The sudden display of heavenly might made the Iron-Armed Demon Ape and Shen Haoran’s group halt their battle. They all looked up at the thunderclouds with trepidation.

At that moment, as the purple Thunder Flame on Long Mo’s body roiled, the thunderclouds in the sky rumbled ominously, looking as if they might descend at any moment.

Watching the purple Thunder Flame on Long Mo, Shen Haoran narrowed his eyes. A sense of dread rose in his heart—or more accurately, it was the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian in his Dantian that was feeling apprehensive.

Shen Haoran was inwardly surprised to sense the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian’s apprehension. A flame that could intimidate it shouldn’t exist in this world. After all, every Fire Element in existence was born from the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian. It was the emperor of all flames, an absolute overlord!

’For the purple flame on Long Mo’s body to actually intimidate the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, it must be no ordinary flame!’ Shen Haoran recalled Elder Huo once telling him that when the two brothers of the Long Family were born, a Divine Fire had descended from the heavens. The two were like children favored by flame, possessing an extremely strong affinity for the Fire Element. The Divine Fire that fell at their birth grew stronger alongside them. Long Mo called his purple Thunder Flame the Void Purple Flame! It was born from the Nine Heavens Thunder Shock, and thus could summon Celestial Thunder when unleashed.

ROAR! The Iron-Armed Demon Ape was no fool. It also sensed the threat from the sky and knew this attack was Long Mo’s doing. It abandoned the slippery Shen Haoran and charged toward Long Mo, who was still gathering his power. It moved so quickly that Shen Haoran didn’t have time to react.

"Stop it!" Shen Haoran cried out in alarm. ’Long Mo is still gathering his power! If he takes a punch from that Iron-Armed Demon Ape, he’ll be blown to pieces!’

With a roar, Shen Haoran shot after the Iron-Armed Demon Ape. But the beast was too fast; it was already right in front of Long Mo.

ROAR! Seeing Long Mo so close yet completely unable to react, a disturbingly human-like cruelty touched the corners of the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s mouth. It raised its thick iron arm and smashed it down with vicious force.

CLANG... In the nick of time, a crystal-clear ice wall abruptly appeared between the Iron-Armed Demon Ape and Long Mo, blocking the punch that could have shattered mountains.

*Phew...* Seeing the ice wall block the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s strike, Shen Haoran let out a heavy sigh of relief. He shot Ji Lingxuan a look that said, ’Nice one!’

Ji Lingxuan smiled sweetly before slumping weakly to the ground. The Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s strike had been terrifyingly powerful, and blocking it had consumed almost all of her Spiritual Power.

ROAR! Seeing its attack blocked, the Iron-Armed Demon Ape roared in fury. It immediately raised both arms to smash down again.

However, at the exact instant it was about to strike, Long Mo’s tightly shut eyes snapped open. His pupils, once black, were now completely purple, giving him an eerie and captivating look.

Meeting that pair of purple eyes, the Iron-Armed Demon Ape froze for a moment. Its upraised arms seemed stuck, unable to fall.

RUMBLE! As Long Mo opened his eyes, the thunderclouds roiled with even greater violence. Finally, under the terrified gazes of the others, the Nine Heavens Thunder Shock cascaded down.

"Nine Heavens Thunder Flame Drill!" With a furious roar, Long Mo’s entire body transformed into a sharp sword, shooting toward the Iron-Armed Demon Ape. The Celestial Thunder in the sky seemed to be guided by his will, all of it blasting toward the beast.

BANG! The ice wall that had blocked the ape’s strike was as fragile as paper before Long Mo’s attack. He pierced through it in an instant, aiming for the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s forehead.

ROAR! The Iron-Armed Demon Ape finally snapped out of its stupor. It hastily retreated, raising its arms high to shield its forehead. In the next instant, Long Mo’s attack arrived. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! The Nine Heavens Thunder Flame Drill that was Long Mo’s body slammed against the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s arms. The sound of metal striking metal rang out as sparks flew in a terrifying display.

SIZZLE... The Celestial Thunder continuously struck the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s body, but it stood firm, focusing only on protecting its forehead. ’I’m no fool,’ it thought. ’As long as I can endure Long Mo’s attack, these three clowns will be no match for me!’

But Shen Haoran wouldn’t let it get its way. The moment Long Mo struck, Shen Haoran vanished, reappearing at the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s abdomen. In the next instant, the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian within him erupted with full force. Terrifying power poured from his right fist, slamming into the ape’s body.

"Heaven-Breaking Double Kill!"

Shen Haoran’s terrifying strike caved in the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s abdomen. The intense pain caused the beast’s imposing aura to falter, and its defense slackened for an instant.

Long Mo, of course, would not miss this opportunity. In the next moment, all the Nine Heavens Thunder Shock converged on his body. A dazzling purple radiance erupted, instantly shattering the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s defense. Long Mo’s entire body pierced straight through its forehead, killing it instantly.

BANG! The now-headless Iron-Armed Demon Ape crashed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Shen Haoran flashed forward to catch Long Mo, who was on the verge of collapse, and helped him sit down.

"Mission accomplished." Long Mo raised his blood-soaked hands. In his palm, a gray Spirit Core glowed faintly, a beautiful sight.

"Haha!" Shen Haoran laughed, taking the Spirit Core. He then pulled a Spirit Revitalizing Pill from his Storage Ring and popped it into Long Mo’s mouth. "We can’t stay here," he said. "The smell of blood will attract other magical beasts. We’ll rest for a bit, then leave for Black Wind City."

"Right." Long Mo knew the danger. After swallowing the Spirit Revitalizing Pill, he immediately began the Refinement process. A short while later, he had recovered enough strength to move.

The three then cautiously made their way out of the Red Flame Mountain Range, heading toward Black Wind City. Back at the Iron-Armed Demon Ape’s lair, only a bare skeleton remained—the handiwork of Taotie Changmao, of course.

As for Shen Haoran and his companions, after two days of non-stop travel, they finally arrived outside Black Wind City on the evening of the third day after leaving the Red Flame Mountain Range.

"Phew... We finally made it," Shen Haoran sighed. The past two days of travel had been grueling; they hadn’t even had a single proper meal. Standing at the city gate, he could already smell meat buns wafting out from within.

"Let’s go! Into the city! I’m starving!" Shen Haoran yelled, heading inside. Ji Lingxuan gave Long Mo a helpless smile and hurried to catch up.