But the flames were not being released by Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, but rather by that mystical stone pillar harboring immense energy.

Chen Hao's eyes were bright with intensity, and his gaze involuntarily shifted to the stone pillar. What he saw was unlike anything before, the originally gray-white stone pillar had now turned fiery red. It trembled ceaselessly on one side while spouting flames at the man.

Glancing back at the stone pillar, the man vanished in an instant, reappearing on the other side of Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body so swiftly that Chen Hao couldn't catch sight of it.

Moreover, the man used the freezing Spiritual Power within his body to suppress the flames on his back.

Just as he prepared for another assault on Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, he was struck again by the flames from the stone pillar, eliciting another agonized scream from him.

Then he vanished again, appearing above Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, yet once again he was targeted by the stone pillar's fire. It neutralized the Spiritual Power he had been about to unleash on Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body.

After another scream, Chen Hao saw the man turn into a phantom and instantly arrive at the peak of a distant snowy mountain.

And from the first time he was hit by the flames until now, it had only been the blink of an eye.

He was indeed too fast.

However, that stone pillar, a repository of hidden power, was even quicker than him!

"Chen Hao, the stone pillar saved me, it must have sensed the blood within me as well," Ye Yuqiao said, looking back at the nearby stone pillar with a face full of gratitude.

With that, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body rose to her feet.

Just as she was about to approach the stone pillar, Chen Hao suddenly pulled her back into his embrace.

Chen Hao had sensed that the man was attacking again, bringing with him a surge of powerful, cold Spiritual Power. The lightning-fast phantom he saw emitted a faint cold light.

Once more, the man no longer attacked Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body or Chen Hao but targeted the stone pillar instead.

He intended to unleash all his Spiritual Power to destroy the stone pillar.

In an instant, he had reached the stone pillar, suffocating Chen Hao and Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body with the immense Spiritual Power emanating from his body.

The man's Spiritual Power was only slightly inferior to that of Chen Hao, who possessed the Nether King's Heart. But paired with his unimaginable speed, that made him a demon that sent chills down everyone's spine.

However, before the man's Spiritual Power could strike the stone pillar, he was suddenly blasted away to the top of a distant mountain peak, leaving Chen Hao utterly perplexed.

Afterward, the man burst into an enormous blaze, shrieking in terrible, ear-splitting agony within the inferno.

As it turned out, just before the man crashed into the stone pillar, it had spouted a fiercely intense fire. The event occurred too quickly for either Chen Hao or Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body to see clearly.

With a "boom," the man's engulfment in flames melted half of the mountain, burying him within the snowy depths.

Seeing this scene, both Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body and Chen Hao were stunned.

The intensity of the fire could easily be likened to Purgatory Fire.

With a "bang," the man burst out from the collapsed snowy mountain that had covered him and, still aflame, vanished as he made his escape, like a shooting star.

"He's gone," Chen Hao said to Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body. "With the stone pillar here, he probably won't dare come near us again!"

At that moment, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body suddenly rose to her knees, then turned around, clutching Chen Hao's face tightly in her hands, her eyes sparkling with tears as she gazed at him.

"My face!" Chen Hao's expression grew slightly painful because Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body's palms were too hot, like burning coals.

"Chen Hao! I always thought you didn't care about me at all, that you especially disliked me. It was only just now that I realized you do care about me, or you wouldn't have risked your life to protect me just now," said Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, as tears of emotion streamed down.

"Thank you, thank you so much!" she continued.

"Besides, we're companions now," Chen Hao said with a slight smile. "It's always been my responsibility to protect my companions."

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body nodded slightly, then came closer and hugged Chen Hao tightly.

Chen Hao's expression became more and more painful; he felt as though a heap of fiercely burning coals had been thrown into his embrace. So, he made the Nether King's Power circulate through his blood, cooling himself down before he was cooked.

"Woof woof!" At that moment, Xiao Bai ran back from the distant snowy mountains, then went behind Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body, barking non-stop.

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body left Chen Hao's embrace and then stood up, turned around, and walked over to Xiao Bai. She hugged Xiao Bai's legs tightly and said with a smile, "Xiao Bai, don't worry, I'm fine. I'm happy with both of you caring about me."

"Woof woof woof!" Xiao Bai's eyes curved into two lines, looking very happy.

Afterward, Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body let go of Xiao Bai and then turned around and slowly approached the mystical pillar.

She could feel a voice calling to her from within the pillar.

Upon reaching the side of the pillar, she grasped it firmly with both hands. Her palms then began to emit a large amount of smoke, and soon, two crimson flames spread rapidly from her hands to her whole body, igniting her entire being.

Seeing this, Xiao Bai stood frozen in shock, then immediately went to bite Chen Hao to drag him away.

"Xiao Bai," Chen Hao said with a bit of a laugh and a cry, "you're really good!"

His body's Nether King's Power could completely protect him from the assailing flames, and Xiao Bai's worry warmed his heart.

The blaze grew increasingly dazzling as Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body transformed into a flaming bird, burning more and more fiercely.

After a while, the accumulated snow on the mountains within a ten-mile radius had all melted, the snow water evaporating, making the surroundings misty.

Seeing Xiao Bai's pained expression, looking as if it was on its last breath, Chen Hao touched his left hand to Xiao Bai's body and infused it with the Nether King's Power.

"Woof!" Xiao Bai immediately perked up and stretched out its huge pink tongue to lick Chen Hao.

Chen Hao shivered; Xiao Bai's tongue was as cold as an ice pop.

A long time passed before the flames on Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body incarnation as a firebird suddenly extinguished, and she reverted to her human form.

"Chen Hao, this pillar has transmitted a lot of Purgatory Fire to me," Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body said to Chen Hao while still closing her eyes, sensing the pillar.

"Miss, can you hear my voice?"

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body's heart skipped a beat; she heard a deep voice.

"I hear you. Was it you who saved me just now?" Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body asked.

"It was merely a trivial effort," the voice replied. "Miss, do you have the blood of the Netherworld Azure Bird in you?"

Ye Yuqiao's Nether Soul Body hummed in acknowledgment and said, "Yes, I do. And you?"

"I..."

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