Beneath his cloak, Lan An's face was graver than ever, the weight of a mountain pressing upon him. Yet, as one who had faced the Eye of the Heavenly Dao and survived its wrath, he knew calm was his only ally now.
"Reveal your identity, and I'll grant you a swift death," Bai Lie snarled, each word dripping with menace.
Trapped in the Scenic Land like a bird in a cage, with two Body Unity cultivators glaring at him, Lan An's fate seemed sealed.
"And if I refuse?" Lan An rasped, his voice deliberately hoarse, stalling as the System's summons neared completion.
"Then you'll beg for death!" Bai Lie sneered, his mind brimming with torturous techniques he'd relish unleashing.
Ding! Summon Successful. Host receives…
The System's voice sparked a flicker of hope in Lan An's eyes. A plan formed instantly. His hand slowly reached for his cloak, as if to unveil himself.
Bai Lie, Third Elder, and Fourth Elder leaned forward, eager to unmask the daring intruder who had bypassed their defenses to reach this sacred place. His identity had to be extraordinary.
"I'll tell you… nothing!" Lan An roared, laughing wildly. "Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles!"
"Ancient Bear Prison Earth, when I return, you'll be free!"
His shout echoed through the chamber. His body erupted in blazing flames, transforming into a streak of cyan fire that tore across the sky. In an instant, he vanished from the Ancient Bear Prison Earth's seal, reappearing a thousand li away in the Scenic Land.
The speed was terrifying.
The Ancient Bear Prison Earth, locked in its frenzy against the Supreme Emperor, paused briefly at Lan An's words. Its massive head tilted, eyes glinting, before resuming its onslaught.
The sudden escape stunned Bai Lie and the elders, their faces frozen. They hadn't expected such audacity.
"That movement technique is monstrous," Third Elder muttered, exchanging a heavy glance with Fourth Elder. They recognized the extraordinary Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles. Against a Body Unity cultivator, even they might only chase its embers.
"Foolish bravado," Bai Lie scoffed, tracking the cyan-flamed figure. "Speed won't save you from Body Unity pursuit."
"Second Elders, capture that rat for me," Bai Lie said with a smirk, utterly confident.
"No problem," Third and Fourth Elders replied, stroking their beards. Earth spiritual energy surged beneath their feet, and they vanished in a flash, leaving ripples in the air.
"Earth Shadow Step—the White Sand Dynasty's Supreme Heaven-Grade Movement Technique," Lan An noted, pushing Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles to its limit, racing toward the Scenic Land's exit.
His face paled. Two figures materialized ahead—Third and Fourth Elders, grinning mockingly, blocking his path.
"This is Body Unity speed?" Lan An cursed, sweat streaming down his face. Their Heaven-Grade technique outclassed his Spirit-Grade one, the cultivation gap insurmountable.
He was only halfway to the exit.
"Little rat, surrender quietly," Third Elder said, his withered hand extending. Earth spiritual energy quaked, flattering his power, forming a massive hand to seize Lan An.
Fourth Elder watched, certain Third Elder alone sufficed. A Late Fusion Realm cultivator was an ant to Body Unity masters. Why would both need to act?
But this ant was slipperier than expected.
"Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame!" Lan An roared.
Wings spanning dozens of zhang erupted behind him, their cyan blaze outshining the Night Pearls, flooding the Scenic Land with searing heat, as if the Eight Desolations could burn and the heavens could be swept.
The wings amplified his speed exponentially. "Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles!" His body became flame again, wings eclipsing the sky, vanishing before the elders.
BOOM!
Third Elder's hand grasped empty air, the impact shattering the space with a deafening roar.
"Ranked sixth on the Strange Fire List—Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame?" the elders gasped, rubbing their eyes.
Combined with the Supreme Spirit-Grade Fire Law Ten Thousand Miles, Lan An escaped their clutches again.
ROAR!
The Ancient Bear Prison Earth, sensing the arrogant Strange Fire, flickered with envy. Why could the Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame roam freely with its master while it was caged as a power source? Its hatred for the White Sand Dynasty surged.
Even Bai Lian Hua's Good Charm might fail now, her cultivation too low to soothe the beast's fury.
The Supreme Emperor, sensing the Ancient Bear Prison Earth's growing malice, darkened. Cursing Lan An, he barked, "Full force! No need to capture—kill that rat!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Third and Fourth Elders nodded, burning to slay Lan An. His repeated escapes as a Late Fusion Realm cultivator humiliated them. If word spread, their reputations would crumble.
No longer underestimating him, they chased the blazing wings with full speed.
"Rank-six Strange Fire… even if we can't use it, it's worth a fortune!" Bai Lie trailed behind, greed consuming him. Killing Lan An would grant him a share.
But Lan An faced a new obstacle. The Scenic Land's gate was sealed, requiring royal blood to open.
"Explode!" Lan An roared, his cyan wings slamming the gate with devastating force, rivaling a Late Refining Void strike.
BOOM!
The gate, forged from Ten-Thousand-Year Earth Metal, stood unmoved.
"Idiot," Fourth Elder sneered. "Even we can't break it."
Cursing, Lan An produced a Minor Teleportation Talisman, bought from the Lucky Shop for emergencies.
"Young Master, no!" Jin Ni cried. "The Scenic Land is a sealed space, reinforced by arrays. Teleportation talismans are useless!"
"Damn this Ninth-Grade Power's stronghold!" Lan An swore, realizing why the elders hadn't torn space to pursue him, relying instead on movement techniques.
"Minor Teleportation Talisman? His treasures are endless, his identity extraordinary," Third Elder said, killing intent thickening. "But intruding here, no one can save you."
"Earth King Seal!"
The elders formed seals, their silver hair dancing. Earth spiritual energy roared, shaping two massive brown seals of earth-shaking power.
Lan An gritted his teeth, blood seeping from his gums. Two Body Unity cultivators attacking together—he'd be lucky to survive crippled.
"Kill him, and the rank-six Strange Fire is ours!" Bai Lie laughed from afar, exhilarated.
Sighing, Lan An produced another talisman, tearing it without hesitation. Countless light specks formed a shield around him.
BOOM!
The Earth King Seals struck, shaking the heavens, but the shield held, shattering the seals.
"What the hell?" Third and Fourth Elders swore, stunned.
Lan An's face twisted with regret as the shield faded. The Tribulation Guard Talisman, a Spirit-Grade talisman from his summons, could block any attack below Peak Body Unity. Only a Transcending Tribulation cultivator could break it. Using it against Early Body Unity attacks felt wasteful.
"A high-grade talisman! How many treasures does this bastard have?" Bai Lie seethed, jealousy consuming him. As a Second Prince of a Ninth-Grade Power, his wealth paled beside Lan An's.
"It's a one-use item," Third Elder growled. "I don't believe he has more."
"Earth King Seal!" they roared, forming new seals with destructive might.
"Damn it, I'm going all in!" Lan An's eyes blazed with ferocity. He swallowed a fiery red pill—the Fire Void Pill, another summoned treasure.
His eyes glowed red, flames raging within. The Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame roared, and his Late Fusion Realm aura surged to Early Refining Void.
Fire Void Pill: a High Spirit-Grade pill, elevating any fire cultivator to Refining Void for half an hour, with a ten-day recovery period of weakness, unable to use spiritual energy. System-grade, it minimized side effects.
The Blazing Star Cauldron thrummed wildly, as if electrified. "This is Refining Void power? Truly different!" Lan An marveled, exhilarated, itching to battle Body Unity foes.
"You think a pill changes anything? Refining Void is still an ant!" Third and Fourth Elders scoffed, unimpressed.
But their opponent was no ordinary cultivator—he was the monstrous genius Lan An.
"Nether Flame Annihilates Mountains!" he bellowed, forming two cyan fireballs of apocalyptic power. His wings folded, creating another.
The fireballs spun, sucking the air into a vacuum. When Huo Li used this with Great Force Earth Flame, it was formidable; with Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame, its dominance was unmatched.
"Fire Underworld Sect?" the elders gasped. The technique was their signature, known across the Yellow Sand Continent.
"Damn it, is the Fire Underworld Sect targeting us?" Bai Lie cursed. Backed by the Dan Clan, they outranked the dynasty.
Lan An ignored their speculations. He'd learned Nether Flame Annihilates Mountains from Fire Mountain, the Fire Underworld Sect's Great Elder, intending to keep it unused to hide his identity. But infiltrating the White Sand Palace changed his plans.
"Explode!" he roared, hurling the fireballs at the Earth King Seals.
BOOM!
The collision shook the Scenic Land like clashing stars. The seals and fireballs annihilated each other.
The recoil slammed Lan An into the gate, blood spraying, bones cracking. At Refining Void, he could match one Body Unity cultivator, but two overwhelmed him.
The elders weren't unscathed, their skin scorched, pushed back by the rank-six Strange Fire's might. Bai Lie, caught in the shockwave, bled from his ears, retreating in panic.
"Die!" Third and Fourth Elders, enraged, ignored their injuries and charged.
"Earth Form Fist!" Earth elements coated their fists, striking at Lan An.
Too fast to dodge, Lan An gritted his teeth, cyan flames coating his fists. He knew Gentleman's Demon Subduing Fist and Savage Star Fist. The former, used against Yu Chen, risked exposing him. Only one option remained.
"Savage Star Fist!" he roared, unleashing ferocious punches.
CRACK!
Three screams echoed as four arms shattered—Lan An's and one from each elder. Body Unity power ravaged his body, blood gushing.
Without the Fire Void Pill, he'd be a corpse.
"Die! Earth King Seal!" The elders, undeterred, prepared another attack.
"I'll expose my identity if I must!" Lan An refused to die. "Heavenly Emperor Transformation—Heaven and Earth Unrivaled!"
As he prepared the secret technique—
CREAK!
The Scenic Land's gate opened. Bai Yang, the Third Prince, stepped in calmly.