Zi Die wanted to say something else, but only felt a loud ringing in her ears, as a massive shockwave swept towards her direction. She felt a sudden jolt in her body, then her vision went black as she lost consciousness.

"Chang Wei!"

The area where the two were located was instantly engulfed by the explosion, as dust rose skyward and the walls of the martial arts arena collapsed with a thunderous boom, burying Chang Wei and Zi Die in the explosion.

After all, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse; Chang Wei resolutely stayed behind with Zi Die to prevent her from retaliating before her death, using his last strength to trap her in the center of the explosion area. He could not escape the explosion himself.

Zhang Po screamed hoarsely as he rushed toward the explosion, but was firmly held back by a large hand. Turning around, he saw it was Li Huoke who had saved Xiao Yifei.

Li Huoke coldly said to Zhang Po, "Your companion is already dead, rushing in there is futile. The arena's breach is open, we must leave quickly and plan further."

Although Zhang Po was heartbroken, he understood that Li Huoke's words were of utmost importance. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the unconscious Xiao Yifei and fled through the breach created by the explosion.

Meanwhile, on the Holy Mountain, Xiao Zhentian was leading the elders in combat against the Sunflame Qilin. The latter, being an ancient Holy Beast, wielded power far beyond Xiao Zhentian's expectations. Moreover, with the Xiao Family's Supreme Fire present, Xiao Zhentian and the elders were hesitant to exert their full strength, resulting in a disadvantageous situation.

Feeling the explosion occurring below, Xiao Zhentian glanced down and saw that Xiao Yifei and his companions were alive and had blown an exit out of the arena. As he sensed, Zi Die's aura had become extremely weak, indicating that the Poison Manor's members had failed in their mission.

"These useless bastards!"

Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, Xiao Zhentian, after barely fending off a series of attacks from the Sunflame Qilin, turned to the elders and said, "Elders, the Poison Manor has failed. We cannot continue tangling with this beast. Quickly set up the Auspicious Fire Array."

"What? Family Head, are you serious?" The Great Elder exclaimed in confusion, with half of his body scorched black and his red robe in tatters, clearly having suffered greatly in the battle against the Sunflame Qilin.

"The Auspicious aura is not yet fully gathered. If we initiate the array prematurely, the likelihood of success is low." The Second Elder shook his head in disarray, advising Xiao Zhentian.

Xiao Zhentian no longer cared about these concerns, seeing his carefully orchestrated plot about to fail. If further delayed by the Qilin, Xiao Yifei's escape was only a matter of time.

"I don't care, initiate the array now!" Xiao Zhentian shouted, his beard fluttering in fury.

"Hmph, ungrateful descendants, actually using something from my own body against me!" The Sunflame Qilin snorted disdainfully, finding it strenuous to deal with the strongest of the Xiao Family's current generation, although it was proving difficult for it, the battle was also causing significant depletion.

"Isn't this what you wanted? The thing we took from you before, we are returning it now." Xiao Zhentian laughed coldly, leading the elders in flying toward the foot of the mountain. Within moments, they took their positions at the four corners of the Holy Mountain.

The group sealed their hands while chanting, as Xiao Zhentian took out a cloth bag bearing the Xiao Family's Sacred Fire emblem from his sleeve. Upon opening the bag, a golden aura flowed out, enveloping him and the four elders.

Once surrounded by the golden aura, the group exuded a harmonious and peaceful aura, their faces glowing brightly as if blessed by fortune. Then, with the four as boundaries and the Holy Mountain as the center, a crimson fire array infused with golden aura rose, with the Sunflame Qilin swirling in the clouds overhead.

The Sunflame Qilin was locked in the fire array and couldn't escape, forced to howl at the sky in frustration: "Xiao Family ancestors, the founder of the Xiao clan, this small beast has failed to protect the clan, allowing the Xiao Family to fall into this predicament. The small beast knows its unforgivable sins, but for the sake of the entire cultivation world and the Huaxia people's solace, I plead to the ancestors to remove the constraints upon me, allowing me to purge Xiao Family's gate!"

As soon as the words were uttered, the fire array activated in response. The Auspicious Fire was a fusion of the Sunflame Qilin's auspicious aura and the fire element cultivation method vigorously wielded by Xiao Zhentian and the others, its power undoubtedly stronger than the Sun Flame Sacred Fire. Enhanced by the magic array, an immensely destructive Auspicious Holy Fire filled with enormous flames began to spread toward the Sunflame Qilin.

The Auspicious Fire targeted the Sunflame Qilin at the edge of the sky.

The Auspicious Fire Array was crafted using the auspicious aura from the Sunflame Qilin after Xiao Zhentian and four others had reached the Golden Elixir Stage. Its might was self-evident.

The Sunflame Qilin, encircled by the ascending Auspicious Fire in the array, was immediately suppressed, its body writhing uncontrollably, evidently suffering under the pressure of the Auspicious Fire.

"Hahaha!" Xiao Zhentian laughed heartily, addressing the Sunflame Qilin, "I always knew one day you would become a stumbling block on our Xiao Family's path to domination, so I devised this formation specifically against you. How does it feel? Is it enjoyable? How does it compare to the power of the Sun Flame Sacred Fire?"

The Sunflame Qilin felt every scale on its body begin to split open, as the Auspicious Fire seeped through every crevice, penetrating into its body. What unnerved it further was that this Auspicious Fire, unlike ordinary flames or the Sun Flame Sacred Fire, was not driven by scorching heat; instead, it carried a bitter cold.

The Sunflame Qilin was thoroughly suppressed by the Auspicious Fire Array, wildly contorting in the air. As the cold pierced deeper, its scales began to shed, slowly detaching from its body.

"Things are getting bad!" Holding the unconscious Xiao Yifei, Zhang Po realized the dire situation, deeply affected by Chang Wei's sacrifice and seeing the ongoing battle atop the Holy Mountain, his expression darkened.

"Don't think about it too much, the Poison Manor elders will catch up soon. Hurry, let's leave!" Li Huoke urged, knowing that he was a veteran of the 'Martial Artist Conference,' having participated in no less than three competitions. The encounters in this year's competition had left him terrified, and if it weren't for Zhang Po and Chang Wei creating a breach, he might have perished there.

"Daring to kill our Manor Master, we'll fight you!" No sooner had Li Huoke finished speaking, a few Poison Manor elders arrived, furious over their Manor Master's death due to Chang Wei's trap, determined to take Zhang Po and Xiao Yifei's lives.

"Quick, escape!" Seeing the Poison Manor elders rushing over, Li Huoke hurriedly pulled Zhang Po toward the Xiao Family clan village entrance for escape, only to crash into a towering figure as he turned.

"Where are you going?" The shadow coldly asked, eyes sternly fixed on Zhang Po and the unconscious Xiao Yifei in his arms.

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.