Flame Demon Beasts converged like a tide, piling up layer upon layer, continuously landing at the Lava Fairy Palace, launching a frenzied siege on the inner circle of the Immortal Palace.
The Fire Persimmon Mountain trembled from time to time; these were aftershocks from a major eruption.
Above the mountaintop, smoke and dust billowed.
The lava demon heads that were once densely scattered in the sky had now re-submerged into the magma.
This was because the clashes at the Nascent Soul Level were repeatedly taking place in midair, and the aftermath of each strike was more than these lava demon heads could withstand.
Meng Kui wielded his Mana Power Hand, advancing and retreating, cooperating closely with each other, and entangled with the Runaway Fire Snake, Flame Stepping Lizard, and the Magma Demon Ape, three Nascent Soul Level Demon Beasts.
Meng Kui held back his strength, continuously probing for the Five-Tailed Fire Fox hidden amongst the herd of demon beasts.
This fire fox was clearly a Nascent Soul Level Beast Taming Cultivator from the Taiqing Palace, far more intelligent than the wild demon beasts. It posed a greater threat than the three Flame Nascent Soul Demon Beasts!
Several miles away from the Fire Persimmon Mountain.
Meng Hu kept ramming, fighting fiercely with the Taiqing Palace Nascent Soul Cultivator.
The Taiching Cultivator was proficient at taming beasts, but since his main demon beast was still at the entrance of the Fire Persimmon Mountain, this meant he could only defend, making it hard to go on the offensive.
Fortunately, he wielded the Fate Shield, combining defense and offense, staunchly guarding his post, causing great discomfort to Meng Hu, temporarily unable to shake his position.
Inside the Lava Fairy Palace.
The prohibition weakened, and even Golden Core Cultivators without expertise in mechanisms could now enter and exit the Immortal Palace.
For a moment, more than ten Golden Cores emerged from various places. Their target was almost unanimous—the Immortal Palace Main Hall!
Most of them were dressed in black robes, looking very similar.
Black Shadow Demon Cultivators!
Inside the Lava Fairy Palace, there were originally fewer Golden Core Cultivators, making it difficult to withstand so many Black Shadow Demon Cultivators.
In fact, there were many from the Righteous Path who played the role of Black Shadow Demon Cultivators.
Knowing they were their own people, they naturally let them through during interceptions.
Thereby, a large number of Golden Core Cultivators directly rushed to the vicinity of the main hall.
They couldn't enter!
They were all blocked by the Secret Pavilion of Transition, where purple-green lightning coursed between various Secret Pavilion cubes, connecting and intertwining into an all-encompassing electric net.
The attacks from the Golden Core Cultivators, upon hitting the electric net, were swallowed up by the purple-green lightning and reemerged outside the Lava Fairy Palace, amidst the countless hordes of Flame Demon Beasts.
Sun Lingtong suddenly leaped, directly jumping into the purple-green electric net.
The next moment, the current engulfed him.
When Sun Lingtong came to his senses, he was already carried by the lightning into one of the Secret Pavilions.
Many Golden Core Cultivators witnessed this scene.
Some wanted to emulate him, but their Golden Core Level cultivation became the biggest impediment. Only if at the Qi Refinement Realm or Foundation Establishment Level, there was a possibility of entering.
At this moment, many Golden Core Cultivators even wished they could subject themselves to the prohibition, suppressing their cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Level.
They tried repeatedly, using various methods, but all failed.
Ning Jiufan, Zhou Nongying, and Zheng Shuanggou, were protecting the lower-level Cultivators of their respective families, arriving around the main hall.
"Clan Leader Ning Zhuo, we're here to help you!" Ning Xiangguo, Ning Xiangqian, Ning Chen, Ning Yong, and others jumped together, transported by the electric current into the Secret Pavilion.
"The Lava Fairy Palace is too damaged, the prohibitions weakened; perhaps even we, the eliminated Trial Disciples, could still become the Palace Master if we sit on the throne?" Filled with hope, Zhou Zhu, Zhou Zeshen, and others also took action one after another.
Among the crowd of the Ning Family, Ning Xiaoren, with his head down and wearing a hood, decided to take a risk.
He was investigated for colluding with outsiders, which heavily impacted his status and prospects within the family. More importantly, he had been sacrificially abandoned by the Ning Family Clan Leader.
Therefore, Ning Xiaoren and his father parted ways bitterly, everything was up to himself.
He resolutely leaped, entering the Mechanical Secret Pavilion.
"Xiaohui, Xiaohui, you're here, right? Don't be afraid, grandma is coming to find you!" Ning Xiaohui's grandmother muttered to herself, burrowing into the Secret Pavilion.
Under the escort of several golden core Cultivators from the Meng Family, Li Duolun, Feng Feidao, and Guan Tiesuo led the Renovation Team, all entering the Secret Pavilion of Transition.
Disguising with the Turtle Shell, someone sneaked in stealthily.
After several failed attempts, a Black Shadow Demon Cultivator suddenly made his move.
He didn't attack the Secret Pavilion of Transition again but instead targeted the lower-level Cultivators preparing to enter the Secret Pavilion!
"I can't get in, and you low-level Cultivators can?" he growled. His fury-laden attack was blocked by the Golden Core Cultivators, already on guard.
"Demon Path scoundrel, should be executed!" Righteous Path Cultivators roared in anger, counterattacking directly.
The rest of the Cultivators quickly distanced themselves.
During this process, several Golden Core Cultivators successively attacked their nearby comrades.
Two Golden Core Cultivators from Taiqing Palace, disguised as Black Shadow Demon Cultivators, attacked Zheng Shuanggou together.
Zhou Nongying, who was pretending to be a Black Shadow Demon Cultivator, also attacked him. Traitors are often more hateful than enemies, as one feels internally!
Zheng Shuanggou wielded a Sun Hook in his hand, facing the onslaught from three same-level opponents alone, couldn't help but complain bitterly, steadily being pushed back.
His Divine Sense caught Ning Jiufan, and he quickly sent a telepathic message: "Brother Ning, name your price, could you return my Moon Hook?"
It turned out that he had earlier used the Moon Hook to stab Ning Jiufan in the Secret Pavilion of Transition.
Taking advantage of the situation, Ning Jiufan suppressed the Moon Hook and dragged the nearby Zheng Shuanggou down with him during the final struggle, eliminating them both.
After they teleported back, they each returned to their original positions.
Zheng Shuanggou wanted to retrieve the Moon Hook, but before he could take action, dramatic changes forced him to protect the lower-ranking cultivators of the Zheng Family and head towards the Secret Pavilion of Transition.
Even though everyone knew that the prohibition within the Secret Pavilion of Transition could no longer hold back cultivation levels, and cultivators like Zhu Xuanji had already recovered to Golden Core Level, the lower-ranking cultivators were far from a match for them.
But the mechanism for victory was to break out of the Secret Pavilion and enter the Main Hall.
Since the three major families had fought to this extent, they naturally would not shrink back at the last crucial moment.
Once these family cultivators occupied the various Secret Pavilions of Transition, firsthand intelligence would be sent out.
If the prohibition were to completely collapse, even cultivators without the qualifications for the palace trial could, by chance, enter the Main Hall and ascend the throne. There was the possibility of stealing the position of Palace Master.
Considering this, the City Lord's Mansion naturally thought the same.
The isolated Golden Core cultivators from outside who had figured out this layer began to act against these lower-ranking cultivators, not merely out of a desire to vent their anger but from consideration of their own interests.
In no time, Golden Core cultivators surrounded the Main Hall, clashing with one another.
Various magic artifacts, magic treasures, and spells were deployed in succession, each one dazzling.
Some cultivators, after a brief struggle, actively withdrew from the battle and headed to various places in the Lava Fairy Palace, where the prohibitions were absent or weak, to begin a thorough search for loot.
Some cultivators, with clear objectives, continued to relentlessly attack the Secret Pavilion of Transition, attempting to create a path directly into the Main Hall.
Others carried heavy responsibilities.
For instance, the two Golden Core True Inheritors from the Taiqing Palace fought increasingly fiercely, with a chilling killing intent, ruthlessly targeting Zheng Shuanggou.
Zhou Nongying mixed in for a little while before withdrawing on her own.
The intensity of the battle between Zheng Shuanggou and the double Golden Core cultivators from the Taiqing Palace soared rapidly. Zhou Nongying found it increasingly difficult to keep up and was unwilling to commit to and take on excessive risks, so she evacuated first.
"How lively, I like this, hahaha," Luo Shang also made his way into the Immortal Palace, but instead of joining the large inner circle battle, he continuously struck at the Flame Demon Beasts.
He slaughtered countless beasts and harvested numerous demon souls.
For the Soul Devouring Sect, these souls are one of the best resources for cultivation.
Luo Shang kept an eye on the Golden Core cultivators' battle groups in secret, ready to lend a hand to send someone to their death if their situation turned dire, thus obtaining the souls of Human Clan Cultivators.
Shuzhong Jun used mana to consolidate his lower body. Without time to heal, he launched fierce attacks on the Demon Beasts.
The Meng Family had the most Golden Core Cultivators, and at this moment, they became the backbone, desperately resisting the assaults of the Demon Beast Tide from all directions.
The Purple Dawn Pavilion Golden Core True Inheritor had lost an arm. Although disqualified, he still ferociously attacked the Secret Pavilion of Transition, clinging to the last thread of hope.
Yang Chanyu hid in the shadows, not making a move. She was seriously injured and chose to prioritize healing before joining the battle.
Battles were everywhere!
Between Demon Beasts and Cultivators, between Cultivators, they all contested sharply.
Months after the Lava Fairy Palace was blasted open, today the struggle for the palace reached its most intense stage!
Inside the Secret Pavilion of Transition.
Cultivators like Zhu Xuanji furrowed their brows.
A large influx of lower-ranking cultivators into each Secret Pavilion greatly reduced the effectiveness of their Divine Sense surveillance.
Golden Core Cultivators just needed to conceal and disguise their aura, reaching Qi Refinement or Foundation Establishment level, and they could blend in with the crowd.
"Meng Chong!" Clan Leader Ning Zhuo kept a close watch on Meng Chong's position, quickly traversing one pavilion after another, determinedly pursuing him.
He utilized the Cloud Concealed Bud to hide his form, and even when he came across Ning Yong midway, he did not reveal himself.
Each time he pushed open a door, there would be an opening.
However, even if someone discovered him, it did not matter.
Right now, he couldn't care about these things. Allowing Meng Chong to enter the Main Hall would be the worst outcome.
"Damn it, damn it!" The Dragon Turtle Fire Spirit watched Ning Zhuo getting increasingly closer to Meng Chong and was so angry it gnashed its teeth helplessly.
The prohibitions of the Lava Fairy Palace had greatly weakened, yet it was still restrained and hardly any freer than before.
Elsewhere.
Zhu Zhen once again contacted Zhu Xuanji: "Cousin, my condensation is successful. What I have here is a relic from Golden Furnace number four. Do you still need it?"
"Send it over," Zhu Xuanji replied while on the move.
Official Skill—Official Transfer!
In the next moment, Zhu Xuanji held the scrap in his hand and activated his Innate.
The mysterious cultivator with purple streaks of light "appeared" once again before Zhu Xuanji's eyes.
He seemed seriously injured, stepping with difficulty as if bearing a thousand-pound weight, moving with great effort.
Finally, he arrived at Golden Furnace number four and opened it.
He plunged directly inside!
Flames rose, and silence filled the Golden Furnace.
As the flames gradually died down, a figure descended from above and alighted in front of the Golden Furnace.
The furnace collapsed, and amidst the ashes, a ball of spiritual nature, like a swallow returning to its nest, entered into the figure that had descended.
The figure was originally stiff, but as it received the spiritual nature, it became lively.
As the figure moved its hands and feet and observed itself, the hooded cloak that had been concealing him shifted with his movements, revealing his real face to Zhu Xuanji.
It turned out to be a Buddhist Physician!