Outside the city, Mo Tianxing and his group from the Black Emperor Sect, along with the three elders of Demon Flame Valley, had all taken up their ambush positions, waiting for Yao Chen and the others to appear so they could kill them together.
The three members of Yao Chen's party strolled out through the city gates, chatting and laughing along the way, paying no mind whatsoever to the people lying in ambush for them.
"Master, do you think they'll come? Xiao Yan and I have never fought before. What if they all rush us at once and we can't beat them?"
Xiao Yi Xian was still worried that their opponents had strength in numbers. Afraid they might be scattered in the ensuing clash, she anxiously asked Yao Chen.
"Girl, don't be afraid. You and Little Yan can just watch from the sidelines. Dealing with them will be as easy for me as slaughtering chickens."
Yao Chen wore a confident smile as he gently reassured Xiao Yi Xian.
A quarter of an hour after Yao Chen and his two disciples left the city gates, they came upon Mo Tianxing's group and the three elders of Demon Flame Valley, who had been lying in wait.
Mo Tianxing was a Four-Star Dou Zong. His son, Mo Ya, was a Six-Star Dou Emperor, while Qi Shan, the Black Emperor Sect's chief alchemist, was an Eight-Star Dou Emperor. The others were all Dou Wangs.
As for the three elders of Demon Flame Valley, the Great Elder, Fang Yan, had one foot in the Dou Zong realm, while the Second Elder and Third Elder were both Nine-Star Dou Emperors, close to Peak Dou Emperor.
Together, their strength was enough to wipe out any top faction in the Black Corner Region.
Yet Yao Chen wasn't the least bit afraid of them. When he'd gathered information earlier, he'd learned that his treacherous disciple, Han Feng, had been secretly colluding with these factions. When he went after Han Feng for revenge later, these people would come looking for trouble anyway. Eliminating them now would save him the hassle.
Mo Tianxing was the first to break the silence. He spoke to Yao Chen and the others.
"You need only hand over the ancient soul skill you just won at auction. I, Mo Tianxing, guarantee in my capacity as the Black Emperor Sect's leader that you'll be able to leave here safely."
Yao Chen wanted to see how they would play this out, so he replied,
"Then who should I hand it over to—the Black Emperor Sect or Demon Flame Valley?"
Mo Tianxing's face darkened. He knew Yao Chen was trying to drive a wedge between him and Demon Flame Valley, so he turned to the Great Elder of Demon Flame Valley.
"Elder Fang, this man is trying to sow discord between us. Once he hands over that ancient soul skill, the two of us can discuss it. If you're willing to part with it, the Black Emperor Sect would be happy to give you the Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva in exchange."
The three members of Demon Flame Valley didn't respond. They merely watched Yao Chen and his two companions, afraid they might slip away if they let their guard down.
"Hand over the ancient soul skill now, or we'll make sure you're buried here!"
Mo Tianxing was growing impatient, and his men were already preparing for battle.
Seeing that they were about to attack, Yao Chen continued to taunt them.
"Don't rush. I'll hand it over right now. Just make sure none of you attack."
As he spoke, purple light suddenly blazed from Yao Chen. He casually pulled a scroll from his Storage Ring, and the purple light from his body immediately enveloped it.
"Here, come get it. Who wants to take it?"
The moment Mo Ya saw the scroll, he flew toward Yao Chen. After grabbing it, he retreated to Mo Tianxing's side.
In an instant, the purple light that had originally covered the scroll engulfed Mo Ya.
Mo Ya suddenly wore a blissful smile, his eyes vacant. Without a care for the people around him, he began stripping off his clothes.
Seeing this, Mo Tianxing shouted at him,
"Ya'er, watch out!"
Mo Ya acted as if he hadn't heard Mo Tianxing. Still grinning foolishly, he continued taking off his clothes, one piece at a time.
Mo Tianxing realized something was terribly wrong and immediately summoned his Dou Qi to strike away the purple light.
The moment his Dou Qi touched the purple light around Mo Ya, purple flames burst across his body. His face contorted in agony, and he cried out to Mo Tianxing for help.
"Father, I'm burning up! Help—"
Before Mo Ya could even finish the word "help," he vanished from the spot with a passing breeze.
Everyone present was stunned. Mo Tianxing watched helplessly as his son disappeared before his eyes. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he screamed in anguish toward the spot where Mo Ya had vanished.
"Ya'er!"
After shouting for a while, he turned and charged at Yao Chen and the others.
"You old bastard! You'll pay for my son's life!"
Qi Shan, standing nearby, realized something was wrong and stopped Mo Tianxing. He warned him,
"Be careful, Sect Leader! The Heavenly Flame he used on the Young Sect Leader just now—"
"He first covered the scroll with the Heavenly Flame. The Young Sect Leader got caught when he reached out and took it. That Heavenly Flame can also create illusions."
"Don't act rashly, Sect Leader, or you'll be injured by his Heavenly Flame."
At Qi Shan's warning, Mo Tianxing gradually calmed down. If he charged in, he'd just be sending himself to his death.
"You old bastard! You killed my son. Don't even think about leaving here today! I'll make you all join him!"
Mo Tianxing immediately condensed a gigantic palm of Dou Qi above Yao Chen and brought it crashing down on the three of them.
Yao Chen calmly used the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame to form an indestructible purple shield.
The gigantic palm struck the purple shield of the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame and instantly dissipated in part. The rest rebounded into the air and exploded.
"That old bastard is far stronger than I am. Looks like I'll have to join forces with those three from Demon Flame Valley to kill him."
After seeing this, Mo Tianxing quickly reached his conclusion and called out to the three elders of Demon Flame Valley.
"Elder Fang, that old bastard is stronger than I am. Let's join forces and kill him. The Black Emperor Sect will hand over the soul skill. All I want is his life."
Fang Yan of Demon Flame Valley had seen what just happened and knew this man was no ordinary opponent. He likely had the strength of a Six-Star Dou Zong or higher.
He'd been considering calling the whole thing off, but after hearing Mo Tianxing's offer, they decided to take a chance. After all, the soul skill was quite tempting.
"Sect Leader Mo, I apologize for not being of much help earlier. This time, the three of us will do everything we can to help you take his life."
Mo Tianxing cursed the three bastards inwardly. They really wouldn't lift a finger until they saw a rabbit.
Mo Tianxing, Qi Shan, and the three elders of Demon Flame Valley launched their attack against Yao Chen together.
Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan revealed their Poison Barrier and Ice Lotus Blazing Heart, intending to help Yao Chen and join the fight.
"Master, we'll help you!"
Yao Chen waved a hand at them and said,
"It's fine. I can handle this little skirmish with ease. Watch my battle from the sidelines. It'll help you both when you cultivate in the future."
After speaking, Yao Chen used the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame to form several shields around Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, in case the shockwaves of the battle hurt them.
As everyone's attacks hurtled toward him, Yao Chen remained unruffled and pulled his weapon, the Dragon Abyss Star Sword, from his Storage Ring.
One second, Yao Chen was still rummaging in his Storage Ring for a weapon. The next, everyone's attacks passed straight through him.
"How did we miss him?!"
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