The fight between divine beasts and ordinary great demons should have been resolved quickly, as the gap between the two was simply too vast.
Therefore, when Qiongqi’s fiery claws touched the body of the orangutan, the outcome was no longer in doubt.
"Roar!!"
The Samadhi True Fire climbed onto the orangutan great demon's body and began to burn.
It burned with extreme speed, ending the latter's life in just three seconds.
In the first second, the Samadhi True Fire engulfed the orangutan great demon’s thousand-meter-tall colossal body, scorching and incinerating all its fur and flesh.
In the second second, the Samadhi True Fire penetrated its body, burning its bones, internal organs, and even its pure demonic energy and soul to ashes. In the third second, the Samadhi True Fire incinerated the ashes of the orangutan great demon's corpse in the space once more.
The fire extinguished only when nothing of the orangutan great demon remained in the space.
Little Qiongqi slowly retracted its fangs, the anger in its eyes gradually subsiding.
In its place was an undeniable weariness.
This was a nascent divine ability it had awakened only after breaking through to the fourth stage. Though its power was immense, so was its consumption.
Xu Mu stood atop the mountain, silently observing everything before him.
A thousand-meter-tall, fourth-stage great demon had been reduced to ashes by a mere touch from a palm-sized flame?
“If I were to be touched by this fire…”
Xu Mu shook his head. Forget three seconds; at this speed, he would turn to ash in an instant!
Qiongqi floated in the air, surveying the other demons:
“Does anyone else wish to make a move against these humans?”
Thousands of great demons around the mine fell silent, not daring to speak.
While they could guess that the terrifying true fire might have limited uses, the gruesome fate of the orangutan great demon was still before their eyes.
Who would dare to die for some ephemeral hatred? Wasn't living better?
Buzz… Rumble!
Just as Qiongqi finished its question and the great demons remained silent, a violent tremor and a colossal roar erupted from the mine, which resembled a sinkhole.
All the great demons turned their heads, as did Xu Mu and his companions.
They had not forgotten why they had come here in the first place.
It wasn't for revenge, but for opportunity.
Under the gaze of countless great demons and humans, the deep, dark mine suddenly erupted like a volcano, spewing forth multicolored divine light.
It soared a thousand zhang above the ground, forming a cylindrical column that reached the heavens.
Within the column of divine light, numerous illusory particles seemed to float, scattering like pollen into the space, numbering in the hundreds of millions.
The illusory pollen drifted through the air. Some bold demons inhaled it into their bodies and their eyes immediately turned blood red, as they felt their power surge. That pollen could help them break through realms, and its assistance was immense!
“What is that!”
From a mountain peak several kilometers away, Xu Mu watched the scene before him with a shocked expression.
Within the divine light and pollen shooting towards the sky, he vaguely saw an alluring flower. It had an umbellate inflorescence, with lanceolate petals curling outwards. Its stamens and pistil extended, like countless writhing snake heads, long and eerie.
“The Shore Flower has appeared!”
Xu Mu didn't recognize it, but he was very familiar with the description.
He gazed at the scene before him, unable to contain his excitement.
What that existence had told him was true; the Shore Flower was indeed here!
As long as he obtained this item, he could bring back his wife, Mo Xie, who had been refined into a sword soul!
Thinking of thousands of years of solitude and hardship, Yan Yu could no longer hold back.
Grasping his sword, he transformed into a streak of light and shot towards the mine, disregarding his own condition.
Xu Mu's expression changed drastically:
“Yan Yu!”
“Come back quickly! That opportunity is not something we can touch for now!”
Xu Mu thought Yan Yu had been blinded by greed for opportunity and hastily tried to dissuade him, but the latter wouldn’t listen.
He had felt guilt for that matter for over a thousand years. Traveling through space and time, now that he finally had a chance to revive his wife, how could he bear to hesitate!
“Brother Hao Han, what exactly are you here for? Why did you ask me to save you?”
Little Qiongqi traversed space and appeared beside Xu Mu, asking.
In its eyes, Xu Mu was still the monstrous prodigy with unmatched talent and strength. For such a prodigy to ask for help, it was naturally curious as to what had happened.
Xu Mu’s gaze sharpened, forcing him to shift his attention away from Yan Yu.
He didn't know if he could trust this Qiongqi.
If Qiongqi knew that he was at his limit, would it burn him to ashes for revenge?
“It’s not asking for help; it’s just inconvenient for me to act,” Xu Mu thought, then leaned closer to Qiongqi’s ear and lied softly, “When a tree grows too tall, it’s bound to be destroyed by the wind. I’m hiding my strength, you understand.”
“Oh,” Little Qiongqi raised its paw and scratched its ear with a strange look in its eyes.
It hadn’t entered this palace immediately, so it hadn't witnessed what Xu Mu had done on the first level. Therefore, it truly believed his words.
“Humans are indeed terrifying.”
Qiongqi sighed, then pointed towards the mine ahead:
“Brother Hao Han, there seems to be an opportunity inside. Perhaps it will allow us to break through to the Domain Lord realm. Shall we cooperate?”
Little Qiongqi was eager. Although it had just broken through to the Lord realm and awakened the divine ability of Samadhi True Fire, it was not content. It wanted to directly break through to the Domain Lord realm, and then its fire would become even more formidable!
Xu Mu’s facial muscles twitched almost imperceptibly.
Cooperate with Qiongqi to snatch opportunities from those great demons?
Wouldn't that be courting death!
“That… I won’t go. I have a friend below named Yan Yu. You can find him.”
Faced with the temptation of opportunity, Xu Mu gritted his teeth and refused Qiongqi’s invitation.
Because at this moment, both his physical body and soul were depleted to their limits. Going down would be suicide; it was better to heal properly here.
After all, he had already obtained a great opportunity on the second level, and the sacred artifact was in his hands. There shouldn't be anything else worth risking his life for.
He just wanted to survive now.
Upon hearing that Xu Mu wouldn't go, Little Qiongqi became somewhat disappointed:
“Alright, is your friend reliable?”
“Don't end up dragging me down, or I’ll swallow him whole!”
As Qiongqi spoke, it made a gesture of devouring and fiercely bit down on the air around it. This action greatly startled the others on the mountain.
“This… Alliance Leader Xu knows this demon beast?”
Nan Feng and the others were dumbfounded. The little tiger, which had single-handedly driven away all the great demons and then killed the mountain-like orangutan, was now standing on the same mountain as them, chatting casually with their Alliance Leader?
“That’s it? I’m numb to it already!”
Yin Zhongxiu sat on the ground. He raised his eyelids, took in the situation around him, and then closed his eyes with disdain.
In his heart, Xu Mu was now a god-like existence.
What was so strange about knowing a powerful demon beast?
Even if someone told him that this little tiger was the legendary divine beast Qiongqi, he wouldn't be the least bit surprised!
“He… is a very mysterious person,” Xu Mu said, looking at Yan Yu’s receding figure, recalling what Charles had said. It seemed that person also harbored the same existence within him as in Xu Mu’s mind.
Was it related to the Apocalypse?
He couldn't figure it out.
“And also a very fast man,” Xu Mu added.
“Great! I like fast!”
Seeing that Xu Mu genuinely had no intention of competing for the opportunity, Little Qiongqi didn’t want to waste any more time. It extended its claws and tore through space, disappearing from its original position.
Then, Xu Mu saw Qiongqi appear right beside Yan Yu.
After a three-second standoff, the two reached some sort of consensus and immediately entered the mine together.
“Indeed fast.”
Xu Mu was speechless upon seeing this.
These two had only known each other for a few seconds, and they dared to team up to compete for opportunities. Was it genuine or foolish!
“We shouldn’t be disturbed for a while.”
Xu Mu shook his head slightly, then sat down on the ground and said,
“The substances in that divine light have miraculous healing effects. Everyone, please recuperate on your own. Your Alliance Leader will not be refining medicine for you.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader!”
Everyone responded in unison, albeit weakly, and then all sat cross-legged on the mountaintop, silently absorbing the pollen in the space.
Xu Mu also closed his eyes and sat down, beginning to heal.
He was truly exhausted, falling asleep almost immediately.
However, Xu Mu did not notice that the moment he fell asleep, someone stepped on the wild grass and silently approached him from behind.
Everyone was busy resting and healing, including Xu Mu himself.
No one noticed him.
Then, a dark smile appeared on Fang Jia’s face.
He stood behind Xu Mu, looking at the back of the young man's head, and slowly extended a hand!
…