Mere seconds had passed since Lin Mu had heard the Saintess’s words, and a plan had already formed in his mind.

"Cattaleya, block the major attacks of the Greater Ice Elemental! Daoist Chu, Meng Bai, restrain it with talismans and formations. Elyon, support whenever Cattaleya cannot block or when there are too many attacks. Xiao Yin, Xiao Yang strike the weaknesses when you can sense it. Monk Hushu... protect everyone." Lin Mu’s voice was calm but forceful, cutting through the raging winds like a blade.

He then turned toward his companion. "Shrubby... with me."

ROAR!

Little Shrubby responded with a thunderous roar that echoed across the frozen expanse. The ground trembled beneath the beast as his aura surged outward. Flames burst forth from his fur, spreading in a spiraling blaze that illuminated the blizzard-darkened sky.

Arcs of lightning danced across his body, threading through the flames like serpents of pure energy. The two Yang elements harmonized, feeding off each other in a violent yet beautiful display of power.

The flames grew hotter, the lightning brighter, until Little Shrubby stood as a beast of incandescent fury... a living storm of fire and thunder.

WHOOSH!

Lin Mu’s body blurred as he made his move. His hands clasped together, and his Qi flared.

"Longgui Bulwark Armor!"

The earth beneath his feet cracked open, spewing molten energy as rocky plates of cooled lava began forming over his body. Each plate locked into place with deep, resonant thuds, magma pulsing between the joints like glowing veins. The red-hot light emanating from the armor made him look like a walking volcano.

But Lin Mu did not stop there.

"Magma Fury: Magma Asura!" he shouted, his voice echoing like thunder.

At once, tentacles of molten rock erupted from his back, intertwining with jagged formations of black stone. Each one writhed like a molten heart, radiating destructive heat.

SHING! SHING!

Ocean Raker and Afternoon Pine shot out of the Sword Cradle Divine Sheath that appeared behind Lin Mu. The blades were caught midair by the lava appendages, their edges glowing from the heat as they drew upon the power of magma.

TWANG!

The sound of a string reverberated as Wonderseeker flew out from Lin Mu’s ring, vibrating with excitement. The sentient bow pulsed with eager anticipation as two more lava tentacles caught it, completing the trinity of weapons around Lin Mu.

His own hands transformed next, the skin turned black and molten, coated with liquid fire and tipped with dark translucent claws that shone like black diamonds. Each claw was nearly half a meter long, curved and razor-sharp, capable of cutting through metal like paper.

THUD.

Lin Mu stepped forward, the ground beneath him shattering from the sheer force.

CRACK!

In the next instant, he launched himself into the air like a meteor, the molten light trailing behind him in a streak of crimson and gold.

The Greater Ice Elemental, towering and translucent, moved its massive body in response. Its enormous limbs shaped like jagged ice spires rose high into the air before crashing down toward Lin Mu.

BOOM!

Lin Mu met the strike head-on.

His molten claws clashed against the glacial spikes, the impact unleashing a deafening roar of energy. Steam exploded outward, enveloping the battlefield in a dense fog. The searing heat of magma and the freezing chill of ice warred for dominance, creating a storm of hissing vapor that obscured vision.

But vision mattered little here. All of them were cultivators, their Immortal senses cut through the fog with ease.

GRRAAAAAAAA!

The Greater Ice Elemental let out an inhuman wail, the sound like glaciers grinding against one another. The impact left a fissure across one of its massive limbs, the molten claws having melted through its frost-forged body.

ROAR!!!

WHOOSH!

Little Shrubby pounced at that exact moment.

His mouth opened, and a column of golden-red fire erupted forth. The flames surged like a tidal wave, their heat bending the air itself. The ground below blackened and cracked, the frost melting into vapor before it even touched the surface.

If Little Shrubby had been any closer to the ground, the entire field might have turned into molten slag.

GRRAAAAAAAAAA!

The Greater Ice Elemental screamed again, thrashing as the fire enveloped it. Its body glowed faintly from within, cracks spreading across its crystalline surface. But even as its body melted, it endured, the vast energy sustaining it refused to let it fall.

Though powerful, the creature was newly born, its instincts raw and unfocused. It did not comprehend pain or fear, only that these beings before it were a threat that needed to be erased.

Its ice spike appendages swirled around it, breaking off and hovering in the air. From each of them, gales of razor-cold wind erupted, carrying shards of ice sharp enough to peel skin from bone.

"Ugh! So cold!" Meng Bai muttered, shivering despite being far from the elemental’s direct reach.

The air itself turned into blades of frost.

"Amithabha!" Monk Hushu intoned, his deep voice resonating across the battlefield. "Mortal wind can dull, mortal flame can douse, mortal storms can cease, and mortal chill shall still. Let the light of providence protect you all!"

HUALA !

A golden radiance burst from Monk Hushu’s body. His robes fluttered without wind, and waves of buddhist energy rolled outward. His Sixth Tribulation Stage cultivation surged into full view, his presence alone cutting through the elemental cold.

A low hum reverberated in the air, followed by faint, ethereal music... a divine chant.

’So even his ordinary skills now resonate with the Tune of the Buddhist Dao,’ Lin Mu thought. ’He has grown much stronger.’

The golden light expanded, forming a shimmering barrier around the group. Everyone was bathed in its glow, feeling a comforting warmth seep into their bones.

"So warm..." Meng Bai exhaled, the frost on his face melting away.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Cattaleya’s cry split the air as she swung her Duskthorn Blade. The great sword flashed with dark red aura emboldened by the woman’s overwhelming vitality and qi, cutting through the storm as it struck the Elemental’s torso.

CRACK!

A spiderweb of fractures spread across the icy body of the Greater Ice Elemental.