Chapter 208 – Defeating Fan Lao
In the sky, less than a hundred meters apart, the two figures fell into a strange silence. But everyone knew that beneath this stillness, a terrifying collision was brewing.
And the moment of explosion—was now.
Under countless shocked gazes, the blood spear in Fan Lao's hand finally stopped absorbing Dou Qi. It trembled faintly, and even that tiny vibration caused the surrounding space to ripple. Clearly, the energy it contained had reached a terrifying peak.
Gripping the vibrating blood spear tightly, Fan Lao's pale, twisted face cracked into a sinister grin. His blood-red eyes locked onto Xiao Yuan in the distance, and a ghastly laugh echoed across the sky:
"Brat, this ends now!"
As his laughter fell, Fan Lao gave Xiao Yuan no more time to gather Dou Qi. His body twisted and, with a powerful throw, launched the blood spear containing his full strength.
"Great Blood Demon Devour!"
The instant the spear left his hand, a wave of nauseating blood stench rolled over the entire battlefield. Even under the blazing sun, the scent was so strong it made everyone feel like they had fallen into an abyss. The previously bright sky turned dim and eerie as blood-colored mist swept over the heavens.
The sudden change in atmosphere caused many other battles in the sky to pause. Countless eyes turned toward the battlefield between Fan Lao and Xiao Yuan. Especially when they saw the blood spear flying from Fan Lao's hand, even many of the Black-Corner Region's experts gasped aloud.
"That's the Great Blood Demon Devour?"
"He was actually forced to use that move by a youngster?"
"He's lost it… using an Earth-tier Dou Technique like that. Looks like the black-robed kid is doomed. Plenty of Dou Huang have died to that technique before…"
As the murmurs spread, a flash of blood-red lightning ripped through space like teleportation. In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Xiao Yuan with an overwhelming stench of death.
Xiao Yuan inhaled a deep breath. Above him, the black-and-white flame dragon slowly opened its eyes, and a tangible draconic might radiated outward. The sky, which had grown cold and eerie from Fan Lao's attack, suddenly heated up again. Air twisted around the fire dragon, and many spectators went from shivering to sweating in an instant.
The terrifying force behind the blood spear caused every pore on Xiao Yuan's body to clench. His gaze locked onto the incoming flash. A sharp shout burst from his mouth as he clenched his open hand. The black-and-white dragon roared thunderously, then unleashed a scorching breath straight toward the incoming blood spear.
In front of countless watching eyes, the flame dragon and the world-altering blood spear collided like twin meteors.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion—like a mountain collapsing—resounded across the sky. For a moment, everyone was struck deaf by the impact.
A tornado-like shockwave erupted from the collision point, rapidly spreading outward under the stunned gazes of all witnesses. The surrounding space twisted, visible cracks forming where the energies met. Even space itself seemed on the verge of collapse.
The explosion birthed a storm dozens of meters wide, a violent tempest that seemed to touch the heavens. Its destructive power was so great that even high-level experts watching from above paled slightly.
At the storm's base, connected to the Inner Academy below, countless buildings were obliterated. Aside from the black Heavenly Flame Refining Tower, everything within several hundred meters—structures, trees, everything—was reduced to rubble. The terrifying destruction left the observing students dumbfounded.
The storm came swiftly and left just as fast. After wrecking a large portion of the Inner Academy, it finally dissipated.
As the storm cleared, the skies brightened again, leaving behind only devastation.
High above, the Elders twitched slightly as they looked down at the ruined Inner Academy. A few more of those clashes, and they wouldn't need the Fallen Heart Flame's explosion to flatten the school—it would collapse from battle alone.
Compared to the Elders' distress, the Black-Corner Region's fighters were stunned as they stared at the white-robed youth, Xiao Yuan, who stood untouched. None of them had expected him to survive Fan Lao's terrifying blow unscathed.
"That technique he used—must be Earth-tier, or how else could he block the Great Blood Demon Devour?"
Recalling the flame dragon that seemed like a real dragon descending from the heavens, many warriors quietly began to regard Xiao Yuan with more seriousness.
Yuan Yi, head of the Eight Gates, was already getting goosebumps.
No wonder that Ice Empress could thrash Fan Lao like a dying dog… she must've had techniques and skills at this level too. The forces backing these two youngsters must be terrifying.
The more he thought about it, the more reluctant Yuan Yi became to help Han Feng. The people behind Xiao Yuan and the Ice Empress likely had Dou Zong experts. Offending them just to support Han Feng—a mere sixth-tier alchemist—was a poor trade.
He relaxed his attacks even more.
The three Elders fighting him noticed the shift and became suspicious, but wary of a trap, they kept their guard up and only cautiously tested him.
Back in the air, Fan Lao's face had turned completely pale. Clearly, unleashing his ultimate move had drained a massive amount of his Dou Qi.
And despite using such a powerful attack, he had gained nothing. Staring at Xiao Yuan—who remained calm and composed—Fan Lao nearly coughed up blood in frustration.
"This brat… if I keep this up, I'll get nowhere…"
His claw-like nails sliced the air, trailing a chilling gleam as sharp as his bitter stare.
"Whatever trick he used to boost his power—it's temporary. Secret techniques like that always have a time limit. When it ends, he'll be weak… then I'll finish him easily."
Indeed, Fan Lao's experience in the Black-Corner Region gave him a sharp instinct, and he quickly guessed part of the truth.
But Xiao Yuan scoffed.
While the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Change did carry some risk, his current body could handle the first stage just fine. Unless he used the second or third stages, there was no real cost.
That was why he had chosen it over Qi Palace Infusion, which risked serious internal damage if sustained too long.
Before Xiao Yuan moved again, Fan Lao abruptly beat his wings and fled into the distance.
Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow. Did that old dog think he could outrun me?
A flash of green lightning erupted beneath his feet, thunder crackled, and he vanished into a white streak, chasing Fan Lao like a phantom.
"Trying to run now?"
Xiao Yuan's mocking voice echoed through the sky. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Fan Lao.
Even Fan Lao's face changed slightly at that speed. Still, he reacted quickly, slashing toward Xiao Yuan's neck with his deadly claws.
But Xiao Yuan didn't retreat—he advanced. Lightning flared beneath him, and he slipped inside Fan Lao's guard, smashing a flame-wrapped fist into his chest.
BAM!
A blood membrane absorbed some of the force, but the rest sent Fan Lao stumbling backward.
Xiao Yuan didn't pause. He chased forward and unleashed a storm of blazing punches.
Fan Lao was overwhelmed, barely dodging and sometimes getting struck cleanly. His pale face turned even paler with every hit.
Far below, the students were transfixed. Watching Xiao Yuan—a Dou Wang—dominate a Dou Huang filled them with awe. As fellow students of Jia Nan Academy, they felt a rush of pride.
Looking across the sky, the battle raged on. Explosions of Dou Qi echoed endlessly. Occasionally, a fighter would fall out of the chaos, clearly wounded.
Thankfully, some of them were Black-Corner Region members—not just Academy Elders.
Still, the true outcome hinged on the battle between Su Qian and the Gold-Silver Brothers. That fight was invisible to the naked eye—only muffled booms hinted at their epic clash.
This conflict between the Inner Academy and the Black-Corner Region was the biggest in years. The waves of power nearly blotted out the sky, filling the students below with passion and desire—for power, for greatness.
But as everyone watched the battle in the heavens, no one noticed that the black energy barrier atop the shattered Heavenly Flame Refining Tower had begun to thin.
And if one looked closely—they would see a pair of massive, cold-blooded serpent eyes glowing underneath.
Those eyes slowly scanned the sky… and finally fixed on Han Feng and Xiao Yuan.
The moment their Heavenly Flames ignited—the serpent's gaze burned with a terrifying greed.
Clearly, the Fallen Heart Flame had set its sights on both of them.
Yet Xiao Yuan was unaware of this. After a flurry of strikes, Fan Lao's protective blood membrane was collapsing.
With one final blazing punch, the shield shattered, and Xiao Yuan's fist slammed into Fan Lao's bare chest.
Already exhausted from the onslaught, with his defense gone, Fan Lao couldn't resist the raw force.
"Pfft!"
Blood sprayed from his lips as he was sent crashing down, landing with a thunderous explosion in a heap of rubble.
The world fell silent.
A Dou Huang had fallen—this was a heavy loss for the Black-Corner Region. And now no one could stop Xiao Yuan from joining the main battlefield. The tide was turning.
The Academy students realized it too. Cheers of triumph burst out, soaring into the sky.
Above, Xiao Yuan's wings spread wide. With no hesitation, he flared into a black-and-white meteor and dove toward the wreckage where Fan Lao had fallen.
"Die, old dog!"
With a shout of pure killing intent, the flaming meteor struck the ruins like a falling star. The blast shattered stone, spiderweb cracks splitting the ground.
"Aaargh!!"
A shrill scream rang out as a dim streak of blood escaped from the flames. The figure was Fan Lao—now bloodied, drained, and emaciated like a dried corpse.
"Still using Blood Escape, huh?"
Rising into the air again, Xiao Yuan watched the pale figure flee. He knew Fan Lao had burned his blood to escape.
"Xiao Yuan! Are you trying to kill me!?"
Keeping a safe distance, Fan Lao rasped angrily.
"Aren't you from the Black-Corner Region? Isn't this your specialty?"
Xiao Yuan sneered, then vanished again in a burst of thunder.
"Tsshh!"
Fan Lao struck his own chest, spitting a spray of blood and disappearing in another blood blur.
Xiao Yuan's punch hit only an afterimage. He frowned and looked up—Fan Lao had reappeared far off, even weaker than before.
"Still self-harming, huh? Let's see how much blood you've got left."
Just as he was about to finish things, a crisp cracking sound echoed across the battlefield—the sound of a seal shattering.
Though not loud, it had a strange power. Instantly, all battles in the sky froze. Countless eyes turned downward—to the broken spire of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower.
Everyone's face changed.
"Damn… it broke the seal again!"
Su Qian's voice trembled with shock and fury.
"So that's the Fallen Heart Flame… it already developed intelligence?"
Han Feng looked to the tower, his eyes wild and trembling with excitement.
Atop the tower, the black barrier shattered. From the darkness, two massive flaming serpent eyes slowly emerged… scanning every soul in the sky.
(END CHAPTER)
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