Xiao Yan's New Identity?

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!"

Xiao Yan roared. Empowered by Earth Flame, the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler he unleashed with sea heart flame surged toward the black-robed elder like a towering wave racing across the ocean.

The black-robed elder's expression shifted slightly. Their Dou Techniques collided, unleashing powerful energy fluctuations that spread in all directions.

The experts of the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Family fared well enough, but the surrounding buildings suffered terribly. Roads cracked apart, and houses collapsed one after another. Fortunately, the area had already been cleared, leaving few civilians nearby. Otherwise, many would have died in this single exchange.

The power of a single strike was terrifying indeed!

Xiao Yi Xian retreated repeatedly, keeping a safe distance from the two combatants.

She knew that with Hun Tiandi and Yao Chen present, these Dou Emperors and Dou Wangs would struggle to hurt Xiao Yan, so she showed no sign of worry.

The black-robed elder, meanwhile, found himself in an embarrassing position. The impact sent him flying backward several meters, stripping him of all dignity before his subordinates.

"A Dou Ling actually gained the upper hand against a Dou Wang?!"

"You've got to be kidding..."

"Even a monster's talent ought to have limits. Elder Yu might only be a One-Star Dou Wang, but he's still a veteran expert. That boy is just a Dou Ling, isn't he?"

"I think that boy is strong, but Elder Yu is old and past his prime. That's why this happened. How could an ordinary Dou Ling be a match for a Dou Wang?"

"That makes sense."

Listening to the whispers of his colleagues and subordinates, the black-robed elder's expression darkened. A Dou Wang had failed to gain the upper hand against a Dou Ling. Whatever excuse he offered would sound like sophistry.

Xiao Yan, however, did not seize the moment while the black-robed elder was still off balance to rush forward and end the fight. Instead, he assessed his Dou Qi consumption in surprise.

Flame Splitting Wave Ruler was an Early Earth Tier Dou Technique. Its tremendous power came with equally tremendous consumption.

During his battle in Qingshan Town, Xiao Yan had calculated that using Earth Flame at its limit together with Flame Splitting Wave Ruler would consume nearly half his Dou Qi in a single strike.

Back then, Flame Mantra had still been a middle-grade Yellow Tier cultivation method. Now, after successively fusing with nihility devouring flame and sea heart flame, it had become a High-grade Earth-tier Cultivation Method, even if it had not advanced to Heaven Tier.

As a result, a single use of Flame Splitting Wave Ruler now consumed very little-roughly one-twentieth of his Dou Qi. Even with Earth Flame's consumption added in, it only required one-tenth.

"I can last longer now?" Xiao Yan was delighted.

He stepped forward and actually took the initiative to attack.

Suppressing a Dou Wang expert with a Dou Ling's cultivation was a wondrous sight that none of the onlookers had ever witnessed before.

Xiao Yan swung the Heavy Xuan Ruler in a relentless assault, occasionally bringing down a Dou Technique with terrifying force, while the black-robed elder could only defend.

The surrounding experts of the Jia Ma Empire's Imperial Family exchanged glances, unsure whether they should help. If they did nothing and the black-robed elder lost, the Imperial Family would lose face. But if they intervened while he could still hold on, wouldn't they offend him outright?

Many turned their gazes toward Jia Xingtian, who stood to one side. Yet the strongest expert in the Jia Ma Empire was behaving very strangely. He was actually watching the fight with considerable interest, occasionally nodding in satisfaction whenever Xiao Yan executed a particularly fine attack.

For a time, not a single person dared step forward to help.

At last, the black-robed elder could no longer withstand the immense pressure Xiao Yan placed on him. Pale blue Dou Qi Wings abruptly spread behind him, and he instantly soared into the air.

"Damn it! Now that I'm up in the sky, let's see how you hit me!" Rising rapidly, the black-robed elder looked down at Xiao Yan, mockery flashing in his eyes.

No matter how gifted you are, you can't fly until you reach the Dou Wang realm! If you can't fly, all you can do is take a beating!

Before the black-robed elder could finish gloating, he suddenly saw a pair of sea-blue wings spread behind Xiao Yan on the ground.

With a slight tremor of his wings, Xiao Yan became a streak of light shooting straight toward the black-robed elder in the sky. The Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand was poised to unleash an all-out strike!

"Holy shit!! Dou Qi taking the form of wings?"

The spectators on the ground were utterly dumbstruck by the enormous wings that had suddenly spread behind Xiao Yan.

"Fuck, this guy is a Dou Wang expert?"

"No wonder he was beating Elder Yu into a corner."

"Should we go up and help?"

"You'd just be serving yourself up on a platter."

While the crowd fell into panic, Xiao Yan's strike had already landed on the black-robed elder. This time, he held nothing back.

Sea heart flame revealed its true form for the first time. Towering waves surged across the sky, swallowing the black-robed elder whole before burning and melting him away until not a scrap remained.

"A heavenly flame..." The horrifying sight frightened everyone nearby. Almost all of them realized at a glance that the towering waves in the sky were not ordinary water, but a heavenly flame mimicking its form.

Xiao Yan slowly landed. Not one person dared approach and surround him. The black-robed elder's death had shaken them, but what baffled them most was why Jia Xingtian, the guardian of their Imperial Family, had stood idly by the entire time.

"Not a bad performance." Xiao Yi Xian walked over to Xiao Yan and teased him. At the same time, her gaze passed beyond him toward Jia Xingtian, who had remained standing there.

Perceptive as she was, she keenly noticed something unusual about Jia Xingtian. The milky-white flames in his eyes seemed very familiar, as though she had seen them on someone very close to her.

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Yi Xian tentatively greeted Jia Xingtian.

"Jia Xingtian" paused in surprise, then gave her a kindly smile and returned her greeting.

Sure enough, it was Hun Tiandi.

Xiao Yi Xian relaxed. Although she did not know how Hun Tiandi had taken control of Jia Xingtian, they were clearly safe now.

Inside the Hall of Souls Branch in Jia Ma Sacred City, Hun Tiandi sat in a chair and slowly opened his eyes, then swept his gaze over the Hall of Souls members standing respectfully before him.

Hun Miesheng, Hun Qing, Gu You, Qiu Di...

Every one of them was a renowned expert on the continent, yet before him, they were merely obedient subordinates.

"Miesheng, how long have you been Soul Hall Master?" Hun Tiandi asked mildly.

"Clan Leader, including this year, one thousand three hundred and seventeen years." Cold sweat broke out on Hun Miesheng's back. Ordinary people might not know, but someone like him, who had accompanied Hun Tiandi for over a thousand years, understood that the shorter Hun Tiandi's words became, the angrier he was.

"Mm." Hun Tiandi nodded and said nothing more, quietly sinking into thought.

Yet that reply, brief enough to consist of a single syllable, left Hun Miesheng's back thick with cold sweat. He immediately understood that he might not remain Soul Hall Master for much longer.

He turned toward Hun Qing and found the latter looking back at him with sympathy. A thousand words seemed to pass between their eyes, but they could only helplessly accept reality.

Strictly speaking, the complications in the mission had been entirely beyond their control. Who could have imagined that Lord Void would suddenly refuse to work?

Besides, nihility devouring flame was a mighty Nine-Star Dou Sheng. How could Hun Miesheng, a mere Five-Star Dou Sheng, possibly order him around?

"I remember your Hall of Souls still has a vacant protector position here in the Jia Ma Empire. Give it to Xiao Yan," Hun Tiandi said slowly after a long while.

"Yes, as you command!" Hun Miesheng hurriedly accepted the order, then sent Qiu Di to fetch the Protector Token.