Even when facing certain doom, Han Feng would never surrender, much less let others butcher him!
At that moment, the power of a Peak Dou Emperor erupted from him like a wellspring. His fierce Dou Qi seemed capable of tearing space apart.
Given enough time, Han Feng would surely reach Dou Zong.
But unfortunately for him, Xiao Ze wasn't going to give him that chance.
"Heh heh, Han Feng, this isn't up to you!"
"This is all your fault. We had no choice!"
The Gold and Silver Elders didn't care that Han Feng was a Peak Dou Emperor. Were they not Peak Dou Emperors too?
They were determined to take his head!
In the next instant, the Gold and Silver Elders launched the first attack, striking with lethal moves!
The world seemed to split apart. Terrifying waves of Dou Qi swept across the sky above Maple City like a storm.
Those with weaker strength could barely keep their footing.
Even Yuan Yi, Su Mei, and the others nearby, all Dou Huang experts themselves, didn't dare approach lightly.
The slightest misstep in an onslaught like this could leave them dead and their souls scattered.
But reality gave them no time to hesitate. There was only one place for a surrendering faction, and if the Gold and Silver Elders won, all of them would die.
And so everyone present witnessed an unprecedented sight: five Dou Huang experts ganging up on a single Dou Huang expert.
In fewer than three exchanges, Han Feng was at a disadvantage.
"You're all dead! If you won't let me live, then you can all come with me!"
As the wounds on his body multiplied, Han Feng knew that if he didn't fight with everything he had, he'd have no chance left.
With a sweep of his sleeve, a rich, deep-blue flame burst from his body, gathering above his head into a vast canopy of blue.
"Die!"
His hands abruptly formed a seal, and Han Feng drove both palms down toward the people charging at him from below.
In an instant, the blue flames spread like a vast canopy, surging down from above like waves roiling across the sea. Layer upon layer crashed into several incoming Dou Techniques.
Boom!
An explosion of unparalleled force rang out, blooming over Maple City like a brilliant firework.
Everyone present held their breath, staring fixedly at the sky. Who was stronger? No one could say.
A moment later, the dust settled.
"Hahaha, Han Feng, you old scoundrel! Look at you now!"
A defiant laugh suddenly rang out from the sky.
Yuan Yi, the Eight-Fan Gate master, stood alone, holding the limp Han Feng in his hand. He was the only one left standing after that peak battle.
Though he was badly wounded too, that was infinitely better than being dead.
As for the Gold and Silver Elders, they'd been caught at the very heart of the explosion and had taken the worst of it.
They were barely clinging to life. Their bodies had been burned beyond recognition by the Heavenly Flame, and they crashed hard to the ground from the sky.
Wu Tie and Su Mei had fared no better. As low-star Dou Huang experts, they were far less resistant to the Heavenly Flame than the Gold and Silver Elders. Even outside the explosion's center, they'd still been gravely injured.
They crashed to the ground, leaving a deep crater. All they could do was watch helplessly as Yuan Yi took Han Feng away to claim his reward.
"Sir, your subordinate has captured Han Feng!" Yuan Yi came before Xiao Ze, visibly excited, and offered up Han Feng, limp as a dead pig.
"Mm, well done. You've passed." Xiao Ze nodded slightly, then changed his tone. "However, I don't like leaving survivors."
"Understood." Yuan Yi's heart tightened. Without a moment's hesitation, he hurried over to the Gold and Silver Elders and slammed a palm into each of their foreheads, sending them straight to the afterlife.
No matter how desperately Su Mei begged, Yuan Yi remained unmoved. "Sect Master Su, this is Sir's order. I'm only carrying it out. Next time, remember to be born into a better family."
With that, Yuan Yi struck once more, putting an end to Su Mei.
With those Dou Huang experts dealt with, the Black-Corner Region had lost nearly half of its top fighters.
In Maple City, everyone who witnessed the scene stood silent with fear.
Four Dou Huang experts had died right before their eyes. For the first time, they felt the cruelty of the Black-Corner Region: Dou Huang experts could be killed just like that, with no reason given and no argument heard.
As for Dou Wang experts, they were little more than ants among ants.
Unlike the others, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao stood frozen in place.
Was this guy always this fierce?
Only his three wives seemed unfazed. They'd seen it so many times that the shock had long since worn off.
Xiao Ze paid no attention to what the others thought of him. Instead, he turned his gaze to Han Feng.
"I don't like being stabbed in the back, so..." Holding Han Feng by the head, Xiao Ze forcibly drew the Sea Heart Flame out of his body.
Han Feng's eyes flew wide as his life force rapidly ebbed away. The Heavenly Flame was his lifeblood; without it, his life had reached its end.
But Xiao Ze didn't kill him outright. Instead, he handed him over to Xiao Yan.
"Fourth Brother, Han Feng is yours. Do whatever you want with him."
With that, Xiao Ze strode into the grand hall where Han Feng had lived. It belonged to him now.
Looking at the man who had murdered his master, Xiao Yan could no longer control his fury. He clenched his fist and slammed it into Han Feng's head.
Han Feng died without managing to say another word.
Watching Han Feng's miserable death, Yao Lao felt a pang of emotion. Perhaps this was retribution.
When Han Feng had betrayed his master and turned against him, he probably hadn't imagined he would die at the hands of his junior brother.
Before long, everything that had happened in Maple City spread through the Black-Corner Region like a flood breaking its banks.
Han Feng's death, along with the slaughter of the leaders of various sects and factions, pressed on everyone's heart like a gloomy pall, leaving them struggling to breathe.
Only a Dou Zong expert could casually wipe out even Dou Huang experts.
Maple City was the nearest city to the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy. After Han Feng's death, Xiao Ze promptly established his own faction there, naming it Xiao Sect.
With Maple City as its headquarters, and the Eight-Fan Gate, Blood Sect, Rakshasa Sect, Mad Lion Gang, and the city where the Gold and Silver Elders had lived as its outposts, he formed a unified organization.
In just half a month, the name Xiao Sect was known to everyone. After it swallowed up several factions, some people finally couldn't hold back and launched surprise attacks.
Without exception, Xiao Ze killed every one of them.
During that time, Xiao Ze successfully devoured the Sea Heart Flame, advancing his cultivation to Eight-Star Dou Zong—only a hair's breadth from Dou Zun.
After all this, Xiao Ze also used the Eight-Fan Gate to issue an ultimatum to every faction, large and small, in the Black-Corner Region: submit to Xiao Sect, or face annihilation.
"How brazen!"
In Demon Flame Valley, the elders all laughed in anger after receiving the message.
How dare a mere Dou Zong act so arrogantly, thinking he could take on the entire Black-Corner Region alone?
Was he insane, or were they all blind?
Their valley master was a Seven-Star Dou Zong. A so-called Xiao Sect could be wiped out with a casual wave of his hand.
And he actually expected them to submit to his little Xiao Sect? He clearly had no idea who was in charge.
"Valley Master, should we...?"
The speaker was the Great Elder of Demon Flame Valley, a Half-Step Dou Zong expert.
"Don't be hasty. Jia Nan Academy hasn't made a move yet. Why should we rush?"
"An Xiao Sect suddenly pops up right under their noses. Do you think those old fossils will just sit back and watch?" their valley master, Old Demon Earth, said disdainfully.
With Jia Nan Academy there to do the fighting for them, why should they go to all that trouble?
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