Inside Zhou Sichen's spiritual sea, Tianmeng began shouting in frustration:
"What the hell?! These guys seriously don't play fair at all!"
But Elder Yi only smiled calmly:
"No matter. Since I took residence in Sichen's spiritual sea, this is the first time I've seen him face a battle with genuine pressure. Consider this valuable tempering."
Tianmeng was clearly worried, though more exasperated than panicked:
"Elder Yi, Sichen is strong, sure—but this is their turf! If you've got some kind of trump card, you'd better make sure he stays safe. If he dies, we're all toast!"
Elder Yi kept his serene smile:
"Tianmeng, weren't you once the continent's first million-year soul beast? Don't tell me your nerves are so fragile. Or were you just bluffing before?"
At those words, Tianmeng instantly straightened up.
"Ahem, I'm just worried about Sichen, that's all. This kind of thing is nothing to me—child's play, really."
Elder Yi only chuckled in response.
Zhou Sichen, of course, could hear everything. Knowing Elder Yi's confidence meant he likely had something prepared, he decided not to worry too much either.
As the scalding attack came at him, Zhou Sichen's Phoenix Wings flared open, and he took off at an angle. The battlefield might be limited to a 20-meter radius, but at least flying wasn't restricted.
He easily avoided the falling scalding spring and turned his gaze toward Blazing Apricot Delicate Stem (Ajiao).
Ajiao let out a very human snort:
"So what if you can fly?"
Just as she spoke, the boiling springwater from her earlier attack didn't dissipate—it began to gather and condense, taking the shape of a humanoid figure.
From the pool of molten fire emerged a fiery woman, her figure vaguely human, with a long flaming braid trailing to her feet. She radiated an oppressive aura of Ultimate Fire, strong enough to melt the world.
"Flame Maiden, beat him up!"
With that command, a beam of red light shot from Ajiao into the Flame Maiden's body. Her form immediately shifted to golden-red, and she began to move with a frightening sentience.
Twin flaming blades appeared in her hands as she launched into the sky, charging straight at Zhou Sichen.
Her blades raised high, the Flame Maiden swung with deadly precision.
Zhou Sichen's eyes were now shrouded in a faint golden hue—his Soul Eyes. He could see even the subtlest changes in elemental energy.
Through his gaze, he saw countless fire elements gathering at the Flame Maiden's twin blades. By the time she slashed, the fire blades were over three meters long, condensed from pure Ultimate Fire.
Within Ajiao's domain—empowered by the Blazing Yang Spring—Zhou Sichen was at a clear disadvantage. The closer to the spring, the more intense the heat; the closer to Ajiao, the more her power surged.
As the Flame Maiden descended with her attack, Zhou Sichen's dark-gold armor pulsed with energy, and the power of Ultimate Ice surged to protect him from the oppressive heat.
If it were just Ajiao, it might be manageable—but with the spring's support, his Ultimate Ice was being heavily suppressed.
Seeing the incoming blades, Zhou Sichen's eyes narrowed. He didn't attempt to block the strike head-on. Instead, his Phoenix Wings beat sharply, twisting his body to the side to evade the attack.
At that same moment, as they crossed paths, Zhou Sichen raised his left arm, which had already transformed into the Ice Jade Scorpion Claw.
A shimmering blue glow danced along the claw as he launched a beam of ice energy:
"Ice Explosion!"
Ice Explosion Technique—a terrifying attack. If Ultimate Ice hit its mark, it would instantly freeze the target, and the secondary detonation would cause massive destruction.
But the Flame Maiden wasn't so easily caught.
Just as the attack fired, the Blazing Yang Spring surged to life, sensing Zhou Sichen's icy aura. Like a living creature, the red spring rose like a wave, releasing a wave of heat so intense it dispelled more than half the ice energy before it even reached the target.
Even more, the Flame Maiden thrived on the heat—her golden-red hue deepened into brilliant gold. Twin flaming blades slashed through the weakened Ice Explosion, effortlessly dispersing it.
Zhou Sichen sighed inwardly.
"With the spring assisting her, my Ultimate Ice won't do any damage."
But he didn't panic.
"Then I'll just use my Ice to defend instead."
He retracted his Scorpion Claw and redirected all of his Ultimate Ice into his armor, forming a reinforced shield against the extreme heat and elemental suppression.
The burning sensation vanished in an instant—his armor now actively resisted the heat. He might not be able to hurt her with Ice, but he wouldn't be burned either.
At that moment, the Flame Maiden charged again, this time more calculated—she was trying to predict his dodge, her blades ready to strike at the exact moment he moved.
But this time, Zhou Sichen didn't dodge.
Both arms transformed into Darkgolden Terrorclaws, the signature ability of the Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear.
His Phoenix Wings exploded behind him, launching him forward like a missile—straight at her.
Just before impact, her blades slashed out, certain to connect.
But Zhou Sichen suddenly braked mid-air, his wings unleashing a reverse blast of fire to halt his momentum instantly, the flaming blades slicing just inches from his body.
The heat and cutting force were terrifying—but his Ultimate Ice Armor neutralized them completely.
The Flame Maiden's eyes widened in disbelief. That kind of instantaneous stop… was inhuman.
Still, she didn't hesitate. She twisted, twin blades slashing upward in a follow-up strike—faster than before.
But Zhou Sichen didn't retreat.
His Terrorclaws flashed—blazing with dark-golden light—and he lashed out.
His timing was impeccable. The claws met her twin blades mid-motion and sliced them into fragments. The claws didn't stop there—they tore through her body, shredding her into flaming fragments that fell toward the ground.
Tianmeng cheered in the spiritual sea:
"Sichen, you beast! Teach these plants a lesson and show them what we've got!"
Even Elder Yi nodded in approval at Zhou Sichen's control, timing, and combat instincts.
But Tianmeng barely had time to celebrate.
The falling fragments melted back into liquid, flowing into the Blazing Yang Spring. A wave of intense heat surged upward and the Flame Maiden reformed in mid-air, as if nothing had happened.
Her fiery red eyes glinted with mischief and malice. She looked at Zhou Sichen with renewed aggression—and a touch of smugness.
Raising her twin swords, she unleashed a torrent of slashes. Countless flaming blades of Ultimate Fire filled the air, raining down like a fiery apocalypse.
Zhou Sichen narrowed his eyes.
"Physical attacks are ineffective, huh?"
Tianmeng screamed in outrage:
"This is cheating! These damn plants look all sweet and innocent, but they're total tricksters!"
Zhou Sichen remained composed.
His right Terrorclaw retracted, and a new power began to surge—black-red flames rising from his fingers, forming a massive phoenix-shaped claw.
Darkgolden light fused into the dark-red claw—combining the powers of his two contracted soul beasts: Darkgolden Terrorclaw Bear and Hellfire Phoenix.
"Phoenix Nine Forms—Phoenix Exploding Claw!"
With a burst of soul power, he launched the massive darkgold-red claw into the air.
Boom!
The falling flame blades collided with the phoenix claw, but the technique held firm and pushed through, aiming straight for the Flame Maiden.
She snorted, unleashing her full power in return. Her twin swords met the claw midair and shattered it with raw force.
The Flame Maiden smirked in triumph.
But before she could launch a counterattack, Zhou Sichen's golden eyes gleamed.
"Soul Light."
This was a special ability granted by his Soul Eyes—a focused beam of power combining spiritual energy, soul power, and soul essence, aimed to pierce through the soul itself.
If physical attacks were ineffective… then this spiritual attack might finally land a decisive blow.
****
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