Fire Cloud Crystal

The old man's offensive grew increasingly fierce, and Li Xingluo felt himself struggling to keep up; the opponent's strength was simply too overwhelming.

A moment of carelessness led to Li Xingluo being struck in the abdomen, the sensation of pain instantly radiating throughout his entire body.

Sliding back several dozen meters before coming to a halt, the old man finally revealed a smug smile.

He walked toward Li Xingluo step by step, seemingly certain that he could crush this ignorant little brat before him at any moment.

"Little thing, you didn't actually think you could contend with a Dou King just by relying on the strength of a Dou Grandmaster, did you?"

The old man manifested the Dou Qi wings exclusive to a Dou King right in front of Li Xingluo, declaring that in the face of absolute power, everything else was merely fleeting clouds.

Li Xingluo slowly rose to his feet, a strange smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he rolled his eyes and looked coldly at the triumphant old man.

The next second, the time for a slap in the face arrived; a pair of wings appeared behind Li Xingluo, a pair of Dou Qi wings that looked even more advanced than the old man's.

Now it was the old man's turn to be shocked, his mouth hanging open, momentarily at a loss for how to face the situation before him.

"You..."

"Surprised?"

"Impossible, you haven't reached the strength of a Dou King yet, how could you possibly..."

The old man's expression was one of astonishment, his tone hurried, until he suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

After a brief moment, the old man let out a wild laugh, "Hahaha," muttering to himself.

"Little thing, it seems this time I won't just recover the Bronze Fragment, but I'll have an unexpected harvest as well. This flight technique is a good treasure; I never expected you to possess one. It seems you have quite a few valuables on you. I've struck it rich today."

The old man's eyes gleamed as if the Li Xingluo before him were a mobile treasure vault.

Overcome with wild joy, the old man didn't say another word and lunged toward Li Xingluo.

Li Xingluo turned and ran, watching the crazed old man; he feared the old geezer had lost his mind.

"Let's see how long you can keep that up."

The old man pursued Li Xingluo, his face twisted in manic glee, unable to hide his inner excitement.

Li Xingluo, however, remained unhurried, occasionally looking back to dodge the old man's attacks; thus, Li Xingluo fled in front while the old man chased from behind.

After an unknown distance, seeing that the old man still hadn't given up, Li Xingluo couldn't help but admire his persistence.

Trees and boulders ahead were occasionally struck by the old man's Dou Qi, either toppling over or rolling away.

The sun had already dipped to the west when Li Xingluo stopped, his back against a massive mountain covered in dense vegetation.

Seeing Li Xingluo stop running, the old man halted as well, looking at him with smug excitement.

"Little fellow, why aren't you running anymore? Are you tired?"

Li Xingluo smiled without a word, a look of mockery that made the old man extremely displeased.

"Little thing, go to hell."

The old man slashed a palm toward Li Xingluo, but this time, Li Xingluo chose not to use his Dou Qi to block.

Instead, he retracted his Sky Feather and plummeted rapidly downward; the old man's palm strike hit the mountain, leaving a handprint on the rock face as shattered stones tumbled down the slope.

Li Xingluo's behavior baffled the old man, but he didn't want to overthink it now, so he dove down to pursue him.

As the distance closed, the old man didn't see fear on Li Xingluo's face, but rather a smile—a smile of success.

The old man was deeply confused, several thoughts crossing his mind, only to be dismissed one by one.

Unable to care about much else, the old man quickly closed the distance and launched an attack, countless black snakes formed from condensed Dou Qi descending from the sky to cover Li Xingluo from all directions.

Li Xingluo fell at high speed, and as he hit the ground, the black snakes followed like shadows, the earth constantly trembling from the impact of the energy.

Surrounding trees and flying rocks scattered in all directions, dust billowing so thickly that the situation below was completely obscured.

The old man searched for Li Xingluo's figure within the swirling dust, but after a long while, he saw no one emerge from the haze.

As the dust slowly settled, the old man was astonished to find that there was no sign of Li Xingluo where the dust had been.

"Are you looking for me?"

Li Xingluo had appeared thirty or fifty meters away, a cave entrance behind him.

The old man looked down and saw Li Xingluo jumping about, completely unharmed, his face turning green with rage.

To think that he, a dignified Dou King, had been led by the nose by a mere Dou Grandmaster—if word got out, he would lose all face.

Li Xingluo watched the furious old man, his mood quite good, just as the old man, filled with rage, prepared to launch a lethal attack on him once more.

A roar of an ape echoed from within the cave, followed by the earth shaking as the sound grew closer.

Li Xingluo flew to avoid the cave, hiding in a blind spot directly above it.

Suddenly, a torrent of flames erupted from the cave; seeing this, the old man hurriedly channeled his Dou Qi to protect his entire body.

At the same time, a giant ape charged out of the cave, roaring and bellowing, its eyes fixed solely on the old man.

"Flame Demon Ape?" The old man called out its name the moment he saw the beast.

Li Xingluo hid in a concealed spot, pointing at the Flame Demon Ape and then at the old man.

He muttered something, his lip movements suggesting he was saying: How do you like the surprise I prepared for you?

The old man's face turned even greener. He glared fiercely at Li Xingluo, but he had no choice but to shift his focus back to the Flame Demon Ape.

He knew that this Flame Demon Ape possessed the strength of a Tier 5 beast, equivalent to a human Dou King, and its physical constitution was even more formidable than that of a Dou King.

Without a word, the Flame Demon Ape launched an assault on the old man. Helpless, the old man had to engage the beast, temporarily abandoning his pursuit of Li Xingluo.

Watching the two figures move further and further away as they fought, Li Xingluo even waved at the old man, who was glaring back at him, as if to say, "Thanks for your hard work."

This infuriated the old man, who was already struggling to cope with the Flame Demon Ape.

The old man did not yet realize that every forest Li Xingluo had passed through along the way had been prepared for this very moment. Li Xingluo had scattered plenty of Beast Attracting Powder throughout the woods, and every time the old man's attacks struck the trees, he would inevitably end up coated in the powder.

Li Xingluo had certainly spent a small fortune on that stuff along the way.

As for why Li Xingluo had come here, it was because he had discovered the Flame Demon Ape when passing through this area previously. He had intended to sneak in and steal something, but he had nearly been caught; it was only by fleeing in time that he avoided becoming a permanent part of nature.

Li Xingluo leaped down, glancing at the Flame Demon Ape, which was now battling the old man far away from the cave.

Not daring to waste a single second, Li Xingluo dashed quickly toward the cave.

Upon entering, he was met with a scorching red glow. After a few bounds, Li Xingluo came to a halt on a stone platform.

The source of the light was the Fire Cloud Crystal on the platform. According to ancient texts, this material was highly beneficial for the cultivation of Heavenly Flames and fire-attribute techniques.

Li Xingluo did not dare to delay. He pulled out a small knife and began to harvest the crystals, stowing several pieces into his storage ring.

Just then, the roar of the Flame Demon Ape echoed from outside the cave. Li Xingluo looked back, surprised that it had returned so quickly.

Looking at the Fire Cloud Crystal, of which he had taken less than a quarter, Li Xingluo felt a deep sense of reluctance.

However, not wanting to become a meal for the Flame Demon Ape, Li Xingluo turned and left, though he couldn't help but glance back every few steps.

The moment he stepped out of the cave, the figure of the Flame Demon Ape appeared in his line of sight.

That damn old man is truly pathetic, Li Xingluo thought, feeling quite helpless that the man couldn't stall for a little longer. He quietly slipped away from the cave.