The smoke from gunfire dissipated, the spatial rift sealed shut, and Zhu Bufan, Huo Ling, and Emperor Yan finally had a clear view of the battlefield where the fierce clash with the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly had just taken place.

The ground was fractured, charred in places, but fortunately, it was almost entirely barren desert in the Thunder Marsh Layer, so the environmental damage wasn't as catastrophic as it could have been.

The previously coiled up Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly, now sprawling out as massive as a small mountain, seemed from afar to have sustained severe injuries, its dark red blood almost pooling into a lake.

As for the formidable opponent, after the dust settled, he had vanished without a trace, leaving behind only the thick scent of blood and a faint mist of blood-red fog hovering overhead.

"Now is the time, let's go over there, immediately! Otherwise, the treasure will disperse!" Seeing this, Emperor Yan rushed first towards the fallen Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly, and seeing Emperor Yan already on the move, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling also fully exerted their movement techniques to quickly follow.

"Fool, I have a task for you," said Emperor Yan suddenly, causing Zhu Bufan to freeze on the spot. Emperor Yan using the word 'please' was so rare that Zhu Bufan wondered if he was dreaming, for Emperor Yan to speak such words was even rarer than the conflict between the formidable opponent and the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly.

After recovering from his shock, Zhu Bufan looked at Emperor Yan's serious eyes and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

"I want you to seize that Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits!" Seeing Zhu Bufan's puzzled face, Emperor Yan spoke gravely. Upon hearing Emperor Yan's words, Zhu Bufan's expression turned from stunned to completely astounded, and Huo Ling at his side was no less incredulous.

"Emperor Yan, are you joking? Even if all three of us join forces, we are hardly a match for half of the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly's power, not to mention with that mighty foe still around, it's impossible for us to obtain the Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits, right?" Huo Ling, furrowing her brows, spoke in a hesitant tone as she looked towards the distant tumultuous battle.

"Is it necessary?"

"Very necessary!"

"I understand." Seeing Emperor Yan nod, Zhu Bufan drew the Emperor Yan Destroyer from his back, and in an instant, Purple Cloud was summoned. Seeing Zhu Bufan head towards that doomed battlefield without any hesitation or question, Huo Ling's following words were choked off.

"Calling you fool really isn't wrong!" Seeing Zhu Bufan unhesitatingly summon the Purple Cloud, Emperor Yan's eyes danced with joy, but he forcefully suppressed his delight, putting on a mature face to tell Zhu Bufan, "Fool, we need to wait for the mighty foe to kill the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly first. The Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits has already been swallowed by the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly; we can only get it once that enormous serpent is dead. Thankfully we have such a powerful foe, let's be ready to benefit as the third party."

Looking at Emperor Yan's small figure, Zhu Bufan couldn't help but recall previous events. Thinking about it now, seeking the Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits, regardless of whether or not the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly had swallowed it, such a distinctly evil Evil Magic Weapon was likely not something they could touch, right?

Despite his doubts, Zhu Bufan didn't voice them, nor did he even harbor skepticism, because he knew, if there was one person in this world who would definitely not harm him, it would surely be Emperor Yan.

With their full efforts, the three quickly approached the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly and it was only then that Zhu Bufan truly saw the pitiful state it was in.

The Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly, as huge as a mountain, had several segments severed, the burst areas a gory mess. The massive explosion had blasted a deep pit in the ground beneath the lower half of the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly, and its fresh blood gushed like a spring into the pit, forming a literal Blood Pond.

The massive, fearsome snake head had been blown half off, and in the location of the ellite points on the nine rings, a round, one-meter-diameter hole pierced straight through the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly's body, conspicuously evident.

"Indeed not mistaken, the mighty foe took the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly's inner core to retreat and heal, and the Nine-Ringed Bloodbelly has indeed perished! The Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits is destined to be ours!" Seeing the continuously gushing blood tinged with thunderous essence, a flash of ecstasy lit up Emperor Yan's eyes.

"Fool, drop a drip of your blood into the Blood Pond, quickly! Otherwise, it might be too late, and we'll really lose the Blood Pearl of Myriad Spirits!" Watching the Blood Pond emitting a faint blood-red mist, Emperor Yan hurriedly urged Zhu Bufan.

Seeing Emperor Yan speaking anxiously, Zhu Bufan did not hesitate and quickly bit his finger, dropping a drop of fresh blood into the massive Blood Pond. Following that, what happened next left Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling dumbfounded.

At the moment Zhu Bufan's blood dropped, the originally calm Blood Pond suddenly began to churn wildly, as if water had been poured into a boiling pot of oil. Dense clouds of blood-red mist surged into the sky, and the intense smell of blood forced the three of them to involuntarily step back two steps.

The churning of the blood in the Blood Pond grew more intense, and the spot where Zhu Bufan's blood fell turned into a vortex, continuously absorbing the surrounding blood. After about ten minutes, the blood in the Blood Pond began to calm down, and a dark red Blood Pearl, the size of a baby's fist and completely condensed from blood, slowly floated up from the Blood Pond.

As soon as the dark red Blood Pearl appeared, faint mists of blood encircled it. Upon the appearance of the Blood Pearl, mournful howls seemed to echo around, and the desperate wails from deep within the soul shook Zhu Bufan's heart. What tempted Zhu Bufan even more was the endless power contained within the Blood Pearl, luring him like a devil.

"Never be tempted by power!!"

Emperor Yan's voice, like the striking of a night drum or morning bell, thundered forth, snapping Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling, who had been bewildered by the emergence of the Blood Pearl, back to reality at the last moment. This extraordinarily evil Blood Pearl truly lived up to its reputation as a formidable Evil Magic Weapon, capable of tempting the hearts of men.

In fact, if it were not for the reduced malevolent and sinister energies just after the Blood Pearl had reformed, Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling might have succumbed to the Pearl's temptation, utterly absorbed by its influence. Now that the Blood Pearl had just recovered, losing a lot of the spirit sacrificed to it, it did not have the power to control Zhu Bufan and Huo Ling. Emperor Yan had precisely chosen this moment to make his move.

"Now that the Blood Pearl has emerged, what should we do next?" Having freed themselves from the deep spiritual temptation of the Blood Pearl, Zhu Bufan quickly turned to Emperor Yan for guidance. Seeing the Blood Pearl, Emperor Yan was visibly pleased, nodded, and said with a smile, "What comes next is simple. Use Emperor Yan's Destroyer to completely annihilate the Blood Pearl!"

"What?" Upon hearing that Emperor Yan intended for him to use the Destroyer to annihilate the Blood Pearl, Zhu Bufan was momentarily confounded. However, he quickly grasped the situation, and immediately asked Emperor Yan, "Could destroying this Blood Pearl facilitate the breaking of the seal?"

"Exactly! This Emperor intends to use the endless sinister and murderous energies sealed within the Blood Pearl to blast through the seal! This Emperor refuses to believe that with the murderous power of the Blood Pearl, it cannot break the seal on Emperor Yan's Destroyer. Once even one layer of the seal is breached, hah! This Emperor's power will greatly recover!"

"That's wonderful!!" Hearing that the Blood Pearl could indeed help break the seal on Emperor Yan's Destroyer, Zhu Bufan was elated. Ever since meeting Emperor Yan, even though Zhu Bufan always regarded her as a sister, in reality, it was Emperor Yan who had been taking care of and assisting him. Hindered by his own limited cultivation, Zhu Bufan could do little to aid Emperor Yan. Searching for a method to break the seal seemed an indefinitely distant goal with no clear starting point.

But today, Emperor Yan had found a way to break the seal. How could this not thrill Zhu Bufan? If he had known earlier, even if Purple Cloud had not perished, Zhu Bufan might have risked everything to seize the Blood Pearl. Understanding this about Zhu Bufan, it was only after everything had settled and the Blood Pearl had revealed itself that Emperor Yan disclosed its purpose.

Without delay, knowing the Blood Pearl could help break the seal, Zhu Bufan naturally had no hesitation. He quickly drew out Emperor Yan's Destroyer and thrust his sword towards the Blood Pearl. Emperor Yan's form flickered, instantly merging back into the Destroyer.

'Clang'

A dull sound of impact rang out sharply, and a light red translucent Light Screen appeared. The moment Emperor Yan's Destroyer was about to strike the Blood Pearl, it instantly bounced the Destroyer away, and the Blood Pearl was enveloped in a dense blood mist in an instant, as if aware of Zhu Bufan's intent to destroy it and resisting.

"What happened, why are you attacking it again? Weren't you supposed to take this Blood Pearl back?" The sound of Zhu Bufan's attack being repelled finally woke Huo Ling. Seeing Zhu Bufan being pushed backward, Huo Ling's brow furrowed slightly. He waved his hand summoning a wave of water to support Zhu Bufan, utterly baffled by the conversation that had just transpired between him and Emperor Yan.

Seeing Huo Ling's confused expression, Zhu Bufan briefly explained the matter of Emperor Yan being sealed. When Huo Ling heard that destroying the Blood Pearl could assist in breaking Emperor Yan's seal, he fell into deep thought.

"With an artifact of this level, it's not simply destroyed. Look, the moment it sensed your intent, it immediately activated its defenses. If it weren't for the Blood Pearl still recovering, it might have even fought desperately with you. It won't be easy to destroy it," Huo Ling said seriously, pointing at the Blood Pearl enveloped in a thick blood mist.

"I'm well aware of that." After a wry smile, Zhu Bufan looked earnestly at Huo Ling, "But no matter the cost, I must use Emperor Yan's Destroyer to annihilate it!"

Seeing Zhu Bufan's uncompromising demeanor, Huo Ling's heart stirred slightly and then he said to Zhu Bufan, "Perhaps, I can help you break the defenses of the Blood Pearl."

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