"Are you sure?"

Ye Fan still couldn’t believe it. After all, everything had happened so suddenly. This also explained why the Tianxiong Iron General, being the Fire Qilin, hadn’t struck a fatal blow against the Frost Ice Iron General.

At that moment, the Frost Ice Iron General said, "I’m certain. At the very last moment, I released my aura—an aura that only the Tianxiong Iron General would recognize! I expected the Fire Qilin to devour me, but instead, it just threw me from the sky. I passed out after that." He quickly told Ye Fan everything.

To transform into a beast... that’s something I just can’t accept. Unless it’s a demon, it should be impossible.

ROAR!

A thunderous roar echoed from the back of the Flame Palace, putting both men on high alert. Just as they expected, the Fire Qilin had reappeared. It was perched atop the palace, glaring down at them fiercely.

Ye Fan was about to draw his Yuanhong Sword, but the Frost Ice Iron General stopped him. He stepped forward and called out, "Tianxiong Iron General, I know it’s you!"

The Fire Qilin immediately stopped channeling its power. The Frost Ice Iron General spoke again, "Tianxiong Iron General, it’s me, the Frost Ice Iron General! We were the best of friends. Don’t you recognize me?"

The Fire Qilin seemed reluctant to face the truth. Finally, the Frost Ice Iron General took out a Jade Pendant that had belonged to Tianxiong. At the sight of it, the Fire Qilin let out a roar, flew into the sky, and vanished in a burst of flame. When the light faded, a figure stood before them.

It was the Tianxiong Iron General. He now had scales covering his body and horns sprouting from his head. He was a terrifying, half-man, half-beast creature.

"Brother Tianxiong, is it really you?" the Frost Ice Iron General said joyfully. He had been the one most pained by Tianxiong’s disappearance, so how could he not be overjoyed at his return?

The Tianxiong Iron General on the other side finally spoke, "Frost Ice, it has been a long time."

"Why have you become like this?" the Frost Ice Iron General asked.

The Tianxiong Iron General explained, "I became this way because I killed the Fire Qilin all those years ago. This place is cursed!"

"Old friend, come back with me!" the Frost Ice Iron General pleaded.

However, the Tianxiong Iron General refused. "No, I won’t go back."

"Why not?" the Frost Ice Iron General asked, puzzled. "Are you afraid you might hurt your people and your friends?"

But the Tianxiong Iron General said, "You’re overthinking things. That has nothing to do with it."

"Then why won’t you go back?"

The Frost Ice Iron General was completely baffled. As for Ye Fan, he was equally unable to guess the reason. He had too many questions, and he knew the Frost Ice Iron General had just as many. The only one who could provide answers was the Tianxiong Iron General himself; only he held the key to unlocking these mysteries.

Just then, the Tianxiong Iron General suddenly scoffed, "Go back? Why should I go back? Here, I can use the Fire Qilin’s power to evolve and grow. Why would I want to leave? I’m staying here because I want to!"

His tone was so terrifying that even the Frost Ice Iron General found it jarring.

The Tianxiong Iron General then said to him, "You’ve uncovered my secret. But since you were once my friend, I’ll give you a chance to become a god!"

"A chance to become a god!" The Frost Ice Iron General stared at him, bewildered.

The Tianxiong Iron General continued, "That’s right, a chance to become a god! By harnessing the power of the Fire Qilin, you and I can ascend to a new level. Don’t you crave the power of the Divine Race?"

His words were indeed tempting to the Frost Ice Iron General for a moment.

But Ye Fan cut in, "What’s the price?"

"What gives you the right to speak to me!" the Tianxiong Iron General immediately rebuked him.

Ye Fan was annoyed. According to the legends of this small world, the Tianxiong Iron General was not this kind of person. He never thought the man would become so arrogant.

The Frost Ice Iron General interjected, "He’s a friend from the outside world!"

"Hmph! You short-sighted fool. There is no price! All you have to do is become a being like me, and that is enough!" the Tianxiong Iron General turned back to the Frost Ice Iron General, his voice seductive. "Frost Ice, if we join forces and slaughter every living being in the Secular World to seize their Life Force, we can become gods! As gods, we will be immortal!"

The Frost Ice Iron General was horrified. "You’ve become this kind of person? The Secular World is filled with innocent people! Can you really bring yourself to do that?"

In truth, I know that even if I were greedy enough to take that path and slaughter the innocent in the Secular World, it would only lead to a miserable end. Besides, I’ve never even considered such an extreme path!

For this reason, he said firmly, "Brother Tianxiong, you’ve changed!"

"I haven’t changed!" the Tianxiong Iron General snarled ferociously. "I am merely pursuing power for myself! I’ve done nothing wrong. Even if I were given another chance, I would make the same choice!" For the sake of power, he would pay any price, even if it meant becoming a monster.

The Frost Ice Iron General was heartbroken. He could see that the Tianxiong Iron General had truly changed, making such a choice for his own selfish desires. This was no longer the big brother he had once admired.

He said, "Brother Tianxiong, if that’s truly how you feel, then our paths diverge."

"Frost Ice, you truly are short-sighted, throwing away the chance to become a god! You’ve brought this on yourself. If you don’t want to walk the same path as me, then get lost! Otherwise, I’ll kill you myself!" the Tianxiong Iron General shouted arrogantly. Though he was enraged, he did not yet move to kill the Frost Ice Iron General.

The Frost Ice Iron General remained silent, but Ye Fan suddenly stepped forward. "Tianxiong Iron General, if you dare to try, I’ll be the first to stop you." He had a duty to protect the Secular World. Now that such a dangerous individual was threatening it, there was no way he would stand idly by.

The Tianxiong Iron General erupted in fury, roaring, "Do you have that right? You aren’t even qualified to cooperate with me, let alone challenge me!"

Ye Fan ignored the arrogant man. For him, only strength decided everything. He turned to the Frost Ice Iron General and asked, "Frost Ice Iron General, what do you think?"

The Frost Ice Iron General was in a difficult position. After all, the Tianxiong Iron General had been his mentor; without him, he would not be the man he was today. But what Tianxiong proposed had provoked public outrage, and he could never help him.

Finally, he turned to the Tianxiong Iron General and said, "Brother Tianxiong..."

The Tianxiong Iron General looked at him with disdain. For him, you were either a friend or an enemy; there was no room for negotiation.

"Have you come to your senses?" he asked.

But the Frost Ice Iron General replied, "Brother Tianxiong, you misunderstand my meaning. I only wish to persuade you to turn back! Don’t follow one mistake with another." At that moment, he chose to stand with Ye Fan. The Frost Ice Iron General knew that the path the Tianxiong Iron General had chosen was extreme, and following it would lead to nothing but ruin.

The Tianxiong Iron General yelled, "Since that’s the case, you can die with him!"

He then suddenly transformed, becoming an incredibly robust Fire Qilin that circled above their heads.