From the moment the silver scroll was in hand to when it was snatched away, it all happened in a flash. Upon hearing the mocking laughter, Fan Ling finally came back to his senses from the sudden turn of events, his face turning dark as he slowly raised his head, his gaze coldly fixed on the black-robed figure on the tree trunk. Seeing the familiar attire he had seen at the auction, he was momentarily stunned before he said in a chilly tone, “Is that you?”
As Fan Ling spoke, the remaining dozen or so Blood Guards with combat capability all moved in unison, quickly surrounding the black-robed figure. The Elder Luo, with a similarly cold expression, his icy eyes filled with murderous intent, did not care about the intruder’s purpose. Since he had interrupted their actions, he could not be allowed to leave alive.
“Hehe, Young Sect Leader Fan Ling, we meet again.” The clear and handsome face under the black robe bore a playful smile. Xiao Yan twirled the silver scroll in his hand, not minding the Blood Guards surrounding him, and chuckled lightly.
“Hand over the scroll, and I’ll spare your life.” Pointing a blood-red long knife at Xiao Yan, Fan Ling’s voice was filled with a cold and murderous intent.
Xiao Yan shrugged, ignoring the threat. Instead, he flipped his hand, and the silver scroll spinning in his palm was swiftly stored in his Nalan Ring.
“Good, good.” Seeing Xiao Yan’s actions, Fan Ling’s mouth twitched, his pale face turning slightly green. He spat out two cold words filled with lethal intent.
Just as Fan Ling’s words fell, the Blood Guards surrounding Xiao Yan suddenly let out a fierce roar. Dark, blood-red Dou Qi surged from their bodies, enveloping their blood knives. They stomped on the tree trunks, and a dozen figures launched themselves at Xiao Yan.
Glancing at the Blood Guards attacking from all directions, Xiao Yan slowly reached behind him, gripping the handle of the Heavy Xuan Ruler hidden under his black robe. His eyes narrowed, sensing the increasingly approaching cold energy. After a moment, his eyes snapped open, and a powerful aura burst forth from his body. A massive black shadow, like a black wind wheel, spread out from him, centering around Xiao Yan.
“Clang, clang, clang…”
Wherever the black wind wheel passed, sparks flew. The long knives in the hands of the Blood Guards were shaken off by the immense force. Only a few stronger Blood Guards managed to hold onto their weapons, but only after their hands bled.
The rotating foot abruptly stopped, and the black wind wheel dissipated. Looking at the Blood Guards who had charged to within half a meter, still bearing fierce expressions, Xiao Yan sneered. He stomped on the tree trunk, and with a burst of energy, his body transformed into a lightning-fast black shadow, weaving through the attacks of the dozen Blood Guards.
“Bang, bang…”
As he moved, dull thuds sounded. Each thud was accompanied by a Blood Guard spitting blood and falling heavily to the ground, struggling briefly before collapsing.
Looking up at the lightning-fast battle in the sky, Fan Ling’s previously cold expression turned calm. He picked up a blood-stained long knife, tearing off a piece of cloth and wiping the blade, speaking indifferently, “A four-star Da Dou Shi… This level of strength, daring to take food from my mouth, quite gutsy and bold…”
“Elder Luo, this person is mine. You stay on the side, and if he tries to escape, block him.”
“Alright, Young Sect Leader, be careful.”
The elder nodded slightly, supporting another temporarily incapacitated Han Xue, and took a few steps back.
From the earlier exchange between Xiao Yan and the Blood Guards, he had roughly gauged the latter’s strength. Although the black-robed figure was stronger than the previous Black Skeleton Tomb’s Da Dou Shi in terms of power and agility, he was still just a Da Dou Shi. Fan Ling, on the other hand, was already a genuine Dou Ling.
“Bang!”
The last Blood Guard fell heavily, his face covered in blood, his eyes gradually closing.
With the last Blood Guard defeated, Xiao Yan’s body slowly descended, the Heavy Xuan Ruler slanting in his hand, dripping with crimson blood.
“I think you followed us for the sake of that tattered map, right?” Tossing aside the blood-stained cloth, Fan Ling said coolly.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler trembled slightly, and the handsome face under the black robe suddenly turned cold.
“Hehe, it seems I’ve got some luck. By sheer chance, I even managed to get a treasure. Since you care so much about it, it must not be ordinary. When I return, I’ll have my father examine it. With his experience, he should be able to discern something about the map.”
Although Xiao Yan’s actions were subtle, they didn’t escape Fan Ling’s sharp eyes. He couldn’t help but sneer.
“You might not have that chance…”
A calm voice emerged from under the black robe, and green Dou Qi rapidly permeated Xiao Yan’s body, enveloping it entirely.
“Is that so? I’ve seen many reckless men like you, driven by greed, in the Black Corner Region, but their ends were not pleasant.”
A cold laugh escaped his lips, and bloody Dou Qi slowly flowed out of Fan Ling’s body, filling the area with a bloody smell.
As the blood aura spread, Fan Ling’s back slightly bent, like a predator spotting its prey. His pupils began to fill with blood, giving him a wild, beast-like appearance.
His feet deeply dug into the ground, and a low growl erupted from his throat. He kicked off, his body shooting like an arrow, instantly appearing in front of Xiao Yan. The sharp long knife, enveloped in blood Dou Qi, slashed down with a sharp, air-tearing sound.
Under Fan Ling’s strike, the air filled with a continuous, piercing sound.
The huge black ruler rose, the green Dou Qi thick and viscous, clashing heavily with the blood knife.
“Boom!”
The sound of metal clashing echoed, and a dual-colored energy ripple, green and red, spread out, slicing through the ground beneath their feet, removing nearly half a foot of soil.
Mud and debris flew, and Xiao Yan’s face under the black robe changed slightly, feeling the numbing pain in his arms. As expected of a Dou Ling, this strength far exceeded that of a Da Dou Shi. But… why did this man’s Dou Qi feel so hollow?
At his level, Xiao Yan could match a Dou Ling for a few rounds without using any Dou Techniques, but it would consume a vast amount of Dou Qi. However, the seemingly fierce attack from Fan Ling earlier did not have the strength he had anticipated.
“This guy has incredible strength…”
As the ruler and knife clashed, Fan Ling and Xiao Yan exchanged several swift kicks. After Xiao Yan’s heavy ruler pushed him back, he felt a faint pain in his legs and was somewhat surprised.
“Just as Father said, our Blood Sect cultivation techniques are tyrannical and peculiar, progressing quickly, but too reliant on external forces, making it hard to achieve a solid state of internal Dou Qi. In combat, it’s always a disadvantage. Fortunately, this guy is just a Da Dou Shi, so it won’t be hard to deal with him.”
Rapidly thinking, Fan Ling discarded his weapon. His pale face turned an eerie red, and as his face changed, blood rushed to his palms, eventually seeping into his hands. In a blink, a pair of blood palms, identical to those used by Fan Lao to kill Elder Qing, appeared on his arms.
“No matter who you are, you have no chance to regret it today! But to thank you for bringing me the news about the secret in the tattered map, I won’t let you become a shriveled corpse after I kill you.”
An overwhelming stench of blood emanated from his palms. Fan Ling raised his head, grinning coldly at Xiao Yan, then stomped, his body turning into a blood mist, charging at Xiao Yan. The blood mist almost filled the entire area.
“Bone-Corroding Blood Saber Palm?”
Seeing Fan Ling’s hands turn a bloody red, the two Blood Sect Elders outside were stunned. “I didn’t expect the Sect Leader to teach such a technique to the Young Sect Leader. That black-robed figure truly ran into a wall.”
“Ha, serves him right. He just stole our Blood Sect’s item. If it were me, I’d drain every drop of blood from him,” the incapacitated Elder Han Xue sneered.
Xiao Yan’s dark eyes, under the black robe, stared at the approaching blood mist. Sensing the pungent bloody smell, his exceptional soul perception clearly detected the ferocity of the blood palms in the mist.
“Little one, be careful. At your current strength, you’re no match for a Dou Ling,” Elder Dan warned mentally.
“That may not be the case.”
Chuckling, Xiao Yan closed his eyes, and from the center of his Qi vortex, green flames erupted like a volcano, flowing along an intricate path in his body.
“Do you want…?”
As the green flames rotated, Xiao Yan, with his eyes closed, faintly felt a robust, turbulent energy surging from his body as the flames circulated.
A wave of blood qi rushed towards him, and the cold energy in the blood mist instantly enveloped him!
But as the blood mist enveloped Xiao Yan, his eyes snapped open, and green flames shot out, a powerful aura, no less than anyone present, surged from his body.
His hands shot out from the black robe, wrapped in green flames. A thunderous roar resounded in Xiao Yan’s mind as he slammed his hands, carrying a scorching heat, into the blood mist.
“First Stage of Heavenly Fire Three Profound Changes: Green Lotus Transformation!”
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