*Bam!* Within the blood mist, a pair of blood palms and azure fire palms collided fiercely. A terrifying wave of energy surged from their palms, forcing the two elders of the Blood Sect to hastily retreat with changed expressions.
After the clash of the palms in the blood mist, there was only a brief silence before a shrill scream of horror pierced through: “Heavenly Flame? Damn it, you actually have a Heavenly Flame!?”
*Boom!* Right after the scream, another wave of scorching heat emanated from the blood mist. Under the rolling heat, the blood mist that had been swirling in the air dissipated significantly.
*Pfft…* Suddenly, a spurt of blood sounded from within the thinning blood mist. Immediately, a figure shot out backward from the mist, sliding nearly ten meters on the ground before crashing heavily into a tree trunk, breaking it into two pieces. Leaning against the tree, the figure’s legs gave way, causing him to fall, his hands bracing the ground as blood dripped from his mouth. His hoarse, rapid breathing sounded like a wheezing bellows.
“Junior Sect Leader!?” The two elders of the Blood Sect, recognizing the extremely disheveled figure, were shocked and lost for words. They could not fathom how Fan Ling, who had used such a vile and sinister technique like the Bone-Dissolving Blood Palm, could be so grievously injured by someone who was merely a Great Dou Master.
Trembling, Fan Ling rose to his feet, glancing at his charred palm. His pale face couldn’t hide the shock. Coughing violently, he raised his head and gazed towards the gradually dissipating blood mist.
As the three of them fell silent, the area sank into a quiet atmosphere. However, just a moment later, the sound of footsteps in the thinning mist made their faces completely change.
The footsteps grew louder, and the blood mist dissipated, revealing a figure wrapped in azure flames in their line of sight.
Staring at the figure enveloped in azure flames and feeling the intense heat seeping out, the two elders of the Blood Sect suddenly felt their internal Dou Qi flow obstructed. Their pupils constricted in shock, and they exclaimed, “Is that… a Heavenly Flame!?”
The Blood Sect’s techniques were unconventional, focusing on the dark and cold path, making them vulnerable to fire. While ordinary fire Dou Qi could be handled, encountering a heavenly flame would be like a mouse facing a cat—completely helpless. The first rule of the Blood Sect stated that if one encountered a strong practitioner with a Heavenly Flame, they should retreat immediately. This highlighted the extent to which the Blood Sect’s techniques were suppressed by heavenly flames. In battles with those who possessed heavenly flames, members of the Blood Sect could rarely exert more than half their strength.
Fortunately, few people in this world possessed heavenly flames, and thus, the Blood Sect rarely encountered such formidable opponents. Unfortunately, this time, Fan Ling and his companions were destined to meet with calamity.
The azure flames around the figure diminished, revealing a surprisingly youthful and handsome face. Seeing the shocked expressions of the three, Xiao Yan smiled, though his smile carried a hint of chilling coldness.
“Who are you? Why do you seek trouble with the Blood Sect? If you leave now, I, as the Junior Sect Leader, swear not to pursue this matter.”
Standing up, Fan Ling struggled to join the two elders, shouting, “Are you trying to stall for Fan Laodong to come?”
Hearing this, Fan Ling’s expression changed slightly. He stared intently at the face, younger than his own, finding it hard to believe that someone so young could possess a terrifying Heavenly Flame and a sharp mind, even feared by his father.
“Junior Sect Leader, you go first. I’ll hold him off. With the Sect Leader’s strength, he should have dealt with Elder Qing of the Sky Snake Mansion. Just a little more time, and we can wait for his arrival.”
Elder Luo, still capable of fighting, gripped his long blade, though his heart was filled with fear of the heavenly flame. He was the only one who could fight the opponent now.
Hearing Elder Luo’s words, Fan Ling gritted his teeth, without hesitation, and ran back, dragging his injured body.
Watching Fan Ling run without hesitation, Xiao Yan smiled, but did not move.
After running a short distance, Fan Ling, sensing no combat behind him, felt a twinge of doubt. Just as the doubt arose, a flicker of multicolored light caught his eye.
The flash of multicolored light did not escape the notice of Fan Ling, who was now as skittish as a startled bird. He abruptly halted, scanning his surroundings, but found nothing. Frowning, he was about to continue fleeing when a searing pain shot through his chest. Looking down, he saw a multicolored beam piercing through his chest.
The multicolored light, after passing through his chest, transformed into a small, multicolored snake less than half a foot long.
Staring at the snake with its eerie eyes, Fan Ling couldn’t comprehend how his defenses, as a Dou Spirit, could be so easily penetrated.
“This time, I’m really done for…”
The excruciating pain caused Fan Ling’s vision to blur. As he was about to collapse, he turned his head and, through a gap in the trees, saw a sudden surge of azure flames and heard two agonizing screams.
Under the absolute suppression of the Heavenly Flame, the two elders, one lightly injured and the other severely, had no chance against the suddenly powerful Xiao Yan.
Collapsing to the ground, Fan Ling’s eyelids slowly drooped. He saw a black-robed figure walking towards him, the aura of a Dou Spirit retracting into Xiao Yan’s body.
Stopping in front of Fan Ling’s corpse, Xiao Yan’s aura returned to that of a Great Dou Master. His face was pale, and he coughed violently, looking down at his scorched hand. He sighed, “The Three Mystic Changes of Heavenly Fire are indeed powerful, but the damage to my body is also significant…”
“I didn’t expect you to truly master the first level of the Three Mystic Changes of Heavenly Fire. Though you’re not yet proficient, the damage is inevitable, but it shouldn’t be this severe.”
Elder Medicine’s voice, tinged with surprise, echoed in Xiao Yan’s mind. He was astonished that Xiao Yan had figured out how to use the Three Mystic Changes of Heavenly Fire in just a month.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, tucking the Swallowing Python into his robe, then bent down to remove the ring from Fan Ling’s finger. After a quick search, he found a cold jade box.
His mouth dry, Xiao Yan looked at the invaluable cold jade box. Even with his composure, his heart pounded fiercely. Taking a deep breath, he didn’t open the box but threw it into his ring, then searched again, eventually finding an ancient, tattered map.
Unfolding the tattered map, familiar routes and a half-complete, eerie pattern appeared under Xiao Yan’s gaze.
“Finally, I have it…”
Clutching the tattered map, excitement washed over Xiao Yan’s face. Carefully stowing the map in his ring, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
“Little guy, hurry up. I sense Fan Laodong’s presence,” Elder Medicine’s urgent voice sounded.
Xiao Yan’s heart tightened, and he quickly rose. As he was about to turn, he paused, striking Fan Ling’s forehead with a fierce blow, hearing the bones crack. Assured, he transformed into a black shadow, dashing into the dense forest.
About ten minutes after Xiao Yan vanished, a red figure flashed overhead, then stopped stiffly in mid-air above the clearing.
Staring grimly at the corpses below, the red figure descended, scanning the bodies of the Blood Guards. Suddenly, his gaze froze on the ten corpses clad in robes with skull emblems, his fists clenching tightly, emitting a grinding sound.
Finding no trace of the one he sought, he quickly scanned the area, then rushed into the dense forest as a blurry red figure.
In the dense forest, the red figure suddenly stopped, trembling as he gazed at the corpse on the ground. Suddenly, his pale face tilted upward, emitting a venomous scream.
The scream gradually subsided, and Fan suddenly approached Fan Ling’s corpse. Bloodlight flared from his hands, covering Fan Ling’s head. As the bloodlight shone, a strange drop of blood slowly seeped from the back of Fan Ling’s head, floating in front of Fan.
His face filled with venomous coldness, Fan waved his hand, causing the blood to burst into a thin, blood-red curtain. Within the curtain, a figure wrapped in azure flames faintly appeared, but the curtain was too thin for Fan to discern the figure’s exact appearance.
*Boom…* The blood-red curtain suddenly burst open.
“Black Skeleton Tomb… very good…”
Bending down, Fan picked up Fan Ling’s corpse, his face indifferent as he walked out of the dense forest, the chilling, venomous voice echoing, “No matter who you are, if I find out, you will suffer the pain of being skinned alive.”
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