The scene fell silent.
Countless异魔 (Yi Mo) stared with wide eyes, immense waves of shock surging within them.
They found it unbelievable that Hatu had been annihilated by this human male before them.
Hatu was, after all, one of the nine commander-level powerhouses, who had achieved remarkable feats since their invasion of the Three Realms. Its strength was terrifying. In the past, in human form, it had slain a Heavenly King-level god.
Yet now, having reverted to its true form, it had been brutally killed.
This instilled in them a profound sense of fear and unease.
"Those not of our kind harbor different intentions!"
"You occupied our homeland and slaughtered our kin!"
"Today!"
"I, Chen Nan, shall collect some interest."
Chen Nan's eyes blazed with killing intent. With a wave of his hands, two streaks of terrifying blade intent roared forth. In an instant, countless 异魔 were slain by him. Black blood rained down from the sky like a torrential downpour.
"Burn!"
Chen Nan formed seals with his hands. The Samadhi True Fire instantly enveloped the entire Phoenix Ridge. Screams of agony echoed through the air above Phoenix Ridge. This was a divine fire that even Hatu dared not touch, let alone the other 异魔.
Wails, screams, and roars reverberated across Phoenix Ridge. Flames, dozens of meters high, surged outwards, appearing from afar like a true phoenix being reborn in fire.
The 异魔 who had pursued earlier were stunned. Realizing their main base was in trouble, they abandoned their pursuit of Chen Nan and converged from all directions.
However, the moment they appeared above Phoenix Ridge, the flames, previously dozens of meters high, surged outwards, engulfing the space and trapping all the 异魔 within.
"Chen Nan killed Commander Hatu!"
"We must kill him to avenge our leader!" some of the surviving 异魔 roared.
Swish, swish, swish! The over two hundred thousand 异魔 in the air turned their gazes towards the approximately five-thousand-meter-tall wild ape, a chill running down their spines. They had never expected that Chen Nan, who could have escaped, would instead stay and even kill Hatu. His audacity made them feel ashamed.
"Brothers, kill him to avenge our leader!" a humanoid 异魔 let out a piercing roar and transformed into a streak of light, charging towards Chen Nan.
"You all have fun!"
Chen Nan left these words behind and instantly reverted to his human form, a pair of fiery wings appearing on his back. He flapped his wings, breaking through the flames, and flew out. Behind him, the sea of fire boiled. Powerful fire dragons raged unrestlessly through Phoenix Ridge, causing destruction. The screams of the 异魔 carried for hundreds of miles.
Chen Nan summoned the Somersault Cloud and flew thousands of meters into the sky, heading towards Niuniu Cave to find the Nine-Headed Fire Lion and the Xuan Qing Niao.
"After this battle, I will surely become a thorn in the side of the 异魔! They will undoubtedly spare no effort to find me and tear me to shreds. This is exactly what I need to cover my tracks to the Myriad Demon Cave. They would never dream that after razing Phoenix Ridge, I wouldn't hide but would instead head for the Myriad Demon Cave."
Chen Nan had, with his own strength, flattened Phoenix Ridge. It appeared to be a great victory. However, he knew that for the 异魔 race, this was insignificant. To inflict heavy damage on the 异魔, the only way was to destroy the Sacred Spring. This would not only cut off their reproduction but also severely dent their morale.
"The Third Heaven is ruled by the 异魔. If nothing unexpected happens, to reach the Fourth Heaven, we must eliminate the 异魔 of the Third Heaven. And the 异魔 are likely guarding the Ascension Path to the Fourth Heaven."
With this thought, Chen Nan entered the Immortal Mansion.
"Greetings, Holy Lord!" Feng Jiu and the others bowed in unison, their eyes filled with adoration as they looked at Chen Nan. Although they had been inside the Immortal Mansion, they knew what had happened outside. They had witnessed Chen Nan's heaven-defying combat prowess and his extraordinary intelligence, earning their utmost respect.
Chen Nan got straight to the point. "Do you know how to get to the Fourth Heaven?"
Feng Jiu replied, "Each of the Nine Heavens has an Ascension Path. However, the Ascension Path of the Third Heaven has long been occupied by the 异魔. To reach the Fourth Heaven, you must eliminate the 异魔 there!"
Chen Nan nodded slightly. This was exactly as he had anticipated, with no significant deviations.
"Holy Lord, the Ascension Path was originally located in Bei Cang Mountain, but it has now been renamed Myriad Demon Cave," Feng Jiu continued. "As far as I know, Bei Cang Mountain is now the main stronghold of the 异魔. If you go there rashly, it will be very dangerous." He did not deny Chen Nan's strength, but the 异魔 stronghold was undoubtedly filled with endless perils. A single misstep could lead to utter annihilation.
"We alone are not enough to contend with the 异魔 in the Myriad Demon Cave. We must unite all the beings in the Third Heaven," Chen Nan did not believe he could eliminate the millions of 异魔 in the Myriad Demon Cave by himself. But as fellow beings of the Three Realms, he could certainly unite them to resist the Myriad Demon Cave together.
"Holy Lord, we could visit the White Tiger Tribe," Feng Jiu offered his suggestion. "The White Tiger Tribe is also very powerful, with numerous members who intensely hate the 异魔. If we can join forces, our chances of success will undoubtedly be much higher."
"First, we go to Niuniu Cave, and then to the White Tiger Tribe later."
Afterwards, Chen Nan inquired further about the Third Heaven. Feng Jiu did not know much about the Third Heaven, only that there were Four Great Tribes: the Azure Dragon Tribe, the White Tiger Tribe, the Phoenix Tribe, and the Black Tortoise Tribe. Unlike other tribes, these Four Great Tribes were reclusive, having existed for a very long time. Besides these Four Great Tribes, there were many other tribes, but even they did not know how many.
"If we can unite all these tribes, it will not be too difficult to confront the 异魔 of the Myriad Demon Cave!"
As evening fell, Chen Nan arrived at a mountain range exuding immense demonic energy. This mountain range stretched for a hundred miles, shrouded in dense demonic energy. The main peak was particularly peculiar, resembling a giant bull's head with a pair of curved horns nearly a kilometer long.
"I don't remember this mountain range being here before," Feng Jiu said, his eyes filled with suspicion. "And why is there divine power within this demonic energy?" They had lived in the Third Heaven for tens of thousands of years and were very familiar with this land, yet they did not recall this mountain range. Most importantly, a demon is a demon, and a god is a god. Demons should not possess divine power.
Chen Nan landed on the ground, looked towards the direction of Niuniu Cave, and said loudly, "Junior Chen Nan, I have come to visit Senior Niu, and I request Senior to show yourself and grant me an audience!" His resonant voice echoed under the night sky. Immediately, a familiar, weak voice, filled with immense grievance, sounded out, "Master save me! This bull is no good, I want to chop it up and eat its innards!" Chen Nan's expression changed drastically. Could it be that the Nine-Headed Fire Lion and the Xuan Qing Niao had met with misfortune?