Chapter 267: Buddha Fury Lotus

Ling Quan activated the Clan Mark, and the Dou Di Bloodline within him boiled furiously; even the life force that had been absorbed began to recover.

Upon sensing that Ling Quan had activated the Dou Di Bloodline, Xiao Yan's own faint Xiao Clan Dou Di Bloodline suddenly stirred in response!

"Dou Di Bloodline..."

Under the gaze of countless eyes filled with varied emotions, Ling Quan roared in fury: "Mountain Splitting Seal!"

With a hum, his hand seals abruptly shifted; the Clan Mark on his forehead blazed with blinding light, and instantly, a similarly vast and formidable energy surged violently into the sky!

A massive energy hand seal, several zhang in size, suddenly materialized! At the moment it appeared, the space around Ling Quan rippled violently like waves.

Amidst countless stunned gazes, the enormous energy hand seal emerged, carrying an unusually intense pressure and energy disturbance as it slammed straight into the rushing demonic flames.

Boom! In an instant, the two terrifying attacks met in the sky, and a thunderous explosion erupted—despite having prepared themselves, many still felt their ears ring, and their vision blurred slightly.

Where the two fierce attacks collided, waves of energy, nearly solid in form, surged wildly; even space itself twisted under the horrific energy collision, revealing just how terrifying these attacks truly were.

But soon, the energy hand seal of the Mountain Splitting Seal shattered forward like a bamboo stalk splitting, pushing back the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger's demonic flames, and struck Xiao Yan dead-on, to the astonishment of all.

Boom! The energy light spread outward; though much of its power had been consumed and it had dimmed considerably, the Mountain Splitting Seal—unquestionably an Earth Rank Advanced Grade Dou Technique—was devastatingly powerful, even the Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame's Infernal Flame Dou Technique could not resist it!

"Brother Xiao Yan!!!" Xun Er, heart wrenching, tried to surge into the sky but was held back by Ling Ying.

Ling Ying shook his head and said: "Miss, you cannot intervene now—they're watching."

"Hahaha! This is the power your Xiao Clan has lost! This is the gap!" Ling Quan laughed wildly; a family that had lost its Dou Di Bloodline was nothing but ants before them!

As Ling Quan laughed, suddenly—snap! —a sound came from the dust, like a single clap, faint yet unmistakably clear.

The dust cleared; Xiao Yan's sleeves were completely torn, revealing bare arms. His veins had ruptured from the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations, blood streaming down both arms; even the Flame of Life burning to heal him struggled to recover quickly.

A trace of blood lingered at the corner of his mouth, his face pale, yet Xiao Yan's eyes remained clear, deep within them burning a wild, extreme madness.

Ling Quan's wild laughter ceased instantly; everyone watching felt a chilling dread crawl up their spines.

That chilling sensation came from Xiao Yan's clasped hands!

Xiao Yan's hands were pressed together as if in applause, yet everyone knew an earth-shattering energy was coiled within his palms.

"W-what is that?!" Ling Ying felt an indescribable sensation from Xiao Yan's palms—as if whatever lay within them was utterly extraordinary.

No one knew what it was, but every heart now held only one thought: flee this place!

Hum!!! Xiao Yan slowly opened his palms; his Half-Step Seventh-Rank Soul Force was nearly exhausted, his face as white as paper, all his Dou Qi spent, even the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations had been dispelled.

He had concentrated all his strength into this single strike!

Hum hum hum hum!!! Four colors of flame erupted from Xiao Yan's palms: blood-red Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, green Qinglian Earth Core Fire, black-and-white Yin-Yang Dual Flame!

As the Three Infernal Flames touched, the space around Xiao Yan began to melt! Light twisted, the earth itself ignited!

Seeing Xiao Yan's actions, Ling Quan's face turned pale; he could feel the three differently colored flames before Xiao Yan were birthing an extremity terrifying energy.

"Three Infernal Flames!!!" Ling Ying's face turned ashen—Xiao Yan possessed Three Infernal Flames?!?!

Even Xun Er's eyes widened in shock—could one person possess Three Infernal Flames?!

Xun Er watched Xiao Yan, who was about to unleash the Buddha Fury Lotus in the sky; she could not imagine how much he had sacrificed over the past two years to obtain Three Infernal Flames!

Hum! A delicate fire lotus appeared before Xiao Yan. Though he had drained all his strength and even exhausted his Soul Force to stabilize it, his eyes remained calm, as still as an unfathomable well.

When Ling Quan's gaze fell upon the fire lotus hovering in Xiao Yan's palm, his face darkened instantly; the terrifying energy radiating from that strange lotus—even he—felt an unnatural oppression.

"Impossible! This cannot be! How can I, who possesses Dou Di Bloodline, feel fear?! Impossible!!" Ling Quan roared inwardly in fury.

At that moment, a torrent of black Dou Qi surged from Ling Quan's body like a tidal wave; his hair stood on end as if struck by lightning. He formed new hand seals—but this time, he did not use the Mountain Splitting Seal; he used the higher-level Ocean Turning Seal!

"Ocean Turning Seal!!" Ling Quan roared, deciding to strike first!

A more powerful energy hand seal shot forth, far stronger than the previous Mountain Splitting Seal!

As Ling Quan's Ocean Turning Seal charged forward, Xiao Yan's hand seals shifted, and the fire lotus hovering before him erupted in blinding radiance, like a blazing sun suspended in the sky.

"Go—Buddha Fury Lotus!"

With a flick of his finger, the slowly spinning Buddha Fury Lotus shot forward like a blurred streak of lightning.

Though the lotus contained vast, terrifyingly violent energy, as it cut through space, it was eerily silent—not even a ripple of energy disturbed the air; yet precisely this silence sent icy dread surging through every heart.

On a distant hillside, Xun Er's gaze never wavered from the faint, streaking light across the sky; she sensed the terrifying energy within the lotus.

Her jade-like fingers clenched tightly; she knew Xiao Yan had finally unleashed his true killing technique—and now, the outcome of this battle would be decided!

Amidst countless gazes filled with varied emotions, the lotus flashed across the sky, finally slamming into the Ocean Turning Seal like a tiny meteor.

The Buddha Fury Lotus was minuscule compared to the massive energy hand seal—its impact was like a gnat trying to shake a tree.

Boom! The collision erupted like the sun exploding, blindingly brilliant light flooding the entire Inner Court, so dazzling no one could open their eyes.

At that moment, even some Factions in the Black Horn Region could clearly see the firelight; even from afar, the blaze was blinding—this explosion resembled the end of the world.

"Aaaah!!!" Ling Quan's agonized scream rang out from within the fire.

Clearly, even the Emperor Seal Technique created by a Dou Di could not overcome the Buddha Fury Lotus—born from the fusion of Three Infernal Flames and fueled by Half-Step Seventh-Rank Soul Force!

"Ah, young Xiao Clan member, show mercy."

Yet just as Xiao Yan's fused Infernal Flames were about to burn Ling Quan to death, a weary sigh suddenly echoed in Xiao Yan's mind.

With the sound's utterance, the Infernal Flames of the Buddha Fury Lotus froze instantly; the previously violent energy calmed, and every flame reversed as if time flowed backward—reforming into the lotus shape, then shrinking slowly until it vanished.

This transformation caused Xiao Yan's pupils to contract slightly.

At that moment, a rift tore open in the Space before Xiao Yan—and a hunched, ancient figure emerged from within the void!

The old man wore a white robe, his hair, beard, and eyebrows all snow-white; his deeply sunken eyes held no cloudiness, only an infinite, black-hole-like suction—anyone who gazed into them felt drawn in, radiating an extreme sense of mystery.

"Sage Emperor?!" Xiao Yan could not sense the old man's exact strength, but only two words surfaced in his mind!

This elder had torn open Space from somewhere unknown; he had not appeared here—he had merely connected his own location to the space where Xun Er stood.

To exert such power across countless thousands of miles!

To think only Ling Ying guarded Xun Er was a grave mistake—the Sage Emperor could traverse Space as easily as breathing.

"Elder Tong Xuan."

Seeing the old man's appearance, Xun Er and Ling Ying both immediately bowed deeply, respectfully greeting him.

The elder known as Tong Xuan nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan and sighed softly. After resolving the Buddha Fury Lotus, Tong Xuan shook his head, as if he already knew what Xiao Yan intended to do—but...

With a flick of his fingers, a gentle energy surged from his sleeves, enveloping Xiao Yan's entire body. Under the caress of this gentle energy, the bloodstains on Xiao Yan's skin vanished at lightning speed; in the blink of an eye, all external wounds disappeared.

Xiao Yan's eyes widened—could the power of a Sage Emperor truly be so boundless!

And this was merely an elder of the Gu Clan?!

The elder waved his hand, and a formless energy wrapped around the gravely wounded and unconscious Ling Quan and the other Black Smoke Army soldiers, pulling them directly into Space.

"Xun Er, say your goodbyes properly—you must return to your clan," said Tong Xuan softly.

Xun Er's body trembled, her eyes dimming as she slowly walked to Xiao Yan's side and gently brushed her Jade Hand against his cheek.

Xiao Yan's expression shifted uncertainly, his hand gripping Xun Er's arm trembling slightly.

"Brother Xiao Yan, I'll wait for you—I'll wait until you truly become a supreme powerhouse who towers over all others. I've always believed you will stand atop the continent's peak. When that day comes, the fallen Xiao Clan will rise again because of you."

Feeling Xiao Yan's hand tighten slightly, Xun Er playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "Brother Xiao Yan left me for two years—now it's my turn to leave. That's a fair draw, right?"

His hand continued to tremble; Xiao Yan's heart grew as tangled as knotted thread. Having spoken, Xun Er dared not linger, fearing she would be unable to let go. She turned and lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her figure vanishing into a rift in Space.

When Xun Er vanished, the sun finally set. At the deepest core of Xiao Yan's eyes, a darkness surged—and from the ground beneath Xiao Yan, a wisp of Black Flame appeared...

The effects of the butterfly's wingbeats are far from over...

(End of Chapter)