Ambush Outside the City

Outside the city, Mo Tianxing and his group from the Black Emperor Sect, along with the three elders from Demon Flame Valley, had already laid their ambush, waiting for Yao Chen and his companions to appear so they could strike them down together.

Yao Chen and his two disciples strolled leisurely out of the city gate, laughing and chatting along the way, not putting those lying in ambush for them in their eyes at all.

"Master, do you think they will really come? Xiao Yan and I have never fought before; if they all swarm us at once, what will we do if we can't beat them?"

Xiao Yi Xian was still somewhat worried about their superior numbers, fearing they might be separated, so she asked Yao Chen anxiously.

"Little girl, have no fear. You and Little Yanzi just watch from the side; dealing with them is as simple as slaughtering chickens for your master."

Yao Chen wore a look of utter confidence, gently comforting Xiao Yi Xian.

A quarter of an hour after Yao Chen and his disciples left the city gate, they encountered Mo Tianxing's group and the three elders from Demon Flame Valley, who had been lying in wait.

Mo Tianxing's strength was at the four-star Dou Zong level, his son Mo Ya was a six-star Dou King, the Black Emperor Sect's chief alchemist Qi Shan was an eight-star Dou King, and the rest were at the Dou King level.

The three elders from Demon Flame Valley consisted of the Great Elder Fang Yan, whose strength had one foot in the Dou Zong realm, while the Second and Third Elders were both nine-star Dou Kings nearing the peak of the Dou King realm.

The combined strength of this group could easily wipe out any top-tier faction in the Black Corner Region.

Yao Chen, however, felt not the slightest fear, for he had learned during his intelligence gathering that the treacherous disciple Han Feng was in league with these factions; since he intended to seek revenge on Han Feng later, these people would come knocking uninvited anyway, so eliminating them now would save trouble later.

Mo Tianxing broke the silence first, speaking to Yao Chen and his group.

"You only need to hand over the ancient soul technique you just auctioned off, and I, Mo Tianxing, guarantee you as the Sect Leader of the Black Emperor Sect that you may leave this place safely."

Yao Chen wanted to watch their performance, so he spoke up immediately.

"Then should I hand it over to your Black Emperor Sect or to Demon Flame Valley?"

As Yao Chen's words fell, Mo Tianxing's face darkened, knowing Yao Chen was trying to sow discord between him and Demon Flame Valley, so he addressed the Great Elder of Demon Flame Valley.

"Elder Fang, this man is trying to stir up trouble. Once he hands over that ancient soul technique, the two of us can discuss it; if you are willing to part with it, my Black Emperor Sect is willing to offer the Bodhi Body Transformation Saliva in exchange."

The three from Demon Flame Valley did not speak, merely watching the three of them, terrified that they might run off if they were not careful.

"Hand over the ancient soul technique quickly, or we shall surely make you sleep here forever."

Mo Tianxing was growing impatient, and his subordinates had already prepared for battle.

Seeing they were about to strike, Yao Chen continued to speak mockingly.

"Don't be in such a hurry. I am handing it over right now, so you must absolutely not make a move."

With that, a purple light suddenly erupted from Yao Chen's body, and he casually pulled a scroll from his storage ring, which was instantly covered by the purple light emanating from him.

"Come, here you go. Who is coming to take it?"

Seeing the scroll produced, Mo Ya flew toward Yao Chen, grabbed the scroll, and retreated to Mo Tianxing's side.

In an instant, the purple light that had been on the scroll enveloped Mo Ya.

Mo Ya suddenly wore a face full of bliss, his eyes glazed over, and he began to strip off his own clothes, oblivious to the others present.

Seeing this, Mo Tianxing shouted at Mo Ya.

"Ya'er, be careful!"

Mo Ya, as if he hadn't heard Mo Tianxing's cry, continued to giggle while stripping off his clothes piece by piece.

Mo Tianxing realized something was wrong and immediately channeled his Dou Qi to disperse the purple light.

The moment his Dou Qi made contact with the purple light on Mo Ya, purple flames began to ignite on his body; he screamed in agony and cried out to Mo Tianxing for help.

"Father, I'm so hot! Save..."

Before Mo Ya could finish the word "me," he dissipated into the air along with a gentle breeze.

The people present were all filled with shock, and as Mo Tianxing watched his son vanish just like that, his eyes turned blood-red, and he shrieked hysterically toward the spot where Mo Ya had disappeared.

"Ya'er!"

After wailing for a moment, he turned and charged toward Yao Chen and his group.

"Old thief, return my son's life!"

Qi Shan, standing to the side, realized something was amiss and intercepted Mo Tianxing, saying to him.

"Sect Leader, be careful! What this man just used on the Young Sect Leader was a Heavenly Flame!"

"This man previously coated the outside of that scroll with the Heavenly Flame, and the Young Sect Leader was struck when he reached out to grab it; this Heavenly Flame also possesses the ability to induce hallucinations."

"Sect Leader, you must not be impulsive, lest you be harmed by this man's Heavenly Flame."

Under Qi Shan's warning, Mo Tianxing gradually calmed down; if he rushed over now, he would simply be throwing his life away.

"Old thief, you killed my son; today you shall not leave this place. I will have you all buried with him!"

Mo Tianxing then condensed a massive Dou Qi palm above Yao Chen and slammed it down toward the three of them.

Yao Chen, however, remained unhurried, using the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame to condense an indestructible purple shield.

The massive palm collided with the purple shield of the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame, instantly dissipating in part, while the remainder was deflected into the sky and exploded.

"This old thief's strength far exceeds mine. It seems I must join forces with the three from Demon Flame Valley to kill him."

Having reached this conclusion, Mo Tianxing turned and shouted to the three elders of Demon Flame Valley.

"Elder Fang, this old thief's strength exceeds mine. Let us join forces now to kill him; my Black Emperor Sect will yield the soul technique to you, I only want this old thief's life."

Seeing the scene that had just unfolded, Fang Yan of Demon Flame Valley knew this person was no simple character; he likely possessed the strength of at least a six-star Dou Zong.

Initially, they had hesitated and considered letting the matter drop, but once Mo Tianxing spoke, they were tempted to give it a try—after all, the allure of a soul skill was quite significant.

"Sect Leader Mo, our deepest apologies for not being able to help earlier. Now, the three of us shall certainly exert our full strength to join you in claiming this man's life."

Mo Tianxing cursed those three bastards in his heart; they truly wouldn't release the hawk until they saw the rabbit.

Mo Tianxing, Qi Shan, and the three elders of Demon Flame Valley were seen launching an attack on Yao Chen in unison.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi Xian and Xiao Yan revealed their Poison Barrier and Ice Lotus Blazing Heart, intending to assist Yao Chen and join the fray.

"Master, we have come to lend you a hand."

Yao Chen merely waved a hand at them and said.

"It is fine. This minor spectacle is something your master can handle with ease. Stay to the side and observe my combat carefully; it will be of greater use to your future cultivation."

After speaking, Yao Chen used the Dream-Illusion Blazing Flame to form several shields around Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, fearing that the shockwaves of the battle might harm them.

Watching the attacks of the crowd descend upon him, Yao Chen remained unhurried, drawing his weapon—the Dragon Abyss Star Sword—from his storage ring.

One moment Yao Chen was still searching for his weapon in his storage ring, and the next, the crowd's attacks were seen passing straight through his body.

"He actually wasn't hit!"