Jia Nan Academy.
The Inner Academy.
Across the azure sky, figures flashed back and forth amid an endless rush of wind, while explosions of energy crackled like firecrackers. The immense energy fluctuations could be faintly sensed even a hundred miles away.
"Die, you vile beast!"
Two figures appeared eerily in the sky, one in gold robes and the other in silver. Dou Qi surged wildly as they blasted it straight at the fallen heart flame's head.
With their combined strike, they stood a considerable chance of victory even against a One-Star Dou Zong.
"Hiss!"
Powerful Dou Qi slammed viciously into its enormous head, striking it square in the face. The fallen heart flame let out a hiss laced with agony.
For a moment, fragments of energy danced across the sky, and an endless sea of fire shrouded the air above the entire Inner Academy.
The Invisible Fire Python formed by the fallen heart flame did not immediately flee. Instead, it abruptly raised its head, its cold, sinister eyes locking onto Han Feng and the Gold and Silver Elders. Its gaze brimmed with strikingly human greed and fury.
The Invisible Fire Python's behavior also enraged Han Feng and the others, especially Han Feng. Ice-blue flames churned violently over his body, and his expression turned icy. He could sense that the fallen heart flame had actually set its sights on the very people who had come to capture it.
"Good. You have guts. As expected of the fourteenth-ranked fallen heart flame-you actually covet my sea heart flame."
Han Feng's black hair whipped wildly. Bolstered by his Peak Dou Emperor Dou Qi, the sea heart flame blazed around him, soon occupying nearly half the sky as it confronted the Invisible Fire Python.
The Invisible Fire Python sensed this as well. It abruptly raised its enormous head and lashed its massive tail, sending its huge body hurtling into the sky, straight toward Han Feng amid the crowd.
As the flames swept toward them, the faces of the Black-Corner Region's Dou Emperors darkened beneath the scorching waves of heat, apart from Han Feng and the Gold and Silver Elders. Though Dou Qi shielded their bodies, they still felt a burning pain.
"Han Feng, this won't do. Jia Nan Academy has already sent out a distress signal. We must deal with it before that old bastard Su Qian arrives."
The Gold and Silver Elders spoke in unison.
Hearing this, Han Feng's expression shifted repeatedly. Deep-blue flames churned over his body like ocean waves. Then, with a flick of his hand, two ice-blue jade bottles appeared in his grasp.
As soon as the two jade bottles appeared, everyone saw dense blue frost seep out of them. Wherever the freezing mist drifted, even the traces of moisture in the air solidified into shards of ice.
Han Feng sneered, then hurled the jade bottles hard at the Invisible Fire Python.
"Burst!"
When the ice-blue jade bottles reached a point about ten meters from the Invisible Fire Python, they abruptly shattered with a bang. Blue frost surged out in an overwhelming flood, shrouding the entire sky in moments.
As the ice-blue frost spread, even the Invisible Fire Python's body began to grow somewhat thin and insubstantial.
"Attack!" Han Feng shouted urgently. Everyone from the Black-Corner Region gathered the Dou Qi within their bodies and unleashed high-level Dou Techniques.
Countless multicolored streams of Dou Qi smashed into the Invisible Fire Python one after another. The Gold and Silver Elders' attack blasted a hole five or six meters wide straight through its body.
Han Feng swiftly condensed an ice-blue fireball and hurled it into the slowly closing hole.
Boom!
An explosion like a thunderclap shook the sky.
"Screee!"
A piercing shriek tore through the sky as the Invisible Fire Python's outer body exploded. Flames churned across the heavens, then rained down like meteors. Sparks streaked through the air with whistling cries, filling the world with the feeling of impending catastrophe.
In the sky, the faces of Jia Nan Academy's many Dou Wang elders changed drastically as they watched the fallen heart flame's devastating, near-total assault. If that rain of fire fell, every building in the Inner Academy would likely be destroyed in an instant.
They all circulated their Dou Qi and raised a barrier of light, firmly shielding the Inner Academy's students and buildings within it.
"Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!"
Under the onslaught of the powerful flames, the Dou Wang elders coughed up blood one after another, all suffering significant injuries.
Meanwhile, in the sky, blue flames engulfed Han Feng's eyes as he frantically summoned his soul power to search for the fallen heart flame's origin.
Found it.
The flames in his eyes swiftly receded, restoring clarity to his gaze. His body flashed into motion as he raced toward a certain corner.
"Hiss! Hiss!"
The Invisible Fire Python seemed to realize that it had been exposed. It immediately revealed itself, its enormous eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching Han Feng.
Han Feng stepped through the air and clenched his right hand. Ice-blue flames leaped like sprites, then swiftly solidified into an enormous azure flame spear!
"Beast, meet your death!"
Gripping the spear tightly, Han Feng appeared before the Fire Python as though he had teleported. Gathering all his Dou Qi, he drove the flame spear into its eye.
Ice-blue flames burned inside the Invisible Fire Python's head. Then, with a boom, the blue spear exploded.
"Screee! Screee!"
The Invisible Fire Python raised its half-destroyed head. Piercing sound waves, laden with unmistakable agony, shrilled through the sky.
"Time to end this!"
The Gold and Silver Elders appeared behind the fallen heart flame and each landed a solid palm strike on the serpent's back. Their blow, comparable to that of a Dou Zong expert, knocked the struggling fallen heart flame clean out of the sky.
Much of the fire seemed to fade, and the Invisible Fire Python gradually turned into a small flame serpent as it fell.
Han Feng wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, swiftly took a bottle of Qi Recovery Pills from his Storage Ring, and stuffed them all into his mouth.
The sea heart flame surged wildly over his hands as he seized the small flame serpent falling from the sky. His soul power then flooded forth, swiftly penetrating the flame's origin and erasing the little serpent's consciousness.
Seeing Han Feng subdue the fallen heart flame in the blink of an eye, the Black-Corner Region's Dou Emperors let out long breaths of relief. They spread their Dou Qi wings and gathered around him.
"We've succeeded. Retreat!"
Han Feng's face also lit up with wild joy. Wrapping the fallen heart flame in ice-blue fire, he stored its now-quiet origin inside his Storage Ring, then took the lead in leaving.
Everyone followed.
"Where do you think you're going?"
A youthful yet domineering voice rang out. A little girl dressed in white then blocked the Black-Corner Region's Dou Emperors as they prepared to leave.
The girl appeared to be only twelve or thirteen years old. Her long, pale-purple hair fell to her waist, and her cheeks were exceptionally fair and soft. With her delicate, doll-like appearance, she blinked her large, dark, liquid eyes at Han Feng.
"Hmph! A mere Dou Wang dares block our path!"
Fan Lao of the Blood Sect sneered, gathered Dou Qi in his right hand, and instantly charged forward.
Seeing this, the little purple-haired girl did not dodge. She raised her fist and met Fan Lao head-on.
Boom!
Fan Lao and the Purple-Haired Girl each staggered back more than ten zhang. Neither seemed to have gained much of an advantage.
Han Feng narrowed his eyes, studying the Purple-Haired Girl before him in disbelief.
"Something's strange about this girl. Attack together and finish her in one blow!"
Although the Gold and Silver Elders were disdainful, this was a critical moment, and there was no time for deliberation. A sky-filling barrage of multicolored Dou Qi slammed into the Purple-Haired Girl before she could dodge.
Having landed their combined strike, they departed without a backward glance.