After being reborn, the villain comes with a spoiler tag.

In an instant, the wind fanned the flames, and the flames on the twelve vermilion swords danced wildly with the wind, transforming into twelve giant fire dragons that soared into the sky and roared toward the blue lamp, intending to burn away all obstacles in their path.

The fiery dragon and the azure lamp collided violently in mid-air, unleashing a deafening roar. The surrounding ruins of the celestial palace collapsed under the impact.

However, the power of the cyan lamp far exceeded Long Yucheng's expectations. The eleven giant fire dragons, torn apart by the ghostly face inside the lamp, only lasted for a moment before turning into sparks and dissipating into nothingness.

Only the last fiery dragon did not collapse directly, firmly withstanding the pressure of the cyan lamp, greatly reducing its falling speed.

Upon seeing this, the woman gave a cold snort, her voice as icy as ice:

"A mere trifle. A green lamp illuminates the netherworld, and the flames of darkness guide souls!"

Instantly, the flames on the blue lamps blazed brightly, like ghostly fire, and devoured the last fire dragon in an instant. The intense crimson was extinguished in the cold blue, leaving no trace.

Long Yucheng groaned, staggered back a few steps before regaining his balance, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his face as pale as paper.

The Crimson Flame Sword also transformed back into a sword from its dragon form and returned to his hand. The spiritual light flowing on it had dimmed considerably and was no longer as fiery as before.

But the blue lamp gave him no chance to breathe, still carrying endless pressure, and crashed down on him, determined to crush him into dust.

At this critical moment, a cold voice rang out, carrying an undeniable authority:

"enough."

With those two words, Huo Yu appeared in front of Long Yucheng.

He raised his hand and waved it, and instantly, an invisible force firmly fixed the blue lamp in the air, making it unable to move.

Huo Yu clenched his fists, and the lamp shattered like a fragile bubble, turning into specks of blue light that vanished without a trace.

The woman's supernatural powers were broken, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. Her face changed drastically, and a look of undisguised horror flashed in her eyes.

She had already discerned that Huo Yu was at the Nascent Soul stage when she was standing in front of the Ancient Immortal Realm, but she never expected that Huo Yu's strength would be so terrifying. With just a wave of his hand, he easily broke her strongest divine power.

Huo Yu's gaze was indifferent as he coldly looked at the woman. With a flick of his finger, the immense spiritual power that had casually crushed her Azure Lamp earlier instantly condensed and transformed into a giant crimson fire phoenix, roaring towards her with boundless power.

As the phoenix flapped its wings, before it even reached the woman, the immense fire elemental power contained within it surged forth, almost igniting the air around her.

The woman's face was bloodless, but the hatred in her eyes did not diminish in the slightest, burning like a ghostly flame. She stared fixedly at Long Yucheng, who raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. A flash of light appeared on the compass under her feet, and her body was instantly enveloped by a large amount of blue lightning.

In the next instant, her figure disappeared from the spot, leaving only a bluish afterimage.

The fire phoenix missed its target. The surging fire elemental power around it completely reduced the palace ruins behind the woman to dust. After letting out a long cry of resentment, it finally dissipated into the air, leaving only scorched earth and ashes.

Long Yucheng stared intently in the direction where the woman had disappeared, his hand gripping the Crimson Flame Sword tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

His eyes held both resentment and self-reproach as he whispered:

"Brother, I..."

Huo Yu simply interrupted him calmly:

"That woman is at the Nascent Soul stage."

Even though Long Yucheng's current strength far surpasses that of his fellow cultivators in the Golden Core stage, there is still an insurmountable gap between him and those in the Nascent Soul stage.

Long Yucheng was no match for that woman. He himself was well aware of this.

He understood the comforting tone in Huo Yu's words, but he still felt as if a huge boulder was weighing heavily on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. A sense of powerlessness and frustration washed over him like a tide.

He lowered his head, his voice tinged with bitterness:

"This is the trouble I caused, and I'm powerless to resolve it... Moreover, that woman can move freely in this ancient immortal realm using the compass beneath her feet, which is undoubtedly a hidden danger. If it were just me alone, it wouldn't be so bad, but now my senior brother is being implicated because of me..."

His voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

Upon hearing this, Huo Yu's gaze shifted slightly, and he turned to look at Long Yucheng.

"You are my junior brother."

He thought for a moment before speaking slowly, his voice calm yet firm.

"It is my responsibility to protect you."

Long Yucheng slowly raised his head, met Huo Yu's gaze, and a complex and unreadable emotion flashed in his eyes.

He knew that his senior brother was always a man of few words, but he never spoke lightly.

The phrase "I will protect you" coming from his mouth felt like a lifelong promise, permeating every day and night since they met.

From the day the two met, the senior brother has been practicing this saying.

However, the more this happened, the deeper the bitterness in Long Yucheng's heart became. He gripped his longsword tightly and said in a low voice:

"But senior brother, I don't want to be a burden to you forever. I want to become stronger, strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, instead of always hiding behind you..."

Huo Yu gazed silently at the flickering light in those eyes. That strange emotion that Huo Yu couldn't understand reappeared in Long Yucheng's eyes, complex and profound, as if it contained countless unspoken words.

This time, however, Huo Yu did not feel the slightest bit agitated; instead, he felt a strange sense of peace.

After a moment of silence, he spoke, his tone inadvertently revealing a tenderness he himself hadn't noticed:

"The path of cultivation is inherently long, and you have done very well."

Upon hearing this, Long Yucheng was taken aback and stared at him blankly, seemingly not expecting to hear such a confirmation from him.

After a long silence as they stared at each other, Long Yucheng's lips gradually curved into a smile that Huo Yu knew all too well, his voice carrying a hint of relief and ease:

"I understand now, thank you, senior brother! I was being stubborn, and I promise I won't overthink things like that again."

Huo Yu didn't know what he had done, but in an instant, the starlight in the young man's eyes seemed to return.

"Let's go."

Huo Yu spoke calmly, then turned and continued walking forward.

Long Yucheng nodded and quickly followed Huo Yu's footsteps. The heavy burden in his heart had been lifted, and his steps became much lighter.

Although the threat posed by the Qingluo Sect woman had not yet been eliminated, it was no longer a boulder weighing on his heart.

Long Yucheng knew that no matter how treacherous the road ahead, he would not be alone.

His senior brother was always by his side. And he would eventually grow into someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with his senior brother.