Chapter 365: The Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion Emerges

"How did you all appear here?"

A shout that shook the heavens and earth echoed in the air for a long time, the lingering sound refusing to dissipate.

Hun Tiandi stared blankly at the familiar figure a hundred feet in front of him, his complexion shifting between pale and flushed. Behind him, although Xuwu Swallowing Flame's expression remained normal, the black flames in his pupils jumped violently, signaling that his inner state was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

One must know that from the moment the location of the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion was confirmed, Hun Tiandi had decisively chosen to mobilize his entire nest, bringing all the Soul Clan's power directly into the Black-Corner Region. He had originally intended to use this opportunity to turn the tables in one fell swoop, until...

Seeing the figures of Xiao Han, Gu Yuan, and the others drinking tea at Jia Nan Academy, Hun Tiandi's heart skipped a beat at that moment. He understood that the news of the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion had leaked out at some point, and he feared that today would not pass easily. Otherwise, not to mention that these fellows on the opposite side would not agree, the Soul Clan could not bear the cost of having a thousand years of planning destroyed in one day.

Now, there was only one choice left before the Soul Clan and Hun Tiandi—break through by force!

"Hun Tiandi, let's stick to the old rules; the two of us shall trade a few blows!" Gu Yuan had no intention of engaging in empty pleasantries with Hun Tiandi. Things had reached this point; either the Soul Clan or the allied forces had to die—there was no second option!

"Since that is the case, then that fellow Xuwu Swallowing Flame will be left to me, the junior." Xiao Han clenched his fists, cast his gaze toward Xuwu Swallowing Flame, and looked completely relaxed and at ease.

"Hehe~"

"The Ice Saint is determined to have me this time!"

Xuwu Swallowing Flame laughed gloomily, his calm tone carrying intense anger. Clearly, Xiao Han's manner of not taking him seriously at all had thoroughly enraged him.

If it were a month ago, Xuwu Swallowing Flame might still have feared Xiao Han by three parts, but this bit of fear had completely vanished the moment the former broke through to the Emperor Realm Soul.

Although Xuwu Swallowing Flame's cultivation was currently slightly inferior to Xiao Han's, as the second-ranked Exotic Fire on the Exotic Fire Ranking, Xuwu Swallowing Flame had absolute confidence in his own combat power. Who would emerge the victor remained to be seen!

The only reason he could still endure and not strike now was that Hun Tiandi was still standing there in a daze, having not yet given the order.

Afterward, Hun Tiandi came back to his senses and gave a subtle eye signal to Xuwu Swallowing Flame; the latter was stunned for a moment before nodding.

"Gu Yuan, since you want to determine a winner with me, this Clan Leader will satisfy you this time."

Hun Tiandi struck first. With a wave of his sleeve, a monstrous blood wave appeared behind him; the bloody and ominous aura formed a sharp contrast with his scholarly and gentle appearance.

Facing Hun Tiandi's attack, Gu Yuan could not help but change color, his expression becoming slightly more solemn. With a cold snort, he extended his palm from his sleeve, and incomparably violent Dou Qi gathered in the firmament, and then...

"Go!"

Accompanied by a low shout, a ten-thousand-foot pitch-black giant hand met the blood-colored tide.

"Boom!"

After a brief confrontation, the blood wave swallowed the giant palm, and the tide, already much diluted, swept toward Gu Yuan again. The latter's expression remained unchanged, and he casually shot out a streak of Dou Qi, erasing all the remaining attacks.

However, despite his seemingly effortless response, Gu Yuan was shocked in his heart. He had actually fallen into a disadvantage in the clash just now; when the two sides touched, he faintly felt that the Dou Qi within the giant palm had been silently devoured.

Gu Yuan naturally knew where this brand-new method came from, and he sighed inwardly, "If only the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame were still here."

The power of the Outer Realm Evil Clan had a very obvious suppression effect compared to the Dou Qi of the Dou Qi Continent. To contend with or even suppress this power, apart from top-tier Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques, the best choice should be Heaven and Earth Exotic Items like Exotic Fire, which contained a trace of the origin power of the Dou Qi Continent.

But as luck would have it, the Ancient Clan's inherited Exotic Fire, the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, had already been taken into the Demon Fire Space by Xun'er. Gu Yuan could only swallow this bitter fruit in pain, while simultaneously making up his mind that afterward, he must collect more Exotic Fires and Heaven and Earth Exotic Items; even if their power was slightly inferior, he would not suffer losses in such places.

While Gu Yuan and Hun Tiandi were fighting, the others were not idle. "Attack!"

Xiao Han aimed at his target, raised his hand, and fired dozens of frost arrows containing biting cold Qi toward Xuwu Swallowing Flame, drawing rows of bright white lines in the space along the way.

The latter glanced disdainfully at the arrows that were enough to severely injure a Seven-Star Dou Saint, casually summoned a black flame giant dragon, swallowed the arrows amidst its roar, and continued to pounce toward Xiao Han with undiminished momentum.

"Ice Prison Cage!" Xiao Han gave a slight clench toward the black dragon, and an ice cage condensed from profound ice appeared out of thin air, shrouding the black dragon within. Afterward, the cage, along with the black dragon, shattered into nothingness.

A long spear condensed in his hand, his eyes locked tightly onto the Xuwu Swallowing Flame charging toward him. Feeling the other's fearless momentum, he could not help but feel suspicious in his heart—this person was not a die-hard loyalist of the Soul Clan!

As for the eye contact between Hun Tiandi and Xuwu Swallowing Flame just now, Gu Yuan and Xiao Han naturally saw it, but they did not know the deep meaning behind it. However, having made full preparations, they were likewise not afraid of any schemes or tricks.

"Spear Fixation, Dark Sun!"

Starting with a signature Dou Technique, Xiao Han still placed considerable importance on Xuwu Swallowing Flame. In an instant, he appeared behind Xuwu Swallowing Flame, and the black vortex at the tip of the spear swallowed toward the latter.

"Hmph, to actually compete with this seat in devouring power, how truly overestimating your own capabilities!"

Sensing the familiar power within the black vortex, Xuwu Swallowing Flame said disdainfully. Then, with a thought, countless black vortexes suddenly appeared around his body, constantly merging, devouring, and expanding, squeezing toward Xiao Han.

"Destruction!"

His expression unchanged, his moves changed instantly. The long spear danced, Dou Qi surged wildly, and was crazily poured into the long spear in his hand. With Xiao Han as the center, a vast and incomparable air wave erupted instantly, forcibly shattering the surrounding space, and the vortex likewise came to naught.

"Frost Mirror Image!"

The familiar whisper made Xuwu Swallowing Flame's expression turn cold. Pitch-black flames suddenly wrapped around his entire body, forming a thick layer of armor.

The moment the armor condensed, Xuwu Swallowing Flame felt a great hammer smash fiercely into his back, causing him to stagger on the spot. Just as he was about to adjust his posture, he raised his eyes and saw a point of cold light heading straight for his face.

"Damn it." He cursed inwardly, instantly transforming into countless black flames that separated and scattered, dodging a heavy blow.

"Ugh!"

Xuwu Swallowing Flame reappeared a thousand feet in front of Xiao Han, groaned a few times, and looked at the two white-clothed figures before him with lingering fear. Facts proved that he had still underestimated this person's combat power.

If he hadn't paid a huge price to forcibly etherealize and escape, he would likely be lying down by now.

"Two of them!"

Xuwu Swallowing Flame looked at the figures before him, unable to distinguish the real from the fake, and his heart sank.

In the distance, Xiao Han noticed Xuwu Swallowing Flame take a deep breath and, thinking the former was about to risk his life, slightly raised his spirits. His originally restrained Dou Qi was no longer hidden and erupted unreservedly.

Afterward...

"Still not attacking!"

Xuwu Swallowing Flame's shout was somewhat caught Xiao Han off guard, but the former, upon sensing the intense heart palpitations brought by Xiao Han, felt extremely fortunate that he had not chosen to fight the other to the death.

Hearing Xuwu Swallowing Flame's plea for help, Hun Tiandi, who was having a lively back-and-forth with Gu Yuan, felt slightly dissatisfied. For the first time in many years, he had the upper hand, yet he was being held back by a group of pig-like teammates.

But Hun Tiandi had no other thoughts; the Soul Clan was currently at a disadvantage, so summoning the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion was the practical thing to do.

Thinking this, Hun Tiandi immediately took out the Ancient Jade and sent a summons to the Ancient Emperor Cave Mansion...

"Hahaha, ten thousand years! This Emperor is finally about to be free!"

Under Hun Tiandi's anticipation, someone's wild, unbridled laughter spread across the entire battlefield.