"You filthy pervert, don't talk so big. We'll see who ends up dead today."
Hearing the killing intent behind She Mo's words, Xiao Yan merely let out a mocking laugh. His philosophy had always been: 'If people don't offend me, I won't offend them. But if they do, I'll wipe them out completely.'
Had the people of the Serpent Nest Mercenary Group let him go after capturing them in their net, there wouldn't have been any further conflict. Unfortunately, they made a terrible mistake—and now, Xiao Yan had no choice but to kill them all.
"Hah, what arrogance! Do you really think a little talent makes you invincible? Let me show you today what a true expert looks like!"
She Mo was enraged by Xiao Yan's mockery. Waving his hand to stop the three nearby Da Dou Shi who had been about to move, he growled, "No one interfere! I'll deal with this brat myself!"
He clenched his fist, and a deep-blue Dou Qi instantly surged from his palm, condensing into a massive blade. At the same time, a thick suit of Dou Qi armor formed over his body. With a sudden burst of pressure, a dominating aura erupted from him.
Weapons and armor formed from pure Dou Qi were a technique only Da Dou Shi and above could manifest. She Mo clearly planned to end the fight in one blow. Given his strength as a Dou Ling, fully armed, it was like using a lion to swat a rabbit.
"A three-star Dou Ling…"
Sensing the aura pouring from She Mo's body, Xiao Yan's expression turned serious. The man's strength was two whole levels above his own, and to make things worse, She Mo's water attribute directly countered his own flame attribute. Even with the Flame Splitting Tsunami, defeating him seemed nearly impossible.
'Forget defeating him—I might not even last more than two or three exchanges…'
But then again, Xiao Yan was no ordinary Dou Shi.
'Let me handle this,' came Yao Lao's voice from the ring. 'With your current power, you're no match for him.'
"That's not necessarily true," Xiao Yan said with a slight smile.
He planted the heavy black ruler into the floor and brought his hands together into a strange seal. His Dou Qi surged, flowing through his meridians in a unique and erratic path. A moment later, a fierce, untamed energy exploded from within him, spreading to every corner of his body.
"Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations: First Transformation!"
As his mind uttered those words, pitch-black flames roared to life from his body, his aura climbing rapidly. Within just a few seconds, it had risen by more than an entire level. The Dou Qi cloak covering his body condensed further, transforming into a set of armor.
"What?!"
Feeling the sudden spike in power, She Mo's face shifted. He could tell Xiao Yan had just increased his level by more than one rank!
Only certain powerful secret techniques could achieve such an explosive boost in a short time. And in the Jia Ma Empire, barely any forces possessed such methods.
The terrifying amplification and Xiao Yan's shocking talent made it easy to imagine the kind of background he came from—one She Mo's organization absolutely couldn't afford to provoke.
'Damn it… if I'd known this earlier, I'd never have messed with him.'
But now that they were enemies, letting Xiao Yan go was no longer an option. No matter how impressive his potential or his connections—he was still too weak. If they killed him quietly, his background might never discover the truth.
She Mo wasn't the only one shocked—Yao Lao, hidden in the ring, was equally surprised.
'That's the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations from Burning Flame Valley! But how does this boy know a technique that only Burning Flame Valley possesses? Could he be connected to them too?'
"Find a place to hide!" Xiao Yan shouted back to Xiao Yixian.
Then, activating his Explosive Steps, he used the blast of energy to hurl himself toward She Mo. Surprised by Xiao Yan's initiative, She Mo tightened his grip on his massive blade and slashed toward the charging youth.
Clang!
As the black heavy ruler clashed with the giant Dou Qi blade, the sound of metal echoed through the hall. In less than a second, the sheer force of the blow hurled Xiao Yan back more than ten meters.
Though the Heavenly Flame Three Mysterious Transformations gave a powerful boost, the gap between a Dou Shi and a Dou Ling was enormous. With the boost, Xiao Yan was about at the level of a five- or six-star Da Dou Shi—still far from She Mo's level.
In a direct clash, he quickly fell into a disadvantage.
Flying backward across the hall, Xiao Yan twisted his body in midair. Just before slamming into the reinforced gate, he stomped off it hard, using the rebound to launch himself high into the air. Then he came crashing down toward She Mo's head with his heavy ruler.
His agile counter stunned She Mo. Unable to raise his weapon in time, he could only retreat quickly to dodge the blow.
The ruler slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash, sending shards of stone flying. But before the debris could fall, a strange force swept them toward She Mo. At the same time, a deep lion's roar echoed through the room—Xiao Yan had unleashed the Xiao Family's elite Dou Technique: Mountain-Cracking Lion Roar.
The earlier debris was just a feint. Concealed behind the dust and rubble was Xiao Yan's true attack.
A crimson lion-shaped wave of energy surged out, roaring as it charged toward She Mo.
Caught off guard, She Mo was forced back repeatedly by the devastating impact.
He stumbled back over ten paces before regaining his balance. His gaze toward Xiao Yan grew much more serious.
Though the youth's strength was still below his own, his battle experience was terrifyingly sharp. Even as a Dou Ling, She Mo was finding himself a step behind Xiao Yan's rhythm.
'If I were just a Da Dou Shi—even the peak of that rank—I would've been seriously injured by that move…'
Thankfully, he was a Dou Ling. Though he hadn't defended in time, his defenses were strong enough to endure Xiao Yan's Mountain-Cracking Lion Roar without much harm.
(End of Chapter)
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