Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus

High in the sky.

Han Feng stood upon the void, flames surging all over him as he stared gravely at the young man hovering opposite him.

"Heh, it's been half a year, Mansion Lord Fan. You're as impressive as ever."

Fan Tian's expression remained unchanged as he looked Han Feng up and down. The man was brimming with confidence, his face glowing.

Cao Ying and Dan Chen stood to either side behind Fan Tian on wings formed from dou qi, regarding Han Feng with some surprise as well. Previously, he had looked like a middle-aged man, with deep frustration and resentment lurking beneath his polished appearance. Now, with his rise in cultivation, Han Feng seemed reborn. His bearing had changed completely, and at a glance, he looked barely over twenty.

"Heh, Han Feng, you're quite something. Bold and ruthless enough-a talented man." Fan Tian smiled faintly. "Only..."

Han Feng frowned. "Only what?"

"Only your mindset still falls short."

"I don't understand what you mean, Mansion Lord Fan."

Only after breaking through to Dou Zong had Han Feng truly sensed how terrifying this Heavenly Mansion Alliance Lord was. In his perception, this man was unmistakably a High-Rank Dou Zong.

With the Flame Mantra and two heavenly flames to rely on, Han Feng would not have been overly wary even if Fan Tian were a Five-Star or Six-Star Dou Zong. Now, however, he clearly had to continue lying low-but not for much longer.

Refining the fallen heart flame had already proven the wonders of the Flame Mantra. One person really could possess multiple heavenly flames. Given time, the Dou Qi Continent would welcome a true titan. His achievements would far surpass his teacher's, and with enough luck, he might even stand shoulder to shoulder with the founder of the Pill Tower.

When that day came, the likes of Xuan Kongzi and young prodigies such as Fan Tian would all have to grovel at his feet.

Fan Tian watched the somewhat distracted Han Feng, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"If I were you, I would never let anyone know my name was Han Feng."

Han Feng's expression darkened. "Mansion Lord Fan, your extraordinary talent is undeniable, but aren't you being a little too arrogant?"

Fan Tian paused, then spoke in an unhurried voice:

"Han Feng, what's done is done. The victor becomes king; the loser becomes a bandit. If you truly rise to greatness someday, others will argue your case for you. Yet you frightened yourself out of your wits. After all these years, you were still trapped at Dou Emperor with a mortal realm soul. That's why I say-you don't have what it takes."

"Arrogant!"

Han Feng's expression changed drastically. Dou qi surged wildly, and as his heavenly flames churned, the temperature around him soared.

The Gold and Silver Elders and the others swept behind Han Feng, staring gravely at Fan Tian. None of them spoke. Though normally arrogant and overbearing, they were no fools. The Heavenly Mansion Alliance Lord before them was not only far stronger than Su Qian; when it came to ruthless methods, he likely fell no short of hardened men like them on the Black List.

Two-colored flames swept across the sky, and Han Feng's sleeves billowed without wind.

Under the pressure of Han Feng's two-colored flames, even Dan Chen's seventh-rank Sacred Feather Crane beast flame and Cao Ying's blood demon flame trembled, leaving both women quaking with fear.

Watching Han Feng shrouded in flames, Fan Tian smiled contemptuously. Dou qi abruptly gathered in his hand, forming a massive hand seal a hundred zhang across, which he slammed down without hesitation.

The moment he struck, the many Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs of the Heavenly Mansion and the Black Alliance erupted into a chaotic melee.

Though Dan Chen and Cao Ying were only in the dou huang realm, their mid-spirit realm soul power allowed them to face the Gold and Silver Elders without the slightest fear. The two women even used their soul power to disrupt the elders' combined technique, preventing the two men from maintaining a unified rhythm.

The other Heavenly Mansion experts, however, gradually fell on the defensive under the assault of the Black Alliance's forces, which outnumbered them two to one.

"Starfall Palm!"

"Heaven-Shaking Great Hand Seal!"

The two high-level Dou Techniques of the Starfall Pavilion and Sound Valley collided violently in midair. The two men traded blows, exchanging more than a dozen rounds in succession.

But the clash did not last much longer.

With a thunderous explosion, Fan Tian struck Han Feng in the chest with his palm, smashing him viciously out of the sky. Immediately afterward, he jabbed several fingers through the air. Several powerful streams of dou qi, bearing the might of a peak Seven-Star Dou Zong, shot from his fingertips and hammered the heavenly flame barrier Han Feng had barely managed to raise.

Within moments, the barrier shattered, and all the remaining force poured into Han Feng.

"Pfft-"

Han Feng spat out a mouthful of blood, his face as pale as paper. Clearly, he had suffered a grievous injury. He hurriedly took out a Sixth-Grade Pill and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Don't bother. Why waste a pill on a man who's about to die?"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Fan Tian slowly stepped down through the void. Every step sent a ring of ripples spreading through the air.

At the sight, everyone in the Black Alliance froze in bewilderment.

They had only just finished warming up and were preparing to fight to the death, yet their alliance leader was already down, coughing up mouthfuls of blood on the ground.

"There's no grudge between us... Why are you targeting me like this?"

Han Feng's breathing grew increasingly rapid. He had never imagined he would lose so quickly. Whenever the heavenly flames he took such pride in approached Fan Tian's body, they vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea. His opponent's cultivation technique, Dou Techniques, and cultivation level all far surpassed his own. In other words, if Han Feng could hold his own against a Five-Star Dou Zong, Fan Tian could rival a Nine-Star Dou Zong.

"Why must there be a grudge before I can target you?"

"I want your heavenly flames. Isn't that reason enough?"

Dou qi rapidly gathered in Fan Tian's right palm. He intended to deliver the finishing blow immediately, giving Han Feng no chance to catch his breath.

Villains die from talking too much. Fan Tian did not consider himself a villain, but if he could settle something with his fists, it was better to say less.

At those words, a savage look appeared on Han Feng's face. His life with heavenly flames had only just begun. He absolutely could not fall here.

"I can refine pills for you!"

Fan Tian remained unmoved.

"My teacher is Venerable Yao, Yao Chen, and my martial uncle is Venerable Feng of the Starfall Pavilion-surely you've heard of them, Mansion Lord Fan..."

Fan Tian paused slightly at that. Behind him, Dan Chen and Cao Ying exchanged a glance, their eyes flickering.

"Han Feng, you really do surprise me. But don't you also have a friend with quite an impressive background?"

This time, it was Han Feng's turn to freeze.

"Heh, I've always enjoyed making friends. Which one do you mean, Mansion Lord Fan?"

"An honored elder of the Hall of Souls-Mu Gu."

Han Feng abruptly stiffened, his pupils contracting sharply.

"Back then, you worked with the Hall of Souls and stabbed your teacher Yao Chen in the back for the Flame Mantra. Surely you haven't forgotten all that?"

"You... you..."

Han Feng panted heavily, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"You..."

"You what?"

"I..."

"I what?"

Han Feng stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence.

As Fan Tian approached, Han Feng slowly rose to his feet.

"Hahaha... Fine, fine, fine! All of you are forcing my hand! But do you know that old bastard was too afraid of death to practice it himself, yet would rather destroy it than give it to me?"

He suddenly threw back his head and laughed, anguish written across his face. Then the two-colored flames within him surged out wildly, finally gathering slowly above his right palm into a palm-sized, two-colored Fire Lotus.

"Holy shit!"

"This... this is... the Buddha's Fury Fire Lotus?"