Heavenly Poison Woman

At this point in time, no one on the Dou Qi Continent knew the name Heavenly Poison Woman. In Xiao Yan's previous life, however, she had been a figure whose very name made people tremble in terror. Mercurial and ruthless, she had once slaughtered an entire super empire in a fit of rage, sparing neither man nor beast!

When Xiao Yan had traveled the continent back then, he had briefly crossed hands with the Heavenly Poison Woman while passing through the Chu Yun Empire. Her mastery of poison had reached the very pinnacle, and even Dou Zong experts were deeply wary of her. Though that battle had been extremely brief and ended in a draw, she had still left a profound impression on Xiao Yan.

When they met again later, the Heavenly Poison Woman had already become a Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Hall, while Xiao Yan had become the Demon Wrath Venerable, renowned throughout the Central Plains. Since he stood against the Soul Hall, he naturally could not avoid fighting her several more times, with victories and defeats on both sides.

Because they were evenly matched and both young figures whose reputations were soaring, some busybodies in the Central Plains had dubbed him and the Heavenly Poison Woman sworn rivals. They summed up the terror the two inspired in a simple verse: "Where the Poison Woman passes, all life falls silent; where Demon Wrath stands, no ghost or demon remains."

Unfortunately, those sworn rivals never settled who was stronger. The method the Soul Hall had given the Heavenly Poison Woman to control her Woeful Poison Body had been imperfect. Though it suppressed her condition for a time, it ultimately erupted. The poisonous fumes unleashed upon her death turned an area spanning thousands of miles into a forbidden zone from which no one emerged alive-a testament to the horror of the Woeful Poison Body.

Xiao Yan had never expected this woman, whose fearsome reputation had resounded far and wide in his previous life, to appear before him in such a sorry state.

Perhaps she had exhausted herself from running too long, or perhaps her attention had been diverted. Just as the magical beast was about to catch her, the little girl tripped over a stone and nearly fell.

Before she could hit the ground, however, Xiao Yan swiftly appeared before her, reached out, and scooped her into his arms. Then, with a light leap, he quickly evaded the terrifying attack that should have landed on her.

"You..." The little girl's face still bore the shock of her narrow escape. Before she could say anything more, Xiao Yan gently set her on a rock, drew the weapon he had named the Xuan Heavy Ruler, and charged toward the oncoming magical beast.

"Roar!" Seeing Xiao Yan dare to attack first, the magical beast, already enraged at having its prey stolen, let out an angry roar and lunged again.

Within a few breaths, the two figures, one large and one small, collided head-on. The enormous black ruler swept up a fierce gust of force and slammed straight into the magical beast's head. The tremendous power sent the beast flying, and it crashed heavily to the ground, scattering broken stones everywhere.

At the sight, the little girl's mouth fell open instinctively. Though that magical beast was slow, its strength was immense, placing it among the best even among tier 2 magical beasts. Yet this little boy before her had actually overpowered it in a contest of strength. Was she dreaming?

"A Red Flame Demon Bear? Just the thing to test the results of my training lately." Xiao Yan recognized the magical beast at a glance.

It was a fire-attribute magical beast renowned for its strength. Though only a tier 2 magical beast, its sheer brute force was enough to threaten even a Da Dou Shi. Its speed, however, was terribly slow, inferior even to some tier 1 magical beasts. Otherwise, it would not have spent so long chasing this little girl.

Meanwhile, the Red Flame Demon Bear that had been knocked away climbed to its feet. Staring at Xiao Yan, who held the heavy ruler, he roared again. Had he possessed intelligence, he would surely have realized how terrifying this opponent was from that single blow. Unfortunately, as a tier 2 magical beast, he still acted purely on instinct. Rather than turn and run, he actually intended to keep fighting Xiao Yan.

The Red Flame Demon Bear slammed his massive paws into the ground, and scarlet light shone from every strand of his fur. Scorching energy swirled before him, finally condensing into a huge fireball that blasted toward Xiao Yan. This was the Red Flame Demon Bear's innate skill, and its power was no weaker than an all-out strike from a Five-Star Dou Master!

Facing a fireball larger than his entire body, Xiao Yan merely sneered. With the heavy ruler in his hands, he delivered a powerful forward slash, cleaving the enormous fireball the Red Flame Demon Bear had conjured apart. Streams of flame scattered in every direction and soon dissipated in the wind.

After shattering the Red Flame Demon Bear's fireball, Xiao Yan lightly clenched his hand. At once, an inky-black Dou Qi Battle Robe materialized and enveloped his body. Wisps of black flame could faintly be seen blazing across its surface, giving it an eerie appearance.

"Is that... a Dou Qi Battle Robe?" The little girl standing nearby was even more astonished. A Dou Qi Battle Robe was the hallmark of a Dou Shi expert, someone who would rank among the uppermost members of any of those mercenary companies. This boy looked younger than her, yet he was already a Dou Shi?

This time, even the Red Flame Demon Bear felt a trace of fear. Naturally, however, it was not Xiao Yan's Dou Qi Battle Robe that frightened him. His intelligence was insufficient to understand what a Dou Qi Battle Robe was, and even if he had understood, his own strength gave him no reason to fear it.

Yet although he did not know what a Dou Qi Battle Robe was, he could sense that the black flames clinging to it were something utterly terrifying! This fear, rooted in his bloodline, overwhelmed his bloodthirsty instincts and made him retreat reflexively.

"Only thinking of running now? Isn't it a little late?" Seeing the Red Flame Demon Bear attempt to flee, Xiao Yan could not help sneering. He stamped one foot hard against the ground, and with a low, muffled thud, his body shot forward. In an instant, he overtook the lumbering tier 2 magical beast.

Before the Red Flame Demon Bear could react, the massive, weighty ruler sent him flying once more. Immediately afterward, Xiao Yan used Burst Step again, swiftly catching up to the Red Flame Demon Bear as he hurtled backward.

He had already put away his enormous ruler in the process, but his speed instead increased considerably. Clenching his fist, he drove it heavily into the Red Flame Demon Bear's chest with a surge of force even fiercer than the ruler's earlier blow. The terrifying impact caved in the bear's chest, and then a hidden surge of force erupted within his body, bringing this tier 2 magical beast's life to an end.