# 444
**Chapter 444 – Fire Suppression**
Boom—!
Boom—!!
Boom—!!!
Explosions echoed from the 166th floor, one after another. Magic circles unfolded both inside and outside the main tower—abyssal magic intertwined with spatial magic, suffocating energy spilling into the sky.
Lin Qiye stood at the center of the devastated venue, his eyes shining like stars. The deep-blue cloak behind him fluttered without wind, his lips moving as if in incantation. Dense magical elements surged, nearly tearing the entire floor apart!
Within the range of this apocalyptic magical devastation, a blue figure and a spear-wielding silhouette clashed at high speed.
Baili Xin’s clothes were already scorched black in large patches, his face gloomy to the extreme. He felt indescribably stifled—not because he couldn’t dodge Lin Qiye’s magic, but because every time he tried to escape the bombardment zone, Jialan would forcibly drag him back, and the two of them would endure the magical onslaught together.
For Jialan, this was nothing. But Baili Xin didn’t have the protection of [Immortality]. He could only rely on shields formed from black sand to resist again and again. Unfortunately, Lin Qiye’s magical attacks were too dense—even the shields couldn’t always deploy in time.
Baili Xin dodged Jialan’s strike, spun around, and thrust his spear. This time, he’d learned his lesson—instead of targeting Jialan, he aimed straight at Lin Qiye, who was chanting spells!
Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes slightly. In the next moment, spatial magic shifted his figure to another location. His left hand pressed against the void as he spoke slowly:
“Shaping Magic—[Mysterious Iron Cone].”
A cyan magic circle bloomed in front of him. Dense black lines extended from it, weaving into a massive cone over three meters in radius, suspended silently in midair.
Lin Qiye raised his right hand. The kinetic longsword [Prayer Abyss] lightly slashed the end of the cone.
Bzzzz—!!!
The terrifying kinetic energy imbued by [Prayer Abyss] erupted instantly. The giant cone vanished from Lin Qiye’s sight, and with a piercing sonic boom, it shot toward Baili Xin at near-teleportation speed!
Baili Xin’s pupils contracted sharply.
In a flash, the tip of his spear struck the cone’s point. A blinding golden beam instantly melted the cone itself, but the residual kinetic force still slammed into the spear shaft, sending it flying from Baili Xin’s hand!
Just as Baili Xin reached to reclaim the golden spear midair, a familiar voice echoed in his ear.
“Reversal of Heaven and Earth.”
Not far away, Baili Pangpang stood atop a Taiji Bagua diagram, reaching toward the golden spear.
The spear froze midair, evading Baili Xin’s grasp. Under the effect of “Disarm,” it veered off course and flew straight into Baili Pangpang’s hand.
“You—!!” Baili Xin watched his own forbidden artifact fly away, spinning to glare at Baili Pangpang, fury blazing in his eyes.
Baili Pangpang weighed the spear in his hand, sneering. “You what?”
He leveled the spear at Baili Xin and thrust!
A golden beam pierced through space, aiming straight for Baili Xin’s face. The latter dodged swiftly—only to be met by Jialan’s fearless flying kick. He was sent flying like a sandbag for over a dozen meters!
Black sand surged like a tide beneath him, catching his body midair.
Baili Xin steadied himself on the sand, wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze turning sharp.
He pulled a small black porcelain bottle from his pocket, flicked it open with his thumb. In the next instant, roaring black flames erupted from the bottle like a volcanic blast, sweeping outward and covering half the venue in moments.
Lin Qiye flickered repeatedly, retreating beyond the black flames. Baili Pangpang also stepped back atop his Taiji diagram, avoiding the scorching wave.
Jialan stood within the inferno, her bright eyes locked on Baili Xin, showing no intention of leaving.
Baili Xin raised the hand holding the bottle. A black flame cyclone condensed behind him, finally forming a two-meter-tall flame demon, grinning at the group.
Ding-dong—!
A crisp chime sounded as an elevator door slid open.
“Hehehehe…”
Inside the elevator stood the madman Cao Yuan, wreathed in black flames. He gripped his Straight Blade, looking like he’d been holding it in for far too long.
Beside him, the 166th-floor button panel was nearly smashed to pieces—clearly, he’d been riding the elevator for quite a while…
Finally finding the battlefield, he was ready to unleash carnage—until he spotted the black-flame demon. He tilted his head, crimson eyes wide with confusion.
For some reason, the moment mad Cao Yuan stepped into the flames, the flame demon’s body shuddered.
Cao Yuan shook his head, hoisted his blade, and charged into the fire with a savage grin. The black flames on the ground parted automatically, as if fleeing the black killing-fire aura around Cao Yuan. The flame demon even took several steps back.
Baili Xin: ???
His sword sheath absorbed vast amounts of flame. He slashed at Cao Yuan—black blade sweeping across the madman’s body, sending him flying dozens of meters, plummeting once more from the 166th floor.
“Hehehehe… wuuuu…”
Despair flickered in Cao Yuan’s eyes.
Just then, several threads wrapped around his body, halting his fall.
At the edge of the floor stood An Qingyu in a suit, calmly watching the suspended Cao Yuan, a shy smile on his face.
“If my analysis is correct… your killing-fire is of a higher tier than his,” he murmured, adjusting his glasses.
With a flick of his fingers, immense force surged through the threads, flinging Cao Yuan back into the venue—straight at the flame demon’s face!
Cao Yuan shot like a cannonball, his killing-fire slamming into the demon’s body. The two flames connected—the demon’s fire shrank drastically, while Cao Yuan’s surged several times over!
The flame demon shrieked, dispersing instantly and vanishing into the sea of fire.
Cao Yuan crashed into the wall, staggered to his feet, and began swaying like he’d drunk fake liquor.
“You…” Watching the black flames shrink by more than half, Baili Xin’s face was so dark it could drip water. “You forced this upon me…”
He took a deep breath and pulled out his final collection from his pocket.
It was a blood-soaked skull.