Chapter 989: Fierce Battle

The Crimson Phoenix Holy Son of the Flying Spirit Clan narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the sealed Azure Phoenix Saintess.

After a long silence, he looked down toward the great earth.

Li Qing and representatives from the human race, the Giant Spirit Race, and the Barbarian Bull Clan were all awaiting his decision.

As a powerful holy son who had awakened the Crimson Phoenix bloodline within him, his unparalleled combat power would tip the scales of victory regardless of which side he chose to support.

Gu Li tightened his grip on his massive bone club and said gravely, "Chi Lian, you must think carefully. This is a dispute between my clan and the Tree Demon Clan. Your Flying Spirit Clan has never interfered in such matters before."

"As the holy son of the Flying Spirit Clan, your decision will be interpreted as the clan's official stance."

For years, both Wild Bull Ridge and the Flying Spirit Clan had maintained strict neutrality in the conflict between the Tree Demon Clan and the Giant Spirit Race, refusing to intervene.

Now, if this holy son—the future leader of the Flying Spirit Clan—chose to get involved, the implications would be entirely different.

This would be considered an act of hostility, and the Giant Spirit Race would never tolerate it.

A crimson glow gradually suffused the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son's pupils as he murmured, "It's not that I want to make enemies of the Giant Spirit Race, but under these circumstances, asking me to assist the human race and Wild Bull Ridge is simply impossible."

"Gu Li, I won't target you, only those specific individuals from the human race and the Barbarian Bull Clan."

Hearing this, Zhu Xuan let out a cheerful laugh. "That's right. Leave the Giant Spirit in the field to us."

"Then, let's strike!"

Boom!

The massive treant was the first to attack, its branches cascading down to seal off the entire battlefield from the air, leaving no escape routes.

Meanwhile, the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son soared into the sky, activating his bloodline to fully reveal his true form.

A scarlet-flamed avian creature, every feather composed of fire, its heat even surpassing ordinary heavenly spirit fire.

"Kill!"

The Crimson Phoenix Bird spread its wings and swooped toward Li Qing and the others, leaving a long trail of flames in its wake.

"Today, no matter what, I must enter Condensed Light Lake."

Old Lord Hei You took a deep breath, his mana surging through his body and pouring into the bone staff in his hand.

Boom!

With a wail of yin wind, a massive Night Owl, as black as ink, erupted from the bone staff.

The Night Owl's aura was formidable, far surpassing the limits of the divine transformation realm, though its body appeared somewhat ethereal.

This was actually a demon spirit of the void refinement realm!

Seeing this, killing intent flared in the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son's eyes. He now knew this human was an accomplice of Wild Bull Ridge.

"So it's you! You actually dared to enter the Heavenlight Secret Realm? You won't survive today!"

This was one of Old Lord Hei You's trump cards. With the masks fully dropped, he had nothing left to say.

He immediately unleashed the void refinement realm demon spirit he had subdued that day. Though it lacked a fleshly body, it was still far beyond the capabilities of ordinary divine transformation cultivators to handle.

The crowd stared in shock at the colossal Night Owl demon spirit.

"A void refinement realm demon spirit... this is truly beyond the expected. I never thought they'd manage to bring one in."

"They call it a demon spirit, but it has no consciousness of its own. It can only be enslaved by humans, which is why it can pass through the Heavenly Light Guiding Platform."

"This human is truly extraordinary. No wonder Big Brother Niu Shan told me to get closer to humans in the Heavenlight Secret Realm. He must have known about this walking disaster."

The sudden appearance of the void refinement realm demon spirit shifted the balance of power, which had been one-sided, back into the fray.

Moreover, it was now the dead of night in the Heavenlight Secret Realm—a long night that promised to drag on endlessly. During this time, the Night Owl demon spirit would receive its most powerful enhancements.

Boom!

Driven by Old Lord Hei You, the Night Owl demon spirit clashed with the Crimson Phoenix Holy Son. Old Lord Hei You spoke indifferently, "If you want to kill me, you'll have to get past my demon spirit first."

As his words fell, a pitch-black vine shot toward him.

At that moment, the Little Bull King let out a sinister laugh. "You sneak-attacked me at Life-Severing Cliff before. Now I'm going to settle the score."

"Take this, you old bull!"

The Little Bull King, immensely strong, hurled his Heaven-Cleaving Giant Axe. Despite its plain appearance, the double-bladed axe was actually a profound-grade spirit treasure.

Previously, in the spirit-suppressing territory of Life-Severing Cliff, he had been unable to activate it, allowing the Black Profound Vine to seize the initiative.

The double-bladed axe spun through the air, severing one of the Black Profound Vine's tendril-like appendages with a deafening crack. Its destructive power was terrifying.

The others didn't stand idle either. The massive treant lumbered forward, each step causing the great earth to tremble.

Its target was Old Lord Hei You, who was controlling a void refinement realm demon spirit. The treant was clearly the greatest variable in this battle.

But Gu Li wouldn't stand by. Gripping his bone club, he charged forward, intending to intercept the treant's interference.

However, a sharp, piercing sword cry halted his advance.

Gu Li felt a searing pain on his skin and instinctively raised his bone club to block.

The three leaves of the Heavenly Sword Grass moved in unison, transforming into three peerless Immortal Slaughtering Swords that slashed down from the heavens. The killing intent they contained was utterly terrifying.

"Hu Sheng and I will handle the treant, Fellow Daoist. Your task is to keep the Heavenly Sword Grass at bay," Old Lord Hei You said, clearly still having energy to spare. He divided his attention, driving the demon spirit of the Night Owl while simultaneously unleashing a chilling yin qi spell to fend off the massive treant charging at him.

Hu Sheng, the weakest among them, gritted his teeth and poured all his strength into activating his lifebound magical treasure, the Crimson Jade Bell, to block the treant's advance.

The fairground erupted into chaos. No one could afford to rest as the battlefield fragmented into multiple intense skirmishes.

As for Li Qing, no matter how much he wished to remain low-key, he couldn't truly protect himself at this point.

Zhu Xuan had already set his sights on him. Jade-like bamboo shoots erupted from the ground, encircling Li Qing.

"Now it's just us. Let me confirm whether the life seed left behind by the Spirit-Devouring Flower is truly within you."

As his words fell, the tips of each bamboo shoot glowed softly. These lights intertwined, forming a massive net of light that spread out to engulf Li Qing.

Unfazed, Li Qing swiftly turned his sword and slashed out several razor-sharp arcs of sword qi with the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, shattering the light net into countless fragments.

Then, he activated his modified Wind-Thunder Silver Wings.

Night had fallen, and the Wind-Thunder Silver Wings granted Li Qing even greater power in the darkness—one of the Night Owl Clan's innate talents.

Whoosh!

In the blink of an eye, Li Qing vanished from his original position, moving with such speed that he seemed to traverse the void itself.