Gazing at the thunderbolts cascading down from all sides, Xiao Yan slowly raised his head and gazed at the thick, silver-streaked clouds in the sky. A terrifying energy was coalescing within, a formidable force meant to capture him. It seemed that the Northern Thunderwind Pavilion had truly put forth their full strength; such a grand formation was a rarity.
“Using the Han family as leverage to lure you out is not our Thunderwind Pavilion’s usual style. Today’s action may draw censure, thus it will be the last. However, we must apprehend you. The Three Thousand Lightning Flashes cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of outsiders!”
“Regardless of who wins or loses today, the Han family has no further connection with this matter,” said the Long-brow Elder, his eyes firmly fixed on Xiao Yan. His voice, like thunder, boomed through the canopy of lightning, resounding throughout Tianbei City. The confinement of the Han family had placed them under immense pressure. Publicly declaring this could be seen as an explanation to the people of Tianbei City and the Han family. Of course, the primary purpose was to mitigate the negative impact caused by these recent days. After all, the Northern Thunderwind Pavilion was just one division of the Thunderwind Pavilion; if the Pavilion’s reputation suffered, they could not escape the blame.
Xiao Yan calmly observed the three men, his silver eyes betraying no hint of emotion. “Go ahead. Surrendering is a fool’s act; I, Xiao Yan, am not so foolish. If you wish to capture me, then show your true strength.”
With those words, Xiao Yan pointed his finger towards the trio of the Long-brown Elder. Simultaneously, the hollow eyes of the Earth Demon Puppet flared with brilliance. Stamping his foot on the air, he transformed into a streak of silver light, lunging forward with great speed.
“Hehe, Xiao Yan, your opponents are the three Elders. Hand over such puppetry to me,” Hong Tianxiao cackled, tearing through the wall of lightning to intercept the Earth Demon Puppet.
“Kill him…” Xiao Yan’s silver eyes coldly scanned Hong Tianxiao, speaking softly.
His words unleashed a burst of silver light from the Earth Demon Puppet’s body. Each punch it delivered generated a deep sonic boom, forcefully pounding towards Hong Tianxiao.
Seeing the Earth Demon Puppet’s sudden surge of power, Hong Tianxiao didn’t dare to slack. He knew the puppet’s strength was terrifying, and a single mistake could end in his death. Fortunately, his task was merely to engage it, not defeat it.
A torrential red fighting aura, like a raging flame, surged from Hong Tianxiao’s body. Brandishing a two-zhang-long greatsword, he fiercely clashed with the Earth Demon Puppet, triggering a fierce battle.
Seeing that Hong Tianxiao successfully intercepted the Earth Demon Puppet, the Long-brow Elder’s thunderous radiance grew more intense. His gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, he said, “This Nine Heaven Thunder Prison Formation is the protective formation of our Northern Thunderwind Pavilion, formed by twenty-three Battle Emperor and forty-six Dou Wang powerhouses, with us three serving as the array’s eyes. If you can break through it today, Xiao Yan, your name will be renowned across the northern region of the Central Plains.”
Xiao Yan’s expression remained unchanged. He slowly raised his hand, swirling it slightly, and a massive soul vortex quickly formed. With a loud bang, it shot out, creating a distorted channel in the void.
Facing Xiao Yan’s powerful attack, the Long-brow Elder took it seriously. Changing his hand seal, the thunderclouds roiled above, and a loud boom echoed. A colossal thunderbolt descended like an enraged dragon, crashing down upon the soul vortex cannon.
*Bang!*
The two powerful attacks collided, gradually dissipating. A robust wave of energy spread out, but it naturally dissipated upon reaching ten zhang around Xiao Yan and the Long-brow Elder.
Xiao Yan’s gaze slowly swept over the three elders. Above their heads, columns of thunderlight extended into the thunderclouds. Among them, only the Long-brow Elder led the attack; the other two seemed to have channeled all their fighting energy into the thunderclouds.
“This formation is indeed quite mysterious…”
“Thunder Technique!” The Long-brow Elder’s face was stern as he rapidly changed his hand seal, causing the thunderclouds to surge. Pointing at Xiao Yan, he shouted, “Sizzle!”
The thunderclouds churned, and countless enormous thunderbolts slithered out like giant pythons, converging into a torrent, striking Xiao Yan with overwhelming force, leaving everyone trembling.
Xiao Yan stomped lightly, a jade green flame emerging from his body, spreading over a vast area. The flames condensed into a giant fire wolf, which let out a long howl. Opening its maw, it swallowed the incoming lightning bolts, absorbing them entirely.
As the fire wolf absorbed the thunder, muted rumbles emanated from within its massive form. Its body became somewhat translucent, but it had neutralized the lightning.
“Go!” Xiao Yan flicked his fingers, and the fire wolf’s eyes flashed with ferocity. Striding across the sky, it charged toward the Long-brow Elder and his companions.
Before the fire wolf even reached them, the intense heat made the faces of the Long-brow Elder and his companions pale. “Different Fire?” the Long-brow Elder said, his expression grave.
“Thousand Thunder Cuts!” The elder roared. A dazzling silver light flashed, and the fire wolf paused mid-step, then split apart, vanishing with a pop. For a period of about ten minutes, both sides attacked and defended fiercely.
It appeared calm, yet it was incredibly perilous. Any contact with either lightning or fire would result in dire consequences. Such intense combat would deter even ordinary Battle Sect powerhouses.
“Xiao Yan, don’t waste time with them. They have the formation’s support, allowing endless lightning attacks. My soul energy can’t stay in you for too long, so resolve this quickly!” The voice of the Heavenly Fire Venerable sounded in Xiao Yan’s mind.
Nodding, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, touching his forehead, and a strange, ash-white flame burst forth. As the Bone Spirit Cold Flame appeared, Xiao Yan grabbed it, splitting the jade green flame into the Falling Heart Yan and the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame.
Three different flames floated in front of Xiao Yan, and as he clapped his hands, they converged, unleashing a terrifying, violent force.
“Three Different Flames? How is that possible?” Seeing the three flames, the previously calm expressions of the Long-brow Elder and his companions changed. Shocked, they exclaimed in disbelief.
The Long-brow Elder’s face darkened as he exchanged glances with his companions. Gritting their teeth, they simultaneously changed their hand seals.
As their hand seals shifted, the thunder pillars above their heads intensified. Receiving such tremendous support, the thunderclouds above rumbled like ancient beasts, forming a similarly violent energy.
During this, the Long-brow Elder and his companions’ faces turned pale.
The three different flames melded in Xiao Yan’s palm, releasing a destructive force. This caused the space around him to crack, revealing a web of black fissures, indicating that even the space was beginning to shatter.
In this state, fusing the three different flames was not difficult for Xiao Yan. Within a few minutes, a basin-sized, tri-colored flame lotus appeared in his hand.
The tri-colored flame lotus slowly rotated, each rotation tearing a bit more space, creating black cracks.
“Xiao Yan, throw that good thing into the thunderclouds. That’s the eye of the formation. Once it’s destroyed, these old fellows will be severely injured, and even those outside the formation will suffer backlash.”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan flicked his wrist, and the tri-colored flame lotus flew towards the stormy thunderclouds above.
Seeing this, the Long-brow Elder and his companions’ faces changed once more. Biting their tongues, they spat out three mouthfuls of essence blood, roaring, “Nine Heaven Thunder Prison, God of Thunder’s Rage!”
*Boom!*
With their roar, a deafening explosion echoed from the thunderclouds. The rumbling slowed before a brilliant silver light burst forth, forming a monstrous, dozens of zhang-tall, thunderbolt fist, smashing down!
As the punch fell, the sharp sound of supersonic boom filled the sky. Even the streets beneath crumbled, leaving a huge mark, and the thunderbolt punch’s power was so immense that anything in its path would be destroyed.
Yet, undeterred, a tri-colored beam shot through the terrifying winds, creating a trail of spatial cracks despite its small size.
Perhaps because of the tremendous energy consumed, the surrounding veil of thunder weakened. Thus, this moment, this earth-shattering collision, was clearly visible to all of Tianbei City.
Under countless shocked gazes, the gigantic thunderbolt fist finally collided with the tiny flame lotus.
In that instant, all was silent.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage