Heavenly Flames? Heavenly Fire?

Xiao Yao said nothing. The moment Xiao Ming finished speaking, his body vanished from where he stood, as though he had never been there at all. Huang Lin's expression shifted slightly. He knew just how terrifying this move was. Even with his strength, he could not locate his opponent at all, yet he found Xiao Yan's eyes as calm as ever.

Xiao Yan had never fought an enemy like this before. Sometimes, they would rather face an opponent far stronger than themselves than someone like this. Xiao Yan knew that observing would reveal nothing. Since that was the case, he might as well close his eyes and wait for whatever came. He confined his soul power to within fifty meters and began sensing every change around him.

At that moment, everyone watched the scene before them. They wanted to see whether Xiao Yao could create another miracle and kill Xiao Yan with a single move.

The white-robed man looked at the calm Xiao Yan and had already guessed the outcome. Among them, only he had soul power at the Emperor Realm. He knew that under Emperor Realm soul power, Xiao Yao's invisibility battle skill would be of little use. Still, it could at least drain Xiao Yan's battle qi. Even he, a heaven-blessed genius, was not confident of defeating five people alone.

The same move, the same dagger, stabbed toward Xiao Yan from behind. Xiao Yan merely shifted slightly and evaded it without even glancing at Xiao Yao.

"How could you anticipate my attack?" Xiao Yao asked Xiao Yan.

"Stop asking. Didn't I tell you? His soul power has reached the Emperor Realm. Xiao Yao, don't use that move. Drain as much of his battle qi as possible," Xiao Ming said to Xiao Yao from the side.

Xiao Yan swept Xiao Ming with a cold glance but said nothing. He could hold himself back, but others could not. One of the four said, "Isn't this a competition? How can you give him advice?"

The white-robed man glanced at the speaker, then at Xiao Yan, and sneered. "Only you people would treat this as a competition. To us, this is nothing more than a slaughterhouse."

Upon hearing the white-robed man's words, Xiao Yao immediately understood. He said to Xiao Yan, "You country bumpkins think you can turn the heavens upside down? I'll show you what an assassin is truly capable of."

That was right. Xiao Yao specialized in assassination. His direct combat strength was not especially high, but his first-rate assassination techniques had established his standing among this group from the Heavenly Spirit Continent. Xiao Ming had sent him out precisely because of his invisibility battle skill, which allowed him to carry out assassinations. Yet what worked against Huang Lin had no effect whatsoever on Xiao Yan. Assassins were powerful because they could hide in the shadows and strike without warning, but once exposed, they would lose their advantage completely.

"Actually, there was no need for you to tell me you were an assassin." Xiao Yan shrugged helplessly.

"I want everyone to know that even if you know my weakness, I will still defeat you. How can the dignity of our Heavenly Spirit Continent be insulted by the likes of you? So die." A trace of madness flashed through Xiao Yao's eyes.

Three long arrows shot toward Xiao Yan, their shafts coated in venom. Xiao Yan frowned deeply. He understood how dangerous that poison was; if it touched him, it would be troublesome. For an assassin, poison truly was an essential discipline. A ruler appeared in Xiao Yan's hand. It looked utterly ordinary, nothing out of the common.

"Is this the strength of the assassin you spoke of?" Xiao Yan sneered as he swung the ruler and deflected the three arrows.

"A qualified assassin only gets one chance. So die, Xiao Yan—Myriad Phantom Forms!" To Xiao Yan's surprise, Xiao Yao's body transformed into more than a hundred clones, unleashing a full-force attack. Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. He had never expected that what Xiao Yao told him had merely been meant to distract him. Who would have thought that an assassin would abandon a sneak attack and choose such a head-on method of battle? Their battle skills were also bizarre and varied, utterly beyond anything on the Battle Qi Continent. Before everyone's eyes, Xiao Yan in the arena was blasted into pieces by those hundred attacks. Xiao Yao smiled as he watched the scene, then his body gradually collapsed to the ground. That strike had drained all his battle qi and carried severe backlash. But what did that matter? He had won. He had defeated Xiao Yan. So what if Xiao Yan possessed Emperor Realm soul power? Was he not still dead?

"Don't be stupid. You can't kill him." A voice entered Xiao Yao's ears. Xiao Yao stared in Xiao Yan's direction as though struck by lightning.

"You're not the only one who can create clones. You moved pretty fast, didn't you?" Xiao Yan's lean figure appeared before everyone. Huang Lin's group was overjoyed, while the group in luxurious robes looked grim. They had not expected Xiao Yao to lose as well, defeated by someone from a remote continent in a Lower Plane.

"Do you think I'll make the same mistake twice? You won this round. Xiao Shan, you take the third round." Xiao Ming carried Xiao Yao back to the group in luxurious robes and spoke to a somewhat honest-looking man. Xiao Shan nodded and walked step by step toward the arena. Compared to Xiao Yao, he had more steadiness and respect, and less arrogance and prejudice.

Heavenly Flames? Heavenly Fire?

"I'll take the third round. You can wait for the next one." At that moment, a crisp voice entered everyone's ears. Xiao Yan followed the sound and found its owner beneath a tree.

She was a girl of about sixteen. Dressed in black, she wore clothing that wrapped around her graceful, curvaceous body. Her long hair fell loosely behind her, giving her a somewhat languid appearance. Her face was slightly pale, and her gray eyes made it seem as if she were ill. Everyone was startled by the girl's voice, including the group of men in luxurious robes.

From the moment they arrived until now, the girl had remained seated there without moving. Even among the men in luxurious robes, few knew her identity. If Xiao Ming had not repeatedly warned them not to provoke her, some of them would have already gone over to strike up a conversation.

A trace of gravity flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. He discovered that the girl's aura was slightly stronger than his, yet she seemed to emanate an exceedingly dangerous air. It was like the Heavenly Poison Woman from back then—his close friend, Xiao Yi Xian, whose relationship with him was difficult to put into words. When he had met Xiao Yi Xian in the Chu Yun Empire, she had become the Heavenly Poison Woman because of her Calamitous Poison Body. Now, that same aura emanated from this girl. Though it was faint, it still inspired fear.

"Yuting, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. After all, you've already been on the World-Creation Continent for a year. This seems unfair to Xiao Yan," Xiao Ming said politely to the girl.

"Is there even the slightest fairness in your competition? If you want to stop me, capture me yourself. Otherwise, this battle is mine." The girl looked at Xiao Ming, her tone icy.

Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. Others were competing to fight him, while he could only fight alone. It truly felt awful. But now, he was practically meat on the chopping block, at others' mercy.

"Who do you think you are, talking to Brother Ming like that?" Xiao Yan's silence did not mean everyone else would remain silent.

"I want one of his arms. Do you have any objections?" Without even turning her head, the girl spoke to Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming shuddered. He knew this little madam who had come to the World-Creation Continent was extremely ruthless, but demanding someone's arm over a single remark was more than even he could accept. He glared fiercely at the person who had spoken, then smiled at the girl. "Yuting, we're all from the same family, and we'll surely meet again in the future. How about this..."

"Will you do it yourself, or should I?" The girl's tone grew increasingly heavy.

"Well... Yuting, let's wait until your sister returns. If you want to fight this round, then fight." Left with no other choice, Xiao Ming finally brought up Xiao Yuting's sister, Xiao Wanqing.

Xiao Yuting walked toward Xiao Yan step by step, her expression calm. Xiao Yan tightly gripped the Eternal Ancient Flame Ruler with both hands. From their brief exchange, he felt more and more that this girl resembled Xiao Yi Xian when she had been the Heavenly Poison Woman. It was precisely because he understood that he made thorough preparations. Back then, Xiao Yi Xian had not been a fairy; she had been a witch. This girl was just as much of a witch, so how could Xiao Yan dare relax? Under Xiao Yan's watchful gaze, the girl stopped a short distance away and said, "Don't worry. I promised my sister I wouldn't kill anyone these next few days. So I won't kill you. This third round may be easy for you, or it may be difficult. I want you to do something. If you complete it, you win. If you lose this round, you lose your life."

The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched. This girl seemed even more vicious than he had imagined. He said coldly, "What is it?"

"They say you're an alchemist, so you should have your own flame. I want you to use your flame for a small experiment." The girl looked at Xiao Yan, a trace of fervor in her eyes.

"What experiment?"

"I'll administer a poison to your left hand, and you'll use your flame to detoxify it. If you succeed, you win this round. If you fail, at least I can let you die more quickly." After saying that, she added, "This is your best chance to conserve battle qi. If they come at you, you'll expend a great deal of battle qi. This time, we'll see whether heaven favors you."

"Fine. I believe heaven will favor me." Xiao Yan revealed a smug smile. With the Heavenly Flames, he could resist Xiao Yi Xian's Calamitous Poison Body. Why would he fear this girl's poison? Xiao Yan had originally worried that this would consume too much battle qi, but this girl might just have done him a great favor.

Everyone watched the scene in silence. They had already witnessed the girl's ruthlessness earlier. None of them would think she was merely a pretty decoration.

Before everyone's eyes, a pale yellow flame appeared in Xiao Yan's right hand. In that instant, a wave of heat spread outward from Xiao Yan in all directions.

Xiao Ming and Xiao Yuting exclaimed at the same time, "Heavenly Fire."