Fire Burns the Dragon Sparrow

"Young friend has quite the skill—this old woman and her companion were overly worried. Young friend is adept at sound wave techniques, which aligns quite fatefully with our Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow Clan."

The Dragon-Sparrow Clan's elder matriarch put on a seemingly amiable demeanor, but Yan Kuan remained on high alert. Regardless of their intentions, the fact that these two had tailed him was indisputable, making them a threat in his eyes.

"Senior flatters me. These trivial tricks are hardly comparable to the Dragon-Sparrow Clan's divine abilities."

Yan Kuan replied courteously, all the while scheming in his mind how to deal with these two old-timers.

The sound wave technique he had just used came from the Flame Emperor's legacy, a sonic combat art. But due to his shallow cultivation, he hadn't truly mastered it and couldn't unleash its full power.

Over the years of his training, Yan Kuan had focused mostly on raising his cultivation level, with little attention to combat methods. He had only developed countermeasures tailored to his innate advantages.

His soul was naturally powerful, and he had specifically trained in soul-refining techniques, making it comparable to a seventh-rank alchemist's. However, his cultivation and physical strength lagged behind, preventing him from manifesting the full materialized spiritual power of a seventh-rank alchemist. He could only rely on sound wave techniques to leverage it.

The group of cultivators he had wiped out earlier fell so easily because his sonic attacks carried a soul-shocking force.

But this trump card would likely struggle against these two old-timers. Their cultivation was higher, and the Dragon-Sparrow Clan itself excelled in such arts. To deal with them, he would need another ace in the hole for a one-hit kill.

"Seniors, since I'm no longer in danger, I won't trouble you to see me off further. I'll take my leave now."

After exchanging pleasantries, Yan Kuan had no interest in dragging things out. He moved to leave, but the two Dragon-Sparrow Clan elders refused to let him go, swiftly closing in and locking onto him with their auras.

"Young friend, why be so wary? We mean no harm."

The spirited old woman spoke with a faint smile. "Since you can produce a Blood Origin Pill, you must be skilled in alchemy. Our Dragon-Sparrow Clan has some resources, but we struggle to utilize things like Vermillion Phoenix Blood. Thus, we seek your aid.

If you're willing to follow us to Jiujiang and serve as our Dragon-Sparrow Clan's Supplicant, all the treasures of the Jiujiang Dragon-Sparrow Branch will be open to you.

That Vermillion Phoenix Blood you saw—I can tell it's of great use to you. If you agree to become our Jiujiang Supplicant, I'll gift it to you. Young friend, think it over carefully."

"I appreciate the senior's kindness, but I'm traveling on my master's orders and must return promptly with the purchased goods to my sect's elders. I'm afraid I must decline."

Yan Kuan flatly refused the offer to become a Jiujiang Dragon-Sparrow Clan Supplicant. Perhaps these two truly bore him no ill will and only wanted an alchemist, but at this stage, he had no desire to get too close to such major powers.

Even if he were to choose a faction to ally with, the Dragon-Sparrow Clan, as a branch of the demonic god lineage, wouldn't be his first pick.

The Dragon-Sparrow Clan matriarch spoke again. "Young friend, though I've handled few pills, I can tell your alchemy technique is still somewhat raw. If I'm not mistaken, you likely have no master or sect elders guiding you!"

"What? If I refuse to go to the Dragon-Sparrow Clan, are you two seniors planning to force me? I have matters to attend to today, so I won't linger. Farewell."

Yan Kuan's tone turned icy. He had no patience for further entanglement. With that, he turned decisively, secretly gathering his divine power while staying alert.

"Little Sparrow, personally invite this young friend to our Dragon-Sparrow Clan. And remember, be courteous."

The Dragon-Sparrow Clan matriarch spoke flatly. The old man supporting her flew forward, his Dao Palace realm aura locking onto Yan Kuan, while two figures emerged from his body.

"Dao Palace Divinities!"

Yan Kuan's peripheral vision caught the two figures identical to the old man. It was said that cultivators in the Dao Palace Secret Realm could cultivate five divinities, each with mysterious abilities, leading to strange phenomena upon mastery.

The old man releasing two divinities meant his cultivation had reached at least the Second Heaven of Dao Palace, a full major realm above Yan Kuan—an overwhelming advantage.

"Young friend excels at sound wave techniques, but our Dragon-Sparrow Clan are the true masters of this domain. I advise you not to resist—it'll save you some pain."

As the old man's divinities closed in, his voice echoed from behind Yan Kuan.

Knowing his unmastered sound wave combat art would be useless against this elder, Yan Kuan turned, and blazing light shot from his eyes.

"Child's play... What is this—"

The old man behind him faced the surging flames without panic, confidently spreading five fingers like dragon claws, unleashing a burst of radiant, strange power to part the fire. But his bravado soon died.

A thread of golden-red flame pierced through his body, surging straight toward the matriarch. At the same time, a Bagua Diagram's phantom covered the entire canyon, freezing both of them in place with invisible force.

"A great power's secret treasure? Impossible!"

The Dragon-Sparrow Clan matriarch felt the power from the Bagua Diagram phantom, shock and fury surging within her. She herself possessed a Second Heaven of Immortal Platform sect master-level artifact and understood its might. With no other thought, she channeled her divine power to break free.

But Yan Kuan had struck first. Speed bred speed. A sea of fire engulfed the matriarch, the Solar Fire Essence incinerating her and the old man's upper bodies in an instant, leaving only their mangled lower halves writhing.

Cultivators above the Dao Palace Realm had achieved a form of 'immortal body'—even decapitation or bodily destruction wouldn't kill them as long as their divinities survived. In the Shrouding the Heavens universe, top-tier battles were even more terrifying, with blood and bones replaced multiple times.

Yan Kuan had no intention of holding back. Empyrean Flame swept out, refining both bodies and their divinities into nothing, severing their last threads of life.

"Tink..."

A crisp sound rang out in the sea of fire. Pale-faced, Yan Kuan barely suppressed that thread of Solar Trueflame back into his body.

This Solar Trueflame was no weaker than the terrifying flame Ye Fan had used to burn the Ji Family's Supreme One in the original story. If not handled specially, the consequences would be catastrophic.

"Good thing I held back, or none of the treasures in their Wheel Seas would've survived."

Yan Kuan reached out, and several beams of spiritual light flew from the two charred corpses, including the jade bottle containing the Vermillion Phoenix Blood. He casually took it, then sent out Empyrean Flame to destroy the evidence. A moment later, his expression shifted slightly.