"You have impressive skills, young friend. It seems the two of us worried too much. You are skilled in soundwave divine arts, which means you have quite an affinity with our Great Xia Dragon-Sparrow Clan."
The old woman of the Dragon Finch Clan, who was involved in their succession struggle, appeared to have a pleasant temperament, but Yan Kuan did not relax his guard in the slightest. Whatever intentions these two held, the fact that they had followed him was beyond dispute. In the end, they posed a threat to him.
"You flatter me, Senior. These are merely insignificant tricks. How could they compare to the divine arts of the Dragon-Sparrow?"
Yan Kuan gave a polite reply, already considering how he should deal with these two old fellows.
The soundwave technique he had used earlier came from the sonic combat skills within the Flame Emperor's Legacy. However, his cultivation was still shallow, and he had yet to truly master it, so it could not display much power.
Over the years, Yan Kuan had devoted most of his time to improving his cultivation. He had not delved deeply into methods of fighting enemies, only specifically cultivating countermeasures suited to his innate advantages.
His soul had been innately powerful, and he had also deliberately cultivated soul-refining techniques. His soul was no weaker than that of a Seventh Grade alchemist. However, his cultivation and physical strength could not keep up, preventing him from displaying the formidable might of a Seventh Grade alchemist's materialized spiritual power. He could only make use of sonic combat skills.
The reason that group of cultivators had been so easily wiped out by Yan Kuan earlier was because his soundwave attacks contained methods that struck at the Divine Soul.
Yet this trump card would likely find it difficult to work against the two old fellows before him. Their cultivation was higher, and the Dragon-Sparrow Clan itself excelled in such divine arts. To deal with them, he would need to use another trump card and kill them in a single blow.
"Now that I am out of danger, Seniors, there is no need for you to see me off any farther. Farewell."
After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Yan Kuan had no interest in continuing the entanglement. As he spoke, he prepared to leave, but the two elders of the Dragon-Sparrow Clan were unwilling to let him go. They swiftly stepped forward, their auras faintly locking onto him.
"Why must you be so wary, young friend? We bear no ill intent."
The energetic old woman smiled faintly. "Since you were able to produce a Blood Origin Pill, you must be proficient in alchemy. Our Dragon Finch Clan has some foundation, after all. Take the Vermillion Phoenix Blood, for example—we find it difficult to make use of it ourselves, so we wish to ask for your assistance.
"If you are willing to accompany us to Jiujiang and serve as a supplicant for our Dragon-Sparrow Clan, every treasure held by the Jiujiang Dragon-Sparrow Branch will be open to you.
"I could sense that the Vermillion Phoenix Blood from earlier is quite useful to you. If you are willing to become a Jiujiang Supplicant, I will give it to you. Young friend, consider it carefully."
"I appreciate your kindness, Senior, but I set out on my master's orders. I must return as soon as possible and hand over the goods I purchased to the elders of my sect. I can only disappoint you, Senior."
Yan Kuan decisively refused the proposal to become a supplicant of the Jiujiang Dragon-Sparrow Clan. Perhaps these two did not harbor much malice toward him and merely wanted an alchemy supplicant, but Yan Kuan was unwilling to become too closely involved with such major powers at this stage.
Besides, even if he chose to join or cooperate with a faction, a power like the Dragon-Sparrow Clan, which belonged to the demon-god lineage, would not be his first choice.
The old woman of the Dragon-Sparrow Clan spoke again. "Young friend, although I have not encountered many pills, I can still tell that your alchemy methods are somewhat immature. If my guess is correct, you do not have any elders of a sect behind you, do you?"
"What? Because I am unwilling to go to the Dragon-Sparrow Clan, do you two Seniors intend to force an invitation upon me? I have matters to attend to today, so I will not speak further with you. Farewell."
Yan Kuan's voice suddenly turned cold. He had no intention of continuing this entanglement. After saying this, he decisively turned around, while secretly gathering divine power and remaining vigilant.
"Little Sparrow, personally invite this young friend to our Dragon-Sparrow Clan. Remember, be polite."
The old woman of the Dragon-Sparrow Clan spoke calmly. The old man supporting her flew directly forward, his powerful Dao Palace Realm aura locking onto Yan Kuan. At the same time, two figures flew out from his body.
"Dao Palace Divinities!"
From the corner of his eye, Yan Kuan naturally noticed the two figures identical to the old man. It was said that cultivators of the Dao Palace Secret Realm could cultivate five Deities, each possessing all manner of unfathomable abilities. Once their cultivation reached a certain level, strange phenomena would occur.
The fact that two Deities had flown from this old man's body proved that his cultivation had at least reached the Second Heaven of the Dao Palace Realm, an entire major realm above Yan Kuan. He absolutely possessed an overwhelming advantage.
"Young friend, you are proficient in soundwave divine arts, but our Dragon-Sparrow Clan are the true experts in this field. I advise you not to struggle. That way, you will suffer less."
As the old man's Deities rapidly closed in on Yan Kuan, his voice came from behind him.
Yan Kuan knew that his unfinished sonic combat skill would likely be ineffective against this old man. The instant he turned around, blazing firelight shot from his eyes.
"Petty tricks... What is this..."
The old man behind Yan Kuan did not panic when faced with the surging flames. Brimming with confidence, he spread his five fingers like a dragon claw and thrust them forward. Brilliant light burst forth, releasing an extraordinary force that tore through the fire—yet he soon lost the chance to continue his bravado.
A wisp of golden-red flame instantly pierced through his body and surged straight toward the old woman. At the same time, a phantom image of a Bagua Diagram covered the entire gorge, and their bodies were immediately frozen in place by an invisible force.
"A Great Ability's Secret Treasure? How is that possible?"
Feeling the force emanating from the phantom image of the Bagua Diagram, the old woman of the Dragon-Sparrow Clan was both shocked and enraged. She herself possessed an artifact at the Second Heaven of Immortal Platform, a sect leader-level item, so she naturally understood the power of a treasure of this rank. How could she spare a thought for anything else now? She immediately circulated her divine power, intending to erupt with full force.
However, Yan Kuan struck first. One step ahead meant every step ahead. The sea of fire instantly swallowed the old woman, and the power of the Solar Fire Essence immediately burned away the upper halves of her and the old man's bodies, leaving only their mutilated lower bodies struggling.
Experts above the Dao Palace Realm had already cultivated a degree of an undying body. Even if they were beheaded or their bodies destroyed, as long as their Deities remained intact, they still retained a chance at life. The battles between the most powerful experts in the Shrouding the Heavens universe were even more terrifying; their blood and bones would be replaced several times over in a single battle.
Yan Kuan had developed killing intent, so naturally he would not hold back. Empyrean Flame swept out, completely refining their bodies and several Deities, extinguishing their final traces of life.
"Clink..."
The crisp sound seemed especially abrupt within the sea of fire. With his face deathly pale, Yan Kuan barely managed to suppress that wisp of Solar Trueflame back into his body.
This Solar Trueflame was no weaker than the terrifying fire Ye Fan had used to burn the Ji Family's Supreme One in the original work. If it was not dealt with properly, the consequences would certainly be exceedingly horrific.
"Good thing I held back. Otherwise, not a single treasure in the Wheel Seas of these two would have remained."
Yan Kuan reached out, and in the next instant several clusters of Spiritual Light flew from the two charred Mutilated Corpses. Among them was the Jade Vial containing the Vermillion Phoenix Blood. Yan Kuan casually caught the vial, and Empyrean Flame flew out to destroy the corpses and erase all traces. A moment later, his expression changed slightly again.
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