Furious currents of Powerful Qi, thick with billowing smoke and dust, rushed toward the crowd on the mountainside, forcing them all to retreat dozens of meters. Staring at the enormous, two-colored mushroom cloud that had erupted below, everyone couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

"Wh-what kind of Martial Skill is that? The Attack Power is just insane!" a disciple muttered, seeing the Source Beast Group that had been wiped out in an instant.

At his words, everyone nodded in unison, their faces filled with shock. Just moments ago, the Source Beast Group’s roars had been Heaven-Shaking, their momentum ferocious. Now, after a single attack, they were almost completely annihilated. Only a few hundred on the periphery had escaped the calamity. These surviving Primordial Beasts trembled as they watched the ripples of Energy continuously emanating from the blast’s epicenter, frozen in terror. The crimson glow in their eyes slowly faded, and their bodies gradually returned to their translucent state as wisps of black qi floated out from within them. Shen Haoran’s single attack had scared them so badly that even the black qi eroding their Spiritual Wisdom had been forced out. It was a testament to the immense power of the Flame Sun Burst!

"Phew..." Shen Haoran took a deep breath, discreetly tossing an Elixir into his mouth. A bit of color returned to his pale face. The Flame Sun Burst’s power was terrifying, but its cost was also enormous, draining not only his Spiritual Power but his Spiritual Thought as well.

After a while, the rampaging gales below slowly dissipated, revealing a massive crater in the earth. Not a single shadow of a Primordial Beast remained nearby. Shen Haoran glanced indifferently at the few hundred surviving Primordial Beasts on the periphery before turning and flying back to the group.

"Holy shit, Boss, that move was so fucking awesome!" Zi Mo yelled excitedly upon seeing Shen Haoran return. Dealing with those Primordial Beasts felt like some serious payback!

"Totally! The moment of the explosion was as beautiful as a work of art! Boss, can you teach me?" Long Zhen chimed in as he came over.

At their words, Shen Haoran just smiled and shook his head. ’The Flame Sun Burst works by leveraging the repulsion and incompatibility between different elements to create an explosion. It requires an almost impossibly precise control over different attributes of Spiritual Power. If the two attributes become imbalanced, it will detonate prematurely. You’d wound yourself before killing the enemy, and the cost would far outweigh the benefit. That’s why only someone like me, with the Chaos Divine Body, can perfectly master the Flame Sun Burst. Others couldn’t learn it even if they wanted to.’

"Alright, the main force of the Primordial Beasts has been dealt with," Shen Haoran shouted to the crowd. "Everyone, rest and regroup. Afterward, we will completely purge the remaining beasts from the Sect!"

Hearing this, everyone let out a long sigh of relief. Casting aside all semblance of decorum, they plopped right down on the ground.

The disciples had just begun to rest when Elder Huo and the others hurried over from the side. When they saw the scene at the foot of the mountain, they couldn’t help but gasp in shock. The main peak, which had been filled with the roars of Primordial Beasts, was now eerily silent, with no sign of the beasts to be seen. ’We only went to the summit to deal with the Source Beast Group up there,’ they thought, ’how did it end up like this when we came down?’

"Elder Huo, my Boss did all this. Impressive, right?" Zi Mo puffed out his chest, showing off as if he had accomplished it himself.

At his words, the Elders stared at Shen Haoran in disbelief, their hearts reeling with shock. ’This kid... he actually slaughtered the entire Source Beast Group, down to the last one?’

Although they were skeptical, they had no choice but to believe it when they saw all the disciples nodding in confirmation. However, even with the Source Beast Group slaughtered by Shen Haoran, the Elders couldn’t feel any joy.

"Sigh... don’t celebrate too soon," Elder Huo said in a grave voice, looking up at the sky. "This is just a minor battlefield. The battle that will truly decide the fate of the Five Elements Sect is happening up there!"

At his words, the joy vanished from everyone’s faces. They all looked up toward the sky, but aside from the constantly flashing ripples of Powerful Qi, they could see nothing.

Shen Haoran narrowed his eyes, black flames igniting in their depths. Two figures in the sky slowly came into view: it was Elder Qin and the black monster, locked in a fierce battle.

The two were locked in an intense struggle, trading blows without pause. Terrifying ripples of Powerful Qi erupted from their clashes, forming a natural barrier around them. A streak of black light and a streak of white light flashed and crisscrossed relentlessly. ’A fight of this caliber... this is truly a battle at the Spirit Emperor Level!’

BOOM!

The two clashed once more and were instantly thrown back by the recoil, finally breaking off the exchange.

Both Elder Qin’s and the monster’s chests were heaving. The battle had taken a tremendous toll on both of them, and both were wounded. For the moment, it was impossible to tell who had the upper hand.

The black monster’s brow furrowed. He could sense that he had lost his connection to most of the Primordial Beasts that had undergone Demonization. ’They must have been killed!’

"Hmph. A bunch of useless trash," the black monster snorted, spitting out a mouthful of black, frothy blood.

"Vile beast! If I don’t tear you into a thousand pieces today, I’ll never quell the hatred in my heart!" Elder Qin’s furious voice echoed across the heavens. Taking advantage of the lull in combat, he glanced down at the Five Elements Sect. When he saw the grounds littered with corpses and rivers of blood, a sharp pain twisted in his heart. ’These are my people... all slaughtered by this black monster.’ As this thought surfaced, a fresh wave of fury erupted from within him, and his aura grew even more menacing.

Seeing the enraged Elder Qin, the black monster cracked its neck and wrists, producing a series of sharp pops.

"In that case, let’s end this game early. It’s gotten so boring," the black monster said with a cruel laugh, its scarlet tongue flicking out.

"Devouring the World!" the black monster roared. Its hands flashed through a Seal Technique, and the sky-blotting black qi began to churn violently. It transformed into massive torrents that surged into the black monster’s body. Not only the black qi from the sky, but also faint threads of black qi rising from the corpses of the fallen Five Elements Sect disciples, joined the torrents, all rushing toward the black monster.

The sinister black qi passed through the crowd, extinguishing the Sub-fire of the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian that enveloped them. A cold, bone-chilling aura lingered in its wake, filling everyone with a sense of despair. ’This is the stench of death... an aura from Hell itself!’

As the black qi poured into it, the black monster’s body began to writhe. Its frame expanded violently as incredibly sharp Bone Spikes erupted from all of its joints, glinting with a cold, terrifying light.

After some time, the black monster’s transformation finally ceased. It looked completely different. Its entire body was encased in a suit of black armor—an armor that, shockingly, was formed from its own bones, with sharp Bone Spikes protruding all over. Two pairs of horns had even sprouted from its head. The greatest change, however, was its aura. Its terrifying presence now completely surpassed Elder Qin’s, having reached the Tier Five Spirit Emperor Level!

"Now, the feast truly begins! Prepare for the slaughter!" The black monster licked its lips, and its body instantly vanished...