Chapter 96

"Hehe, you think you can take me down? You're overestimating yourself!" Lu Fan shook his head, then laughed toward a corner: "Miss Wang, now's the time to make good on your promise, isn't it?"

Everyone was stunned, somewhat bewildered. Lei Di also wore a strange expression, his body involuntarily pausing.

Yet at that corner, the clear wind swirled, and two figures emerged. One was a beautiful woman with hairpins and light makeup, dressed in a green robe. The other was Wang Wu, with delicate eyebrows, snow-white skin, a slender figure, and an exquisite bearing taken to the extreme.

Wang Wu gave Lu Fan a slightly solemn glance, then softly said to the beautiful woman beside her: "Qing Yi, please take action!"

Qing Yi looked at Wang Wu with indulgence, said nothing more, and floated up. Her speed was unbelievably fast, like a gust of clear wind, arriving before Lu Fan in an instant; she slowly swung a palm, slapping it toward Lei Di who came forward.

In an instant, the wild wind swirled, howling as it wrapped, strands of wind condensing into blades, crackling and lashing out.

Each wind blade's power was negligible, but their number was overwhelming, continuously condensing, seeming endless, like an ocean of wind blades.

Lei Di's face changed drastically, shocked: "Wind Wave Technique! You're from the Two Lives Sect?"

He had just spoken when the boundless sea of wind blades surged forward; left with no choice, he could only raise his palm to block. Upon contact, he was further shocked: the opponent's cultivation was not inferior to his in the slightest—also a Qi Condensing realm Martial Venerable.

Qing Yi said nothing, her delicate soft palms turning and opening. Within the wind blade sea, a mysterious change instantly occurred, shocking waves enveloping Lei Di's entire body.

Lei Di had no choice but to draw the Yin Sha Dark Hammer; however, this thing relies on imposing force, and against the formless wind wave, its effect was truly poor.

Everyone witnessed this scene and couldn't help but sigh slightly. It seemed Lu Fan had prepared in advance, with experts hidden in the dark protecting him; no wonder he was so at ease—everything was under his control.

As for Zhang Heng, Zhan Xiao, and even the talented young Wang Wu, their eyes flickered, staring at Lu Fan with complex feelings—admiration mixed with apprehension, plus other unspoken emotions.

"Friend, I am Elder Lei Di of the Yin Sha Sect!" Seeing that the opponent's technique countered his own, Lei Di immediately announced his identity and proposed: "The Yin Sha Sect and your Two Lives Sect have no grudges; why not call it quits here?"

Qing Yi remained expressionless, not even blinking, and simply waved her palm, amplifying the power of the wind blade waves.

"You want to call it quits now? What were you doing earlier?" Lu Fan laughed heartily, gently set down Chen Dongming, floated up, and actually dove into the wind blade waves.

Lei Di's face froze, then he sneered contemptuously: "Hmph, when two Martial Venerables clash, there's no room for your arrogance—you're seeking death!"

Qing Yi's expression also changed; although her Wind Wave Technique was formidable, it was indeed a large-scale attack martial skill—if Lu Fan entered, she couldn't protect him.

Moreover, even if she could shift the attack's core, what could a mere Martial Practitioner possibly do?

"Qing Yi, don't hurt him!"

Wang Wu also grew anxious; Lu Fan was the key figure of today's Dao Transmission Assembly, and also her "fellow sect member." If something happened to him, that "master" might never be seen again, and her years of hope would come to nothing.

But her words came a beat too late—Lu Fan had already plunged into the wind blade ocean, standing suspended in midair.

"Good timing! I'll send you to the West first, then meet this expert of the Two Lives Sect!"

Lei Di was overjoyed; Lu Fan, whom he had exhausted his strength trying to subdue all day, had actually delivered himself to him. If he didn't act now, missing the opportunity would make him a laughingstock.

He waved a big hand, transforming it into a giant palm shadow, lunging to grasp and strike Lu Fan.

"Hehe! You can barely defend yourself, yet you still want to deal with me—how foolish!" Lu Fan gave a light smile, flicked his sleeve, and the Art Refining Crystal Furnace whirled out: "Since you seek death, I'll grant you a passage!"

"Wind and Fire Dual Aspects, condense for me!"

The Art Refining Crystal Furnace spun sideways, spewing countless tongues of fire; the surrounding wind blades surged, and upon contact they instantly exploded, turning into terrifying fire waves that pierced through the palm shadow Lei Di had unleashed.

"This, this talisman fire—how can it be so powerful?"

Lei Di turned pale with shock, instinctively sensing danger from the fire waves, making his heart pound and his whole body uneasy.

Lu Fan didn't waste words on him, gesturing a few seals, the Art Refining Crystal Furnace surged horizontally, igniting the surrounding wind blades.

"Poof poof!"

Almost in an instant, the entire void turned into a sea of fire; it seemed all the wind blades' might was absorbed by the flames, fully under Lu Fan's control.

Even Qing Yi was shocked and speechless; her Wind Wave Technique had lost its connection to her, no longer under her control.

"Roar!"

Within the boundless fire waves, a ferocious beast shadow slowly emerged.

The fire waves surged, continuously swallowing the lingering wind blade force within the sea of fire, turning the entire Wind Wave Technique into raging flames; the void resembled an ancient fire domain. The Flame Sha Fire Gang scorched and surged, the beast shadow grew clearer, a bloody giant eye slowly opening.

"What, what is this thing? Could it be Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire?"

Lei Di's face was shocked; he faintly felt the oppressive fear emanating from the ferocious beast shadow. Though it was merely a mystic artifact talisman fire, it gave him the impression of being full of spirituality, with sound mind and intellect.

"Impossible!" He shook his head vehemently, looking utterly disbelieving, and exclaimed: "This must be another illusion—don't try to fool me. Heaven and Earth Spirit Fire has boundless might; how could a lowly talisman master like you control it?"

Earlier, Lu Fan's methods had also seemed half-illusion; this scene before us must likewise be such, otherwise he couldn't think of any other explanation.

Lu Fan, however, had not spoken at all; his mind wasn't even on Lei Di, but he stared solemnly at the beast shadow, his eyes flickering, somewhat unfathomable.

"I clearly suppressed and sealed this wild beast phantom back then; without my mobilization, how did it emerge on its own? It seems somewhat dull, as if its consciousness hasn't awakened."

He muttered to himself, eyes fixed warily on the beast shadow. This thing is a Heaven and Earth Wild Beast; given enough time, it could even destroy heaven and earth, devour a world—no room for carelessness.

Lei Di noticed Lu Fan's attention wasn't on him, felt the opportunity couldn't be lost, and wielded the Yin Sha Dark Hammer, trampling the fire waves as he lunged to kill.

"Kid, you dare to lose focus while fighting me? Since you seek death, I'll grant it!"

Lei Di had already shed his earlier contempt and carelessness, now focusing his full spirit, treating Lu Fan as an evenly matched opponent.

The Flame Sha Fire Gang surged, needing no prompting from Lu Fan, it instantly rushed toward Lei Di to engulf him, aiming to block his advance.

"Boom boom!"

The Yin Sha Dark Hammer struck repeatedly, thunder rolling, surging fire waves and blazing torrents mixing together, suddenly transforming into thunderfire. A formidable pressure arose, as if heaven and earth's thunderfire would annihilate the world; the surrounding fire waves instantly surged outward, leaving nothing before Lu Fan to block.

"Not good! Lu Fan is in danger, Qing Yi, act quickly!"

Wang Wu saw this, her face turned pale with fright, her delicate cheeks ashen. That was a Qi Condensing realm Martial Venerable, whose strength far exceeded Lu Fan's. Although his previous astonishing feats relied on external aid, now facing him head-on, there was hardly any chance—he might not even withstand a single move.

Qing Yi surely knew this situation; she didn't even need Wang Wu's reminder, she already understood how perilous Lu Fan's position was. Only her Wind Wave Technique had gone out of control, the wind and wave force already turned into a sea of fire, no longer related to her—she was powerless to intervene.

"Wu'er, sorry! Qing Yi can't do anything either; Lu Fan is probably..."

She shook her head helplessly; since Lei Di was going all out at such close range, she simply couldn't help.

As soon as she spoke those words, Wang Wu's face turned deathly pale. Three days prior, she had promised Lu Fan to safeguard the Dao Transmission Assembly, and thus earned the right to become a disciple of that senior.

If Lu Fan died at this moment, that senior would surely be angry; all her hopes would be dashed, thereafter she could only obey family arrangements, letting fate drive her.

Upon hearing this, Zu Qing Tan and the others were even more horrified. Even a Martial Venerable powerhouse said he was helpless—didn't that mean Lu Fan was as good as dead?

They all thought that way, yet involuntarily shook their heads, not knowing where the confidence came from, but gazing hopefully at Lu Fan amid the fire sea, dismissing Qing Yi's words.

At this moment, Lu Fan's gaze was calm. Feeling the surging pressure of the Martial Venerable and the thunderfire killing force, he finally shifted his focus, directing his attention toward Lei Di coming straight at him.

He gave a faint smile and said lightly, "With your Martial Venerable might, killing me, a mere Martial Master Talisman Master, is effortless. But right now you can't; you still have to get past her first."

He slowly extended a finger, lightly tapping the void, yet it landed on Qing Yi's body.

The crowd below was dumbfounded, utterly bewildered. Qing Yi clearly said she was powerless, and his situation looked dire. Yet at this life-and-death juncture, how could Lu Fan still be relying on the opponent as his support?

If it weren't for the opponent's astonishing performance earlier, most of the crowd below would have erupted in curses, lamenting that the opponent was a foolish idiot who couldn't see the situation.

"Hmph! Nonsensical babble, this Venerable One will now let you see the situation clearly!"

Lei Di let out a cold snort, his face full of mockery. At this distance, the beauty called Qing Yi hardly had a chance to strike. Lu Fan must die today, otherwise his hatred would be hard to appease.

"Sinister Nether Thunder, blast!"

He gripped the golden thunder hammer with both hands, having already arrived before Lu Fan, and smashed it down with a boom.

An unimaginable pressure suddenly descended, suppressing the void, with a booming thunder that split the void; countless lightning bolts burst from that thunder hammer, swirling to engulf Lu Fan's surroundings.

The crowd below was tense to the extreme.

"He who does not listen to elders suffers loss right before his eyes!" Lu Fan shook his head, sighing with an old‑man air; though he was clearly just a youth, his words were eerily mature. Yet in such peril, no one noticed this oddity—everyone stared fixedly at him, hoping to discern his counter‑tactics.

He merely lifted his hand slightly, and void fire waves surged up all around, accompanied by faint beast roars. He stood tall and proud, surrounded by blazing killing flame gale that devoured and scorched; his whole being seemed like the descent of an ancient fire god, peerless in bearing and effortlessly at ease.

He stood tall and proud, surrounded by killing fire flame aura, devouring and scorching. His whole person seemed like an ancient fire god descending to the world, bearing peerless, manner carefree and composed.