"Xiao Ting!"
Yun Yun's previously stiff body relaxed, and a surprised expression appeared on her face.
"What are you doing here?"
She had thought it was Huo Zhi who came to save her, but she never expected it to be Xiao Ting who arrived in time.
"I told you, I was worried because you hadn't returned for so long. So I went to the Misty Cloud Sect to check on the situation," Xiao Ting said with his eyes lowered and a gentle smile. "When I passed by, I sensed something was blocking the area, so out of curiosity I came to take a look. I never thought you would be in trouble."
"They're from the Sky Serpent Mansion. They suspect I inherited the clan leader's legacy and are trying to take me back." Yun Yun clung to Xiao Ting's arm, pretending to be frightened and sad. "That Hui Ye even said he wanted to capture me and turn me into his female slave."
Hui Ye: ?
He did have such fantasies, but he had never said it out loud.
"Oh?" Xiao Ting raised his head and looked at Hui Ye.
"Anyone who covets my woman will only bring death upon themselves."
He knew Yun Yun was exaggerating, but he was willing to believe her and cooperate with the performance.
Even if Hui Ye hadn't said it out loud, if he could really win Yun Yun over, he wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.
Thinking about it was already forbidden. Thinking about it was a sin — a crime punishable by death!
"Go to hell!"
Xiao Ting raised his hand and threw a simple, unadorned punch at Hui Ye.
"Boom!"
With the immense power of an eighth-rank magical beast, every movement of his shook the energy and space of this world.
The space in front of him kept collapsing, turning into spatial storms and turbulence with every breath, surging forward.
"What!?"
Hui Ye and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's expressions changed dramatically.
Xiao Ting had suppressed his aura and not released it, so they didn't know how high his cultivation level was.
But it looked like a low-level Dou Ancestor. There was nothing to worry about.
However, the destructive power of that punch terrified them.
This level of spatial manipulation was definitely Dou Venerable level.
"Don't hold back."
Hui Ye instantly returned to the head of the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor, and the two of them almost instinctively used a combined battle technique.
"Great Black Sky Seal!"
The Battle Qi of man and beast perfectly fused, mixing with the energy of heaven and earth, transforming into a black seal about a hundred feet in size that swallowed the light illuminating the surroundings.
The world instantly turned pitch black, and dark clouds began to gather. As time passed, it seemed the world would be completely engulfed in darkness.
Crack! Crack!
Although the combined battle technique of Hui Ye and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor was powerful, it was instantly destroyed in front of the spatial turbulence storm.
In front of overwhelming combat power, even a combination of mid-level Earth-rank battle techniques was nothing special.
Spatial Suffocation!
Xiao Ting looked ahead calmly and raised his hand, grabbing Hui Ye and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor.
In the next instant, the spatial turbulence that had passed by dissipated, rapidly tearing through space. Dozens of spatial rifts intertwined and compressed toward the center.
"We really ran into a Dou Venerable!"
Hui Ye and the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor's expressions became extremely grim. Man and beast communicated perfectly and made the same decision.
"Blood-Burning River!"
Without hesitation, Hui Ye tore off one of his own arms, crushed it into pieces, and threw it away.
Blood mist mixed with Battle Qi aura instantly enveloped him and carried him into the void.
A black halo appeared behind the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor. It instantly cut off its own tail. The tail immediately exploded into blood mist.
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the blood mist, instantly diving into the void and beginning its escape.
Xiao Ting watched this scene calmly and did not intervene.
"Yun Er, let's go."
Xiao Ting raised his hand and slashed forward, creating a crack in space, and guided Yun Yun into it.
Spatial power converged at Xiao Ting's feet and in front of him, forming a stable foothold, allowing him to move through space.
"Weren't you only at the peak of Dou Emperor three months ago? How did you reach Dou Venerable?" Yun Yun asked in surprise.
"I still haven't reached Dou Venerable. In terms of cultivation level, you're a two-star Dou Ancestor — slightly below me." Xiao Ting placed his hand on Yun Yun's lower abdomen and explained with a smile. "I'm only recently learned a special battle technique that allows me to temporarily unleash power comparable to a one-star Dou Venerable."
In reality, it wasn't short-lived at all. Because his greatest advantage was his physique — his innate power that he could have absolute confidence in.
Secondly, his soul power was not weak. He could directly mobilize the energy of heaven and earth, heavenly spiritual power, and spatial power.
Cultivation level was just an extra bonus. At the second stage of Dou Ancestor, he didn't have that much Battle Qi, but he didn't need that much in the first place.
The Heaven and Earth Law was a supernatural power — the ultimate sublimation after the unity of essence, energy, and spirit. He could now fight evenly against an eighth-rank opponent.
"Boom!"
Xiao Ting continuously traversed the void, each step as fast as lightning.
After about ten breaths, he narrowed his eyes, raised his hand to create a spatial rift, and landed in the outside world after passing through the spatial turbulence.
Yun Yun looked around curiously and realized she was in a vast desert. Not far away, a hurricane connecting heaven and earth was raging, kicking up sandstorms everywhere. It was a desert storm.
Just as she was wondering why Xiao Ting had brought her here, space distorted a hundred feet away, and a blood-red streak of light suddenly appeared.
"Cough!"
Hui Ye pressed one hand against his chest, spat out blood, and his breathing grew weaker.
"Yun Yun's lover seems to be named Xiao Ting. I'll remember that."
"Once I return to the Sky Serpent Mansion and report to the Great Elder, I'll repay today's humiliation a hundredfold!"
Hui Ye spat out more blood and was about to take out a high-quality pill to swallow.
But in the next moment, a chill ran down his entire body, as if his soul had fallen into an ice chamber and frozen.
A lazy yet heavy voice sounded from behind him.
"In that case, you can die right now."
Xiao Ting had also discovered the advantage of using the Heaven and Earth Law.
The unity of essence, energy, and spirit could also be described as the complete internalization of essence, energy, and spirit.
As long as he didn't actively release his aura, he could remain undetected to a certain extent, just like a concealment technique.
"Puff!"
Hui Ye spat out blood and lowered his head in disbelief.
A spear made of Purple Beast Flame had pierced through his body and was absorbing his life force.
"What!? When!?"
Hui Ye couldn't understand how Xiao Ting had caught up and appeared behind him without a sound to deliver the fatal blow.
Could it be that I arrived here first and was waiting for you to appear?
Xiao Ting controlled Purple Beast Flame to burn Hui Ye's body, absorbing his essence and spirit to nourish his own power.
A majestic eight-star Dou Ancestor expert disappeared without even having time to scream in pain. Only the storage ring on his hand remained intact.
"That's all?! He killed him?!" Yun Yun couldn't believe it.
She had fought Hui Ye head-on. Hui Ye hadn't used any battle techniques and had only relied on his superior cultivation level to overwhelm her, forcing her to use her trump card.
But now, Xiao Ting had killed someone so easily.
"I already told you I'm comparable to a Dou Venerable," Xiao Ting said with a confident smile. "It won't be that simple. That's the problem."
Yun Yun: "…"
"What happened to the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor? Did it escape?"
"No, it's inside that Heavenly Flame." Xiao Ting turned his head and looked at a certain point. "It's inside that Heavenly Flame."
Yun Yun: ?
…