Great Demon Sun Wukong

While the Soul Devouring Monk was locked in fierce battle with Ming Liekuang, on the other side of the cave depths, a few Underworld God Army squad leaders were planning to lead their forces to aid Ming Liekuang. But as they were gathering their troops together, a huge smelting furnace suspended mid-air came crashing down. The fall of the furnace was so sudden that no one had time to react. Thus, the enormous furnace, filled with glowing red-hot ore and molten iron, crashed straight down.

Underneath the falling furnace was a fiery pit, spewing intense flames. If the Flame God were present, he would certainly recognize the bright gold flames bursting forth as the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame, an extremely domineering force capable of reducing any metal to liquid iron. Besides Ming Liekuang, there were seven squad leaders in the cave with complete souls. Two of them were specifically tasked with guarding the furnace. When they saw that the person fighting Ming Liekuang had transformed into a metallic giant, one squad leader was about to harness a wisp of flame to aid Ming Liekuang.

However, before he could act, the furnace above crashed down. Startled, the squad leader hastily retreated. This was no laughing matter; they were all too familiar with the might of the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame. Not to mention anything else, but once the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame touched a person, it would burn without cease until that person was reduced to ashes. Even if one tried to remove the burning part, the flame would reignite on the severed limb.

Therefore, when the squad leader saw the furnace plummeting, he quickly retreated. If any of the flames from inside the furnace or the fiery pit splashed on them, it would be an absolute nightmare for the Underworld God Army. An ordinary person would be incinerated by the inextinguishable flames, but the members of the Underworld God Army would not die; so the flames would continue to burn incessantly, and those afflicted would suffer the eternal torment of being consumed by fire. The only solution was to be thrown into the Eye of Destruction to let the Power of Destruction utterly annihilate them into oblivion.

However, the large furnace did not fall into the fiery pit. Just as it was about to drop, it was suddenly struck by a massive force and veered off course, smashing into the assembled crowd of about three hundred Underworld God Army soldiers. The squad leaders, who had just finished rallying their troops, had their souls scattered in shock, rolling and crawling to either side, ordering their Divine Army to disperse immediately. But it was too late, and with a thunderous crash, the furnace, accompanied by a rain of fire, smashed onto the ground. About half of the three hundred Underworld God Army soldiers were touched by the scattered flames because they failed to dodge in time.

Even though the Puppet Nether Divine Army's defensive power and Combat Power were significantly enhanced and they fought relentlessly without fatigue or sense of pain, they were an invincible force on the battlefield where two armies clashed. However, they were severely disadvantaged in the smaller scales of battle involving top fighters. Not only were they much less agile than when in normal condition, but they also strictly followed commands from a few squad leaders, lacking any autonomy whatsoever.

Had these been three hundred regular Underworld God Army soldiers, they surely would have dodged as soon as the furnace came flying. But these puppets only started to dodge after receiving the command, which inevitably was too late. A hundred and thirty or so soldiers were touched by the flames, and in just a few breaths' time, they became engulfed in a great fireball. Nevertheless, even with their entire bodies aflame in golden fire, those puppet soldiers quickly stood up, maintaining a vigilant stance without moving.

Not far away, the Rogue Heart Sword Hero also revealed his presence. Naturally, he was responsible for the falling furnace. His Demon-breaking Slash, transformed into Light Attribute, could cut through gold and split stone with extreme sharpness; even the chains suspending the furnace, though made from Supreme Rank fireproof metal and thick as a man's waist, were severed entirely by the Rogue Heart Sword Hero's single sword strike. That great force, too, was propelled by the Sword Hero's Sword Qi.

Seeing Rogue Heart Sword Hero appear, the squad leaders, albeit disheveled but fortunate to have avoided the scattered flames of Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame, glared furiously, their eyes instantly turning blood-red. Anyone who dared to violate the majesty of the Underworld Venerate deserved death. Clearly there to cause destruction, it was obvious that their intent was to obstruct the Underworld Venerate's resurrection; such people were undoubtedly fated to die. At this moment, the seven squad leaders had no intention of aiding Ming Liekuang any longer; in their hearts, Ming Liekuang was a Supreme Rank power, surely capable of defeating the invaders even on his own. Thus, their mission was to immediately deal with this person, using his soul as a sacrifice for the Underworld Venerate.

One squad leader glanced back at the Underworld God Army that had all risen to stand, among which approximately one hundred and thirty were aflame with crimson-golden fire, their entire beings turned into raging infernos. A hint of reluctance and sorrow crossed their eyes before being replaced by a look of determination. With a single thought, the one hundred and thirty flame-enshrouded puppet soldiers of the Underworld God Army immediately split into ten squads and pounced on Rogue Heart Sword Hero from ten directions.

To have the Puppet Nether Divine Army tainted with Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame and then attack the enemy was one of the Underworld God Army's attack tactics or strategies. Given the strangeness and ferocity of the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame, just a glancing contact with the enemy would ensure they were immediately coated in flames, with only death awaiting them. However, this was a tactic that the squad leaders were extremely reluctant to use unless absolutely necessary. Every ignited member of the Underworld God Army was a loss; although they wouldn't be burned to death by the Earth's Core Gold-Melting Flame due to the special chains on their bodies, the fire could spread through the mysterious connection offered by the chains to unrelated individuals over time.
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When the flame was first discovered, such an incident had occurred: three puppet soldiers of the Underworld God Army accidentally became tainted with the flame, but they did not burn to death. Instead, they used this flame to incinerate a powerful Ferocious Beast into nothingness in the subsequent battle. However, when Ming Liekuang planned to keep these three as a secret weapon, he suddenly found that three other members had inexplicably ignited with this flame, and later, even a squad leader's body erupted into flame without cause. Although the puppet soldiers of the Underworld God Army, devoid of sensation, did not feel the agony of being scorched, the squad leader, very much alive, had no choice but to order the flame-ridden puppet soldiers to grab him and leap into the Eye of Destruction together.

Watching the one hundred and thirty-odd soldiers encircle Rogue Heart Sword Hero, the squad leaders' eyes filled with pain. Over a hundred members down on their right side; there were only so many in the Underworld God Army, with each death a loss. Right now, Rogue Heart Sword Hero was on high alert, the flaming beings posing a threat like he had never felt before, a genuine threat to his life. At this moment, he suddenly wished for Flame God's presence; although Flame God might not be able to extinguish the flame outright, he would certainly know its properties and weaknesses given his understanding of fire.

Rogue Heart Sword Hero did not believe these flames to be ordinary fire; it would be odd if something that could instill fear in a Domain Lord Level powerhouse like him was merely mundane. Just then, space twisted beside Rogue Heart Sword Hero, and a person with fiery-red short hair, wearing a red tight suit and having a Strange Saber slung on their shoulder, appeared by his side.

"Hehe, did you miss me? The old man said he was going to give me a big gift—where is it?" No sooner had Flame God finished speaking than he let out a bizarre shriek. Rogue Heart Sword Hero jumped, thinking Flame God had recognized the flames on those individuals, only to see Flame God frantically fishing something out of his chest. In no time, a fire-red jade-like needle as thick as a finger appeared in Flame God's palm, trembling wildly as if about to shatter any moment.

"Oh my heavens, my ancestors, bless me, what a Divine Fire I've found! From now on, old man, you are my dear grandfather!" With that, Flame God stowed away the long needle and looked around at the flame-covered members of the Underworld God Army, his eyes gleaming like a lecher glimpsing countless bare-bottomed maidens. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to vote for Monthly Pass and recommend tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)