208: Soul Catcher

At this moment, the Ox-Head's iron fork was almost upon him. Li Xingyan gritted his teeth and pushed out the Fire Lotus.

The three-colored Fire Lotus and the Death Qi on the iron fork collided with a deafening roar.

The sizzling of flames burning the Death Qi and the hissing of Death Qi corroding the flames intertwined, forming a turbulent energy flow that uprooted the surrounding ancient trees.

Li Xingyan retreated several steps, using the force of the rebound, his face as pale as paper. He could clearly feel that the Fire Lotus's light was rapidly dimming, and the Ox-Head's iron fork merely paused slightly before attacking again with terrifying power.

"It's not over yet!" the Horse-Face's voice echoed like a ghost behind him. The Phantom Chains silently wrapped around Li Xingyan's ankle, and countless resentful souls crawled along the chain, frantically gnawing at his spiritual energy shield.

Under attack from both front and back, Li Xingyan's spiritual energy was consumed extremely quickly, and his recently elevated Nascent Soul Pinnacle Stage Realm also began to destabilize.

He pushed the Fire Lotus with all his might, but could only barely withstand the Ox-Head and Horse-Face's attacks. Each collision caused his Qi and blood to churn, and blood constantly spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"I can't hold on..." A hint of bitterness flashed through Li Xingyan's heart. The light of the World Extinguishing Fire Lotus grew weaker and weaker. He could feel Fire Old's power rapidly draining, and his Meridians were throbbing with pain from operating beyond their limit.

Seeing this, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged glances, a flicker of impatience in their eyes. The Ox-Head suddenly increased his strength, and the Death Qi on his iron fork surged, actually tearing a rift in the Fire Lotus.

The Horse-Face, meanwhile, tightened the chain. The resentful souls let out ear-piercing shrieks and began to assault Li Xingyan's Sea of Consciousness.

"Pfft!"

The World Extinguishing Fire Lotus shattered with a bang. Li Xingyan was struck as if by a heavy blow, flying backward and slamming hard into an ancient tree.

The Golden Core within him trembled violently, his recently elevated cultivation instantly plummeted, and even his original Mid-stage Golden Core Realm became precarious.

"To barely last a few moves, you have some tenacity," the Ox-Head said, stepping over the shattered flames, his iron fork pointing directly at Li Xingyan's throat. "But the game is over."

Just as the iron fork was about to pierce his throat, the ring on Li Xingyan's finger suddenly burst into a dazzling red light, and an aged figure emerged from the ring!

It was an old man in tattered red robes, his figure hunched but his back straight, his silver hair swaying without wind.

The moment he appeared, a heatwave capable of burning the heavens and boiling the seas surged around him. The air, originally suppressed by Death Qi, began to twist and burn.

What was even more terrifying was the Aura emanating from him—that was a pressure far beyond what a Soul Transformation Stage Cultivator could achieve, as if a Dominator from an ancient fiery Domain had emerged. Every breath carried the rhythm of Law, instantly making the mountain-like Aura of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face a joke.

"This... this is..." The Ox-Head's hand, gripping the fork, trembled violently, and for the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.

The Horse-Face loosened his chain even more, staring intently at the flickering golden flame in Fire Old's glabella, his voice trembling: "Ancient Divine Fire... No, you are..."

"Noisy," Fire Old's voice was hoarse but carried an undeniable authority. He slowly raised his withered palm, and a flame no larger than a grain of rice rose from his palm.

Yet, it was this tiny flame that caused the fire elements between heaven and earth to converge madly. The moisture in the swamp was instantly evaporated, and even space itself glowed with a molten red light.

"Teacher, you..." Li Xingyan struggled to get up but was stopped by a glance from Fire Old.

"Watch carefully, this is the true Dao of Fire," Fire Old turned to look at him, a hint of resolve flashing in his eyes, then he threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter shaking the Ox-Head and Horse-Face, making them retreat repeatedly. "This old man has been trapped in this broken ring for three thousand years. Today, I shall use this remnant Divine Soul to send you all to your demise!"

Before his words finished, golden flames suddenly ignited around Fire Old—that was the light of a burning Divine Soul!

His Aura soared to its Peak in an instant, his red robes flapped wildly, and his originally aged body exuded a hint of youthful vigor.

He slowly clenched his outstretched hand into a fist, and the Fire Law between heaven and earth flowed with it. Those surging spiritual flames seemed to come alive, transforming into billions of golden fire threads, condensing into an ancient long saber in his palm.

"Law materialization... This is a Domain that even a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator might not be able to touch!" the Horse-Face shrieked, losing his composure, and turned to flee.

"Too late!" Fire Old flicked his finger. The golden flame long saber shot through the air. Wherever it passed, Law materialized, the air was cut into neat fire bricks, and even space rippled.

Before the saber body even touched them, the Death Qi on the Ox-Head and Horse-Face melted like ice and snow. The iron fork and chain simultaneously let out wails, and scorched marks appeared on their surfaces.

"Burn the Heavens!" Fire Old roared. The heavens and earth seemed to flip in his palm. Billions of golden flames appeared out of thin air, weaving into a vast net of fire that covered ten li.

The Ox-Head and Horse-Face were trapped in the center. The iron fork shattered, the chain melted, and their protective Death Qi let out a mournful shriek in the golden flames. Their bodies were incinerated at a visible speed.

Li Xingyan watched this scene dumbfounded. He knew Fire Old was strong, otherwise he wouldn't be called Lord of Myriad Fires, but he never imagined Fire Old's strength was this immense.

It wasn't a simple spiritual energy suppression, but absolute control over the Fire Law, as if all the flames between heaven and earth obeyed his command.

Just as the Ox-Head and Horse-Face were about to be burned to ashes, a pitch-black mark suddenly flashed on their glabella simultaneously—the mark was shaped like a twisted chain, with an eerie purple glow at its edges.

"Hmm?" Fire Old frowned, and the burning power of his Divine Soul suddenly tightened.

The next second, two black figures appeared in the sea of fire without warning.

Their figures were blurry, as if made of pure darkness. The Aura they exuded was a hundred times more terrifying than that of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Even Fire Old's golden flames mysteriously dimmed slightly beside them.

"The lackeys of the Abyssal Underworld, there are indeed others behind them," Fire Old's gaze deepened, and the burning Divine Soul Fire grew even more intense.

"It's the Soul Reaping Envoyss of the Abyssal Underworld!" A golden flame flickered in Fire Old's eyes, and his hoarse voice gained a hint of solemnity.

Such beings specialize in retrieving the Divine Souls of powerful Cultivators above the Soul Transformation Stage from the outside world; ordinary Cultivators would avoid them at all costs.

If he were at his Peak, he naturally wouldn't care, but at this moment... And at this moment, the two black figures looked at Fire Old as if he were a supreme treasure. Darkness surged around them, revealing the two dark Soul Retrieving Hooks hidden within.

"Jie jie... So it's the remnant Divine Soul of 'Myriad Flames Old Monster'!" The Soul Reaping Envoys on the left let out a sharp, inhuman laugh. The Soul Retrieving Hook extending from the black figure carried a strong annihilating Aura. "Capturing an ancient remnant like you, we two will surely be promoted to Judges!"

The Soul Reaping Envoys on the right said nothing. His Soul Retrieving Hook shot out like a venomous snake, aiming directly for the divine fire in Fire Old's glabella.

The two black figures cooperated tacitly, one on the left and one on the right, blocking all escape routes. Even space was frozen by the Nether Qi they emitted, and the burning of the golden flames became sluggish.