Xiren Yuanjun was battling a demon commander, whose body was wreathed in black flames that continuously devoured the surrounding spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Fang Xiaoyu noticed this black flame and recognized it as the same flame previously used by Liu Yuxin, named Xi Yan. It could devour energy and also absorb attacks launched by enemies.
Immediately, Fang Xiaoyu informed Xiren Yuanjun of the flame's name and characteristics, cautioning him to be careful.
Xiren Yuanjun, while fighting the enemy, had naturally discovered this himself.
"Xi Yan? A formidable flame. Let's see whose flame is stronger, yours or mine."
Xiren Yuanjun conjured a cerulean firebird before him and sent it towards the demon commander.
"If you were a bit stronger, my Xi Yan wouldn't be able to devour your flame. It can only absorb energy and flames of a lower level than itself. Yours, however, is the Netherworld Cold Flame, capable of burning and devouring all things."
The demon commander was quite direct, conversing freely while battling Xiren Yuanjun.
"You've seen the Netherworld Cold Flame?"
"Indeed. I saw it used by disciples under the City King of your side in the Sea of Bitterness battlefield. Each of them was far more powerful than you. The Netherworld Cold Flame seems wasted in your hands."
Xiren Yuanjun was bewildered by the other party's words. He had no idea who the City King was, but he understood that in other worlds, people cultivated the Netherworld Cold Flame, and some were much more powerful than him.
The black flames and the cerulean flames collided in mid-air, emitting crackling sounds. This was the violent energy outburst from the two flames devouring each other.
The Fire Phoenix had already transformed into its true form, soaring through the sky. Her opponent was a demon commander wielding a jagged broadsword. The demon commander was incredibly fierce; every move and strike carried world-destroying power. He was a close-combat warrior, tall and with a formidable physique.
It was fortunate that the Fire Phoenix was facing him. Her defense and vitality were her strongest suits. Although she was at a disadvantage in this battle, she could still hold her ground thanks to her robust physique. The engagement between these two was the most intense and ferocious.
Xiren Jun's side was having the hardest time. He alone had to face the attacks of all the Nascent Soul realm cultivators from the enemy. Seeing him alone, these enemies, as if injected with chicken blood, charged at him fiercely, eager to slay the weakest opponent on their side and secure the first victory for the demon race after entering the Thunder Wind Realm. This was the first merit, and everyone coveted it.
However, Xiren Jun was no fool. As the second-in-command of the Xiren family, having managed family affairs for years, he was not comparable to the seemingly astute but inwardly naive little fool, Xiren Yuanjun. On the contrary, in the Xiren family, Xiren Jun was the one who made most of the decisions; he was the smartest person in the family, and all major and minor family affairs were conducted under his coordination. In essence, Xiren Jun, as the second-in-command of the Xiren family, held a position akin to that of a prime minister. If he weren't intelligent, his position as second-in-command would have likely been taken by Xiren Yuanjun, who was stronger than him. His previous defeat by the trio of Wan Lei was merely an upset, a sneak attack by the old man. In truth, he had won the fight against Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.
Currently, facing the attacks of dozens of enemies, he did not engage them head-on. He continuously maneuvered, simultaneously deploying his flame domain, which enveloped the entire eastern region of the East Desert City. While trapping all enemies within it, he would periodically merge into the sea of flames, then reappear to ambush the enemy. Furthermore, he used his Netherworld Cold Flame to continuously absorb and devour the enemies' attacks, energy, and even their life force. His understanding of his mission was clear: he only needed to stall these people. As for killing them, he didn't think that far ahead, nor was he so arrogant as to believe he could kill all of them. He would kill some Yuan Shen and Resentful Demons if he could, but his primary focus was self-preservation. Only by staying alive would his master not be interfered with, and his mission would be considered a complete success.
Fang Xiaoyu was also battling a demon commander. She had retracted her fire storm and was now fully concentrating on controlling the fiery gale to fight the enemy. Among the group, her strength was the greatest. Facing the lower-ranked enemies of the demon commander, although she was at a disadvantage, she wasn't suffering too much, trading blows back and forth with the enemy. Fang Xiaoyu's swordsmanship was exceptionally sharp; while keeping her defense impenetrable, she could occasionally counter-attack. However, she had little experience fighting demons. In close combat, she found that the enemy's physique was not as robust as other demons; instead, he was more like a qi cultivator. For such an enemy, the best approach was continuous close combat, attacking the enemy's weakness with her own strength.
Although Fang Xiaoyu was not under much pressure, she was incredibly anxious. This was because there was a top-tier demon commander on the enemy's side whom no one was holding back. At this moment, Wan Lei and everyone with him were bogged down by the enemy's strategy, allowing Commander Qiong Ku to freely break the formation Wan Lei had set up. As more black energy accumulated on the formation, the contaminated area expanded. The formation was precarious, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
"Faster, faster!"
Wan Lei was sweating profusely. He had accelerated the repair of the teleportation array to its maximum but had still not completed it.
"Faster, faster!"
Commander Qiong Ku's brow was furrowed, his movements becoming increasingly rapid. He was also a formation master, how could he not see that Wan Lei's repair work was more than half done? Once they succeeded, the reinforcements from the natives would arrive, and their descent plan would inevitably be disrupted. After all, he had heard from Commander Qiong Xin about how powerful the native inhabitants were.
Finally, the black energy spread across the entire formation, and then, the formation shattered with a resounding crack.
"Hahahaha, enemy, I am faster than you. You lost." Commander Qiong Ku raised his great axe and strode towards Wan Lei.
"Damn it!"
Wan Lei gritted his teeth in anger. Was he really going to abandon the formation he was about to complete and engage this demon commander? Although he could resume repairs later, if he went to fight, he wouldn't have free hands, the formation would remain unrepaired, reinforcements wouldn't arrive, and they would return to the previous predicament. And the enemy would surely send more reinforcements to kill them. After all, the enemy was much closer to them than their own people were.
Commander Qiong Ku walked with heavy steps, each landing resonating like a sledgehammer striking Wan Lei's heart. Suddenly, a lightning bolt appeared within Wan Lei and shot towards Commander Qiong Ku.