Battle Against Gu He

Damn it, how did Gu He know I was the one who took the Heavenly Flames? Jia Lie Jun cursed inwardly. But no matter what, he would never give up the Heavenly Flames. Steeling himself, he withdrew his Purple Cloud Wings and dropped swiftly onto the desert. With a thought, he hurled purple fireballs at the ground one after another, blasting yellow sand high into the sky.

"You little brat, do you think this is enough to block my sight?" Gu He said coldly. As soon as he spoke, an overwhelming wave of Soul Power spread out. Jia Lie Jun's heart jolted. It was his first time seeing Soul Power as vast as the sea, and he thought to himself, Pill King Gu He truly lives up to his reputation.

Amid the yellow sand filling the sky, the group chased on like this, while Yun Yun was burning with anxiety. That little brat is truly reckless. He actually dares to fight Gu He over the Heavenly Flames. Even so, she was already thinking about how to resolve this conflict. She wanted to act directly and stop Gu He, but she could not. As a Sixth-grade Alchemist, Gu He had made immense contributions to the Misty Cloud Sect, and she had entered the Tagor Desert this time precisely to help Gu He obtain the Heavenly Flames, which counted as repaying him. Yet she also did not want Jia Lie Jun to be hurt.

"Brat, the game of hide-and-seek ends here." Gu He was utterly furious. A dignified Sixth-grade Alchemist like him had actually been toyed with by a young man. He shouted angrily, "Fire, come!" In an instant, blue flames filled the sky and burned the rising yellow sand away without a trace.

With a thought from Jia Lie Jun, the purple flames transformed into armor, enveloping his entire body. Seeing this, Gu He was shocked. He had not expected such a young man to possess such superb fire-control techniques. As an alchemist himself, he understood extremely well how difficult it was for an alchemist to control fire at will. It not only required incomparably powerful Soul Power, but also extremely seasoned experience. Take the flame armor condensed around Jia Lie Jun, for example—even if Gu He wanted to condense it, it would be somewhat taxing.

"Boy, I didn't expect you to have such skillful fire-control techniques at such a young age. Your future should have been bright, but unfortunately, you will fall here today," Gu He said coldly. Then, with a thought, the blue flames split into several fireballs and shot toward Jia Lie Jun. Jia Lie Jun snorted coldly. So what if he was a Sixth-grade Alchemist? Jia Lie Jun was not someone so easy to crush either. With a wave of his hand, the Purple Fire turned into arrows and shot toward the fireballs.

The sound of exploding fireballs rang out. Blue and purple flames converged in midair before finally bursting apart, dazzling and beautiful like fireworks exploding in the night sky. Gu He's hands swiftly formed seals, and the blue flames condensed into a great blade. Then, with a light tap of his foot against the ground, his body shot toward Jia Lie Jun like an arrow.

Jia Lie Jun shouted, "Flame Blade!" As soon as his voice fell, the Purple Fire transformed into a great blade and slashed fiercely at the charging Gu He. The flame blades collided, sparks flying everywhere. With a tremendous bang, both flame blades snapped apart at the same time, and the two men each retreated several steps.

The people watching from the side were dumbfounded. When had they ever seen a battle belonging solely to alchemists? During the fight, the two had not used the slightest bit of Dou Qi, competing only with their fire-control techniques. And this young man was actually able to stand toe-to-toe with Gu He. Such an outcome could not help but shock them. After all, Gu He was a Sixth-grade Alchemist, the leading figure among all alchemists in the entire Jia Ma Empire.

Yun Yun, however, felt a surge of joy in her heart. I didn't expect this little brat to have such ability too. Seeing the two fighting fiercely in the arena, Yun Yun's beautiful eyes stayed fixed on Jia Lie Jun. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, making her appear so stunningly beautiful that it seemed she could dim heaven and earth.

"Condense." Jia Lie Jun gave a soft shout. As soon as his voice fell, Purple Fire swiftly surged up from the ground, turning into a long whip that coiled around Gu He's waist. Gu He sensed the abnormal movement and wanted to dodge, but it was already too late. He could only watch helplessly. "Explode." At his command, the Purple Fire instantly burst apart, its immense power stirring up wave after wave of wind.

"Gu He actually lost." Yan Shi spoke in disbelief, his voice trembling. The others beside him also widened their eyes. A Sixth-grade Alchemist who had been famous for many years had actually lost to a fledgling young man in fire-control techniques. If they said this out loud, others would probably think they were insane.

Seeing Jia Lie Jun win, Yun Yun showed not the slightest delight on her face. Instead, her brows were tightly furrowed as she looked at Jia Lie Jun with worry. As a Sixth-grade Alchemist, Gu He had lost to an unknown young man. If he flew into a rage from humiliation, things would become difficult.

When the smoke and dust dispersed, a figure slowly appeared before everyone. It was Gu He, his whole body covered in Dou Qi Armor several feet thick, his eyes blood-red and terrifying, veins bulging on his forehead. Seeing Gu He safe and sound, Jia Lie Jun could not help feeling somewhat disappointed. Though he knew the force of the Purple Fire's explosion could not cause Gu He much damage, he had not expected Gu He to be completely unharmed.

"Boy, you have thoroughly enraged me." Gu He's bloodshot eyes stared fixedly at Jia Lie Jun, killing intent surging around him without the slightest concealment. As a dignified Sixth-grade Alchemist, which force in the Jia Ma Empire did not treat him as an honored guest? When had he ever suffered such humiliation? If what happened today leaked out, he, Gu He, would likely become a laughingstock.

Yan Shi and the others stared at Gu He in stunned disbelief. The Gu He of the past had always appeared before everyone with a smile on his face, incomparably proud and elegant in bearing. When had they ever seen him in such a furious state? Thinking of this, they could not help feeling sympathy for Jia Lie Jun. One after another, they sighed, "A youth with extraordinary talent is about to fall here. What a pity."

Yun Yun's jade hand gripped her longsword tightly, her heart struggling fiercely. Then she clenched her silver teeth, steeled herself, and cursed inwardly, This little brat really knows how to make trouble for me. Just wait and see how I teach you a lesson afterward. She had already decided that if Gu He truly struck to kill, she would have no choice but to save Jia Lie Jun. She could not bear to watch Jia Lie Jun die before her eyes. Even if it meant offending Gu He, she would not hesitate.

In her memories, the few days she had spent with Jia Lie Jun in the cave were the happiest days of her life. She had not needed to constantly maintain that lofty appearance, and she had been able to set down the heavy burden on her shoulders. As the sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect, she had to maintain proper dignity at all times before others. In the dead of night, there was no one she could confide the bitterness and loneliness in her heart to; she had to bear everything alone. During those days in the cave, she had been able to laugh without restraint.

In truth, the reason she had not told Jia Lie Jun her real name back then was not only because she was on guard against him. More than that, it was because she did not want the young man before her to revere and fear her because of her identity as the sect master of the Misty Cloud Sect. She was too tired. She hoped she could live out her truest self in front of a stranger.

"Brat, die!" Gu He roared. An incomparably powerful surge of Dou Qi poured out from his body and condensed into a palm shadow in the void. The massive hand that blotted out the sky carried blue flames with it as it slammed fiercely toward Jia Lie Jun.

"Looks like Old Gu is truly angry. He actually used his ultimate trump card: Blazing Heaven Palm." Yan Shi looked solemnly at the sky-covering Dou Qi palm print.