Heh Heh Heh Heh, I Love Strangling Geniuses!

Fear quietly spread through the crowd. Though great rewards inevitably produced brave men, and the black aura had dulled their reason—

Everyone present had seen life-and-death battles before. Their survival instincts swiftly overcame greed and every other emotion.

Some had even begun a strategic retreat.

Whoosh!

Flames spread out from beneath Xiao Yan's feet, a line of fire rapidly encircling the entire Jia Lie Clan Grounds like a barrier.

Some who refused to believe it tried to flee, only to turn to ash the instant they touched it.

Having witnessed the might of the Samadhi True Fire, even those who wished to retreat no longer dared take a single step past the boundary.

"Heh heh heh heh, you think you can run after offending me, Xiao?"

Xiao Yan stared at the grim-faced crowd with a sunny smile. Just as he was about to say something, his brows suddenly rose.

Almost in sync with his laughter, he sensed a peculiar fluctuation coming from somewhere within the Jia Lie Clan Grounds.

It shared the same origin as the traces of black aura lodged within everyone's souls.

[Caught a big fish. Just as expected, this villain isn't that brainless. There's someone pulling the strings behind him.]

Realizing this, Xiao Yan had no intention of alerting the enemy. After confirming that the other party could not detect him, he firmly committed that aura to memory.

Then he cheerfully looked toward the crowd, whose expressions were growing increasingly unpleasant.

Showing his white teeth, Xiao Yan smiled with particular wildness.

"You come when you want and leave when you want. What do you take my territory for?"

Swish, swish, swish!

Xiao Xun'er said nothing and simply kept slaughtering enemies.

While Xiao Yan had been speaking, she had already killed another three people who had tried to sneak up on him.

Xiao Yan's words completely enraged Jia Lie Bi.

"You yellow-haired brat, how arrogant! Kill him! Kill that boy, and I'll hand over all of the Oba Clan's wealth! Those who advance will become honored guests of Wutan City in the future. Those who remain where they are will receive a generous reward from my Jia Lie Clan. And anyone who retreats will be attacked by everyone here!!!"

Jia Lie Bi's eyes were bloodshot, and he panted like a bull. Xiao Yan's utter disregard for him had thoroughly infuriated him.

What did Xiao Yan mean by his territory? This was the damn Jia Lie Clan Grounds!

Even if it cost him everything, he would keep Xiao Yan here!

"Kill him! That arrogant brat never intended to let us leave! If we don't kill him, we'll all die here!" Someone in the crowd shouted again, and the previously dispirited mob immediately surged forward once more.

Xiao Xun'er rolled her pretty eyes.

Though the two were no longer back-to-back as they darted around the battlefield, Xiao Yan had made no effort whatsoever to hide his movements.

He had spoken those words using a secret technique. Yet unexpectedly, regardless of whether they had noticed Xiao Yan's actions, the crowd's response had been remarkably effective.

"Hahahaha! Since you aren't fleeing in panic before me, then be utterly defeated!"

Xiao Yan was in high spirits. He fixed his blazing gaze on the overwhelming flood of Dou Qi attacks, his chest filled with heroic fervor.

He clapped his hands together. The Flame Mantra circulated, releasing the restrictions on his body as boundless power surged through every limb and bone. Pure white flames wrapped around him, and his essence, energy, and spirit instantly became one.

Countless sharp whistles tore through the air as the attacking crowd rushed toward him. Yet Xiao Yan faced the night sky without moving an inch.

He slowly closed his eyes, feeling the vast power within his dantian. Xiao Yan raised his right hand, and at some unknown moment, an enormous black ruler had appeared in his palm.

The Samadhi True Fire crawled up Xiao Yan's arm inch by inch and climbed onto the Heavy Xuan Ruler. Majestic flames ignited across its black surface as pure white patterns spread outward. Xiao Yan's aura swelled once again, and the Heavy Xuan Ruler he held level gradually rose with both arms.

"Not good!" In the crowd, Xi Men Sang, Liu Xi's master and a six-star Da Dou Shi Three-Grade Alchemist, shrank his pupils.

Countless figures had already leaped high into the air. Dou Techniques of every color bloomed in full splendor, seeking to drown Xiao Yan beneath sheer numbers.

Yet Xiao Yan's unshakable bearing gave Xi Men Sang a terrible premonition. His soul force, far beyond that of ordinary people, made his soul feel as though it were being scorched by blazing flames, sending waves of stabbing pain through him.

Warning bells rang madly in his mind. Without a second thought, Xi Men Sang fully activated his movement Dou Technique and darted through the battlefield until he reached the crowd's rear flank.

Once there, he discovered that another Da Dou Shi whom Jia Lie Bi had invited to assist him was also hiding in the back. Unlike Xi Men Sang, however, that man had hidden directly behind the crowd.

Before Xi Men Sang could say anything, towering flames filled his vision. He turned around in shock and saw the solidified white blaze atop Xiao Yan's raised Heavy Xuan Ruler erupt into the heavens.

The scorching heat evaporated the moisture in the air. Even the rain within several dozen meters was completely vaporized. The rain that had fallen all night quietly ceased beneath the soaring pillar of fire.

Xi Men Sang's eyes widened. The sight was simply too shocking.

The surrounding air warped under the heat, while the natural energy of heaven and earth crazily gathered toward Xiao Yan along with this move.

The pure white Samadhi True Fire stood out brilliantly in the night, illuminating the youth below in his crimson-gold robes until he too shone with incomparable splendor.

Within the Sea of Bitterness, divine power continuously surged from the Life Spring, seemingly becoming one with the rapidly spinning Dou Qi Vortex within it.

With his full power unleashed, the Samadhi True Fire had risen to an utterly terrifying level.

"Flame Splitting Wave-Cleaving Ruler!"

Xiao Yan's mighty voice spread across nearly half the city. His body soared from the ground and slowly rose into the air, engulfed in flames like a god descending upon the world.

With a thunderous roar, the speed at which the natural energy of heaven and earth poured into him abruptly surged. Xiao Yan's essence, energy, and spirit reached their utmost sublimation, all of it pouring into the attack.

A pure white ruler's radiance, a full ten zhang wide, descended with crushing force.

With that single strike, it seemed as though he intended to smash the entire earth in two. Its vast divine might appeared capable of sweeping away everything before it.

"Take my Thunderous Cleave! Count your sins!"

BOOM!!!

Everything happened too quickly. With the speed of thunder before one could even cover one's ears, everything before him was turned into a sea of fire.

Scorching tongues of flame swept outward, firelight shot into the sky, dust rose everywhere, and dense smoke spread through the air, swallowing everything ahead.

Hovering a zhang above the ground, Xiao Yan's strength was completely drained by that strike. As his power abruptly gave out, his body rapidly fell from the air.

Just as Xiao Yan wondered how large a crater he would make in the ground, a warm, soft touch pressed against him from the side.

Xiao Yan turned and saw golden light flickering around Xiao Xun'er as her hair danced in the wind. She wrapped an arm around his waist, caught him, and gently landed on the ground.

"Hehe, Brother Xiao Yan, shouldn't you take your hand away now?"

Xiao Yan froze, only to discover that because Xiao Xun'er was not very skilled at holding him like that, his large hand had somehow ended up on her chest. He had even unconsciously squeezed it.

Xiao Yan: (∥•/ω/•∥)

Xiao Xun'er: (눈_눈)

"Ahem, you've developed quite well... Sister, I was wrong." Xiao Yan coughed dryly, but he still could not escape having the soft flesh at his waist twisted several times. Before Xiao Xun'er could hit him, he decisively stood up.

Though he was stealing a moment of leisure amid the chaos, Xiao Yan had not forgotten the important matter. With a solemn expression, he held two fingers together and pointed at the sea of fire, then lightly snapped his fingers. In an instant, the fading Samadhi True Fire detonated again, completely swallowing the surviving scum.

The unnamed Da Dou Shi who had retreated behind everyone else early on did not even have a chance to resist and turned to ash in the first wave of impact. The alchemist who had cleverly slipped to the edge also failed to escape the second explosion.

Within the vast courtyard, only Xiao Yan and Xiao Xun'er remained.

"Mission accomplished. How should Brother Xiao Yan thank me? Why don't you call me 'Sister' a few more times? I can reward you." Her pretty face slightly flushed, Xiao Xun'er pressed tightly against Xiao Yan's arm. Just as she was about to say something else, Xiao Yan suppressed the churning blood in his chest and gave her a look.

"It's not over yet."

"Hm?!" Xiao Xun'er froze. The moment she saw that look, all her tender thoughts vanished. Her expression turned stern as Dou Qi surged forth, golden light enveloping them both and shielding Xiao Yan behind her.

Before she could say anything else, a burst of applause came from within the smoke.

"Tsk tsk tsk, splendid, splendid! How terrifying. To achieve this much with the body of a Dou Zhe, you truly are a peerless genius. But unfortunately, your path has already reached its end. I love strangling hateful geniuses like you the most. Heh heh heh heh—"

The smoke slowly dispersed, and a hair-raising voice drifted out along with a figure completely shrouded in a black robe.