Word Count: 3,016 Words
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The temperature throughout the surrounding space plummeted.
This was entirely different from when Xiao Yan unleashed his Heavenly Flames. While his flames naturally raised the temperature with their inherent heat, this cold was a deliberate act. Hai Bodong channeled his Dou Qi with brutal efficiency, forcing the air itself to freeze!
A crystalline creak echoed as his feet touched the ground, like boots pressing into fresh snow. In the short distance he had traversed, a gleaming layer of ice had already formed across the earth.
"Peak Rank 7… passable strength," Hai Bodong gave the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon a calm once-over and spoke in an even tone.
The Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon sensed the intense Dou Qi radiating from the old man, and its expression turned grave. This human was a formidable opponent!
"ROAR!"
The Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon released a furious roar at Hai Bodong. It was a deafening cry that thundered like that of a true dragon.
"Hmph, let's see if you can truly 'reach the heavens'!" Hai Bodong smiled coldly before sweeping his hand through the air. A massive pillar of ice materialized from nothing and shot toward the beast.
Bang!
The Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon shattered the hardened ice with a single swipe of its claw. Immediately after, the air shrieked as countless ice spikes descended like a deadly storm.
Boom!
The Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon sprang high into the air with explosive speed. A blue streak erupted from the lake's surface, and the entire barrage of icicles burst apart in its wake.
"ROAR!"
A massive silhouette materialized before Hai Bodong in an instant. Dragon claws raked downward, intent on tearing him to pieces.
A cold smile curved Hai Bodong's lips in the face of the vicious strike. His Dou Qi surged and condensed as he barked, "Ten Thousand Flower Ice Mirror!"
The surrounding chill gathered instantly, forming a crystalline mirror before him.
A thunderous crash followed as the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon's claw slammed into the barrier... and failed to break through!
Hai Bodong today wasn't the Hai Bodong of old. He now cultivated a High Di Class ice-attribute Qi Method, which had vastly improved the quality of his Dou Qi. The ice he condensed possessed extraordinary hardness.
Having blocked the attack, Hai Bodong stepped skyward as an ice war halberd materialized in his grasp. With a horizontal sweep, he struck the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon's skull with a resounding thud, sending it flying.
Hai Bodong pointed a single finger upward as the beast tumbled through the air. Metallic chimes rang out as the drifting snowflakes suddenly crystallized in unison!
Chains of mysterious ice as thick as pillars shot forth from every direction. They radiated such intense cold that even the ambient natural energy in the air began to congeal!
The chains moved with blinding speed, instantly binding the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon's body and limbs, suspending it helplessly in midair.
These chains were incredibly tough on their own, and reinforced by Hai Bodong's Dou Qi, breaking free would be exceptionally difficult.
Crackling sounds filled the air as the ice power in the chains sought to transform the flood dragon into a living sculpture.
The Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon's eyes snapped open with a sharp twang. Its bloodline boiled. Waves of dragon roars rolled from deep within its body and, with a final boom, its might erupted, shattering all the chains at once.
In the next second, the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon, having awakened its bloodline strength, seemed capable of traversing the world at will. It appeared before Hai Bodong as if riding the clouds and mist, then sent him flying with a powerful swipe of its dragon tail.
Boom!
Hai Bodong steadied himself high above and looked down at the flood dragon, which now radiated terrifying pressure. He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled. "Not bad. Seems you're worthy of this move."
A low resonance filled the air. Natural energy throughout the surrounding space surged wildly, beginning to boil as endless waves of icy Dou Qi poured from his body. Brilliant cold radiance swirled around him, and the earth began to tremble. More and more ice flowers descended from above, painting the world in pristine white!
"Elder Hai is so strong!" Nalan Yanran exclaimed from atop the Little Lion King, her expression one of pure amazement.
Cold light blazed in Hai Bodong's eyes as he roared, "Mysterious Ice Dragon Soar!!!"
An endless tide of cold energy welled up from the surrounding world. The falling snow instantaneously condensed into an incomparably massive ice dragon!
This colossal beast coiled across the sky, its form so immense it dwarfed the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon below!
Its roar echoed ceaselessly, shaking the surroundings. Even with its powerful bloodline and full might unleashed, the Heaven Reaching Semi-Dragon couldn't withstand the assault.
When Hai Bodong manifested an ice dragon with his Dou Qi, the world seemed to freeze into a silent expanse. Standing upon this dragon, one could vault across the heavens; its might was boundless!
Boom boom boom!!!
A series of thunderous collisions rang out as the two dragons clashed with astonishing momentum.
If Xiao Yan hadn't cast a Space Lock in advance to contain the fallout, the shockwaves would have undoubtedly damaged the surrounding medicinal herbs.
A resonant cry escaped from Hai Bodong's lips as he formed a series of seals with his hands. Nine ice dragons soared upward before diving down with overwhelming force that left onlookers dumbstruck.
Years later, a legend would circulate within the Yan Alliance: Hai Bodong, one of the Alliance's ten strongest experts, had once demonstrated a self-created Dou Technique within a Dou Saint's ruins. By helping Xiao Yan claim Saint Zhao Hua's greatest inheritance, he had etched his name forever across the Dou Qi Continent!
But at this moment, Xiao Yan could only watch the battling Elder Hai with a speechless expression.
This is something I could've settled with a single punch! Why is Old Hai making the fight so flashy???!
Nearby, Venerable Tian Huo nodded silently in approval. So battles can be fought with such style. Indeed, as long as one lives, there's always something new to learn.
Excellence recognizes no boundaries of cultivation!
Suddenly, Xiao Yan's heart stirred. The soul signal he was tracking had vanished.
"Seems they've finally reached their destination." He smiled, though a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes.
"I hope that little phoenix doesn't make the wrong choice."
Xiao Yan exchanged a knowing glance with Venerable Tian Huo and Little Fairy Doctor. Both nodded, understanding he was about to make his move.
"Nalan Yanran, you and the Little Lion King stay here to provide support. If Old Hai encounters any trouble, assist him. If any Dou Venerates intrude, crush this soul jade slip, and I'll return immediately," Xiao Yan instructed.
Nalan Yanran seemed about to speak but ultimately just nodded. She understood that with her current strength, she had no place offering opinions.
"I understand..."
Noticing the dejection in her eyes, Xiao Yan smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. With all these medicinal herbs here and your solid foundation, breaking through to Dou Venerate is just a matter of time."
Without further delay, he departed with Venerable Tian Huo and Little Fairy Doctor. The three figures blurred, streaking through the forest at astonishing speed toward their destination.
…
Meanwhile, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, the Wind Lightning Pavilion, and others who had entered this area before Xiao Yan's group had already reached the ancient forest's center. Unlike Xiao Yan's party, medicinal herbs weren't their primary objective. They had come with a specific purpose.
"The calling grows stronger," Feng Qing Er murmured, her expression grave.
Ever since entering the ancient ruin, they had faintly sensed a mysterious summons, and she, with her higher bloodline concentration, perceived it most clearly.
"This is the place."
Her noble features, touched with their habitual coldness, grew serious as she slowly extended her hand. When her fingers came within half a foot of the seemingly empty space before her, golden light suddenly appeared from nowhere.
Venerable Lei and the others stared in astonishment. The golden light formed a dome shape, wide at the bottom and rounded at the top, spanning roughly a hundred and fifty feet. Though the light was dazzling, the dense trees made it almost impossible to detect from a distance.
"This is a Beast Spiritual Barrier. Only an exceptionally powerful magical beast can condense such a barrier upon its death."
Venerable Lei, the Earth Tiger Tribe patriarch, and the others couldn't help but swallow nervously. They all sensed overwhelming pressure from the mysterious golden dome, pressure that told them that even if they joined forces, they would be unable to break it.
Feng Qing Er and her tribesmen nodded solemnly. She pricked her fingertip, and a single drop of blue-red blood, pulsing with the power of wind and thunder, drew a mark in the air.
The golden barrier rippled in response, and a narrow rift slowly tore open, creating an entrance.
Feng Qing Er led the way through, and the others followed close behind.
The moment they entered, the world seemed to spin around them. When they opened their eyes again, the lush green forest had completely vanished. In its place stretched a desolate plain.
This plain was vast, covered with crimson soil that appeared as if soaked in blood. Scattered throughout were patches of chalk-white color. In the distance, an ancient stone altar rose a thousand feet high at the plain's center. A subtle but majestic aura emanated from it.
"This is… a Spirit Gathering Altar! Isn't this a technique of the Ling Clan?!"
The white-robed man exclaimed in recognition. This type of altar was designed to gather energy in one place, a specialty of the Ling Clan.
"Saint Zhao Hua must've invited Ling Clan experts in ancient times to create this, specifically to nurture that thing!" Elder Huang Xuan's eyes gleamed with a mixture of excitement and near-madness.
The moment he saw the object on the altar, he understood. Perhaps this time, the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe was truly destined to become the strongest magical beast tribe in the world!
Everyone's gaze followed his. At the altar's center stood a gold-and-purple stone platform. On it was a half-foot-wide depression, from which grew a small sapling. Though only as thick as a thumb, it coiled like a mighty dragon. At the sapling's top hung a single fruit.
This fruit was roughly palm-sized, with a body displaying both gold and purple colors. A closer look revealed that the golden half twisted and coiled into what was unmistakably a miniature Ancient Void Dragon, while the purple half formed an Ancient Heaven Phoenix dancing with spread wings!
"Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit! It really is the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit!!!"
"Hahahaha! Heaven has blessed my Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe!"
Feng Qing Er stared at the treasure, astonishment giving way to a long-dormant fervor in her eyes. 'The Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit… if I could obtain it, I might break free—no, I could have my revenge!'
Just as she rushed up the altar, planning to pluck the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit while fantasizing about repaying everything tenfold, hundredfold, ten million fold, a voice that instantly drained the color from her face sounded from behind.
"What kind of fruit is that? It looks quite interesting."
Xiao Yan and Venerable Tian Huo hovered in midair, watching the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe with amused expressions. It seemed they had caught quite a big fish.
His voice reached everyone's ears. They turned toward the sound, and their hearts sank.
At the edge of the Beast Spiritual Barrier, black flames had burned an opening that was now slowly healing. Even without looking, the voice alone was enough to identify the newcomer: Xiao Yan!
"One 5-star and one peak 5-star Dou Venerate..."
Elder Huang Xuan's expression turned grave. Venerable Tian Huo made no effort to conceal his strength.
Among their own group, only Huang Xuan was a 5-star Dou Venerate. Venerable Lei was a peak 3-star Dou Venerate, and his two companions were peak 2-star Dou Venerates. The juniors, Feng Qing Er and Huang Dong, were merely 1-star Dou Venerates.
"Xiao Yan, this Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit is useless to you humans. If you agree not to interfere, my Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe can offer you satisfactory compensation." Huang Xuan spoke firmly while secretly gesturing for Feng Qing Er to quickly retrieve the fruit.
Xiao Yan smiled. "Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit... so that's what it's called. Dragon and Phoenix..."
He feigned contemplation before his smile widened. "No, I think not. I believe I could earn a far greater profit by selling it to the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe…"
Huang Xuan and the others understood that Xiao Yan had no intention of letting the Dragon Phoenix Origin Fruit go when they heard his response.
Though Huang Xuan wanted to use his jade slip to summon reinforcements, the Beast Spiritual Barrier completely sealed off all soul communications.
He immediately sent a voice transmission to Venerable Lei and his two companions. "If you can hold off Xiao Yan for just one minute, our Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe will fulfill any request you make!"
The eyes of the three men sharpened. Even if Xiao Yan was incredibly strong, some things were worth the risk!
"Qing Er, Huang Dong, we'll buy time! Work together to summon the ancestral soul. If we can awaken the Ancient Heaven Phoenix's ancestral soul in this place, we can win!" Huang Xuan transmitted urgently.
But he failed to notice that Feng Qing Er's face had gone deathly pale, her body trembling so violently she couldn't utter a single word.
"Attack!"
Huang Xuan took the lead, directly engaging Venerable Tian Huo, while Venerable Lei and the others unleashed their full strength as they rushed forward to besiege Xiao Yan.
Venerable Lei even activated his Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body, effectively creating a four-against-one situation. Strangely, under their combined assault, they actually managed to trade blows with Xiao Yan, completely preventing him from breaking away.
Venerable Tian Huo, meanwhile, proved even more formidable. He pressed his attack on Huang Xuan, forcing the elder to retreat repeatedly while coughing up blood.
Huang Dong immediately employed a secret technique when he saw Elder Huang Xuan fighting desperately. He spat a mouthful of blood as Dou Qi surged through his body.
Boom boom boom!
The entire plain began to shake, as if something deep within the earth were about to awaken.
Though the ground trembled, beginning to stir the power of the fallen Ancient Heaven Phoenix, Huang Dong's bloodline was too weak. It contained barely a trace of the ancient blood, not nearly enough to awaken the ancestor's remnant power.
Noticing something was wrong, Huang Xuan risked a glance toward the altar. He saw Feng Qing Er standing paralyzed, her face ashen as if her soul had fled. He roared, "Qing Er! What are you doing?! Use the secret technique and awaken the ancestral soul now!"
Startled by his shout, Feng Qing Er regained her senses, but her eyes remained filled with boundless terror as she watched Xiao Yan being held back by the others.
"I... I..." She slowly raised her arm. For her, awakening the ancestral soul wouldn't be difficult, as her bloodline was far stronger than Huang Xuan's.
But! Awakening the ancestral soul might cost her little life!
She finally understood. Xiao Yan had placed some kind of seal on her long ago! No wonder he had deliberately delayed his entry. He had been waiting for her to find this place so he could swoop in and take everything!
Huang Dong, still trying to summon the soul, glanced furiously at the hesitating Feng Qing Er. "Feng Qing Er! What are you doing?!! Summon the ancestral soul now!"
He misunderstood her hesitation, assuming she had feelings for Xiao Yan and couldn't bear to harm him. After all, the fact that she had fought with him was no secret.
She had once claimed the rumor that Xiao Yan had refined their ancestor's corpse was a misunderstanding. Perhaps she had been covering for him all along.
He had no idea how wrong he was.
Just as Feng Qing Er stood frozen with indecision, a ball of black flame ignited behind her. A figure in a black robe stepped out of it, his right hand resting brazenly on her shoulder.
"Jie Jie Jie… scolding my little phoenix like that will make me angry."
Feng Qing Er's body stiffened in terror as she turned to face the figure beside her.
There were actually two Xiao Yans?!
At that same moment, Venerable Lei stared in disbelief at the 'Xiao Yan' he was fighting. It was a Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body! Its realism had even fooled him!!
"Impossible! The maximum strength of a lightning clone is 3-star Dou Venerate! How can yours have the strength of a 5-star Dou Venerate?!" Venerable Lei was utterly dumbfounded. This shattered his understanding!
Are we not cultivating the same Dou Technique?!
The Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body was, after all, only a High Di Class Dou Technique. Its grade explained everything. If a fully mastered Lightning Illusionary Body could truly maintain the same strength as the original body, wouldn't a Dou Saint cultivating it be equivalent to two Dou Saints?
That was obviously impossible. The reason the Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body was rated as High Di Class, and not Tian Class, was precisely because the clone's strength was capped at the 3-star Dou Venerate stage.
What Venerable Lei didn't know was that Xiao Yan's lightning clone had merged with the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame. Moreover, Xiao Yan possessed a Heavenly State soul, which on its own allowed one to project a soul avatar that retained most of the main body's strength.
The two factors combined had created this unprecedented effect.
When Huang Dong saw Xiao Yan's true body appear behind Feng Qing Er, he was first surprised, then enraged to see his hand on her shoulder. Just as he moved to attack, a soul shockwave struck him, instantly knocking him unconscious without any chance to resist.