The black clouds from the underwater volcanic eruption reached the sky, and countless red-hot stones streaked through the sky, splashing in all directions.
As the Tian Yang Puppet stood firm in the sea, it turned slightly, and its eyes emitted a sinister red light.
It headed in the direction of Ten Thousand Immortals Island, taking giant strides.
"Boom!"
With each step, it caused massive waves to rise a hundred meters high.
Despite appearing slow, it was incredibly fast, rapidly closing in on Ten Thousand Immortals Island.
Along the way, the tsunamis generated by its movements destroyed countless islands.
Suddenly, the Tian Yang Puppet's colossal body came to a halt.
The sky had abruptly darkened.
The Tian Yang Puppet gazed up, and above it, a massive mountain hung suspended in the air, several times larger than itself.
The mountain's bulk nearly occupied its entire field of vision, with glimpses of flora and fauna on its surface.
"Fellow Daoist, please stop!" A cold, slightly murderous voice echoed through the sky.
The mountain descended, pressing down toward the Tian Yang Puppet.
The Tian Yang Puppet's face displayed defiance, and it roared angrily. Its arms reached out.
They collided with the descending mountain.
A shockwave erupted from their point of impact.
Li Fan and Zhang Haobo, who were watching from a distance, were swept up by this shockwave, their bodies nearly uncontrollable like leaves in the wind.
Both of them had astonished expressions on their faces.
Shortly afterward, a series of explosions were heard.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
Li Fan and Zhang Haobo focused on the descending mountain, where the Tian Yang Puppet's waist began to bend under the pressure. Its feet were directly embedded in the seabed, producing a continuous booming sound of impact.
"Tian..."
The red light on the puppet's body grew more intense, brighter than the midday sun.
"Yang..."
The Tian Yang Puppet looked up at the mountain it was supporting, its eyes filled with madness and unwillingness.
Creaking sounds continued as its hunched body gradually straightened.
The massive mountain was slowly lifted into the air.
"Hmph!"
Seeing that the Tian Yang Puppet remained unyielding, another cold snort echoed through the heavens and earth.
On the hanging mountain's peak, several mountain peaks of varying shapes began to emerge faintly.
They formed a mysterious formation, exuding an immense aura.
The weight of the descending mountain suddenly increased several times over.
The lower part of the Tian Yang Puppet, under this immense pressure, was pushed into the sea.
The surrounding seawater was pushed outward, creating a circle of massive waves that spread in all directions.
The eroded seabed was exposed as the collision continued, and the puppet's lower limbs were crushed bit by bit.
Soon, only the upper half of the Tian Yang Puppet remained, desperately struggling to support itself.
It seemed that the defeat was imminent.
"Soul..."
"Not weaker than humans..."
He continued to repeat these words, but after a few repetitions, the Tian Yang Puppet's head was all that remained.
At the base of the suspended mountain, it opened its eyes wide.
"Not weaker than humans!"
Its head suddenly exploded, transforming into molten lava.
Deep beneath the Cong Yun Sea, the subterranean fires erupted once more.
The countless magma and molten lava formed by the Tian Yang Puppet gathered together, creating a fiery figure.
This reconstituted Tian Yang Puppet, with flames surging and roiling on its body, resembled a fire dragon as it charged head-on toward the hanging mountain.
"Boom!"
The molten dragon burrowed through the base of the mountain.
Amid continuous explosions, cracks appeared one after another in the hanging mountain.
Finally, the fire dragon burst out from the bottom of the mountain, roaring into the sky.
After a moment, it transformed back into a human form.
Coldly gazing down at the shattered hanging mountain.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
...
The colossal hanging mountain exploded into pieces.
Countless fragments fell like meteorites onto the black, lava-cooled seabed.
"Quite interesting. He truly lives up to being an heir of an ancient body transformation technique," the voice from the heavens and earth sounded once again, lacking the expected rage and instead filled with curiosity.
"With the foundation of a Golden Core, he has achieved such power after thousands of years..."
Above the Tian Yang Puppet, the illusory mountain peaks became more substantial.
As if provoked by the words "with the foundation of a Golden Core," the Tian Yang Puppet, not willing to be outdone, roared again and confronted the illusory mountain peaks.
"If you want to fight, let's change the location."
At this moment, a lazy female voice rang out.
The world suddenly darkened.
Li Fan and Zhang Haobo looked up, only to realize that the sun had disappeared from the sky.
It was as though a large hole had been torn in the sky, revealing a starry night.
The starlight fell lightly, landing on the Tian Yang Puppet.
"Roar!"
The puppet could only let out an angry roar before its massive form vanished.
"Good! Let's change the location and fight properly!"
The illusory mountain peaks also disappeared.
The ruptured sky gradually closed, and the stars began to vanish one by one.
The sun shone brightly, and the world remained serene and peaceful.
Only the nearly shattered fragments of the Cong Yun Sea in the vicinity bore witness to the earth-shattering battle that had just occurred.
"The two figures that appeared just now should be the Soul Transformation stage cultivators staged on the Ten Thousand Immortals Island."
"Their demeanor is truly awe-inspiring. It's something to aspire to."
Li Fan saw a Soul Transformation expert in action for the first time, and he couldn't help but feel his heart pounding with excitement.
When he came back to his senses and looked at Zhang Haobo, the latter was also lost in thought. His face displayed a long-lasting sense of amazement.
"It seems that the illusory realm created by the Cloud Water Illusory Dream Art cannot compare to a firsthand experience. Otherwise, after witnessing the burning ocean, one wouldn't be so intimidated by the Soul Transformation battle," Li Fan pondered.
He released the Insect Binding Technique and asked, "How are you feeling, fellow Daoist Zhang?"
Startled, Zhang Haobo awakened from his daze.
He instantly activated the spiritual energy within him, and the twenty-four Sea Fixing Swords appeared around him in an instant.
"Hmm?" Li Fan tilted his head, looking at him.
Realizing what he had done, Zhang Haobo's aura stagnated, and he retracted his blue water sword.
With a somewhat embarrassed smile, he scratched his head and bowed respectfully to Li Fan. He said seriously, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving my life."
Li Fan chuckled and waved his hand, "It's a trivial matter. Fellow Daoist Zhang, with your mid Qi Condensation stage cultivation, you were able to confront seventeen puppets on your own."
"The way you controlled water swords to suppress all the puppets was truly impressive!"
Zhang Haobo hastily shook his head, "I can't compare to your divine abilities."
Then, he looked up at the sky with a somewhat melancholic expression, "Originally, in just a little over a year, I rose from an ordinary mortal to the mid Qi Condensation stage. I was a bit self-satisfied. But today, after seeing true experts in action, I realized..."
"In their eyes, someone in the Qi Condensation stage is no different from an ant."
Li Fan comforted him, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to be disheartened. With your talent, given time, you may well become one of these experts.