Chapter 265: Battle at Ling Quan

Ling Ying scrutinized the boy he had been tracking for so long, and he realized that after following Xiao Yan for this long, he understood nothing about the boy.

He planned with deep foresight, risking his life to enter perilous lands to obtain Strange Fire and power, all to make the Gu Clan acknowledge his relationship with Xun Er.

This battle is not impulsive; four years ago, when Hun Xu Zi appeared among the Xiao Clan, he already understood.

If he wanted to be with Xun Er, the resistance he would face would be immense—the power behind her was beyond his imagination.

That was why Xiao Yan had chosen to join the Soul Sovereign; he needed power, power strong enough to force even the Gu Clan to recognize him.

Joining the Soul Sovereign, leaving Jia Nan Academy to seek Strange Fire, infiltrating the Snake Emperor Empire where death loomed at every step—all of it was for today, to reveal his greatest potential and make the Gu Clan acknowledge him, the prodigal son of a fallen clan!

Today is Xiao Yan's proof battle—he will show the Gu Clan that even without Dou Di bloodline, he can still defeat those who possess it!

At the side, Xun Er now understood why Xiao Yan had left her for two years to grow stronger—she understood his heart.

She covered her face with both hands, tears rolling down her eyes.

"Even if your Xiao Clan still has some Dou Techniques left, what does it matter! Without Dou Di bloodline, you're nothing but a waste! Don't dare compare me, Ling Quan, to those who don't even possess a Clan Token!"

Boom—the moment he unleashed, an incredibly terrifying aura erupted from Ling Quan. Though Ling Quan was only a Three Star Dou Huang, his cultivation realm inferior to Hai Bodong and Jia Xingtian, the thickness of his Spiritual Qi far surpassed the two of them.

He was not part of the Black Smoke Army—he was its Commander! His Dou Di bloodline rank reached Five-Grade!

Moreover, Ling Quan had cultivated an Earth Rank Advanced Grade cultivation method; his cultivation realm and Spiritual Qi quality both far exceeded Xiao Yan's!

Stopping his steps, Xiao Yan looked up at Ling Quan atop the single-horned flying horse—not with fear, but with a faint, satisfied smile.

"If it weren't like this, defeating you would be meaningless."

Xiao Yan knew the Gu Clan possessed far more strength than this—he knew Ling Quan was certainly not the strongest among their young generation, not even strong enough to be granted a surname, bearing only a name, no clan title.

But what Xiao Yan intended was to defeat him despite the level gap—this would prove that if he were equal, no matter which genius the Gu Clan produced, Xiao Yan would still crush him!

Ding ding ding ding—Xiao Yan pulled out several Pill Bottles from his storage ring, opened them all, and poured their contents into his mouth.

Five-Grade DragonPower Pills to enhance strength, Ji Qi Pills to restore Spiritual Qi, Blood Lotus Pills to grow a defensive layer of blood scab over the skin, Ji Xue Pills to heal wounds.

"Hahaha, you think pills can bridge the gap between us!" Ling Quan hadn't finished speaking when Xiao Yan gave him a knowing smile.

He roared inwardly: "Heavenly Flame Three Profound Changes—Strange Fire Transformation!"

Xiao Yan instantly unleashed his strongest power—the Fused Strange Fire formed from four Strange Fires—surging forth from his dantian in an instant!

Xiao Yan had used Heavenly Flame Three Profound Changes many times, but never before with Fused Strange Fire—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't!

A wild, unparalleled heat surged from Xiao Yan's body, piercing the sky—even though the four Strange Fires he had refined were all low-ranked, and one was a newly born offspring flame, the heat still swept across a hundred li of land.

Plants on the small hill instantly burst into flame, and even the fire within Xun Er's body showed a trace of wariness, as if encountering a Strange Fire capable of matching it.

You must know that the Heavenly Flame within Xun'er's body is the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, ranked fourth!

"Kuang! How did Xiao Yan's aura become so strong?!!" Far away, Lin Yan and others who had rushed to watch the battle turned pale with shock, staring unbelievably toward Xiao Yan.

"So strong! This spiritual pressure is far greater than even the Elders'!" Lin Xiuya felt a chill run down his spine—Xiao Yan had just broken through to Dou Wang; how could his Secret Technique boost him so much!

Zi Yan's face grew grim—he had fought Xiao Yan many times, knew his Secret Technique inflicted severe bodily damage; even raising his power by five stars had left Xiao Yan writhing in pain, yet now his spiritual pressure was nearing Dou Huang!

An entire full realm leap—this Secret Technique wasn't just draining Spiritual Qi anymore!

"Xiao Yan? What happened—who pushed him to this?!" The Elder maintaining the Flame Sealing tightened his heart—he couldn't break away now.

At this moment, Xiao Yan was wrapped in strange flames; neither Ling Ying nor Ling Quan could recognize what Strange Fire he was using—not even Xun Er knew.

Instantly, Xiao Yan surged like a flood or a rampaging beast, his gaze locked on Ling Quan with lethal intent.

"Heavenly Flame Three Profound Changes? Hahaha! So you've indeed claimed the Xiao Clan's legacy—then the key must be on you!" Ling Quan paused, then burst into wild, arrogant laughter, for he knew that if he could retrieve the key and return it to the clan, he would earn great rewards and rise swiftly!

"That's not something a lower-world clan like yours should possess—hand over the key." No sooner had Ling Quan spoken than a black shadow appeared before his eyes.

Lightning and fire flew together; before the sound even reached them, Xiao Yan, eyes blazing with lethal intent, appeared instantly before Ling Quan—CRASH—the fist wrapped in Strange Fire slammed into Ling Quan's face, the sound of cracking bones traveling up through the fist into Xiao Yan's ears.

Pang—Ling Quan's body flew backward at speed rivaling sound!

By the time Ling Quan had flown away, the thunderous impact finally reached the ground where Xiao Yan had stood—rocks shattered, the afterimage still clearly visible.

Xiao Yan's speed now exceeded sound by several times!

"So fast! What speed is this?!" Lin Xiuya, famed for his speed, couldn't even track Xiao Yan's movement—he was a newly risen Dou Wang!

But the next second—Puh! —Xiao Yan's left arm erupted in blood, as if his flesh could no longer contain the terrifying power within, rupturing; a trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his left eye.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Xun Er's heart clenched—Xiao Yan was now exhausting himself!

Hum—a strand of White Flame ignited at the wound, the life-giving flame of Yin-Yang Dual Flames and the elixir's power repairing Xiao Yan's injuries.

Xiao Yan remained silent; hum—a pair of enormous, exaggerated Spiritual Qi wings erupted behind him; with a single beat, his figure vanished, becoming a streak of fire chasing Ling Quan!

Zi Yan glanced at Xun Er, then spread her own wings and chased after. Lin Xiuya, Liu Qing, and others capable of Spiritual Qi Wings followed suit.

Ling Ying sighed, looking at the heartbroken Xun Er, and said: "Miss, Young Master Xiao Yan knows the power behind you—he's risking everything to earn the clan's recognition."

Neither Ling Ying nor Xun Er knew that four years ago, after Xiao Yan defeated Nalan Yanran with a single strike, Hun Xu Zi of the Soul Sovereign had contacted him, revealing to him the truth of the Dou Emperor Families and the strength behind Xun Er's clan—triggering this battle.

The flutter of a butterfly's wings had sent events spiraling into unpredictable directions.

On the battlefield between Xiao Yan and Ling Quan, after catching up to the flying Ling Quan, Xiao Yan gripped his Xuan Heavy Ruler tightly and slashed down with all his might.

"You, a pitiful branch of the Xiao Clan from the lower world!!" Ling Quan, nose bleeding, eyes blazing with fury—he was the newly appointed Deputy Commander of the Black Smoke Army! How could he, a man of the Gu Clan, be beaten black and blue by someone from a lower-world clan?!

This he could not accept!

Ling Quan pulled a black halberd from his storage ring and slammed it against the Xuan Heavy Ruler—CRASH! Sparks flew, the collision of two immense forces flung them apart.

Ling Quan, as Deputy Commander of the Gu Clan's Black Smoke Army, when wielding the halberd and clad in black armor, instantly radiated overwhelming might—like an overlord descending upon the world.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath; his Spiritual Qi surged like a True Dragon in rage, and in that instant, his black ruler moved—the moment it moved, Strange Fire accompanied it; beneath the ruler, the flames burned the heavens.

Xiao Yan struck—his Xuan Heavy Ruler held no flashy techniques, only the simplest downward slash, yet the power of the Strange Fire howled across heaven and earth, burning space, boiling oceans.

The most direct strike, yet carrying a Strange Fire that even the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame showed slight wariness—absolute power, brutal, tyrannical, destructive!

"So what if you have Strange Fire? I, Ling Quan, possess Dou Di bloodline!" Ling Quan roared, activating his cultivation method, unleashing Dou Huang power, swinging his black halberd.

Dang! The ruler and halberd clashed—sparks flew, shockwaves shattered the sky, tearing apart the clouds above.

Hu—the collision of their powers sent them both reeling backward again!

After steadying himself, Ling Quan sucked in a sharp breath—he was a disciple of the Gu Clan! Five-Grade Dou Di bloodline! His foundation was rock-solid; in raw power clashes, he had never feared anyone.

But today, when he clashed with a Dou Wang from the lower realm, it ended in a stalemate?!

"Take this!" Ling Quan's eyes turned fierce; at this moment, he reversed his black halberd and swung it like a whip.

Xiao Yan used his Soul Force Perception, gritted his teeth, and raised his Xuan Heavy Ruler as a shield to block the strike.

With a loud clang, Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler was no ordinary weapon, but Ling Quan's black halberd was equally extraordinary—the terrifying impact surged from the ruler into Xiao Yan's body.

Pang! The immense power within him once again sent blood gushing from Xiao Yan's body.

Originally, the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations should have three stages; only by stacking all three could one avoid the body being overwhelmed by the overwhelming strength of the Heavenly Flame.

But Xiao Yan didn't have all three stages!

Ding-ding-ding!!! Terrifying collisions rang out as Xiao Yan parried while counterattacking with his Heavenly Flame.

His gaze sharpened; instantly, the Xuan Heavy Ruler in his hand turned crimson, and Heaven and Earth Power surged.

"Flame Division: Devouring Wave Ruler!"

"Earth-Rank Low-Level Dou Technique? Hahaha! Don't think Earth-Rank Dou Techniques are invincible—in my clan, Earth-Rank Low-Level Dou Techniques are merely standard issue! Star River Mystic Dragon Halberd!"

A Flame Wave slashed toward Ling Quan; he thrust his black halberd forward, and a black dragon shot out, lunging at Xiao Yan's Flame Division: Devouring Wave Ruler.

Boom! Although Xiao Yan's Flame Division: Devouring Wave Ruler absorbed the impact and both were destroyed, the powerful shockwave blasted him clean away—like a falling star—he crashed heavily onto a great mountain outside the Inner Court, carving out a massive crater.

Whoosh! Mud and rocks flew everywhere; Xiao Yan crawled out of the crater, his appearance now utterly disheveled.

Xiao Yan slowly closed his eyes; when he opened them again, his eyes had changed—his left eye glowed with death flame, his right eye with life flame; upon closer inspection, two tiny fish—one black, one white—swam within his pupils.

(End of Chapter)