What the hell! Ye Fan was instantly speechless. This Frost Ice Iron General was a real turncoat, switching sides to the Tianxiong Iron General after just a few words.

At that moment, Ye Fan was already gathering his power. If the Frost Ice Iron General dares to make a move, I’ll enter my Demonization state. Then we’ll see who’s afraid of whom. Demonization is my last resort, but its side effects are severe. Unless absolutely necessary, I will not use it.

The Frost Ice Iron General summoned his Frost Flower Sword again and said to Ye Fan, "My brother is right. As a Spirit Suppressing Person, you would never tolerate our existence! It’s either you die or we die. So, I’m going to kill you to eliminate any future trouble!" He raised the Frost Flower Sword, clearly about to make his move.

At this, Ye Fan simply fell silent, ready to strike without hesitation the moment the sword fell.

"Hahaha!" The Tianxiong Iron General laughed triumphantly, for this was the exact outcome he had desired. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Suddenly, the Frost Ice Iron General moved, slashing his sword not at Ye Fan, but at the wildly laughing Tianxiong Iron General. Lost in his own cackling, the Tianxiong Iron General abruptly fell silent. He stared, trembling, at the Frost Ice Iron General and asked, "Why?"

The Frost Ice Iron General replied, "Brother, I’m sorry. I may have grown up under your protection, but don’t take me for a fool! The moment you break free from your restraints, I’m the one you’ll try to kill. I gave you a chance not to use our brotherhood as a bargaining chip! But you insisted on it, so you don’t deserve it!"

Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief. The guy finally came to his senses. If he hadn’t, I would’ve really lost my temper.

Then, under the resentful gaze of the Tianxiong Iron General, the Frost Ice Iron General decapitated him with a single swing of his sword! He then quickly snatched up the Blazing Crystal Ball, freeing Ye Fan from its influence.

Ye Fan remarked, "Good thing you came to your senses at the last moment, old man. Otherwise, you both would have surely died today, and I would have been severely wounded."

The Frost Ice Iron General wasn’t surprised by this claim. He knew Ye Fan had too many trump cards, any one of which could likely turn the tables. In response, he said to Ye Fan, "I suppose you could say I’ve seen the error of my ways."

"Exactly!" Ye Fan nodded.

With the Tianxiong Iron General truly dead this time, the ambient temperature plummeted, and the surrounding lava cooled into scorched earth.

"Let’s go!" he said to the Frost Ice Iron General.

But at that moment, the Frost Ice Iron General changed. His eyes locked onto the Blazing Crystal Ball with a look of pure greed. More alarmingly, scales began growing rapidly all over his body—he was transforming into a Fire Qilin!

Ye Fan reacted instantly, swinging the Yuanhong Sword and shattering the Blazing Crystal Ball in one clean strike!

"AH!"

The Frost Ice Iron General’s anguished scream echoed through the cavern. His situation was quite pitiful, as he had almost completely fused with the Blazing Crystal Ball. Now, his condition improved. The scales receded, and his body returned to normal. However, his face was terribly pale and lifeless. If Ye Fan hadn’t timed his strike perfectly, he might have become another terrifying Fire Qilin.

The Frost Ice Iron General said to Ye Fan, "I’m sorry, I was overcome with greed just now!"

Ye Fan replied, "I think I understand what’s going on now."

"Hm?" The Frost Ice Iron General looked at Ye Fan in confusion.

Ye Fan explained, "Actually, before the Tianxiong Iron General, that Fire Qilin was also a Martial Cultivator who had transformed! But he was unfortunately slain by the Tianxiong Iron General, who then took his place. Or perhaps," he continued, "this Blazing Crystal Ball is the true culprit. It’s always searching for a puppet, and when one puppet loses its value, it gets discarded! So, the Crystal Ball abandoned the Tianxiong Iron General. If I’m not mistaken, it chose me next, but I wasn’t affected. In the end, it chose you!"

Ye Fan’s analysis was sharp and to the point.

The Frost Ice Iron General said, "That was too close. When the ball was in my hands, I completely lost myself. It was feeding me thoughts of becoming stronger."

"It’s a good thing I shattered it," Ye Fan said. "Otherwise, you would have been the next Tianxiong Iron General!"

Although Ye Fan’s words were terrifying, this was no mere fearmongering; it was a truly dreadful possibility. The Frost Ice Iron General shuddered. He never wanted to end up in a state like the Tianxiong Iron General, neither human nor ghost. Such a fate would only have plunged him into endless despair.

"Alright, this matter is settled now. Let’s leave!" Ye Fan concluded.

The Frost Ice Iron General nodded. The two of them quickly left the place of conflict. Outside, they saw the Grassland Bear, looking as innocuous and adorable as ever, completely unaware of the dangers that had just unfolded.

Meanwhile, the burn on Ye Fan’s chest was slowly healing. To say this battle hadn’t been dangerous would be a lie. Of course, if the Frost Ice Iron General had just been a little more competent, things wouldn’t have gotten so messy! I’ve yet to meet a god-like opponent, but a pig-like teammate? I’ve definitely seen one of those now.

Actually, the moment I touched the Blazing Crystal Ball, I was tempted, too. The two things I need most right now are power and a breakthrough, both of which I currently lack. The crystal ball did try to influence my mind, but my will is strong, and I know there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world. So, I managed to resist. If my mind had been swayed... I don’t even want to imagine the consequences.

Upon their return to the Frost Ice Palace, Young Master Shuangbing was immediately eager to leave with Ye Fan. I know what he’s up to. He’s probably dying to go to the Secular World to see that female swordsman from the Butterfly Sect. So, the next day, he took Young Master Shuangbing and departed.

The Frost Ice Iron General also stated that after handling matters in the palace, he would head to the Spirit Suppressing Domain, as the situation there was dire. He promised to leave soon, within five days at most, to participate in the Spirit Suppressing Battle.

My original idea was to take the Frost Ice Iron General to the Secular World to help with the expulsion plan, but the situation in the Spirit Suppressing Domain cannot be delayed! As for things here, as long as my strength reaches the next level, all difficulties will become simple.

After Ye Fan brought Young Master Shuangbing to the Secular World, the young master made a beeline for the Butterfly Sect. Ye Fan, meanwhile, returned to Jiangning. He took stock of the threats not yet eliminated in the Secular World. Only the Pharaohs of Egypt remained—a group of reborn beings.

Why reborn? Legend had it that they were a group of powerful Martial Artists in ancient times. When they perished, they were mummified. A hundred years ago, they awoke. Although their consciousness was vague, their reawakening was nothing less than a form of rebirth. At the very least, they had been granted a second life. It sounded incredible, but that was the truth of it. This group of Egyptian Pharaohs was not to be underestimated, as their strength had grown during their rebirth.

Ye Fan had decided not to utilize the power of the Heavenly King Hall for now. Although its members were rapidly growing stronger, this was not a battlefield they could influence. After all, their opponents were far too powerful.

And just when Ye Fan felt he had no forces left to deploy, to his great relief, Heather and Su Qingxue arrived.