As Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling shot out of Thunder Lake like lightning, they even created a vacuum channel in the air. After exchanging surprised glances, they did not hesitate to pursue in the direction where Angmao had taken off.

The two, pushing their movement technique to its limits, left strings of afterimages in the void. However, compared to Angmao's speed, theirs was like the difference between the sun and the stars, incomparable.

'Boom!!'

Following Emperor Yan's guidance, after some pursuit, a gigantic purple thunderbolt suddenly slammed from the far sky. The powerful purple-gold electrical energy madly overflowed, causing the surrounding thunder to, as if frightened by this emperor-like Thunder Pillar, halt its fall and obediently retreat back into the thick clouds.

It was unmistakable; such a mighty purple lightning attack could only be from Angmao. With no need for further guessing, upon seeing the purple Thunder Pillar, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling immediately sped towards its landing direction.

"Roar!! Angmao! You repeatedly obstruct and relentlessly pursue me, do you think I fear you? Do not assume just because you are called a Spiritual Beast that you are supreme, and we Demon Beasts are the muck at the bottom for everyone to trample on!!" The moment Zhu Bufan, Huo Ling, and Emperor Yan got close, a hoarse voice came. In the field, Angmao was flying midair, while a Demon Beast, almost more than ten times bigger than Angmao, was raising its head and roaring at Angmao.

Seeing the Nine Rings Red Belly roaring angrily, the three did not dare to approach any further. They all knew this was as close as they could get; going further might mean getting hit by the aftermath of the battle.

The beast below was a giant python, its abdomen a crimson color with golden rings interlocking at its seventh segment, which made the Nine Rings name blazingly distinct and clear due to the contrast of gold and red. The Giant Python's scales were dark golden, reflecting a metallic luster that left Zhu Bufan in no doubt about its hardness. On the python's back were two pairs of large triangular flesh wings, the purplish-red flesh wings adorned with hooked claws presenting a form somewhat similar to a transformed snake Zhu Bufan had once dealt with, only the Nine Rings Red Belly was much larger in body size and had an extra pair of wings.

"The Nine Rings Red Belly is a Demon Beast evolved from a millennium-transformed snake after shedding its skin a thousand times. It is naturally bloodthirsty, fiercely cunning, and sinister. This Nine Rings Red Belly with its nine golden rings can be considered an emperor among its kind. I didn't expect it to be driven to this extent by Angmao."

Apparently, the Nine Rings Red Belly had been injured in several places; segments of its body showed its usually impregnable scales split by the attacks. Among its four triangular flesh wings, one was cleaved, indicating its sorry state.

"Whether you are a Spiritual Beast, a Demon Beast, or a Divine Beast, it matters not to me. But you should not have sought to refine the Blood Pearl of All Spirits. What the Blood Pearl of All Spirits is, you know very well in your heart. Since I know you are refining such an extremely sinister and brutal Evil Magic Weapon, I cannot simply turn a blind eye to it. Otherwise, I must face heavenly retribution." Angmao, flapping its wings, faced the Nine Rings Red Belly's fury yet appeared calm and indifferent, its wise eyes unwaveringly fixed on the giant figure far larger than itself below.

"Hahaha… Well spoken. You just fancy my Blood Pearl of All Spirits, eh? Hehe, want the Blood Pearl of All Spirits? Kill me first, though I doubt you are capable!!" With a single breath, over a dozen giant fireballs, each two meters in diameter, shot directly at Angmao; the purplish-red flames on the fireballs demonstrated a terrifying heat, making Zhu Bufan, even at a distance, shudder in fear. Zhu Bufan had no doubts; each fireball's power was tens of millions of times stronger than the Martial Arts displayed by Shan Heng before, but for the Nine Rings Red Belly, it was just a mere breath away.

The dozen or so fireballs directly carved vacuum channels in midair, their sonic booms instantly reaching Zhu Bufan and the others.

Facing these tens of fireballs, Angmao quickly flapped its wings twice, attracting the surrounding Thunder Power from all directions towards its front. Deep purple Thunder Light erupted instantaneously, colliding fiercely with the incoming fireballs.

'Boom Boom Boom'

Mountains crumbled and the earth split apart as continuous explosions echoed. Where their attacks collided, space itself began to crack, the dark fissures possessing terrifying lethality, yet both Zhu Bufan and the Nine Rings Serpent remained unfazed.

"Blood Spirit Poison Fire, to think that you truly swallowed the Blood Pearl, using it to refine such vile and toxic fire, I cannot forgive you!" Watching the purple-red Poison Fire clash with his own lightning and hold its ground, Zhu Bufan's voice carried anger for the first time.

"Hmph! You Divine Beasts and Spiritual Beasts think you are noble, yet you look down upon us Demon Beasts. Since that's the case, why should we bother speaking more with you!" In response to Zhu Bufan's words, the Nine Rings Serpent scoffed, its massive tail sweeping towards Zhu Bufan, tearing spatial rifts along its path.

"Obstinate fool! Nine Heavens Divine Thunder!!"

Ignoring the massive tail sweeping towards him, Zhu Bufan roared skywards. Above the Nine Rings Serpent, multicolored thunder lights began to crash down wildly. The thunders were much thinner compared to the previous giant purple thunder, almost resembling ordinary lightning, but the power they held was heaven and earth apart, evident from the shattered space wherever the lightning struck.

"Roar!! Zhu Bufan!! Others may fear your Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, but I do not! I have the Blood Pearl to protect me, how would I fear you?" Facing the overwhelming Five-Colored Divine Thunder, the Nine Rings Serpent roared back, its previously attacking tail suddenly shifting direction to strike above, its powerful strike collapsing vast stretches of space, pulling numerous thunders into the voids between broken spaces.

"I told you, mere Nine Heavens Divine Thunder, don't dream of hurting me! Blood Poison!!" As its tail shattered the space above, the Nine Rings Serpent opened its mouth and sprayed a dense blood-colored toxic fog towards the sky. This move, seen by Zhu Bufan on another transformed snake, was incomparable in power to the Nine Rings Serpent's. As soon as the blood fog was released, the furious thunders were corroded and eroded continuously, and even the space itself wasn't spared, showing cracks wherever the fog passed.

Watching the fight between Zhu Bufan and the Nine Rings Serpent, every move shaking and shattering space, both Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling's faces turned extremely pale. The force emanating from the fractured spatial rifts, despite the distance, was something both Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling could clearly feel, a force beyond their imagination.

"This Nine Rings Serpent should be a Sixth Rank peak Demon Beast, equivalent to a human Cultivator's Gathering Yuan Realm. It's normal for Cultivators of this Realm to shatter space in battle, not to mention a Demon Beast. You know, a Sixth Rank peak Demon Beast could even battle an early Stellar Stage Cultivator."

Emperor Yan's words left Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling both shocked and expectant. Every strike from Zhu Bufan and the Nine Rings Serpent had the power to burst through space – what tremendous force that was, and could they easily achieve this when they reached that level?

"As for Zhu Bufan's strength, it should also be at the peak of Sixth Rank. However, with the aid of the Thunder Marsh Layer's Thunder Power, Zhu Bufan's strength must have surged tremendously. Otherwise, the Nine Rings Serpent, having swallowed the Blood Pearl, might not necessarily lose to Zhu Bufan."

"By the way, Emperor Yan, Zhu Bufan and that Nine Rings Serpent keep mentioning that 'Blood Pearl'. What exactly is the Blood Pearl?" After hearing Emperor Yan's story, Zhu Bufan's curiosity could no longer be contained. Similarly, Huo Ling was very interested in the Blood Pearl, but due to her personality, she hadn't asked aloud. Now with Zhu Bufan's inquiry, Huo Ling naturally perked up her ears.

Taking a deep breath, Emperor Yan signaled to move even further away from Zhu Bufan and the Nine Rings Serpent's battlefield. After retreating some distance, Emperor Yan said, "The so-called Blood Pearl is actually a Magic Artifact piled up with lives. This Magic Artifact is peculiar; it can be used as a Magic Artifact and also be absorbed like an Elixir to enhance one's Cultivation."

"Refining the Blood Pearl, while straightforward, is not exactly easy to refine. Well, let's just say the method to refine the Blood Pearl is simple: just sacrifice the Eight Directions Yin-Sha Flags, find an extremely sinister place for the altar, and it can be refined."

"As for why it's not easy to refine, it's the raw materials. The base material for the Blood Pearl, the raw material for the initial Blood Pearl, is the lives of ten thousand full-term babies. Using their fresh blood to refine a Blood Pearl, afterwards, only normal human lives are needed for further refinement. It's called 'Blood Pearl' because ten thousand lives were used during the creation. As for how many more lives are sacrificed to it afterward, it's up to the refiner. The more lives sacrificed, the stronger the Blood Pearl becomes. There was once a person on the Demon Continent who refined a Blood Pearl with millions of lives, and when summoned, its power was earth-shattering. He killed too many and was eventually killed by some reclusive monsters. Since then, the Blood Pearl has been a forbidden Magic Artifact."

"So you mean to say, inside that Nine Rings Serpent's stomach, there are at least the lives of ten thousand full-term children?" After hearing Emperor Yan's words, Zhu Bufan turned to look at Zhu Bufan and the Nine Rings Serpent fighting in the distance. Although they were far apart, Zhu Bufan could still see the massive silhouette of the Nine Rings Serpent. Looking at that gigantic body, a chilling light flashed through Zhu Bufan's eyes.

"Yes, although the Blood Pearl is extremely powerful, the method of its creation is greatly harmful to the heavens, hence it was banned early on. It's surprising that the Nine Rings Serpent actually refined one. Speaking of which, fool, there's something I need to ask of you…"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.