Fire from the Mouth, Blades for Hands

Before Qiu Yan could think further, the flames rushed towards him, the heat enveloped him, and the intense heat wave instantly evaporated the moisture on his body and clothes, making them dry.

Then, a foul, pungent odor wafted into Qiu Yan's nostrils, causing him to momentarily lose his senses. Startled, he held his breath.

"The smell contained in this fire is actually poisonous?"

With this thought in mind, Qiu Yan multitasked, circulating his energy to envelop and expel the air that had invaded his nose, while simultaneously thrusting out a palm strike, the force of which vibrated in his hand, directly onto the flames.

Call!

The flames were extremely hot; before they even touched Qiu Yan's body, they had already dried his clothes. Now, being grabbed like this should have burned his flesh and blood, but Qiu Yan's hand trembled, and he seemed to resonate with the flames. The flames not only did not burn him, but were instead drawn to bend, linger, and wrap around his hand.

When it comes to playing with fire, Qiu Yan can now be considered an expert. He has not only encountered ordinary fire, but also Yang Fire, Divine Fire, True Fire, and Samadhi True Fire. Not to mention the more mysterious Heart Fire the heart and the fire of anger.

With fire wrapped around his hands, Qiu Yan used his senses to investigate and was surprised.

"This flame is actually a mortal fire! It contains a trace of explosive Earthfire, and in terms of destructive power alone, it is even close to the level of Yang Fire! However, Earthfire is so violent, how could it be easily subdued?"

Having discovered this, Qiu Yan was naturally surprised. Yang Fire is the pinnacle of the Third Realm. To cultivate it requires an immense amount of effort and time, and most people would never be able to master it in their entire lives!

Qiu Yan's pursuit this time was not blind. He had discovered a clue in that divine power, sensed something, and, having a backup plan, was confident in his ability to protect himself. That's why he came; if the enemy was too strong, he would have to retreat.

Despite his thoughts, Qiu Yan didn't stop moving. He wrapped one hand in flames, pushed off with his feet, and dashed forward!

This movement, this change in angle, allowed him to see a scene—

The fiery serpent actually spewed out from the black-robed man's mouth.

"Breathing fire?"

Qiu Yan narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the man's face. He was immediately stunned.

The black-robed man opened his mouth and spewed fire continuously. Two slits could be seen from the corners of his mouth to his chin, just like the mouth of a puppet!

"A puppet? A mannequin? This man in black robes is also a mechanical creation!"

In an instant, a variety of thoughts flashed through Qiu Yan's mind. This time, he followed the divine power connection to find the mastermind behind it all, or to investigate the true nature of the Blank Divine Power. He never expected to encounter another contraption.

"This Mechanical Puppet acted directly. Isn't it afraid that if I capture it, I can trace it back to its source? Even if this Mechanical Puppet is exceptionally powerful, the person behind it can't have endless backup plans. Eventually, the connection will be established, unless..."

In an instant, his senses spread out.

Just as Qiu Yan was pondering, the Black-Robed Mechanism Man suddenly closed its mouth and bit off the fire snake. Then, a large amount of steam billowed from beneath it, lifting its entire body up. At first glance, it looked a bit like it was riding on clouds.

His flight was incredibly fast, creating a sonic boom around him, compressing the air into a ring, which then spread out and turned into a whirlwind!

Boom!

A deafening roar erupted before Qiu Yan, accompanied by a surge of air. The Mechanical Puppet had already flown to his side. With a flick of its wrist, the puppet's five fingers crackled, and sharp, pointed metal pieces shot out from its fingertips, gleaming coldly—clearly not ordinary iron!

Wave!

Five cold glints flashed past, striking Qiu Yan like long whips!

In that instant, Qiu Yan only had time to think, and he exploded the flames in his hand, releasing streams of Literary Thought that formed the sound of reading, protecting him in front of him!

Bang!

The next moment, he was launched like a cannonball, flying twenty feet and crashing straight into the hill he had passed on his way here!

Splash!

Instantly, the hill collapsed, and soil, sand, and rocks tumbled down, turning it into ruins.

But a moment later, the rubble scattered, and a figure flew out from it, rushing towards the Mechanical Puppet. It was Qiu Yan. His clothes were fluttering, but he was completely unharmed, not even a tear in his clothes!

Click click click!

The Mechanical Puppet hesitated slightly, but quickly recovered, and with a flick of his arms, his arms separated into sections connected by chains, lashing out like two long whips, aimed directly at the attacking Qiu Yan!

At the front of both arms, the five fingers snapped, and the nails gleamed coldly! They had just struck Qiu Yan's five limbs, and blood was flowing down, scattering in the air as the wind blew.

Faced with the approaching arms, Qiu Yan stretched out his arms and slapped his palms forward. With two loud "booms," two extremely concentrated fireballs roared out and collided with the Mechanical Puppet's arms.

Disperse!

The impact sent sparks flying, but the core of the fireball didn't dissipate. Instead, it rose and burned along the Mechanical Puppet's arms, reaching its Mechanical Puppet body in the blink of an eye. The black robe quickly burned, revealing the body beneath.

His body was covered with thin cracks, and a clicking sound could be heard from time to time as the Mechanical Puppet moved.

Soon, the black robe turned to ashes, and the gaps in the Mechanical Puppet's body made a "crackling" sound, with smoke coming out. His body twisted and turned, and airflow rushed out from the cracks, blowing away all the surrounding flames.

Then, its waist began to rotate, causing its Half-Body to spin rapidly like a propeller, and its two outstretched arms also spun rapidly, their tips flashing with a cold light!

Call!

Then, steam jets shot out from the Mechanical Puppet's feet again, propelling it to spin and fly up. In the blink of an eye, it rushed in front of Qiu Yan, its two outstretched arms wrapping around him. Because the spinning speed was so fast, it left only afterimages. From a distance, it looked like a tornado, enveloping Qiu Yan inside.

A cold, sharp glint flashed, incomparably razor-sharp!

Snap!

With a soft sound, Qiu Yan's arm was severed at the shoulder, the cut smooth and clean, from which surging flames erupted, instantly filling the tornado.

Instantly, a gale, afterimages, and flames converged, completely obscuring the view inside.

Puff!

In the same inn, a young man named Tian Zhun opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood. His body swayed, and he was about to fall off the chair when a figure flashed and an old man appeared beside him, supporting his body and extending a hand with a bright green pill in his palm.

"Eat it."

Tian Zhun nodded, opened his mouth, inhaled, and swallowed the pill.

The pill melts instantly upon entering the mouth, completely dispersing in the esophagus, its medicinal power surging forth and spreading rapidly.

Soon, a blush appeared on Tian Zhun's pale face.

The old man then asked, "How is it?"

Tian Zhun let out a long sigh of relief before saying, "The Thousand Mechanisms Robe is damaged and can no longer be controlled remotely. From now on, we can only rely on the Fire Pillar to fight on its own. However, Qiu Yan is indeed extraordinary, with exceptional combat power, and he is locked in a fierce battle with the Fire Pillar."

At this point, his mood became somewhat low. "Although I managed to gather the scattered Thought Projections during the battle, this incident was a complete loss. Not only did we fail to uncover Qiu Yan's true strength, but we also lost a Mechanical Puppet. The Fire Pillar was crafted by my uncle after ten years of collecting materials and risking his life to enter the Earthfire Nest, but it was destroyed here."

The old man shook his head and said, "Don't worry about it. I didn't just refine one Fire Pillar back then. Besides, you did gain something. Qiu Sheng was cautious and left no trace. I only knew that he had the power of Life Cultivation before. After your test, I realized that in terms of combat strength alone, he can rival a cultivator in the Third Realm."

Tian Zhun taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly somewhat surprised.

The old man looked at Tian Zhun and slowly said, "The Fire Pillar contains the essence of Earthfire, and its power is comparable to Yang Fire and Kidney Fire. It is also made of Millennium Cold Iron. Even if it encounters an ordinary Core Forging master, it can fight. Doesn't this indirectly prove Qiu Sheng's strength? Therefore, what you did was not meaningless. You found out Qiu Yan's strength and weakness. In the future, you can make arrangements to recruit him at your own pace."

Hearing this, Tian Zhun felt a little better, but when he heard that his uncle still had the idea of recruiting Qiu Yan, he couldn't Qi Ingestion but feel unconvinced. He secretly resolved to work hard when he got back and master the essence of Mechanism Arts as soon as possible!

As he pondered, a surge of pride welled up within him. He took a deep breath and solemnly declared, "Today's events have served as a spur to me, reminding me that even the most talented person must work hard! I am confident I will not lose to Qiu Yan, and next time we meet, I will avenge this defeat!"

"Hahaha! That's spirited! That's spirited!" The old man beside him laughed heartily, looking very pleased with himself. "Your brother has encouraged you many times before, but none of that compares to this one encounter. It seems that this trip to the Eastern Capital was the right decision."

In his opinion, it would be best if Qiu Yan could be recruited, but even if not, today's events would have made the trip worthwhile.

But...

"I've heard that the mother of the Second Sage moved her residence three times to Exhortation to Learning. I never imagined that someone would use this incident to teach others today. But it's one thing to educate the younger generation, but why use me, Qiu, as a testing ground? Do you really think I'm a pushover that you can bully at will?"

These words reached the ears of the uncle and nephew, causing both of them to change color.

These words came suddenly, accompanied by a gust of wind. As the wind blew, it opened all the windows of the guest room, letting the air rush in and turning it into a strong gust of wind, stirring up chaos inside the room!

A figure drifted in through the wind, and as soon as he landed on the ground, without saying a word, he reached out and grabbed at Tian Zhun!

Although Tian Zhun had pills to replenish his energy, the loss of his Thought Projections had still taken its toll. Startled, he froze on the spot, letting the hand grab him, which was about to reach his face.

"Yes! Retreat!"

A voice came from behind, booming like thunder, startling Tian Zhun awake. Then, a strong force pulled him back, followed by the sound of clothes tearing in the wind. The old man stepped forward and exchanged a palm strike with the newcomer!

In an instant, the palm strike surged, Qi and Blood surged, impacting all directions and causing the gale to cease.

Tian Zhun finally saw the person's face clearly, his eyes widening in disbelief, and he exclaimed in surprise—

"Qiu Yan?"

ps:

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