Yet the starlight talismans shattered upon approaching Jie Tian, unable to get anywhere near him.
"This is bad."
Chu Feng's heart clenched at the sight.
Those starlight talismans contained extremely powerful sealing energy. The fact that they couldn't even begin to seal the power within Jie Tian's body was proof enough that this power was far more formidable.
"Heh heh heh…"
At that moment, a sinister, bone-chilling laugh echoed from within Jie Tian's body.
Simultaneously, the black aura surged with even greater ferocity. In the blink of an eye, it soared to a height of one million meters, truly piercing through the heavens. Even the starlight cloud layer shrouding the sky was obliterated.
But soon, the black aura began to recede, eventually settling at one hundred thousand meters tall.
It was no longer a formless flame. It had taken on a distinct shape—a humanoid monster with eighteen slender arms and blood-red eyes that gleamed like twin moons, gazing down upon all living things with utter contempt.
"So that thing was inside Jie Tian all along?"
One look at the black-flame monster, and Chu Feng recognized it immediately. This was the shell from within that formation—the true body of that evil power.
"We pay our respects to the Holy Sovereign!!!"
By now, every one of those traitors had fallen to their knees. Whether from excitement or terror, their entire bodies trembled.
Whoosh—
Suddenly, a figure appeared beside Chu Feng. It was Little Fishy.
She seized Chu Feng and poured all her strength into fleeing the area. Running was their only option—this was an opponent on an entirely different level. Forget Little Fishy, who now only had the power of her barrier armor; even the Little Fishy who wielded that starlight formation moments ago wouldn't have lasted a single round against this black-flame monster.
The gap between their strengths was the very difference between heaven and earth.
Little Fishy was fast. In the span of a single breath, she had already left Jie Tian and the black-flame monster far behind, their figures vanishing from sight.
Boom—
But then, Little Fishy lost all ability to stay airborne. She and Chu Feng plummeted and crashed hard into the ground.
The overwhelming pressure had not only driven them from the sky to the earth—it had blasted a massive crater into the surface.
Jie Tian. Or rather, the black-flame monster had appeared before them in the void without a sound, its formless presence already blocking their path. Jie Tian's body was still shrouded in that monstrous black flame. The two of them appeared to be one and the same.
"Xianhai Yu'er, I told you long ago—I am already invincible."
Jie Tian looked down at Chu Feng and Little Fishy, who had fallen into the deep crater, his eyes brimming with disdain.
And now Little Fishy finally understood why Jie Tian had been so confident from the very beginning. He had something this terrifying dwelling inside him.
"Big Brother, I'm sorry. I dragged you into this."
In her despair, Little Fishy looked toward Chu Feng, guilt filling her eyes. She knew that if it weren't for her, Chu Feng would never have been pulled into this battle.
"Don't be silly."
Chu Feng smiled and ruffled her hair, soothing her, telling her not to blame herself.
But at that moment, a deep, booming, and chillingly sinister voice rolled forth from the hundred-thousand-meter-tall black-flame monster that extended from Jie Tian's body.
"What is your name?" Those blood-red eyes locked onto Chu Feng.
"What does that matter to you?" Chu Feng shot back.
At this point, Chu Feng had no intention of yielding. Even his father's guardian formation wouldn't be enough to turn the tide against a being like this.
"You've got backbone. But backbone won't keep you alive—this Holy Sovereign can."
"I take a liking to you. Kneel and swear yourself to my service, and I will spare your life."
The moment those words left the black-flame monster's mouth, Jie Tian was having none of it. He hurriedly spoke up.
"Holy Sovereign, this boy—"
"Silence." Before Jie Tian could finish, the black-flame monster's furious rebuke cut him off.
Now, no matter how unwilling Jie Tian was, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. His fists clenched tight, his eyes burning with frustration. He had fought tooth and nail to earn this opportunity, and now Chu Feng—the very person who had been interfering with him all along—was being offered the same chance.
"Well, boy? Are you willing?" the black-flame monster continued.
"I am." Chu Feng nodded without hesitation.
"Good. But you will need to prove your sincerity to me," the black-flame monster said.
"How would I prove it?" Chu Feng asked.
Whoosh—
The black-flame monster flicked a finger toward Chu Feng, and a wisp of black flame flew toward him. It did not attack—it enveloped him. Chu Feng felt an immensely powerful force wash over him.
And yet this was… merely a fraction of the black-flame monster's power.
With this force coursing through him, Chu Feng could feel with agonizing clarity just how vast the gulf between himself and this monster truly was.
"Kill her." The black-flame monster pointed at Little Fishy.
At those words, Chu Feng's sword-like brows shot upward. "Are you certain?"
"I am," the black-flame monster replied.
"Very well." Chu Feng nodded. Then he turned to look at Little Fishy, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.