197: Sixth-order demon beast

Lin Feng forcibly suppressed the urge to analyze the Formation, suddenly looked up, and his Divine Sense swept deep into the valley, pinpointing the exact locations of Liu Mingxuan, Old Mo, and Li Feiyu.

This sweep made his pupils constrict. Liu Mingxuan had already rushed directly above the center of the magma lake, his flaming long spear striking with full force at a violently bulging magma bubble on the lake's surface, which contained terrifying energy.

Old Mo, like a ghost, was inserting several dark Formation Flags into the lake shore.

As for Li Feiyu, though he was hard-pressed and struggling against the Soul-Corroding Fire Fiend, he still cast a sinister glance in Lin Feng's direction. The soul defilement banner in his hand surged with black Qi, seemingly ready to pounce at any moment, regardless of the consequences.

"These three idiots!" Lin Feng cursed inwardly. They were simultaneously touching the two most dangerous core areas of this place; this was simply courting death and dragging everyone else down with them.

'If I had known this, I should have struck first outside the valley and eliminated these scourges!' A strong wave of regret surged in Lin Feng's heart.

He had originally thought that after entering the valley, everyone would rely on their own abilities, and mutual restraint would create opportunities. He never expected these few people to be so reckless.

This thought flashed like lightning, but Lin Feng knew well that this was no time for regret. He could only forcibly suppress his turbulent emotions, his eyes icy.

"Boom!"

A dull, thunderous roar erupted from deep underground, followed by the sound of tearing rock from all directions, drowning out the bubbling of the magma.

Cracks began to appear on the surface of the reddish rock walls on both sides. Large chunks of rock, mixed with bubbling hot magma, peeled off and collapsed from the mountain, crashing to the ground and splashing fire rain everywhere.

In the ravines, scorching Earth Fire spewed from deep within the earth veins, distorting and deforming the very air.

In the center of the magma lake, the tip of Liu Mingxuan's flaming long spear had plunged directly into the magma bubble at the lake's heart, whose surface was covered with dark golden patterns.

At the same time, Old Mo's small flags had just completely submerged into the rock layer somewhere on the lake shore.

Amidst this eruption of Earth Fire, a massive shadow slowly rose from the boiling lake bottom.

First, its back armor, covered in crystal spikes, each plate like a dark red gem with magma seemingly flowing within it.

Then came its colossal legs, like stone pillars. As they stepped out of the lake, the surrounding ground once again collapsed with a roar.

Finally, its hideous head, covered in the same crystal armor and shaped like a Dragon's head, with a pair of cold, dark golden pupils now burning with raging fury from being disturbed.

Lin Feng felt his Spiritual Qi circulation become sluggish by three tenths, and even his breathing grew difficult.

"Magma Crystal Tortoise! It's that guardian beast! It actually..." Fang Lingyao's voice trembled as she clung to him. "This was enlightened by Emperor Chi to guard this place... This aura far surpasses Core Formation Early Stage, I'm afraid it's already close to Middle Stage Peak!"

Just then, Liu Mingxuan's flaming long spear, condensed with all his might, shattered inch by inch like glass hitting an iron plate under the impact of the immense Spiritual Pressure brought by the Crystal Tortoise's full appearance.

He grunted, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth, and his body flew backward uncontrollably for dozens of feet before he barely managed to stabilize himself: "A beast close to Core Formation Middle Stage Peak!"

On the other side, Old Mo was even more disheveled. The Formation Flags he had set up didn't even last a breath amidst the chaos of the earth veins stirred by the Crystal Tortoise's awakening, turning into ashes.

His old face paled, his Qi and blood churning, and he was forcibly shaken out of the shadows.

Li Feiyu, a little further away, was also swept by the violent energy aftermath. His protective Yin Fiend Qi violently vibrated, his throat sweetened, and a bloody taste surged up. Although he forcibly swallowed it, a trace of blood still overflowed from the corner of his mouth.

He forcibly suppressed his churning Qi and blood, raised a hand to wipe away the bloodstain, and stared fixedly at the terrifying Crystal Tortoise.

However, as he looked up, the corner of his eye caught sight of Lin Feng not far away.

He saw that the layer of dark blue water curtain around Lin Feng merely rippled slightly, neutralizing the impact into nothingness. He stood steadily in place, his expression unchanged.

Even Fang Lingyao, who was beside him, only had a slightly pale face, clearly unaffected by any substantial impact.

Li Feiyu's chest tightened, and the Qi and blood he had just suppressed immediately surged up. With a "pffft," he spat out another small mouthful of fresh blood.

Just then, the Magma Crystal Tortoise swept its gaze across everyone, its eyes icy, carrying the furious rage of being disturbed.

Liu Mingxuan, Old Mo, and Li Feiyu exchanged glances, their expressions all extremely grim at this moment.

Retreat? The entrance was right in front of them, and the treasure they sought might be just beyond. Who could be willing to give up?

Advance? Fighting alone, no one was a match for this sixth-tier Yao Beast.

Liu Mingxuan was the first to grit his teeth, his gaze sweeping over Old Mo and Li Feiyu, and he sternly said: "Fellow Daoists! This Yao Beast is formidable; no one will gain anything fighting alone! If you don't want to return empty-handed, let's temporarily join forces to hold it back! Then, each rely on your own abilities to break through!"

Old Mo nodded sinisterly, clearly understanding that cooperation was mutually beneficial at this moment.

Although Li Feiyu was extremely unwilling, circumstances were stronger than personal will, so he merely gave a heavy snort, signifying his tacit agreement.

Liu Mingxuan formed hand Seals, and surging flames rose into the sky around him, condensing into a giant flaming sword in front of him, stabbing directly at the Crystal Tortoise's face.

This was a secret sword art of the Heavenly Fire Sect, extremely powerful but also very taxing on Spiritual Qi.

Old Mo's figure flickered, circling to the side and behind the Crystal Tortoise. He clapped his hands, revealing dozens of bone-piercing needles, as fine as ox hair and gleaming with a cold, dark blue light, shooting towards the Crystal Tortoise's joint crevices and the relatively vulnerable connections of its belly armor.

Li Feiyu roared, and the black Qi of the soul defilement banner surged. The hideous ghost faces on the banner let out piercing shrieks, and strands of black smoke transformed into chains, wrapping around the Crystal Tortoise's limbs.

However, the Magma Crystal Tortoise, as a guardian beast that had lived for an untold number of years, possessed extremely high intelligence.

Facing the combined attack of the three, it let out a dull roar. Red light flowed across its crystal armor, forming a flame shield. Liu Mingxuan's giant flaming sword struck it, creating a shower of sparks, but it could not advance an inch.

At the same time, its giant tail lashed out like a steel whip, bringing with it whistling winds and scorching magma, accurately sweeping towards Old Mo, forcing him to dodge frantically.

As for Li Feiyu's ghost Qi chains, the Crystal Tortoise merely shook its four limbs, and a vast amount of fire elemental power erupted, dispersing most of the black smoke.

The three of them were forced into dangerous situations by the Magma Crystal Tortoise, all of them already injured, feeling both shocked and enraged.

They exchanged glances, realizing that if they continued to hold back, let alone seizing the treasure, they might truly perish here.

"We can't hold back any longer!" Liu Mingxuan roared, a look of determination flashing in his eyes. He clasped his hands together, and the originally surging flames around him suddenly rolled back, converging and compressing madly above his head like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

In the blink of an eye, a treasure orb about the size of a fist, entirely crimson like blood, condensed and formed above his head.

Within the treasure orb, a miniature sea of fire seemed to be sealed, and an incredibly clear, magnificent golden Phoenix phantom spread its wings and soared within, emitting a silent, clear cry.

The moment this orb appeared, the surrounding air began to sizzle, and space visibly twisted and fluctuated.

This Scarlet Phoenix Sky Burning Pearl was precisely Liu Mingxuan's Lifebound Treasure.

This orb had an extraordinary origin. It was refined by a Grand Elder of the Heavenly Fire Sect, who spent a hundred years of arduous effort collecting the essence of the Earth's core magma, supplemented by several rare top-grade fire-attribute spirit materials, and then used a great Divine Ability to capture a wisp of the scattered soul essence of the ancient true spirit Golden Flame Heavenly Phoenix, melting it within.

When it was bestowed upon Liu Mingxuan, it was said that this orb contained a trace of the True Phoenix's Sky Burning power, with infinite potential, and he was urged to use it well to glorify the Sect.

This wisp of the Golden Flame Heavenly Phoenix's soul essence not only made the quality of the orb's flames far surpass ordinary ones, but also imbued it with a trace of true spirit majesty, giving it an extremely strong suppressive force against fire-attribute creatures, and allowing it to continuously evolve with its master's growth.

At this moment, a trace of heartache flashed across Liu Mingxuan's face. He opened his mouth and spat out a small mouthful of vital blood, which landed on the Scarlet Phoenix Sky Burning Pearl.