Whoosh—
The fire dragon formed from true flames surged forward, first sweeping through its own ranks.
Wherever the dragon passed, soldiers were instantly reduced to charred silhouettes in the flames, their screams stifled before they could even escape their throats. Even their bones were incinerated into nothingness, their weapons melting into molten metal.
The calamitous flames of the Huodou could reduce even mountains and boulders to wisps of smoke.
Legend had it that these flames could ignite the very essence of one’s soul. The Huodou, a beast that consumed no ordinary sustenance, fed solely on fire, leaving disaster in its wake wherever it roamed.
Those burned to death by its flames would be devoured into its belly, condemned to an eternal infernal prison.
Even experts of the Inner Realm, unless armed with extraordinary abilities, dared not touch these flames.
And Li Mo, though bolstered by the power of the battle formation, had yet to condense his Inner Realm. His soul remained at the Five-Aperture Observation stage.
"This fire is coming for me."
A chilling realization dawned upon Li Mo as the flaming dragon locked onto him.
"Ice Block!" he roared.
On the city walls, the ethereal figure of Ying Bing trembled slightly, as if understanding the young man’s intent.
She bit her lip hard, closed her eyes, and altered the formation’s flow.
The black-scaled serpent formed by the cavalry continued its struggle against the colossal serpent-faced statue.
But Li Mo had broken away from the formation!
To leave the formation as a mere Observation Realm cultivator—how could he possibly survive alone on the battlefield?
Yet, at this moment, no other force could approach him.
"He... isn’t running?"
A Huodou chieftain was taken aback.
The moment Li Mo left the formation, onlookers assumed he was fleeing the battlefield to save himself.
Some experts even prepared to intercept him.
But instead, Li Mo charged straight toward the flaming dragon, alone and unflinching!
"Little fool, you’re digging your own grave! The Grand Preceptor can’t blame me for not leaving your corpse intact!"
The bronze Huodou statue rejoiced.
Devouring this boy’s soul would allow it to torment him within its belly, extracting his secrets through the scourging flames.
Even the toughest steel would break under such torment.
Boom—
In an instant, Li Mo plunged into the inferno, his treasured armor glowing crimson under the heat.
Yet, instead of being consumed, he activated the Asura Blazing Lotus Art, his body radiating brighter and brighter, shining like a miniature sun.
His eyes burned like embers within the fire.
An Immortal Physique, impervious to water and fire!
The Huodou statue’s laughter died abruptly.
Unburnable?
Even the most resilient physiques at the Observation Realm shouldn’t withstand these calamitous flames.
It could never have imagined—
That someone had once leaped into a pill furnace, refining himself alongside the Nine-Aperture Dragon-Tiger Golden Pill.
Not just his flesh, but his soul remained unscathed, glowing brilliantly within the flames!
"Intertwined roots, unyielding life—yet golden lotuses bloom in fire."
This mantra surfaced in Li Mo’s mind.
The first line of the Blazing Heart Lotus Method’s core scripture, preserved within the Asura Blazing Lotus Art.
True gold fears no fire.
The secret of the Heaven-Defying Combat Art lay in the power of "will."
How could mere calamitous flames hope to extinguish a soul tempered by such indomitable resolve?
The crimson Mystic Pill in his dantian suddenly blazed like a dominant star among seven.
A thin layer of flames spread from his core, forcing the calamitous fire to twist and retreat.
At this moment, two fires clashed—
And the calamitous flames were the ones being burned away.
The Huodou panicked, attempting to withdraw its flames, but the figure within pursued relentlessly, riding the dragon back toward it.
The man, body and soul aflame, shot straight into the bronze statue’s gaping maw.
Every spectator’s heart leaped into their throats.
Then—
Whoosh—
The Huodou statue convulsed, desperate to expel the invader, but to no avail.
The Asura flames inside it only grew fiercer.
Those who play with fire shall be burned by it.
The Huodou, a beast that sowed disaster through flames, was now consumed by its own element.
Clang—
Clang—
Three hammer-like impacts bulged from its belly before it finally exploded.
A figure wreathed in lingering flames burst forth.
The Huodou tribe’s warriors, worshippers of fire, could only watch in awe.
To them, Li Mo had slain their god.
"Young Hero Li! Young Hero Li!"
"Charge! Bring Young Hero Li back to the formation!"
Cheers erupted from the city walls, shaking the heavens.
Li Mo’s survival was now tied to the fate of every soldier.
As long as he fought, victory seemed within reach.
He never disappointed.
On the battlements, Ying Bing exhaled silently as the young man broke free from the bronze monstrosity and returned to her sight.
Her fingers danced over the zither strings as she adjusted the formation once more.
The black-scaled serpent regained its head!
Every soldier of the Verdant Iron Cavalry fought with renewed fervor, their morale unbreakable.
Even without their leader, even as comrades fell around them, they now believed—victory was certain.
"Just come back alive. That’s enough."
Qu Sheng patted his bulging white robe, admiration gleaming in his smile.
He knew—when Li Mo charged into the flames, he hadn’t been certain of survival.
Yet he shielded his men anyway.
To lead from the front—that was the mark of a true warrior.
Qu Sheng, long confined to strategy, felt the embers of his youth rekindled.
How could he shame Verdant Wood City? How could he shame the Prince?
"Brothers! Follow me! Join forces with Young Hero Li!"
Above, the siege crossbows of the Rongyuan Army thundered once more, carving a temporary void in the enemy’s reinforcements.
"Young Hero Li! My men are yours to command. Can you handle it?" Qu Sheng bellowed as their forces merged.
"I can!"
Li Mo spat out a breath that seemed to burn the air, never looking back.
Yet a flicker of doubt arose.
If the troops followed him...
Where would Commander Qu go?
The battlefield had become a meat grinder, lives ground to paste with every passing second.
Closer now.
The black-scaled serpent, with Li Mo at its head, had swelled beyond a hundred units, a spear driving deep into enemy lines.
His battle intent burned fiercer than ever.
A warrior who could command ten thousand, armed and armored, was a force unto himself on the battlefield.
"Could he truly break through to the central army?"
"That divine manifestation..."
Han Zhen’s arm was drenched in blood.
A mere Observation Realm cultivator, yet he shouldered the power of a hundred units without faltering.
Did he never tire?
But what baffled Han Zhen most was that phantom image behind Li Mo.
The indomitable will that seemed ready to pierce the heavens—this was no ordinary manifestation.
A Great Dao Divine Form.
A figure clad in golden chainmail, wielding an iron staff...
A monkey?
In his millennia of knowledge, he had never heard of such a Divine Form.
Where had this thing come from?
It was this form that fueled Li Mo’s unyielding spirit, turning him into an unstoppable force.
"It's time to make preparations early," Han Zhen muttered to himself before raising his voice:
"What are you waiting for? Move now!"
"Whoever kills this brat will earn a place among the highest branches of the Bronze Tree—and be worshipped by all under heaven!"
Boom—
The sound reverberated.
The calamity beasts that had entered the formation finally ceased their hesitation.
Where there are great rewards, there will be brave warriors.
This truth held even for these calamity beasts, once revered as gods of their domains.