The black dragon rushed towards us, carrying an aura of annihilation.
The dragon's eyes burned with scarlet flames, and its gaping maw seemed poised to devour Xiao Yan, soul and all.
Wherever it passed, the air was torn apart, the ground was plowed with a deep trench, and dirt and gravel flew everywhere.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and his Fourth Soul Ring suddenly lit up beneath his feet!
" Cold Fire: The Everfrost Mausoleum!"
The extremely cold, pale flames suddenly spread out from Xiao Yan's center, instantly engulfing an area of a hundred feet in radius!
Temperature plummeted! Ground froze!
Moisture in the air condenses into fine ice crystals, which shimmer under the moonlight like countless tiny diamonds suspended in the air.
One after another, illusory phantoms of the Eternal Frost Mourning Demon appeared within the domain. They were of various shapes, some like withered bones and others like ghosts, emitting mournful howls.
The wailing transformed into an invisible spiritual shockwave, raging through the domain and piercing straight to the soul!
Of course, this was the appearance that Xiao Yan deliberately put on; in reality, he didn't expend much Soul Power at all.
It only has its form.
The black dragon rushed into the area, its speed suddenly slowing down!
The black mist on its body began to dissipate under the chill, making a hissing sound, like ice and snow meeting fire.
The dragon's body began to tremble, and its black scales peeled off one by one, turning into black mist and dissipating into the air.
"Break!"
Xiao Yan let out a low shout, waved his right hand, and his Fifth Soul Ring lit up!
"Azure Lotus - Cold Heart Flame - Green Lotus Flame Pillar!"
A thick pillar of fire, over ten feet thick and interwoven with blue and white hues, erupted from beneath the black dragon!
The pillar of fire contained the ferocity of the Green Lotus Core Flame and the extreme cold of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. These two completely opposite forces intertwined to create a devastating impact!
A pillar of fire shot into the sky, reaching several meters high, illuminating the surrounding night sky as if it were daytime!
"Boom!"
The pillar of fire struck the black dragon's jaw and pierced its skull! The dragon let out a shrill roar, and its body exploded, turning into a cloud of black mist!
The fog dispersed, like a giant black mushroom cloud, slowly spreading across the night sky.
The shockwave from the explosion spread outwards, uprooting the surrounding pine trees, tearing up the ground, and sending rubble and dirt flying like a torrential rain!
The figure of the Soul Division Martial Soul paused slightly, as if it had suffered a backlash.
The black mist surrounding it thinned slightly, and its scarlet eyes flickered a few times.
"Good tactic."
It said hoarsely, with a hint of "appreciation" in its voice.
"But it's not over yet!"
Its hands formed a seal again, and the black mist around it condensed anew.
This time, the mist did not transform into a giant dragon, but instead condensed into countless tiny black blades, hovering behind it like a vast, overwhelming expanse.
There were thousands of those sharp blades, densely packed together, each radiating a cold, eerie light, with strange patterns flowing across its edges.
"Go!"
With a wave of his hand, the Soul Division Martial Soul unleashed thousands of black blades that rained down on Xiao Yan!
The sharp blades tore through the air, emitting a piercing whistling sound, covering the sky and obscuring the moon!
Xiao Yan's expression changed, and he retreated rapidly! But no matter how fast he was, he couldn't outrun the coverage of thousands of sharp blades.
" Cold Fire Soul Armor!"
His Second Soul Ring lit up! Pale flames condensed into a layer of translucent ice crystal armor on his body.
The armor shimmered with Youyou light and emanated a chilling aura. At the same time, Xiao Yan formed hand seals, conjuring a thick wall of fire in front of him.
"Ding ding ding ding!"
The black blade pierced the wall of fire, producing a series of dense metallic clanging sounds!
The wall of fire trembled violently, and the flames on its surface were torn apart by the sharp blades. The first wave of blades was blocked by the wall of fire, but the second and third waves followed one after another. Finally, the wall of fire could not hold on and shattered with a crash!
The remaining sharp blades pierced Xiao Yan's Soul Armor, producing a piercing scraping sound!
Cracks appeared on the Soul Armor, and sparks flew everywhere!
Xiao Yan was jolted backward by the impact, his feet leaving deep footprints in the ground. Each strike from a sharp blade caused his blood and qi to surge.
"Click--"
A faint cracking sound rang out. A crack appeared on the Soul Armor, then a second, a third... the cracks spread out like a spider web!
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth, his Soul Power surging out wildly to repair the cracks in his Soul Armor. But there were too many blades and the attacks were too dense; he simply couldn't repair them in time.
Finally, the Soul Armor shattered with a deafening roar!
Xiao Yan groaned as he was struck by the last few sharp blades, his body flying backward and crashing into a large pine tree. The tree trunk broke, and he landed on the ground with a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
The Soul Division Martial Soul did not pursue. It hovered in mid-air, looking down at Xiao Yan.
"Shall we continue?" it asked hoarsely.
Xiao Yan slowly stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
His robes were torn in several places, but he was not seriously injured—he used his Soul Power to protect his vitals just in time when the sharp blades struck him.
"Of course," he said calmly, his eyes shining even brighter.
The Soul Division Martial Soul remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
The laughter was hoarse and low, echoing in the night sky.
"Interesting. Let's do it again!"
It flashed and pounced again!
Xiao Yan also went to meet them!
The two collided again in mid-air!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Each collision produced a deafening roar!
Black Dou Qi and pale flames scattered and flew everywhere, completely destroying the surrounding forest!
Huge craters appeared on the ground, their walls charred black by the high temperature and frozen by the cold, forming a strange glassy surface.
Xiao Yan unleashed his first Soul Skill, " Cold Fire - Condensed Soul Stab," sending dozens of ice crystal spears shooting out!
With a wave of his hand, the Soul Division Martial Soul's black mist transformed into a massive shield, blocking all the ice spears. The ice spears struck the shield, unleashing a dense explosion.
The chilling air spread out, freezing the surrounding trees into ice sculptures, which were then shattered by the shockwave, turning into countless ice crystals.
The Soul Division Martial Soul retaliated, its black mist condensing into chains that Entanglement Xiao Yan!
Xiao Yan unleashed his third Soul Skill, " Cold Fire - Netherworld Lock," releasing pale chains that intertwined with the black chains!
The two chains intertwined and tore at each other in mid-air, producing a piercing metallic scraping sound!
"Click--click--"
The sound of chains breaking echoed repeatedly. White chains and black chains snapped simultaneously, turning into countless points of light that vanished into nothingness.
The two separated again, standing dozens of feet apart, facing each other from a distance.
Black Rock City.
On the city wall, Lu Bo and several elders of the Black Rock Gang were anxiously looking towards the east.
In the distance, flickering flames could be faintly seen in the sky, occasionally accompanied by muffled rumbling sounds, like thunder.
Although the roaring sounds were distant, they still sent chills down one's spine.
"Master, will Elder Tang be alright?" an elder asked worriedly.
Lu Bo's expression turned serious, and he shook his head.
"I don't know. But Elder Tang is Dou Huang expert, so there shouldn't be any problems."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a deafening explosion resounded in the distance!
The explosion was so loud that even the city walls trembled slightly!
A massive beam of light shot into the sky, turning half the sky crimson! Then, a violent shockwave swept in from afar, causing the torches on the city walls to shake violently, and even extinguishing several torches!
Lu Bo's expression changed drastically!
"What is that?!"
"A battle at the Dou Emperor level... that's terrifying!"
" Elder Tang is really fighting another Dou Emperor!"
The Black Rock Gang members were buzzing with discussion, their faces filled with shock.
Lu Bo clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.
Although he wasn't Dou Emperor, he had witnessed battles at the Dou Emperor level. The aftershocks of such battles were enough to destroy a small city.
"Attention, everyone!" he roared. "Strengthen security! No one is to leave the city without my order!"
"Yes!"
The pine forest to the east.
Xiao Yan stood still, staring at the direction where his Soul Division Martial Soul had disappeared.
His robes were torn, and he had several wounds on his body, but none of them were deep.
A trace of blood clung to the corner of his mouth; he had bitten his tongue himself.
He needed the Black Rock Gang to see that he was "injured" in order to make the fight seem more real.
Zhao Hu led the Black Rock Gang disciples out of their hiding place, and their expressions changed drastically when they saw Xiao Yan's appearance.
" Elder Tang! You're injured?"
Xiao Yan waved his hand, his voice somewhat weak:
"It's nothing, just a superficial wound. That person... is no less skilled than me. If we continue fighting, the outcome is uncertain."
Zhao Hu gasped.
"Who is that person? How did he suddenly appear? And why is he helping the people from the Jia Nan Academy?"
Xiao Yan shook his head.
"I don't know. But he has a past connection with the Jia Nan Academy, so he's probably here to support them."
It seems that Jia Nan Academy has also sent powerful experts to the Black-Corner Region. This matter must be reported to Alliance Leader Han as soon as possible.
Zhao Hu nodded, not daring to ask any further questions.
" Elder Tang, let's go back. Your injuries..."
Xiao Yan nodded and, supported by Zhao Hu, slowly walked towards Black Rock City.
Behind me, the pine forest was completely unrecognizable.
The ground was cratered and uneven, trees were leaning and crooked, and there were traces of battle everywhere. Some places were still burning, and others were covered with thick frost.
The night wind blew by, carrying the smell of burning and a biting chill.
By the time they returned to Black Rock City, it was almost dawn.
Lu Bo stood at the city gate, unable to sleep all night.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was full of anxiety. When he saw Xiao Yan being helped back by Zhao Hu, his expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly went to greet him.
" Elder Tang! You're injured?!"
Xiao Yan waved his hand.
"It's just a superficial wound, nothing serious."