Huo Jin

As soon as she finished speaking, the Light Sword in her hand, carrying a holy aura, slashed fiercely at the man in black like lightning.

Wherever it passed, the poisonous mist that had been spreading wildly vanished without a trace. Even the phantoms of the four Evil Scaled Poisonous Snakes were shaken by this overwhelming force until they wavered on the verge of collapse.

Seeing this, Jia Youcai immediately drove the Domain of Extreme Night with all his strength, pouring his power into it without reservation.

He understood that all he needed to do now was provide support. The man had already been severely wounded under the combined assault of the two domains. Leaving him to Qian Renxue, who completely countered him, would be more than enough.

"External Soul Bone, Sky-Rending Wings, unfold!" Jia Youcai shouted in a low voice. The light behind him suddenly blazed, and a pair of enormous black wings burst from his back. The instant the Sky-Rending Wings appeared, they whipped up a violent gale, churning the surrounding air into restless turbulence.

With the aid of the Sky-Rending Wings, Jia Youcai further strengthened the dark power of the Domain of Extreme Night, abruptly raising its all-attribute weakening effect from ten percent to twenty percent.

The Angel Domain could make Qian Renxue's form indistinct. Not only did it increase her strength by as much as thirty percent, but it also contained holy energy with an innate purifying and dissolving effect, continuously eroding the enemy's Soul Power.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more advantageous it became for Qian Renxue.

Qian Renxue swung her Light Sword, sending a holy Sword Qi sweeping out and instantly dispersing most of the black energy waves. Yet several slipped through, grazing the hem of her clothes and leaving black marks upon her snow-white robes.

During the fierce exchange that followed, Qian Renxue let her guard down for an instant. The man in black suddenly flung out both hands, and several black chains shot from his sleeves, wrapping around the glowing Light Sword in her hand with lightning speed.

Qian Renxue's heart jolted. She instinctively tried to tighten her grip on the Light Sword, but the chains possessed immense strength and forcibly tore it from her hand.

The moment the Light Sword fell into the man in black's grasp, it was corroded by dark power, its formerly holy brilliance dimming away.

Qian Renxue's gaze sharpened. Without the slightest hesitation, she unleashed her First Spirit Skill, Angel Assault. Light flared brilliantly from her body as holy energy surged like a raging tide, all of it gathering around her tightly clenched right fist.

She shot forward like lightning, transforming into a dazzling streak of light as she charged at the man in black and smashed her fist fiercely toward his face.

The man in black had not expected Qian Renxue to react so swiftly. It was already too late to dodge, and he could only barely raise an arm to block.

"Bang!" A deafening crash rang out as Qian Renxue's fist struck his arm heavily. The tremendous force blasted him several meters backward.

"How... how could this be? How could I be forced back by this kind of power?" The man in black stared at his arm in shock.

Yet what baffled him even more was that the Crimson Nether Pearl in his hand had vanished without a trace. When he turned his head and saw it, his face changed drastically. "How did it end up in that brat's hands?!"

Jia Youcai toyed with the Crimson Nether Pearl in his hand. In his eyes, it resembled a container overflowing with dense Dark Energy.

His fingers lightly brushed across the Crimson Nether Pearl's surface as he sensed the Dark Energy surging within it, along with a faint, barely perceptible strange fluctuation.

Jia Youcai could not help but feel puzzled. Why would something filled with Dark Energy like this be kept within Blazing Academy?

The man in black steadied himself, his expression dark. He had never expected that brat to seize the Crimson Nether Pearl while he was distracted.

"Brat, hand over the Crimson Nether Pearl, and I may consider leaving you an intact corpse!" the man in black shouted through gritted teeth.

Jia Youcai gave him a contemptuous glance. "With how pathetic you look right now?"

Jia Youcai waved a hand. "If you tuck your tail between your legs and run for your life now, it might still not be too late. Once more people come to capture you, you won't be able to run away."

Hearing this, the man in black laughed in rage. Dark Energy surged madly around him. "None of you will leave here alive today!"

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll give it back to you," Jia Youcai said with a smile. At the same time, he exchanged a look with Qian Renxue. In perfect tacit understanding, the two withdrew their martial souls and dispelled the two domain barriers.

"At least you know what's good for you." The man in black snorted coldly.

The moment he finished speaking, a blazing firelight carrying world-destroying force came hurtling toward them.

The man in black's face changed abruptly. Just as he was about to react, the firelight had already arrived and exploded not far from him. The powerful impact sent him stumbling back several steps.

As the firelight faded, a man dressed in a crimson robe appeared before them. Roaring flames coiled around his body. He was Huo Jin, the headmaster of Blazing Academy and Huo Wu's father.

Huo Jin's gaze was piercing as he swept his eyes across the battlefield before finally settling on the man in black. His voice was low and imposing. "Hmph. Causing trouble at my Blazing Academy and even trying to steal the Crimson Nether Pearl—what do you take this place for?"

The man in black inwardly cursed. He knew Huo Jin's strength was unfathomable. In his current condition, he was no match for him at all.

"Huo Jin, the Crimson Nether Pearl was originally ours. I merely came to reclaim it," the man in black said, putting on a calm front as he tried to argue.

Huo Jin sneered. "Yours? The Crimson Nether Pearl is incomparably sinister. Once it falls into the hands of someone with ill intentions, it will surely bring disaster upon the world. Blazing Academy kept it only to prevent it from harming others. Yet today, you dared to come and seize it, even injuring and killing members of my academy. I will take your life!"

Seeing this, the Dark Energy around the man in black instantly surged, forming an enormous black vortex. Bloodcurdling howls continuously echoed from within it.

Huo Jin raised both hands, and flames condensed in his palms into two massive swords burning with raging fire. With a shout, he flashed forward and charged at the man in black. His greatswords swept out, bringing with them a scorching wave of flames that slashed fiercely into the black vortex.

"Boom!" A heaven-shaking explosion rang out as flames and Dark Energy collided violently, creating a massive shockwave that split the surrounding ground with cracks.

Jia Youcai and Qian Renxue hurriedly retreated to avoid being caught in that overwhelming force.

Under Huo Jin's fierce offensive, the black vortex was gradually suppressed and shrank continuously. The man in black's face was as pale as paper. He exhausted all his strength to maintain the vortex, but he was clearly reaching his limit.

At that moment, the other teachers and students of Blazing Academy also rushed to the scene. Seeing the situation before them, they immediately understood what had happened and hurriedly surrounded the man in black.

"Headmaster, let us help!" a teacher shouted.

Huo Jin shook his head. "Stand back. Leave this man to me."

With that, he intensified his assault once more, swinging his flaming greatswords toward the man in black.

The man in black could no longer hold on. The black vortex shattered with a crash. He was struck by Huo Jin's flaming greatswords and sent flying several dozen feet before crashing heavily onto the ground. He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the earth red.

Huo Jin slowly walked up to the man in black and looked down at him coldly. "What do you have to say now?"

The man in black struggled to his feet, his eyes filled with venom. "Huo Jin, I may have lost to you today, but do not be so pleased with yourself. Sooner or later, I will return for revenge!"

After saying that, he waved both hands, and black smoke rose like a ghost, obscuring his figure.

Seeing this, Huo Jin moved even faster, dragging the man in black out of the smoke. Blazing flames rapidly crawled over his body, making him bare his teeth in agony and scream again and again.