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**
The firestorm, laced with horrifying heat, swept across the entire sky.
All clouds—along with the air itself—were completely incinerated.
The entire upper sky was plunged into a state of pure vacuum. Everything—even oxygen—had been reduced to nothing.
Even space itself was ravaged by the intense heat, becoming distorted and fragile, teetering on the verge of collapse.
This terrifying scene continued for a while before it finally began to subside.
As the black flames that had swept the skies began to flow backward, they surged back into Wei Yang's body.
Gradually, everything began to calm.
The collapsed center of the explosion—where space had caved in—was slowly reconstructed, the broken void mending itself.
From the edges of the blast zone, air rushed back in, rapidly filling the vacuum and restoring normalcy to the sky.
The heavens now took on the appearance of a massive radiating ring, pure and azure, utterly spotless—so blue it was crystalline in its clarity.
Like a flawless mirror hanging suspended in the sky.
At the very center of that deep-blue mirror...stood the solitary figure of Wei Yang.
There was no one else.
As for Protector Mo?
He was long gone—not even a speck of ash remained.
Sunlight began to shine down once more, illuminating the scene in silence.
However, in stark contrast to the sky above...below, atop Yun Lan Mountain's peak, countless structures and trees had now caught fire.
From a distance, the mountain top looked like it had been completely set alight—transformed into a massive flaming torch.
The blazing inferno surged upward, its flames licking the sky. Even that pristine mirror-like sky was slowly being tinged with crimson from the firelight.
The flames roared higher and brighter, casting fiery hues across the heavens—and lighting up the terrified expressions of the people below.
At that moment, countless individuals stared upward with bloodshot eyes, mouths agape in utter shock...
Staring at that tall figure, hands clasped behind his back, standing alone in midair.
A few moments later—
Gulp...
The sound of swallowing filled the air, echoing from every direction.
Some people trembled as they wiped cold sweat from their foreheads, unable to stop their bodies from shivering. Their legs felt weak—like they could barely stay upright.
That terrifying display from earlier—like the end of the world—had left even Dou Wang and Dou Huang level experts feeling small and powerless.
That level of power…
Crushed any hope of resistance. It left them feeling utterly helpless.
The ongoing battles across the mountain had already come to a complete halt.
Both sides now stood grouped apart, divided cleanly into two opposing camps—each occupying one half of the central plaza.
After what had just happened, who still had the will to fight?
Some of the more timid individuals had even wet themselves in fear, thinking the sky was truly about to fall.
On one side of the plaza stood Xiao Yan, Yao Lao, Jia Xingtian, and others.
All of them looked somewhat battered and disheveled.
Although the devastating explosion had taken place high above the sky and hadn't directly struck them...the scorching heatwave that followed had still caught them by surprise—let alone the endless black light that had engulfed the entire mountaintop for a time.
Fortunately, their strength was formidable, so despite their ragged appearances, none were seriously hurt.
Of course... their eyes still stung.
A large-scale attack of that nature, one that blanketed the battlefield indiscriminately, made no distinction between friend or foe—it was simply unavoidable.
Thinking back on it now, everyone still felt a lingering sense of dread.
If Wei Yang had intended to kill in that moment...very few on the mountain would have survived.
Thank the heavens that the explosion had taken place high in the sky.
If it had occurred here in the plaza—
Forget the people.
The entire mountain might have been blasted down by a full tier.
Moments later—
Aside from the outsiders from Black-Corner Region, those like Hai Bodong, Jia Xingtian, and the others gradually began to regain their composure.
After all, this wasn't their first time experiencing this kind of terror.
A few years ago, Wei Yang had done something similar in the skies above the Imperial Capital.
Of course, even so—that time couldn't compare to this one.
At the very least, the Imperial Capital had only suffered minor damage back then.
But now... look at the Yun Lan Sect.
Everyone looked around, their gazes sweeping across the blazing mountaintop and the waves of scorching heat rolling toward them.
Aside from the plaza where they stood, everywhere else had become a sea of fire.
Countless buildings and towering ancient trees were all burning fiercely.
With a fire this massive, there was simply no saving it.
Not that anyone was planning to try.
"What a massive blaze..." Fa Ma shook his head and let out a sigh. "A thousand years of Yun Lan Sect heritage... wiped out in an instant."
"Heh." Jia Xingtian chuckled dryly, his expression difficult to read.
A short while later—
"Is everyone alright?" People gradually began to collect themselves, checking on one another with concern.
"We're okay." Xiao Yan gave a wry smile. His eyes scanned the group of powerful allies around him, then his brows furrowed slightly.
Although the earlier battle had cost the Yun Lan Sect several elders…they themselves had lost three Dou Wang-level experts.
His gaze swept over the now-burning Yun Lan Sect, flames raging across the mountain.
This battle today had proven far bloodier and more destructive than anyone had anticipated.
As the tally was taken, the faces of Old Yin Gu, Su Mei, and Tie Wu darkened noticeably.
The three Dou Wang casualties had all been their subordinates.
"Damn Yun Lan Sect…" The trio exchanged glances, each grinding their teeth in frustration.
After all, Dou Wang-class experts weren't something one could just train overnight.
Losing even one was enough to cause them deep pain.
"Heh, we may have taken losses, but the Yun Lan Sect got hit much harder," said Lin Yan, his face a little pale. Still, there was a strange fire of excitement flickering in his eyes.
Clearly, while the battle had been brutal, it had also hit the right nerve for him.
In Lin Yan's mind, life was meant to be thrilling—battles fought inside the academy were nothing compared to the life-or-death bloodshed of today.
"I killed a peak Dou Ling, and injured a Dou Wang," said Lin Xiuya chuckling.
"Same here. If not for the chaos at the end, I might've been able to kill that Dou Wang," added Liu Qing.
The two of them didn't look much better—they both had visible injuries—but luckily nothing too severe.
"Good thing you're all safe." Xiao Yan turned to them and nodded with some relief.
"Still, compared to you… damn." Lin Xiuya shook his head helplessly. "I already thought I had high expectations for you, but I still didn't expect you to be able to fight a Dou Zong and hold your own. You're just a peak Dou Wang, for heaven's sake—that's insane."
"If word of this gets back to the Inner Academy," Liu Qing added, wearing a slightly bitter smile, "even Elder Su Qian will be stunned."
It seemed the gap they needed to cross to surpass Xiao Yan had been dragged even further apart.
Their opponents now weren't even on the same level anymore.
Xiao Yan chuckled softly and shook his head.
How could he not understand what Lin Yan and the others were feeling?
He lifted his head, his gaze drifting toward that lone figure standing in the skies above. A spark of fervor and yearning flashed through his eyes.
Just recalling that apocalyptic, world-ending scene from moments ago was enough to make Xiao Yan's heart race—that was the power he was chasing after!
The others may have felt a widening gap with Xiao Yan...but Xiao Yan was feeling that exact same thing when it came to Wei Yang.
He knew Wei Yang better than most.
He had once believed that after devouring two types of Heavenly Flames, he was finally catching up…but now, it seemed the gap had only grown larger.
Once he reached the Dou Zong level himself, and managed to devour both the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame and the Sea Heart Flame, could he then wield the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame with the kind of terrifying might that Wei Yang had displayed today?
"Hey, Xiao Yan."
A light jab on his arm snapped him out of his thoughts.
Zi Yan had walked over and nudged him with her elbow. Her gemstone-like eyes were fixed on Wei Yang's figure in the sky as she muttered softly, "Why didn't you tell me that guy was this strong?"
Xiao Yan turned in surprise.
At that moment, he saw something rare—a trace of admiration on Zi Yan's usually fearless little face.
"What are you looking at?" Zi Yan immediately puffed out her cheeks and waved her little fist. "Don't get the wrong idea! It's not like I'm afraid of him or anything... Hmph! You watch—I swear, one day, I'll beat that guy into the dirt!"
"Ha..." Xiao Yan couldn't help but chuckle, then nodded seriously. "Alright. I'll make sure to pass your message along to Brother Wei."
"You—!" Zi Yan's eyes widened, startled. She turned her head away and huffed, but her voice came out lacking confidence. "Y-you go ahead and tell him then. I-I'm not scared at all…"
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