Longxi Peak was, naturally, no exception.

Zhong Ming and the others were facing a Demon—a Demon Ape wreathed in Demonic Qi, its muscles gnarled like rock.

Wielding unparalleled strength, it was running rampant among the disciples of Longxi Peak.

With Zhong Ming remaining hidden, the main force confronting this monster consisted of Xue Yao, Zhuang Yi, and Yi Yunya.

What made the three of them frown was the creature’s immense power.

A single casual strike from it could collapse buildings and make the very earth tremble.

Faced with such brutish strength, Xue Yao and the others stood no chance in a direct confrontation. They could only rely on the Wave-Surging Dragon Stream Step to constantly evade.

What they found even more troublesome was the creature’s incredibly high defense.

A set of complex and profound Demon Patterns was inscribed on its body. These Demon Patterns could convert its vital energy and blood into Demon Flames.

The raging Demon Flames made it impossible for the flying sword attacks of Yi Yunya and the others to break through its defenses.

The power contained within their flying swords would also be incinerated by the Demon Flames.

If their swords were exposed to the Demon Flames for too long, they would even become corrupted.

Furthermore, the creature’s Demon Flames could also heal its own injuries.

All told, while this monster wasn’t as bizarre as the paper effigy, its maxed-out stats made it like a flawless, well-rounded warrior, which in turn made it even harder to deal with.

ROAR!

The roaring Demon Ape put Longxi Peak in an extremely precarious situation.

Fortunately, besides Zhong Ming, Longxi Peak was not without its trump cards!

"Extreme Cold Ice Realm!"

Following Xue Yao’s sharp cry, a Treasure Pearl inside her body suddenly burst forth with a frigid white light.

The white light spread outward, causing water vapor to condense, frost and snow to flurry about, and even the air to crackle as it froze.

Within the white light, Xue Yao’s appearance also transformed. Her hair turned a frosty silver-white, a magnificent dress that seemed carved from ice crystals adorned her body, and the cold aura around her intensified several times over.

Mo Shuying had been very dedicated. Having placed her bet on Xue Yao, she had painstakingly trained the girl for a month.

And Xue Yao had not let her down.

Relying on the Power of Extreme Cold granted by the treasure—a power that perfectly suited her—she barely managed to suppress the Demon Ape’s flames. With the help of the surrounding disciples, she fought it to a standstill. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

ROAR!

"Sob..."

"Kill!"

"Hold it down..."

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

And so, the battle raged on before the City Lord’s Mansion. Shouts and roars were incessant, and both Cultivators and Demonic Fiends were constantly being gruesomely killed on the spot.

But amidst this fierce clash, the situation for the humans... was gradually turning grim.

Law Enforcement Elder Wei Jingcheng had deployed the Demonic Fiends based on the number of teams—a total of eight late-stage Qi Cultivation fiends for the Seven Peaks and the three great families.

Molten Fire Peak, Dharma Seal Peak, Cuixiang Mountain, Longxi Peak, and the three great families were all struggling, but they ultimately managed to hold their ground.

But it was a different story for Bright Stone Peak, Bamboo Forest Peak, and Profound Stone Peak.

Being far too weak, they couldn’t contain the late-stage Qi Cultivation Demonic Fiends at all.

Once they were defeated, the other peaks would naturally find themselves in an even more disadvantageous position when those fiends were free to join the other fights.

"Dammit!"

This scene made Yan Chen increasingly anxious, while Su Lingya of Cuixiang Mountain began to contemplate a retreat.

’Clearing this trial is definitely not that easy... Should I retreat first?’

As this thought crossed her mind, she took a moment to scan her surroundings.

Then, she noticed that Longxi Peak’s situation was also looking dire.

This situation had arisen not because Xue Yao was too weak.

The disciples from the other peaks knew this was an assessment. Therefore, the ordinary disciples would follow the orders of the A-Class Disciples, fighting the Demonic Fiends with all their might and even sacrificing their lives to buy some time for their own prodigies.

But it was different with Xue Yao. She was doing her best to rescue other disciples, and when fighting the late-stage Qi Cultivation Demon Ape, she tried to face it alone as much as possible.

Because of this, she was constantly in peril while facing the Demon Ape.

And in the next moment, something even more dangerous happened.

Just as Xue Yao moved to save someone, a vicious grin appeared on the Demon Ape’s face.

In the next instant, the flames that had been raging all over its body suddenly converged on its fist.

BOOM!

The punch was incredibly powerful. It shattered the air like a crashing meteorite as it brutally smashed toward Xue Yao’s body.

At that moment, because she had just exerted herself to rescue a disciple, she had no time to dodge.

This made everyone who saw it gasp in shock.

"Watch out!"

But while some were terrified, a faint smile appeared on the lips of others.

Yi Yunya was one of them. ’Finally, an opening,’ she thought.

The fist, wreathed in Demon Flames, was savage and unstoppable. However, just as it was about to strike Xue Yao, the Demon Ape suddenly sensed something. Its expression flickered with alarm, and it instinctively tried to turn its head.

Unfortunately, by the time it reacted, it was already too late.

Zhong Ming, who had remained hidden all this time and watched the others fight, hadn’t been idle.

A hidden Zhong Ming was far more dangerous, far more terrifying, than one out in the open.

And now was that moment.

Using his Longxi Magical Robe to hover in mid-air, he had been keeping Bright Mirror Stilled Water - Ripples active the entire time, observing the Demon Ape’s breathing and rhythm, searching for its weakness.

A special black water droplet rested on his fingertip. The cloud-mist gathered by the Longxi Magical Robe refracted the light around the droplet, rendering it invisible as well.

This was Heavy Abyss Water, a derivative of the mid-tier Earth Grade treasure, the Heavy Abyss Water Pearl. It was extremely heavy, and its carrying capacity was immense.