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There were only ten of them, no match for this relentless horde of soul beasts.

"Boss, we can't retreat," Wu Xiongan's voice rang out from a distance. "We're already surrounded by these damn beasts. They must have deliberately encircled us, leading us into their trap."

Wu Xiongan figured they’d been marked by the soul beasts ever since they entered this forest.

After a while, Ning Yuzhou put away the Golden Guardian Talismans and Thunder Talismans.

Though these talismans were natural counters to dark entities, these soul beasts were clearly of a higher tier—not something Earth-tier talismans could handle. Using more would be futile.

Frowning slightly, he retrieved the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal and fed a strand of the Crimson Heart Flame into it.

The originally pitch-black seal turned a blazing red like molten metal, rapidly enlarging before soaring into the air. Then, it began raining down fire.

Ghostly blue flames, scattered like stars, resembled meteors—dazzling and mesmerizing.

Wu Xiongan nearly got caught in the fire rain, leaping away while shouting, "Master Ning, don’t burn me!"

As for the others, Ning Yuzhou had already set up a defensive formation around them. When the fire rain fell, it slid off the barrier, creating the illusion of a breathtaking meteor shower in the sky.

Wen Yi stared blankly at this spectacle, her thoughts muddled.

The moment the fire rain descended, it pierced through the gray mist and landed on the soul beasts. How could these creatures withstand the might of a primordial strange flame? They let out shrieks of agony.

The soul beasts on the outskirts sensed the terrifying power of the strange flame and fled instinctively, not even sparing a glance at Wu Xiongan, who was also scrambling away.

By the time the fire rain ceased, the soul beasts had suffered heavy casualties.

Those unharmed had already retreated.

Wu Xiongan, who had dodged to safety, hurried back to finish off the injured stragglers with his sword, while Wen Tuti and the others quickly left the defensive formation to assist.

Wen Qiao supported Ning Yuzhou, helping him sit down to rest, then popped some honey resin into his mouth.

Earlier, he had wielded the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal and forced out a strand of the Crimson Heart Flame, depleting more energy than anyone else present.

"Son, how are you?" Ning Jichen asked worriedly.

Ning Yuzhou's face was pale, but his demeanor remained composed and gentle as he smiled. "Father, I'm fine. Just low on spiritual energy."

Wen Qiao stared at him and couldn’t help but say, "Don’t carelessly use the strange flame next time."

She knew he hadn’t fully subdued the Crimson Heart Flame yet. While it was fine for alchemy, forcing it into combat risked backlash. She had given him the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal for self-defense, not for him to recklessly fuse it with the strange flame.

Seeing her stern expression, Ning Yuzhou felt a pang of warmth and quickly reassured her, "Easy there, Chui. I understand. I’ll be more cautious in the future."

After he swallowed several pieces of honey resin and took a Spirit Restoring Pill to recuperate, his complexion gradually improved. Wen Qiao let it drop.

Meanwhile, Wen Tuti and the others finished off the remaining soul beasts and returned, their spirit swords stained with blood.

Wu Xiongan and the others looked at Ning Yuzhou in astonishment. Who would have thought that the bookish-looking alchemist was actually the most formidable among them? Just this one move alone showed his chops.

"Master Ning is truly incredible!" Wu Jingping said with genuine admiration. "You can even harness a strange flame!"

When the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal appeared, they could already sense the might of a King-tier spiritual artifact. Before they could even process their shock, they witnessed the strange flame rain down, amplifying its power exponentially and creating that devastating inferno rain.

Shi Wuming grinned and said, "Who knew the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal could fuse with a strange flame and turn it into a fire rain? Such a powerful wide-range attack! Our Brother Ning is truly amazing."

Indeed, only Ning Yuzhou could wield the Fiery Cloud Heaven Seal like this. The strange flame’s enhancement drastically increased its power. Without the flame, it would merely be a fire-attribute King-tier artifact with limited offensive capabilities.

The air was filled with an acrid smell of charred remains, mingled with the lingering smell of blood, making the air nearly unbreathable.

Due to the earlier fire rain, many surrounding plants had been burned to ashes, leaving behind exposed, charred soil in utter disarray.

Many Soul Beasts had been reduced to cinders by the flames, though some remained intact.

Without the gray mist obscuring them, the Soul Beasts' appearances were familiar, and numerous Soul Cores were left scattered on the ground. These Soul Cores could be used to refine Soul-Nourishing Pearls and Spirit-Nurturing Pills, with excellent effects.

The group gathered them, planning to split them evenly after leaving.

It had been agreed beforehand that any gains along the way would be divided equally—Wen Yi, the dead weight, naturally received nothing.

After collecting the Soul Cores, they continued forward.

However, the earlier attack by the Soul Beasts had put them on edge, stripping away the initial ease they had felt upon arriving on the island. The presence of these Soul Beasts also proved the island's considerable danger—likely not limited to just Soul Beasts but other threats as well.

The area shrouded in gray mist was heavy with yin energy, creating an eerie atmosphere, the ground damp, leaving wet footprints with each step.

This was water condensed from yin energy.

After walking for half a day, the surroundings remained eerily quiet—until a faint skittering sound approached. Wu Xiongan, leading the way, instantly activated a fire talisman.

Orange flames flared up, filling the air with another wave of scorched stench.

"What now?" Shi Wuming stepped forward, only for his skin to crawl at the sight of the nearly incinerated insect corpses on the ground.

"Looks like Netherbugs," Wen Tutu observed after a moment, glancing at the surrounding gray mist. "They emerged from the mist."

Wu Xiongan confirmed, "Exactly. Everyone, be careful—these Netherbugs must be hiding in the mist."

As he spoke, Shi Wuming suddenly let out a scream. Wen Tutu and Wu Xiongan sprang into action, while Wen Qiao swiftly snapped open a Thousand Mechanism Umbrella, shielding Ning Yuzhou and the others.

A series of *thud* sounds struck the umbrella's surface. Ning Yuzhou and the others could see the fabric bulging from the impact. This umbrella had been casually refined by Ning Yuzhou in the past—an Earth-grade spiritual artifact. Though not exceptionally powerful, it wasn't something that could be easily pierced, which showed just how powerful the attack was.