"You?"
At Xiao Se's words, a trace of hesitation flickered through Su Qian's eyes.
Seeing the Great Elder still wavering, Xiao Se added firmly, "Great Elder, I am also a member of the Inner Academy. I cannot stand by and watch Han Feng and the others destroy it. I possess a Heavenly Flame as well—I understand better than anyone what it means if the Fallen Heart Flame truly erupts."
Before Su Qian could respond, the Little Fairy Doctor spoke, following the plan Xiao Se had discussed with her earlier.
"Great Elder, let him go. Xiao Se's strength cannot be judged by his cultivation level alone. Before I broke through to Dou Zong, even I would not have dared to claim I could defeat him with certainty."
Hearing even her say this, Su Qian found himself without a proper reason to refuse.
Besides—
He, too, was deeply curious.
This young man who possessed a Heavenly Flame… this boy he could not see through at all—just how strong was he really?
—
While Su Qian and the others were speaking, Han Feng's patience had already run thin.
He looked toward Su Qian and the elders, voice cold and sharp.
"Great Elder Su Qian, I'll ask one last time. The Heavenly Flame—will you hand it over or not?"
"Hmph!"
Su Qian's sleeve flicked outward. A powerful stream of Dou Qi burst forth like a roaring torrent, blasting straight toward Han Feng without another word.
Su Qian's sudden attack caused Han Feng's expression to grow even colder. He raised his hand, and a deep-blue flame swept out, colliding head-on with the incoming Dou Qi torrent.
Boom!
A dull explosion echoed through the air. The shockwave rippled outward violently. Han Feng was forced back dozens of meters before he finally stabilized himself midair.
"A Dou Zong powerhouse… truly terrifying!"
Han Feng suppressed the churning blood within his chest, then turned his head toward the Gold and Silver Elders, Fan Lao of the Blood Sect, Yuan Yi of the Eight Gates, and the others.
"Gentlemen, Sect Masters—hold off Jia Nan Academy's people. I'll go retrieve the Heavenly Flame."
"Heh heh, leave it to us."
The Gold and Silver Elders didn't hesitate. One gold, one silver—two figures flashed forward instantly, appearing before Han Feng and blocking Su Qian's path.
They grinned broadly.
"Old Su, let us brothers accompany you for a while!"
Their hands clasped together, releasing a pale green Dou Qi torrent of astonishing strength that slammed toward Su Qian.
Su Qian showed no fear. His figure blurred as he shot forward, colliding directly with the Gold and Silver Elders in midair. The three Dou Zong-level powerhouses erupted into a fierce battle.
Seeing Su Qian entangled, Fan Lao of the Blood Sect, Yuan Yi of the Eight Gates, and the others no longer held back. They charged forward and clashed with the Inner Academy elders.
The sky above Jia Nan Academy descended into chaos.
—
With the academy's strongest forces occupied, Han Feng's lips curled into a faint smile.
His gaze turned toward the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower.
There, only Hu Qian, a few Dou Wang elders he recognized, and an unfamiliar silver-haired girl stood guard.
For someone like him—possessing a Heavenly Flame and standing at peak Dou Huang—
There was no real threat.
His Dou Qi wings spread wide. With a powerful beat, his body transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the tower at incredible speed.
But just as he closed within a hundred meters—
A massive mountain-shaped phantom suddenly descended from above his head.
Han Feng's brows furrowed. His wings flared, and he narrowly avoided the crushing strike. He lifted his gaze—
Only to see a young man he had never met before, holding a strange purple longsword, staring at him with open mockery.
"Han Feng," Xiao Se beckoned casually. "Let's have some fun."
"Brat who still smells of milk—who are you?"
Though surprised that such a young man dared challenge him, Han Feng had already judged from that earlier attack—
Peak Dou Wang.
Extraordinary talent, no doubt.
But unfortunately—
He had chosen the wrong opponent.
Peak Dou Wang versus peak Dou Huang.
There was no suspense in that gap.
"Who I am isn't important," Xiao Se replied with a faint smile. "What matters is that I'm very interested in the Sea Heart Flame inside you… and the Youhai Storage Ring on your hand."
"Courting death!"
Han Feng's eyes darkened instantly.
He was Han Feng—the pinnacle sixth-tier alchemist, hailed as the number one alchemist of the Black-Corner Region.
He had always coveted others' treasures.
Since when had someone dared covet his?
His right foot stamped the air violently.
A vast expanse of deep-blue flames erupted from his body, spreading outward in all directions. In the blink of an eye, it resembled a boundless ocean surging through the sky, crashing toward Xiao Se with the intent to incinerate him completely.
"A Heavenly Flame?" Xiao Se's lips curved slightly. "I have one too."
He clenched his left fist.
A nearly equal expanse of pink flames burst forth, sweeping outward like a blazing tide. The two seas of fire collided violently in midair.
Boom!
The clash of different-colored Heavenly Flames produced a deafening explosion. The temperature at their intersection distorted space itself, twisting and warping the air.
"Another Heavenly Flame? How is that possible?!"
Standing amid his ocean of blue flames, Han Feng stared at Xiao Se—who stood calmly within a sea of pink fire.
His pupils contracted violently.
The pink flame's power was not inferior to his Sea Heart Flame.
Among the top fifteen Heavenly Flames on the ranking, none were pink.
Which meant—
Only one possibility.
It was a fusion flame.
Han Feng's mind raced.
When the pink flame burned intensely, it occasionally manifested illusory lotus shapes—
One component must be the nineteenth-ranked Green Lotus Core Flame.
But the other?
Sometimes it flickered with milky-white and crimson dragon-like shadows, carrying both extreme heat and extreme cold—yet completely different from Bone Chilling Flame.
A Heavenly Flame never before seen?
Even if he possessed two flames—
How had he fused them?
Unless…
He cultivated the same technique.
Han Feng's expression turned completely gloomy.
If this ridiculously young boy also cultivated the Flame Mantra—
Then today, no matter the cost, he would kill him.
Because the Flame Mantra—
Aside from himself—
Only that dead teacher he betrayed had possessed it.
And his teacher's version was complete.
"Brat!" Han Feng shouted sharply. "Where did you obtain your cultivation technique? And how did you fuse those two Heavenly Flames?!"
Xiao Se's smile widened, undisguised ridicule and mockery flashing across his face.
"When you're dead, I'll tell you."
As he spoke, the pink flames filling the sky began to contract, converging tightly around his body.
"Fire God's Wrath — First Layer: Heavenly Serpent Transformation!"
"Fire God's Wrath — Second Layer: Ancient Dragon Transformation!"
In an instant—
His aura exploded upward.
From peak Dou Wang—
Directly into Dou Huang.
The Fire God's Wrath empowered by fused Heavenly Flames now rivaled a high-tier Earth Rank secret technique.
"Han Feng—prepare to die!"
Xiao Se gripped the Demonic Sword with both hands.
Under its amplification, his aura surged again—
Peak Dou Huang.
Even faintly brushing the threshold of Dou Zong.
He did not hold back.
The moment he moved—
He unleashed his signature killing technique.
"Crimson Flame Sword — Breaking the Extreme!"
"Horizon Cleaver!"
Red light pulsed violently around him.
A gigantic Heavenly Flame sword—over forty meters long—materialized around the Demonic Sword.
It descended vertically toward Han Feng.
This strike—
Was formed by fusing the mid-tier Earth Rank Dou Technique Crimson Flame Sword: Breaking the Extreme with Horizon Cleaver.
Once, without secret techniques, Xiao Se had defeated eight-star Dou Huang Ling Ying with this very move.
Now—
Enhanced by Fire God's Wrath.
Enhanced by fused Heavenly Flames.
Enhanced by the Demonic Sword.
Its power—
Was beyond imagination.
The sky itself seemed to split as the enormous flaming blade cleaved downward.
Han Feng's pupils shrank violently.
An unprecedented sense of danger surged through him.
This was no ordinary Dou Huang attack.
This strike—
Had already reached the realm capable of threatening a Dou Zong.
He roared.
The Sea Heart Flame surged wildly, condensing into a massive blue fire shield before him.
But—
Under the colossal forty-meter crimson blade—
The blue shield shattered like fragile glass.
The flaming sword descended relentlessly.
Han Feng's expression twisted. He poured all his Dou Qi into defense, but the crimson blade tore through everything—
And slammed directly into him.
Boom!!!!!
A terrifying explosion erupted across the sky.
Flames of pink and blue interwove chaotically, expanding into a massive firestorm that illuminated half of Jia Nan Academy.
Below—
Countless students and elders looked up in shock.
Heavenly Flame against Heavenly Flame.
Dou Huang against Dou Huang.
And in that blazing inferno—
Han Feng's figure was blasted backward violently, blood spraying from his mouth.
For the first time—
The so-called Medicine Emperor of the Black-Corner Region—
Had been forced into a desperate situation.
And Xiao Se—
Had only just begun.
(End of Chapter)
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