Golden Core Battle!

Above the sky, the gale-force winds, sharp as knives, tore apart the vast sea of clouds.

Yun Du's face was ashen, and the thousands of clouds in front of him transformed into layers of shields, but they were burned by a dark red sea of fire and were forced to retreat step by step.

Water can extinguish fire, but Yun Du Cloud Dao more gentle, so he is naturally at a disadvantage when facing such an extremely domineering flame.

Yan Qiu stood in the void, his Metal Dao Daoist robe fluttering in the wind.

He was surrounded by a calamity fire that scorched the heavens and destroyed the earth, burning wildly between heaven and earth, like a crimson sun hanging high in the sky!

"Yun Du, you're still too green compared to Zhao Qing."

Yan Qiu looked down from his high position at Yun Du, who was struggling to hold on, and a cruel smile appeared on his lips. He really wanted to burn Yun Du to the ground!

"Judging by the time, that traitorous beast and that swarm of ants surnamed Sun should have already been wiped out by my men."

"Today, I'll have some fun with you!"

Yan Qiu made a hand seal, and the sea of fire surged, instantly transforming into a hundred-foot-long dark red giant sword within the fiery clouds. The sword's blade shimmered with dazzling Geng Metal light, pointing directly at Yun Du's brow.

"Today, I will first slay you, the abbot of White Cloud Temple, and then take the inner core of that bear demon!"

"Your White Cloud Temple harbors evil intentions and hides demons!"

"Today, I act on behalf of Heaven, to cleanse the sect of its corruption, and to restore order to this world!"

Yan Qiu's words were incredibly well-reasoned and eloquent.

With the Supreme Purity Sect in existence, he certainly wouldn't dare to openly break the rules, but to put it another way, it's a different story!

This is called sharing the burdens of the superior sect!

The giant sword crashed down, causing space to collapse inch by inch along its path, leaving a dark crack in the void, and the entire sea of clouds surged and boiled in response.

Yun Du bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of Essence Blood onto his whisk. Thousands of silver threads surged, transforming into a cloud-like dharma image tens of feet tall, which firmly held back the falling massive fire sword!

"Boom!"

The shockwave exploded, shattering the arms of the Cloud Qi Dharma Image. Yun Du a muffled groan, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, and his figure retreated a hundred feet.

Just as Yan Qiu was about to press his advantage, his brow suddenly twitched.

An aura of destruction that made his very soul tremble suddenly shot into the sky from the direction of Hongtian City in the distance!

"Snap--!"

Suddenly, the world was bright.

A bolt of purple-gold lightning, carrying the might of heaven and earth, tore apart the sea of fire that Yan Qiu had laid out in its most primal form!

The lightning dissipated, and the storm began again.

A colossal creature, five zhang tall and crackling with purple-gold lightning, stood fiercely in front of Yun Du.

Lightning crackled among the white fur, and the light blue mane on the neck and back danced wildly in the gale!

Those mysterious, lightning-like eyes stared intently at Yan Qiu, their murderous intent palpable.

Without any preamble, Shi Jian raised his right claw and swung it out from a distance. Without saying a word, he was ready to fight!

"Boom!"

The Spiritual Qi within a ten-mile radius was instantly drained...

A gigantic bear paw, formed entirely from Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, slammed down on Yan Qiu's protective Vast Yang Tribulation Fire with overwhelming force.

"Bang!"

Sparks flew everywhere, and Yan Qiu's proud protective shield of calamity fire dented!

The purple-gold arc of electricity drilled wildly into the gaps in the flames, instantly numbing half of his body, and causing his flesh to disintegrate under the lightning.

Yan Qiu was terrified. He transformed into a streak of fire and forcibly moved dozens of feet to the side, barely managing to avoid the fatal blow.

Then, Spiritual Qi surged, flesh and blood shed away, and a new body was reshaped.

He stared intently at the giant bear before him, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"Core Formation?"

"How could it be so fast! Where are the people I sent?!"

"Dead."

Shi Jian opened his blood-red maw, his voice like a muffled thunderclap from the heavens, causing the surrounding clouds to shatter. "Don't worry, not even ashes will be left!"

"Now it's your turn, you old codger."

"You arrogant little beast!"

"You?"

"A beast with fur and horns, lacking any intelligence, dares to stand shoulder to shoulder with me?"

"You even dared to dream of killing me? How utterly laughable and ignorant! But then again, a beast is a beast, utterly ignorant of its own limitations!"

Yan Qiu laughed in extreme anger, his eyes flashing with murderous intent intent:

"You've only just entered the Golden Core, your cultivation is still unstable, yet you dare to be so arrogant before me! Today I'll skin you alive and tear out your tendons!"

"Refine it into a supreme elixir!"

Yan Qiu clasped his hands together abruptly, and the Golden Core within his body began to circulate wildly.

"Calamity engulfs the heavens, Chihuo dragons."

The dark red sea of fire instantly shrank, transforming into nine fire dragons, each tens of feet long.

Each dragon scale was condensed from the aura of calamity fire, and the dragon spewed calamity fire from its mouth that could melt Law Treasure, strangling and killing Shi Jian from all directions.

"Fellow Cloud Dao, lock him in place for three breaths!"

"I'll suppress this old dog!"

Without turning his head, Shi Jian let out a deafening roar.

"Good!"

Yun Du wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

He formed several hand seals, and his Golden Core core erupted with a blinding white light:

"Cloud-Dispelling Heaven-Locking Formation, activate!"

With a single command, the clouds surged and the sea of clouds in all directions went berserk, transforming into countless thick white chains that ignored the scorching heat and tightly bound Yan Qiu's body and the nine fire dragons.

The clouds were constantly evaporated by the calamity fire, emitting a piercing "hissing" sound, but Yun Du risked his life and managed to slow down Yan Qiu's movements for a moment.

At that very moment, Shi Jian moved.

Instead of dodging the fire dragon's strangulation, his massive body suddenly sank, and the void beneath his feet exploded.

The five-zhang-tall Lightning Bear transformed into a purple-gold meteor, crashing straight into the two fire dragons in front of it, like Tianxing!

In an instant, the calamity fire engulfed Shi Jian, but then, relying on his physical body, Shi Jian forcefully shattered the fire dragon.

A flash of lightning, and the sea of fire scattered.

"What the hell?!"

Yan Qiu's pupils shrank sharply, never expecting that this demonic bear could withstand his Heaven-Burning Tribulation Fire with its bare body without being injured!

On the other hand, Shi Jian had already rushed up to Yan Qiu...

He opened his mouth wide, and the nine-patterned Purple-Gold Lightning Core pill inside his body spun wildly, compressing all the Lightning Origin deep in his throat.

"Roar--!"

A beam of purple-gold lightning, only as thick as an arm but condensed to the point of being almost tangible, shot out from Shi Jian's mouth.

This is the real [Thunder Roar]!

Wherever the lightning bolt passed, a black vacuum channel was burned out in the space. The terrifying power even caused space itself to distort slightly!

Yan Qiu felt the threat of death and frantically channeled his true energy.

An ancient shield engraved with intricate fire patterns instantly appeared in front of him; it was clearly a low-grade defensive magic Law Treasure: the Scarlet Flame Mysterious Metal Shield!

"When!"

The lightning bolt struck the shield, producing a deafening roar that seemed to shatter metal and split stone.

The defensive Law Treasure, the Mysterious Metal Shield, could only withstand the pure Purple Firmament Divine Lightning for a few breaths before countless cracks appeared on its surface, and then it exploded with a bang!

The remaining force of the lightning bolt pierced through Yan Qiu's right shoulder.

"Ah!"

Yan Qiu let out a shrill scream as his right arm was severed at the root. No blood flowed from the wound; it was all charred, mangled flesh burned by the lightning.

The purple-gold arcs of electricity traveled along his meridians, frantically drilling into his Dantian, attempting to destroy his Golden Core!

He's completely ruined!

The Great Dao is vast and boundless, with heavenly thunder, earthly fire, and myriad clouds converging together.

This world was struck so hard that the Daoist principles were obscured, and the violent flow of Spiritual Qi stirred up hurricanes on the ground below.

You dare to harm my very essence!

Yan Qiu was disheveled, looked like a madman, and was listless.

He plunged his remaining left hand into his chest, forcing out a drop of his primordial Essence Blood, which he flicked into the air.

His Essence Blood shimmered, transforming into a massive bronze furnace burning with crimson flames. The furnace lid was lifted, and a suction force, seemingly emanating from the deepest abyss, tightly enveloped Shi Jian.

"The Heaven and Earth Furnace and earth, today I will refine you, you beast!"

Shi Jian suddenly felt his body sink, as if the space around him had turned into a solid iron plate, dragging him toward the furnace opening...

"You're risking your life, huh?"

You old bastard, I'll grant your wish!