Azure Lion threw himself without a care into attacking Old Turtle, completely ignoring the Tree Flame. The Fiend Converging Banner went up in a black flame, releasing many attacks in an instant. Old Turtle was using the shield to defend but even so, he was still struggling to take them all on. He wasn’t Azure Lion’s match, as each strike he took made him spit blood.

  The Tree Flame flew above Azure Lion’s head, who just rose his head and opened his giant maw, “Taotie Art!”(1)

  Four-foot-long horns appeared on his body and on his chest large jaws from a vicious green beast opened. That was a Taotie, with a body akin to bronze, it directly swallowed the Tree Flame.

  Azure Lion’s face changed constantly until he finally devoured the flame, “Ha-ha-ha, how could any of you match my power?”


  Azure Lion had no remorse while attacking the others with his banner, sending the Archfiends back with a booming strike. As blood dripped from his body, Azure Lion smiled at Chen Ming, “The only threat is that Four Elements Array. As long as I break it, your chance of winning will be lost. I finally know how formidable Divine Palace is! I may be at the early stage of Divine Palace, but for trashes with Dao Seeds like you lot, you’ll have no way of stopping me!”


  Azure Lion glanced at the four sealing swords, “The core should be among these four words. Once I destroy them, your hope will die with them!”


  Azure Lion pushed through the other Archfiends’ blockade, focusing his entire power towards the Lustrous King Sword’s location. After sending away White Fox with a palm, he stomped, wanting to borrow the earth’s power to shake the sword, yet found his foot sealed in ice instead. The ice shattered with a shake of his spiritual power, while he stormed, “Looks like I won’t have it that easy!”


  Black Tiger was worried he might have ruined the array, and yelled, “We need to defend the Four Elements Array at all cost. If not, we’ll lose our final chance at defeating him!”


  Old Turtle was clear on this, “Any king slaying battle will be filled with blood and cruelty, and even more so when the opponent is at the early stage of the Divine Palace Archfiend. We’ll have to put our lives on the line!”


  Old Turtle roared, no longer posing as a human and changed into a ten-zhang-long tortoise, his shell as big as a mountain.

  Old Turtle jumped, wanting to smash Azure Lion, “Mt. Tai’s Descent!”


  Azure Lion devoured hundreds of Tree Flame, then waved his palm at the sky, meeting with Old Turtle’s attack. After a booming sound, Azure Lion was standing in a large hole, buried to his knees. Yet he didn’t topple, his hand holding Old Turtle as if he held the heavens!

  He threw Old Turtle with a flex of his hand, shattering the mountain peak in its path, then laughed hard, “Who, from Pitfall Mountain or Southern Border, could possibly contend with me!?”


  “Worthless, the lot of you!”


  “Chen Ming, this time it was Old Turtle. The next will be you!”


  Old Turtle struggled to get some footing among the rubble as he came out of the mountain, “Azure Lion, this old man hasn’t died yet!”


  The battle has taken a desperate turn!

  Chen Ming looked from afar, unmoving. His current mission was to control the Four Elements Array and watch over the army. Without the array, the Archfiends would be dealt in by a casual blow from Azure Lion. Despite the enemy being slightly wounded, his power never faltered.

  No matter the circumstances, he had to stay put, he had to control the Four Elements Array.

  The task of beheading Azure Lion fell in the hands of those five Archfiends.

  Between Archfiends, each increase in strength was a gap between heaven and earth. Azure Lion was now at the Divine Palace, with a danger value of 560, far above that of his opponents.

  White Fox took to her original form, a ten-zhang-long three-tailed white fox. She used her though to control the whip and bind Azure Lion. Black Tiger decided to stay human and kept relying on his mace. Only in his human form was he at his strongest!

  Black Python turned into a cloud of black smoke, wrapped

  around Azure Lion and ready to strike.

  Each of the five Archfiend released their own attack, all in hope of blocking Azure Lion. He was like the epitome of invincibility, as each wave of the Fiend Converging Banner spread black flames all around, pushing the Archfiends back again and again.

  Azure Lion took a jump and was next to Lustrous King Sword. He waved the flag at the sword, “Ha-ha-ha, what use is an array, Chen Ming? See how I destroy it!”


  Black flames enveloped Lustrous King Sword as the Fiend Converging Banner’s attack threw it away.

  Azure Lion was under the impression the array’s power scattered, yet found in astonishment that the pressure was ever present, “How is it possible? This wasn’t the core. Chen Ming, you’re truly deceitful, you even set up decoys!”


  Chen Ming found it funny, “When have I ever said that the core was in that one?”


  The purpose of these four swords was to launch the array, and when it was up and running, the true array core would be himself. He was the source of the array.

  Azure Lion inspected the other swords, trying to figure out which was true core. He might look invincible, using his spiritual power without a care, but despite Divine Palace’s large reserves, it wasn’t a bottomless pit. He wasn’t capable of going like this forever.

  Azure Lion laughed, “That fire sword should be it!”


  Azure Lion looked all over Chen Ming, to probe him, and found him distracted, “Ha-ha-ha, I was right. That sword is the core!”


  Chen Ming’s thought, Did he try to con me just now? He must have gotten a bad role, such a pity. Chen Ming was distracted since Azure Lion still thought the core was among the swords. He found Azure Lion amusing.

  Chen Ming couldn’t help but say, “Not at all.”


  Azure Lion was convinced he found Chen Ming’s weakness, so he ignored his words, “Chen Ming, don’t think you can fool me, I saw how you hesitated. Just be patient until I deal with this sword, then I’ll devour you whole!”


  The five Archfiends saw how the Four Elements Array was still standing and didn’t miss this chance, hitting Azure Lion with everything they had!

  After some vicious clashing, a line of blood flowed from Azure Lion’s mouth. The attacks of the Archfiend did nothing to impede him, Azure Lion’s power still going strong as he stepped in front of Fire Cloud Sword. He smacked it away but the Four Elements Array never wavered, its power still bore down on him.

  Azure Lion eyed Chen Ming carefully, his anger no longer under control, “Great act!”


  (1) Taotie is a legendary Chinese creature that eats people accords fully with its cruel, fearful countenance.