"A Sun-Fire Crow!?"
"And it's at the first-grade perfection!?"
The Heavenly Fire Pavilion disciple, a man of some experience, felt his heart skip a beat. It was one thing for Meng Yan to be such a freak, but now there was a Sun-Fire Crow with combat strength superior to an ordinary perfected Qi Refinement cultivator!
He wouldn't have feared a Li-Fire Crow, but a Sun-Fire Crow's defense and attack were far superior. Specifically, that terrifying life-fire; if hit directly, even a perfected Qi Refinement cultivator would face certain death.
Beside the sun-fire bird stood Qi Ping. Though his cultivation was only at the seventh level of Qi Refinement, the aura radiating from him was not something the Heavenly Fire Pavilion disciple dared to underestimate. He instantly guessed that Qi Ping was the master of the crow and the one who had sent the bees.
'If I am surrounded, I will surely die. And given those two witches' fear of Meng Yan, they won't have a chance to help me...'
'My only chance is to capture the leader. If I kill the master, the crow might give up the attack if its bond is weak, or it might suffer a backlash from its master's death.'
In an instant, the man decided to use his strongest attack to kill Qi Ping in one blow. A high-grade spirit tool flying sword appeared before him, radiating an extreme sharpness. As violent spiritual energy surged into the blade, a brilliant golden light ignited upon it, transforming into a golden stream that bypassed the explosive fireball and shot directly toward the charging Qi Ping.
This move, the Brilliant Gold Flying Sword, was a technique he had practiced bitterly; it was more than capable of slaying Qi Ping in one strike!
The moment the disciple moved, Qi Ping guessed his intent. As one who valued his life above all else, how could he be careless?
The instant the man began his technique, Qi Ping abandoned control of his explosive fireball. Instead, his spiritual energy surged at full power, and a fire-net composed of numerous small fireballs instantly shielded him. Beyond that, a layer of bark-like skin covered his body, with the energy of the Barkskin spell reaching its peak at the point facing the sword light.
'For so long, the spells I've practiced most diligently have been defensive. It is time for them to prove their worth.'
The next instant, the golden flying sword reached Qi Ping at a terrifying speed! Flying swords were among the most esteemed offensive spirit tools for a reason; they held a massive advantage in speed and power.
But Qi Ping's Explosive Flame Net was no push-over. As the sword approached, the net instantly wrapped tightly around the golden blade. Then, a series of violent explosions erupted!
Enhanced by the Sun-Fire Physique and the Beast King's Flame, and containing a trace of the True Meaning of Fire, the Explosive Flame Net displayed its ultimate power! In the terrifying blast, the momentum of the golden sword was shattered, and several fine cracks appeared on the disciple's blade.
With one exchange, the winner was clear!
The momentum of the sword was halted, and the weapon itself was damaged. Though it could still fight, the failure of his full-strength strike meant he had missed his best chance to kill Qi Ping! A new Explosive Flame Net had already risen around Qi Ping, and the Barkskin defense hadn't even been touched!
Yaya, meanwhile, had transformed into a gold-red flame and was streaking toward the disciple alongside a fresh Explosive Flame Art!
'It seems I underestimated the enhancement my Sun-Fire Physique and Beast King's Flame provide to the Explosive Flame Net. As my comprehension of the True Meaning of Fire deepens, the power of these spells will only increase.'
'It seems a normal level nine sword cultivator can't even break the defense of my net, let alone touch the Barkskin I've worked so hard on.'
Realizing the strength of his defense, Qi Ping was elated. If his current defense was already this strong, what would happen when he mastered the spell, truly comprehended the True Meaning, and further upgraded his life-fire?
As Qi Ping easily withstood the full attack, the heart of the Heavenly Fire Pavilion disciple turned cold. 'It's over.'
His strongest blow hadn't even touched Qi Ping's hair. The outcome was predictable.
The battle between Qi Ping and the man also caught the attention of the other three. The twin demonic witches felt their hearts sink. Seeing Qi Ping at only the seventh level, they had hoped the disciple could kill him quickly and come to their aid. Now, that was clearly impossible. Worse, they would soon have to face a Sun-Fire Crow and the inscrutable Qi Ping! A sense of fear and urgency rose within them.
Meng Yan was also surprised by Qi Ping's performance. His realm was lower than expected, but the power of his Explosive Flame Art and Explosive Flame Net was shocking. Qi Ping had managed to cultivate the net to such a level and unleash such power in just over a month! Such talent would be considered extraordinary even within the Qingyuan Sect. If the situation weren't so uncertain, Meng Yan would have recruited him.
Furthermore, seeing Qi Ping's composed expression, he knew the man was still hiding his true trump cards. This only bolstered his confidence.
On the other side, the Heavenly Fire Pavilion disciple was struggling desperately against the flame-shrouded Yaya. After withstanding the first wave, Qi Ping used the Explosive Flame Movement to reposition himself, continuously hurling explosive fireballs at the man. If the man tried to close the distance, Qi Ping would use Yaya as cover and use his movement to retreat at high speed.
The rest of the fight held little suspense. With the disciple out of tricks, he was soon reduced to a shattered, charred corpse under the combined assault of Qi Ping and Yaya.
'This set of spells is truly excellent—offense, defense, and escape all in one. It suits my combat style perfectly.'
Who could understand the joy of hand-crafting cultivation bombs to hurl at enemies?
'After Foundation Establishment, I should find a similar spell or research this one until it reaches that level.'
Having won his first direct battle so convincingly, Qi Ping's excitement was beyond words. However, he didn't dally. He turned with Yaya and charged toward the two demonic witches currently engaged with Meng Yan. They were the main event today!