Clash

"How was that possible? Had he discovered me? Impossible! I was a Dark-element Dou Emperor specializing in stealth and assassination."

At that moment, Ling Ying, who was hiding in a secluded corner of the forest, broke out in a cold sweat and began questioning his life.

"Hiss, no, something's wrong! Why had this kid's aura changed again? When he had just returned two months ago, he had only been an eight-star Dou Master. That was already monstrously talented for his age. Now he was a two-star Da Dou Shi, and his realm looked exceptionally stable, not like he had forcibly raised it by taking pills! What the hell was wrong with this kid? I needed to stay farther away."

Ling Ying only felt that he and Xiao Yan were somehow fated to clash. He hastily and carefully shifted his stealth position much farther toward the edge of the forest.

"You little rich girl, even the Dou Techniques you use for practice are Earth-tier. The Xiao Clan only has three Earth-tier cultivation methods and Dou Techniques combined." Xiao Yan pinched Xiao Xun'er's delicate little nose.

"Hmph. It seemed Brother Xiao Yan's aura had broken through again recently. Then compete with Xun'er. Xun'er was already a three-star Dou Zhe." Xiao Xun'er wrinkled her pretty nose.

"Sure." Xiao Yan walked to the center of the grove and beckoned to Xiao Xun'er.

"Watch closely, Brother Xiao Yan."

Xiao Xun'er stepped through an agile set of footwork. With a flying leap, she suddenly appeared before Xiao Yan, clearly using some profound movement-type Dou Technique.

"Take this!"

Xiao Xun'er raised her small hand and lightly struck toward Xiao Yan's chest. If anyone let that seemingly soft movement make them lower their guard, they would definitely suffer a huge loss.

The whistling sound tearing through the air clearly showed the astonishing power behind the attack. Xiao Xun'er usually looked graceful and refined, yet her petite body was now erupting with shocking energy.

"Xun'er, an attack of this level wasn't enough!" Xiao Yan's voice suddenly came from afar.

Xiao Xun'er suddenly discovered that the target before her had vanished.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that her probing attack had failed, Xiao Xun'er did not lose heart. She stamped her small foot and closed in again, preparing to entangle Xiao Yan at close range.

Unfortunately, after a whole series of attacks, Xiao Xun'er had not even touched the corner of Xiao Yan's clothes. As the favored daughter of the Ancient Clan, blessed with a God-Grade Bloodline, Xiao Xun'er had great confidence in her combat strength. With her strength as a three-star Dou Zhe, her exceptional mastery of Dou Techniques, and the boost from her bloodline, even a seven-star Dou Zhe would perish beneath her attacks.

Yet the problem was that Xiao Xun'er could not touch Xiao Yan at all!!

After repeatedly failing to land a hit, Xiao Xun'er, whose expression had remained calm, finally began to lose patience.

Although Xiao Yan's cultivation had previously been higher than hers, she could at least still see him, touch him, and chase after him. But now, even Sensing Realm Xiao Yan's current level was difficult for Xiao Xun'er. How could the proud Xiao Xun'er accept that?

She had always been elegant and unadorned, true, but that did not mean she lacked her own pride. She wanted Brother Xiao Yan to know that she, the favored daughter of heaven, also possessed her own brilliant radiance.

"Heavenly Flames, appear!"

As the words left Xiao Xun'er's lips, streams of dark gold flames burst out from within her body, forming layers of thin fiery energy membranes around her.

The sudden appearance of the Heavenly Flames instantly raised the temperature in the grove considerably. Even the air around Xiao Xun'er warped slightly under their scorching heat, as if the flames could burn even space itself clean away. From afar, Xiao Xun'er resembled an enraged female war goddess who had stepped out of the flames.

"Condense!"

Xiao Xun'er formed a hand seal, and more than ten flames separated from the fiery membrane around her body. They floated in the air, forming inverted, rapidly spinning flame spikes. The protruding spiral points at their tails clearly foretold their formidable destructive power.

"Go!"

Xiao Xun'er pointed with both hands. The dozen or so flame spikes that had been spinning motionlessly in midair instantly shot toward Xiao Yan like bullets leaving a barrel.

Seeing Xiao Xun'er summon the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame, Xiao Yan gave a dashing smile. "Playing with fire? Who had I ever feared?!"

"Green Lotus Core Flame, appear!"

With Xiao Yan's low shout, a blue-gold Heavenly Flame burst forth from within his body. Well, strictly speaking, the current blue-gold Heavenly Flame was no longer simply the Green Lotus Core Flame.

It was an entirely new Heavenly Flame formed from the fusion of the companion Purple Flame of the sixth-rank Amethyst Winged Lion King, the Green Lotus Core Flame, and a Child Flame of the Golden Emperor Burning Heaven Flame.

As for why Xiao Yan still insisted on calling it the Green Lotus Core Flame?

Because Xiao Yan was lazy!

Every time he devoured a Heavenly Flame, he would have to come up with a new name. For someone as hopeless at naming things as Xiao Yan, that was more painful than fighting a Dou Sheng.

"Go!"

Xiao Yan did not form any seals either. He merely pointed lightly in Xiao Xun'er's direction, and within three short seconds, the same number of blue-gold flame spikes rapidly took shape in midair. After briefly spinning in place to build up power, they fiercely crashed into the dark gold flame spikes flying through the air.

The difference in level was immediately apparent between Xiao Yan's effortless ease in summoning Heavenly Flames for battle and Xiao Xun'er's all-out exertion when summoning them.

"I'll let you know this: the Flame Emperor cannot be humiliated!"

Uh, wait! Why did this suddenly feel like the style was off somewhere?!!

Boom!

The dark gold Heavenly Flames and blue-gold Heavenly Flames collided explosively in midair, beginning their first clash as countless sparks and clouds of smoke burst outward.

"What would the result be?"

Xiao Xun'er stood to one side, her face tense as she stared at the strange sight in the air. Xiao Yan, on the other hand, appeared utterly relaxed.

Whoosh!

As the smoke dispersed, only the dozen or so blue-gold flame spikes remained in midair. Clearly, the dark gold Heavenly Flames had been scattered by the astonishing collision.

"Just as expected. I knew you wouldn't disappoint me." Xiao Yan looked at the blue-gold flames in the air and smiled faintly.

"How could this be? This was the inherited Heavenly Flame of my clan!" Xiao Xun'er stared at the scene before her in a slight daze.

Clearly, she found it hard to accept that the attack she had believed would certainly win had failed once again.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Xiao Xun'er let out a delicate cry toward Xiao Yan.

In the instant she had lost focus, she suddenly discovered that the blue-gold Heavenly Flames in midair were still charging toward her with undiminished force. It was already too late for her to dodge.

Not far away, Ling Ying, the Dou Emperor moving stealthily through the air, had been closely watching the battle ever since it began. Seeing that the young lady might be in danger, he anxiously disregarded the possibility of exposing himself and prepared to use his Dou Emperor strength to save her.

P.S. Second update.