High-level martial arts: Long spear with black flames to suppress demons.

Behind the lines, Shen Chang'an slowly exhaled, and the Phoenix True Fire on his body gradually receded into his body.

After a short period of rest, the turbulent blood and qi had calmed down, and the wounds that had affected movement had healed. The remaining trauma to the soul and the severed arm needed time to heal; waiting any longer would likely not lead to much improvement.

He gripped the Thousand Changes and redirected the black flames back onto the gun.

Ahead, several clan leaders were still taking turns resisting Mingzhao. Each time the short hammer fell, it forced everyone to adjust their positions, causing the newly formed encirclement to loosen, and the demon army behind could only continuously fill the gaps in the line.

He seized the opportunity when Cang Gu made his move, and his feet flashed as he darted into the battlefield once more.

The spearhead, wreathed in black flames, carved a long trail across the sea.

Mingzhao turned his gaze, and with a tug to the side with his left hand, a demonic creature of the eighth realm was forcibly pulled in front of him and crashed head-on into the tip of his spear.

Black flames quickly burned through half of the demon's body, yet the gray-silver patterns still propelled it forward. Shen Chang'an swung his spear, slicing open its head, and several more dark figures rushed into the fire from behind, gradually dissipating the power of the spear strike.

Mingzhao stood further away, his short hammer hanging at his side.

As long as he can block the black flames, he can push the nearby demons up at any time, even those in the Eighth Realm.

Shen Chang'an sheathed his gun and stepped back, avoiding the gray-silver light that followed.

The other party had already begun to guard against his approach.

Water barriers and demonic creatures blocked his path one after another, and even if the black flames could incinerate them, it would take time. Any pause would result in the short hammer crashing down, forcing him to halt his attack.

From the side, Cang Gu pulled up a water chain and wrapped it around Ming Zhao's wrist, which was holding a hammer.

Mingzhao raised his hammer and broke off a section of the water, but the scattered water flow was drawn back together by the Dingcang Pearl, circling behind him and blocking his retreat.

Xuan Ce then activated the great formation.

Thick armor patterns rose from the water, pressing down on the surrounding sea. Lei Hong smashed aside the oncoming monster, and lightning spread across the water's surface, intercepting more dark shadows that tried to approach.

Several forces pressed down simultaneously, and Mingzhao's movements finally slowed down for a moment.

Shen Chang'an looked up and met Du Yue's gaze from above.

The Xuan Yuan Zhen Hai Seal immediately shifted, its golden shadow pressing down on Ming Zhao. On the other side, the phoenix feathers hanging from the Nine Heavens Phoenix Robe quickly closed.

Mingzhao swung his short hammer, first parting the approaching golden flames.

Shen Chang'an moved at that moment, crossing the sea surface cleared by lightning, and used his Thousand Transformations technique to strike Ming Zhao's chest. The black flames flowing along the spear shaft all converged, condensing into a deep black dot at the spear tip.

Mingzhao had just parted the firelight and hadn't even had time to retract his short hammer when his other hand was already raised in front of him, his five fingers gently closing together, as if he were pulling something.

Shen Chang'an's eyes narrowed slightly.

He stared in disbelief at the scene before him. At this moment, what was being stirred by Ming Zhao was not the demonic energy, but rather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that was flowing along the demon race's great formation!

They converged in front of Mingzhao's palm, quickly forming a nearly transparent barrier.

The spearhead struck, and with a dull thud, the barrier caved inward, its surface cracking with several fine lines. Black flames seeped in along the cracks, but the rate of burning slowed noticeably.

Black flames have no effect on ordinary spiritual power; they can still break through spells, but they cannot burn through the entire layer of defense as quickly as before.

Mingzhao looked at the spear tip that had stopped in front of him, and the corners of his lips slightly lifted.

"It seems that things from your human world aren't so hard to learn after all..."

The surrounding spiritual energy continued to gather, filling the cracks in the barrier.

"With a different kind of power, the fire in your fire seems to be much weaker. Looking at it this way... it's really quite special."

Shen Chang'an quickly changed his mind. With a flick of his wrist, the light on the golden fire arm suddenly receded and surged forward along the gun barrel.

A bright golden flame suddenly ignited outside the pitch-black spearhead.

Mingzhao paused for a moment.

The moment the Phoenix True Fire touched the barrier, the newly formed patterns began to distort. The blazing flames spread outwards from the tip of the spear, engulfing the still-unstable spiritual energy and burning it away.

He had already gained some basic control over spiritual energy, but the hastily formed barrier was not enough to withstand such flames.

A small gap was quickly burned into the center of the barrier, and Qianbian immediately rushed in, sending the black flames that had condensed at the tip of his spear inside.

Grayish-silver patterns appeared on Mingzhao's palm as he was about to block the spearhead, but Shen Chang'an had already withdrawn his spear and retreated.

"burst!"

The remaining flames exploded with a deafening roar.

The golden true fire dispersed the remaining spiritual energy, and the black flames then rolled inward, spreading along Ming Zhao's palms and chest. The protective demonic energy that had just surged in was ignited by the flames, and even the gray-silver patterns were forced to shrink inward.

At that moment, the short hammer slammed down, tearing open a dark gap in space and drawing in a large swath of flames.

Just as Ming Zhao raised his hand to disperse the remaining flames, Shen Chang'an had already retreated to the edge of the watery light hanging from the Dingcang Pearl.

He moved with a thousand variations, steadying his breath.

This strike was enough to injure the opponent, but it was far from enough to allow for a follow-up attack. Rushing in would only lead to falling back into the short hammer's attack range.

As the heatwave gradually subsided, a patch of Mingzhao's clothing was burned away, leaving several scorch marks on his skin. Although the injury to his palm was not serious, the flesh stained with black flames still needed to be peeled away before repairing it.

He was also somewhat surprised, not expecting his opponent to change tactics so quickly.

Through the still-burning firelight, Mingzhao looked at Shen Chang'an, gripped his short hammer, and took a step forward.

The seawater parted beneath his feet, revealing several gray-silver streaks pointing directly to Shen Chang'an's location.

Just as he raised his arm, a long, black club came crashing down from the side, striking the hammer handle heavily.

The nearby water vapor exploded and dispersed with a roar. Yuan Chongyue's arms tensed, and his body was shaken backward, but he used the momentum to press down on the stick and push the short hammer downward.

Just as Mingzhao was about to retaliate, a golden wing blade swept towards his neck.

He dodged to the side, and mirror-like light rose beneath his feet, reflecting multiple overlapping images onto the sea. The gray-silver patterns that had just extended lost their target, leaving only a few deep marks in the water.

Peng Lie and Tu Shan Fei Yue, one on each side, had already blocked his path.

Further away, three True Name Seeds fell into the sea one after another, and the battle there had already been decided.

Lu Heng's chest and abdomen collapsed, and only half of his spear-wielding arm remained. Mi Hai's stone crown on his forehead cracked again, and his head was sealed by ice. Que Shi's stone waistband was pinned down by several golden spear beams, and he and his mangled body were pressed down on a piece of floating ice.

Several members of the royal family at the eighth level guarded the area, and layers of array patterns fell down, firmly sealing the remaining stone slabs.

The auras of the three had not completely dissipated, but they were no longer able to stop the clan leaders.

Shen Chang'an looked at the crowd that had arrived.

Peng Lie's golden feathers were stained with blood, and Yuan Chongyue also had several deep marks on his shoulder. When he gripped the staff, the wounds were still bleeding.

"Finally, I have some free time."

Yuan Chongyue grinned and gripped the carrying staff tightly with both hands again.

Tu Shan Fei Yue rotated the ancient mirror, drawing the demons that tried to approach to another illusory sea. When they broke through the image in the mirror, they were met with the demon army's well-prepared formation.

The demons that Mingzhao used to resist the black flames were thus kept at bay on the outside.

Lu Qingyan lowered the command flag in his hand once again.

The warships spread out to both sides, and a group of powerful demons with remaining strength took over from their clan leaders to stabilize the outer defenses. The wounded demon soldiers retreated into the formation, and reinforcements from the rear quickly filled the gaps. Lightning, cold currents, and spear formations pressed down on the demonic tide one after another, gradually clearing the central battlefield.

For a time, only Mingzhao remained on the battlefield, fighting alone.