Chapter 394

"You should give it a try—the Miss Huo has already said she'll suppress her cultivation to match yours."

At this moment, in the training ground of the Flame Valley, several renowned disciples of the Flame Valley lay scattered everywhere, bruised and swollen, groaning in pain.

"Try your head? One try and you're dead—several core disciples were knocked down by Senior Sister with just a few hammer swings."

At this point, a student couldn't help saying, "If you can withstand a few more of Miss Huo's attacks and get promoted to the inner sect or even core disciple, you'll hit the jackpot."

"That's true—might as well try. It's just getting beaten up, what's the loss?" Another Flame Valley disciple decided to show off, shouting loudly and stepping forward immediately.

He grabbed a heavy axe and roared, "Miss Huo, forgive me!"

At this moment, the young girl standing in the arena turned toward the roaring direction. She was young and beautiful, roughly Xiao Yan's age, clad in a tight red outfit that hugged her curvaceous figure perfectly, her face charmingly lovely, her red hair reflecting her fiery temperament.

Most peculiar was her weapon—a pair of meteor hammers. The hammers, larger than her body, were held effortlessly in her hands without any sense of imbalance.

"Hahaha, good, come on!" Tang Huo'er laughed loudly, deliberately suppressing her power to match her opponent's.

At this moment, the man gripping the giant axe bowed slightly, then roared loudly—boom! A tremendous sound erupted as his battle qi surged skyward.

All disciples in the Flame Valley wielded Fire Attribute Battle Qi, their qi radiating searing heat; a torrent of flame burst forth like a tidal wave, crashing forward with overwhelming force.

Faced with such spiritual pressure, many Flame Valley disciples were pushed back several steps by the powerful flame wave.

"Incredible! No wonder Brother Hong Ke—he's only at Peak Dou Wang, yet his spiritual pressure rivals that of some Dou Huangs!"

"It seems he's already mastered the Three Pure Fire Axe to the entry level—otherwise he wouldn't dare challenge Miss Huo."

At that moment, a loud "pung!" echoed as three colors of flame erupted from Hong Ke's entire body, resembling the legendary Three Pure Spirit Flames!

Towering flames of three hues surged upward, tightly wrapping his body as if he had emerged from hell itself; as the Three Pure Spirit Flames radiated outward, an immense heat wave surged forth, seemingly capable of incinerating everything.

Boom! The man named Hong Ke stepped forward, his fiery wings flaring violently, his giant axe descending like a blade splitting heaven and earth toward the tall Tang Huo'er.

Tang Huo'er smiled, suppressing her cultivation to Peak Dou Wang, and didn't even bother using a Dou Technique to overpower him—she used only a Mystic Rank Dou Ji.

"Go." In that instant, Tang Huo'er uttered a low command, hurling her iron hammer straight at Hong Ke.

Ding-ding-ding! Dong-dong-dong! The dull, heavy sounds rang out as Tang Huo'er's assault was ferocious, her meteor hammers devastatingly heavy; in no time, she smashed her opponent from the sky down to the ground.

This brief exchange of blows shocked Xiao Yan, who had been watching silently.

"A mere ordinary Peak Dou Wang of the Flame Valley can already use an Earth-Rank Dou Technique!" Xiao Yan was stunned—in the former Jia Ma Empire, even Jia Xingtian, a Peak Dou Huang, could barely master one Earth-Rank Low-Level Dou Technique!

Even now that the Yan Alliance ruled the Northwest Region, they couldn't let Peak Dou Wang disciples cultivate Earth-Rank Dou Techniques. Crafting a scroll for an Earth-Rank Dou Technique was simply too difficult.

One must first perfect the technique to its peak before using Soul Force to create a new scroll, and it consumes immense Soul Force and time.

Xiao Yan spent half a month just to craft a Scroll of SpiritFlame Poison Pill—imagine the difficulty of making such scrolls.

Now, an ordinary Peak Dou Wang disciple of the Flame Valley was already cultivating an Earth-Rank Dou Technique! How could Xiao Yan, a newcomer like Liu Laolao entering the city, not be astonished!

As Xiao Yan marveled, suddenly Tang Huo'er said, "You. Come here."

"Me?!" Xiao Yan pointed at his own face in shock. Why had he been singled out?!

Tang Huo'er suddenly smiled knowingly, hefting her meteor hammer. "You're not a disciple of the Flame Valley, are you?"

!!!?

Xiao Yan's heart jolted—he'd picked up a training robe from someone's wardrobe and donned Flame Valley attire. You can't possibly memorize every disciple's face here!

Seeing Xiao Yan's confused expression, Tang Huo'er burst into laughter. "Hahaha, to easily monitor cultivation progress, all Flame Valley disciples are forbidden from concealing their cultivation levels."

I messed up!

Xiao Yan smacked his forehead—he hadn't known the Flame Valley had such a rule!

Hearing this, all Flame Valley disciples quickly moved away from Xiao Yan, surrounding him in a tight circle.

Xiao Yan had no desire to provoke a major conflict with the Flame Valley; he raised both hands and smiled bitterly. "I mean no harm—I only came to ask the Valley Master a question."

"Hmph, even if you don't say it, we're taking you to the Valley Master!"

"Surrender now!"

Xiao Yan shrugged. "Fine. But though I say this bluntly, you're not strong enough to catch me."

Tang Huo'er's eyes narrowed slightly. She had noticed Xiao Yan from the start but hadn't stirred the pot. After observing him awhile, she concluded he had no ill intent—if he did, he wouldn't have just stood there dumbly watching training.

But the Flame Valley's Space Lock had allowed someone to sneak in unnoticed—that was no good at all.

"Grab him!" Tang Huo'er swung her hammer and roared.

"Surrender now!"

"Surrender now, reveal your purpose for infiltrating the Flame Valley, and we might spare your life!"

Shii-shii-shii! Whistling sounds came from all directions; warriors clad in Flame Valley attire sprouted battle qi wings behind them, weapons in hand, flying toward Xiao Yan.

"Fine. Let me see how much weaker my Yan Alliance disciples are compared to yours." Xiao Yan wouldn't surrender so easily; after watching the training, he too felt a spark of combat lust.

Zii! Xiao Yan's steps thundered as blue lightning surged over his body. Immediately, several Flame Valley youths, eager to prove themselves, lunged at him.

Zii-zii-zii!!! As the Flame Valley disciples swarmed toward the afterimage of Xiao Yan's lightning, a terrifying electric current instantly turned their hair into wild, spiky explosions.

"Is this the Wind and Thunder Pavilion's Three Thousand Thunderbolts? Are you from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion?" Tang Huo'er's eyes sharpened. The Wind and Thunder Pavilion was famed across Zhong Zhou, and their Three Thousand Thunderbolts were their most renowned technique—the Flame Valley often clashed with them over ruins and resources.

Xiao Yan shrugged. "You're insulting me. I merely acquired Three Thousand Thunderbolts by chance at a black market—I'm not from the Wind and Thunder Pavilion."

"Hmph, even if you were the Pavilion Master's son, it wouldn't matter. All Flame Valley disciples—form the Locked Flame Array!" Tang Huo'er roared, still not lifting a finger herself, directing her disciples instead.

"Yes, Senior Sister!"

Voom! Each Flame Valley disciple took position at an array node, shouting in unison as they poured battle qi into the array.

Red lines rapidly connected, forming a massive crimson array that surged skyward.

Xiao Yan looked up at the red array above and nodded inwardly: "This array is extremely refined—nearly as sophisticated as the one left behind by the Jia Nan Academy's Dean."

Of course, that was just Xiao Yan being polite; with his powerful Soul Force, he instantly spotted the array's weakness.

Xiao Yan lightly stepped on the ground, activating the Flame Scripture; several searing streams of battle qi surged from the earth. Boom-boom-boom! His qi struck several array nodes simultaneously.

"Ah!"

In an instant, the array's flow collapsed into chaos; every disciple was violently thrown backward by the backlash.

"What?!"

What did he do!

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, unable to speak a word.

Before this, many Disciples of the Burning Flame Valley had mocked Xiao Yan in their hearts, for Xiao Yan was merely a Three-Star Dou Huang, and had infiltrated the Burning Flame Valley alone.

No one had taken Xiao Yan seriously; everyone assumed he had somehow sneaked in with others, nothing more than a clown, and they looked down on him with contempt.

In their eyes, Xiao Yan, with only Eight-Star Dou Huang cultivation, was no match for the Valley's Disciples—even Tang Huo'er didn't need to lift a finger to capture him easily.

Yet after just a few exchanges, Xiao Yan not only displayed superb Body Technique and keen Soul Force Perception, but casually shattered their combined Sealing Array!

At once, everyone believed Xiao Yan must be a Core Disciple from a powerful Faction in Zhong Zhou, here to challenge them!

If they knew Xiao Yan came not from Zhong Zhou but from the Northwest Region, from a tiny nation called Jia Ma Empire, they would be stunned speechless.

One by one, Burning Flame Valley Disciples of High Dou Huang rank rushed forward, yet Xiao Yan defeated them all with a single hand, despite their strength being equal to or even lesser than his own.

"You focus too much on the Rank of Dou Techniques; your Dou Qi consumption is excessive, impairing your follow-up strikes."

"Spend more time practicing Body Technique—Dou Techniques aren't only for offense."

"Your Cultivation Method is poorly trained."

"You haven't spared Elixirs, yet your Dou Qi is hollow and unstable—your actual Cultivation Realm doesn't even reach Three-Star Dou Huang."

Under Xiao Yan's every move, all the Burning Flame Valley Disciples' techniques were effortlessly dismantled; bluntly put, he crushed them utterly.

"He looks so young."

"My god, even Second Senior Brother can't beat him!"

"Second Senior Brother isn't just half-step Dou Zong? How could he be defeated so easily!"

Seeing even a half-step Dou Zong Disciple couldn't survive three strikes against Xiao Yan, Tang Huo'er's eyes glinted with Battle Intention.

Facing someone her own age, Tang Huo'er would never yield; her gaze sharpened, flames surged across her eyes, and she laughed: "Let me test you!"

At this moment, Tang Huo'er radiated an overwhelming aura of dominance, her temper fiery—her stance made it clear she now regarded Xiao Yan as her opponent.

"Draw your weapon!"

At that instant, Tang Huo'er casually lifted her meteor hammer—she made no ambush, called no one to surround Xiao Yan, and chose a one-on-one duel.

Tang Huo'er lightly weighed the meteor hammer in her hand, pointing it straight at Xiao Yan, smiling faintly with arrogance: "I'll let you strike first—otherwise, you may never get the chance."

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly—Tang Huo'er had clearly trained the Burning Flame Valley's Azure Void Flame Scripture, an Earth Rank Advanced Grade Cultivation Method, and likely knew many Earth-Class Mid-Level or Advanced Grade Dou Techniques.

Xiao Yan did not overconfidently hold back; he drew his Xuan Heavy Ruler. Thud—it plunged deep into the ground. Xiao Yan smiled and said: "If I defeat Miss Tang, I hope you'll let me meet the Valley Master."

"Hahaha!" Tang Huo'er laughed boldly, raising her meteor hammer: "Whether you win or lose, you'll meet my father!"

Xiao Yan said nothing—he suspected Tang Zhen already knew what had happened, and had long since locked onto him.

Yet if a mere Eight-Star Dou Huang required a Dou Zun to intervene, the Burning Flame Valley would have no place left in Zhong Zhou—it would be laughed out of existence.

Jing! Without arguing over who struck first, Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler erupted in flames, and the Heaven and Earth Power began to boil!

"Flame-Partitioning Wave Ruler!" Xiao Yan roared inwardly, swinging his Xuan Heavy Ruler toward Tang Huo'er.

A massive crimson ruler-light, like a crescent moon, surged toward Tang Huo'er.

At that moment, a continuous crackling of shattering sounds filled the air—in an instant, cracks spread across the earth, as if the entire ground were crumbling apart.

"This should be an Earth-Rank Low-Level Dou Technique—how could its power be so terrifying!"

"His strength is certainly no less than a typical One-Star Dou Zong!"

"So strong—can Senior Sister withstand it!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's casual strike unleash devastation, Tang Huo'er's eyes widened in surprise, but she quickly steadied her mind and channeled all her Dou Qi.

Facing the oncoming Flame-Partitioning Wave Ruler, Tang Huo'er roared, stomped her right foot forward, then gripped her meteor hammer with both hands and slammed it down in unison!

Boom! The ruler-light of the Flame-Partitioning Wave Ruler shattered under Tang Huo'er's meteor hammer—countless tongues of flame exploded outward.

Seeing Tang Huo'er so ferocious, Xiao Yan was startled inwardly—Zhong Zhou truly was Zhong Zhou; he had barely arrived and already met such a formidable peer.

If this were Bai Ya or Bone Child Elder, they'd be dead—or at least critically wounded!

Boom! Tang Huo'er exploded power from her right foot, shattering the ground, and swung her meteor hammer straight at Xiao Yan.

"Six Directions Wandering Body Ruler—Shatter Flame!" Xiao Yan roared inwardly.

Xiao Yan had not devoted much effort to mastering the Six Directions Wandering Body Ruler—only practiced it for a few days following its method—but as one who had long wielded heavy rulers, he quickly grasped it.

Clang! Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler sidestepped the blow, deflecting eighty to ninety percent of the meteor hammer's force.

"Again! Nine Heavenly Flame Hammer Method!"

At that instant, Tang Huo'er's meteor hammer danced through the Nine Heavens, wreathed in endless roaring flames, descending like a meteor strike.

Black ruler and meteor hammer clashed—Xiao Yan's Six Directions Wandering Body Ruler could both attack and defend; facing the relentless hammer strikes, he used force to deflect.

Ding-ding-ding—the clashing sounds rang continuously; under Tang Huo'er's terrifying hammer assaults, Xiao Yan stepped backward slowly, each step leaving behind a spiderweb of cracks beneath his feet.

"So powerful!" Watching Tang Huo'er unleash full power and strike Xiao Yan with terrifying speed, everyone present—whether from the Young Generation or the Old Generation—could not help but cry out in astonishment.

"That boy can't withstand Huo'er's assault," observed an elder with sharp eyes—though both the Six Directions Wandering Body Ruler and Tang Huo'er's hammer technique were Earth-Class Mid-Level, Tang Huo'er had clearly perfected hers, while Xiao Yan was beginning to struggle.

In that instant, countless onlookers believed Xiao Yan was certain to lose.

Xiao Yan smiled and said: "No wonder you're the Burning Flame Valley's Senior Sister—your hammer technique is truly exceptional."

"Hmph. With your Eight-Star Dou Huang cultivation, you've lasted this long—you should be proud," Tang Huo'er replied without arrogance, for Xiao Yan's strength still lagged behind hers.

"That won't do—I can't disgrace my ancestors' reputation this time."

"Your ancestors?"

Xiao Yan shifted his technique—suddenly his body BENG expanded, and his Cultivation Realm surged upward, swiftly breaking through to Dou Zong, reaching One-Star Dou Zong.

"You!! You're—!" Tang Huo'er's eyes widened—this technique was none other than the Burning Flame Valley's Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Transformations!

"Mountain Splitting Seal!" Xiao Yan roared inwardly, changing his hand seals and striking out in that instant.

Boom!! The devastating force collided with Tang Huo'er's hammer—suddenly, a blinding light blazed across Heaven and Earth.

With a thunderous crash, Tang Huo'er's iron hammer met Xiao Yan's palm seal—but clearly, she could not withstand the terrifying Mountain Splitting Seal.

Thud—the sound of impact as Tang Huo'er was slammed flying, her twin hammers embedded in the ground, carving a long furrow before she finally came to a stop.

This scene was utterly shocking; everyone stared with mouths agape, unable to close them for a long time.

For a moment, all of them froze, unable to recover their wits.

Their strongest Senior Sister of the Burning Flame Valley had just been blasted away by someone with Eight-Star Demonic Realm power!

Is this even possible!

"You! How do you know the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes!!" Tang Huo'er's eyes darkened as she shouted; this was the Burning Flame Valley's most guarded secret—how could an outsider possibly know it?

Xiao Yan sheathed his Black Weighted Ruler and rubbed his nose. "Well, I'd prefer to discuss this face-to-face with Valley Master Tang Zhen."

At that moment, a terrifying Spiritual Pressure descended from the heavens—a Demonic Sovereign! And this pressure was even slightly stronger than Xiao Yixian's!

Five-Star Demonic Sovereign!! Valley Master Tang Zhen of the Burning Flame Valley!

"Young friend, I hear you wished to see me? Tell me, who are you? How do you know the Heavenly Flame Three Mystical Changes?" Tang Zhen asked in a deep voice.

Xiao Yan did not dare to be arrogant; he bowed slightly and spoke politely: "I've long heard of your renown, Valley Master Tang. I come from the Northwest Region's Yan Alliance—Xiao Yan."

"Your surname is Xiao?!"

(End of Chapter)