The Might of the Exotic Flame

Hearing Lin Yan's words, Qingtan, who had already given up all hope, wore an expression of utter confusion and disbelief on her pretty little face.

Although, because of Lin Xiao, Qingtan had never gotten along particularly well with the younger members of the clan since childhood, and Lin Dong was the only one close to her, she still knew quite a bit about the clan's younger generation.

Aside from Lin Dong, the younger generation of the family was currently led mainly by Lin Xia from First Uncle's branch and Lin Hong from Second Uncle's branch. There were also decent members from the collateral branches, such as Lin Yun and Lin Chen.

As for Lin Yan, Qingtan had heard a little about him, but most of it was negative—his father had died early, and he was frail and sickly. That was why she had not placed any hope in him.

Yet Lin Yan not only did not flee when facing the Scorpion Leopard, but even claimed he would protect her. This changed Qingtan's impression of his previously unreliable image considerably. Though touched, she could not help but worry for him.

Qingtan bit her little silver teeth, her eyes even reddening. Anyone who saw her like that would feel their heart ache for her. No wonder she had attracted the admiration of so many people in Qingyang Town despite her young age.

"Brother Lin Yan, hurry and leave! I appreciate your kindness, but you're no match for this Scorpion Leopard. Go first. Don't try to show off. Qingtan thanks you!"

Hearing Qingtan's words, Lin Yan was touched, but also somewhat irritated. It was good that this little girl was kind-hearted and knew not to drag others down, but was he really so untrustworthy?

With that thought, Lin Yan did not reply. He knew that no amount of words would be as convincing as defeating the Scorpion Leopard before him.

The Scorpion Leopard also noticed Lin Yan's killing intent. A flash of savagery crossed its eyes, and with a low growl, it turned and pounced at Lin Yan with lightning speed.

"Brother Lin Yan, be careful!"

Seeing the Scorpion Leopard move, Qingtan's heart tightened. She immediately shouted a warning to Lin Yan, her bright eyes fixed on him without blinking, filled with worry and self-reproach.

Even before Qingtan warned him, Lin Yan had already noticed the Scorpion Leopard's movement.

His feet shifted, and he appeared behind the Scorpion Leopard. He struck its body hard several times in succession with his palms. The fierce force sent the beast tumbling away, but judging by its appearance, it had clearly suffered no real injury.

"What tough hide..."

Seeing this, Lin Yan's scalp tingled. He realized he had underestimated this creature.

Roar!

The Scorpion Leopard sprang up after being knocked down, its thick, rough paw stomping viciously toward Lin Yan's chest.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Feeling the foul wind rushing toward him, Lin Yan did not dare be careless. The Stone Crushing Fist erupted instantly, and he drove a punch into the leopard's paw.

The Stone Crushing Fist was the lowest First-Grade lower-tier martial skill. It was one of the few useful relics left behind by his deceased father. Since the former Lin Yan had possessed only the Body Tempering First Level, it had been of little use. Only now did it truly shine!

Martial arts in the world were divided into nine grades and three tiers. Grades one through three were lower-tier, followed by middle-tier, while grades seven through nine were upper-tier.

Although martial skills were graded, what mattered most was the user. In the hands of a true expert, even an ordinary First-Grade martial skill could possess astonishing destructive power. The stronger the practitioner, the greater the power of the martial skill they wielded.

Boom!

Fist and paw collided. Both the large and small figures were sent flying backward. After crashing through a tree, Lin Yan landed awkwardly on the ground. When he wiped his mouth, blood was already seeping from the corner of his lips.

"Worthy of a Scorpion Leopard. An ordinary Body Tempering Third Level cultivator might truly be unable to do anything to you, but unfortunately, you ran into me."

Lin Yan lowered his gaze and wiped the blood from his lips. Killing intent unconsciously poured from his body. The slaughter of the past few days had completely acclimated him to this world of killing.

A man should kill. Kill without mercy. Killing one was a crime; slaughtering ten thousand made one a hero. Slaughter nine million, and one became a hero among heroes!

Seeing Lin Yan's murderous appearance, Qingtan was struck by surprise, confusion, and worry one after another.

She had no idea when Lin Yan had broken through to the Body Tempering Third Level, much less that he could fight a Scorpion Leopard or possess such immense killing intent. It left her both puzzled and delighted, yet worried about the battle ahead. After all, a Scorpion Leopard was not so easily dealt with. Even someone at the Body Tempering Fourth Layer would suffer when encountering one.

At this moment, Lin Yan, who was battling the Scorpion Leopard, had no mood to concern himself with Qingtan's shifting emotions. Instead, he was drawing upon the power of the strange flame within his body.

The strength of the Scorpion Leopard before him had exceeded his expectations. It was far stronger than most ordinary wild beasts, but that was perfect. Lin Yan wanted to test the power of the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire.

Within his bone marrow, a strange scorching energy slowly flowed. An indescribable sense of power spread out from his marrow, eventually filling every part of his body.

"Is this the power of a strange flame?"

Wild delight surged into Lin Yan's eyes. At that instant, the entire world seemed to become much brighter. He could even sense an element of fire energy flowing through the air around him, extremely similar to the scorching sensation born within his marrow.

"The power of the strange flame..."

Feeling the immense fire energy contained within his body, Lin Yan opened his left hand.

Blood-red flames surged from his palm. Though they were only a small flickering flame, their searing temperature warped the surrounding space slightly, making it seem distorted and unreal.

His left hand tightened slightly as the scorching crimson flames quietly churned, releasing a fierce energy, as though they contained the might of ten thousand beasts.

Not far from Lin Yan, Qingtan also noticed the red flames dancing on his hand and was shocked once more.

In this short span of time, Lin Yan had given her far too many surprises and shocks. Especially the strange flame in his hand—for some reason, perhaps because she had long been tormented by the Yin Fiend Energy within her body, Qingtan did not find it frightening at all. Instead, she felt an even stronger urge to draw close to it.

Roar!

While Qingtan was still stunned, the scorpion tiger in the distance fixed its scarlet eyes on Lin Yan. This time, it sensed an aura from his body that filled it with fear—the aura emitted by the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire, which possessed the power to suppress all wild beasts!

This beast was clearly not so stupid. When Lin Yan summoned the Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire, it instinctively sensed a threat to its life. After letting out a low growl, it stomped its paws and shot toward the depths of the forest like an arrow loosed from a bow, intending to flee outright.

Feeling the foul wind stirred up by the fleeing Scorpion Leopard, Lin Yan raised his head, only to discover that the Scorpion Leopard, which had seemed so ferocious to him before, now looked as if its spine had been shattered, fleeing desperately into the distance.

"It seems you're not such a stupid Scorpion Leopard after all. But if you want to run now, it's already too late!"

Lin Yan's eyes grew brighter. He lightly shifted one step sideways, perfectly blocking the Scorpion Leopard's escape route. Then he raised his right palm slightly. A scorching flash of light glinted across it, and his palm chopped heavily down toward the Scorpion Leopard's head!

"It's over..." His delicate, handsome face remained expressionless as he gazed at the terrified Scorpion Leopard. His hand slowly rose, a crimson flame flickering gently above it. In the next instant, the flames wrapped around Lin Yan's right fist, as though his hand had caught fire.

Stone Crushing Fire Fist!

The violent, scorching fire fist combined with the First-Grade martial skill, Stone Crushing Fist, unleashed several times its usual power. Yet upon sensing the pressure of ten thousand beasts from the strange flame, the Scorpion Leopard did not even know how to resist.

Although Lin Yan did not have the Stone Talisman to help him refine and upgrade his martial arts, he had his own advantage: the strange flame.

When combined with a martial art, the Stone Crushing Fist, originally a First Grade Martial Art, had become the Stone Crushing Fire Fist. It was now no weaker than some Second Grade Martial Arts—perhaps even stronger!

Squelch!

A dull sound rang out as scorching blood sprayed through the air. Lin Yan's fist actually pierced straight through the Scorpion Leopard's tough hide, punching clean through its throat!

The Scorpion Leopard's body stiffened, then crashed heavily to the ground. Blood rapidly spread out, staining a wide stretch of earth crimson.

"The power of a strange flame... is so strong..."

Looking at the Scorpion Leopard, killed in a single strike, Lin Yan could not help drawing in a sharp breath. Was this the might of a strange flame? And this was only the Ember Body. If it grew into a strange flame at its peak, its power would be even more terrifying. Moreover, this was only the low-ranked Ten Thousand Beast Spirit Fire. If he could fully cultivate the Void Devouring Flame and the Pure Lotus Demonic Fire, which ranked at the very top, then perhaps he would be able to stand at the peak of Tianxuan Continent.

While Lin Yan was marveling at the future, Qingtan witnessed this unbelievable scene from the side. Disbelief immediately appeared on her pretty, adorable face. Then, as she looked at Lin Yan's refined and handsome features, her cheeks flushed faintly red, and she murmured softly:

"Cousin Lin Yan... you're so strong..."