Word Count: 2,264 Words

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  Ling Ying once again scrutinized the young man he had been shadowing for quite some time. He realized that despite following Xiao Yan for so long, he did not truly understand him at all.

  Xiao Yan, deeply calcuting, had risked his life venturing into perilous pces to obtain Heavenly Fmes and power so that the Gu Cn would acknowledge his retionship with Xun Er.

  This battle was not him acting on impulse. Four years ago, when Hun Huzi appeared in the Xiao Cn, he already understood.

  If he wanted to be with Xun Er, the resistance he would face would be tremendous, for the power behind her was beyond his imagination.

  That was why he decided to join the Hall of Souls at that time. He needed strength, strength that would even make the Gu Cn acknowledge him.

  Joining the Hall of Souls, leaving Jia Nan Academy to seek Heavenly Fmes, delving deep into the Snake-People Tribe at the risk of his life… all of this was so that today, he could dispy his greatest potential and make those people of the Gu Cn recognize him, the young master of a fallen cn!

  Today was his battle of proof. He wanted to show the Gu Cn through actual deeds that even without the Dou God Bloodline, he could still transcend realms to defeat those who possessed it!

  Xun Er, standing to the side, finally understood why Xiao Yan had been willing to leave her for two whole years to grow stronger. She realized the feelings driving him.

  Tears rolled down her cheeks as she covered her face with both hands.

  "So what if your Xiao Cn still has some leftover Dou Techniques! Without the Dou God Bloodline, you're ultimately just trash! Don't lump me, Ling Quan, in with those who don't even possess a cn token!"

  Ling Quan released a terrifying aura with a resounding boom. Although he was only a 3-star Dou Emperor, weaker in rank than Hai Bodong or Jia Xing Tian, the thickness of his Dou Qi was incomparable to theirs.

  He was not merely a part of the Bck Submerged Army; he was their Deputy Commander! His Dou God Bloodline had reached Grade 5!

  Additionally, he had cultivated a High Di Css Qi Method. Whether in terms of cultivation level or Dou Qi quality, he far surpassed Xiao Yan!

  Xiao Yan halted his footsteps and looked at Ling Quan in midair, who was standing upon the one-horned flying horse. Instead of fear, a gratified smile surfaced on his face.

  "If it weren't like this, defeating you would be meaningless."

  He was well aware that the Gu Cn's strength was by no means limited to what he had seen here. He also knew that Ling Quan could not be the Gu Cn's strongest among the younger generation. He had not even reached the level to be granted a cn surname.

  But his goal was to defeat this person across realms. That way, it would prove that if they were on the same level, no matter what Gu Cn genius he faced, he, Xiao Yan, could still prevail!

  Xiao Yan took a few jade bottles out of his storage ring with several crisp clinks, opened them all, and poured multiple precious medicinal pills into his mouth.

  There was the Tier 5 Dragon Strength Pill, which increased power, the Mighty Qi Pill to restore Dou Qi, the Blood Lotus Essence Pill that formed a yer of protective blood scab on the skin, and the Mighty Blood Pill that restored injuries.

  "Hahaha, do you think pills alone can close the gap between us—" Before Ling Quan could finish speaking, Xiao Yan showed a meaningful smile.

  In his heart, he roared:

  Skyfire Three Mysterious Change—Heavenly Fme Change!

  With that, he activated his strongest power. The ultimate Heavenly Fme, formed by merging four kinds of Heavenly Fmes, instantly burst out from his Acceptance Soul!

  He had used Skyfire Three Mysterious Change multiple times before, but never with a merged Heavenly Fme. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but that he couldn't!

  A boundlessly violent and scorching energy erupted from his body and surged skyward. Even though the four kinds of Heavenly Fmes he had refined were all ranked retively low, and one was a newly born Seed Fme, the bzing heat still covered the nd for a hundred miles.

  The vegetation on the small hill ignited into fme in mere moments, and even Xun Er's own fme dispyed a trace of wariness, as if it had encountered a Heavenly Fme that could match it.

  One must remember, the Heavenly Fme in Xun Er's body was the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Fme, ranked fourth on the Heavenly Fme Raking!

  "What in the world! How did Xiao Yan's aura become this strong?!" In the distance, Lin Yan and the others who had come to watch were all shocked and stared incredulously in Xiao Yan's direction.

  "This is so powerful. It's much stronger than even some of our elders!" Lin Xiuya felt his scalp tingle. Xiao Yan had just broken through to the Dou King realm; how could his Secret Technique raise his strength that much?!

  Zi Yan was even more solemn. Having fought against Xiao Yan multiple times, she knew that the Secret Technique he used inflicted severe harm on his body. Merely raising himself by five stars back in the Dou Spirit realm had wracked him with agony, yet now his aura was actually pressing toward the Dou Emperor realm!

  An entire major realm increase—the price for using such a Secret Technique was no longer as simple as consuming Dou Qi!

  "Xiao Yan? What happened? Who forced him into this state?!" The First Elder felt his heart tighten as he maintained the seal, but he couldn't leave at the moment.

  Xiao Yan's entire body was now enveloped in a bizarre fme. Not to mention Ling Ying and Ling Quan, even Xun Er couldn't recognize what kind of Heavenly Fme he was using!

  In the blink of an eye, he appeared like a ravenous beast unleashed, his gaze brimming with killing intent as he locked onto Ling Quan.

  "Skyfire Three Mysterious Change? Hahaha, as expected, you've gotten hold of the Xiao Cn's inheritance. That means the key must be on you!" Ling Quan was momentarily startled, then broke into frenzied ughter. He knew that if he found the key and brought it back to the cn, he would be vishly rewarded and rapidly ascend through the ranks!

  "That is not something a lower realm cn like yours should possess. Hand over the key!" Ling Quan had barely finished speaking when a bck silhouette appeared before his eyes.

  Lightning and fmes fshed side by side. Before the sound followed, Xiao Yan's gaze, ced with killing intent, was already upon Ling Quan. In that instant, Xiao Yan's fist, enveloped in the Heavenly Fme, demolished his face with a harsh crackling of bone.

  BANG!

  Ling Quan's body was knocked backward at a speed surpassing even that of sound!

  Only when Ling Quan's figure was blown away did a massive rumble erupt at Xiao Yan's original position. The ground shattered, sending rocks spraying in all directions. The afterimage Xiao Yan left behind was still clearly visible.

  His speed at this moment was several times faster than sound!

  "So fast! What kind of speed is this!" Lin Xiuya prided himself on speed, but despite being a newly advanced Dou King, he could not clearly see Xiao Yan's movements!

  The next second, a sptter rang out. Blood burst from Xiao Yan's left arm as though his flesh had been torn open by the terrifying force inside him. A ribbon of blood also trickled from the corner of his left eye.

  "Xiao Yan ge-ge!" Xun Er's heart clenched with worry. Xiao Yan was overexerting himself!

  A buzz sounded, and a thread of white fme ignited around the wound, the Life Fme of the Yin-Yang Twin Fme working together with the pills' restorative power to mend his injury.

  Xiao Yan remained silent. Another soft sound rang out, and an enormous pair of Dou Qi fire wings abruptly unfurled on his back. In a single beat, his figure vanished in a streak of fire, chasing after Ling Quan!

  Zi Yan gnced at Xun Er, then likewise spread her wings to follow. Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, and anyone else capable of manifesting Dou Qi wings gave chase.

  Ling Ying sighed and turned to the distraught-looking Xun Er. "Young Miss, Young Master Xiao Yan knows how powerful the force behind you is, so he's going all out for the cn's acknowledgment. It's just a pity…"

  Neither Ling Ying nor Xun Er realized that four years earlier, after Xiao Yan's single-move defeat of Nan Yanran, Hun Huzi of the Hun Cn had made contact with him, making him aware in advance of the Dou God Cns and the immense power behind her. That contact had sparked the events leading to this battle!

  The subtle influence of a butterfly's wings had caused events to diverge toward unforeseeable consequences.

  On the battlefield, Xiao Yan caught up to Ling Quan who had been knocked away, gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his right hand, and unleashed a forceful ssh.

  "You're just a lowly descendant of the fallen Xiao Cn from the lower realm!!" Blood trickled from Ling Quan's nose as he gred with rage. He was the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Bck Submerged Army, yet was being beaten bck and blue by someone from a lower realm cn!

  This was what he found most unacceptable!

  Ling Quan retrieved a bck halberd from his storage ring and collided violently with the Heavy Xuan Ruler. Sparks flew from the csh, and the force caused both men to rebound apart.

  He was indeed worthy of being the Gu Cn's Bck Submerged Army Deputy Commander. His aura soared like a king dominating the earth with bck halberd in hand and bck armor on his body.

  Xiao Yan took a deep breath. The Dou Qi within him raged like an angry true dragon. In that instant, his Heavy Xuan Ruler struck forth, and as it moved, the Heavenly Fme accompanied it. One ssh tore through the sky like it could scorch everything.

  His Heavy Xuan Ruler had no fancy techniques; it was a simple downward chop. Yet the power of the Heavenly Fme roared, searing the space and boiling the seas.

  The most direct strike, yet imbued with a Heavenly Fme that even the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Fme felt slightly wary of. It possessed absolute power, ferocious, tyrannical, annihiting!

  "So what if you have a Heavenly Fme! I, Ling Quan, possess the Dou God Bloodline!" Ling Quan roared as he circuted his Qi Method, unleashing his Dou Emperor strength. He swept the bck halberd in a broad horizontal stroke.

  Cng!

  Ruler and halberd cshed head-on with a resounding cng. Sparks scattered, and a shockwave tore through the sky, even dispersing the clouds.

  Under the collision of their powers, both men staggered back once more!

  Ling Quan steadied himself and drew a sharp breath. He was a Gu Cn member with Grade 5 Dou God Bloodline. His foundation was rock-solid, and in head-on contests, he had never feared anyone.

  But today, it was actually a fifty-fifty match in a csh with a Dou King from the lower realm?!

  "Take this!" Ling Quan's eyes turned savage. He reversed his grip on the bck halberd and shed out, and at this moment, the bck halberd seemed to extend like a whip.

  Xiao Yan sensed the move with his Spiritual Strength and steeled himself. He raised the Heavy Xuan Ruler as a shield to block.

  A piercing cng boomed. Though his Heavy Xuan Ruler was no ordinary weapon, Ling Quan's bck halberd was simirly formidable. The terrifying force of impact traveled from the Heavy Xuan Ruler into his body.

  Bang!

  A muffled bang echoed as the overwhelming force once again caused him to spew fresh blood.

  The Skyfire Three Mysterious Change should originally have had three changes stacked on top of each other to avoid the situation where the Heavenly Fme was too strong for the body to withstand.

  Yet Xiao Yan did not have all three changes!

  Cng cng cng!!!

  Terrifying collisions rang out one after another as Xiao Yan defended while using the Heavenly Fme to retaliate.

  His gaze sharpened. The Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hands began to glow a deep crimson, drawing upon the energy of the world.

  Fme Splitting Tsunami!

  "A Low Di Css Dou Technique? Hahaha, don't think that Di Css Dou Techniques are invincible! In our cn, Low Di Css Dou Techniques are merely standard! Star River Mysterious Dragon Halberd!"

  A fiery wave crashed toward Ling Quan. He thrust his bck halberd forward, and a bck dragon shot out, colliding with Xiao Yan's Fme Splitting Tsunami.

  Boom!

  A tremendous bst erupted. Although Xiao Yan's Fme Splitting Tsunami held its ground, both techniques wiped each other out in the end. The fierce shockwave blew him away like a falling meteor, sending him crashing heavily into a rge mountain outside the Inner Academy and bsting open a massive crater upon impact.

  Debris scattered, and Xiao Yan climbed up from the crater with a thoroughly battered appearance.

  He slowly shut his eyes. When he opened them again, both eyes had changed. His left eye flickered with Death Fme, and his right eye flickered with Life Fme. If one looked carefully, there were two carp-like figures, one bck and one white, swimming in his pupils.