19: I said... I'll protect you completely.

The Lava Secret Realm was blood-red, and heat waves warped the vision.

The giant fire python, which embodied the primordial rage of the Green Lotus Core Flame, descended to devour him with the might to incinerate the void!

Behind it, seven or eight ferocious and fierce-looking fire spirits roared and lunged, sealing off all avenues of retreat!

Above the stone platform, Medusa's purple eyes narrowed. The seals on her fingertips rapidly changed, and the purple crystal above her head erupted with light as she tried to forcibly establish a connection with the Heavenly Flame. But facing this destructive attack, the purple energy swirling around her was already precarious, and a hint of determination flashed across her pale face.

She had no time for anything else; she placed all her hope and her own safety upon the blue-robed figure standing in front of her.

Li Ao stood at the edge of the stone platform, holding his blade with one hand, directly confronting the world-destroying impact.

The fierce hot wind pressed his blue cloth robe tightly against his body, outlining a tall, explosive physique.

His eyes were cold, yet deep within his pupils, flames seemed to burn.

The Black Iron Hegemon Body was pushed to its limit; the dark black iron luster beneath his skin was as deep as an abyss, and his muscle fibers swelled. A fierce aura, originating from primordial savage beasts, forcibly carved out an inviolable domain within this absolute territory of fire attribute energy!

He could not retreat! Behind him was Medusa, who was at a critical juncture, and she was also the key to him obtaining the Heavenly Flame!

"Roar!"

The fire python arrived first. Its gaping maw was large enough to swallow a mountain, and the destructive energy contained within caused space itself to groan under the strain!

Li Ao moved!

He did not choose to clash head-on with the most lethal fire python. The Thunder Sound Steps exploded beneath his feet, and his body slid sideways like a ghost, narrowly dodging the fire python's frontal assault. At the same time, the steel longsword in his hand traced a chilling arc not slashing at the fire python, but at a leopard-shaped fire spirit that was the first to lunge in from the side!

Furious Wind Quick Blade Shadow Sweep!

The blade light was too fast for the eye to track, seeming only like a distortion of light!

"Pffft!"

The Dou King-level leopard fire spirit's forward lunge instantly froze. Its body, composed of pure flame, split into two and violently exploded, turning into a sky full of flowing fire!

Instant kill with a single strike!

But more fire spirits had already swarmed in! Claws, fangs, and tail whips, wrapped in scorching flame energy, attacked from all directions!

Li Ao's figure rapidly shifted within the small space, like dancing on the tip of a blade!

He executed the Thunder Sound Steps with masterful proficiency, each step precisely landing in the gaps between energy impacts or on the most stable points of the reef.

The long blade in his hand transformed into an impenetrable curtain of death light, the essence of the Furious Wind Quick Blade displayed to its fullest!

Chop, hack, lift, hang, wipe, sweep, block... The most basic blade forms, in his hands, possessed the power to turn decay into wonder!

Every strike condensed the sharp edge and will to sever everything!

"Clang! Pfft! Hiss!"

The sounds of clashing metal and energy annihilation rang out in quick succession!

A monkey-shaped fire spirit had its claws deflected by his backhand slash. He seized the momentum to advance, and the tip of his blade precisely struck its energy core, causing it to instantly dissipate!

A snake-shaped fire spirit silently darted out of the magma, attempting to coil around his legs, but he sensed it in advance, crushing its head with a stomp, and then the blade light whirled, severing it into several pieces!

His movements were fluid and smooth, possessing a cruel beauty.

There was no wasted motion; every move went straight for the vitals, achieving terrifying efficiency!

It was as if he wasn't fighting, but performing a precise dance of slaughter!

However, the number of fire spirits was too great, and they seemed able to constantly regenerate by utilizing the inexhaustible fire attribute energy of the place!

As soon as one was killed, a new one immediately condensed from the magma!

And the main threat that gigantic azure fire python having missed its initial attack, had already turned around and charged again, carrying an even more ferocious rage!

This time, its massive body coiled, sealing off a larger space, and what it spewed out was no longer a single flame, but countless streams of azure flowing fire, like an arrow rain!

Saturation attack!

There was no avoiding it!

Li Ao's eyes sharpened; he knew he could no longer hold back!

He suddenly inhaled, his chest swelling like a bellows. The power of the Black Iron Hegemon Body and the mysterious energy originating from the system furiously poured into his blade-holding right arm!

The dark iron luster instantly spread across the blade, coating the ordinary steel longsword with a layer of deep metallic sheen!

A "momentum" capable of slaying ten thousand things and breaking through everything violently erupted!

He no longer evaded. Instead, he stepped forward, twisted his waist, and swung his blade, meeting the sky full of azure flowing fire and the fire python that was biting down again!

The movement was simple and unadorned, yet it carried a fierce resolve to advance relentlessly and cleave through chaos!

"Hegemon Blade Stream Severance!"

This was no longer the swiftness of the Furious Wind Quick Blade, but a barbaric strike combining the power of the Black Iron Hegemon Body and the intent of the blade!

Where the blade passed, space seemed to be ripped open by a black fissure!

The dense incoming azure flowing fire instantly vanished and dissipated upon contact with this intensely condensed black blade aura, like snow melting in the sun!

The blade aura’s momentum remained unchecked, fiercely hacking down onto the fire python’s massive head!

"Boom !!!"

A deafening explosion sounded! The violent energy shockwave erupted in a ring, sending the surrounding fire spirits that were lunging forward flying backward!

The fire python let out a painful and furious hiss (though soundless, the energy fluctuation clearly conveyed this message). Its massive head, formed of pure flame, was actually split open by the strike, leaving a huge crack!

Countless streams of azure flame essence escaped from the fissure!

But it was not completely extinguished. Instead, it became even more violent, its enormous body twisting madly, stirring up monstrous waves of magma, causing the entire Secret Realm to seemingly shake!

Li Ao let out a muffled groan, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Forcibly executing this strike, which exceeded his current capacity, placed an enormous burden on him, and the recently healed wound on his left arm sent searing, tearing pain through him.

Yet his gaze remained fierce, and the hand holding the blade was steady as a rock.

He had to buy time for Medusa!

He once again charged toward the injured, maddened fire python and the fire spirits that had reformed and were lunging toward him!

The battle entered its most brutal phase.

Li Ao combined the Thunder Sound Steps and the Furious Wind Quick Blade. His figure was like the wind, his blade light like lightning, weaving and slashing through the siege of the fire python and the fire spirits.

He no longer aimed for instant kills, but exchanged injuries for damage, weakening the enemy in the most efficient way possible while striving to avoid vital spots.

"Pfft!" A wolf-shaped fire spirit's claws tore a deep, bone-visible gash across his shoulder blade. A burnt smell instantly filled the air, but he cleaved the fire spirit in half with a backhand slash!

"Bang!" The fire python's tail swept across like a giant whip. He barely managed to block it with the body of his blade, but the immense force sent him flying, slamming into a floating reef. The reef instantly shattered, his throat tasted sweet, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.

However, he forcibly twisted his body in mid-air, utilizing the Thunder Sound Steps to shed most of the force. The instant he landed, he shot up again, the blade light thrusting directly toward the fissure in the fire python's head!

His blue cloth robe was long since tattered and torn, soaked in blood and sweat, clinging to his body and revealing the distinct lines of muscle beneath, covered in old and new scars.

The bandage on his left arm was long gone, and the newly grown pink flesh was once again a bloody mess.

But his eyes grew brighter and brighter, like two cold stars forged in blood and fire icy, resolute, and showing no sign of retreat.

Above the stone platform, Medusa's tightly closed eyes trembled slightly.

Although she was fully concentrating on communicating with the Heavenly Flame, how could she completely isolate herself from the utterly brutal fluctuations of the battle outside?

She could "hear" the dense, rain-like sounds of energy collisions, "feel" the spatial tremors caused by each powerful clash, and even faintly "smell" the spreading, rusty scent of blood.

That man... was fighting fiercely for her, bathing in blood, using his own strength to withstand the combined assault of the Heavenly Flame source and numerous fire spirits!

An unprecedented emotion, like magma, surged and clashed in the depths of her icy heart.

Was it shock at his strength and tenacity? Was it being moved by his almost stubborn protection? Or was it... a stirring that even she couldn't define, a thawing of her frozen heart that had been violently pried open?

She had never imagined that one day she would need the protection of a human, much less that this human would shoulder her safety in such a brutal and domineering manner.

The seals on her fingertips subconsciously sped up slightly.

The purple crystal above her head shone even more brilliantly. She had to hurry! She couldn't let him hold out alone any longer!

Just then, another change occurred!

The fire python, severely injured by Li Ao's strike, seemed to realize that Medusa on the stone platform was the key. It abandoned its entanglement with Li Ao, let out a silent roar, and violently turned its massive body, rushing toward Medusa on the platform with all its remaining power, like a falling meteor, reckless and desperate!

It was trying to take them both down!

This sudden turn of events was too fast! Too decisive!

Li Ao had just cleaved apart a fire spirit, and seeing this, his pupils violently contracted!

There was no time to think!

The Thunder Sound Steps exploded to their maximum limit! It was as if chain lightning was detonating beneath his feet; his speed surpassed its limit at that moment, even leaving trails of afterimages in the air!

Starting late but arriving first!

In the instant before the fire python's head, burning with destructive flames, was about to hit the stone platform's light barrier, Li Ao's figure fiercely appeared directly in front of Medusa!

He had his back to the destructive fire python and faced the seated Medusa.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Medusa seemed to sense something and abruptly opened her eyes.

Reflected in her purple eyes was Li Ao's face, right in front of her.

On that young face, covered in blood and sweat, there was no fear, only profound calm, and in his deep eyes, she saw the reflection of her own astonished countenance.

Then, she saw Li Ao pull the corner of his mouth into an extremely slight movement toward her. It seemed to be a comforting smile, fleeting and gone in an instant.

The next moment

"BOOM!!!!!!!!!"

The destructive fire python slammed squarely into Li Ao's back!

The terrifying sound of the explosion drowned out everything!

Dazzling azure-red light swallowed the stone platform, and a violent energy storm swept out, instantly vaporizing the remaining fire spirits nearby!

Medusa felt an indescribable immense force transmit through Li Ao's body. Even with the stone platform's restrictions and her own Dou Qi resisting, the force made her blood surge and her vision darken!

The light slowly faded.

The stone platform was still intact, but the sealing runes upon it were visibly much dimmer.

Medusa's anxious purple eyes immediately looked forward.

Li Ao was still standing there, his back to her, like a statue nailed to the stone platform.

But the blue cloth robe he wore, which was already damaged, had completely turned to ash at the back, revealing a terrifying, charred wound beneath a messy ruin where his pale white spine was even visible!

Flesh was rolled back, completely scorched. No blood flowed out because the wound had been instantly carbonized by the extreme high temperature!

His body violently swayed, and he plunged the now cracked steel longsword into the stone platform, barely managing to brace himself and keep from falling.

"Cough... cough cough..." He coughed violently, each sound a muffled thud, as if pieces of his internal organs were involved. Dark red blood constantly spilled from his mouth, dripping onto the charred ground.

He had used his body to forcibly block the vast majority of the destructive fire python's suicidal strike!

Medusa stared blankly at the almost inhuman figure, who looked as if he had returned from hell. She watched his back, which trembled slightly to maintain balance yet refused to bend. In her purple eyes, the final layer of ice shattered with a crash, turning into a surging ocean!

An emotion called "distress" instantly wrapped around her heart like a poisonous vine, squeezing her until she could barely breathe!

She abruptly stood up, forgetting even to maintain the seal for communicating with the Heavenly Flame, and subconsciously reached out, wanting to support the swaying figure.

"...Why?" Her voice was trembling and hoarse, a quality she hadn't even noticed herself.

Li Ao painstakingly turned his head. On his blood-stained face, his eyes were still astonishingly bright. He looked at her, forced a horribly ugly smile, and spoke in a faint but clear voice:

"I said... I would ensure your safety..."