High in the sky, the ghastly face formed by the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord Li Qingling twisted into a savage expression. His eyes burned with bloodthirst.

"Boy, once I devour the power within your flesh and blood, my strength will surge again!"

Li Qingling burst into mad laughter. No matter how monstrous Ling Feng might be, once trapped within the Fire Refinement Array he would face only death.

Yet Ling Feng stood calmly inside the array. He showed no sign of panic. Instead he looked up at the ghostly face in the sky with a faint smile.

"Li Qingling, are you mistaken about something? You think this broken array can trap me?"

Ling Feng stood with his hands behind his back. A mass of violet flames suddenly surged around his body as he released his Devouring Flame on his own initiative.

The Fire Refinement Array could indeed absorb all fire spiritual power. It held tremendous suppression against any cultivator with a fire attribute. However Ling Feng's Devouring Flame was not included within those limits.

The reason the Devouring Flame stood above ordinary abnormal flames lay in its terrifying devouring ability. Ling Feng's Devouring Flame had already reached the fourth-phase. Its devouring power had therefore reached a truly frightening level.

His Devouring Flame had even devoured the Heaven Patrolling Flame of the Heaven Patrolling clan!

A mere Fire Refinement Array attempting to devour the fire spiritual power of the Devouring Flame?

Ridiculous!

"Hm?"

Li Qingling stared from the sky and burst into loud laughter when he saw Ling Feng release the source fire within his body.

"Boy, are you trying to die faster? If you had hidden your source fire, the Fire Refinement Array would have needed more time to drain you dry. Now you have chosen death yourself!"

"Then let us see whether your Fire Refinement Array can devour me."

A sharp glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. The Devouring Flame around his body burned even more fiercely. The blazing fire surged skyward like a rainbow and shot tens of thousands of zhang into the sky.

Arcane inscriptions immediately appeared throughout the array. These mysterious symbols began absorbing all fire spiritual power within the array and channeling it into the earth vein below.

However when those inscriptions began devouring the Devouring Flame surrounding Ling Feng, they suddenly became extremely unstable. The more flame they tried to absorb, the more violently they trembled in the void.

Within ten breaths, the inscriptions of the Fire Refinement Array began to collapse. The destruction continued to spread throughout the entire array.

"This... how is this possible?"

Li Qingling's eyelids twitched wildly.

The Fire Refinement Array was meant to restrain all fire spiritual power and refine it completely. Yet for some reason it could not refine Ling Feng's source fire.

Instead the inscriptions themselves seemed to be devoured by Ling Feng's flames!

Even the power of the earth vein appeared to submit before his fire!

"You think the power of the earth vein can trap me. Do you not find that idea a little childish?"

In the next instant Ling Feng's figure shot into the sky. The Devouring Flame around him shattered the entire array. The elaborate arrangement Li Qingling had prepared collapsed completely.

"Damn it!"

Li Qingling glared furiously at Ling Feng. He waved his hand and roared.

"What are you standing there for? Attack!"

At his command, the imperial city guards behind him drew their blades and charged toward Ling Feng. More than thirty King-tier experts attacked simultaneously. Multicolored lights filled the sky above the Prison of Fire Refinement and covered the heavens.

"Terrifying Gaze!"

Ling Feng's eyes narrowed. A flash of golden light appeared within his pupils.

In the next moment the power of the Terrifying Gaze swept outward.

The imperial city guards who had rushed forward with murderous intent suddenly dropped their weapons from midair with loud clanging sounds. They clutched their heads in agony. Under the force of Ling Feng's Terrifying Gaze, their seas of mind collapsed instantly.

Those with weaker spiritual power suffered even worse. Their heads exploded like watermelons and brains splattered everywhere. The scene was gruesome.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

In a single instant the thirty imperial city guards were either dead or severely injured. Their bodies fell from the sky with no strength left to continue fighting.

"You..."

Li Qingling's eyelids twitched violently. Ling Feng's strength had far exceeded his expectations.

In the next moment Li Qingling's body became shrouded in black mist. His form gradually turned illusory as he attempted to escape.

"Trying to run?"

Ling Feng waved his hand. A ring of blazing flames instantly descended and sealed the surrounding space completely around Li Qingling.

A miserable scream rang out.

Li Qingling's body trembled as he shouted angrily.

"Ling Feng, this is only a demonic shadow clone of mine! You will never kill me! Why waste your strength?"

Ling Feng clenched his right fist.

"I don't care whether it is a clone or your true body. If I see you once, I will kill you once!"

The ring of fire slowly contracted. The domineering power of the Devouring Flame was the natural bane of Li Qingling's demonic qi. Amid his screams, the demonic shadow clone began to crumble.

"Take a message back to Yan Jinghong. Tell him to wash his neck and wait. Now that I have returned, his death will come soon!"

Ling Feng snorted coldly. A chill flashed through his eyes.

The Devouring Flame surged violently. Li Qingling's clone could no longer endure the terrifying firepower and instantly collapsed.

"Ling Feng, don't be so arrogant!"

Before he could finish speaking, the demonic shadow clone completely vanished.

"Li Qingling, huh? As expected, Lin Canglang's shadow likely lies behind all of this."

Ling Feng muttered to himself.

"Lin Canglang, you refuse to stay dead no matter how many times you die! This time will definitely be the last!"

With a flick of his sleeve, Ling Feng descended back to the ground. He found a hidden place and entered the Five Elements Heavenly Palace once again.

The people he had rescued from the Prison of Fire Refinement had also been implanted with demonic miasma. It had to be removed as soon as possible.

...

Far away within the imperial city.

A cloud of black smoke drifted through the air and landed on top of a tower. The smoke condensed and gradually formed a savage face.

"Damn it, Ling Feng! You actually destroyed my clone!"

Li Qingling's body trembled. That clone had been connected to his soul. With the clone destroyed, his true body naturally suffered backlash.

"It seems he rescued everyone from the Prison of Fire Refinement as well!"

At that moment another shadow flashed past. Yan Jinghong had appeared before Li Qingling without anyone noticing.

"R-Regent Prince!"

Li Qingling quickly bowed toward Yan Jinghong and spoke with resentment.

"Ling Feng's strength has grown abnormally powerful. His source fire is not suppressed by the Fire Refinement Array at all. He also seems to have mastered an extremely powerful Soul Dao secret art. With a single glance he killed more than thirty imperial city guards."

"Hehe! If he were not strong enough, then this would be meaningless! What pleasure is there in crushing an ant?"

Yan Jinghong stood with his hands behind his back and laughed coldly.

"If he wants to save people, then let him save more! The more he saves, the faster he will die! Hahaha!"

"What should we do next?" Li Qingling asked in a low voice as he looked at Yan Jinghong.

"He will come to find me sooner or later. There is no need to worry about him. Imperial Advisor, go and make preparations. Three days from now I will marry the young lady of the Cangqiong Sect, Yue Yunlan."

A cold smile appeared in Yan Jinghong's eyes.

"That day will be Ling Feng's death day!"