"What are you talking about? Are you saying you don't realize your face looks like a snail's?"

"Shut up!" he shouted. "I'm far more handsome than you! I won't tolerate another insult!"

His eyes twitched again, spurting yellow liquid that splattered on the ground. The sight confirmed it for Liu Xing. Yang Lihuo was not the mastermind of this plan, nor was he Wei Yi's associate. Liu Xing had imagined that while Lihuo wasn't in charge, he would at least have some semblance of control, considering he was the one who had allowed Wei Yi to rampage through the Twelve Sun Empire. Yet, the reality was far different. Yang Lihuo was merely a puppet, one who didn't even realize he was being controlled and twisted into an abomination. There would be no rebirth for him. It had all been a ploy by Wei Yi to seize control.

"You're being mind-controlled," Prince Yang Jinyan muttered weakly, his wide eyes reflecting a sudden, horrified realization.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Lihuo snorted. "I'm not mind-controlled. Is this some cheap trick to distract me? It won't work!"

"Touch your face and tell me what you feel," Prince Yang Jinyan said firmly. "Because I can see the upper half of your face is a snail's!"

Surprisingly, Yang Lihuo did as his older brother said. He touched his face like an annoyed child, dragging his fingers across his skin. "Smooth and perfect. I don't understand your ploy, but it's useless!"

"It seems he doesn't notice that his appearance has changed," Yang Hongyin said.

Yang Jinyan inhaled deeply. "My anger has cooled somewhat, but that doesn't change the situation. This thing is not my brother anymore, nor is he part of the Twelve Sun Empire. He is a traitor that needs to be put down."

"Big talk for a dead man!" Lihuo smirked, and his eyes squirted more yellow liquid.

"Prince," Yang Suyin pointed to the man on Yang Lihuo's right—a headless figure with a gaping hole in its chest. "That's the Emperor."

"And those are the Elders," another clan member added, pointing at the four-headed abomination on Lihuo's left.

Prince Yang Jinyan's eyes lingered on the headless man, and his hands clenched into tight fists. The anger that had momentarily subsided now blazed anew, though Liu Xing suspected it was directed more at Wei Yi than at the pathetic creature that had once been Lihuo.

Liu Xing assessed the abominations flanking Lihuo. The former emperor and elders were at the Sun Refining realm, while Lihuo himself was at the Core Splitting realm. He had at least two cores, and his qi felt stronger than Liu Xing's. The army behind him was a motley crew—some were weak abominations transformed from civilians, while others felt dangerous despite being only at the Lock Opening realm. As Liu Xing scanned their ranks, he saw not a single snake-limbed creature or worm. A hypothesis formed in his mind.

"Prince, I think Wei Yi is trying to distract us."

"Everyone, gather!" Prince Yang Jinyan shouted. The remaining Yang clan members fell into formation behind him. "Continue your explanation."

"I think this is a diversion. Our main goal is to save Elder Yang Zhaoyan. He deployed the Royal Barrier, which is crucial for the sacrifice. We assumed the sacrifice was for Lihuo's rebirth, but looking at him now, it's fair to assume the one being reborn is not Lihuo, but Wei Yi himself. He sent Lihuo here to stop us."

Prince Yang Jinyan thought for a moment, then nodded. "His army isn't as formidable as the snake-limbed one. It's a disposable force meant to hinder us."

Liu Xing suspected that beyond Lihuo's army, more powerful snake-limbed, worm, and Sun Refining abominations waited. The path to saving Elder Yang Zhaoyan and ruining Wei Yi's plan was still long. But at least now, Liu Xing understood the hierarchy. Wei Yi was at the top, the true enemy. The others were just puppets.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Suddenly, the ground trembled. The tremors grew stronger with each passing second until it felt like standing on the back of a galloping horse. Dust rained from the ceiling, cracks spiderwebbed across the floor, and the walls groaned under immense pressure. Liu Xing's heart hammered against his ribs.

"Haha! It has begun!" Lihuo shrieked, his voice unnaturally high. "It's not perfect. The plan had to be accelerated, but it's better than nothing! Jinyan, you despicable clan, and you, meddling Purple Moon Sect disciple—you're about to witness my rebirth! My new body!"

As Lihuo shouted, massive cracks split the chamber walls. A surge of qi erupted from below, and the entire caste began to rise as the golden castle tore itself free from its foundations.

Outside, the majestic, hundred-meter-high castle began to float. Its base ripped apart from the earth with a jagged tear, like uneven shark teeth. Red qi pulsed around the structure as grotesque flesh grew rapidly over its golden walls. The texture was a horrifying display of wriggling fish scales, dancing to a disturbing rhythm as the entire castle transformed into a giant, throbbing ball of meat.

The chamber around Liu Xing crumbled away, leaving them on the underground floor of the former golden castle. He looked up at the colossal red meatball that had been the castle, his eyes wide as saucers. He finally understood.

The castle itself was becoming a spirit beast.

It all clicked into place. He understood why no snake-limbed abominations had pursued him and why Wei Yi had accelerated the plan. The castle's interior had been the monster's innards all along. Fighting Liu Xing inside would have damaged the vessel, so Wei Yi had ordered his forces to retreat. Gritting his teeth, Liu Xing felt a pang of regret. If he had known this earlier, he would have entered the castle with Prince Yang Jinyan to retrieve the Twelve Sun Armor and tried to destroy the structure from within.

But what was done was done.

An ugly laugh erupted from the former Yang Lihuo. He sounded like a bully who relished in the humiliation of others. Liu Xing's initial anger gave way to pity. The man was nothing more than a naive pig who believed the world existed to serve him, when in reality, he was just being fattened for slaughter.

"Attack!" the former Yang Lihuo shouted.

The abominations rushed toward their small group. The headless former emperor led the charge, while the four-headed Sun Refining abominations stood beside Lihuo, who wore an ugly, self-assured smirk. Above them, the meatball castle had completed its transformation. Two long slits opened, revealing massive red eyes dozens of meters wide. A closer look revealed the red was not coloration, but a squirming mass of worms.

"Hong'er in front, the rest behind me!" Yang Jinyan commanded, and the clan members immediately complied.

The giant meatball complicated the situation immensely. The qi rolling off it was so intense that Liu Xing felt like a toad before a tsunami. He knew they had to act, but how? He considered splitting their group so he could pursue Wei Yi while the Yang clan handled the army, but he quickly dismissed the idea.

"Prince, what do you want me to do?" Liu Xing asked.

"You'll play a role similar to Hong'er's. Rampage. Kill every enemy in your path. Sow chaos. Split their forces."

"That's it?" Liu Xing asked. It seemed too straightforward.

Prince Yang Jinyan patted him on the shoulder. "Leave the strategy to me. My immediate target is him." He pointed at Lihuo, who now stood atop a floating, jellyfish-like abomination, looking down with imperious disdain. "I want to rip his throat out with my bare hands. Clear the way for me."

"What about that?" Liu Xing pointed to the giant meatball hovering ominously above.

"That's obviously a threat we'll have to deal with," Prince Yang Jinyan admitted, "but right now, this army is our priority. They have two Sun Refining abominations. We'd be decimated if we split our forces."

"Understood," he said, locking his eyes on a menacing abomination. "I'll do what I can."

Stepping forward, he gripped his stone blade, channeling qi until it blazed with a purple light like fire.

"Let's start," the prince said.

Without hesitation, Liu Xing swung his blade, unleashing a massive crescent of purple qi that towered like a multi-story building. The blazing attack bathed the battlefield in a violet hue.

The former emperor glowed with a bright yellow aura as it moved to intercept the attack. Liu Xing knew he had to eliminate this creature to clear a path for the prince.

When the emperor's fist met the purple crescent, gold and purple energies exploded against each other. Liu Xing's attack slowed, then stopped, the two colors locked in a shimmering standstill. A moment later, the stalemate shattered into a billion fragments of light with the sharp sound of breaking glass.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.