Chapter 308: Old Dog Sky Snake, Take This—Taiyi Fire Seal!
"You brat, if you'd relied on that puppet to restrain me, I might've felt some concern. But with just your four-star Dou Zong strength, trying to fight me is pure fantasy!"
Sky Snake's eyes flashed with malice, a twisted grin curling his lips.
"Heh, so you know that puppet belongs to me, but can't seem to realize that if I can turn others into puppets… what makes you think I can't turn you into one too?"
Xiao Yuan sneered. He had no words for this rotting old fool.
"Hmph, I'm not alone!" Sky Snake snorted coldly, then looked into the distant void. "Come out and see if this is the person you've been looking for!"
The moment his words fell, a dense black mist surged in from afar, spreading ominously across the sky. Sinister laughter echoed out.
"Kekeke… there's indeed a remnant soul force lingering on him. It's likely him. No matter—bring him back and we'll find out!"
"Soul Hall scum, huh?"
Xiao Yuan's face turned icy. Without hesitation, he struck out with a fierce palm wind toward the strange mist.
"Not a bad aura—just a little weak."
The chilling voice replied as a clattering of chains rang out. From within the black mist, a massive chain coated in spectral black light slithered forth like a venomous snake, coiling around the Soul Hall enforcer. Its tip gleamed coldly with a deadly light.
Xiao Yuan's attack couldn't even shake the chain defense.
"Only an eight-star Dou Zong? That's your backup, you old dog?"
Xiao Yuan mocked, ensuring everyone knew just how unimpressed he was.
"Hmph! I'll see if your bite is as big as your bark!"
Infuriated by Xiao Yuan's insult, Sky Snake unleashed his aura in a burst of rage.
Meanwhile, the Soul Hall enforcer grinned coldly. The black mist surged as dozens of chains exploded out, rapidly weaving into a massive chain spear!
"Go!"
With a flick of his finger, the enormous spear shot out like lightning and vanished.
In the same instant, Xiao Yuan's hand ignited with dark-golden flame. He formed a fiery spear and hurled it straight ahead.
BOOM!
The clash sent shockwaves through the air. Energy ripples exploded outward in rings as Xiao Yuan retreated in a flash of green lightning.
"A mere four-star Dou Zong dares challenge me head-on? Courting death!"
The enforcer sneered, pointing toward the air.
"Split!"
Shhhhhh!
With a chilling hiss, ten chains burst from the energy wave, striking toward Xiao Yuan's vital points.
Sky Snake, meanwhile, thought Xiao Yuan was finished.
But neither he nor the Soul Hall enforcer noticed that Cai Lin, Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun—or even Xiao Yan and Tianshuangzi—showed any concern.
It was clear: they didn't think Xiao Yuan was in danger at all.
Only Ye Zhong and Ye Xinlan from the Ye Family looked worried for him.
"Warm-up's over."
Xiao Yuan looked at the incoming black chains, a confident smirk on his face. His hands blurred into motion.
"Three Profound Changes of Heavenly Flame—First Change!"
With a blast of black and white fire, his aura exploded upward!
"Hmph, a secret technique? Child's play!"
The enforcer scoffed, unimpressed by Xiao Yuan's rising aura.
"Wait… that's the Three Profound Changes from Burning Flame Valley!"
Sky Snake's eyes narrowed.
"Be careful," he warned the enforcer. "This technique is top-tier, even in Burning Flame Valley. Those who can master all three changes are rare—even among their elders."
"Kekeke… Even with three changes, it's just a three-star boost. That won't be enough to escape my grasp."
The enforcer still wasn't worried.
Xiao Yuan ignored the chatter. His hands changed again—this time, a blue flame erupted from his body.
"Three Profound Changes—Second Change!"
His aura surged once more.
Now even Sky Snake and the enforcer looked unsettled. Xiao Yuan's power had jumped to seven-star Dou Zong!
"He's got two Heavenly Flames? No wonder his boost is so terrifying!"
Sky Snake's face turned grim. Not even Tang Zhen had this kind of combination.
"So that's why he's so bold… Still, he's not unstoppable."
The enforcer said coldly, but a sliver of unease crept into his heart. If Xiao Yuan unleashed a third change, could he really reach eight-star? Or higher?
"Each transformation supposedly unleashes wildly destructive power… But even Burning Flame Valley elders avoid using all three. This guy shouldn't be able to handle it…"
Trying to reassure himself, the enforcer looked up—and his expression froze.
Xiao Yuan had changed his hand seal again.
A brilliant crimson-gold flame erupted from within him, shocking all the onlookers.
"Three Profound Changes—Third Change!"
The flame exploded outward before quickly being drawn back into his body.
A moment later, his energy erupted like a sleeping titan awakening. Even space trembled under the pressure.
Hovering midair, Xiao Yuan's face flushed red from the strain. This was indeed a top-tier technique, forged by his clan's ancestor.
Even with a body capable of withstanding Dou Zun power, the third change left his whole body aching.
But the results were terrifying.
The first two changes had taken him from four-star to seven-star. The third, formed from the fusion of Yin and Yang flames, had propelled him all the way to nine-star Dou Zong!
The enforcer's attacks had been burned to nothing by the triple eruption.
"Nine-star… Dou Zong!"
Sky Snake and the enforcer now looked at him with unease.
The clash drew Xiao Yan and Tianshuangzi's attention. Xiao Yan smiled with pride.
He knew how monstrous his third brother truly was.
With the Three Profound Changes alone, he'd reached nine-star Dou Zong. If he used his mysterious energy-fusion method, he might even cross into Dou Zun!
That meant today's crisis… was over.
Tianshuangzi frowned, but didn't take it seriously. Xiao Yuan hadn't crossed the Dou Zun threshold. No matter how powerful his technique was, he was no real threat yet.
Besides, even if the enforcer couldn't win, there was still Sky Snake and the other elders.
He refused to believe that a four-star Dou Zong could truly defy the heavens.
"Ready to die?"
Xiao Yuan sneered coldly at the two.
The black mist swirled again, revealing the enforcer's grim face.
"You're delusional. That secret art may boost your power, but it can't last. Once it ends—you'll be nothing but a cripple!"
"Indeed. With our combined strength, killing you is child's play!"
Sky Snake joined in, though he now treated Xiao Yuan with caution.
"You know nothing of my power."
Xiao Yuan vanished in a blur.
Both men blinked—and in that instant, two searing gusts of heat slammed into their backs, launching them like cannonballs.
So fast!
Neither could stabilize their Dou Qi in time. Their hearts pounded in fear.
Before, they'd thought Xiao Yuan wasn't much. But now—his speed and strength were overwhelming!
Especially Sky Snake. His Ice Sovereign Force, his pride, melted like frost under a blazing sun.
It was terrifying.
Xiao Yuan didn't give them time to think. With his Thunder Magic Body active, he launched a storm of attacks like a lightning god unleashed.
The two were utterly suppressed. How could they be nearly the same level—and yet the difference in battle power was so vast?
But Xiao Yuan wasn't done.
He growled lowly, his aura flaring again.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, a complex golden talisman burned to life in his palm, inscribed with ancient flame runes.
"Old dog Sky Snake… Take this—Taiyi Fire Seal!"
Moments later, two heavy thuds echoed in the sky. Both Wu Protector and Elder Sky Snake spewed blood and were blasted backward, their auras significantly weakened.
In mid-air, Wu Protector barely stabilized himself, his face contorted in rage. "You little brat, I refuse to believe this! You think you can defy the heavens?!"
With a furious roar, he changed his hand seals. Chains clanked as a torrent of pitch-black chains surged from the black mist, forming an enormous web in the sky. Wu Protector floated at the center of this web, like a demonic god.
A low incantation rang out from the black fog, and ghostly screams followed as countless black shadows emerged and attached themselves to the web of chains. The chains devoured these shadows like monstrous mouths, radiating a terrifying black glow.
"Hundred Soul Locking Python!"
The devoured spirits gave the chains an even more eerie look. A sinister voice rang out as the entire web of chains twisted and converged, transforming into a massive black python that appeared almost alive.
Its body, formed entirely of metallic chains, exuded a chilling, abyssal aura. Wrapped in black mist, it resembled a serpent from the depths of hell.
"Go!"
The black fog surged. With a sharp command, the giant python's eyes gleamed with malice. Its massive tail lashed through space, launching it toward Xiao Yuan like a bolt of dark lightning.
"Mere tricks, and you dare act up before me?"
Xiao Yuan laughed coldly. His body floated upward as blazing crimson light erupted from within him like wildfire. Even his long black hair gradually turned fiery red. Fire-attribute energy surged through the sky, vaporizing the snowflakes around him.
At that moment, from a distance, Xiao Yuan looked like a fire god descending from the heavens. Even people down in Leaf City couldn't help but gape in awe, holding their breath.
"That's… the Taiyi Fire Palm of Burning Flame Valley?!"
Elder Sky Snake's expression shifted with disbelief. That was a core Dou Technique of the valley, one typically reserved for its highest-ranking elders. Could this youth actually be from Burning Flame Valley?
Xiao Yuan's palm glowed with brilliant red light. In the next moment, his dark-golden Heavenly Flame enveloped his crimson hand. With a single strike, he smashed the massive black python into pieces!
Screams echoed as the severed chains disintegrated into nothingness.
Wu Protector's painstakingly formed Nether Soul Python had been obliterated with one palm!
Staring at the fiery figure in the sky, Wu Protector was stunned. Before he could recover, his pupils shrank sharply—
Shhhh!
A surge of agony erupted in his chest. Green lightning wrapped his body as brilliant orange-red flame flared through the electric light.
He looked down at the fair hand thrust through his chest, then up toward the sky. Just as he turned to see who had killed him—
BOOM!
The lightning-fire combo erupted, reducing him to ashes.
"That's… the Three Thousand Lightning Illusion Body from Wind Lightning Pavilion?!"
Elder Sky Snake was dumbfounded. Who was this monster? He had executed such a high-tier Dou Technique while also using Three Thousand Lightning Illusion Body? At the same time?!
But Xiao Yuan didn't care what Sky Snake thought. His palm now pulsed with blinding red light, a strange fire-red rune glowing at its center, too dazzling to look at directly.
Taiyi Fire Palm—flames that engulf heaven and earth!
Xiao Yuan's aura exploded once more. His hands rapidly expanded, becoming massive, glowing like twin suns.
The mysterious red rune on his palm grew alongside, the violent energy it contained increasing exponentially.
Xiao Yuan burst into laughter: "Old dog Sky Snake, take this—Taiyi Fire Seal!"
As he roared, the glowing rune detached from his palm, turning into a radiant beam. It carried such horrifying power that even space itself trembled, crashing down toward Sky Snake and his allies.
"The strongest form of Taiyi Fire Palm—Fire Seal?!"
Sky Snake's face paled. This youth had mastered the highest level of one of Burning Flame Valley's most guarded techniques?!
Still, unwilling to show weakness, he bellowed: "Bingxuan! Binghua! Help me take this brat down at once!"
The two nearby elders from Ice River Valley hesitated. "Elder Snake… in front of so many people, the three of us ganging up on a junior… is that really appropriate?"
"Junior?" Sky Snake sneered. "Even if the two of you worked together, you wouldn't stand a chance. Still want to call him a junior?"
The two froze, embarrassed. Both were only at the seven-star Dou Zong level, weaker than Wu Protector, whose brutal defeat they had just witnessed. The Fire Seal was clearly no joke.
Exchanging glances, Bingxuan and Binghua gritted their teeth, nodded, and moved into position, forming a triangle around Xiao Yuan.
Below, Leaf City buzzed with astonishment.
Three elders of Ice River Valley, teaming up against one young man?!
"Form the Ice River Array! He's strong, but he can't last forever. Once the Three Profound Changes of Heavenly Flame expires, he'll be drained. That's when we finish him!"
As Sky Snake barked commands, Bingxuan and Binghua blushed, then moved into formation. Frigid Dou Qi poured from their bodies.
Sky Snake struck the air with his serpent staff, unleashing a wave of freezing energy. Together, their combined force formed a massive, mirror-like barrier of solid ice around them.
This barrier was dense with Dou Qi and nearly impenetrable—enough to withstand even a peak Dou Zong's full-power strike.
But just as it solidified, Xiao Yuan's Taiyi Fire Seal slammed into it with overwhelming force.
SSSSHHHH!
The Fire Seal met the frozen mirror. White steam billowed outward as the mirror hissed and sizzled, struggling against the fire's scorching onslaught.
Droplets of icy water began forming and sliding down the mirror's surface, only to instantly vaporize under the surrounding dark-golden flames.
Xiao Yuan watched the scene with icy detachment. A cold smile crept across his lips.
The Taiyi Fire Seal was truly worthy of its reputation as a top-tier trump card.
With the Three Profound Changes backing him, his base strength already surpassed Sky Snake's. Even with two seven-star elders assisting, this shield wouldn't last long.
Sure enough, cracks appeared in the icy shield, its surface rapidly melting.
"Elder Snake, we can't hold out much longer! Our Dou Qi is being burned away faster than we can replenish it!"
Bingxuan groaned, arms trembling under the strain. Despite constantly channeling energy, he could feel the burning heat creeping closer.
Sky Snake's face twisted. He had clearly underestimated Xiao Yuan's fire-enhanced Fire Seal.
"When the ice mirror breaks, transfer your Ice Sovereign Force into me. I'll finish him in one blow!"
His tone was cold.
Bingxuan and Binghua hesitated, then sighed and nodded. Once the mirror shattered, without Ice Sovereign Force to protect them, they'd be left at the mercy of the flames.
But Sky Snake didn't care for their pain. His eyes locked onto a flickering shadow just beyond the mirror—
Someone else was watching.
(END CHAPTER)
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