Black plumes of ashes from the underwater volcano's eruption surged into the sky. Countless crimson flying stones streaked fiery trails across the heavens, scattering in all directions.
The Tian Yang puppet turned its head slightly after stabilizing its footing in the sea, its eyes glowing with an eerie red light.
It then took large strides toward Myriad Immortals Island.
Boom!
Each step sent hundred-meter-high waves crashing outward.
Amidst the shaking earth and churning sea, the Tian Yang puppet marched forward at a deceptively slow pace.
In no time at all, it drew close to Myriad Immortals Island.
The great waves stirred by its powerful strides obliterated countless islands in its path.
Suddenly, the sky abruptly darkened.
The colossal form of the Tian Yang puppet jerked to a halt, then lifted its head to look.
Out of nowhere, an inverted mountain, dozens of times larger than itself, had appeared directly above it.
The mountain nearly occupied its entire field of vision; beasts and trees were faintly visible on its surface.
Simultaneously, a cold voice laced with a thread of killing intent echoed across the sky. "Fellow Daoist, please halt!"
The mountain's peak, sharp as a drill, descended straight toward the puppet!
With a look of defiance on its face, the Tian Yang puppet roared, thrusting both arms upward.
It met the descending inverted mountain in a violent collision.
A shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact.
Li Fan and Zhang Haobo, observing from a distance, were suddenly caught by this shockwave. They nearly lost their footing like duckweed in the wind, struggling to maintain their stance.
Involuntary looks of shock flashed across their faces.
Only a few moments later did the chain of explosions finally reach their ears.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
When they focused their gazes again, they saw the inverted mountain continuing its relentless descent. The Tian Yang puppet was forced to bend at the knees as its feet sank deep into the seabed.
"TIAN..."
Dark red light swirled across its body, growing increasingly bright and piercing, outshining even the sun in the sky.
"YANG..."
The Tian Yang puppet glared up at the inverted mountain it held aloft, a torrent of madness and defiance raging in its eyes.
Amidst constant groaning and creaking, its hunched form slowly straightened.
Bit by bit, the massive mountain began to inch back toward the sky.
"Hmph!"
Seeing the Tian Yang puppet's unyielding resistance, a cold snort resonated between heaven and earth.
On the surface of the inverted mountain, the faint silhouettes of several additional peaks of varying shapes materialized.
Together, they formed a profound array, and an immense, majestic aura instantly manifested.
The weight of the inverted mountain suddenly seemed to multiply several times over.
Everything below the Tian Yang puppet's head was abruptly slammed beneath the sea.
The surrounding water was violently forced outward, forming a massive ring of waves that radiated in all directions.
It revealed the cracked seabed below, now exposed and strewn with molten rock.
Under the immense pressure of the collision, the very earth was continuously scraped away.
The puppet's lower limbs were slowly being pulverized under this colossal force.
Soon, only the Tian Yang puppet's upper torso remained, straining desperately against the weight.
Total defeat seemed imminent.
“NOT WEAKER THAN OTHERS...”
Yet it still repeated that phrase, over and over.
After several repetitions, only its head remained.
Pressed against the base of the inverted mountain, its eyes blazed with fury.
"NOT WEAKER THAN OTHERS!!!"
Its head exploded violently, transforming into crimson molten rock.
Deep within the Congyun Sea, the earthfire veins erupted once more with a thunderous roar.
The molten rock that once formed the Tian Yang puppet coalesced into a single entity—a figure wreathed in fire.