"You bastard, prepare to die!" he roared, spitting as his eyes flashed with bloodlust.
The puppy barely managed to lift its head, its three tufts of black fur flickering in the demonic energy, as if the flame of its life was about to be extinguished.
Its hind leg was hit by rubble, and blood gushed out, staining the surrounding land red.
A flicker of despair crossed the puppy's eyes, yet it stubbornly refused to accept its fate, its weak whimpers revealing its yearning for life.
The Vermilion Bird flapped its fiery wings and circled in the air, the intense heat distorting and deforming the surrounding air.
Its entire body is crimson red, and its feathers resemble dancing flames.
Xuanwu grinned and raised his axe high, the blade reflecting the crimson crescent moon in the puppy's pupils.
The air around them seemed to freeze, and the shadow of death loomed over the land.
The bare branches swayed in the breeze, making a chilling creaking sound.
Just at this critical moment, a whooshing sound suddenly rang out.
Xiao Feng arrived riding on lightning, his body surrounded by electric sparks, like a god descending to earth.
His eyes were resolute, and he exuded an invincible heroic aura.
Xiao Tie scabbard slammed heavily into Xuanwu's face, producing a muffled thud.
The enormous impact sent Xuanwu flying ten feet, and the mountain-splitting axe crashed to the ground with a clang, sparking dazzling sparks as it struck the bluestone.
Xiao Feng bent down and picked up the puppy, feeling its faint heartbeat, a trace of pity flashing in his eyes.
“Leave it to me!” he said firmly.
Just as Xiao Feng turned to flee, Zhuque's flaming whip coiled around his right arm like a venomous snake.
The searing pain caused cold sweat to break out on Xiao Feng's forehead, but he gritted his teeth and endured the excruciating pain as he unleashed three sharp blades formed from immortal power.
Using the recoil, he leaped up and soared onto the cliff.
Fortunately, he was protected by immortal power, so even the scorching heat of the Vermilion Bird was able to heal his arm quickly.
The scene shifts, and Zhao Yuwei is struggling to move forward in the putrid mud.
Suddenly, she noticed the ghost grass emitting an eerie glow, its light flickering like will-o'-the-wisps in the darkness.
As soon as she reached out to touch it, blood-red vines suddenly burst forth from the ground, like demonic claws reaching out from hell.
The tendrils at the tips of the vines opened up their suckers and instantly pierced the skin of her palm.
Zhao Yuwei gasped in pain as blood dripped from her wrist, creating ripples in the mud.
Zhao Yuwei gritted her teeth and, enduring the pain, severed three vines.
However, black blood seeped from the broken end, and new vines sprouted in the blink of an eye.
Startled, she quickly devised a plan and plunged her sword into the earth's veins.
Using her sword energy, she shattered the vines within a three-meter radius.
At this critical moment, Zhao Yuwei grabbed the Netherworld Grass, only to be surprised to find that the blood absorbed by the grass was condensing into ice crystals.
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Interesting," she murmured to herself. "It seems this Netherworld Grass is no ordinary thing."
The severed vines suddenly emitted a shrill cry like a baby's wail, and purple smoke billowed from the broken ends.
Zhao Yuwei was startled to realize that the ice crystals on the grass were beginning to melt, turning into droplets of blood that rolled into the mud.
The withered vines began to grow wildly at a visible rate, forming a huge blood-red cage.
The vines wriggled, and countless distorted human faces appeared on their surface, emitting mournful howls.
Zhao Yuwei felt a chill run down her spine and her stomach churn.
Those faces opened their blood-red mouths wide, revealing sharp fangs, as if they wanted to devour her alive.
"What...what the hell is this?" Zhao Yuwei forced herself to suppress her nausea.
As the blood-red cage shrank smaller and smaller, Zhao Yuwei bit her tongue and spat her blood onto the sword blade.
The forbidden technique flashed through her mind—"Blood Sacrifice Sword Technique".
"To use it or not to use it?" Zhao Yuwei hesitated.
This forbidden technique, though powerful, will severely backfire on the user.
The blood-red cage was already close at hand, and the fangs of those twisted human faces were almost piercing her skin.
Zhao Yuwei gritted her teeth: "I'll give it my all!"
"Blood Sacrifice Sword Technique, activate!"
The sword light surged, like a blood-red lightning bolt slicing through the sky.
Wherever it passed, the vines were reduced to ashes.
However, the next second, Zhao Yuwei felt as if her internal organs were being torn apart by a thousand knives, and a mouthful of blood gushed out.
She knelt on the ground, her whole body convulsing, cold sweat pouring down her face.
"Is this... the price of forbidden techniques?" Zhao Yuwei smiled bitterly, feeling as if she were living a life worse than death.
Just then, a deafening roar, as if the earth were collapsing, came from the west.
Despite the excruciating pain, Zhao Yuwei flew to the scene on her sword.
The sight before her left her speechless.
Xiao Feng was using the Water Curtain Heavenly Splendor to counter the Vermilion Bird's fire attack.
The surging waves collided with the raging flames, steam filled the air, and it seemed as if only water and fire were left to fight in the world.
The puppy was burned by the Vermilion Bird's flames and whimpered in Xiao Feng's arms.
Its fur was charred black, its skin was covered in blisters, and it looked like it was on its last legs.
Zhao Yuwei's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly threw out the Netherworld Grass: "Catch!"
As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Xiao Feng caught the herbs steadily with a swift turn of his left hand.
At this critical moment, Xuanwu's axe was already at Xiao Feng's face.
"Boy, die!" Xuanwu grinned maliciously, the axe blade flashing coldly.
Just when it seemed Xiao Feng was doomed, a sudden change occurred!
The puppy suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of demonic energy, like a black whirlwind.
Caught off guard, Xuanwu and Zhuque were forced back ten zhang.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Feng immediately stuffed the Netherworld Grass into the puppy's mouth.
He gently cradled the puppy's chin and soothed it softly, "Sweetie, swallow it, and the pain will subside soon."
The puppy whimpered and reluctantly swallowed the herbs.
The next moment, its demonic energy surged, and three tufts of black fur shimmered with dazzling light.
"Interesting." Zhao Yuwei narrowed her eyes: "This little thing is not simple."
After the puppy swallowed the Netherworld Grass, its body immediately ballooned up like a balloon.
A strange blue light surged beneath its fur, and its bones emitted bursts of cracking sounds, as if something was about to break free from its cocoon.
"Is this dog about to transform?" Xiao Feng's eyes widened, and he involuntarily took two steps back.
The next moment, three tufts of jet-black mane shot into the sky, each hair gleaming with a bronze-like luster, shining brightly in the sunlight.
The dog's originally tender paws instantly transformed into sharp claws half the height of a person, incredibly sharp, and with a light stroke, they plowed five deep furrows into the ground.
The scene was even more stunning than the special effects in a science fiction movie.
Upon seeing this, Xuanwu and Zhuque were so frightened that their souls almost flew away.
The two men were ashen-faced, their legs trembling, wishing they had two more legs to run away as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, before they could react, the black dog opened its mouth and spewed out a dense cloud of demonic energy, instantly freezing the two of them in place.
"What...what kind of sorcery is this?" Xuanwu stammered, the demonic markings on his forehead trembling slightly.
Zhuque was so frightened that her face turned pale, and her long hair faded from fiery red to gray, making her look as if she had aged ten years in an instant.
Just then, the black dog suddenly swung its tail: with a "boom", a huge rock ten feet away shattered, scattering fragments and raising dust.
This scene left Xiao Feng and Zhao Yuwei dumbfounded, thinking to themselves, "This isn't a dog, it's practically a dragon!"
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