“Roar!”
A deafening roar echoed relentlessly through the cave. The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox leaped into the air, raising its sharp claws to swipe at Long Ying.
Yan Zhen held back no longer. He sprang forward, summoning the Gold Silver Fire Sword Embryo mid-leap and swinging it with all his might.
Bang!
The fox’s thick paw slammed into the sword embryo. Yan Zhen felt a colossal force surge through him, numbing his arms in an instant. His body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing hard into the cave wall and embedding there.
Holy crap!
Yan Zhen nearly choked on his breath. Fortunately, he had summoned the Great Crimson Heaven Flame in time to shield himself. Otherwise, a single ordinary attack would have left him gravely wounded.
The gap between a Mystic Lord and a Mystic Master was simply too vast. He had been able to bully Yun Xiu and Jiu Youyue so aggressively before only because they had held back against him.
Whoosh!
Crimson extreme flames erupted, enveloping Yan Zhen’s body. One hand gripped the hilt of the Gold Silver Fire Sword Embryo while the other slipped on a pair of vibrant, multicolored Snake Scale Gloves.
These gloves were made from the scales Cailian Wife had shed during her evolution—a near Tier 6 Mystic artifact with impressive defensive and offensive power. The crystal on the back of the hand could absorb the Power of Heaven and Earth for storage, unleashing enough force on release to cripple a Mystic King.
Yan Zhen slapped his left palm backward and kicked off the ground, propelling himself forward. The youth, wreathed in crimson flames, resembled a ferocious lava beast. The Gold Silver Fire Sword Embryo in his hand gleamed like razor-sharp fangs as he thrust it viciously toward the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox.
“Get lost!”
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox had just raised its claw to crush Long Ying when it was sent flying by the impact. It tumbled through the air, flipping twice before landing on all fours. Its vertical pupils locked onto Yan Zhen, and it let out another furious roar.
Its six fox tails shot upright. The flames at their tips compressed and solidified into six blazing explosive orbs that spun toward the youth.
The terrifying mystic power fluctuations made Yan Zhen’s expression shift. His left hand, clad in the Snake Scale Gloves, glowed with brilliant multicolored light.
“Lend me your strength, Cailian!”
He thrust out his palm. Vast Power of Heaven and Earth transformed into a colossal serpentine beam that opened its bloody maw and spewed a torrent of venomous breath.
Two Mystic Lord-level forces collided, kicking up a ferocious shockwave. The violent explosion shook the entire cave. Both sides suffered backlash—the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox skidded back several dozen feet before halting, while Yan Zhen was hurled through the air, crashing to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The veins in his left arm burst open. The entire limb was drenched in blood and nearly useless.
If not for his tempered body and the protection of the Great Crimson Heaven Flame, his left arm would surely have been ruined.
Damn it. He couldn’t hold out like this. It was time to cheat.
Though the script had Yan Zhen enduring in the end, the real Yan Zhen had no intention of gambling his life.
Besides, he hadn’t even used his Mystic Master realm trump card yet. No point wasting it.
“System-chan, Belt Mode!”
【Acknowledged.】
Yan Zhen reached out with his empty hand, and a flame-patterned card box materialized. He snapped it onto his abdomen.
The box extended belts from both sides, wrapping securely around his waist.
Sometime between, a card marked with the number “3” had appeared between his fingers. Yan Zhen said coldly:
“Transform!”
He slotted the card into the box. Flames in three colors burst forth, forming a dazzling Gold-Silver Greatsword, an ominous gray-black little dragon, and a valiant Crimson Female Valkyrie.
The Crimson Female Valkyrie embraced Yan Zhen from behind, merging into his body to form full-body crimson armor. The gray-black little dragon soared into the air before looping back and plunging into the crown of his head, manifesting as dragon horns, claws, and a tail. The Gold-Silver Greatsword dropped into his right hand, becoming his weapon.
In that instant, System-chan’s impassioned voice rang out in the cave:
【Emperor Flame! Extreme Flame! Firepower Burst!】
【At this moment, the Mystic Dao transforms into the Heavenly Dao. Heavenly Lord Yan Zhen descends!】
Boom!
An indescribable aura radiated from Yan Zhen—a surging Power of Heaven and Earth.
He was no longer a Five-Star Mystic Master. Now he was a Six-Star Heavenly Lord, matching the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox’s realm but surpassing it in raw power.
For his strength was pure Power of Heaven and Earth, untainted by any impurities.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox tensed like it faced a mortal enemy. With its limited intelligence, it couldn’t comprehend how this little runt had suddenly grown so formidable!
Its six tails rose again, forming another ring of six foxfire orbs that spun toward him.
Clad in crimson armor with gray horns, claws, and tail—like a humanoid dragon—Yan Zhen raised his right hand and slashed diagonally with the Gold-Silver Greatsword.
The six foxfire orbs split apart instantly, then detonated fiercely.
Too weak.
Feeling the tidal surge of power within him, Yan Zhen’s confidence swelled. He knew inwardly that one slash could bisect this Sixth-Tier Magma Fox.
But Yan Zhen didn’t attack. His goal was simply to protect Long Ying until she recovered. Then this fox wouldn’t even withstand a single punch from her.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox grew both shocked and enraged. It threw its head back in a mad howl, its body surging with mystic power.
It was preparing its ultimate move—an area-wide blast.
Yan Zhen clearly sensed the colossal energy churning beneath his feet, ready to erupt.
His armor would let him tank the hit with minimal damage, but Long Ying was still meditating…
Yan Zhen retreated to the Loli Dragon Girl’s side, intending to scoop her into his arms. But as his hand extended, it met an invisible barrier.
“?”
He tapped at it, stunned to discover it was a spatial barrier!
Spatial Power was something High Star Mystic Ancestors began to touch, and only Mystic Venerables could truly master. But after consuming the Nirvana Fruit, Long Ying had awakened her space talent.
With this spatial barrier in place, no one short of a Mystic Ancestor could harm her.
The question was, when had Long Ying set up this spatial barrier?
Yan Zhen stood there dumbfounded. He glanced at the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox charging its ultimate, pondered for a moment, then backed away, stepping outside the blast radius. He no longer shielded Long Ying.
Boom!
Torrential flames erupted from the ground, forming massive fire pillars that engulfed the meditating Long Ying.
Even a Mystic Lord powerhouse couldn’t endure such intense heat and impact.
Hiding behind, Yan Zhen blinked. Even through his visor, he could clearly see Long Ying unscathed amid the inferno. More precisely, the flames were all repelled by the spatial barrier, unable to touch her.
“Ah, this…”
Yan Zhen looked again at the Loli Dragon Girl, then at his own armor, suddenly feeling like a total clown.
He finally understood. No wonder Long Ying hadn’t flinched when the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox lunged. She had known he’d rush in to save her—or rather, she had absolute defense.
The Sixth-Tier Magma Fox tilted its head, equally baffled that its strongest move seemed utterly ineffective.
The tense standoff turned awkward in an instant.
What now? Should he keep shielding Long Ying? Wouldn’t that make him look like an idiot?
“System-chan, can I retract this trump card?”
【Negative.】
“…”
With a complicated mix of emotions, Yan Zhen took the initiative, clashing with the Sixth-Tier Magma Fox.
Until a powerful aura erupted from Long Ying’s body.
“She’s recovering?”
Yan Zhen’s eyes lit up. He immediately dispersed his armor, reverting to his original strength to clash head-on with the fox.
Bang!
Yan Zhen rocketed backward like a cannonball, crashing right in front of Long Ying and spitting out a second mouthful of blood.
Ah, I’m done for… Wait, actually, it’s not that bad.
At the same moment, Long Ying finally opened her eyes.
