Chapter 223: Xiao Yan: I Am Xiao Yan!
"Encircle on three sides, leave one open, lure the enemy in, and even used your Earth Demon Puppet alongside his to feign weakness... Tsk tsk, Lu Bu, this kid, what a flawless play…" Within Xiao Yan's heart, Yao Lao clicked his tongue in admiration. "And the most crucial trump card a Dou Venerate's soul and that Fallen Heart Flame none of us knew about them from the start. He really knows how to hide his cards."
This kid's enemies had always been Dou Zong or Dou Zun level experts, yet none of them had ever managed to self detonate or even cause him to suffer any real losses. Every fight this kid fought ended in a perfect victory, with zero casualties.
His team including himself had never been seriously injured. Even now, when faced with a Four Star Dou Zun's ambush, not even his clothes were torn.
Not to mention, Yao Lao, whose current state was nothing more than a lingering soul. Even at his peak as the Medicine Venerate, Yao Lao couldn't have achieved something like this!
"Indeed, this guy is really good at sneak attacks…" Xiao Yan was both stunned and envious, muttering sourly.
Lu Bu would now get himself another Dou Zun level Titan Puppet. With two Dou Zun combat puppets at his disposal, forget the Northwest Continent even in Zhongzhou, that would make him a force to be reckoned with.
"So, Xiao Yan, why can't you learn how to pull off sneak attacks like this?" Yao Lao teased, his tone playful. Not long ago, at Black Mountain Fortress, Xiao Yan had been dreaming of a triumphant return, shocking everyone in the empire.
And then… he got pummeled by a Six Star Dou Zong. The Earth Demon Puppet he had planned to use to amaze the crowd? Reduced to nothing more than a punching bag. If not for Yao Lao secretly assisting him, even with the puppet, Xiao Yan would have been defeated.
Xiao Yan's face flushed bright red in embarrassment, his awkwardness palpable. It was true he wasn't skilled at sneak attacks.
"Xiao Yan…" Yao Lao sighed. "It's one thing to be outmatched in raw power, but how is it that you can't even manage a proper ambush?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yan felt deeply ashamed. Sure, lacking in strength could be excused, but failing to pull off sneak attacks? That was just incompetence.
"What is this lunatic up to?" Across the battlefield, the Iron Guardian, who was being suppressed by the Bone Chilling Flame, nearly spat blood in frustration. What was wrong with this guy? He was fighting like he didn't even care about me!
"Trash from the Hall of Souls! What are you looking at?" Xiao Yan suddenly snapped at the Iron Guardian, his fury inexplicably surging. With a wave of his sleeve, a massive Soul Spear entwined with the eerie Bone Chilling Flame shot toward the Iron Guardian.
The Iron Guardian screeched in panic, utterly bewildered. What was with this sudden outburst? Did this guy lose his mind?
In truth, the Iron Guardian was unaware of the internal conversation between Yao Lao and Xiao Yan. If he had known, he would've understood what it meant to feel both embarrassed and angry.
Slap!
Lu Bu raised his palm and pressed it against Lion Heaven's head. His expression was equal parts mocking and icy. Anyone who dared harbor thoughts about his queen deserved to die.
"Stop! Stop! You can't kill me!" Lion Heaven shrieked in terror, sensing the terrifying energy gathering in Lu Bu's palm. "I'm from the Heavenly Underworld Sect! I'm one of them!"
"If you kill me, the Heavenly Underworld Sect will hunt you down relentlessly. Our sect leader is a Nine Star Dou Zun! You can't kill me!"
Hearing this, the Azure Snake Elder's expression changed. The Heavenly Underworld Sect was a terrifying force, notorious for their ruthlessness. Once targeted by them, trouble was inevitable.
"Ha! I, Xiao Yan, even dare to kill members of the Hall of Souls. What's a mere Heavenly Underworld Sect to me?" Lu Bu threw his head back and laughed dismissively.
Xiao Yan: "Excuse me, what?!"
"And besides, do you think sparing your life will make the Heavenly Underworld Sect spare me?" Lu Bu sneered coldly. His palm glowed faintly as he suddenly yanked upward, pulling out a transparent, phantom like soul.
The terrified and panicked face of Lion Heaven stared back at him.
Lu Bu swiftly sealed Lion Heaven's soul before stowing away his corpse. A Four Star Dou Zun yet another Titan Puppet to guard him.
"The sect master is dead!" The three elders of the Lion Underworld Sect were instantly struck with terror. Forget about the people they were currently battling; just the three Dou Zuns alone were opponents they couldn't handle.
"Go. Take care of them," Lu Bu instructed the Titan Puppet without hesitation as he glanced at the four ongoing battles.
"No! Let me handle it myself!" Medusa's cold voice rang out as her delicate, pale hand formed a seal at her chest. The radiant longsword in her grasp began to crackle with colorful arcs of lightning.
Across from her, the Lion Underworld Sect's Dou Zong at the peak level was already riddled with wounds. His injuries oozed a grayish purple hue, and his arms hung limply at his sides, almost completely powerless.
Poison had taken hold of his body. If the difference in strength between him and his opponent weren't so vast, he would have long since dissolved into a puddle of toxic sludge.
"Die!"
Under her black robe, Medusa's eyes flashed with cold brilliance. With a cry, she slashed forward, and the sword aura entwined with multicolored lightning roared out.
Shh!
In an instant, the sword aura pierced through the Dou Zong elder's heart, leaving a gaping hole in his chest.
"Heh heh heh… Even if I die, I'll take you all with me!" the elder growled through clenched teeth, his blood streaming out as his face twisted in madness.
As he spoke, the surrounding heavenly energy began to grow unstable, and his body started to swell.
"Self detonation? You think it's that easy?" Xiao Yi Xian's icy voice interrupted. Hidden under her black hood, her delicate fingers moved in a blur as she formed a seal.
Boom!
The Dou Zong elder's swelling body froze as a gray purple hue rapidly spread across his skin.
The frenzied Dou Qi dissipated bit by bit, and soon, his lifeless eyes glazed over as he collapsed.
"What was that?" Medusa's slender eyebrows arched slightly in surprise.
"The Calamity Poison Blood," Xiao Yi Xian replied with a faint smile. "I planted it in him earlier. I just waited for the right moment to activate it."
Medusa nodded slightly. As expected, none of her companions were ordinary.
Elsewhere, Lu Bu turned to glance at the Azure Snake Elder. "Do you need help with your palace master?" he asked casually.
The elder scoffed coldly. "No. If that idiot can't even handle his opponent, he doesn't deserve to lead the Heavenly Snake Palace."
Lu Bu smirked. "Then why don't you stop staring at him so intently and go help?"
Too lazy to bother further with the old man, Lu Bu shifted his focus. With a thought, the Titan Puppet shot forward, obliterating the massive energy lion created by the Lion Underworld Sect's formation.
Nearby, Zi Yan puffed out her cheeks in annoyance and glared at Lu Bu. She hadn't finished playing with it yet!
"This is bad… Lion Heaven is dead. The Lion Underworld Sect has been defeated…" In the distance, the Iron Guardian's spectral body trembled in fear. There was no escape now.
"What's wrong, Iron Guardian? Planning to run?" Xiao Yan sneered, gripping the soul chain tightly as the Bone Chilling Flame surged toward the dissipating black mist.
With Yao Lao's soul restored to the Dou Zong level, dealing with the Iron Guardian was no more than a flick of his wrist. But earlier, Xiao Yan had refrained from asking Yao Lao to intervene it wasn't worth exhausting his teacher's strength over this battle.
The truth was, Lu Bu didn't need Xiao Yan's help. If Xiao Yan was here at all, it was likely because Lu Bu needed his Earth Demon Puppet to sell the ruse of weakness and as a backup Dou Zong combatant, just in case.
Now that the tide of battle had turned decisively, Xiao Yan resolved to end the Iron Guardian quickly. After all, he had something to discuss with Lu Bu like what was to be done with those peak Dou Zong corpses.
"You bastard!" The Iron Guardian growled, but the sudden surge of the Bone Chilling Flame forced him into a desperate retreat.
"Die!" Xiao Yan sneered, clenching his five fingers. In an instant, a wolf's head, intricately carved as if from jade and intertwined with red and blue flames, appeared in his palm. The violent energy radiating from it made even Elder Bai Li glance over in awe.
Thanks to Yao Lao's assistance with his soul power, Xiao Yan had become incredibly adept at merging his Heavenly Flames. He could now execute the technique swiftly with a simple motion.
Of course, this only applied to the two flames he had already refined. If he were to use the Bone Chilling Flame, he'd be back to the awkward fumbling of his first attempt at merging flames.
"As expected of a disciple of the Medicine Venerate," Elder Bai Li nodded approvingly, the look in his eyes growing increasingly satisfied. "He truly is a promising student."
What? Lu Bu?
Anyone with half a brain wouldn't treat that guy like a junior.
Elder Bai Li had long regarded Lu Bu as a peer, if not a superior. In fact, his respect bordered on reverence.
After all, Lu Bu wasn't just a Seven Tier Advanced Alchemist but also the benefactor responsible for Bai Li's breakthrough to the Dou Zun realm. Without Lu Bu, who knew how many years it would have taken him to achieve this? There was no way he wouldn't show his gratitude and respect.
"Ke ke ke… You want me dead? It won't be that easy!" the Iron Guardian cackled sinisterly, his hands rapidly forming seals as the black mist surrounding him condensed.
"Not good! Kill him quickly he's trying to send a message!" Yao Lao exclaimed urgently. He had fought Heavenly Guardians from the Hall of Souls before and was very familiar with the pre transmission fluctuations in their techniques.
Xiao Yan's pupils shrank as he thrust the wolf head forward. The fusion flame construct roared, exploding in a brilliant burst of fiery light.
"Ke ke ke… You'll regret this!" The Iron Guardian let out a creepy laugh as he glanced between Xiao Yan and Lu Bu in the distance. "Just wait for the endless pursuit of the Hall of Souls, you brat and you too, over there… Xiao Yan!"
The wolf head flames rushed toward him, yet the Iron Guardian ignored it entirely. From his Baihui acupoint, a streak of light shot into the sky, while his physical form ceased all defense, standing still as though awaiting death.
"Damn it!" Xiao Yan's face turned green with frustration. I get it, but that guy over there isn't Xiao Yan I'm Xiao Yan, damn it! I'm the real one!
Elder Bai Li reacted swiftly. With a wave of his sleeve, a surge of deep yellow flames roared into the air, intercepting the streak of light.
The streak trembled, dimmed, and veered off course but was not completely extinguished, continuing to fly off into the distance.
"Damn it!" Elder Bai Li cursed, his expression grim. Without the Fallen Heart Flame, his abilities to combat soul based techniques were severely limited.
In this battle, because they were up against a Four Star Dou Zun, Elder Bai Li had brought the Fallen Heart Flame out of the Heavenly Flame Refining Tower. But Lu Bu had borrowed it, and only with its help had Tianhuo Zun zhe been able to deliver the finishing blow to the Four Star Dou Zun.
Without the Fallen Heart Flame, a disembodied soul like Tianhuo Zun zhe would have stood no chance against a complete Four Star Dou Zun. The Fallen Heart Flame was the decisive factor in that victory.
Lu Bu's expression turned slightly strange. This event was related to him, but at the same time… not.
"Ahem… Clean up the battlefield and get ready to leave," Lu Bu said with a light cough, raising his voice to issue instructions.
"Wait! Lu Bu, you promised a 9 to 1 split of the spoils!" the Azure Snake Elder interjected.
"Yeah, 9 to 1. I'll just take one storage ring; the rest is yours the land, territories, and subordinate taxes are all yours. How's that? Generous, right?"
"…"
The Azure Snake Elder's face turned green. Everyone knew the most valuable item in the Lion Underworld Sect was their sect master Lion Heaven's storage ring!
"Heh… Elder Bai Li, why don't you visit the Heavenly Snake Palace for a while?" Elder She Lin chuckled. "Since the Jia Nan Academy and our Heavenly Snake Palace joined forces, it's only right to discuss our future cooperation."
"…Fine, Palace Master She Lin makes a good point," Elder Bai Li nodded in agreement. With this battle over, the Heavenly Snake Palace and Jia Nan Academy were no longer strangers but potential allies.
This was a promising development. The two forces were geographically close, and Jia Nan Academy was well connected. It lacked ambitions to expand its territory, making it an ideal ally.
Moreover, with Elder Bai Li as a Dou Zun and Lu Bu as a rising star from Jia Nan Academy, maintaining a good relationship with them was something any faction would strive for.
Everyone seemed happy with the results. The Heavenly Snake Palace absorbed the Lion Underworld Sect's territories and resources, greatly expanding its influence and strength.
Xiao Yi Xian and Medusa were relieved both the Poison Sect and the Snake People were safe from future threats from the Lion Underworld Sect.
Zi Yan was even more delighted. Not only had she had a good fight, but she'd also captured a "little kitty" as her new pet.
The only one not happy was Xiao Yan. His mood was sour. That blind idiot of an Iron Guardian… Hadn't the Azure Snake Elder already called him Lu Bu once?
How did he not notice? Did he seriously mistake Lu Bu for "Xiao Yan"?
Damn it! I don't want to face the Hall of Souls just yet!
Frustrated, Xiao Yan clenched his fists. I need to grow stronger whether through puppets or personal strength, I have to improve.
A few days later, in the Heavenly Snake Palace:
Boom!
Above the palace, continuous thunderclaps roared as lightning serpents flickered across the dark sky. The oppressive clouds loomed low, as though the heavens and earth were colliding.
On a distant peak, Lu Bu sat before the Myriad Beast Cauldron, his eyes half closed as blue flames danced within. Inside the cauldron, a pill rolled slowly, emitting a rich medicinal aroma that wafted through the air.
She Lin watched Lu Bu's figure, his expression filled with eagerness and anticipation.
"The Pill Lightning is about to descend…" She Lin muttered, glancing at the flickering lightning above. His fists clenched involuntarily as his fighting spirit stirred.
"What are you so excited about?" The Azure Snake Elder shot him a glare. "Haven't you seen how that kid deals with Pill Lightning before?"
She Lin chuckled awkwardly. For some reason, letting Lu Bu handle it alone always made the whole process feel less thrilling.
Nearby, Elder Bai Li laughed softly. He had watched Lu Bu refine pills many times and was familiar with his techniques.
As the three conversed, a golden and a silver figure rose from Lu Bu's side, hovering in the sky.
Boom!
As soon as the two puppets appeared, lightning crackled ferociously in the clouds, striking the puppets repeatedly.
Slowly, the previously dented chest of the silver Earth Demon Puppet began to mend. The golden Titan Puppet gleamed brighter, its golden skin radiating a mesmerizing yet terrifying glow. No one doubted the destructive power behind its punches.
The Azure Snake Elder couldn't help but feel envious. The growth of these puppets' strength far outpaced his own cultivation. In just a few days, the previously Three Star Dou Zun level Titan Puppet had risen to match his strength.
Not far from the peak, two small figures sat side by side, resting their chins in their hands as they watched Lu Bu refining pills.
"Young master is amazing. He's refining another Seven Tier pill…" Qing Lin said dreamily, her eyes shimmering with admiration.
"What's so special about that?" Zi Yan huffed, puffing out her small chest proudly. "I've seen Lu Bu refine tons of pills like this!"
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