Flame

Futu Yun felt as if his mind had suddenly become infinitely vast.

The limitations that had once bound him within his body were ultimately nothing compared to this boundless world.

At this moment, it seemed that his every movement could merge with heaven and earth, allowing him to command the immense spiritual energy between them.

His Divine Soul gradually became lustrous and jade-like.

It was no longer as illusory as before, and even seemed to possess an almost tangible texture.

Astonishing spiritual energy fluctuations rippled from within the tiny Divine Soul.

An intoxicated expression appeared on the Divine Soul's face.

It sensed heaven and earth, as though it too had quietly merged into them.

This was a realm entirely different from the Divine Soul Stage.

A faint sound rang out as firelight pierced through the back of Bai Xuan's head.

Bai Xuan's body stiffened. His eyes were wide, his face still frozen in incredulous terror.

His lips trembled slightly. He wanted to speak, yet could not utter a single word.

Futu Yun ignored him and instead looked into the distance. "Are you just going to watch?"

On a Green Pine growing from the cliff face of a mountain ahead,

a black-robed young man carrying a longsword on his back smiled at them. "He deserved to die for failing his task."

The young man's appearance was unremarkable, but a black dragon tattoo coiled between his brows.

Whenever he smiled, the tattoo gradually became more sinister.

Su Xuan and the others stared at the black-robed young man with the sword on his back, their expressions abruptly changing. "Demon Dragon?"

To many Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students training on the Northern Heavens Continent, this name was as terrifying as a demon.

It was said that this man possessed peerless talent and a ruthless, merciless nature, earning the Dragon Demon Palace's full support.

Over the years, almost no Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students who encountered him had survived.

The higher-ups of the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy had dispatched the Punishment Squad several times to kill him.

Yet although they had wounded him each time, they had also paid a considerable price.

Most importantly, he escaped every time. Whenever he appeared again, he only became more troublesome and difficult to deal with.

If there was one person Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students feared encountering most while training outside, it was undoubtedly Demon Dragon.

Su Xuan and the others turned pale, feeling a chill seep from their bones.

No one had expected them to encounter this true scourge here!

He was definitely far more terrifying than Bai Xuan!

Su Xuan clenched her pearly teeth, feeling utterly powerless.

They might still have been able to fight Bai Xuan, but against Demon Dragon, they probably would not even have a chance to escape.

"It looks like we're doomed." Guo Xiong gave a bitter laugh, his eyes filled with despair.

Then he looked at Futu Yun.

After all, Futu Yun had killed Bai Xuan in a single move just moments ago.

That had been a late-stage Heavenly Transformation Realm expert!

"Heh, why do you all look like that?"

"If you could kill Bai Xuan, you must be quite capable."

"Within the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy, I imagine you aren't unknown nobodies either."

"I wonder what rank you hold on the Sky Ranking?" Demon Dragon smiled at them from afar, his tone gentle.

"What the hell is it to you?" Guo Xiong's gaze darkened.

He loathed this executioner whose hands were stained with the blood of countless Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students.

"Quite bold. I admire that." Demon Dragon gave Guo Xiong a thumbs-up, then suddenly leveled his thumb and lightly jabbed it forward.

"Watch out!" Su Xuan's expression changed as she raised her jade-like hand.

The Heavy Water Spirit Pearl erupted with dazzling light, and azure waves swept forth, forming layers upon layers of defenses before them.

A faint whistling sound cut through the air. A streak of black light tore straight through the layers of water and struck Guo Xiong's arm.

A bloody hole instantly appeared, blood pouring down from it.

Guo Xiong's face turned pale, but he remained unyielding. He gritted his teeth without making a sound, glaring fiercely at Demon Dragon.

"Step back," Futu Yun said softly.

Su Xuan and the others lightly bit their teeth, but ultimately nodded and swiftly retreated.

Demon Dragon smiled as he extended a hand into the distance, slowly gripping the longsword on his back. With a light shake, a sword hum resounded through the sky.

Before Demon Dragon even made a move with his sword, overwhelming sword energy had already gathered around him.

"Among your Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy students, there aren't many who can force me to use this Dragon Scale Sword."

"Drawing it for you today is already giving you plenty of face."

Demon Dragon pointed his longsword at Futu Yun from afar.

Amid the spreading sword energy, faint dragon roars echoed.

Su Xuan and the others grew even paler.

Demon Dragon clearly intended to kill him. He had directly brought out the Dragon Scale Sword.

Yet Futu Yun took a step forward and appeared directly before Demon Dragon.

Demon Dragon frowned. Has this kid never fought before?

He dared to fight at close range barehanded when I'm holding a sword?

But when he swung his sword, he realized he was wrong—and ridiculously so.

Futu Yun's hands drifted constantly, like leaves fluttering in the wind, striking every blow against Demon Dragon's blade.

To Su Xuan and the others, the sight was utterly shocking.

Futu Yun had actually blocked the edge of Demon Dragon's Dragon Scale Sword with nothing but his physical body. His body seemed absurdly tough.

However, Demon Dragon could see that this was not the case.

The palm technique Futu Yun used did not even qualify as a Spiritual Art; it could only be called a technique.

Every palm strike seemed to employ clever force, striking from the side and knocking Demon Dragon's Dragon Scale Sword away.

Demon Dragon wanted to widen the distance, but Futu Yun immediately closed in.

Demon Dragon wanted to accelerate his assault, yet he could not break through Futu Yun's defenses in the slightest.

Not until ten thousand streaks of sword radiance slowly gathered around him, distorting even the surrounding air as though it had been sliced apart.

Only then was Futu Yun forced to pull away from him.

Demon Dragon smiled softly, but his eyes were filled with blade-like chill.

He also retreated to widen the distance, and the longsword in his hand suddenly trembled.

In an instant, ten thousand sword cries resounded between heaven and earth.

Dark gray light rose up, transforming into sword shadows that filled the sky.

Su Xuan watched this astonishing offensive with a grave expression. Demon Dragon's cultivation had likely already touched the level of the Heavenly Reaching Realm.

No wonder he ranked second on the Northern Heavens Spiritual Academy's Bounty Ranking.

He truly was a ruthless monster whom even the Punishment Squad had repeatedly failed to capture.

Yet Futu Yun's expression did not change.

He had clearly been using his exchange with Demon Dragon to temper the power within him, which had surged due to external forces.

Once he fully gained control of that power, he could naturally unleash everything he had.

A clear, resonant cry rang out through heaven and earth as a massive crimson bird slowly formed.

The giant bird burned all over with flames. Like a divine beast born from fire, it spread its wings and swept forward.

The temperature across the entire world soared in an instant, even the air twisting along with it.

"Dragon Scale Sword Art, Ten Thousand Swords Split the Sky!" Demon Dragon roared.

Countless sword shadows abruptly rose, then turned into a rain of swords that blanketed the sky and descended upon Futu Yun.

Futu Yun suddenly thrust out his palm.

The massive crimson bird spread its dazzling fire wings, carrying a terrifying heat capable of incinerating heaven and earth.

Before everyone's horrified eyes, it collided head-on with the rain of swords.

Demon Dragon's expression finally changed at that moment.

But by the time he realized he was no match, his entire body had already been swallowed by flames.

What Divine Formula was this guy using?