The most critical moment of this battle had finally arrived.

By now, it had been a month since Qin Ruqing officially took on the role of the overall commander of the three vanguard units.

This long and protracted battle was finally set to come to a conclusion today.

Over the past month, Qin Ruqing had fully demonstrated her “talent” in the domain of flames, successfully bringing those rebellious Beastmen soldiers into submission, making them acknowledge her status as their supreme commander.

Now, at the forefront of the Beastmen army stood a massive red Flame Tiger, which was Qin Ruqing.

Her current Beast form had surpassed that of both her father and brother in size, and from her appearance alone, she was undoubtedly a commanding-level great demon.

The reason Qin Ruqing’s Beast form had grown so large in a short time was due to the inherent racial characteristics of the Flame Tigers.

Their Beast form size was determined by the degree of bloodline enhancement, and the extent of their control over fire and fire attributes determined this enhancement.

Given Qin Ruqing’s current mastery of fire attributes, it was only natural for her Beast form to expand so dramatically.

Of course, while she found it natural, the Beastmen soldiers could not help but be astonished, especially the fellow Flame Tigers.

They had never seen a Beast form grow so large in such a short time.

They were curious about what kind of elixir Qin Ruqing had taken to achieve such a transformation and how she managed to make such a dramatic leap in both strength and position.

The chieftain of the Flame Tiger tribe even personally inquired, and Qin Ruqing’s answer was: enlightenment.

Commonly referred to as an awakening.

In the world of cultivation, it was the universal formula: enlightenment/awakening!

Qin Ruqing internally marveled at how convenient and effective this trick was!

Indeed, the Flame Tiger chieftain, upon hearing her explanation, stroked his tiger whiskers and nodded in admiration, saying she was blessed by the Beast God and was a creation of fate.

Qin Ruqing nonchalantly accepted this.

The notion of being blessed by a higher power was familiar to her; as a child, during aptitude tests, her family had also said she was favored by the Dao of Heaven.

This was probably why she thrived wherever she went, recognized by both the Dao of Heaven and the Beast God.

Now, with the two armies facing off, Qin Ruqing was enveloped in rolling flames, and the scorching heat made ordinary Beastmen soldiers hesitant to approach.

Only the fellow Flame Tigers could barely stand in her presence.

The Beastmen were already feeling the pressure, and the human army across from them felt even more pressure upon seeing such a commanding figure.

They secretly glanced at their own commander, who stood at the front of their ranks, clad in white battle armor.

Indeed, he was handsome and exuded an extraordinary aura of courage and battle prowess—our commander is no slouch either!

The massive Flame Tiger commander across the battlefield spoke in the human language: “Humans, surrender quickly, and you will be spared!”

After that, he let out a roar, sending a wave of energy towards the human army, as if taunting them.

Not bad, the command in the human language was quite standard.

There was a slight stir among the human soldiers, while Fifth Youlin raised his hand to casually block the attack, his eyes warily watching Qin Ruqing, fearing she might repeat her previous tactics.

Qin Ruqing let out a scornful snort through her tiger nose.

What kind of look was Fifth Youlin giving her?

Did he really think she was so boring? This time, she was ready for a real battle!

Without saying much, Fifth Youlin let out a distinctive roar, which was a command for charging in beast language.

The iron cavalry army began to rumble forward, with the main assault forces of the lions, tigers, and leopards following closely behind.

Fifth Youlin didn’t mind her decisiveness. After a moment of deep contemplation, he raised his hand to signal an attack, and the horns of the human army sounded.

The battlefield was soon engulfed in smoke and flames, and the commanders of the two armies naturally clashed.

After exchanging a few probing moves with Qin Ruqing, to prevent being deceived by the same tactics again, Fifth Youlin remained attentive to her actions and realized that she was genuinely fighting him.

If he did not focus on the battle, he might get injured, and it could even affect the overall situation.

Finally concentrating, Fifth Youlin noticed something and transmitted a message: “Is this your choice?”

Qin Ruqing’s response was vague: “…?”

Fifth Youlin fell silent, unsure whether Qin Ruqing was speaking nonsense or the truth, but his attacks remained sharp.

Qin Ruqing, seeing this, let her gaze flicker and silently chanted a spell. An invisible ripple spread out.

Initially, Fifth Youlin did not notice, but soon he realized that his spiritual energy was slowing down and the use of his spells was becoming restricted.

As if he had realized something, Fifth Youlin furrowed his brow and actually stopped all attacks, looking at Qin Ruqing with a mix of shock and complex emotions.

“What is… this spell?”

Qin Ruqing also stopped and deliberately mocked, “We’re in the middle of a fight. Should I really tell the young clan leader the name and characteristics of my ultimate move?”

Fifth Youlin glanced around and pointedly said, “You actually mastered the domain rules, and within this domain, there’s a familiar aura.”

Qin Ruqing smiled inwardly, thinking, Of course, it’s familiar because this domain was obtained from your family’s Four Hell Prison Hall.

Indeed, the technique she used was the Domain of All Things—her greatest reward from the Four Hell Prisons.

Since entering the Source Rule Cave, Qin Ruqing had noticed subtle changes in the domain attached to her.

It had not disappeared due to her transformation into a beast clan member but had become even more closely connected to her.

Previously, she needed to expend a large amount of rule power to barely summon it, but now the cost was reduced to a manageable level, even allowing her to use this domain to assist in battle.

Meeting Fifth Youlin at the Four Hell Prison and in the Source Rule Cave… Qin Ruqing sensed the inevitability of fate.

Naturally, she decided to use the Domain of All Things to have a proper battle with Fifth Youlin and defeat him!

“Young clan leader, focus on the battle. As I mentioned before, I won’t hold back in this fight… Besides, I’m no longer the naive girl who came alone to the Penglai Trial.”

The message conveyed to him was from a commanding-level beast demon with a mighty appearance, but what Fifth Youlin envisioned was Qin Ruqing in her red attire, speaking to him with a bright and assertive demeanor.

“Not the naive girl who came alone to the Penglai Trial anymore…” Fifth Youlin was deeply moved, and it seemed that only now did he realize that Qin Ruqing was actually holding her own in their probing battle.

Although he had not used five-tenths of his power, Qin Ruqing had also been holding back!

When did she grow to the level where she could confront him directly?

Fifth Youlin counted Qin Ruqing’s past experiences in his mind, growing increasingly alarmed.

This girl from a humble background seemed to have gradually stepped into the upper echelons of the cultivation world.

She appeared in a dazzling manner, eliciting a mix of admiration and scrutiny, and as he looked back, her presence had become undeniable, her existence so prominent that it couldn’t be ignored!

The top spot in the Hundred Clans Conference or the young clan leader of the Celestial grade might be insignificant, but the Celestial-grade trial from the Four Hell Prison?

Fifth Youlin even speculated that if not for the unforeseen issues with the Four Hell Prison, Qin Ruqing might have really obtained all four Celestial tokens.

Most importantly, since leaving the Four Hells, she had not truly fought a single time, and even when seeking advice, it was mostly theoretical.

How much had her strength grown now?

Fifth Youlin’s eyes grew serious, as if seeing Qin Ruqing for the first time.

The massive red demon’s voice carried a hint of amusement: “Young Master, pay attention, I’m coming!”

With a swipe of her claws, space seemed to tear apart, and countless fiery needles appeared in the air, shooting down densely towards Fifth Youlin.

Although some human techniques could not be used due to the difference in human and beast meridians, the Flame Tiger itself possessed fire-related abilities.

With Qin Ruqing’s mastery over flames, she had created some fire techniques, and this fiery needle storm was one of the most powerful.

Fifth Youlin did not appear particularly panicked.

He had spent years cultivating in the Ten Thousand Scrolls Pavilion, mastering far more advanced seals than Qin Ruqing.

Dealing with this fiery needle storm was not difficult.

However…

Fifth Youlin noticed a significant drop in his spiritual energy flow, and the light injuries he had sustained while fighting Qin Ruqing seemed to worsen.

His vitality and mental energy were rapidly depleting, and his spiritual perception was also declining…

What kind of domain was this, capable of severely weakening all aspects of his abilities?

It was known that there was a fundamental difference in realm between him and Qin Ruqing!

A domain suppression that ignored realm differences!

Or rather, while realm could still resist this suppression, if there was a difference of two major stages, even resistance would be minimal.

Fifth Youlin’s heart sank.

For the first time, he felt a sense of caution towards Qin Ruqing…

When had she mastered such profound domains?—

Most importantly, was such a level of domain something her current cultivation could handle?

Quietly activating the Fifth Family’s inherited techniques to their fullest extent, he found that the Fifth Family’s techniques could greatly resist the domain’s suppression.

This might be related to the Four Hells from which Qin Ruqing had obtained this domain and its connection with the Fifth Family’s celestial-level inheritance.

He raised his hand, quickly forming a green solar wheel.

The wheel acted like a sturdy wall, blocking the fiery needles and even reflecting the attack back.

The red Flame Tiger, hit by its own technique, opened its mouth and swallowed the fire needles, then uncontrollably burped.

The scene was somewhat comical, but Qin Ruqing felt very serious.

She realized that this All Things Life domain wasn’t as powerful as she had hoped—at least, its effects on Fifth Youlin were not very significant.

Damn, could it be that because this domain was obtained from the Four Hells, it is less effective against their own people?

I expended nearly thirty percent of the rule’s power! Do you know how many remnant souls it takes to use this power in the Void Realm? At least five thousand soul pits to collect!

Then Fifth Youlin’s voice came through: “I can now confirm that this domain was obtained in the Four Hells Prison.”

How could I not recognize such a standard line! Once acknowledged, won’t your Fifth Family come to collect debts?

Qin Ruqing immediately transmitted loudly, “Young Master must be mistaken. This domain was acquired by chance during my training and coincidentally practiced in the Four Hells. The insights learned there were applied to it. This is likely why Young Master has this misunderstanding, haha!”

The “haha” transmitted into Fifth Youlin’s mind, causing him to twitch his eyebrow slightly.

He suddenly recalled what Lingyu had once warned him, “She is crafty and slippery; don’t be easily deceived by her!”

Crafty and slippery…

After several encounters, Fifth Youlin believed this description was quite objective and to the point!

This woman was indeed as cunning as a fox, making it hard to grasp and understand her actions.

He didn’t believe a single word of her recent explanation.

While Fifth Youlin was lost in thought, Qin Ruqing was also contemplating her strategy.

The All Things Life domain was not as effective as she had imagined, which was a setback.

However, upon closer inspection, it was likely that this domain’s resistance was due to its shared origin with the Fifth Family’s techniques.

This makes things difficult!