The simultaneous arrival of the two major elders of the Source Fire Sect boosted the spirits of all its members.
"How dare you dog-born couple intrude upon our Source Fire Sect's restricted area! You deserve a thousand deaths!" Elder Hou's face twisted in fury as he saw the many illusory chains being shattered by that towering Deity. He surged forward, charging straight towards the woman in red.
He understood clearly: if he could kill the woman in red, that colossal Deity would lose control and cease its assault on the seal.
"Old fart, your opponent is me!" Ye Yunfei replied with a smile.
As he spoke, six flaming crows simultaneously materialized in front of Elder Hou, their sharp claws wreathed in searing flames as they lashed out at him.
"Impossible! How can this young brat also be proficient in fire-attribute techniques—and at such a high level!" Elder Hou immediately recognized that the six crows before him were manifestations of fire, a revelation that filled him with shock and disbelief.
"Scram!" Elder Hou roared sharply.
Boom!... A three-tiered fire pagoda erupted from within his body, unleashing a formidable surge of fire energy that blasted towards the six flaming crows.
"You have treasures, and so do I!" Ye Yunfei took a step forward and threw a punch. Above his fist, two Half-Deity-level treasures simultaneously materialized, parrying the incoming fire pagoda.
Ye Yunfei had already fused numerous Half-Deity-level artifacts into his body using the Art of Body-Transmutation, an esoteric technique. Though these treasures were perfectly merged with his flesh, he could still call them forth from his physique during battle.
Watching his fire pagoda being blocked, a startled Elder Hou immediately threw out a palm strike. Nine fire dragons soared out from his palm, dominating the sky as they clashed against the six flaming crows.
"Scram, you brat! How dare you interfere with our Source Fire Sect's affairs—you'll regret this!" Elder Hou spat out a blazing curved saber that spun towards Ye Yunfei with a slicing motion.
Ye Yunfei punched again, the two Half-Deity treasures on his fist intercepting the curved saber.
This flame-enveloped curved saber was a mid-level Half-Deity artifact, its power immense enough to make Ye Yunfei's body shudder violently.
"Impressive! Worthy of a mid-level Half-Deity!" Ye Yunfei exclaimed, stepping forward instead of retreating, throwing yet another punch. His fist swelled continuously, the two Half-Deity treasures upon it radiating divine light, coupled with the raw physical force of three hundred thousand jiaos. Space crumpled under the fearsome fist momentum.
Simultaneously with his punch, the several Internal Secret Realms within his body trembled, unleashing earth-shattering roars that further intensified the ferocity of Ye Yunfei's assault.
Clang! Clang! Clang!...
A series of sharp metallic clashes rang out as Ye Yunfei's fist and that curved saber collided repeatedly.
However, Elder Hou was after all a mid-level Half-Deity. The energy he commanded was simply too formidable. After a few exchanges, Ye Yunfei found himself forced to gradually retreat, shock brewing within him.
"Fortunately, during the previous battles you've used the Six Extraordinary Flames to gain control over this region's Fire Energy and Fire Laws, establishing a form of strategic dominance. This indirectly suppresses him, allowing you to barely withstand this old geezer's attacks. If you'd encountered this old man earlier, you'd have had no choice but to flee in defeat," Hun Lao transmitted to Ye Yunfei.
"True. This old man's combat effectiveness is amplified within this Fire Realm because all the techniques he cultivates are fire-attribute. However, now that I can control the Fire Energy and fire properties in the surrounding space, I can just about exchange blows with him," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"How can this be? This brat's physical strength is unnaturally monstrous! He can actually withstand my frontal attacks! And he somehow has the means to control the Fire Energy and Fire Laws of this entire region!" Elder Hou simply refused to believe it.
"Die!" Seeing from the corner of his eye that the woman in red, controlling the towering Deity, had smashed several more enormous illusory chains, Elder Hou's frantic anxiety amplified his assaults.
He spat out a breath, and from his mouth surged tens of thousands of flaming birds. They were manifestations of the purest Fire Energy and Fire Laws within him. The sheer multitude of firebirds instantly ignited the fiery momentum of the surrounding world to a more violent degree. Densely packed like a torrential downpour, they converged on Ye Yunfei from all directions.
These firebirds not only attacked Ye Yunfei, but also continually absorbed Fire Energy and Fire Laws from the surrounding world.
Ye Yunfei immediately felt the temperature at his location skyrocket. Blazing flames seemed intent on incinerating everything to ashes.
"Such terrifying fiery momentum!" Completely surrounded by countless firebirds, Ye Yunfei's clothes and hair began to char, curl, and nearly catch fire.
Ye Yunfei waved a hand, and the six flaming crows returned, swirling around him to protect his physical body.
"Elder Hou, deal with that brat! I'll stop that little wench!" At this moment, Elder Mo finally closed in. His body grew taller and larger, transforming into a towering fire-enshrouded titan. He opened his mouth and took a fierce gulp, forcibly drawing in the Fire Energy and Fire Laws from a vast surrounding expanse, swallowing them to replenish his own power.
Both elders were now contesting with Ye Yunfei for control over the Fire Energy and Fire Laws within this region!
Fortunately, the fire-control method imparted by the woman in red was extremely refined. The Six Extraordinary Flames continuously commanded this region's Fire Energy and Fire Laws, establishing that strategic dominance. That was precisely why Ye Yunfei could still barely stand against Elder Hou.
"Little wench, die!" Elder Mo moved incredibly swiftly, trying to flank Ye Yunfei and charge towards the woman in red.
But Ye Yunfei wasn't slow either. With a flicker, he blocked Elder Mo's path.
"Kid, you're not afraid of death!" Elder Mo roared furiously.
He then raised a blazing giant fist and threw a punch at Ye Yunfei as if hurling a massive volcano.
Without dodging or evading, Ye Yunfei moved his will. Over a dozen Half-Deity level treasures materialized together over his clenched fist. He punched forward.
Boom!...
Their fists collided.
A tremendous surge of energy swept towards him, jolting Ye Yunfei backward in a series of steps.
Elder Mo, like Elder Hou, was only at the initial Half-Deity realm. But within this Fire Realm, his combat effectiveness could manifest at the mid-level Half-Deity level. Essentially, within this world, both elders of the Source Fire Sect were equivalent to two mid-level Half-Deities.
At that moment, Elder Hou pressed forward again, directing countless firebirds to attack Ye Yunfei from all sides in an endless tide.
The six flaming crows beside Ye Yunfei flapped their wings, fiercely battling against the ceaseless onslaught of firebirds.
With a furious roar, Elder Hou gripped his curved saber with both hands and unleashed his full power. Saber energy like an ocean surged forth, blotting out the sky and engulfing Ye Yunfei.
Besieged by two Half-Deity masters, Ye Yunfei quickly found himself overwhelmed, forced to retreat repeatedly under the relentless assault.
"How much longer will it take? I can't hold on much longer!" Ye Yunfei lamented inwardly, hastily sending a transmission to the woman in red.
"I've already shattered half the seal! Endure a little longer! I can completely break all the seals soon!" the woman in red replied while wholly focused on controlling the towering Deity. She held up the crimson palace with both hands, smashing it wildly against the massive illusory chains.
This giant Deity was a legacy left behind by a Fire Clan ancestor. However, the soul power mark within was almost completely eroded. It needed Cui Xia to continually supply her origin bloodline to maintain the Deity's combat awareness. Without her sustained input, the colossal Deity would soon lose its consciousness and cease moving.
Because she had been continuously channeling her origin bloodline to the Deity, Cui Xia's energy depletion was severe. At this moment her face had turned pale, her aura greatly weakened.
"Alright, keep going! Speed it up as much as possible!" Sensing her condition, Ye Yunfei simply nodded without further comment.
"Why are you still standing there dumbfounded?! Go and stop that wench immediately!" Elder Hou suddenly shouted at his subordinates.
With him and Elder Mo focusing on surrounding Ye Yunfei, Ye Yunfei could no longer spare any hands to deal with the other Source Fire Sect members.
Hearing Elder Hou's roar, the other Source Fire Sect disciples immediately reacted. Swarming forward, they charged towards the woman in red from all directions.
"Anyone who dares approach will die!"
The next moment, another Ye Yunfei appeared, shielding the woman in red, and struck immediately. Within a few punches, he smashed a dozen of the Source Fire Sect members leading the charge.
This Ye Yunfei was a Doppelganger Statue!
A body double crafted using the Doppelganger Statue technique, perfectly simulating Ye Yunfei's original aura. The combat prowess it could unleash was at least seventy to eighty percent of Ye Yunfei's original body—more than sufficient to handle these ordinary Source Fire Sect forces.
Ye Yunfei's true body had learned the fire-control technique passed down by the woman in red, and the Doppelganger Statue could also apply it.
Immediately, Hu Miao, Huang Shang, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm, and even the Bloodline Doppelganger all appeared beside the Doppelganger Statue, joining forces to repel the Source Fire Sect assault.
Although terrifying Fire Energy and Fire Laws permeated this mountain area, Ye Yunfei's doppelganger could control the surrounding Fire Energy and fire attributes. Thus Hu Miao and the others didn't need to fear the pervasive flames in the environment. Fighting together, they managed to fend off the surrounding Source Fire Sect forces.
"Kill that brat first!" Watching this unfold, both elders of the Source Fire Sect roared in unison, pressing forward step by step, determined to eliminate Ye Yunfei as quickly as possible.
At this moment, Ye Yunfei was finding it tough to hold his ground—he was, after all, fighting two Half-Deity masters simultaneously!
Boom!...
The Nine Divine Beasts together pushed the massive Nine Palaces Totem Wheel, crushing its way towards Elder Mo.
A crimson spear materialized in Elder Mo's hands, both shaft and tip wreathed in flickering flames that radiated astonishing heat. Gripping the spear with both hands, Elder Mo thrust out, creating countless spear shadows that forced the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel to retreat step by step.
The nine beasts pushing the wheel together represented the strongest combat state of the Nine Palaces Totem Wheel. Yet Elder Mo's attacks continuously drove it back—a testament to Elder Mo's formidable power.
"If this continues, sooner or later I'll be defeated by these two old geezers!" Ye Yunfei grimaced inwardly under the storm of attacks from the two Source Fire Sect elders.
By this point in the battle, Ye Yunfei's body had been struck by the two elders countless times. It was a webwork of wounds, with many horrifying, blood-dripping holes across his physique.
Throughout the fight, Ye Yunfei had maintained his Body's Divine Channeling, turning himself into a sky-piercing giant. Yet precisely because of that, he was an overly conspicuous target.
Simultaneously, he had to block the two elders' advance and prevent them from approaching the woman in red. He couldn't move or dodge—he could only brace himself and withstand the assault directly.
Meanwhile, the Doppelganger Statue along with Hu Miao, Huang Shang, the Golden-Horned Dragon Silkworm and others fended off the other Source Fire Sect disciples.
"Form the Celestial Fire Divine Formation!" Suddenly, Elder Mo yelled.
"Elder Mo, we're still not proficient enough in the Celestial Fire Divine Formation—we haven't truly grasped its essence," a Perfected Heavenly Immortal replied.
"Our two doppelgangers will jointly oversee the Celestial Fire Divine Formation!" Elder Mo shouted.
Then, doppelgangers simultaneously emerged from both Elder Mo and Elder Hou, stepping before the Source Fire Sect members and directing them to form a massive battle array.
This battle array was a legacy passed down since antiquity within the Source Fire Sect, extremely powerful yet immensely complex to assemble. Only masters at the Half-Deity level personally supervising could manage to set it up.
Now, with the doppelgangers of two elders jointly directing, they managed to roughly establish the Celestial Fire Divine Formation.
Boom!...
Once the Celestial Fire Divine Formation took form, heaven and earth shook with its terrifying momentum. An ancient Fire Deity phantom materialized, exuding astonishing archaic energy.
"Not good—this battle array is incredibly strong!" Ye Yunfei stared in alarm at the emerging ancient Fire Deity.
Boom!...
The towering Fire Deity gripped a crimson trident, its three prongs continually spewing flames. Raising it high, the Deity struck towards the woman in red.
Feeling the overwhelming, terrifying force bearing down on her from above, the woman in red found herself almost immobilized.
Having continuously maintained the colossal Deity with her origin bloodline, Cui Xia was already extremely weakened. Now, suddenly subjected to such an attack, she simply lacked the strength to resist.
The Doppelganger Statue rose into the sky alongside Hu Miao and the others, each unleashing their unique skills as they jointly blocked the crimson trident.
But the power of the Celestial Fire Divine Formation was simply too immense. The Doppelganger Statue, Hu Miao, and the others were instantly blasted away and flung aside.
The colossal Fire Deity brandished its trident, continuing its assault towards the woman in red.
Ye Yunfei waved his hand, and another Doppelganger Statue appeared. This statue waved both hands, hurling out formation flag after formation flag. Grand formations continuously manifested, akin to one umbrella after another unfurling, protecting the woman in red from the incoming attack.
The previously thrown back Doppelganger Statue returned with Hu Miao and the others, striking together to shield Cui Xia from the enormous Fire Deity.
Two Doppelganger Statues together engaged the Celestial Fire Divine Formation—one utilizing various techniques and martial skills, while the other specialized in formations, ceaselessly throwing out formation flags and rapidly erecting layer upon layer of protective arrays. Astonishingly, they managed to barely withstand the onslaught of the Celestial Fire Divine Formation.
Boom!...
At that very moment, three terrifyingly powerful figures burst into the Fire Realm from outside, rushing towards the Fire Clan's ancestral land at an alarming speed.
Even from such a vast distance, the aura emanating from these three figures surged forward like a tidal wave, stifling every living being within the Fire Realm.
"The three Patriarchs have arrived!" Sensing the dreadful pressure of the approaching trio, all members of the Source Fire Sect, including the two elders, erupted in momentary jubilation.
"Things have taken a dire turn. The most powerful experts of the Source Fire Sect have arrived!" Ye Yunfei's heart sank.
He was already struggling this much against two initial-level Half-Deities from the Source Fire Sect. When the sect's three Patriarchs arrived, he would definitely be no match for them!