“Boom!” A colossal flame storm, much like a mushroom cloud, abruptly materialized in the sky. The earth-shattering explosion caused countless ears to ring, and the ferocious heat spreading from the sky made everyone’s faces turn ashen with shock. At that very moment when the white-and-blue mushroom cloud rose, a figure shot down from the sky like a ball struck by a heavy hammer, leaving a trail of crimson blood as it streaked across the horizon, resembling a vivid red rainbow.
Watching the figure plummeting towards the ground, the powerful figures from the Black-Corner Region all turned pale. Although the aura was extremely weak at that moment, there was no doubt that it belonged to Han Feng. Staring at each other, they all broke into a cold sweat. Their gazes turned towards another part of the sky, where a black figure was panting heavily, with its green fire wings now barely visible, clearly due to severe weakness.
“This guy… actually defeated Han Feng?” They murmured, their voices filled with astonishment. Han Feng had already reached the peak of Douhuang, and with the assistance of an unusual flame, even against a super-strong warrior at the lower level of Douzong, he could hold his own. In the entire Black-Corner Region, only the allied Jinyin Duo (Gold and Silver Duo) could rival him. But today, this powerhouse with high prestige in the Black-Corner Region was utterly humiliated by a youth who appeared to be around twenty years old…
The entire area fell silent. Everyone understood that by defeating Han Feng, a well-known mighty figure on the continent, Xiao Yan would gain unparalleled fame. At least, for the future, the name Xiao Yan would be like thunder in the ears of everyone in the Black-Corner Region.
“Shoo!” Suddenly, two gusts of wind broke the silence, and two figures flashed beside the fast-falling Han Feng, catching him and preventing his head from shattering like a broken watermelon. The two were the so-called Gold and Silver Duo. Unlike Fan Lao, if Han Feng died, his value, which was immeasurable, would be lost, not to mention the reward for helping out, which the guy hadn’t yet fulfilled.
Grasping Han Feng, the silver-robed elder felt for a pulse. Although faint, it was still discernible. Letting out a sigh of relief, he commented, “He’s still alive. His strange flame protected him, or else he wouldn’t have survived that explosion.”
“Who is this young man? How did we never hear of such a formidable figure from the Jia Nan Academy before?” The golden-robed elder looked up at the distant black-robed youth in amazement.
“I don’t know.” The golden-robed elder frowned, his face darkening, glancing fearfully at the massive blue-and-white fire cloud in the sky, then looking at the severely weakened ranks of the Black-Corner Region’s warriors. In a low voice, he said, “It’s too late now. We should leave quickly. He’s unconscious and severely injured; grabbing the strange flame is impossible.”
The silver-robed elder nodded, giving a signal to the Black-Corner Region’s warriors, who swiftly gathered, forming a vigilant circle, keeping watch over the Inner Hall’s surrounding warriors.
“Xiao Yan, are you all right?” Seeing Han Feng incapacitated, Su Qian breathed a sigh of relief. Without their leader, the Black-Corner Region’s men were no longer a threat.
Hearing Su Qian’s shout, Xiao Yan forced a smile, his pale face showing his inner weakness. Regretting that Han Feng still had a pulse, but helpless, Xiao Yan now focused on the crucial matter: the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame!
Suddenly, Xiao Yan’s heart jolted, and he cast his gaze towards where the motionless Heaven-Scorching Core Flame used to be. He noticed that it had quietly moved to the blue-and-white mushroom cloud resulting from the Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus, and as it approached, an immense suction force erupted from within it!
As the suction force appeared, the enormous fireball was like a hole being sucked into a black hole, rapidly pouring into the formless flame. This act of the Flame devouring the mushroom cloud caused Xiao Yan’s unease to spike. Though he didn’t quite understand the motive of the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame, he could vaguely guess that it needed to devour other flames to boost its energy. The highly explosive energy contained in the mushroom cloud was a natural tonic for it!
As the force of the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame emerged, Su Qian and the others noticed, quickly turning their gazes, their faces changing.
“Stop it!” Xiao Yan shouted first, but after using the Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus, his internal energy was momentarily depleted, so he could only alert them with his voice.
As soon as Xiao Yan’s voice fell, Su Qian immediately moved. In a flash, he appeared ten meters from the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame, but before he could do anything, a mass of hot, formless flame rushed towards his face, forcing him to dodge.
The speed of the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame’s consumption was horrendous. In the instant Su Qian avoided it, the giant fireball was devoured into the formless flame, barely a few feet wide. Absorbing the vast amount of fire energy, the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame’s formless body became even more radiant, and a more violent energy slowly emanated, spreading throughout the Inner Hall.
Feeling the once again violent energy of the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame, everyone’s expressions changed, especially the Gold and Silver Duo, who didn’t dare to linger any longer. With a shout, they rushed away, leaving behind malevolent laughter echoing in the air.
“Ke ke, Elder Su, we’ll leave this to you. Hope to hear good news tomorrow,” the Black-Corner Region’s strong ones fled, casting sinister laughter.
Su Qian grimaced, barking, “All of you, leave the Inner Hall and head to the deep mountains!”
Hearing Su Qian, the Inner Hall students, who were clustered atop the buildings, began to stir. The not-so-large Heavenly Flame Core was radiating a terrifying destructive force. They had no doubt that if it landed, the Inner Hall would be incinerated in an instant!
“Wait, Xiao Yan is still there,” Zi Yan, tugged by Lin Yan, pointed towards the distant black shadow in the sky, looking anxious. Under the pressure of the Heavenly Flame, her delicate face was pale.
“Don’t worry, he can protect himself. Even the Medicinal King Han Feng was defeated. He’s probably safer than us,” Lin Yan consoled as he followed the crowd towards the Inner Hall.
“All the elders, form an array again! The survival of the Inner Hall depends on you!” Seeing the flood of students fleeing the Inner Hall, Su Qian shouted.
The elders, with grave faces, flashed upward, forming a unique array, enclosing the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame.
“Xiao Yan, leave here quickly!” Su Qian, standing in the center of the array, yelled at Xiao Yan inside the formation.
Just as Su Qian’s cry echoed, the silent Heaven-Scorching Core Flame, after devouring the flame mushroom, suddenly emitted a sharp screech. On its surface, two green lights slowly appeared, like eyes.
With the screech, the Heaven-Scorching Core Flame suddenly shot out from the elders’ shocked gazes, aiming directly at Xiao Yan, who was still in the sky!
Locked onto by the Heavenly Flame Core, Xiao Yan’s face changed. He urgently summoned all his energy, turning and dashing outward, but his speed had slowed considerably after using the Buddha’s Fury Fire Lotus. The Heavenly Flame Core, strengthened by devouring the flame mushroom, was even more powerful. In just a few moments, it was almost upon Xiao Yan.
“Chief Elder, form the array, or that beast will get away!” An elder shouted as the Heavenly Flame Core shot towards Xiao Yan.
Su Qian’s face was grave, his fist tightening. He ordered, “Wait, wait until Xiao Yan gets out!”
“No time!” another elder exclaimed, his face turning pale.
Su Qian’s hand trembled, watching the Heavenly Flame Core draw closer to Xiao Yan. Fleeing frantically, sweat rolled down his forehead, feeling the intense heat behind. Xiao Yan’s heart was as tight as a string, not daring to relax. His gaze was fixed on the edge of the formation; beyond lay escape from the death-dealing flame!
“Faster!” Xiao Yan kept mumbling. But just as he was about to reach the edge of the formation, the temperature behind him soared. Turning in horror, the formless flame rushed towards him, engulfing him in a sea of fire.
“Heh, the hunter and prey have truly switched roles. But I still couldn’t kill Han Feng. Teacher, I’m sorry… this time, I’ve involved you too…” Before losing consciousness, Xiao Yan thought bitterly.
The world fell silent, everything seeming frozen in time.
On the many tree tops outside the Inner Hall, countless students, looking at Xiao Yan engulfed by the Heavenly Flame Core, were suddenly silenced. Female students held their mouths, crying out in surprise.
On one tree top, Hua Jia, Wu Hao, Lin Yan, and Zi Yan’s hearts sank. Some members of the Pill Gate looked blankly, utterly helpless. The leader, who had never been defeated in their eyes, was burned to ashes before them!
At that moment, the Pill Gate’s greatest support seemed to crumble…
“Boom!” After consuming Xiao Yan, the Heavenly Flame Core tried to break free from the array, but an energy barrier suddenly appeared, pushing it back.
The sky was silent, Su Qian’s face was grim, and the elders were speechless, pumping every ounce of strength into maintaining the barrier. In this critical battle for the Inner Hall, Xiao Yan’s contribution was unparalleled. If not for his defeat of those two Douhuang, the Inner Hall might have fallen to the Black-Corner Region’s attack!
Yet, their greatest hero, under everyone’s watchful eye, was consumed by the unnatural flame…
“Maintain the barrier; I’ll handle the sealing,” Su Qian said coldly, then without waiting, a resplendent light burst from him.
“Chief Elder…” Seeing Su Qian’s action, some elders, stunned, let out a shocked exclamation.
Ignoring the cries, the light surging from Su Qian grew stronger, but as it intensified, Su Qian’s face turned pale, then transparent…
“Beast, I’ll seal you for eternity, even at the cost of my life!” His voice icy with volcanic rage, a strange black light poured from Su Qian, forming a thick energy net in the sky, then ensnared the Heavenly Flame Core!
The black net enveloped, smoke rising, the chilling screech reverberating across the sky.
Su Qian’s face ghastly pale, his energy thread-thin, as he guided the struggling Heavenly Flame Core towards the Blaze Control Pavilion, where it was trapped under an energy net, unable to escape.
Gritting his teeth, Su Qian punched his chest, spewing blood. As it flowed, he pressed his palm, releasing a profound dark energy, striking the Heavenly Flame Core. The pitiful screech echoed once more, and the Heavenly Flame, unable to resist, was forcefully sealed in the lava beneath the pavilion.
“Seal!” Sensing the descent, Su Qian activated a hand seal, the strange black light converging above, forming a deep dark energy shield. Its intricate patterns wove like tiny snakes.
As the seal set, a dense black light oozed from the last layer of the pavilion, completely covering the space in a black ocean. From then on, no one would enter, and the sealed Heavenly Flame would never escape!
With the seal complete, Su Qian stumbled, falling to the ground, but an elder caught him, stabilizing his fall.
Opening his blurred eyes, Su Qian’s presence was no different from an ordinary old man. He glanced at the now-sealed Blaze Control Tower. The Inner Hall’s catastrophe was averted. Yet, the young genius, destined for greatness, perished here…
“Henceforth, seal the final layer of the Blaze Control Pavillion. No one, including me, is to enter.”
A weak, aged voice drifted in the air, the ravaged Inner Hall falling into silence.
“Remember the young one who sacrificed for the Inner Hall… without him, none of us would exist. You all might have perished in the fiery devastation too…”
“He was the best student in the history of the Jia Nan Academy, perhaps the last great one…”
“Remember that name… a stubborn, young little guy… Xiao Yan!”
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