Blazing pillars and ribbons of flame sealed off every escape route. A vicious grin of certain victory spread across Qin Yan's face; he was sure Xiao Yan would be caught off guard and struck.
But Xiao Yan had faced more brushes with death than he could count. In the face of danger, he became unusually calm. The Origin Qi and Heavenly Flames within him boiled in an instant, and he swept the Heavy Xuan Ruler across his body. Red and blue flames intertwined into a spinning wheel of fire that tore both ribbons apart.
At the same time, he pushed off and darted to the left like a ghost, narrowly avoiding Qin Yan's pillar of fire. It brushed past the hem of his clothes and struck the rock wall behind him, instantly melting the hard stone into magma.
"Quick reactions!" Surprise flashed in Qin Yan's eyes. Then he snorted coldly and waved his cane again. Several fire serpents sprang from its head, pursuing and biting at Xiao Yan as though they were alive.
The two Burning Heaven Pavilion disciples also closed in. A long flaming saber appeared in each of their hands, their blades flashing as they joined the fire serpents in a pincer attack.
Xiao Yan's gaze sharpened, and he advanced instead of retreating. He knew full well that passive defense in this narrow abyss would only leave him trapped. He had to seize the initiative and break through!
"Heavenly Flames: Lotus Step!"
Green Lotus Core Flame coated his feet, and Xiao Yan's speed surged. He weaved nimbly between the fire serpents and flashing blades, as if dancing amid the flames. He dodged one disciple's saber and smashed the Heavy Xuan Ruler toward his wrist with a rush of wind.
Seeing this, the disciple hurriedly brought his saber back to block.
Clang!
The weapons met, and the disciple felt an immense force bear down on him. The web of his hand throbbed with pain, and he nearly lost his grip on his saber. Before he could react, a red light flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes, and a concentrated ribbon of Fallen Heart Flame shot toward him.
Pfft!
The ribbon pierced his shoulder, and searing flames instantly spread across his entire body. The disciple let out a piercing scream and struggled in the flames for a moment before turning into a charred corpse and falling into the magma lake below.
One man had died in a single move. The remaining disciple's expression changed drastically, and his attack faltered.
"Useless!" Qin Yan shouted furiously, slamming his cane into the ground.
Boom!
The magma lake at the bottom of the abyss suddenly surged into a giant wave. Dozens of burning rocks shot toward Xiao Yan like cannonballs, sealing off every avenue of escape.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and quietly gripped the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone. A pale golden light spread almost imperceptibly, and the space around him, warped by the flames' energy, actually stilled slightly. The paths of the hurtling rocks became somewhat clearer.
Taking advantage of that momentary stillness, Xiao Yan used Lotus Step again and narrowly slipped through the gaps between the rocks. At the same time, he whipped the Heavy Xuan Ruler backhanded into the lower back of the shaken disciple.
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones rang out clearly. Blood sprayed from the disciple's mouth as he flew backward, struck the rock wall and fell unconscious.
In the blink of an eye, one of the two Peak Origin King disciples was dead and the other injured. Qin Yan's face turned utterly grim. "You do have some skill. No wonder you managed to kill the Blood Shadow Cult leader!"
He held nothing back now. The full force of his Intermediate Origin Emperor presence erupted, and flames rose around him, coalescing into the phantom of a gigantic flaming lion. It faintly echoed the Lava Hell Lion beside the magma lake below.
"The Burning Heaven Pavilion's signature martial art-Burning Heaven Lion's Roar!"
Qin Yan opened his mouth and roared, and the flaming lion phantom roared in fury with him. A visible sound wave, laced with terrifying fire energy, swept toward Xiao Yan. Wherever it passed, even the air caught fire, erupting in crackling bursts.
The power of this attack far surpassed the previous ones. Even space rippled!
Xiao Yan's expression grew grave. He knew he could not take it head-on. He took out the Void Origin Stone Fragment and activated it together with the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone.
Hum!
The two spatial forces intertwined, forming a warped spatial barrier in front of him. The sound wave struck the barrier like a clay ox sinking into the sea, instantly swallowed and annihilated by the distorted space.
"A spatial supreme treasure?!" Qin Yan's pupils contracted sharply, disbelief on his face. "You actually have a treasure like that too!"
He finally understood that he had still underestimated Xiao Yan. This was no prey to be easily subdued, but a fierce tiger with hidden claws!
"If I don't kill you today, the trouble you bring will be endless!" A trace of madness flashed in Qin Yan's eyes. He bit the tip of his tongue and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto his cane.
The cane erupted with blinding red light. The flaming lion phantom became incredibly solid, and, carrying Qin Yan's body with it, transformed into a streak of scarlet light and pounced at Xiao Yan in a desperate bid to kill him!
"Good, come!"
Battle intent surged in Xiao Yan's eyes. This was the opportunity he had been waiting for!
The Origin Qi within him erupted without restraint, and two Heavenly Flames intertwined wildly. Terrifying, unprecedented power gathered on the Heavy Xuan Ruler. Flames of three colors flowed along its length, showing faint signs of merging.
"Heavenly Flames: Realm Breaking!"
This was a brand-new move he had created by combining the spatial powers of the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and the Void Origin Stone. It contained the destructive power of both flame and space!
The Heavy Xuan Ruler and the flaming lion collided!
There was no earth-shattering crash. Instead, a mass of energy compressed to the extreme gathered at the point of collision, then erupted in an instant!
Red, blue and nether-blue flames clashed and annihilated one another against the scarlet flames. The spatial barrier twisted violently, forming a fleeting black hole of energy that swallowed the surrounding flames, rocks and even light.
Pfft!
Qin Yan flew backward like a kite with its string cut. The flaming lion phantom dispersed, and a wound so deep that bone showed appeared across his chest. Inextinguishable Heavenly Flames burned within it, steadily scorching away his life force.
"Impossible... how could I lose to you..." Qin Yan's eyes were filled with unwillingness and despair. At last, he crashed heavily to the ground, his life extinguished.
The force of the recoil also sent Xiao Yan staggering backward. His Qi and blood churned, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes shone with excitement.
He had won! With the strength of a Peak Origin King, he had defeated Qin Yan, an Intermediate Origin Emperor, head-on!
This victory not only proved his strength, but also gave him a deeper understanding of how to combine Heavenly Flames with spatial power.
Just then, a tremendous commotion came from the magma lake below.
The sleeping Lava Hell Lion had been awakened by the battle. It slowly raised its enormous head, its golden slit pupils filled with savagery and fury as they locked onto the intruder, Xiao Yan.
"Roar!"
The Lava Hell Lion roared and rose from the magma. The presence radiating from its enormous body was even more terrifying than Qin Yan's: it was a Peak High-Grade Origin Emperor!
It slammed a paw into the magma lake, sending dozens of thick columns of magma shooting toward Xiao Yan like water dragons, with enough force to burn mountains and boil seas.
Xiao Yan's expression changed. He had just fought a great battle and consumed a vast amount of Origin Qi. Against the Lava Hell Lion at its peak, his chances of winning were slim.
But his gaze fell on the black rock in the middle of the lake. There, the nether-blue Netherworld Core Flame burned quietly, giving off an enticing presence.
I'm going all in!
Determination flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Rather than dodge, he charged down to meet the columns of magma.
"Heavenly Flames Eternal Ruler!"
The Heavy Xuan Ruler swept out, cleaving the oncoming columns of magma in two. Scalding magma splashed over him, only to be burned away by the Heavenly Flames on his body.
He rushed toward the black rock as fast as he could, pouring all his remaining Origin Qi into the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone.
"Still!"
Pale golden light burst forth. The turbulence of the magma lake instantly weakened, and the Lava Hell Lion's movements slowed slightly.
Now!
Xiao Yan leaped onto the black rock and reached for the Netherworld Core Flame.
The Netherworld Core Flame seemed to sense the threat and flared up abruptly. Its nether-blue flames formed a wall of fire, blocking Xiao Yan's approach.
"Come here!"
Xiao Yan roared and released the Green Lotus Core Flame and Fallen Heart Flame together. Like two fire dragons, the Heavenly Flames wrapped around the Netherworld Core Flame, steadily soothing and merging with it.
A wondrous connection existed between Heavenly Flames. At first, the Netherworld Core Flame resisted, but under the pressure of the two stronger Heavenly Flames, its violence gradually subsided, and its fire grew docile.
Seeing this, the Lava Hell Lion let out a furious roar. Its enormous paw struck at Xiao Yan with enough force to tear space apart.
Xiao Yan could feel the breath of death coming from behind him. He hesitated no longer, grabbing the Netherworld Core Flame in his hand. At the same time, he turned and held the Origin Stabilizing Divine Stone and Void Origin Stone Fragment in front of him.
Boom!
The giant paw struck the spatial barrier formed by the two strange stones, shattering it instantly. The tremendous force made Xiao Yan spit out a mouthful of blood and sent him flying backward like a kite with its string cut, falling toward the top of the abyss.
But a mass of nether-blue flame was clutched tightly in his hand. He had successfully subdued the Netherworld Core Flame!
"Roar!"
The Lava Hell Lion roared and tried to give chase, but it seemed to be subject to some restriction. It could only roar around the magma lake, unable to leave.
Carried by the momentum of his fall, Xiao Yan forced himself to circulate his last trace of Origin Qi and flew toward the top of the abyss. He glanced back at the blazing magma lake and the enraged Lava Hell Lion, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Though perilous, his trip to the Earth Fire Abyss had yielded tremendous rewards.
Not only had he obtained the Netherworld Core Flame and improved his strength once more, but more importantly, between life and death, he had touched the threshold of the Origin Emperor realm.
Perhaps it would not be long before he could use the Sect Breaking Pill to formally enter that brand-new realm.
With his newly subdued Heavenly Flame and his body heavy with exhaustion, Xiao Yan flew toward Li Fire City.
At the bottom of the abyss, only the burning magma, the slumbering charred corpse and the unwillingly roaring Lava Hell Lion remained, as though nothing had happened.
But Xiao Yan knew he had taken another solid step on his journey through the Great Thousand World. And the Netherworld Core Flame would lend him powerful aid in the battles to come.