Myriad Stars Flame Scripture's First Test

The Ghost Head Greatsword-wielding elder took another slash from Wu Tianlang and staggered back several steps with a muffled grunt. From the corner of his eye, he saw that Third Brother had been knocked back in a single exchange by a young man who had suddenly appeared, and his heart filled with shock.

Looking again at the Green Flame flowing around the young man's body, along with the strange specks of star flame, his aura was clearly only that of a Five Star Dou Wang, yet the pressure he gave off was no weaker than that of a high-level Dou Wang.

"This one's tough! Retreat!"

The elder made his decision without hesitation. With a roar, he feinted with a slash to force Wu Tianlang back, then tried to retreat at top speed.

Seeing this, the others from the Black Corner Region also forced back their opponents and tried to flee.

"You come and go as you please?"

"What do you take the Jia Nan Academy Enforcement Team for?!"

Wu Tianlang and Qin Han snorted coldly almost simultaneously, their killing intent abruptly condensing.

Wu Tianlang's blade light surged as he firmly entangled the elder trying to break free.

Qin Han had already become a blur trailing blue-green flames as he charged straight at the Five Star Dou Wang whose face was filled with terror.

A flicker of panic clearly passed through the man's eyes. The Dou Qi within him erupted without reservation, and a heavy earth-yellow shield appeared in his hand.

At the same time, he threw a punch with his other hand, condensing a solid massive stone fist and blasting it toward Qin Han.

"Rock Demon Shield! Mountain Crushing Fist!"

Qin Han's gaze remained indifferent, and his charge did not slow. He spread his five fingers, palm facing forward, as the emerald green star flames swirling around him suddenly stirred and gathered before his palm.

The emerald green star flames spun rapidly, instantly forming a deep, tranquil vortex of fire.

The center of the vortex was pitch-black, while specks of starlight gleamed along its edge. It radiated a bizarre force of suction and dissolution.

The aggressive stone fist was the first to crash into the fiery vortex.

The solid giant fist of earth-element Dou Qi was like a clay ox entering the sea, silently swallowed by the vortex. The energy on its surface was broken down and stripped away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"What?!"

Third Brother's pupils constricted, and warning bells blared in his heart.

He had never seen such a bizarre method of breaking an attack. This flame neither exploded nor burned; instead, it seemed capable of digesting energy.

In the instant his mind reeled, Qin Han's left hand had already formed sword fingers. A wisp of Green Lotus Core Flame was compressed to the extreme, and a blue fire line stabbed toward the inner joint of the arm holding his shield.

By the time he noticed, it was already too late. He could only desperately pour Dou Qi into his arm.

Sizzle!

Like hot coals scorching snow and ice, the blue fire line instantly pierced through his protective Dou Qi, leaving a charred, bloody hole in the crook of his arm.

The piercing pain made his arm go limp, and a flaw immediately appeared in his shield defense.

"Remember this. If you provoke someone in your next life, make sure you keep your eyes open."

Qin Han's icy voice rang beside his ear.

The fire vortex in Qin Han's right palm suddenly stopped spinning. The energy of the Mountain Crushing Fist that it had swallowed was compressed and condensed, combining with the properties of the star flames themselves to form an extremely concentrated emerald green flaming spike that shot explosively from the vortex's center!

"Here, take it back."

Pshk!

Like a drill, the flaming spike forcibly bored a small hole through the shield before viciously piercing into his chest!

"Ugh—Aah!"

Amid an incomparably miserable scream, a bowl-sized charred bloody hole exploded open in Third Brother's chest. Fragments of his organs mixed with flames sprayed out from his back.

He twitched twice, then fell silent.

Three moves!

Though they were of the same realm, a vicious criminal who had roamed the Black Corner Region for years could not even last three moves against Qin Han.

Even Qin Han himself was surprised by his own smooth, flowing art of fire control.

In the battle just now, he had not used any Dou Techniques. He had purely relied on the fire-control chapter recorded in the Myriad Stars Flame Scripture to command flames against his enemy.

It seemed as though he had not unleashed any overwhelmingly powerful ultimate move, but only Qin Han himself could sense that his previously crude fire-control techniques were improving at a visible rate.

Not far away, Wu Hao, who had just forced back his opponent, happened to witness the scene. He could not help drawing in a sharp breath, his face filled with shock and bitterness.

He had always regarded Qin Han as his goal and worked hard to catch up, but the other man's rate of improvement... was simply despair-inducing.

"Third Brother—!!!"

Elsewhere, the Ghost Head Greatsword elder, who was firmly entangled by Wu Tianlang, saw his brother die before his very eyes. He let out a heart-rending roar, and his eyes instantly turned blood-red.

"Wu Tianlang! Jia Nan Academy! I will never rest until you're dead!!"

Like a maddened tiger, he launched a frenzied assault on Wu Tianlang, fighting as though his life meant nothing.

Yet after several moves, his attacks gradually became hesitant.

In the end, reason overcame grief and madness. He shot Wu Tianlang and Qin Han an incomparably venomous glare, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of Essence Blood. The blood mist merged into his blade as he slashed out an attack that temporarily forced Wu Tianlang back.

He grabbed another Dou Wang expert beside him and used the force to shoot backward into the dense forest like a cannonball, disappearing after a few flashes.

Wu Tianlang sheathed his long blade and did not pursue.

Never pursue a desperate enemy, especially a peak Dou Wang fleeing for his life. If cornered, he might bite back, and that would be troublesome.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the churning Qi and Blood within him and the faint pain.

He turned around and eagerly stretched out his aged, withered hand, heavily patting Qin Han on the shoulder with enough force to make Qin Han sway.

"Good lad!"

Wu Tianlang's voice rang out, brimming with exhilaration. "Well done! With strength like that, you haven't disgraced me!"

Qin Han could feel the barely noticeable tremor in his palm, as well as the faint pallor on his face. He frowned slightly. "Old man, you're injured? Stop talking for now. We'll talk after we get back."

At that moment, the Black Robe Man whom the Enforcement Team had protected at all costs forced his unsteady body forward, step by step.

He pulled back his hood, revealing a face touched by a blend of gloominess and ruthlessness.

Due to blood loss and his injuries, his complexion was even paler now.

"Thank you, Elder Wu. Thank you, brother... for saving my life. Xiao Li... will never forget this kindness."

Wu Tianlang waved a hand. "No need. Since you are kin to a student of Jia Nan Academy, and encountered trouble in the Black Corner Region, the Enforcement Team has a duty to protect you."

Wu Hao walked over as well. Hearing the name "Xiao Li" and looking at his face, something stirred in his mind. He could not help asking, "Your relative is...?"

Xiao Li tugged at the corner of his mouth and coughed up several mouthfuls of dark red, frothy blood.

Fighting through the dizziness, he looked toward Jia Nan Academy's Inner Academy and used the last of his lucid strength to force out two words:

"Xiao... Yan."

As soon as the words left his mouth, the light in his eyes rapidly faded. His body went limp, and he fell straight backward.

Just as I thought...

Qin Han thought to himself.

The man's features bore a forty to fifty percent resemblance to Xiao Yan's, though he looked more mature and seasoned.

The moment they met, Qin Han had already suspected as much.

"Take him back to the Outer Academy to recover first. Also, who is Xiao Yan? Find a way to notify him."

Wu Tianlang placed his hand on Xiao Li's wrist, sensed that he still had a trace of breath left, and immediately gave the order.

Wu Hao promptly replied, "I know him. I'll contact him."

After saying that, he immediately ran toward the Inner Academy.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Han instructed, "There are several Xiao Clan members in the Outer Academy as well. Have them come over first."