Fighting Four Dou Emperors Alone

"Go!"

Seeing Yun Zimo suppress Wu Nao with one hand, Fan Lao's death star flashed wildly above his head. He shouted out of sheer formality, but had already used his family's secret Blood Escape technique to flee Jiuling City in an instant.

"Thank you, everyone!"

Yun Zimo smiled faintly as he held Wu Nao. He bowed slightly to the Protectors, then gave chase before anyone could react.

Yun Zimo split into three forms, three figures pursuing the three fleeing men.

"What a wondrous secret technique, splitting into three bodies! Each avatar has most of the true body's strength. Hmm? It seems they even have independent consciousness!"

Qi Yan took Wu Nao and sealed his Dou Qi. He clicked his tongue in amazement as he watched Yun Zimo's true body pursue Ban Lao, his interest in the avatar technique growing ever stronger.

"Great Wind Hand Seal!"

"Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill!"

A gigantic handprint of wind swept toward Yan, while a brilliant falling star plunged from the sky and appeared behind his head in an instant.

"Lava Rock Wall!"

A wall of magma rose from the ground. Yan's body transformed into flame as he slammed both palms down. Several pillars of molten rock streaked across the earth and shot straight up.

The Yun Zimo avatar pursuing Yan flashed through hand seals, then transformed into a whirlwind and swept toward him.

The avatar's eyes seemed devoid of much intelligence. It simply blew itself apart, merging into the whirlwind. A towering tornado of wind blades swept across the land, carrying layers of yellow sand and earth mixed with boulders. Even a small hill was torn from the ground!

Yan had just passed through the Great Wind Hand Seal when the tornado reached him from behind. Unable to steady himself in time, he had no choice but to force out another Dou Technique.

"No good! I can't form the seals at all! The wind's moving too fast—I can't even sense the fire-attribute energy anymore!"

Despair showed on Yan's face. His flame Dou Qi burst from his body, setting the debris inside the tornado ablaze. Gradually, the enormous whirlwind became a tornado of fire.

"I'll take you with me!"

Yan shouted in despair from within the fire tornado. The earth-shaking explosion and the enormous cloud of fire that shot into the sky made Qi Yan retreat in haste.

"Form a formation! Hold back that energy!"

The forest became a sea of flames, and the once-lush wilderness was reduced to scorched earth. Only through the strenuous efforts of Qi Yan and the others did they keep the escaping flames and shockwaves from causing even greater damage. The mountains had collapsed and the earth had split apart, never to return to what they had been...

A fresh breeze swept in from behind. Energy surged into the Yun Zimo avatar pursuing Fan Lao, making its gaze seem more alert and its aura rise once more.

"Damn!"

Seeing Yun Zimo's speed surge again, Fan Lao gritted his teeth and abruptly changed direction, fleeing toward a sprawling city.

"Draw Ground as Prison!"

The Yun Zimo avatar swept his sword, and countless blades of wind appeared around Fan Lao. But Fan Lao burst into a cloud of blood once more and forced his way through.

"Wind-Wall Whirling Slaughter!"

A whirling wall of wind blades closed in from all sides. Fan Lao used Blood Escape again. Though his face was as pale as snow and little blood remained in his body, he still pushed himself to flee faster.

"Lord Medicine Emperor, save—"

"Boom!"

Thirty-six beams of soul sword-light shot forth, pinning Fan Lao's soul in the air not far from Feng City. Countless sword auras crisscrossed, grinding the cloud of blood to nothing.

"No!"

Fan Lao's soul shrieked, overcome with regret. If he had turned to fight from the start, surely his Blood Sea, Blood Clone, and other Dou Techniques would have at least given him a chance to escape!

He had misjudged Yun Zimo's strength, and he had misjudged Han Feng's attitude!

Yun Zimo's avatar took out a jade bottle and sealed Fan Lao's soul inside, then quietly looked toward the people of Feng City, who had appeared not far away.

The two sides stared at each other for a long while. Then Yun Zimo's avatar turned and left. The people of Feng City sighed and returned to the city. They had no confidence they could keep the man before them...

Just as the battles on both sides ended, the fight between Yun Zimo and Ban Lao also reached a fever pitch. That avatar was swaying on its feet, its wounds deep enough to expose bone.

"Kid, I admit you're strong. But you've only just entered the Dou Emperor realm, and you think you can kill a high-ranking Dou Emperor like me? How naïve!"

Ban Lao laughed loudly, his eyes full of ferocious malice as each attack aimed straight for Yun Zimo and his avatar's vital points.

A wind-attribute Dou Emperor. As long as I don't let him put distance between us and use his Dou Techniques, I refuse to believe he can kill me in close combat!

"Very well. I've just comprehended a new sword technique. I invite you to judge it, old man."

It was as if Yun Zimo had heard Ban Lao's unspoken thoughts. He nodded, then his true body darted a hundred meters away and drew the Judgment Sword, which he had not used in a long time.

Yun Zimo's avatar's attacks grew far faster. It traded life for injury, giving Ban Lao no chance to escape.

"Damn you! Die!"

Ban Lao punched Yun Zimo's avatar to pieces, then sprang forward to kill Yun Zimo's true body. But Yun Zimo had already raised his hand and drawn his sword.

"Within My Dao!"

Black-and-white light blazed from the two sides of the Judgment Sword. The two colors shot into the sky and gathered into the phantom of a two-toned Xiezhi. A roar that pierced the soul rang out, and Ban Lao was horrified to discover that his body and soul had gone rigid, as if frozen.

He could clearly feel that he was able to control them, yet somehow he couldn't!

"Supreme Sovereign!"

The phantom Xiezhi plunged down, merging into the peerless sword intent of Supreme Sovereign. The sword intent split into two, then four, then countless swords, raining down into Ban Lao's body!

"In the name of the Xiezhi, I sentence you for your sins!"

Only a solemn judgment remained in Ban Lao's ears. Then a gentle breeze blew, and his body drifted away like ashes. His soul, too, dissolved into specks of light...

The mighty Emperor Ban of the Black-Corner Region—fallen!

A newly risen Dou Emperor had fought four Dou Emperors alone. Two dead, two gravely wounded. Yun Zimo's battle shook the world!

"Madman Lan killed four Dou Emperors in a day?!"

"Damn, does he have to be that ferocious? He just killed the Black Skull Tomb Master, and now he's killed four more Dou Emperors already?"

"Hey, hey, he only killed two! The other two are still alive!"

"..."

Yun Zimo's achievements were too astonishing. Seven-Star Dou Emperor Ban Lao, in particular, had been a high-ranking Dou Emperor, one of the very top figures beneath the Dou Zong realm. Yet he had been killed by a young man who had only just entered the Dou Emperor realm!

Even the few old powers in the Black-Corner Region that usually stayed out of worldly affairs were alarmed. They sent their disciples to Jiuling City to investigate.

"Damn Jia Nan Academy!"

Still, many powers' leaders cursed under their breath. There was no need to mention that Xia Lan had taken the Black Skull Tomb's territory and resources.

But Earth Flame Sect, Blood Sect, and Demon Blade Gate represented such enormous gains. No one was asking Xia Lan to hand over much, but surely he couldn't keep it all to himself.

Yet just as they sent people to investigate, Jia Nan Academy had secretly sent men to take over the three factions' most important assets, leaving them only a few scraps!

They didn't dare criticize them too much, so they just cursed whenever they got the chance to comfort themselves.

"Congratulations, Commander. Your feat of fighting four Dou Emperors alone has truly made you famous throughout the world!"

In Jiuling Palace, Su Qian cupped his hands and spoke respectfully to Yun Zimo.

"Great Elder, please don't tease me. I had no choice..."

Yun Zimo could only smile wryly at Su Qian's teasing.

"But why would you come all the way to the Black-Corner Region in person over such a small matter, Great Elder?"

"Small matter?"

Great Elder Su Qian shot Yun Zimo a look.

"Do you have any idea what a world-shaking event this is? If I hadn't been here to hold them back, those old bastards would have eaten you alive without leaving a scrap!"

Only then did Yun Zimo realize that, after killing so many Dou Emperors, no Dou Zongs had come out to interfere because Su Qian had been restraining them from the shadows!

"You'd better keep a low profile. You've already wiped out four major powers. If you cross their bottom line, you, a young genius with the potential to reach the Dou Zong realm, might never live to see that day!"

Su Qian patted Yun Zimo's shoulder. The Black-Corner Region had always been chaotic, but there had always been people behind the scenes maintaining its delicate balance. Yun Zimo, an outsider, had charged straight through everything. If he upset that balance, then...

After all, there had never been a shortage of people who wanted to overturn the chessboard...

"Thank you, Great Elder!"

Yun Zimo bowed solemnly, and his conviction grew clearer and firmer.

"We've received some information about what you asked us to investigate recently..."

Su Qian took out a file and handed it to Yun Zimo, then watched him with a knowing smile.

"Soul Hall Protector?!"