Heavenly Flame Rasengan

"Kid, becoming a Seven-Star Dou Practitioner at nineteen means your talent is quite impressive. If I accidentally cripple you later, don't blame me for not holding back." After being briefly stunned by Xiao Ni's level, Yang Cheng suddenly grinned, a hint of fighting spirit rising in his eyes.

It had been many years since he had sparred with anyone. He hoped this young genius, Xiao Ni, would not disappoint him today. If Xiao Ni was beaten so badly within two or three exchanges that he could not get back up, that would be far too dull.

"Uncle Cheng, feel free to attack. Just don't make me compensate for the damage here afterward." Xiao Ni swiftly retreated more than ten meters, gesturing for him to proceed as Dou Qi began circulating through his body.

Since he was going to challenge Yang Cheng across five levels, he naturally had to use some trump cards. If he did not make things clear now, what if Yang Cheng demanded compensation for the damages?

"Thunder Blade!" Seeing that Xiao Ni had not retreated in the slightest despite the gap in their levels, Yang Cheng shouted and charged forward. Dense purple Dou Qi swirled around his palm, swiftly condensing into an illusory dagger flickering with violent lightning.

Boom!

The illusory dagger stabbed out fiercely. Xiao Ni decisively drew the Black Heavy Ruler, using its broad body to block the dagger right before him. A faint rumble of thunder made the air tremble, while the light on the illusory dagger grew much brighter.

"Thunder Serpent!" Unexpectedly seeing his attack easily blocked by the Black Ruler Xiao Ni had produced, Yang Cheng clenched his hand. The illusory dagger immediately transformed into a purple serpent, winding around the Black Heavy Ruler and biting toward Xiao Ni's shoulder.

The Thunder Serpent was three meters long, specks of lightning flickering within its body. Its eyes also glowed purple, giving it an especially ferocious air.

Bang!

Not daring to underestimate the Thunder Serpent, Xiao Ni struck out with his palm. A powerful gust swept through, forcing the serpent back five or six meters. At the same time, it spat out two sharp bolts of purple lightning, which slammed directly into Xiao Ni's shoulder.

In the next instant, Xiao Ni felt his shoulder go slightly numb, and his muscles seemed to stiffen somewhat.

It seems the Thunder Serpent's attacks can paralyze my body. Good thing I've trained my physique since childhood. Otherwise, that strike would probably have severely injured me. Xiao Ni felt a lingering chill of fear in his heart. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his interest in the battle intensified.

Battle was the best way to temper a person. Being able to challenge a Three-Star Dou Master like Yang Cheng beyond his level would certainly benefit both his cultivation and combat experience.

"Not bad. You've got some skill." Yang Cheng's eyes brimmed with boundless battle intent. He felt that Xiao Ni was qualified to make him get serious.

Even a Nine-Star Fighter would be swiftly defeated when challenging a Three-Star Dou Master. Yet after being struck by his Thunder Serpent, this Seven-Star Dou Practitioner only had a slightly numb arm. That truly caught his attention.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

After praising Xiao Ni, Yang Cheng waved his hand, and another Thunder Serpent condensed into existence. It entwined with the first one as they charged toward Xiao Ni, continuously spitting lightning from their mouths.

Faced with the lightning, Xiao Ni was temporarily unable to approach the Thunder Serpents. He could only use the Black Heavy Ruler to block the bolts while constantly shifting his position.

A minute later, Xiao Ni had evaded every attack. Yang Cheng was somewhat surprised, but he also felt sorry for the flowers. The Thunder Serpents' attacks had scorched many of them black, and some had even been reduced to ash.

Good. The paralysis effect hasn't worsened. Xiao Ni quietly sighed in relief after dodging another attack from the Thunder Serpents. Pale white flames had already emerged in his palm.

Sizzle!

The moment the pale white flames appeared, the surrounding temperature rapidly fell. Many flowers were burned into ash by the eerie cold air. The two Thunder Serpents suddenly lunged forward, attempting to bite Xiao Ni's shoulders from either side. Yet with a light push of Xiao Ni's palm, their bodies trembled, and they instantly evaporated into the air.

"Th-this... could that be the Bone Chilling Flame, ranked eleventh on the Heavenly Flame Ranking?!" Yang Cheng's eyes widened, his lips trembling without stop. At that moment, he had completely forgotten that he was still sparring with Xiao Ni.

He had once been an Alchemist. Although he no longer was, Heavenly Flames were both terrifying and immensely useful. Almost no Alchemist was unaware of them. He had once tried to seek one himself, but he had never expected to be fortunate enough to see one in Xiao Ni's possession today. He was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.

"Uncle Cheng really is an Alchemist." Xiao Ni chuckled, feeling that he had taken another step closer to his goal.

There should not have been many people around Wutan City who knew about Heavenly Flames. Anyone who became this excited upon seeing one was most likely an Alchemist.

"Xiao Ni, next I'll use my strongest Dou Skill, the Frenzied Thunder Python. If you can block this move with your Heavenly Flame, you can take all the medicinal ingredients here." An excited smile appeared on Yang Cheng's face. His feelings were conflicted. He both looked forward to Xiao Ni surprising him and worried that his strongest Dou Skill would not injure Xiao Ni badly enough, causing him to lose face.

"Please instruct me, Uncle Cheng." Xiao Ni raised his hand. A certain figure came to mind, and he immediately decided to let the Heavenly Flame borrow that person's technique.

Bang!

Yang Cheng slammed his palm hard against the air, then slightly curled his five fingers. Dense Dou Qi rapidly gathered before him. Half a breath later, a thick purple python had already taken shape, with a horn atop its head flashing with violent lightning.

"Frenzied Thunder Python!"

As Yang Cheng's fierce shout rang out, the purple python immediately shot toward Xiao Ni like lightning, carrying a piercing whistle through the air.

"Heavenly Flame Rasengan!" Xiao Ni casually tossed the Black Heavy Ruler aside, leaving a shallow dent in the ground where it landed. His right hand moved in a circular motion above his left twice, and the Bone Chilling Flame immediately condensed into a somewhat irregular sphere before smashing toward the purple python that had reached him.

"Awooo—"

In the next moment, the purple python let out a miserable shriek. Its body trembled violently. Lightning had just begun surging from its horn, but before it could be released, it suddenly evaporated into the air.

Meanwhile, the rapidly spinning sphere of Heavenly Flame continuously emitted icy flames. In less than half a breath, it completely swallowed the purple python. Two-thirds of the flowers on the ground were also struck by the terrifying shockwave and tragically reduced to ash.

"Good thing Father told me about Heavenly Flames before. Otherwise, I'd be in serious trouble now." Yang Qizhen, standing a hundred meters away, spoke with lingering fear.

She understood how terrifying Heavenly Flames were. If she had not fled into the distance beforehand, the residual shockwaves might have severely injured her.

Bang!

At last, the sphere of Heavenly Flame stopped spinning and exploded together with the purple python. A terrifying shockwave swept outward, directly blasting Xiao Ni away. He crashed heavily into an open patch of ground, leaving a shallow dent even in the hillside.

As for Yang Cheng, although he had only staggered back a few meters, he had suffered minor internal injuries, and his face had turned somewhat pale. The small wooden house had also collapsed, becoming a pile of ruins.

"Hahaha, that was satisfying! If I'd had strength like yours back then, I would've killed that bastard Big Snake long ago!" After a moment, everything returned to calm, and Yang Cheng burst into laughter.

"Big Snake?" Xiao Ni frowned slightly. He had never heard of anyone named Big Snake in Battle Through the Heavens. If Big Snake was not some hidden character, then there was only one person whose name contained the word snake.