C25 A Strange Flame Aura!

The seven thousand-strong wolf brigade encircled the stone rhinoceroses, leaving no avenue for escape, and then launched a fierce onslaught. Despite the stone rhinoceroses possessing the might of a second-tier Hellbeast, they struggled to fend off the relentless barrage from the wolf troops.

Countless gargantuan wolves threw themselves into the fray with reckless abandon, their claws scraping across the rhinoceroses' rock-hard hides as they thrashed wildly. Several Rock Wolves even managed to scale the backs of the stone rhinos, making their way to the head to target the vulnerable eyes.

The stone rhinos were thrown into a state of panic, their cries of distress echoing as they flailed helplessly. Each time a Rock Wolf was flung off, another would swiftly take its place in the relentless assault.

Meanwhile, the Stormblade Wolves seized the opportunity when the stone rhinos were preoccupied with protecting their eyes. They leaped onto the backs of their quarry, unleashing a barrage of wind blades into the folds of their skin. Although less sturdy than the Rock Wolves and easily dispatched by the stone rhinos, the Stormblade Wolves' wind blades packed a far greater destructive punch than the Rock Wolves' rocky assault.

The Stormblade Wolves continued their relentless attack, their tiny wind blades slicing into the rhinos' creases. When one Stormblade Wolf depleted its arsenal, it would retreat, allowing another to step in and continue the onslaught.

Xing Yun was far from idle amidst the chaos. He plunged into the heart of the wolf pack, focusing his attacks on the stone rhinos' softer underbellies. In mere moments, not a single one of the sixty stone rhinos was left unscathed; they lay strewn across the ground, wounds riddled across their bodies, as the wolf pack tore into them.

Having secured his dominance over the stone rhinos, Xing Yun raised his right hand, his sword finger poised at his chest, and proclaimed, "With my power, I command all beasts! Join me in battle, and together we shall forge a destiny of immeasurable prosperity!"

As he invoked the Beast Tactic, a ring infused with the boundless essence of Astral Power materialized around Xing Yun, then soared towards the stone rhinos. This was the Spiritforge Shackle, a power Xing Yun could now wield after ascending to the Awakened Soul realm, allowing him to effortlessly subjugate a multitude of Hellbeasts without the arduous effort required in his previous Profound Vein Realm, where he had to subdue each beast individually.

The Spiritforge Shackle launched toward the stone rhino that Xing Yun had first sent flying, quickly embedding itself within the creature. An impressive surge of Astral Power began to flood the stone rhino's body, provoking a fierce roar and a desperate struggle from the beast.

"Just a mere member of the Desolate Ancient Divine Rhino Clan, submit now!" Xing Yun bellowed. The Spiritforge Shackle expanded within the stone rhino, tightening around its back and accelerating the infusion of Astral Power.

Ling Ji, no longer taken aback by such events, recognized the significance of subduing a Desolate Ancient Divine Rhino—a Rank 9 Hellbeast that hadn't been seen for centuries. The stone rhino, after a brief resistance, succumbed to the Astral Power and vanished, reappearing in the Voidlands to recover from its wounds.

Within the next fifteen minutes, Xing Yun applied the same method to tame the rest of the stone rhinos. Sixty Rank Two Hellbeasts, formidable enough to intimidate any Awakened Soul martial artist, would soon generate Fellheart Energy to nourish the Voidlands.

This Fellheart Energy would allow Xing Yun to effortlessly guide Liang Zun and their comrades to the Awakened Soul realm, unimpeded. The energy, a blend of pure Astral Power and the pristine spiritual Qi from within the Hellbeasts themselves, was even more refined than the typical pills used for cultivation advancement.

After securing the Rock Wolf and Stormblade Wolf troops, Xing Yun pressed on toward the west. A quarter-hour later, Ling Ji noticed several golden beads of Spiritual Qi near the Spire of the Infinite, their essence far purer and more potent than the thousands of others.

Recalling Xing Yun's promise to his followers, Ling Ji gasped, "Could it be... these Spiritual Qi beads can actually enable one to reach the Awakened Soul Realm?!"

"Exactly!" Xing Yun confirmed, with no intent to conceal the truth. Regardless of Ling Ji's reluctance to align with him, the idea of her leaving was out of the question.

Taking a deep breath, Ling Ji felt her usually unflappable heart flutter with excitement. This meant that with each Hellbeast Xing Yun conquered, he would acquire such a bead, which could then be used to cultivate his human subordinates, potentially creating an army with might rivaling that of the Hellbeast legions.

It was simply unbelievable!

"Could it be that you're planning to eventually subdue Exalted Hellbeasts if you can help Liang Zun and the others reach the Exalted realm?" Ling Ji asked tentatively, then quickly realized she might have broached a sensitive subject. Hastily, she added, "I acknowledge what you said earlier—I won't abandon the Voidlands for my freedom. If I go back on my word, you have every right to kill me."

Xing Yun responded with a smile, "You're free to leave safely whenever you choose. I'll release you—my word is my bond. Subduing an Exalted Hellbeast is no easy feat! But even without that, I have other ways to assist their advancement to the Exalted realm, though the challenge is significantly greater."

Ling Ji gazed in astonishment at the image of Xing Yun moving westward across the sky, pondering, "Given time, if he proceeds with caution, he could surely rule over the Infinite Cosmos with an army of Hellbeasts... But the legends speak of nine emperors in the Empyrean with inscrutable power. Can he truly triumph?"

Exalted realm masters are exceedingly rare, and even among them, there are disparities. Take, for example, the legendary Mysterious Emperor, who stands at the pinnacle of the Exalted realm, yet surpasses the other eight in strength.

In the span of half a day, Xing Yun continued his search for Hellbeasts, successfully subduing the Stone Rhino, Rock Wolf King, and Stormblade Wolf King.

Now, Xing Yun commanded an impressive force of three hundred Stone Rhinos, with two hundred each of Rock Wolf Kings and Stormblade Wolf Kings!

Leading a Rank One wolf pack with a Wolf King at the helm would make battle commands far more efficient.

The cost to Xing Yun over this half-day was the loss of over a hundred Rock Wolves that could not be resurrected. The remaining wounded and fallen Rock Wolves were all restored to their former strength with the aid of Fellheart Energy, ready to rejoin the fray.

Regrettably, as he ventured deeper into the Demonic Spine, the Hellbeast packs he encountered grew more numerous. To avoid startling the enemy and to save time, Xing Yun had to forego further subjugations.

He needed to hurry back to Grimgarth to maintain control, lest any unforeseen events occur.

Upon reaching the base of the mountain, Xing Yun surveyed the surroundings with a grave look on his face. The peak was a mere three hundred feet high, yet the ground and sky around it teemed with over a hundred thousand Hellbeasts, all eyeing the mountain with predatory intensity.

In addition to the Stone Rhinoceros, Rock Wolf King, and Stormblade Wolf King, Xing Yun finally laid eyes on the rare second-tier red Fire Wolf King and the equally formidable second-tier red Sunhawk, native only to the depths of the Demonic Spine.

From within the mountain, a pure and potent flame essence emanated, suffusing the entire peak and causing the very air to warp slightly.

"This essence?!" Xing Yun's face betrayed his shock.

Ling Ji's curiosity was piqued; anything that could alter Xing Yun's demeanor was no trifling matter. Even from within the Voidlands, she could sense the external world and felt the allure of the flame's power, which held an enchanting quality.

The flame's essence intensified steadily until it finally materialized into tangible flames that engulfed the entire mountain. The Hellbeasts, overwhelmed by fear, cowered on the ground.

Flames sparked into existence around Xing Yun as well, but thanks to his Astral Power's protection, he remained unscathed.

After the conflagration subsided, an eerie silence fell.

"What kind of anomaly is this? I've never encountered anything like it..." Ling Ji marveled, her surprise not stemming from Xing Yun for once. Even as a former God-Emperor, she had never witnessed such a fiery spectacle.

"It's coming!"

Xing Yun's sudden exclamation was followed by the Astral Power around him coalescing into a vast golden shield that enveloped him completely.

"Boom!"

The flame's essence exploded anew, transforming into an even more fearsome dark red blaze that incinerated all Hellbeasts caught in its path, leaving nothing but ash.

The Sunhawks above were reduced to cinders, their ashes scattering across the sky and lending the mountain an otherworldly appearance.

"The flames we just witnessed could likely challenge even a warrior of the Azure Paragon Realm!" Ling Ji warned.

"It's fine! This is their last resort for self-preservation!"

Xing Yun, not minding Ling Ji's astonishment, charged into the heart of the mountain.

Meanwhile, a large number of Hellbeasts continued to converge rapidly around the mountain, all heading towards its depths.

Upon approaching the mountain, Xing Yun took a moment to sense his surroundings, then sprinted several hundred steps to the west, where he discovered a massive cave on the mountain's western flank.

The cave's entrance was dozens of feet wide, and inside, flames roared, the source of the aura spilling out into the open.

"Given these ominous signs, it's bound to emerge soon!" Xing Yun's brow furrowed as he dashed into the cave without a second thought.

The moment he entered, a blast of flame shot towards his face.

Xing Yun deftly sidestepped the inferno and saw that it was a mutated fire wolf, ten feet in length, charging at him!

A typical fire wolf king measured only six feet and possessed the speed of a Stormblade Wolf combined with the physical strength of a Rock Wolf. But a mutated fire wolf king was so formidable that even a mutated Rock Wolf King wouldn't dare to provoke it.

The mutated fire wolf king before him glowed with red eyes and snarled menacingly, clearly harboring intense hatred for Xing Yun, the human intruder. It lunged at him with bared fangs and slashing claws.

Xing Yun evaded the deadly strike and swung his sword with great force, slicing the fire wolf king in two. He didn't pause to check for a core and continued his charge deeper into the cave.

He hadn't gone far when another ten mutated fire wolf kings emerged, spewing scorching flames from all directions, attempting to trap Xing Yun.

Using Phantom Step, Xing Yun swiftly dodged and summoned all his stone rhinos, Rock Wolf Kings, and Stormblade Wolves. Led by the Greedy Wolf, they encircled and decimated the fire wolf kings.

The cave's interior was a world unto itself, amply accommodating Xing Yun and his numerous followers. Before long, Xing Yun's forces had eradicated the fire wolf kings, and he led his subordinates onward, dispatching any solitary mutated fire wolf kings they encountered.

"What could possibly attract so many mutated fire wolf kings? Is their mutation a result of this place?" Ling Ji watched the entire ordeal, her curiosity piqued.

Mutated hellbeasts were exceedingly rare, yet this cavern was teeming with mutated Fire Wolf Kings!

The cave astonishingly provided direct access to the subterranean depths!

Xing Yun pressed forward relentlessly, steadily descending towards the underground.

Along the way, the mutated Fire Wolf Kings became more numerous, eventually amassing to a formidable group of two hundred. They engaged in combat with Xing Yun's forces, retreating yet swelling in ranks.

Xing Yun commanded an army of merely three hundred Stone Rhinos, alongside the Stormblade Wolf King and the Rock Wolf King, totaling two hundred. Over a dozen had sustained severe injuries and had retreated to the Voidlands for healing.

Confronted with the ever-growing swarm of mutated Fire Wolf Kings, Xing Yun's troops faced increasing strain, and their losses began to surge.

The vastness of the underground space was beyond measure. As Xing Yun's forces pushed on, the Fire Wolf Kings proliferated, ultimately reaching a staggering count of over a thousand!