Why Won't You Fly?

In the gloomy world, endless blood rain poured from the sky, and a dark figure darted through the downpour between towering mountains.

The figure was Xiao Yan, who had already spent more than half a month in this world. He wore crude clothing made from the great hall's curtains, and black flames converted from Dou Qi covered his entire body.

Half a month had flown by. Although his strength had grown considerably, he still had no idea how to escape.

Most importantly, his life in the "Netherworld" could not possibly be smooth sailing. Danger soon arrived.

"Damn it, why isn't it working?" Xiao Yan frowned deeply and turned to look at the several Netherworld Generals pursuing him.

These Netherworld Generals had wings formed from black mist on their backs, and all possessed strength around the Dou Wang level. He could handle one alone, but against an entire group, he could only flee.

Xiao Yan was certain that the black flames had completely concealed every trace of his living aura. He had never gone out of his way to provoke these Netherworld Generals, either. They had come after him entirely on their own.

"There must be something on me they can lock onto. Damn it, what is it?!" Xiao Yan racked his brains but could find no clue.

The Netherworld Generals drew closer and closer, while his speed had already reached its limit. To widen the gap again, he would have to use his Flying Dou Technique, Eagle Wings.

But using a Flying Dou Technique in this environment would be no different from courting death. He still remembered Yao Lao telling him that flying in the Magical Beast Forest was absolutely taboo. The magical beasts would take it as a provocation and swarm whoever flew.

With no way left to evade them, he could only fight for his life.

Xiao Yan abruptly planted his feet, turned, and drove a fist wreathed in black flames into the nearest Netherworld General.

Bang!

The Netherworld General was instantly smashed apart, scattering into countless drifting wisps.

But to Xiao Yan's surprise, those wisps quickly gathered together. The Netherworld General he had just shattered revived right before his eyes, without even giving him time to burn the wisps away with his black flames.

These Netherworld Generals were not ordinary soul bodies!

His original plan had been to kill the closest pursuer before they could react, then rely on Earth Flame's enhancement to fight a running battle against the remaining generals.

Unfortunately, events did not follow Xiao Yan's plans. Once he stopped, the other Netherworld Generals quickly closed in as well.

One, two, three, four, five.

Five Dou Wang-level soul bodies in total, all capable of returning from the dead.

Even an ordinary Dou Emperor could not guarantee escaping unscathed, could they?

"Nihility, give me an answer already!" With anxiety burning through him, Xiao Yan tried to communicate with the Nihility Devouring Flame, but there was still no response.

He had long since identified the object that had inexplicably appeared in his dantian as the legendary Naling, which could accommodate living beings. He could also clearly sense the Nihility Devouring Flame within it.

Yet it gave him no response whatsoever!

"Nihility, since you're spurning the courtesy I've shown you, don't blame me for what comes next..."

Facing five Dou Wang-level soul bodies, Xiao Yan could no longer afford to spare anyone's feelings with his life hanging in the balance. He could only try to forcibly draw upon the Nihility Devouring Flame's power.

A power within his own body that refused to obey his control-such a thing was simply unheard of!

Xiao Yan began using his will to forcibly extract the Nihility Devouring Flame's power from the Naling. Until now, he had always considered the feelings of this origin flame of his, but who could worry about that when facing death?

"Get out here!"

A fierce will of resistance surged from the Naling, making it extremely difficult for Xiao Yan to draw upon the Nihility Devouring Flame's power.

"So you really are awake." Xiao Yan sneered.

While Xiao Yan desperately tried to extract a portion of the Nihility Devouring Flame's power from the Naling, the Netherworld Generals naturally had no intention of waiting until he was ready to fight.

They attacked together without the slightest hesitation, nothing like the villains in storybooks who liked to come at their enemies one at a time. Five different attacks crashed down, more than enough to pound Xiao Yan into meat paste.

The attacks landed, and violent energy fluctuations tore everything nearby to pieces. A great cloud of dust billowed upward.

The Netherworld Generals exchanged glances. One raised an arm, conjuring a fierce gale that swept the dust away.

Nothing remained on the ground except a deep crater of considerable width.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Yan trembled all over after barely escaping the attacks with his life. The excessive enhancement from Earth Flame had strained the muscles in both legs. Although his Dou Qi was rapidly repairing them, he would not be able to dodge a second attack anytime soon.

Xiao Yan resolved that if he made it back, he would learn several more long-range Dou Techniques. If his attacks had been even a little more varied, he would not have been unable to so much as delay his pursuers.

Seeing that the Netherworld Generals had already realized their attacks had missed, Xiao Yan's determination to draw upon the Nihility Devouring Flame grew firmer still. But that resistance was far beyond his ability to overcome.

"Nihility Devouring Flame, if you refuse to let me use you, why did you come to me in the first place?!"

Perhaps those words stirred the Nihility Devouring Flame. Xiao Yan managed to extract a wisp of black flame carrying a terrifying presence from the Naling, filling him with joy.

In an instant, the winds and clouds shifted.

The blood rain suddenly stopped. Every gaze present focused on Xiao Yan's right hand, where a small cluster of Nihility Devouring Flame flickered, becoming the undisputed center of this world.

The scene, as though time and space had frozen, ended in a fleeting moment. The Nihility Devouring Flame in Xiao Yan's hand swelled uncontrollably, devouring everything around it without restraint.

Only then did Xiao Yan learn that these Netherworld Generals could feel pain as well. They howled in agony before vanishing into the Nihility Devouring Flame.

Their bizarre ability to resurrect failed beneath the burning Nihility Devouring Flame. They were devoured without leaving a single trace.

A tremendous cool current poured into Xiao Yan's body and surged straight toward the spiritual seat within his mind, causing his Soul Power to grow explosively.

At the same time, however, this power far exceeded what Xiao Yan could withstand. With a crisp sound like a mirror shattering deep within his soul, his consciousness was utterly overwhelmed.

I need to find somewhere safe...

In a daze, Xiao Yan dragged himself behind a massive boulder before sinking into a deep sleep.

"Why won't he fly? As long as he takes to the air, he'll see the Spatial Passage I opened specifically for him." Saint Hun Qing frowned, utterly baffled by Xiao Yan's behavior.

The other Heavenly Venerables of the Hall of Souls were equally speechless.

"I remember he should be able to fly." Qiu Di hesitated for a while before speaking uncertainly.

"Not 'should.' He definitely can. His Flying Dou Technique is called Eagle Wings. After obtaining it on the clan leader's orders, I slipped it into a Da Dou Shi's Storage Ring, and he later acquired it." Blood River wore a complicated expression. He had spent ages searching beneath various cliffs in the Magical Beast Forest before finally finding Xiao Yan's Flying Dou Technique.

"Then why..."

"No idea."

An uncanny silence settled over them.

"I'll personally send him straight back. Even if it exposes a flaw, the clan leader can punish me alone," Hun Miesheng said calmly.

"Hall Master, you mustn't!" Hun Qing hurriedly stopped him.

"Don't worry. I'll take responsibility." Hun Miesheng patted Hun Qing's shoulder, reassuring his subordinates.

Then he gently raised his right hand. Thousands of miles away, the still-unconscious Xiao Yan slowly floated into the air.

A moderately sized Spatial Passage formed beside Xiao Yan. Once a protective membrane enveloped him, he was sent bodily into it.