Yan's words were like sharp blades, directly stabbing at the pride of Flender and Ma Hongjun.
This blatant provocation made it unbearable for them.
Flender's expression turned grim, anger and determination flickering in his eyes as his soul power surged faintly around him.
"Hmph, just a mere arrogant fool, and you dare spout nonsense here? Do you think just because you're from the Spirit Hall, I wouldn't dare kill you?"
Beside him, Ma Hongjun was also burning with rage.
"Dean, well said! Today, let us wash away our past shame and kill him!"
The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder. A battle driven by pride and hatred seemed inevitable.
Flender was not only protective of his people but also bore grudges.
He knew Yan possessed a 100,000-year soul ring and was not to be underestimated.
The last time they fought Yan at the bottom of the Sunset Forest Valley, Yue Guan had been present.
But this time, Yan was alone.
Flender had already reached the Soul Douluo level and believed that with his strength, he could defeat Yan.
Little did he know, while they saw Yan as prey, they themselves had become Yan's hunting targets.
Since gaining the devouring ability, Yan had used the Nihility Devour Flame to consume dozens of soul masters. However, none of them had been fire-attribute soul masters.
Now, in front of him stood Ma Hongjun, a fire-attribute soul master, and his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul flames were not bad.
Yan had consumed the Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower Immortal Herb, which allowed him to automatically purify evil fire.
His sixth soul ring was already close to 100,000 years. When absorbing the Fire Dragon Bone, the Fire Dragon King's power had merged into his body, part of which was evenly distributed into his soul rings.
On top of that, he had devoured dozens of soul masters. Though they weren't fire or earth attribute, part of their power could still be converted for his use.
So, his sixth soul ring seemed to be just one step away from the 100,000-year threshold.
At this moment, Ma Hongjun likely possessed five soul rings. If Yan devoured him, it might produce an unexpected effect.
Facing the two men's responses, Yan said nothing more and directly released his Flame Lord Martial Soul.
Upon seeing Yan's Martial Soul again, Flender and Ma Hongjun were both stunned.
Yan's Flame Lord Martial Soul was no longer illusory but had become more solidified. His body appeared to be covered in a layer of crimson-gold scales, looking indestructible.
That crimson-gold flame seemed to contain incomparably terrifying power.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Ma Hongjun.
As a fellow fire-attribute soul master, he knew that Yan's flame power had become truly terrifying far beyond what his phoenix flame could compare to.
Flender, pretending to remain calm, snorted coldly and also released his own Martial Soul and soul rings without hesitation.
A pair of massive wings extended from his back, his entire body covered in feathers, and the pupils in his orange-yellow eyes became vertical.
Without the slightest hesitation, accompanied by the sudden brilliance of his seventh soul ring, Flender directly activated his Martial Soul Avatar, pushing all his attributes to the extreme.
At this moment, his body had transformed into a gigantic owl with a wingspan of five meters.
Almost at the same time, Ma Hongjun also released his Evil Fire Phoenix Martial Soul along with his five soul rings: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, and black.
And at that moment, Yan's eight soul rings also appeared.
Seeing Yan's soul rings, Flender and Ma Hongjun widened their eyes in shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
Flender's heart tightened sharply as he realized he had underestimated Yan's strength.
"He's actually reached the Soul Douluo level, and he has two 100,000-year soul rings! This is practically unheard of on the Douluo Continent!"
There was no time to think further. Flender immediately activated his Cat's Eye Lock-On skill, trying to strike first.
But to his astonishment, when his spiritual power came into contact with Yan's, he found he couldn't lock onto him at all.
Yan's strength was even more terrifying than he had imagined.
"How laughable! That ridiculous four-eyed owl isn't worth mentioning!"
Yan sneered. His 100,000-year left arm soul bone and eighth soul ring suddenly shone brightly, and his Gravity Domain was quietly deployed.
Flender had been on guard. Although he didn't know what Yan's eighth soul skill was, he knew it had to be a big move.
After all, that was a 100,000-year soul skill! If he got hit, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Flender knew that when facing the unfathomable Yan, Ma Hongjun wouldn't be a help but a burden.
In this battle, they had no guarantee of victory.
Always proud, Flender had no choice but to temporarily avoid Yan's edge.
"Hongjun, retreat now!"
Hearing Flender's furious shout, Ma Hongjun sensed danger and leapt into the air, spreading his wings to fly skyward.
"Trying to run? It won't be that easy!"
Crimson light burst from Yan's left leg, and the next moment, he vanished on the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already midair, directly blocking Ma Hongjun's path.
The 100,000-year left leg soul bone skill—Flame Blade Chain Kick erupted instantly. Blazing flame blades shot out one after another toward the fleeing Ma Hongjun.
"Ah—!"
Accompanied by a scream, the Evil Fire Phoenix had its wings sliced off by the flame blades and plummeted straight down.
"Hongjun!"
Seeing this, Flender panicked.
He immediately activated his fourth soul skill, releasing ten extremely sharp air blades to try and interrupt Yan's attack.
But Yan couldn't be bothered.
His target was clear. He used teleportation once again and appeared right in front of Ma Hongjun.
Suddenly, a vortex of black-golden flames, like the eye of a demon emerging from the abyss, formed without any warning in the air, enveloping Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun was filled with panic.
That black-golden flame vortex seemed to see through one's soul. The moment it appeared, it locked onto him tightly.
An invisible pressure surged in from all directions, like a thousand-jin boulder pressing down from above, making his movements sluggish. His spirit and soul power surged out uncontrollably like a dam breaking.
Facing this sudden crisis, Ma Hongjun activated all the potential in his body. His blood seemed to boil, and waves of blazing phoenix fire burst out from within him, trying to resist the invasion of the black-golden illusory flames.
However, that black-golden flame vortex displayed a power far beyond imagination.
The phoenix fire Ma Hongjun released, upon contact with the illusory flames, was not only unable to repel them but was instead swiftly devoured, as if encountering its natural nemesis, merging into it and becoming a part of it.
Flender, seeing this, launched even fiercer attacks.
But at this moment, a layer of invisible barrier seemed to envelop Yan and the black-golden flame vortex. Flender's air blades couldn't even break through that barrier.
What Yan had unleashed was his other hundred-thousand-year soul skill, Titan's Guard.
With Flender's strength, it was impossible to break through Yan's defense.
Ma Hongjun's painful howls soon vanished within the black-golden flame vortex.
Yan retracted the Nihility Devouring Flame and turned to look at Flender in the sky.
Their eyes met, and Flender's face was filled with fear.
He couldn't believe that he had just witnessed the entire process of Ma Hongjun being devoured by that bizarre flame.
It was simply too terrifying!
While Flender was still in shock, Yan's figure suddenly disappeared.
Flender immediately sensed danger. He gathered all his soul power and fled into the distance at his fastest speed.
"As expected of the cunning Flender, your reaction is quick. I'll let you run."
Yan sneered coldly and once again released his soul rings.
Just as he had anticipated, after devouring the Evil Fire Phoenix, he completed the final step of his breakthrough.
That originally black-red sixth soul ring successfully evolved into a hundred-thousand-year red soul ring.