Shi Zhanfeng seemed to have anticipated this, and didn't move. He simply flipped his hand, revealing a golden sphere in his palm, which he tossed upwards.

A surge of light emanated from the golden sphere, accompanied by the sounds of intricate mechanisms turning. Then, the sphere erupted with golden light, engulfing his figure.

The golden light vanished in the blink of an eye, and the golden sphere was gone. In its place was a golden cage, tens of feet in diameter, protecting Shi Zhanfeng within.

The feathered puppet flew closer, and its four wings flapped forward simultaneously, launching a barrage of feather-like white light blades, shooting towards Shi Zhanfeng like a storm of arrows.

Wherever the light blades passed, the void was torn apart, revealing fleeting black lines.

On the other side, the beastly puppet had also arrived. The girl-like head suddenly tilted, and a beam of white light surged from its mouth, transforming into a string of silver lightning, striking out.

Sparks and electricity instantly engulfed the golden cage. The sounds of flying blades clashing and thunderous explosions echoed incessantly.

Han Li stared intently at the golden cage, his brow suddenly furrowing.

After the lightning and sparks subsided, the golden cage, aside from numerous scars and marks, remained completely intact.

Inside the cage, Shi Zhanfeng was unharmed, solemnly holding a crystal sphere in one hand, while blood dripped from the index finger of his other hand as he continuously traced patterns on the crystal sphere, seemingly trying to dispel the crystal seal.

Han Li frowned, hesitating whether to snatch it away.

He could clearly sense that the aura contained within the sealed crimson heart was extraordinary. It was clearly a treasure comparable to the previous Blood Offering Grand Formation, and it was closely related to the "Demon Lord" corpse lying in the crystal coffin.

Although he wasn't particularly interested in whether Sha Xin could successfully resurrect the "Demon Lord," he suspected it might be related to the Crab Daoist. Besides, it would be a shame to let Shi Zhanfeng obtain this treasure for nothing.

However, if he were to snatch it now, he would surely be seen as someone trying to reap the benefits of their conflict. If E Kuai and Sha Xin joined forces to deal with him, he wouldn't have any confidence in handling them, or even escaping.

As Han Li hesitated, a glance caught his attention. Shi Chuan'kong, who had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly twitched his shoulder almost imperceptibly.

His brow twitched slightly, and he transmitted his voice to Shi Chuan'kong: "Brother Shi, are you alright?"

Shi Chuan'kong's shoulder visibly twitched again. Lady Six Flowers, standing beside him, couldn't help but glance at him, but she said nothing, did nothing, and looked away again.

After waiting for a moment, Shi Chuan'kong's voice finally echoed in Han Li's mind:

"Brother Li, I'm alright... Can you... do me a favor?"

"Endure for a moment longer. When their fight becomes more intense, I'll find a way to rescue you," Han Li transmitted.

"No, don't rescue me yet... Please, at all costs, seize... seize that heart from Shi Zhanfeng's hands. No matter what, you mustn't let him devour that heart, otherwise... the consequences will be unimaginable..." Shi Chuan'kong's voice was fragmented, whether due to severe injuries or the effects of the restrictions.

"Brother Shi, what exactly does that heart do? Why is Shi Zhanfeng so intent on acquiring it?" Han Li frowned, not immediately agreeing, but asking.

"The specific function of the heart... I don't know everything, but this thing is extremely important to Shi Zhanfeng... perhaps, perhaps it's an important treasure to help him cross the Grand Luo threshold. Once he swallows and refines it... then you and I don't need to return to the Holy Region..." Shi Chuan'kong's tone became increasingly urgent.

Han Li's mind raced. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed.

Within the golden cage, an incredibly dense blood energy and an extremely vigorous life force surged out.

Shi Zhanfeng had actually broken the crystal sphere's seal and was holding the "thump-thump" beating heart, his eyes filled with fanaticism.

"Not good..."

Sha Xin's eyes blazed with anger, and her face became extremely ugly. She wanted to split herself to retrieve the heart, but she was also worried that E Kuai would snatch the Sacred Corpse. Hesitating between the two, her control over the puppets faltered.

With a loud "boom," E Kuai seized a moment of weakness. His figure suddenly flashed behind the Vajra Puppet, and with a dance of his arms, he unleashed a flurry of punches towards the Vajra Puppet's lower back.

Although Sha Xin's thoughts were like lightning, the Vajra Puppet's head suddenly turned around, and its eight arms spun like windmills, meeting the Vajra fist shadows. However, it was ultimately a beat too late.

The eight arms couldn't defend in time, and hundreds of punches landed heavily on its lower back. The already battered Vajra Puppet exploded, breaking in two at the waist.

"Xiao Zi" frowned, and with a flurry of hand seals, she exerted all her strength to control the two puppets. The attacks became even more violent, and the golden cage looked like it was about to collapse.

But in terms of time, it was still too late.

"Ants, after this Prince's Nirvana, I'll crush you to death..." Shi Zhanfeng said calmly, raising his hand to bring the crimson heart to his mouth.

His nose twitched slightly, as if he had already smelled a hint of sweetness.

Just then, a sound like thunder and wind suddenly erupted. A blurred figure shot from the opposite shore of the blood lake, the resulting gale directly lifting a ten-foot-high wave of blood, forming a spatial tunnel that trembled violently.

Before Shi Zhanfeng could react, the golden cage protecting him exploded into two halves with a deafening crash.

Even the two puppets controlled by "Xiao Zi" were blown away by the hurricane.

Han Li burst through the exploding silver lightning, landing a powerful uppercut squarely on Shi Zhanfeng's chest.

"Pu..."

A stream of solidified starlight white light burst through his chest, directly blasting a round hole through it. A shower of bright red blood splattered like rain.

Shi Zhanfeng's body was also sent flying upwards by the force, slamming into the dome.

"Boom!"

The dome of the underground space exploded, but not a single shattered stone fell down. All of them were blasted through the ground by the violent force. In the end, only Shi Zhanfeng's body fell back down from the hole in the dome.

A large wave of blood splashed in the blood pool, and Shi Zhanfeng slowly stood up from the blood.

He didn't even look at his bloody chest, but at his empty hands, letting out a heart-wrenching roar:

"No..."

On the opposite shore of the blood lake, Han Li's figure stood firm.

He held a "thump-thump" beating heart in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

Everyone was shocked by the scene, even Sha Xin was stunned.

E Kuai ignored Han Li and Shi Zhanfeng's situation. In the moment of Sha Xin's stupor, his figure suddenly turned into a wisp of green smoke, flashing past her.

Sha Xin was shocked and wanted to stop him, but she was too late.

E Kuai flashed past Sha Xin and appeared beside the crystal coffin. His eyes burning, he reached out lightning-fast to grab the corpse inside.

Just then, a white bone spear suddenly pierced out from the side, making an ear-piercing popping sound, and struck E Kuai's wrist, deflecting his hand again. It was Kun Yu again.

"Courting death!"

Having been blocked by Kun Yu twice in a row, a cold light flashed in E Kuai's eyes. His palm changed into a fist, and he hammered the spearhead with his backhand, a muffled thunder-like sound coming from his fist.

Bang!

The head of the white bone spear was blown away by the punch and transformed into a white shadow that pierced into Kun Yu's chest at an incredible speed.

Kun Yu didn't react at all and was sent flying.

With one punch to send Kun Yu flying, E Kuai waved his other hand and grabbed at the corpse in the coffin again like lightning.

Just then, a blinding golden beam of light descended from the sky, causing the void to ripple wherever it passed, emitting an ear-piercing shriek, and struck at E Kuai's head.

E Kuai snorted coldly. The fist that had just sent Kun Yu flying suddenly rose up and smashed towards the golden light, but the hand reaching down didn't stop.

The golden beam of light and E Kuai's fist collided, making a deafening crash. Rolling golden light waves burst out and spread in all directions.

E Kuai's entire body paused, and his feet "crackled" as they sank half a foot into the ground. A look of surprise appeared on his face.

Before he could adjust his body, a four- or five-zhang-long, millstone-thick golden tail lashed out from the light waves, striking E Kuai in a flash.

With a loud "bang," E Kuai was sent flying.

The golden light in the air instantly dissipated, and a twenty- or thirty-zhang-long golden dragon puppet appeared in the air.

Its dragon head was golden and glittering, as if it were made of pure red gold. It had a pair of coral-like dragon horns on its head, and its body was covered with dense golden scales. Its slender and powerful dragon tail, and its thick and ferocious dragon claws, all revealed the powerful might of this puppet.

Blinding golden light flashed beside the crystal coffin, and three more puppets appeared: a golden giant tiger, a golden Xuan Tortoise, and a golden giant bird.

These three puppets were in no way inferior to the Golden Dragon Puppet in terms of appearance or power, and the auras emitted by the four puppets were connected to each other and indistinguishable.

Sha Xin flew onto the back of the golden giant bird, and strands of crystal silk shot out from her ten fingers, entering the bodies of the four puppets.

Although the wounds on her body had disappeared, her face was extremely pale, and a trail of blood flowed from her mouth, hanging on her snow-white lips, which was extremely conspicuous.

E Kuai was caught off guard and knocked back more than a hundred zhang, but he stood firm immediately, as if nothing had happened.

Sha Xin moved her ten fingers, and the four puppets immediately flew out, standing side by side between E Kuai and the crystal coffin.

"The Heavenly Astral Four Symbols War Puppets are indeed extraordinary. If City Lord Sha were not injured, I would still be wary of you, but you are now seriously injured, and your puppet control technique has been greatly affected. How much power can you exert from the Four Symbols War Puppets?" E Kuai sneered, not taking it seriously at all.

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred and he pounced forward again.