In the sky above, Xiao Yan stood beneath countless gazes and reached out directly with his hand, seizing the black beam of light and gripping it tightly. The moment his palm touched the beam, Xiao Yan distinctly perceived a faint beating sound within—as if there were a living being stirring inside that ray of light.
“This Diemonic Borer has truly reached such a state of evolution! It is practically no different from a normal sentient being,” he pondered as a flicker of astonishment crossed his mind on feeling the delicate heartbeat coming from the sealed fire. Before Xiao Yan could quickly draw back, the surrounding space abruptly surged with violent vibrations, and a figure tore through the air, blocking every single escape route in an instant.
“The Diemonic Borer is something you’re not meant to possess!” as a cold voice rang sharply close by, Xiao Yan felt an instinctive chill: it was the Hall King of Soul— “How fast he’s recovered!”
With sharp awareness in his heart, Xiao Yan swiftly looked up. There was the Soul Hall’s leader like a great eagle swooping in midair. Heavy amounts of pitch-black斗气 quietly gathered on his hand. With an enormous grasp extended forward, he savagely aimed directly at Xiao Yan’s head. At that moment, he had obviously launched a lethal strike!
The Hall King moved swifter than lightning. Surrounded by immobilized space, Xiao Yan simply couldn’t find an escape at this juncture.
“There lies no妖fire… but there lies a fiery lotus—take this then.” At such a desperate moment, Xiao Yan remained surprisingly calm. From years of experience cultivating the arcane ways, it would require something truly formidable to unsettle him, let alone one like this Hall King, so Xiao Yan locked eyes on his attacker, backing just far enough for space to adjust within a split second, while something from beneath his robe began to shimmer with destructive intent. His sleeve disintegrated into powder as a vivid five-colored fiery lotus coalesced straight into Xiao Yan’s waiting grasp— a blazing flower composed solely from five variant flames merging into one devastating lotus.
Faced so decisively even by one of the caliber of the Soul Sanctuary’s leader, Xiao Yan wasted no hesitation to unveil his utmost destructive technique. Fortunately, his current enhanced might was sufficient to enable immediate fusion of the five flames. Shaping fully, Xiao Yan stood expression calm as he gazed at his swift-approaching opponent. Surprisingly, as this confrontation advanced, his mental poise heightened. Through steely eyes, as if slowing reality down to catch each breath the enemy’s movements exhaled, everything slowed… and grew lucid.
“Please… take this!” With the Hall Monarch advancing like thunder, the very next blink revealed him standing before Xiao Yan— and then it happened; Xiao Yan’s coiled tension exploded like a spring snapping into action, releasing his destruction-crafted fiery lotus point-blank on target!
*Boom!* Instantly, with ruthless resolve reflected in Xiao Yan’s sharp glare, the self-destruct ignition began without even trying to maintain relative safety. The Soul King was simply too rapid—a mere flicker might see him slip outside the blast epicenter!
*Madman…!* A fury-driven outcry spilled instinctively off the Hall Master’s mouth before the sudden detonation sent tremors through his momentum forcing a hasty pullback—but just barely escaping that final split-second recoil as the infernal lotus went ablaze!
An explosion like nothing known—shockwaves so titanic that it deafened everything within audible range—roared across the farthest celestial reaches. Silence fell suddenly thereafter as if reality, in protest, halted to listen. Then the heavens above burst alive in a conflagratory vortex stretching for thousands of furlongs, connecting the molten ocean far below straight to the celestial vault high above. The storm spiraled as though the surrounding very structure of existence cracked at its seams under pressure, breaking reality like fragile glass.
Eyes awestruck by scenes like these watched small beings feel utterly like insignificant specks within such apocalyptic maelstrom—
*This man…,* muttered Soul Feng grimly, for never could a move of this magnitude—should he fail to endure its sheer magnitude—leave him unscathed. “*Could… he be harmed by it?” asked Sub-Hall King, appearing now alongside him solemnly.
“Diverse flames united sure, but Yan stands too weak yet, so slaying a Monarch isn’t within grasp, no easy thing,” replied Soul Feng quietly: “*We prepare! If the time reveals itself, capture the妖Borer at once!”
Nods followed as watchful glances returned.
The colossal vortex thrashed across ten minutes of the sky before vanishing. With the flames dispersed at last revealed the molten depths below—an abyssal chasm stretching nearly ten miles deep, echoing bottomless in its shadow, yawning open like a leviathan’s hungry snarl into endless hollowness.
*Creeak…* moments later, twisted voids erupted nearby with two figures appearing; Xiao Yan’s countenance showed a touch drained while beside him stood none else than Zi Yan himself!
“*You dared it! Caught inside such wrath could’ve turned to mere ash!*” Zi Yan reprimanded fiercely, brushing the lavender strands off an angered gaze.
Grinning lightly, Yan chose neither protest or reply, lifting glances toward what was left after flame’s wrath had cleared…
“*Still not dying yet…*” A small breath betrayed quiet disbelief, mingled with a whisper of letdown— but only just!
“He must truly command remarkable skill to have bested our many Soul schemes,” murmured a voice now echoing from swirling haze. The King re-emerged, his face bloodied lightly at mouth corner— yet very conscious he’d survived the blast—though not without cost.
At this moment shapes began arriving sharply; with swift movements, Yun, Xie & others interposed around Xiao Yan.
“Earlier truce—think you measured my might then? Perhaps… allow you a fresh taste next,” his chill gaze slid away from them slowly, finally fixed on Zi Yan & the elder. A queer smirk followed as palms raised again forming mystic seal—the reaction immediate.
Shouts of awe pierced air—the King’s surge—piercing the very threshold: he transcended the *Four-star High Ascended Saint*, touching even the early *Five-star Transcendence Realm…*
“*Transcendent Sage… Five-Stars?*” gasps abounded— Had this Master *hidden strength?*
“You dare challenge ancient codes? Breach this sacred strength? What respect holds still in you for our old covenants!?’ rumbled the aged voice of Nanhai of the Gu clan.
“*Merely with half feet across its boundary—not a real one yet… so technically—covenants remain respected.”* A quiet laughter drifted as footsteps began tracing skywards again… nearing unyieldably closer: *”Surrender that fiery core to me now.”*
“Fantasy,” Zi Yan retorted— cold fire dancing irises, as she stepped boldly forward— summon golden radiance coalescing into a colossal gilded dragon, barring ferocious talons against the approaching monarch—
*Shatter!* But faced down even by such power the Master merely flicked a lone finger through ether.
A piercing shriek from distance ten spans echoed with golden titan’s shattering…
“Hump!” a painful growl followed her sudden retreat. As the others exchanged fearful murmurs— *such immense disparity*… could a *single gesture* of an authentic *Five Star Lordly Sage* have already dismantled her effortlessly—while she stood with Nanhai in near-completion?
“*She drained heavily; same with me… this one seems almost recovering! Perhaps we’re overpowered.*” Nanhai murmured.
“*Power from ancient lineage holds grander gifts, though even these struggle to ascend beyond rank. Yet… hand him the flame-source—*I let this trinity walk away freely*”— the Hall-King folded arms behind, now accompanied fully again by Soul Feng & Sub-Head, glinting in cold, merciless stare upon Xiao Yan & his crew.
Yan clenched his jaw tight with every ounce of effort as his muscles strained against his firm hold upon that black beam— *he was strong. Too strong*. Not even full power within the blazing lotus yielded true injury, yet the option of surrendering flame-origin simply… unfathomable.
“*So sly & evasive, the fox-like one… but escape is forfeit today!*” observing Yan flicker with thoughts & hesitation, the Soul-Master chuckled darkly then vanished, reappearing directly before Xiao Yan mid-void, then lunging forward— intent clear: seizing his life! Hand outstretched to grasp his skull.
“Despicable youth… per-“
“*My kin isn’t under threat by your tongue,*” yet before clawed grasp closed—the instant before it touched him— A bony skeletal palm had pierced into position above Xiao Yan. Flick— the hand deflected aside as a rough raspy voice resonated softly: “*…and dies accordingly?*”
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