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Flames capable of burning both the heavens and earth blazed as Zhuge Hong reverted from her true form as a vermillion bird into a woman bathed in flames.

The instant her flaming feet made contact with the ground, the very earth itself dried and cracked beneath her.

Ancient trees, fully one hundred meters away, were burnt to cinders by the intense wave of heat.

A vermillion bird's nirvanic flames could burn all of creation.

Black Dragon withdrew, retreating to a place within the limits of his endurance. He stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes, and chuckled, "is that Nirvanic Rebirth? It seems somewhat different, though."

The Vermillion Bird's nirvana made him feel a certain amount of pressure but wasn't it better this way? Victory without any resistance at all was so boring.

Fwoosh!

The flames surrounding Zhuge Hong, who was now a woman formed of pure fire, expanded several meters upward.

Her body blazed with golden flames. It was as if a second sun had descended to the mortal world.

Mountains melted and rivers dried up.

Everything in a ten-thousand-mile radius dried up as water rapidly evaporated.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

There was no end to the numbers of demons, zombies, and even allied men and beasts who fell before the waves of steam and heat, transformed into desiccated corpses.

Even Black Dragon had no choice but to retreat before the intense waves of height. The solemn expression on his face had already lingered there for a long time.

A hundred meters away, Ye Zichen was taken by surprise and had no time to prepare. The wave of heat practically burnt away his blood.

Suddenly, a man in black robes appeared before him. The man reached out, palms facing forward, and pushed. A ring of yellow-brown light blocked the incoming heat, scattering it outside the barrier.

"Emperor Ye, leave this place to us. You hurry back to Dragon City."

"Clan Head Tu," Ye Zichen gazed at the gaunt figure.

Ti Biyu simply watched the flaming women gravely and said in a low voice, "a vermillion bird's nirvana is capable of burning all of creation. In this state, she is unable to control her flames. Yet, these uncontrollable flames are stronger than any other fire. All of creation shall be burnt to cinders in their wake."

"All of creation?" Ye Zichen asked, shaken.

"A phoenix undergoes nirvana and is reborn amongst the flames. A vermillion bird undergoes nirvana and burns both heaven and earth. Right now, she is using her own body as a furnace to refine all of creation."

"Then aren't you saying……"

'It's not as serious as you think." Tu Biyu shook his head. "We're only doing this to buy time to activate the Four Beasts Formation. Even if Black Dragon is a sky supreme, there's absolutely no way he'd dare linger beneath the heat of Zhuge Hong's Nirvanic Flames for long. As for our own soldiers who've yet to retreat, it's up to me to shield them."

Ye Zichen could read several unspoken words from Tu Biyu's gaze.

After undergoing Nirvana, Zhuge Hong would die. He, after staying behind to protect their troops as they retreated, would be buried here as well.

"After activating the Four Beasts Formation, Dragon City will become invincible. One hundred years is all we can offer you. When the time is up, the future of all the countless lives of the Three Realms will be in your hands."

Fwoosh.

The flames around the vermillion bird in her incarnation as a woman of pure flame expanded once more, growing several meters taller. The flames' color changed as well; they were now pure gold.

Golden light enveloped the earth, incinerating everything below.

No one sensed an attack, but everyone, regardless of whether they were human, demon, beast, or zombie, was burnt into a desiccated corpse. Their bodies fell to the ground, crumbled into ashes, and were scattered amongst heaven and earth.

Tu Bi yu stood before Ye Zichen, protecting him behind a barrier. When he saw Zhuge Hong's flames change color, he lowered his head, reached out his hand, and tightly clenched a jade pendant.

He put the pendant to his lips and kissed it softly, then tossed it to Ye Zichen.

"Emperor Ye, please deliver this to my wife and tell her…. I love her!"

Rumble.

The earth shook.

A vast chasm formed, splitting open the dried earth. The very crust of the earth changed as well; the melting mountains suddenly disappeared before their very eyes, as did the desiccated riverbeds.

"Awoo……."

A low cry, like a bugle call, passed through Tu Biyu's lips before he transformed into a Xuanwu Tortoise and his shell separated from his body.

The shell formed an irregular line in the sky. Before long, shaky, illegible, script emerged on the surface of the split shell.

The characters instantly lit up. There was a burst of dazzling light as an earth-colored protective barrier expanded around them, spreading in all four directions.

They were enshrouded.

And sealed off.

Yellowish-brown spheres of light surrounded the human and beast soldiers still struggling bitterly to endure Zhuge Hong's flames. The overwhelming heat vanished.

"Clan Head Zhuge, Brother Tu……"

Ye Zichen grit his teeth and stared at their backs, then clenched his fists and carried Yin Shang towards Dragon City.

When they heard the sound of a bugle, soldiers of all clans withdrew to Dragon City. As for the demons and blood zombies, they had their hands full taking care of themselves.

"Miss Zhuge, Brother Tu……"

Xia Hua watched from outside Dragon City. Tears welled in his eyes. He clenched his fists, gnashed his teeth, and refused to let himself cry.

They'd planned this in advance. Their goal to absolutely ensure they had enough time to place the Four Beasts formation.

When the Xuanwu Tortoise and Vermillion Bird clansmen saw their leaders sacrifice themselves, their eyes grew bloodshot.

However, they soon buried their emotions in their hearts and quietly clenched their fists.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.

A steady stream of allied soldiers poured into Dragon City. Xia Hua's turbid eyes gazed up at the sky as he reached out with his spiritual awareness.

It was just about time!

"Everyone……" Xia Hua retracted his gaze. Expression solemn, he looked right at the Sacred Beast clansmen. "Please."

Everyone present knew full well just what the word "please" represented.

They said nothing, their gazes brimming with solemn determination.

They took to the skies.

The twenty-four pure-blooded Sacred Beast clansmen each stood in their respective positions, forming a circle in the sky.

In the center of the circle, one member of each clan stood in the direction associated with their clan.

The Vermillion Bird, Xuanwu Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger.

Images of their respective clans' Sacred Beasts illuminated beneath their feet. At the same time, the other twenty clansmen lifted their hands into the air and knelt piously before the four standing at the circle's center.

Rather, they knelt before the images of their Sacred Ancestors.

They established a link.

Golden lines radiated out of each of the images and connected to their clansmen's' arms.

Their faces soon revealed hints of pain as their blood essence flowed from their bodies, through the golden lines, and into the images at the heart of the formation.

The four standing directly above the images were those among them with the purest bloodlines. Their bodies gradually started to emit pure, unsullied light.

Instantly, blood-colored light filled the skies.

The Four Beasts Formation activated!