Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations

"Old freak, don't be so sure of yourself. Who dies today is still up in the air." Hearing the killing intent beneath She Mo's words, Xiao Yan gave a disdainful sneer. His guiding principle had always been, "If others leave me alone, I leave them alone. If they cross me, I wipe out their entire household."

If the people of the Snake Nest Mercenary Group had released them after catching them in the net, their well water would naturally have stayed clear of his river water. Unfortunately, these bastards had made a grave mistake, so Xiao Yan could only choose to slaughter them all.

"What shameless boasting! Do you really think a little talent lets you do whatever you please? Today, I'll show you what a true expert is!" Xiao Yan's mocking words made She Mo laugh in fury. He waved a hand, stopping the three Da Dou Shi beside him who had been about to attack. "Nobody move! I'll deal with this brat myself!"

She Mo clenched his hand, and deep blue Dou Qi rapidly gathered in his palm before solidifying into a large saber. Not only that, an exceptionally thick suit of Dou Qi Armor appeared over his body, and an immensely powerful aura erupted from him!

Weapons and armor formed entirely from Dou Qi were methods that could only be employed upon reaching the Da Dou Shi level. She Mo had done this precisely because he intended to finish Xiao Yan in a single blow. With his Dou Ling strength and this full armament, facing a mere Dou Shi brat was undoubtedly a lion bringing its full strength to bear against a rabbit.

"A Three-Star Dou Ling..." Sensing the aura erupting from She Mo, Xiao Yan's expression grew somewhat grave. His opponent stood two entire ranks above him, and his water attribute also countered Xiao Yan's own. With such a gulf in rank compounded by that attribute disadvantage, even using the Flame Splitting Wave Ruler would never allow him to win!

Under normal circumstances, never mind winning-he probably would not last even two or three exchanges. But... he was no ordinary Dou Shi.

"Little fellow, let me handle this. With your current strength, you're no match for him." Yao Lao's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's mind. Clearly, he too understood just how lopsided this battle was.

"Not necessarily." Xiao Yan chuckled, planted the Xuan Heavy Ruler in the ground, and formed a peculiar hand seal. The Dou Qi within him immediately began circulating rapidly along a rather bizarre route. Then a violent energy quietly emerged, flooding every corner of his meridians.

"Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations! First Transformation!" With Xiao Yan's low shout in his mind, deep black flames surged forth, and his aura rapidly soared within mere seconds. As the flames entered his body, the Dou Qi battle robe covering him swiftly solidified, finally transforming into a suit of Dou Qi Armor.

"How is that possible?" Sensing the sudden surge in Xiao Yan's aura, She Mo's expression changed. He could tell that Xiao Yan had risen by more than an entire rank! Such a short-term increase in strength could only be achieved through certain unusual secret arts, and few factions in the Jia Ma Empire possessed anything like that!

Combining this secret art's terrifying amplification with Xiao Yan's frightening talent, it was not difficult to deduce how powerful the youth's background must be. It had to be an existence that even the faction backing She Mo could never afford to provoke!

At this thought, She Mo's heart filled with regret. Had he known Xiao Yan had such a background, he would never have provoked him, no matter what. But now that they had become enemies, he had to kill him regardless. However mighty his backing might be, Xiao Yan himself was still too weak, even after employing his secret art. As long as She Mo killed him without gods knowing or ghosts noticing, the faction behind him might never trace it here!

In truth, She Mo was not the only one shocked. Yao Lao, hidden inside the ring, was equally astonished. The moment Xiao Yan used the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations, he recognized it as the Burning Flame Valley's secret art. But why could Xiao Yan use a secret art belonging exclusively to the Burning Flame Valley? Did he have some connection to them as well?

"Find somewhere to hide!" After instructing Xiao Yi Xian behind him, Xiao Yan used Burst Step, harnessing the thrust of an energy explosion to charge toward She Mo. Seeing Xiao Yan actually seize the initiative, She Mo's heart tightened. He gripped his saber and slashed toward the approaching youth.

Clang! The instant the Xuan Heavy Ruler met the saber, a crisp metallic clash rang out. The two weapons remained locked for less than half a second before the powerful force of the blow sent Xiao Yan hurtling back more than ten meters.

The amplification granted by the Heavenly Fire Three Mysterious Transformations was indeed terrifying, but the gulf between a Dou Shi and a Dou Ling was immense. Even with its boost, Xiao Yan's strength had only reached that of a five- or six-star Da Dou Shi, still a considerable distance from Dou Ling. Thus, in a head-on clash, Xiao Yan quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Xiao Yan shot backward several dozen meters. Just as he was about to crash into the gate, he abruptly twisted and planted his foot hard against it. Another violent explosion rang out, and the sudden thrust launched him into the air. Borrowing that force, he leaped upward and brought his ruler down in a furious chop straight at She Mo's head.

Even She Mo was surprised by such swift adaptability. With no time to parry, he could only retreat, evading the ruler's strike.

The heavy ruler smashed into the floor, sending countless stone fragments flying. Before they could fall, some force propelled them rapidly toward She Mo. Amid them, the faint roar of a lion suddenly sounded. It was none other than the Xiao Clan's premier Dou Technique-Lion Mountain Split.

The stone fragments were merely a feint. The Lion Mountain Split unleashed under cover of the flying rubble and dust was Xiao Yan's true attack. A crimson energy lion roared out behind the fragments, its terrifying momentum making even She Mo's expression shift slightly. Caught off guard, he was driven back repeatedly by Xiao Yan's blow.

She Mo staggered back more than ten steps before steadying himself, and his gaze grew increasingly grave as he looked at Xiao Yan. Though this fellow's strength was far inferior to his own, his combat experience was frighteningly extensive. Even as a Dou Ling expert, She Mo found himself somewhat flustered by Xiao Yan's assault!

She Mo was certain that if he had been a Da Dou Shi, even one at the very peak of that rank, the previous move would probably have injured him. Fortunately, he was now a Dou Ling. Though he had failed to parry the attack, his defenses were more than enough to withstand Xiao Yan's Lion Mountain Split with ease.