Before Li Xiaoya could think, blue light flashed around him, and a blue Light Barrier enveloped his body. The purple flames struck it, warping the Light Barrier before it immediately returned to its original shape. Blocked by the blue Light Barrier, the purple flames split and blasted past either side. The tremendous force drove Li Xiaoya staggering backward, his feet carving a long furrow through the dirt.
"Oh? That spiritual artifact of yours is rather good! It can withstand my Purple Frost Exotic Fire!" The cultivator paused in surprise, then spoke mildly. He drew back, and the stream of purple flames stopped at once. Gathering the purple fire around his body back into himself, he landed on the ground.
The cultivator looked about the same age as Li Xiaoya. He wore the Fire Dragon Palace's black-and-red flame-patterned robes, but stood half a head shorter than Li Xiaoya. His fiery red hair was striking, his skin slightly dark. Beneath thick eyebrows sat a pair of slanted, triangular eyes, and a contemptuous, wicked smile curled his lips. Defiance was written all over his face.
"A Fire Dragon Palace cultivator?" Li Xiaoya exclaimed, startled by his peculiar appearance and clothing.
"Heh! Weren't you saying our Demonic Path divine abilities weren't much?" the red-haired cultivator said coldly.
"Hmph! We don't know who'll win yet!" Li Xiaoya retorted, though inwardly he lamented his predicament. The Vacuum Ring could withstand this so-called Purple Frost Exotic Flame, but that single blow had already consumed a full third of his magic power. Wait, Exotic Flame? Isn't that a cultivation method only the Fire Dragon Palace's direct lineage can practice? Could this man be related to the palace master? The realization suddenly flashed through Li Xiaoya's mind, leaving him aghast.
Unlike the other Demonic Path sects, the Fire Dragon