Albert

Saint Realm powerhouses are particularly sensitive to energy signatures.

If a Saint Realm battle occurs anywhere, experts of that level hundreds of miles away can sense it.

Therefore, even though they were a great distance apart, the three of them, including the Hellfire Phoenix Ignis, clearly felt that aura.

"In that direction!"

Ignis immediately obeyed his master's will and flew rapidly toward the source of the aura.

Within just a few minutes, Luo Ya and his group had arrived at the scene.

But what met their eyes now was merely a chaotic scene of numerous Magic Beasts fleeing in all directions.

"The battle is already over so quickly? That is... a Blood Jade Crystal Dragon!" Soon, the three of them focused their gaze on the corpse of a Blood Jade Crystal Dragon, or rather, on the red-haired, burly man standing beside it.

The Blood Jade Crystal Dragon was over a hundred meters long, and its two blood-colored eyes alone were as large as carriage wheels. While this two-meter-tall red-haired man might be considered quite tall among humans, he appeared extremely small standing next to the Blood Jade Crystal Dragon.

Yet, this 'small' individual had killed a Saint Realm Blood Jade Crystal Dragon with astonishing speed, achieving the feat of a 'Dragon Slayer'.

The Blood Jade Crystal Dragon clan is a true Saint Realm Magic Beast species. Any adult Blood Jade Crystal Dragon possesses at least the strength of a peak Saint Realm.

To be able to finish off this Saint Realm dragon so easily, the strength of this red-haired man was likely at least close to that of the elf lady Beiya; he was definitely not comparable to an ordinary Saint Realm powerhouse.

"Looking at the charred marks on the body of this Saint Realm Crystal Dragon, he must practice the profound mysteries of the Laws of Fire. However, why do I also detect the aura of light energy from it?" After scanning the wounds on the Blood Jade Crystal Dragon, Luo Ya felt somewhat puzzled.

Although Luo Ya himself did not have the talent to practice light elements, he was no stranger to the aura of this energy, and he was certain he hadn't misidentified it.

"Since we're already here, let's go over and greet him." Neither of the two women objected to Luo Ya's suggestion, as they were also curious about the strength of this red-haired man.

The burly man himself, who had a mane of messy, fire-red lion-like hair, had already noticed the Hellfire Phoenix flying toward them at high speed, as well as the three strange figures on its back.

"To be able to subdue a Hellfire Phoenix, one of these three must be very strong!" The golden eyes of the red-haired man, Albert, lit up instantly.

Ever since his strength had greatly increased, he hadn't encountered a good opponent.

Even the Blood Jade Crystal Dragon that had just fallen at his feet wasn't qualified enough to make him exert his full strength.

Luo Ya had Ignis hover in the low air about a hundred meters from the ground, looking toward the red-haired man in the distance, preparing to say something.

However, before he could speak, the burly man flew over to them first and looked at the three of them.

"My name is Albert, and I primarily practice the Laws of Fire elements."

"Your strength shouldn't be bad, brother. Are you interested in sparring with me?" As Albert spoke, his right hand reached into his space ring and pulled out a dark golden spear.

At this moment, the scent of scorching dragon blood still lingered on the spear shaft.

Seeing the red-haired man who dared to approach them proactively, Luo Ya was also surprised.

One had to know that there were three of them; without knowing their background, this guy actually dared to make such a request directly.

This guy was either a fool who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, or he was extremely confident in himself—confident enough that even in a one-on-three or even one-on-four situation, he could retreat unscathed.

"Fine, let's go fight on that small hill covered in red leaves." Although this battle came somewhat abruptly, Luo Ya did not refuse.

Sometimes, sparring or fighting with a strong opponent is far more useful than closing oneself off for solitary cultivation.

"Pasangqi, I'll leave the remaining corpse of this Blood Jade Crystal Dragon for you to handle. I hope you won't disappoint me!"

Fighting a strong opponent was far more interesting than dealing with spoils of war. After taking the most valuable dragon crystal, Albert had left Iris City directly.

As for why Albert appeared here or how he ended up fighting the Blood Jade Crystal Dragon, none of the three were interested in knowing.

Compared to that, they were more curious about Albert's strength.

Outside Iris City, on a small hill covered in a large number of red maple trees.

Milia, Beiya, and Luo Ya's Magic Beast, the Fire Phoenix, all stayed at a relatively far distance, preparing to watch the upcoming battle.

Albert appeared to be from the Kalim Empire. His facial features were rugged and square, he wore a suit of dazzling golden armor, his body looked very sturdy, and he had a head of messy red hair that resembled a lion's.

"Luo Ya Kageno." Since the other party had already introduced himself, Luo Ya naturally had no intention of hiding his identity.

"Luo Ya Kageno? You must be that genius who killed the Phantom Sword Saint 'Harvey'. I've heard your name here in the Kalim Empire too!" Albert was somewhat surprised, then he laughed.

"I didn't expect to meet you today. Your move, 'Gate of Hell', is rumored to be miraculous. I, Albert, would really like to experience it."

Although Luo Ya's reputation on the continent was currently immense, making him a standout of his time, Albert clearly didn't care about such things.

"If you want to experience that move, that's certainly no problem." Although Albert's demeanor appeared somewhat aggressive.

Luo Ya actually had a good impression of him.

His straightforward personality suited Luo Ya's temperament well.

"In that case, I won't be polite."

As soon as his voice fell, a dark golden spear appeared out of thin air in Albert's hand, and he laughed loudly at Luo Ya: "But I must warn you, Luo Ya, in terms of the power of my spear technique, I only used one move to kill that Blood Jade Crystal Dragon, strictly speaking."

"One move?" Luo Ya nodded slightly, revealing his right hand wearing the Blood-colored Glove, then looked at Albert: "Come."

"Be careful!" Albert let out a loud shout, his entire body suddenly cutting through the sky and appearing beside Luo Ya in an instant.

Only a "hissing" sound could be heard as golden flames erupted from Albert's body, and the dark golden spear in his hand was similarly engulfed in golden flames.

At the moment he struck, his entire person was completely shrouded in fire.

Albert, completely enveloped in flames, held a long spear burning with golden fire that seemed to lock onto the very space around him, thrusting toward Luo Ya with boundless pressure.

At this moment, it felt as if this single spear was the only thing left in the entire world.

"Bang!"

The blood-colored palm shadow easily tore through the spatial lock, colliding directly with the tip of the spear, and the violent battle energy between Luo Ya and Albert clashed fiercely through their weapons.

"Boom!"

A terrifying sonic boom erupted from the center of the two, and the energy of the two Saint Realm powerhouses burst out in all directions, causing even the massive boulders on the peak of Red Maple Mountain below to shatter as they were infused with battle energy.

The two separated at high speed.

"Hmm?" Luo Ya glanced at Albert in the distance. "His battle energy attribute is a bit strange."

Although Luo Ya was considered relatively young among the Saint Realm, with the assistance of the Black Hole within his body, the density of his battle energy was not inferior to anyone else's.

Yet, in the clash just now, his battle energy had actually been scattered by the other party.

This was not a gap in profound mysteries, but rather, the quality of the energy itself had been crushed.

Without waiting for Luo Ya to continue pondering this question, Albert moved again.

"Haha, exhilarating! Take another move from me." Albert's hearty laughter rang out, and at the same time, he charged toward Luo Ya at high speed, his entire body seemingly shrouded in a layer of holy light, making him look even more majestic and extraordinary!

"So that's how it is!" Luo Ya smiled in realization, and at the same time, he reached out his right hand.