The Black-Corner Region lay in the western part of the Black Domain Great Plains, between the center and western regions of the Dou Qi Continent. It sat between the northwest and Central Plains regions, far from the Central Plains but close to the Jia Ma Empire.
There were countless factions here, and the region was a chaotic mix of all kinds of people. It was a typical lawless frontier.
With no moral or legal constraints, backstabbing and plunder played out here every day. As long as you had the strength, you could live very comfortably.
"Boy, I've finally found you! You'll pay with your life for my son's!"
Deep in the dense forest, Xiao Yan fled at full speed, but the man behind him clung like a bone-deep parasite. He couldn't shake him off at all.
His pursuer was a Dou Huang expert, while he was only a Da Dou Shi. If Yao Lao hadn't been helping him, the man would have caught up long ago.
"Teacher, what should we do?" Feeling the Dou Qi inside him rapidly evaporating, Xiao Yan began to panic.
If he couldn't lose his pursuer before his Dou Qi ran out, he was done for.
Blood Sect leader Fan Lao wouldn't be joking around with him. If you dared to kill his son, you'd better be ready to be sacrificed in blood!
At the thought of this, Xiao Yan felt like he could spit blood.
Some time ago, shortly after entering the Black-Corner Region, he had attended an auction held by the Eight-Fan Gate. During the chaos of a battle in the wilderness, he'd taken the opportunity to kill Fan Ling, the Blood Sect's young leader, and snatch a few things.
He'd thought he'd covered his tracks perfectly, but in the end he'd still been found out. Otherwise, the Blood Sect leader Fan Lao wouldn't have chased him to the ends of the earth.
The Black-Corner Region was chaotic enough for him to fish in troubled waters, but luck wasn't on his side. At an auction, he'd still been recognized.
If he hadn't run fast, he might really have fallen into his hands.
"There are no signs of Soul Hall nearby. Fan Lao is only a low-star Dou Huang. Leave him to me in a moment." Yao Lao's voice drifted over, giving Xiao Yan a much-needed boost.
He'd been reluctant to act because he was worried that people from Soul Hall might discover him. Fortunately, there were no signs of them nearby, giving him the chance to show what he could do.
"Thank you, Teacher."
With Yao Lao's assurance, Xiao Yan naturally regained his confidence.
He began leading Fan Lao deeper into the forest. A battle between Dou Huangs would inevitably make a huge commotion, and he didn't want anyone else to discover them.
"Boy, take this!"
Perhaps feeling that his target was getting farther and farther away, Fan Lao lost patience.
A blood-red figure shot out of the forest, its powerful aura surging abruptly into the sky.
His crimson eyes glinted, and killing intent rolled off him in waves.
His ghostly figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye he appeared in front of Xiao Yan. He raised a hand and struck with a fierce palm.
"Damn it!" Xiao Yan cursed inwardly.
But he didn't slow his hands. He swung the heavy ruler on his back up in front of himself.
Boom!
A muffled explosion suddenly rang out. Xiao Yan took the blow head-on, his body flying backward against his will until he slammed into a tree.
"So strong!" Xiao Yan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze grave.
But it wasn't over. Fan Lao was incredibly fast. A shadow flashed past, and a vast, chilling force slammed down from the sky. The force was so powerful that a chain of sonic booms rang out through the air along its path.
Feeling the tremendous force above him, Xiao Yan didn't dare let his guard down.
But just then, Yao Lao's voice suddenly rang out in his mind. "This is bad, Xiao Yan. Four more figures are heading this way, and every one of them is no weaker than Fan Lao!"
Four people no weaker than Fan Lao?
"Four Dou Huang experts."
At Yao Lao's words, Xiao Yan's heart sank. He was already being hunted by a Dou Huang expert. If four more Dou Huang experts showed up, he'd be done for today.
"Yao Lao, is there really no way to break through?"
With his current Da Dou Shi cultivation and Yao Lao's soul power, he could just barely contend with a Dou Huang expert.
But killing one was probably out of the question.
"Boy, pay for my son's life!" Fan Lao's icy voice was laced with boundless fury.
This blow was sure to slay his opponent on the spot!
Seeing this, Xiao Yan knew that if he wanted to escape, he had only one trump card left: Buddha Fury Fire Lotus.
Unfortunately, he hadn't found the Green Lotus Core Flame in the Tagor Desert, so he could only use Beast Flame in its place. Otherwise, the Fire Lotus would have been even more powerful.
Just as the two were about to collide, a terrifying pressure descended right on cue. A towering giant finger suddenly appeared in the sky and came crushing toward them.
Its terrifying killing intent was almost tangible. The giant finger streaked across the sky like lightning, then slammed with pinpoint accuracy into the withered palm. A bowl-sized hole immediately appeared in it.
But the giant finger didn't stop. The moment it pierced through his palm, it shattered where it was, unleashing a deafening boom.
Then a shrill scream rose from the ground, ringing across the sky.
Xiao Yan stared at the Fire Lotus in his hand, his throat suddenly dry.
He could imagine that if the giant finger had landed on him, it would have crushed him to nothing.
What kind of person could wield such terrifying power?
"How audacious! You dare commit murder right in front of me? You really don't take me, a certain Xiao, seriously, do you?" A cold laugh came from the sky.
Xiao Yan stared blankly upward. Four figures strode through the air. The man at their head was handsome and aloof.
As he gazed at that dashing, handsome face, Xiao Yan seemed to recognize him. A surge of joy and excitement suddenly appeared on his own.
"Third Brother! It's you!"
People said that if you survived a great calamity, good fortune would follow. Xiao Yan hadn't believed it at first, but now he had no choice.
Who would have thought that, far from home in a foreign land, he'd get to see his own Third Brother?
"Fourth Brother, it's been a long time. I'm not too late, am I?" Xiao Ze asked with a faint smile, their eyes meeting.
"Not at all. Saving me from danger in the nick of time is already a great kindness." Xiao Yan sighed inwardly. His Third Brother had grown even stronger. The Dou Huang expert looked utterly helpless in front of him.
"May I ask which friend intervened? This is a grudge between the Blood Sect and Xiao Yan. It has nothing to do with outsiders!"
Fan Lao had retreated quickly as soon as the explosion went off, trying to minimize the damage, but he'd still underestimated the attack's force.
Not only had his right hand been crippled, there wasn't a patch of intact skin anywhere on his body. His aura had weakened to the extreme.
Now, he could only force himself to stay upright and keep from collapsing.
In the Black-Corner Region, where people would eat you without leaving a bone behind, he knew that if he showed the slightest weakness, only ruin awaited him.
But Xiao Ze hadn't even looked at him properly. Fan Lao's expression grew exceptionally grim.
"Fourth Brother, what happened? How'd you end up in such a sorry state?" Xiao Ze asked with a smile.
"It's embarrassing to say." Xiao Yan blushed.
Still, he told Xiao Ze the whole story, from beginning to end.
By the end, Fan Lao was the first to lose his patience.
He had just realized that the man before him could actually tread through the air without the support of Dou Qi Wings.
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