Deep in the vine-draped rainforest, the air steamed with the stench of decay. The "Old Shaman," Yaki Toto, gripped the Tier Four Battle Saber given to him by Li Xiang and cleared the path ahead.

The group of nine advanced through the Amazon Jungle, on a quest to vanquish demons and monsters and restore peace to the land. It had the distinct air of a scene from *Journey to the West*.

Yes, this was their version of crossing Shituo Ridge.

They had already entered the Land of Demons. The ecosystem here had been completely transformed, and the various treacherous environments were shocking.

A foul, corrosive wind of decay gnawed at their battle gear, while a tide of miasma surged toward the sky. Demonic anacondas with scales like blades coiled around ancient trees, and corpse-fireflies devoured flesh down to the bone, their green light tainting any blade that struck them. Crimson eyes flashed from within withered vines, and in the murky swamps, rotten claws and fangs bobbed on the surface. The poisonous vapors even condensed into sharp blades hanging high in the air, while a winding black river promised to devour anyone who fell into its currents.

The Old Shaman Yaki Toto was fearless. He swung his Battle Saber, and the moment its edge sliced through the aerial roots of a Strangler Fig, a piercing shriek echoed from the distance.

"Let me," Yao Yao said, the first to act. Her Battle Armor, meticulously designed by her and carefully forged by Li Xiang, fit her perfectly, accentuating her graceful figure to the extreme.

PEW! PEW! PEW!

Yao Yao fired her assault rifle in short bursts, the bullets accurately piercing the eye sockets of three zombified Jaguars.

An Anaconda lay in wait, preparing an ambush. Xu Xuan waved his hand, and a Wind Blade spun out, easily severing its head.

At the same time, Zhao Xueqing, Lei Xiaohui, and Lei Jiaming also raised their rifles, sniping the "Zombie Animals" in the distance one after another. Every shot was a headshot, and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Luo Feifei pointed her sword to the sky, and an Extreme Cold Frozen Qi instantly froze the swamp a hundred meters away. Beneath the ice, twelve parasitized black caimans were ramming against the surface frantically. Luo Feifei became a blur, zipped over for a quick look, and returned in an instant.

And a hundred meters away, those twelve black caimans now lay quietly beneath the frozen swamp, shattered into seven or eight pieces, unable to move ever again. With the enhancement of her "Sharpness" Superpower, her White Tiger Sword was unrivaled, its keenness surpassing Li Xiang’s Cold Ice Sword Qi by countless times.

A Fluorescent Frog Group swarmed toward them. Lei Xiaohui and Zhang Youyou each unleashed flames. Lei Xiaohui’s took the form of a Flame Soft Whip, which crackled as she swung it, sweeping away a large swath of them.

Zhang Youyou, on the other hand, controlled a Sea of Fire that cooked the Fluorescent Frog Group until they sizzled. The crimson blaze cast a reddish, gold-tinged glow upon everyone.

"Brother Xiang, this area might need to be purified by fire," Lei Xiaohui suggested. "There’s no end to these contaminated or controlled puppets. How can we kill them all? We might as well just burn it all down."

Zhang Youyou was also excited. "Xiaohui and I are good at this. You can leave it to us. We guarantee we can keep it within a two- or three-hundred-kilometer radius and not burn any of the untouched areas."

When they set their fire, not even the rainy season could stop it, because what they released was no Mortal Fire.

Li Xiang shook his head. "That Exotic Beast will just move. If we don’t eliminate the source, burning the forest is useless. The most urgent task is to find the mastermind. Once the mastermind is eliminated, these contaminated animals and humans will immediately lose their ability to move. It won’t be too late to burn them then."

The Old Shaman Yaki Toto: "..." He knew the warriors Paya had summoned were formidable, but he never expected every single one of them to be *this* formidable.

Li Xiang glanced at Zhang Youyou and Xu Xuan, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He had noticed something slightly different about Zhang Youyou.

’Although Zhang Youyou and Xu Xuan are still Tier One, their strength has grown significantly since we last met.’

’Especially Zhang Youyou’s fire. It’s very unique.’

’Lei Xiaohui, Chiba Yuki, Chiba Asatsuyu, and Zhang Youyou all "play with fire," but their four fires are quite different.’

’Lei Xiaohui’s is Taoist Fire, filled with Daoist rhythm and Spirituality. That’s why she can condense all sorts of Flame Saber Soldiers and even Flame Vehicles, making it ever-changing. Chiba Yuki is a Yin Yang Master, and her fire is summoned through her Shikigami Red Wisdom. It’s the Red Lotus Karmic Fire from the Netherworld Hell, reeking of a ghostly aura; it’s a type of Ghost Fire. Chiba Asatsuyu’s fire is born from the smoke and gas of subterranean lava. It’s domineering and fierce, carries the scent of sulfur, and is filled with poisonous miasma.’

’Zhang Youyou’s, however, is slightly different. I didn’t see it before because I had seen few Fire Element Transcendents back then, and her Fire Cultivation was still shallow. But now, her Fire Traits are gradually revealing themselves. Hers is the "Dual Cultivation Fire."’

’She controls a Sea of Fire. Compared to before, her crimson flames are now mixed with a hint of pale gold, with a texture like liquid glaze. Hidden within are traces of Xu Xuan’s Wind Element Spiritual Power. Their energies form a closed loop within the Sea of Fire, which is composed of countless spiraling vortices of Spiritual Energy where wind and fire intertwine. That’s why when they work together, the wind fuels the fire’s power, and the fire enhances the wind’s might.’

’This is the result of them being mutually completed through Dual Cultivation. Although they are Tier One right now, they are far superior to ordinary Tier One Transcendents. When they team up, their combat power exceeds that of a Tier Two. Even two Tier Two Transcendents might not gain much of an advantage against them.’

Li Xiang fell into deep thought. He recalled what happened at Snow’s Inn, when he acted as the Yin-Yang Medium for the Twin Gouyu. Chiba Yuki had also joined in, and the four of them cultivated together. It seemed to have achieved a similar effect to Dual Cultivation, just through a different method.

But at that time, he had simply helped them balance their Yin-Yang Energy, without incorporating the methods of Dual Cultivation.

’It’s all for the sake of cultivation. If it can greatly increase my strength and complete my Spirit Body, being a bit of a playboy might not be unacceptable.’ Once this thought emerged, he found it somewhat difficult to suppress.

’Since Yukigiri’s Ice Spiritual Power can make the Cold Ice Sword Qi Rune more active, if I were to practice Dual Cultivation with Luo Feifei, wouldn’t that be even more...’

Luo Feifei also had many Superpowers, including the "Sharpness" Attribute that could enhance the Attack Power of Sword Qi.

Furthermore, Chiba Yukigiri’s Ice Crystal Energy and Luo Feifei’s Ice Power were also different. Chiba Yukigiri’s Ice Element came from deep within the Earth Vein; it was colder and more brutal, pure ice with no trace of water. In addition, to balance energies with Asatsuyu, it had fused with the scent of sulfur, and her attacks were accompanied by a corrosive ice mist formed from volcanic ash that could eat through alloy armor.

Luo Feifei’s, however, was a Water-Inference Ice Element, making it more gentle, refined, and versatile. If Chiba Yukigiri’s was "Earth Vein Profound Ice" with the future potential to become a "Geological-level Strategic Weapon," then Luo Feifei’s was "Water-Inference Ice Element," with Superpowers geared more toward being a "Master of Environmental Control." And with her Electric Light Illusion Armor, she had even developed a "Water and Electricity Dual Cultivation" combat style.

Li Xiang’s constitution was unique, capable of bearing all things. If he became a "Playboy"—a Sea King—and metaphorically "accepted all rivers into his sea," the results might be miraculous. Of course, this was just Li Xiang’s idle speculation. Whether this path was viable, and how miraculous it would be, remained to be seen.

The mud on the riverbank suddenly boiled, and three human puppets burst out of the ground. The Old Shaman Yaki Toto suddenly let out a roar of grief and fury.

The roar pulled Li Xiang back to reality from his thoughts.

He understood in an instant. Those three human puppets were probably the Old Shaman’s kinsmen—perhaps even close relatives.

The Old Shaman Yaki Toto roared at the sky, tears of blood streaming from his eyes. The others looked at each other, unsure if they should act.

Especially since one of them was a pregnant woman, her belly swollen. She looked to be eight or nine months along, on the verge of giving birth.

But it was obvious that the fetus was already long dead in the womb.

Luo Feifei came closer and whispered, "The child... inside the mother’s womb... has been mutated into... a hive."

She had the Insight Superpower, so she could see things others couldn’t. It was more effective than the most advanced ultrasounds, CT scans, or MRIs.

As soon as she finished speaking, everyone watched in horror as countless Soldier Ants streamed out from the pregnant woman’s navel, carrying neural spores and scattering them all around.

"Kill them!" With Li Xiang’s command, everyone attacked at once.

A continuous barrage of rifle bullets, flames, a Sea of Fire, and Wind Blades simultaneously swept toward the three human puppets, engulfing them in an instant.

Immediately after, Li Xiang manipulated the terrain. The ground collapsed, and the surrounding earth rolled inward like ocean waves, quickly burying that entire patch of filth deep underground.

The Old Shaman Yaki Toto fell to his knees, his body trembling as he wept in silent grief.