who was relatively close gave a cold snort. His Imperial True Essence erupted, shaking off several vines that were coiling toward him, as he prepared to use powerful means to destroy this strange plant.

However, just as he shook off the vines, at the moment when his old strength was spent and his new strength had not yet been born, causing a slight fluctuation in his protective True Essence—

Cold light burst from Qin Feng's eyes as he finally used the trump card he had been holding back! He flicked his finger and shot out a wisp of invisible wind, precisely triggering a mechanism hidden somewhere at the edge of the battlefield!

"Pu!"

With a slight pop, a cloud of light gray, nearly invisible powder suddenly exploded around the Early Stage Martial Emperor Elder and rapidly diffused—it was the emperor extermination powder, specifically designed to erode the True Essence and Divine Soul of those in the Martial Emperor realm!

"What?!" That Elder inhaled a bit and immediately felt his Imperial True Essence become like hot oil doused with cold water, violently boiling and stagnating! His Divine Soul also felt bursts of needle-like pain, failing to function smoothly! He was greatly alarmed and frantically tried to circulate his True Essence to force out the poison.

But when experts fight, even an instant is everything!

This slight hesitation was a fatal flaw on a battlefield where Ghost Cry Vines were spreading and powerful enemies surrounded him!

"Whoosh!"

A ghostly shadow appeared by his side like a phantom; it was Ye Wuyou, who was not lightly injured but had been waiting for an opportunity! Her face was pale, but her gaze was as cold as a blade. Her short blade took advantage of the moment his True Essence was stagnant and his mind was dazed, slicing across his throat at the most cunning angle! The edge of the blade was also coated with the deadly "Blood-Sealing Throat" poison!

"Heh..." That Early Stage Martial Emperor Elder clutched his throat, his eyes filled with shock and resentment, but he could not stop the rapid loss of life and consciousness as he fell slumped to the ground.

After her successful strike, Ye Wuyou did not linger. Her figure retreated rapidly as she swallowed a life-saving Medicinal Pill that Xiao Chun had given her earlier, which contained the essence of the Myriad Medicine Body. Her pale face regained a hint of color. She looked toward Xiao Chun and Qin Feng and nodded slightly.

"emperor extermination powder?! How could they have such a thing!" The other two Mid-stage Martial Emperor Elders were both shocked and furious. Their offensive involuntarily slowed as they became more cautious, scanning the surroundings for potentially hidden traps and becoming hesitant to act against that strange Ghost Cry Vine.

The battle situation, because of the Ghost Cry Vine's sudden display of power, the insidious ambush with the emperor extermination powder, Ye Wuyou's fatal follow-up, and Little Fire's containment of Zhongli Wu, actually reached a brief stalemate. In fact, the Yin Demon Sect's side had instantly lost one Martial Emperor and several Martial Kings!

Seeing this, the Corpse Demon Sect Master bellowed in rage. No longer caring about Cold Peach Blossom, he roared and was about to personally charge at the Four Symbols Battle Array to first destroy those damned vines, Qin Feng, and the others.

As for Zhongli Wu, after confronting Little Fire, casually neutralizing the flames it spat, and gradually adapting, the killing intent in his eyes grew stronger and stronger. He saw that although Little Fire's Bloodline was extraordinary, it was young after all, and its power was limited. He was preparing to use thunderous methods to first capture this Fire Qilin cub—

The balance of the entire battlefield was once again thrown into chaos by the Qin Feng team's endless stream of trump cards and their death-defying counterattacks. But with Zhongli Wu and the Corpse Demon Sect Master, these two strongest individuals, about to strike with full force, the final outcome still hung by a thread.