Upon hearing Yuan’s words, it was as if a switch had been flipped inside their minds, snapping them back to their senses.
"He’s right... We’d just be throwing away our lives at this point..."
Moreover, it was clear that Yuan had no intention of helping them.
Very quickly, the cultivators who had been there from the start began to retreat, abandoning the Hell Molten Eel, which remained bound by the formation.
Seeing this, the opposing faction shouted, "Don’t let them escape! Hunt them down!"
But just as they surged forward to give chase, a figure silently appeared before them, like a ghost materializing from thin air.
After blocking them from the retreating cultivators, Yuan spoke in a cold voice, "I can’t tell if you’re bold or just stupid."
Upon hearing Yuan’s voice, they realized that he was the one who had advised the others to run. However, when they saw that he was just a Bronze Immortal, they lowered their guard slightly.
"I thought you weren’t going to intervene," said one of the Immortals there.
"I wasn’t, but that was because I had no reason to."
"What’s your reason for intervening now, then?"
"Are you really asking me that?" Yuan replied calmly. "Those people behind me have already given up on the Hell Molten Eel, so why go out of your way to slaughter them? If you were still fighting for the treasure, I could understand, but this... this makes you no different from bandits."
The Immortals scoffed and retorted, "What do you think this is—a game you can just walk away from whenever you feel like it? We’re all risking our lives here, you know?"
Yuan shrugged. "Where I come from, even in the midst of war, if your enemy surrenders, you have no right to kill them."
"Where are you from? The boonies?" The Immortals laughed out loud.
Realizing his words were falling on deaf ears, Yuan let out a quiet sigh and said, "If you’re determined to kill them, then you’ll have to get through me first."
"Who the fuck do you think you are? You’re just a Bronze Immortal, and we outnumber you three hundred to one!"
"If you think your phoenix friend can help you, she’s busy dealing with the Elders right now!"
Yuan glanced at Feng Yuxiang and smiled faintly.
"Judging by how things look, she’ll be done with them soon enough. But I should be able to deal with you lot long before that."
"Arrogant bastard! Let’s see you try!"
The cultivators immediately surrounded Yuan and launched their assault.
Yuan could have easily wiped them all out with his Supreme Sword Aura, but instead, he chose to practice his phoenix disguise and unleashed his Heaven Freezing Flames instead.
"Please, spare us! Didn’t you say you’d even show mercy to your enemies in war if they surrendered where you’re from? This isn’t even close to that level of conflict!"
Yuan’s icy gaze stayed steady as he replied, "You’re right. This isn’t war—nowhere near it. I’m simply taking out the trash."
Before the cultivators could utter another word, Yuan flicked his sleeve, unleashing his Heaven Freezing Flames once again and engulfing them like a tidal wave. In an instant, the remaining cultivators were frozen solid, their lifeless statues dropping into the lava river below like scattered pebbles, sending ripples across the molten surface.
Shortly later, Feng Yuxiang also dealt with the three True Immortals.
"What now?" Feng Yuxiang asked him after things calmed down and they were alone again.
Yuan lowered his gaze to the Hell Molten Eel, only to find that it had broken free from its bindings during the chaos and slipped back into the depths of the Flowing Molten Serpent.
"I’ll be right back."
Without another word, he abruptly dove toward the lava river, vanishing beneath its molten surface.
Thanks to his Fire Harmony, the lava felt comforting—like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night—and it even replenished his energy as he moved through it.
Eventually, he caught up to the Hell Molten Serpent, seized it effortlessly, and returned to Feng Yuxiang.
"What are you going to do with that? It won’t benefit your fire resistance at that level," Feng Yuxiang asked him.
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