Turning the Tables

Qin Han acknowledged him, and the teasing smile on his face instantly vanished.

With a stomp of his foot, his figure suddenly blurred.

When he reappeared, he was already almost right in front of the Fifth Elder.

He was even faster than before.

The Fifth Elder's pupils contracted sharply. In his haste, Dou Qi surged forth as he tried to erect a defense.

But Qin Han's attacks had already descended like a storm.

This time, there were no flashy transformations of flame—only the most direct and brutal close-quarters assault.

His fists, sheathed in Lava Scale Flame and carrying the berserk power of the Flame Demon Rage Phase, landed heavily on the Fifth Elder with every blow.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Crack!

A dense series of impacts against flesh rang out, followed by bone-cracking sounds that made one's teeth ache.

At last, Qin Han caught the brief stiffness that followed one of his blocks and brought the fingers of his right hand together.

Like lightning, he slipped past the Fifth Elder's blocking arm and drove his palm squarely into the center of his chest.

"Old man, have a taste of real fire poison!"

The Fifth Elder's body abruptly stiffened. His eyes bulged, bloodshot veins filling them.

An indescribable scorching heat erupted directly from his heart and the depths of his soul!

His Dou Qi instantly fell into disorder and spun out of control. It felt as though iron needles had pierced his meridians. His vision darkened in waves, and he could no longer suppress the blood rising in his throat.

"Puh—!"

Blood Mist sprayed out as the Fifth Elder was sent flying backward.

The direction he flew happened to be the edge of the battle between Zi Yan and that Four-Star Dou Wang.

"Zi Yan!"

Qin Han withdrew his hand and called out from where he stood.

Zi Yan had just sent the Burly Dou King stumbling back with a punch. Hearing him, she turned around, and her lively big eyes immediately spotted the Fifth Elder flying toward her while vomiting blood.

A somewhat adorably foolish smile blossomed across her little face, and she giggled twice.

"Another one!"

She cutely knocked her two fists together in front of her chest, producing three crisp Bang Bang Bang sounds.

Then she twisted her waist slightly back, drew her right fist, and blasted it toward the Fifth Elder's chest.

Crack—!!!

Under that punch, he could not even let out a complete scream before crashing viciously into the mountainside like a dead dog, embedding himself deeply within it.

Dust billowed everywhere.

Zi Yan beckoned, and a Storage Ring broke through the dust and flew into her hand.

Then she skipped back to Qin Han's side, tilting up her little face with an expression that clearly said, I'm amazing, right? Hurry up and praise me.

On the other side.

Wu Tianlang also found an opening. He forced Yun Sha back, then swung the Crimson Greatblade into the Five Star Dou Wang.

The blade slashed diagonally down from his neck, the wound cutting all the way to his waist.

Blood spurted out like an arrow!

Beneath the savage wound, his pulsing organs were almost visible.

Wu Tianlang raised his hand slightly, and before the man could fall from the air, his Storage Ring had already flown over.

"Wu Tianlang!!!"

Yun Sha's eyes nearly split apart. His entire body heaved violently from his overwhelming fury.

In just a short while, Earthflame Gate had lost two Dou Wang Strong Experts in succession!

For any force in the Black Corner Region, that would have been an enormous loss.

"Hand over the Storage Rings and reactivate Fire Pavilion's seal. I can let you leave."

Wu Tianlang's tone was calm and indifferent, yet incomparably domineering.

Even Zi Yan could not help blinking her big eyes and sticking out her tongue when she heard that.

"You covet my sect's treasures, yet you want the people of Earthflame Gate to help you stop that bunch of trash?! Wu Tianlang, you've gone too far!!!"

Yun Sha flew into a rage.

"Wu Tianlang, if I can't take Fire Pavilion's things with me, then Jia Nan Academy won't get them either!!"

After saying that, Yun Sha fired a stream of Dou Qi at Fire Pavilion.

With its defensive formation gone, the hidden passage behind Fire Pavilion was blasted completely open, extending all the way to Fire Pavilion's main hall.

Having long been holding back their anger and coveting the Fire Pavilion's treasures, the people of the Black Corner Region surged in like floodwaters bursting through a dam, instantly packing this open space in the Back Mountain to the brim.

Greedy gazes fell in unison upon the few remaining members of the Earthflame Gate in the center, especially Yun Sha, whose face had turned livid, and the Storage Ring in his hand.

The atmosphere suddenly tightened, killing intent spreading through the air.

At this tense, sword-drawn moment, Qin Han suddenly stepped forward, his voice booming with righteous indignation.

"Yun Sha, you old dog! The Earthflame Gate has some nerve! You want to swallow the Fire Pavilion's greatest treasures all for yourselves? Have you asked everyone here?!"

"Bullshit! The treasures within the Fire Pavilion originally belonged to the Fallen Fire Sect, and thus to our Earthflame Gate! What do they have to do with you?!"

Yun Sha retorted instinctively, but regretted it the moment the words left his mouth.

Qin Han was clearly redirecting everyone's hostility toward the Earthflame Gate. By following Qin Han's lead, he had only further cemented the Earthflame Gate's position as the target of all.

His plan to drag Jia Nan Academy into the mess had been abruptly interrupted by Qin Han.

As soon as Yun Sha said this, the people of the Black Corner Region, who had already been itching for a fight, looked at him with even greater hostility.

"Elder Yun Sha, cut the useless talk."

"The Fallen Fire Sect sealed itself away for a hundred years. Who knows whether there are surviving descendants or disciples outside? Who knows whether you're really successors of the Fallen Fire Sect?"

"Exactly. Treasures of heaven and earth belong to whoever has the fortune to claim them. Yun Sha, hand over the goods. Otherwise, stay here in the Fallen Fire Sect Ruins and keep your ancestors company!"

"Heh heh heh, hand over the Storage Ring!"

The attention of the people from the Black Corner Region had indeed been diverted.

"That's right! Hand over the treasures!"

Zi Yan echoed indistinctly.

She was holding half of a crimson Spirit Fruit she had just taken from the Fifth Elder's Storage Ring, with a bit of juice staining the corner of her mouth.

Qin Han caught sight of it from the corner of his eye and nearly lost his composure.

Without drawing attention, he quickly reached out and wiped her mouth with his sleeve, shooting her a fierce glare.

"Stop eating! We're handling serious business!"

Glared at by him, Zi Yan pursed her little lips. Somewhat unwillingly, she quickly stuffed the remaining small half of the Spirit Fruit into her mouth. Her cheeks puffed out, but she finally stopped making noise.

Yun Sha took in the entire scene, and all he felt was a surge of blood rushing to his head. His vision darkened in waves, and he nearly passed out without catching his breath.

"You brat! You... you're slandering us!"

Yun Sha trembled with rage, pointing at Qin Han with a quivering voice. "It was clearly you—"

"Clearly what?"

Qin Han sneered. "Clearly, your Earthflame Gate planned this all along. You sneaked in first, sealed off the Fire Pavilion, and wanted to monopolize every benefit!"

"Now that we caught you in the act, you still want to turn the tables on us?"

"The kid's right! Earthflame Gate, you've got quite the appetite! Hand over the goods, and I might consider letting you die quickly!"

For a moment, the crowd was in an uproar.

With only a few words from Qin Han, the spearheads of every faction had been completely turned toward the isolated and helpless Earthflame Gate.

Looking at the faces around him, all filled with greed and killing intent, Yun Sha felt as though his chest were about to burst.

"You... you people... Jia Nan Academy. Fine! Very fine!"

Yun Sha gritted his teeth, each word seeming to squeeze out from between them.

"But I'll say this!"

Yun Sha wished he could skin Qin Han alive. "If my Earthflame Gate can't take these things away, then don't you Jia Nan Academy people even think about taking them either!!"

After saying that, he flicked his finger, and the Storage Ring exploded in midair with a bang.

Amid the swirling dust, clusters of dust-covered objects turned into streaks that filled the sky—countless scrolls, medicinal pills, weapons...