Chapter 98: Xiao Yan vs. Hai Bodong

"Senior Battle Master? No, your aura feels somewhat like a beast's. That flame—is—" The old man's expression turned grave; his true strength was far from what it appeared to be.

His original cultivation realm was Five-Star Battle Emperor, but due to certain reasons, his battle qi had been sealed down to Two-Star Battle Spirit. Though his battle qi was sealed, his soul force and Dou Techniques remained genuinely Battle Emperor-level.

His cultivation method was a Heavenly Grade Advanced Technique of ice attribute, and he knew one Earth-Rank Dou Technique, along with countless Profound-Class Dou Techniques.

And yet his own ice sealing had been broken by a One-Star Senior Battle Master?!

"Who are you? Even the Imperial Family or Yun Lan Sect of the Jia Ma Empire could never produce someone like you."

The old man's gaze pierced Xiao Yan, and a chilling, formidable spiritual pressure spread from his body.

But the moment his ice battle qi touched Xiao Yan's blood-red flame, it instantly evaporated into steam.

Beneath his black robe, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and said, "I'm just a young man passing through here to visit relatives. Had it not been for this map, I wouldn't have disturbed you, Elder."

Xiao Yan spoke gently, like a spring breeze—but the arrogance beneath his words was unmistakable. He had broken in to rob, yet made it sound as if he had no choice.

Hearing Xiao Yan's twisted logic, the old man suddenly laughed, then burst into wild laughter: "Hahahaha! After being sealed by Medusa Queen for over twenty years, I, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, have now sunk so low as to be bullied by a Senior Battle Master! How amusing!"

Upon hearing Hai Bodong's wild laughter, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—this old man was none other than the former Top Three of the Jia Ma Empire's Ten Strongest: the Ice Emperor!

Xiao Yan had heard rumors that the Ice Emperor had vanished long ago, presumed dead while seeking treasure in the Ruins—never imagining he had been sealed and hidden in Mo City!

Hai Bodong's eyes glinted with malice; with a faint whoosh, dozens of thin, needle-like white ice spikes shot from his palms.

The instant his Soul Force Perception sensed danger, Xiao Yan condensed Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame in his right hand and punched the incoming ice needles.

Crack-crack-crack—Xiao Yan's fist felt a chilling sensation, and frost immediately formed on it. He channeled his battle qi; Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame instantly vaporized the frost.

Xiao Yan blew gently on the remaining ice residue on his fist, his eyes narrowing slightly, a spark of competitive spirit rising within him.

Having refined Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, he'd never had a chance to test it in battle—now here was a Two-Star Battle Spirit, and even a former Battle Emperor.

A deep battle intention stirred in Xiao Yan—he wanted to test how far his current strength could go against a former Battle Emperor.

"Battle Qi Armor! Furious Lion's Roar!" Xiao Yan immediately activated the Dou Technique—blood-red flame formed into a beastly armor enveloping him, spreading a wild, scorching blood energy; behind him appeared a three-meter-tall, eight-winged Flame Demon Tiger phantom.

Boom! He activated the Dash Step; Xiao Yan had no fear of so-called Top Ten Warriors—if given time, the Jia Ma Empire would have only one supreme warrior!

He launched forward, his figure stretching, appearing instantly before Hai Bodong; his five fingers curled into claws, slashing five crimson streaks toward him.

"Hahahaha! Come on, let me see how much you're worth daring to steal from me!" Facing the five crimson streaks, Hai Bodong sneered, his withered hands swiftly forming a seal; his ice battle qi surged as he snapped, "Ice Mirror!"

Suddenly, white cold energy around Hai Bodong roiled violently; in an instant, a transparent ice mirror, half a meter square, materialized before him.

Gaaah! Five piercing screeches rang out—Xiao Yan's attack left only five scratch marks on the ice mirror, unable to pierce it.

Gazing at Xiao Yan midair, Hai Bodong sneered, flicked his palm, and dozens of spiral-shaped ice spikes rapidly formed before him; then, with a wave of his hand, they surged toward Xiao Yan like a sky-covering storm.

Xiao Yan scraped his foot along the ground, looked up at the hail of ice spikes laced with freezing energy, and frowned.

His eight-winged Flame Demon Tiger phantom drew its wings inward, wrapping around Xiao Yan's body; he crossed his arms in front of him.

Ding-ding-ding-ding! Countless ice spikes slammed down like a rainstorm, quickly piercing the eight-wing defense; his battle qi armor on both arms was also pierced, and the ice's chill formed a thick layer of frost over Xiao Yan's body.

Seeing Xiao Yan attempt to endure his Dou Technique with sheer flesh, Hai Bodong raised an eyebrow in surprise.

How reckless! His ice battle qi came from a Heavenly Grade Advanced Technique—once the cold entered the heart, even immortals couldn't save you—and yet he was using his body to block it?!

"Ha!" Xiao Yan shuddered; a roar of ten thousand beasts echoed from within him, shaking off every speck of frost. The Burn Decree surged at top speed; Xiao Yan switched flames—Void Swallowing Flame spun inside him, and every invading cold force became its meal.

Moreover, his body, enhanced by Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame, had already become the physique of a beast—Hai Bodong's spiral ice spikes had merely pierced his battle qi armor, failing to pierce Xiao Yan's arms!

Boom! Xiao Yan charged again, drawing his right fist back like a bow, muscles bulging violently, and smashed it straight into the ice mirror.

"Eight Extremes Collapse—Ten Thousand Beasts Collapse Fist!"

Bang! The ice mirror shattered on impact; Xiao Yan's punch, like ten thousand beasts charging, instantly shattered the solid ice mirror and drove straight through, slamming toward Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong stared at the fist that had shattered his ice mirror—his scalp prickled! What kind of human monster is this?!

Has the world changed during my seclusion? Or have I grown too rusty from lack of battle?!

Hai Bodong formed a seal with both hands, as if the former Ice Emperor had returned—his aura radiated unwavering determination. He chose not to dodge, but countered with a palm strike.

"Ice Void Palm!"

Fist met palm; instantly, two opposing energies collided, a terrifying shockwave sweeping through the entire shop—wooden shelves, bookcases, chairs and tables were flung into the air; the map scattered everywhere.

"Ice Explosion!"

"Hidden Force—Explode!"

Boom-boom! The Eight Extremes Collapse unleashed its eighth layer of hidden force; Hai Bodong staggered back eight steps before stabilizing, while Xiao Yan was blasted airborne—he flipped midair and unfurled EagleWings to steady himself.

Xiao Yan's entire right hand back turned deathly pale—even Void Swallowing Flame needed time to consume this freezing power. But Hai Bodong wasn't faring much better—the horror of hidden force lay in internal injury.

In terms of Dou Technique rank, Xiao Yan's Eight Extremes Collapse fused with Ten Thousand Beasts Spiritual Flame held the advantage, but Hai Bodong's cultivation realm was Battle Spirit, so Xiao Yan wasn't unscathed.

Hai Bodong stared at Xiao Yan in midair and said gravely, "Flying Dou Technique—you're truly full of treasures."

Xiao Yan pulled out the Black Heavy Ruler from his storage ring and smiled faintly, "Elder Hai is no less sharp than a blade still unsheathed."

As a Battle Emperor, Hai Bodong still had one Earth-Rank Dou Technique unspent—but he sensed Xiao Yan had his own trump card. More importantly, Hai Bodong realized he likely couldn't hold onto Xiao Yan.

Because Xiao Yan possessed a Spiritual Flame, which severely countered his ice battle qi—normally, the cold qi entering the body would slow battle qi circulation, but Spiritual Flame could purge all internal cold.

"If I'm not mistaken, the flame on you is a Spiritual Flame—otherwise, a Senior Battle Master couldn't so easily dispel my cold."

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(End of Chapter)