Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

"How can this ancient artifact be so fragile? It can't even withstand my gentle squeeze?"

Lord Chiyan questioned Gou An, his tone increasingly threatening.

Gou An swallowed hard and gave an awkward smile: "Mountain Lord, you're incredibly strong! You even crushed an ancient artifact. I'm truly impressed!"

After saying this, Gou An unconsciously took a step back, feeling as if the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord in front of him was about to pounce at any moment.

"Do you really think I'm some unintelligent wild beast?"

The next second, Lord Crimson Flame roared, the sound waves deafening.

"I'll give you one more chance. Hand over the treasure of the secret realm, or else..."

"die!"

The last word was shouted out by Lord Chiyan Mountain almost in a roar, shaking the entire cave.

Gou An covered his ears, looking uncomfortable.

"I'll give it to you, I really will!"

Gou An had no choice but to compromise.

Seeing Gou An submit, Lord Chiyan Mountain finally stopped roaring.

This time, Gou An opened his mouth, his throat bobbed, and it looked like he was about to take something out of his mouth.

But just as Lord Chiyan stepped forward to receive it, Gou An didn't spit out the treasure at all; instead, he held back a huge gulp.

Suddenly, it spewed out billowing black smoke, which landed squarely on the face of the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord.

The foul-smelling black mist instantly spread out, filling the entire cave entrance.

"hateful!"

Crimson Flame Mountain Lord roared in anger, and the sound waves surged forth once more.

After the sound waves dispersed the black mist and it all spewed out from the cave entrance, he realized that Gou An's figure had disappeared.

"You can't escape!"

Crimson Flame Mountain Lord immediately took a step and chased after the footprints at the cave entrance, quickly locking onto the footprints on the snowfield.

Meanwhile, Gou An sprinted ahead.

But the figure of the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord chasing after him was getting closer and closer, which made Gou An's heart tremble violently.

After transforming into a demon and forming his core, the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord had already mastered the art of flying. Unlike Gou An, he didn't need to rely on his legs to chase after him, so his speed was naturally much faster.

"You stray dog, what treasure did you get from the secret realm?"

Chi Yan Shan Jun chased after him while angrily scolding him from behind.

"They're actually willing to fight me with magic just to protect it?"

Faced with the questions from behind, Gou An simply replied, "You've already crushed all my treasures, why are you still looking for me?"

"You're still lying to me!"

Lord Chiyan Mountain reached out and grabbed a blood-red longsword, which instantly appeared in his hand. The blade was radiating intense heat, and even from a distance, Gou An could feel the astonishing heat.

"Today I'm going to skin you alive and tear you apart to vent my anger."

As soon as he finished speaking, Crimson Flame Mountain Lord gathered his strength and slashed at Gou An from a distance.

boom!

The air itself seemed to vibrate with a muffled thud from the impact of the strike.

A burst of intense firelight transformed into a blade of energy that slashed straight down from the sky towards Gou An, who was running wildly on the ground.

Gou An sensed the danger behind him and immediately used his demonic magic to leap into the air, detaching himself from the ground.

The next second, the spot where Gou An had just been was struck by the blade energy, and a large crater was blasted into the snow, revealing the charred blackened ground that had originally belonged to the earth.

Having dodged the first strike, Gou An continued to stomp his feet in mid-air, trying to create distance between himself and the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord.

The snow-covered plains and mountains were a vast expanse of white, with nowhere to hide but to run.

"Good lad, your cultivation has improved so much after just one trip into the ancient tower!"

Lord Chiyan frowned, his long sword still moving, and he unleashed several more slashes.

This time, the fiery blade energy he unleashed was faster and more powerful.

With no cover in the air, Gou An had no choice but to fall back to the ground.

As the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord drew closer, Gou An's heart pounded wildly, knowing that he couldn't escape if things continued this way.

So he flipped his hand and took out the Divine Iron Hammer!

And it begins to gather its strength!

Although this is a top-grade magic weapon, I am not confident that I can seriously injure Crimson Flame Mountain Lord without accumulating power.

To have a chance of winning, you can only rely on the power of a charged hammer strike.

As Gou An poured a large amount of demonic power into the hammer, he could feel the weight of the divine iron hammer slowly accumulating.

It was precisely because of this that Gou An's speed slowed down, allowing Chi Yan Shan Jun to catch up quickly.

Bang!

A loud bang.

The Crimson Flame Mountain Lord landed in front of Gou An, smashing a deep crater in the snow.

Snowflakes filled the sky, and all that could be seen was the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord carrying a fiery blade on his shoulder, blocking the way.

And as if it had used some kind of sorcery, its size rapidly increased, becoming like a small mountain.

Gou An immediately stopped and held the iron hammer horizontally in front of him.

"Kid, you've used up your chance!"

Crimson Flame Mountain Lord walked towards Gou An step by step. With each step he took, the snow beneath his feet would automatically melt and create a path.

"Since you won't give it to me, then I'll take it myself!"

"Don't worry, no matter where you hide this thing on your body, I'll find it!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Crimson Flame Mountain Lord stomped heavily on the ground, transforming into a fiery shadow and lunging towards Gou An's position.

Gou An knew that he didn't have enough time to build up his strength, so he could only dodge backwards, creating several afterimages as he dodged in different directions, hoping to confuse the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord.

However, the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord's fighting style is very open and unrestrained, and he doesn't even bother to distinguish the afterimage illusions.

He immediately swiftly flipped his longsword, unleashing several fiery blades, each chasing after a fleeting afterimage.

He doesn't care who's telling the truth or who's lying; cutting off one side is the most convenient option anyway.

Gou An, facing the fire blade flying towards him, immediately twisted his body in mid-air to dodge, narrowly avoiding it.

Although it wasn't hit, the residual heat from the fire blade scorched its hair black.

As soon as he landed, the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord discovered Gou An's true form, closed in again, and swept his blade across once more.

Gou An had no time to react and could only rely on instinct to roll over and dodge.

Even though Gou An had used all his strength, he still couldn't dodge and was struck at close range by the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord's blade.

Clang!

A crisp sound.

The moment Gou An was struck by the fire blade, golden light emanated from his body.

The light transformed into a golden shield that enveloped Gou An, steadily blocking the attack from the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord.

Furthermore, because the Crimson Flame Mountain Lord used too much force in his strike, he was thrown back by the recoil.

When he regained his footing, his right hand, which had been holding the knife, was trembling slightly.

As he watched the golden shield around Gou An slowly dissipate, an intense greed flashed in his eyes.

"A protective magic weapon?" Crimson Flame Mountain Lord shook his wrist to relieve the discomfort. "A treasure that could so easily withstand my attack must be a top-grade magic weapon!"

"So, this is the secret treasure you obtained from the ancient tower?"

Gou An did not answer, but silently continued to gather power for the seemingly ordinary iron hammer in his hand.

"No wonder you dared to refuse me; it turns out you possess an indestructible magic weapon!" The Crimson Flame Mountain Lord sneered. "Unfortunately, you underestimated me!"

"Even if I can't break through this protective magic weapon, I have a thousand ways to capture you, imprison you, torture you, and make you wish you were dead!"