Tang Zifeng took a simpler approach, summoning a bell artifact.

He sat cross-legged atop it as it floated, carrying him through the barrier with ease, seemingly immune to the restriction on flying artifacts.

At this point, only Lu Wei and Xiao Fenhua remained outside the barrier.

Lu Wei shrugged casually, “I’m a pill cultivator, not particularly skilled with this type of barrier. I can use a sword, but probably not without triggering it.”

Xiao Fenhua scratched her head sheepishly, “Yeah, I’m at a loss here too. My luck-based abilities don’t really work well against something like a barrier.”

Qin Ruqing said nothing, merely smiled as she approached, linking arms with the two of them.

An invisible force emanated from her, and she walked them through the barrier as if it didn’t exist.

Ming Ying couldn’t help but chuckle, “Carrying them like that, you really do have the air of a charming rogue.”

Qin Ruqing merely raised an eyebrow at the joke before turning to Tang Zifeng, “How is it that you can fly on your artifact?”

Tang Zifeng explained, “You said the barrier restricts flying artifacts, but it also allows flying patrol beasts in the sky, meaning living creatures aren’t affected.”

“Huh, but what does that have to do with your bell artifact flying?” Qi Rong asked.

“Because my bell is not an artifact,” Tang Zifeng replied briefly, patting the bell’s surface. “Time is short. Let me carry everyone and fly up together.”

Qin Ruqing gestured for the others to board first, her mind clear.

Tang Zifeng’s bell wasn’t a typical artifact—it used a form of “bionic technique” in its forging.

The barrier recognized the bell as a living creature, like a bird, rather than an artifact, allowing it to pass through unhindered.

Riding the bell for over a hundred zhang, Qin Ruqing called for a stop.

She pressed her hand against the mountain wall, sensing for a moment before turning back to the group.

“Breaking through this wall will lead us to the second layer, where the ordinary blood pools are. The beasts inside are all at the demon king level, and the barrier isolating them is quite special. You need a branded mark to pass through unharmed.”

She opened her palm, revealing a golden beast-head symbol glowing in the center.

“Isn’t that the same mark the Beast Gods gave during their blessing?” Feng Mingyue asked.

“Exactly.”

Fifth Youlin didn’t ask where Qin Ruqing got the mark but looked troubled, “But none of us have that mark.”

“I’ve studied this mark. Its core lies in the laws of the Beast Realm. As long as we replicate those laws, we can replicate the mark,” Qin Ruqing explained.

Just as they began to show some hope, Qin Ruqing added, “The hardest part is at the top of the mountain, at the third barrier. According to my sources, in addition to the Ancient Beast Emperor, there are six demon kings guarding the summit.”

Six demon kings, not counting the Beast Emperor… Everyone’s hearts sank.

Tang Zifeng looked at Qin Ruqing, speaking gravely, “We can hold off the demon kings. That’s the reason we’re with you.”

“To clear the way for you,” Qirong agreed. “You must save all your strength for fighting the Beast Emperor.”

Qin Ruqing didn’t argue, nodding her agreement. “We should assign everyone to their targets now. We won’t have time once we reach the top.”

There was no way they could wait until the battle started to figure out their matchups.

Before Qin Ruqing could speak, Fifth Lingyu, who had been silent, said, “I can handle one demon king on my own.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Qin Ruqing didn’t oppose him but cautioned, “The demon kings chosen by the Beast Emperor are undoubtedly among the strongest and have been brainwashed to fight to the death for him. Facing one alone will be challenging.”

“My two Azure Lutos Dao bodies weren’t consumed for nothing. And when we were in the Sixth Domain, the Dao Ancestor gave me a gift. With the power of chaos I now command, along with the Xuanming Heart, I can handle a demon king alone,” Fifth Lingyu replied coolly.

“Alright. You’ll take on one demon king alone,” Qin Ruqing agreed.

She knew Fifth Lingyu, despite his casual demeanor, was extremely powerful.

Since he offered, he wouldn’t fail.

“I can trap one demon king with my bell artifact,” Tang Zifeng added.

When Qin Ruqing’s gaze showed doubt, he emphasized, “Don’t worry. You know my bell can attack and defend. While it’s not the best for offense, once I merge with it, the bell’s defense reaches divine artifact level. I may not defeat a demon king, but I can definitely hold one.”

“But merging with your artifact risks your life. Even if the artifact survives, you could be gravely injured,” Qin Ruqing said, frowning.

“I can handle it,” Tang Zifeng replied firmly, meeting her gaze.

Qin Ruqing exhaled slowly. “Alright.”

At this point, everyone was prepared to lay down their lives for the battle, including herself.

She couldn’t afford to soften now.

“I can also trap a demon king,” Feng Mingyue said, her calm tone filled with quiet strength.

There was no questioning her abilities.

She was the strongest after Qin Ruqing.

“I…” Ming Ying started, but when everyone looked at her, she hesitated.

Not wanting to make empty boasts, she bit her lip and adjusted her words, “I can work with someone to hold off a demon king.”

Her gaze landed on Qi Rong. “Qirong, can you work with me?”

“I’m a spellcaster, and you walk the path of extreme strength. Our combination of hard and soft will work well,” she explained.

Qi Rong scratched his head. “Me? Uh—” Seeing Ming Ying’s fierce look, as if daring him to refuse, he quickly agreed, “Alright!”

Ming Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

Dan Qing also chose his partner, “Young Master, would you join me?”

Fifth Youlin nodded without hesitation, “Of course.”

Rui Fenhua glanced around, realizing there were four people left: herself, Qin Family’s Luwei, the Saintess of the Lu Clan, Lu Zhiyao, and Monk Huineng.

Lu Zhiyao frowned slightly and looked at Huineng. “Monk, shall we work together?”

Huineng put his hands together, “Amitabha, agreed.”

Rui Fenhua sighed, “It looks like all six demon kings are accounted for. What should Lu Wei and I do?”

Qin Ruqing glanced at her and decisively assigned roles. “Sister, you’ll be responsible for healing everyone. Clan Leader Rui, your job is to use your luck to help us avoid fatal injuries.”

Rui Fenhua was startled.

How did Qin Ruqing know about her ability?

She had no idea Qin Ruqing had already seen through her luck calculations back in the Sixth Domain.

Clenching her teeth, Rui Fenhua accepted without hesitation, “As you command!”

With everyone’s tasks assigned, Qin Ruqing herself would be facing the Beast Emperor, taking on the greatest danger of all.

Opening her palm, the golden mark reappeared.

Qin Ruqing quickly formed a series of hand seals, and soon, a matching golden beast-head symbol appeared on each person’s palm.

“Everyone, be on high alert,” Qin Ruqing commanded coldly. “Move in!”

Qin Ruqing was prepared to face a storm of attacks, but within the second layer of the Blood Pool, everything remained eerily calm.

This unsettling calm didn’t bring any relief; instead, it heightened a sense of suffocating dread.

“Why is it so quiet? There’s not even a single patrol guard,” Qirong, wearing spiked bone gauntlets, warily scanned the cave’s surroundings.

“The smell of the blood pool is weaker than last time, and the blood itself is paler too,” Feng Mingyue observed.

The group tensed, and Rui Fenhua instinctively called out, “Commander?”

She was looking for Qin Ruqing’s directive.

Qin Ruqing, eyes fixed ahead, led the group and ordered in a calm voice, “Continue forward.”

Fifth Youlin opened his mouth to speak, but Qin Ruqing, as if she had eyes on her back, said evenly, “Regardless of any scheme or trap, we’ve come this far, and there’s no turning back now.”

Fifth Youlin paused, staring at her back, and replied in a deep voice, “Understood.”

They proceeded smoothly to the mountain’s summit, a place only Qin Ruqing had ever reached before.

As the wind blew at the peak, Rui Fenhua saw the scene in front of her and couldn’t help but shiver to the point where her teeth began to chatter.

Countless blood soldiers, their crimson eyes glowing, turned in unison to stare at them the moment they stepped onto the summit.

It felt like they were being targeted by an army of vengeful spirits, sending a chill from their blood to the depths of their souls.

Six demon kings, positioned in a hexagonal formation, surrounded Tianxing Mountain—or rather, the blood-red barrier at the summit’s center—with no gaps in their defense.

One of them, with a head covered in dense horn-like protrusions, locked eyes on Qin Ruqing and sneered, “The Emperor was right. There really are humans who aren’t afraid to die.”

“My hearing’s not the best. Which emperor are you talking about?” Qin Ruqing mockingly rubbed her ears. “The unlucky one who died a wrongful death, or the old emperor who’s been dead for who knows how long, still trying to crawl out of his grave?”

Her words were so sharp that even the people in her own group looked at her in astonishment.

Ming Ying, unable to resist, glanced at Qin Ruqing’s back, thinking to herself that her mouth was truly unmatched.

Every word seemed designed to infuriate her opponents to death.

The large demon king with the horned head was stunned, then scrutinized this human woman again, as if trying to determine how much courage she truly possessed.

“You’re courting death,” the demon king snarled, the words squeezed through his sharp teeth.

Before his sentence even finished, he leapt into the air, his body expanding rapidly, casting a massive shadow over Qin Ruqing like a mountain about to crush her.

Qin Ruqing squinted up at the sky, but she neither retaliated nor dodged.

She simply gave a calm command, “Everyone, proceed with the original plan.”

Flames began to ripple from her body, and terrifying magic gathered at her fingertips.

Before dealing with the Beast Emperor, killing this charging demon king on the way seemed like a minor task.

However, before she could release her spell, a dark figure abruptly appeared in front of her.

Broad-shouldered and slim-waisted, the figure exuded a powerful presence.

“I’ll handle this,” a cold voice said, instantly bringing a familiar face to Qin Ruqing’s mind, Fifth Lingyu.

Seeing him already engaged in battle with the horned demon king, and holding his own, Qin Ruqing nodded and trusted him. “It’s yours, then,” she said, turning away.

At the same time, the other demon kings’ bodies also began to expand rapidly.

The air atop the mountain grew tense and thin as these enormous creatures emerged.

A giant snake-like beast, its head shaped like a triangle, had a torso so thick that it would take three grown men linking arms to encircle it.

It noticed the horned demon king being attacked and tried to assist, but Feng Mingyue intercepted it.

Without a word, Feng Mingyue’s movements were swift and precise, like the wind and thunder.

Her invisible sword struck the giant snake’s triangular head, producing a metallic clang.

A crack appeared in its scales, and blood gushed out.

The giant snake let out an enraged hiss, clearly female, and its tail whipped toward Feng Mingyue in a wild, indiscriminate sweep, sending a line of blood soldiers flying.

Lu Wei frowned, about to warn Feng Mingyue, but several blood soldiers surrounded her.

She had no choice but to focus on them first, throwing a handful of yellow-brown powder from her sleeve.

The powder sizzled on contact with the blood soldiers’ bodies, burning them.

Only then did she have a moment to shout, “Mingyue, be careful! The triangular snake’s head is venomous!”

She flung a green pill from her sleeve toward Feng Mingyue.

Feng Mingyue dodged the snake’s tail attack with a swift flip and caught the pill mid-air, swallowing it while in flight. “Thank you.”

Nearby, a scorpion-like beast, its body covered in countless legs, noticed the snake being attacked and tried to intervene, but a giant bell dropped over its head.

The scorpion beast thrashed wildly inside, shaking the ground.

However, the bell, glowing with golden light and inscribed with ancient patterns, did not budge.

Tang Zifeng, hands held in a sealing gesture, had a solemn expression as mystical patterns emerged on her forehead. His figure gradually merged with the bell, reinforcing its power.

Ming Ying’s sharp eyes swept over the remaining demon kings and settled on a massive pangolin beast.

Sizing it up, she felt confident that she and Qin Qirong could handle it without dragging the team down.

She called out loudly, “Big guy, the pangolin’s ours!”

Before she finished speaking, her purple-blue sash shot forward like a sword.

Qirong clenched his fists, about to object to her casual nickname for the beast, but she had already flown ahead, leaving him no choice but to follow with his gauntleted fists.

The remaining teams—Dan Qing and Fifth Youlin, Lu Zhiyao and Huineng—each chose their respective beast kings to engage in battle.

Meanwhile, Lu Wei and Rui Fenhua were busy fending off wave after wave of blood soldiers.

Lu Wei fought effortlessly, using only basic sword techniques, but each strike of her blade took down several blood soldiers. She even had enough energy left to heal the wounds of her allies mid-battle.