Nezha stared intently at the distant Divine Fusang Tree, his eyes brimming with joy.

For those in the Three Realms who practiced the Fire Technique, the value of the Divine Fusang Tree was immeasurable; it was the incarnation of the flames of the world and the manifestation of the Tao.

If the Peaches represent life, then the Fusang Tree represents fire.

In Nezha’s eyes, the Fusang Tree was composed of various kinds of flames, which were exceptionally lively, frolicking in a world that belonged solely to the Fusang Tree.

Previously unclear aspects suddenly became enlightening to him, feeling as if he had drunk a chilled fine wine on a hot summer day, relaxing, with every pore in his body wanting to open.

Hearing the Tao in the morning, one could die in the evening with no regrets.

Time seemed to lose its meaning at that moment; Nezha knew only to roam within the ocean of flames, getting close to these mischievous spirits.

At some point, orange flames suddenly appeared on Nezha’s body, the terrifying heat causing those around him to step back several paces.

Li Jing, seeing this, exclaimed joyfully, "Do not disturb him!"

He knew this was a great benefit for his son, a further advancement in his mastery of the Fire Technique, and thus he did not want anyone to interrupt Nezha’s chance.

The war on Yingzhou Island had escalated to its peak, with countless people fighting on this island. Yet, it all seemed irrelevant to Nezha, who still focused intently on the Fusang Tree not far away, utterly entranced.

A cultivator from Yingzhou Island astutely realized this and instantly shouted loudly, "That thief is stealing the Spirit Mechanism of the Divine Fusang Tree!"

With that shout, everyone’s gaze turned towards Nezha.

"Break his concentration!"

Since he was their enemy, how could they let Nezha freely seize such a great opportunity? Thus, the people of Yingzhou Island simultaneously abandoned their own opponents and charged towards Nezha’s location.

Li Jing frowned tightly at this. Nezha’s current state was something rare and invaluable, and although he was the Commander-in-chief of the Three Armies, he also had his own personal wishes and thus decided to try and delay for a while longer.

A tremendous battle erupted around the area where Nezha was.

Nezha was ultimately awakened by the shouts and the clamor. He looked around and realized he had been in deep realization for a long time, sadly being interrupted in the end.

Thus, he unleashed all his rage on the people of Yingzhou Island, with terrifying flames bursting forth from him, sweeping over Heaven and Earth in an instant.

Compared to the previous Samadhi True Fire, Nezha’s flames this time were fiercer and hotter. His brief period of realization had drastically advanced his Fire Technique, both in scale and power, undergoing a transformative change.

Without the Eastern King, no one on Yingzhou Island could withstand Nezha’s flames.

As the tide turned, the situation immediately changed: the morale of the Heavenly Court soared, and the people of Yingzhou Island, left with no choice, could only retreat to their island.

Nezha, commanding the flames, continued his pursuit only to see runes light up around Yingzhou Island. A massive Barrier instantly enveloped the entire island, blocking all of Nezha’s flames from entering.

The Fire-tipped Spear thrust vigorously against the Barrier but did not budge.

The great formation of Yingzhou Island and the island itself were closely linked, even using the Divine Fusang Tree as the focal point of the formation; it was indeed miraculous. Even with Nezha’s abilities, breaking through such a defense was sheer folly.

"Fall back!" Li Jing’s authoritative voice rang in Nezha’s ear.

Reluctantly, Nezha glanced at the people on Yingzhou Island, so close yet so far, and withdrew unwillingly.

Returning to Li Jing’s side, Nezha’s face still showed his reluctance as he ground his teeth and said, "Such a tough turtle shell, it simply can’t be cracked open."

At his words, Li Jing merely smiled and said, "The barrier of Yingzhou Island is indeed formidable, ranking among the top few in the Three Realms. Alas, times have changed."

With a slight wave of his hand, atop a cloud, countless heavenly soldiers rolled out dark cannons.

This was a tactic Li Jing had learned from the Demon Clan in Luzhou in the North, isolating cannons to maximize their impact.

Last time in Luzhou in the North, the Heavenly Court was severely outplayed by this strategy. Now having learned from it, Li Jing was prepared to let the people of Yingzhou Island experience the might of cannons.

At his command, the cannons fired all at once, and when the shells hit the transparent barrier, they immediately stirred up ripples.

"Hmph, thinking you could break the barrier of Yingzhou Island is nothing but foolish wishful thinking," someone from Yingzhou Island sneered.

But the intense barrage that followed, relentless as rainfall, immediately turned his expression grave, as the entire barrier shook under the barrage, appearing on the verge of collapse.

Just then, atop the mountain, the Divine Fusang Tree shone brilliantly, its powerful energy instantly replenishing the barrier’s strength, enabling it, which was on the brink of collapse, to barely hold on.

This is the advantage of using a Spirit Root as the core of the formation; it can draw power at any time to replenish the strength of the barrier, which is also the greatest confidence of the cultivators of Yingzhou Island.

After a round of cannon fire, though Yingzhou Island shook violently under the onslaught, it managed to survive the ordeal surprisingly unscathed, easing the worried minds of its people.

Luckily, the Divine Fusang Tree was there.

Li Jing and others watched this scene quietly, and Nezha whispered, "Father, this barrier is hard to break through!"

Li Jing, however, smiled and said, "No matter, we brought fewer cannons this time. I will write a letter asking His Majesty to send more cannons. Although the barrier is strong, just a little more firepower will still deal with it. Actually, the outcome of this war isn’t decided here."

Thus saying, he looked up in the direction of the Heavenly Court and spoke solemnly, "The war over there will determine the victor. What we need to do is keep these people trapped here, preventing their escape. Once the dust settles, we can take our time cleaning them up."

The campaign against Yingzhou Island and the expedition to Luzhou in the North were fundamentally different, the former being a mere mopping up of rebels, while the latter was a war between races, not comparable in scale.

Plus, with Luzhou in the North amply wide and densely populated, nobody knew exactly how many people lay hidden within its lands. Hence, the Heavenly Court could not simply besiege the Demon Clan like they did Yingzhou Island.

Neither the Demon Emperor nor the Jade Emperor would make a move lightly, since the war had not escalated to that point yet.

Yingzhou Island lacked such advantages. If it weren’t for the Divine Fusang Tree, just the Eastern King alone couldn’t protect these people.

That was why the Eastern King, wanting to change the status quo, had no choice but to stake everything on a showdown with the Jade Emperor, betting all chances of victory on this battle.

Everyone fell silent, instinctively turning their gaze towards the direction of the Heavenly Court. Not just the people of the Heavenly Court but also those of Yingzhou Island knew that was where the final victory would be decided.

And there, the Eastern King was advancing toward the Lingxiao Treasured Palace with an unstoppable momentum.

To him, the guards at the Gate of the Southern Heavens might as well have been made of paper.