134: Fire ritual, multi-party melee

"Invaders... all must die!"

An ancient and furious voice exploded deep within everyone's soul!

Boom—!

With an earth-shattering roar, the entire underwater volcano trembled violently!

Centered on where the giant hammer landed, a visible ring-shaped flame shockwave spread wildly in all directions!

This flame was no ordinary flame; it was viscous like magma, interspersed with countless tiny white sparks, emitting a terrifying high temperature capable of incinerating everything!

"Not good! Quick, defend!" Duan Kong's pupils contracted, and he roared sharply.

He immediately activated several defense cards, and layers of thick light shields enveloped him and the Provincial Government Team Members behind him.

Zhang Yue also reacted quickly, pushing the remaining power of the Region Lock Array to its limit, attempting to block the invasion of the flames.

However, the power of this flame shockwave far exceeded their imagination!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Layers of Source Power shields shattered like fragile glass!

"Ah—!"

"My hand!"

Screams instantly erupted.

Several Provincial Government Team Members who were closer couldn't dodge in time and were directly engulfed by the flame tide!

Their protective Source Power ignited the moment it touched the flames, and then the flames spread over their entire bodies like maggots on bone. No matter how they rolled and wailed, how they activated water-elemental Source Power, or even jumped into the sea, they couldn't extinguish the bizarre flames!

White phosphorus plus version!

In the blink of an eye, those Provincial Government Team Members turned into charred humanoid torches, their life force rapidly dissipating.

Even Duan Kong and Zhang Yue were shaken, their blood boiling, and the light from their protective equipment cards dimmed, clearly indicating significant consumption.

"Damn it! What kind of flames are these!" Li Qian had a small cluster on his arm, and it hurt so much he bared his teeth, quickly wrapping it in Source Power, only to find the flames were still slowly burning his Source Power.

On the other side, the three Sixth-Tier Demonic Beasts, already tormented by the Demon Binding Rope and Soul Suppressing Nail, were even more miserable.

Their massive bodies became perfect targets, hit head-on by the flame shockwave!

"Oww—!"

"Hiss—!"

Brother Octopus's tough skin was burned black and curled, and the electric light on several of his tentacles dimmed considerably.

Charred squid, freshly made!

The Deep Sea Giant Python rolled frantically on the seabed, trying to extinguish the flames on its body with seawater, but to no avail.

The Swordfish Demon Beast, thanks to its streamlined body, suffered the lightest injuries.

However, the observant Lu Yuan also noticed that after the Old Flame Spirit unleashed this world-destroying blow, the tangible flame aura around him visibly dimmed.

Although the flames on the hammerhead were still terrifying, the sense of endless, seemingly inexhaustible power had diminished slightly.

"This old fellow... doesn't seem to be in his prime state either." Lu Yuan, watching from the distant clouds, felt his heart pound.

"This power... is definitely at the peak of the Sixth-Tier, possibly even touching the threshold of the Seventh-Tier!"

"Moreover, it seems due to the secret realm's rule-based nature, the opponent can only use the inherent flame power stored within himself."

"No wonder there were no Source Power fluctuations!"

Lu Yuan secretly rejoiced that he hadn't approached rashly.

The Old Flame Spirit clearly intended to wipe out all outsiders, without distinguishing between friend and foe.

Just as the volcano was in chaos, the Provincial Government in disarray, and demonic beasts roaring mournfully—

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several streaks of light shot rapidly from the distant mist, their target clear: the volcano with the most intense energy fluctuations!

"Hahaha! Such a celestial phenomenon, there must be a great treasure emerging!"

A wild laugh came, followed by Zhou Wanhe's burly figure appearing at the edge of the volcano.

Behind him were the grim-faced Zhou Wanjiang and Zhou Wanhai, as well as the slightly dispirited Iron Wall and Soul Chasing Hand.

Not far from them, De Xiner, with several equally disheveled Deyun Hall disciples, also quietly appeared.

They had clearly been attracted by this enormous energy fluctuation as well.

When Zhou Wanhe's gaze fell on the heart of rules, emitting an eerie red light in the center of the platform, his eyes instantly burst with an incomparable greedy glint!

"What a treasure! What a treasure! Such a supreme object rightfully belongs to my Zhou Family!"

He trembled with excitement.

However, they rejoiced too soon.

What awaited them was not a treasure within easy reach, but the Old Flame Spirit's second wave of flame aftershocks! Although its power was reduced, it was still deadly!

"Whoosh—!"

A wave of hot air mixed with sparks swept over!

"Be careful!" Zhou Wanhe's expression changed.

The Zhou Family members and Deyun Hall disciples had just arrived, their footing unsteady, and were caught off guard by the sudden attack.

"Ah!"

A Deyun Hall disciple reacted a little slower, was splashed by sparks, and instantly let out a tragic scream, following in the footsteps of the previous Provincial Government Team Members.

"Damn it! What the hell is this!" Zhou Wanhe roared, hastily conjuring a defense card to protect everyone, retreating in disarray.

De Xiner's pretty face also turned cold, and with a wave of her hand, she scattered a cloud of pink poisonous powder, attempting to disperse the flames, but found it had little effect.

After finally stabilizing their footing, both factions had suffered one or two casualties, a disastrous start, as if they had rushed to their deaths.

Lu Yuan found it amusing; they truly were a bunch of idiots.

"Zhou Wanhe! De Xiner!"

Above the platform, Duan Kong saw these two unwelcome groups and angrily shouted, "Do you also deserve a share?!"

He was extremely anxious; the already difficult situation had become even more complicated!

Zhang Yue also frowned deeply, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.

Zhou Wanhe wiped the ash from his face, then glanced at the disheveled Provincial Government members, sneering, "Zhang Yue, aren't we allies? Shouldn't allies share with each other?"

De Xiner chuckled, "Yes, Captain Zhang, such a good thing, it's only fair if everyone shares!"

"Hmph! You're seeking death!" A fierce light flashed in Duan Kong's eyes.

Allowing you families in was already a great favor; now you want to lay claim to a supreme object?

Dream on!

"Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Iron Wall, Soul Chasing Hand, first cripple those Provincial Government scoundrels for me! Seize that treasure!"

Seizing this opportune moment, Zhou Wanhe decisively gave the order.

"Yes! Patriarch!"

Zhou Wanjiang and the others had long been seething with anger, and upon receiving the command, they immediately activated their Source Power, and several fierce attacks blasted towards Zhang Yue and Duan Kong's team!

The Deyun Hall disciples were not to be outdone.

Large swathes of colorful poisonous mist andinsanity insects surged towards the battlefield like a tide, indiscriminately enveloping both the Provincial Government and the Zhou Family members!

"De Xiner! How dare you!" Zhou Wanhe roared, but he also had to divert some of his attention to guard against the poisonous mist.

"Oh dear... I'm sorry, the poisonous mist drifts with the wind, it can't be controlled."

The situation instantly transformed from a three-way standoff into a five-way melee!

The two Provincial Government teams, having to resist the Old Flame Spirit's intermittent attacks and the demonic beasts' frantic counterattacks, and also deal with the Zhou Family and Deyun Hall's opportunistic attacks, immediately felt their pressure double, facing perilous situations.

Behind the distant clouds, Lu Yuan saw this scene and secretly rejoiced.

"Fight, fight, the more chaotic, the better!"

"Best if you kill each other."

Lu Yuan knew what he was doing.

He quietly communicated with Heavenly Thunder Light Falcon and Raging Waves Sea Soul, "Light Falcon, listen for my command later, prepare for a forced intrusion. Little Turtle, have your Tidal Turtle Shell ready at all times, the goal is to protect me as I approach that crystal."

Just as the battlefield had completely turned into a free-for-all, a figure slowly emerged from behind a large rock formation shrouded in mist, a little further away from the volcano.

It was Bedrock, the Yao Family's enshrinement.

He watched the fierce battle inside the volcano, chewing gum.

"The Zhou Family, Deyun Hall... they're all here."

"The temptation of this supreme object is indeed immense."

"Where's Lu Yuan? Is he hiding again...?"

"I wonder how many people will die in the end."

He was also waiting.

He had sent the Yao Family team to the periphery to continue searching for Yao Yong and Yao Cheng's whereabouts.

The Yao Family line was still very important; the safety of the two young masters could not be ignored.

However, he did not know that Lu Yuan, whom he was looking for, was currently hidden in an even more concealed location, in a way he couldn't detect, also coveting the ultimate prize.

"Roar—!!!"

In the center of the battlefield, the three Sixth-Tier Demonic Beasts were already covered in wounds under the repeated attacks from multiple factions, their blood staining the surrounding seawater red.

The intense pain and threat of death completely ignited their ferocity!

They no longer tried to snatch the heart of rules, but instead fell into primal madness, starting to indiscriminately attack everything that moved around them!

Giant tentacles thrashed wildly, venom and energy beams spewed everywhere, and their massive bodies charged recklessly!

For a time, the entire volcano became utterly chaotic!

In a few blinks of an eye, coupled with the third wave of flame bombardment, several more unfortunate souls perished.

Blood and severed limbs constantly appeared, becoming nourishment for the heart of rules.

"Soon! It's almost successful!" Duan Kong's eyes gleamed with madness, as he desperately activated the card array, throwing the last few orange source cards into it!

Just then, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of oppression.

The sky, at some point, had become even gloomier.

Through the mist above the volcano, one could vaguely see an indescribable sense of heaviness gathering in the sky.

Subtle, almost imperceptible spatial ripples began to appear in the air.

The fifth day was about to arrive!

The signs of the second great fusion of heaven and earth had quietly emerged!

And the heart of rules, its light reached an unprecedented peak at this moment!

It, too, was about to complete its transformation!

...