Ghost Douluo also rose, clutching his chest as he coughed softly. His shadowed eyes fixed on Yi Chen, brimming with malice and resentment.
"Brat! You're dead meat! Lord Tang Chen is a level 95 Peak Douluo. Dealing with you will be child's play!"
Yi Chen glanced at him, a mocking curl on his lips, and sneered. "Are you sure?"
"What, you think I'm lying?" Ghost Douluo grinned viciously. "Once Lord Tang Chen catches you, I'll tell you just how powerful he is!"
"Oh, really?" Yi Chen curled his lip. "Then let's give it a try."
The old man looked at Yi Chen and suddenly asked, "Are you really not afraid of death?"
"Who isn't afraid of death? Aren't you, you old fossil?" Yi Chen said impatiently. "But the real question is, can you kill me?"
The old man fell silent for a long while, then suddenly laughed and said in a hoarse voice, "In that case, leave. We'll let tonight's matter rest."
"Oh?" Yi Chen paused in surprise. "You don't get to dismiss me just because you say so. Unless..."
"Whatever your conditions are, name them," the old man said indifferently.
Yi Chen's eyes darted as he looked at him with a grin. "Unless you let me cripple all four of your grandson Tang Hao's limbs. Then I can let this matter rest!"
"Ha!" The old man laughed in fury. "What a sharp-tongued little imp! You dare threaten me?"
Yi Chen shrugged and spread his hands. "Interpret it however you like. The point is, you'll definitely lose out if you fight me."
"Hmph, don't forget that I'm far stronger than you! Crushing you to death would be easier than crushing an ant!" the old man said slowly, a trace of murderous intent flashing through his cloudy eyes.
"You dare make a move?" Yi Chen scoffed. "Why don't you tell me what you're relying on? Otherwise..."
"You're clever, but far too reckless. Haven't you noticed that we're out in the wilderness?" The old man suddenly laughed, his smile carrying a sinister edge.
Yi Chen raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"
Suddenly!
A wisp of golden flame sprang up, dazzling as a star in the night and illuminating the surrounding world.
The golden flame blazed fiercely, its searing heat scorching the moisture in the air, the soil, the vegetation, the rocks...
Everything, without exception, was melting!
The flame danced in the air, letting out roar after roar.
It seemed that even the hardest stone or steel would swiftly melt beneath the golden flame!
"What?!" Yi Chen was utterly horrified. His expression shifted violently, and deep wariness and disbelief filled his eyes.
He hadn't noticed at all how that wisp of flame had appeared, or how it had begun to burn.
In the instant the flame appeared, the plants within several hundred meters had melted apart. Some places even bore traces of flowing lava.
This flame was simply too terrifying.
"This flame..." A sharp light flashed in Yi Chen's eyes. "It's so familiar..."
Hellfire? Isn't that what the super Soul Beast, the Three-Headed Demon Hound, has on its body?
That's one of the rulers of the Star Dou Great Forest. Why would it appear on Tang Chen?!
Yi Chen's mind raced as he considered the reason behind it.
However, he didn't believe the old man had any connection to the Three-Headed Demon Hound.
He had encountered the Three-Headed Demon Hound before. Its terrifying, savage appearance struck fear into hearts at the mere mention of it, even in the Star Dou Great Forest.
Whatever the case, I have to get to the bottom of the Clear Sky Sect tonight!
A cold glint flashed through Yi Chen's eyes as he stared at Tang Chen, his killing intent biting cold.
Feeling Yi Chen's icy gaze, Tang Chen's aged face showed no change whatsoever. Instead, he continued driving the Hellfire!
At once, the flames burned ever more fiercely. The entire hill seemed engulfed in raging fire, and everything around it was destroyed.
Fortunately, this place was far from the city. Otherwise, it would already have stirred up a monstrous uproar.
Yi Chen kept retreating, putting distance between himself and the old man. He narrowed his eyes and carefully studied the strange, unfathomable flame.
Suddenly, his expression changed slightly.
The flame was turning red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Eventually, it slowly shifted from golden yellow to purplish black, then gradually lost its color.
Hum! With a faint tremor, a strange ripple spread out, instantly enveloping the surrounding space and forming an isolated region that shut Yi Chen outside.
Although this little trick could surprise Yi Chen, it wasn't enough to trouble him.
Without hesitation, Yi Chen activated his Soul Ring!
In an instant, a terrifying shock wave of soul power, vast as an ocean, swept out and slammed into the Barrier Tang Chen had erected.
Bang!
Tang Chen's Barrier shattered instantly. Yi Chen's soul power surged into him like a raging flood and a ferocious beast.
The Hellfire went out instantly, vanishing without a trace.
Pfft!
Tang Chen grunted, spat blood, and flew backward.
"Grandfather!" Terrified, Tang Hao hurried to support Tang Chen as he landed and cried anxiously, "Grandfather, are you all right?"
Pfft! Tang Chen spat another mouthful of blood as he gasped for breath, his face as pale as paper.
Yi Chen's attack had been far too sudden. He hadn't prepared for it at all and had been caught off guard, suffering a grievous injury!
"Damn it! You actually... how do you have a hundred-thousand-year Soul Skill?!" Tang Chen's eyes widened in panic. Disbelief covered his face, and his gaze was venomous.
"I have a thousand ways to kill you all!" Yi Chen said coldly.
As his words fell, he lunged at Tang Chen with astonishing speed.
"Watch out!" Ghost Douluo cried from the side, but it was already too late.
Tang Hao had just tried to stop him, but he couldn't keep up at all. Yi Chen sent him flying with a kick, and he slammed heavily into the ground several meters away.
Bang!
He crashed through a large tree and collapsed on the ground in a miserable heap.
"You're courting death!" The old man flew into a rage. Ignoring his injuries, he stepped forward, instantly rushed before Yi Chen, and chopped his palm toward Yi Chen's neck.
Yi Chen smiled coldly and drove his right fist forward to meet the old man's palm, unleashing a powerful force.
Boom! Their hands collided with a deafening blast.
Violent waves of air spread in every direction, making the hem of Yi Chen's clothes snap in the wind. Opposite him, the old man's expression changed abruptly, and he staggered backward again and again.
"Aah!"
He growled as a spray of blood burst from his left knee.
Yi Chen's right fist had actually inflicted excruciating pain on him!
"You really are no ordinary person... just who are you? Why is your cultivation progressing at such a terrifying speed? You're already a Peak Douluo, aren't you?!" The old man drew a deep breath, endured the agonizing pain in his right arm, and calmed himself before asking with a frown.
"You're not qualified to know." Faced with this barrage of questions, Yi Chen replied icily. The soul power on his right fist swelled even more, gathering greater force as he drove it viciously toward the old man's chest.
"Bastard!" the old man roared. He crossed his hands to block Yi Chen's attack while raising both knees to drive them into Yi Chen's groin.