"Xie Biyan, you old geezer are a bit more troublesome than I imagined!"
Yun Shan cautiously watched the old man, and a look of apprehension also flashed in the eyes of Yan Luotian and the Mulan Three Elders. The patriarch of the Ten Thousand Scorpion gate, Xie Biyan, was a formidable and ruthless character who made many people wary.
Xie Biyan stood in mid-air, his aura completely contained within his body, with not a single trace leaking out. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary old man, yet many powerhouses' expressions turned solemn after he appeared.
Xie Biyan gained fame very early, even half a generation before Yun Shan and the others. Many years ago, he held great renown in the Chu Yun Empire. He was the main instigator from the Chu Yun Empire's side in the previous Powerhouse Grand Meeting, which caused great losses for the Jia Ma Empire.
Back then, Xie Biyan was already at the half-step Dou Ancestor stage, on the verge of breaking through. Now, he had long since broken through, and his strength was even above Yun Shan's, with his cultivation nearing the Three-Star Dou Ancestor level. This made Yun Shan quite wary and convinced that his chances of victory were slim.
Yan Luotian flew closer and laughed heartily, "Yun Shan, let's cut the small talk. Today, our three empires have been invited here. What's the plan for your Jia Ma Empire?"
"Yan Luotian, what are you planning? If you're in a hurry, you three great empires can come at us all at once. Since our Jia Ma Empire chose to host this Powerhouse Grand Meeting, we naturally have the courage to take on all of you."
Yun Shan's voice boomed, daring the three empires to fight them simultaneously. This declaration was, of course, somewhat unrealistic. Even with all of the Jia Ma Empire's powerhouses gathered, the three empires who had come also had a large number of masters. For the Jia Ma Empire to take on three empires at once was simply not feasible.
Xie Biyan of the Chu Yun Empire spoke up, "Yun Shan, don't make such grand boasts. We three empires won't go so far as to break the rules, but since you've chosen to face us alone, don't blame us for using a wheel-style battle. Yan Luotian, Mulan Three Elders, which of your sides will be the first to spar with the Jia Ma powerhouses?"
Xie Biyan's words were no surprise to the Mulan Three Elders and Yan Luotian, as they had a similar idea. This time, the Jia Ma Empire chose to resolve their disputes with the three empires in the form of a Powerhouse Grand Meeting, and they also wanted to use this gathering to probe the Jia Ma Empire's true strength.
Although the three empires were all rivals of the Jia Ma Empire, they also had their own conflicts of interest with each other. The three parties were mutually wary and had not formed a solid alliance to deal with the Jia Ma Empire together.
"Hahaha, it's great that we're all on the same page. Yun Shan, the long-standing dispute between our Mulan Empire and your Jia Ma Empire over the 800-mile watery marsh of the Dukang Territory will be settled today. Our Mulan Empire will take the lead!"
One of the Mulan Three Elders, an old man with a lion embroidered on his robe, let out a long laugh. As he spoke, a figure flew out from among the Mulan Empire's powerhouses. He was tall, with a fierce aura and a head of golden hair that made him look like a majestic lion. "Mulan Gu Lai'en, which powerhouse of the Jia Ma Empire will step forward to fight?"
"Jia Ma Empire, Yan Shi!"
A burly man flew out directly, his Dou Qi forming wings that brought him instantly before Lai'en. With a burst of brilliant Dou Qi, he launched a punch.
Lai'en was not weak. His body paused for a moment as he channeled his Dou Qi to meet the punch. The two then became entangled in a fierce battle in the air. "So it's the Lion King, one of the ten great powerhouses of Jia Ma. I wonder if you are worthy of that title."
"You'll find out whether I, Yan Shi, am worthy of being called the Lion King."
Yan Shi didn't hold back. With a low roar and a raised head, a pale silver lion's roar soundwave, almost corporeal, erupted from his wide-open mouth. It was the Xuan-rank High-level sonic Dou Skill, Lion King's Roar, Yan Shi's famous killing move.
"Lion's Heart Rage!!!"
Lai'en did not yield. He flew forward with a flash of golden light, and a giant lion's head appeared amid the swirling light, crashing towards Yan Shi.
Boom…
The two Dou Skills clashed, and the golden and silver light burst open like fireworks. The two figures suddenly separated. When Yan Shi landed, he stumbled and nearly fell. Although the power of their Dou Skills was equal, his cultivation was slightly inferior to his opponent's, and he had fallen to a disadvantage in this battle.
"Old Yan, I'll go!!!"
A figure flew out to take Yan Shi's place. With a blue light rippling around him, he transformed into a whirlwind and shot towards Lai'en in mid-air.
The Wind Walking, Feng Li, had a similar strength to Yan Shi but was more skilled in speed. Seeing that Yan Shi was in a bad situation, he took the initiative to strike.
"Feng Li, your opponent is me."
The Mulan Empire would not allow Lai'en to be worn down in a continuous battle. Immediately, a powerhouse stepped forward. Feng Li was an old rival of his. After a tentative exchange of blows, the two reached a stalemate, but this time, Feng Li, being more seasoned, held a slight advantage.
Fa Ma and Hai Bodong stood together, watching the two fighting with anxious expressions. "Even a single Mulan Empire has caused us to suffer successive setbacks. If this continues, things will become too tense. This wheel-style battle is disadvantageous for us!"
Bang…
After another round of blows, Feng Li landed, taking two light steps to dissipate the force, while the Mulan Empire's Dou King was pulled back into his camp by his allies.
With two major powerhouses of the Jia Ma Empire having fought without gaining any advantage, Yun Shan couldn't help but frown. Although, according to the plan, the engagements between the Dou Kings and Dou Emperors were not the most crucial part, if they performed too poorly, it would affect the subsequent plans.
Yan Qingshan had been watching the battle. Seeing that the situation was not looking good, he moved to the edge of the Black Mountain Fortress wall. "I, Yan Qingshan, a newcomer, have heard that the three elders of Mulan Valley cultivate the ancient art, the Three Beast Savage Wilderness Art. I would like to experience it myself."
A clear male voice echoed in the air. Yan Qingshan's appearance surprised all the onlookers, and their gazes of excitement focused on him.
"A Dou Emperor!"
"So young."
"What audacity."
These exclamations echoed in the ears of the powerhouses from the three empires. Yan Qingshan's appearance seemed to complicate the situation. A Powerhouse Grand Meeting was supposed to be a series of challenges between Dou Kings and Dou Emperors until one side yielded.
The Mulan Three Elders of Mulan Valley were the core powerhouses of the Mulan Empire, usually coming last or not even appearing at all. But now, Yan Qingshan's bold challenge was a surprising move, like going all-in just a few hands into a card game.
"How dare you speak so arrogantly! Let me go!"
Yan Qingshan's challenge immediately angered a powerhouse from the Mulan Empire. A Dou King rushed out, but a blue light whip immediately sent him flying. The Dou King, who was at roughly the five or six-star level, couldn't even withstand a single move.
"This kid is not an ordinary Dou Emperor."
"His Dou Qi quality is very high, at least at the Di rank."
"It must also be an ancient cultivation method, it carries a savage wilderness aura."
The Mulan Three Elders all grew serious. They had originally thought it was just a young man trying to show off, but now it seemed the matter was not so simple.
"Sword, come!"
Yan Qingshan reached back with a wave of his hand, and a blue light instantly took Yun Yun's precious sword. A brilliant silver sword light bloomed in Yan Qingshan's palm, and in the next instant, his figure was above the Mulan Empire's powerhouses. A grid-like array of sword flowers flew directly toward the Mulan Three Elders.
"All of you, quickly fall back!"
The Mulan Three Elders quickly warned their side's powerhouses, then flew forward to meet the attack. They formed a mysterious formation that was both offensive and defensive. As the formation took shape, three powerful streams of Dou Qi—green, red, and blue—surged out from their bodies.
The three colors of Dou Qi did not disperse but instead intertwined along the formation, creating a perfect cycle that connected the three men's essence, spirit, and soul.
With the cycle complete, the Mulan Three Elders simultaneously let out an earth-shattering beast roar filled with a savage aura. Their robes billowed, and the patterns of a lion, tiger, and bear transformed into a blood-red energy that enveloped their bodies.
The emergence of this blood-red energy caused the three elders' individual auras to gradually merge into one, which was replaced by a powerful aura that was stronger than Yan Luotian's but slightly weaker than Xie Biyan's.
From a distance, Yan Luotian looked at this scene and laughed heartily, a deep trace of greed flashing in his eyes. "The Three Beast Savage Wilderness Art of Mulan Valley, it truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient Di-rank Mid-level cultivation method. The effect of this fusion is simply marvelous..."
The blood-red energy enveloped the three elders, and they had three blood-red beast heads on top of their own. From a distance, they looked like three half-beasts. The snarling and roaring between them was a terrifying sound that shook the heart.
Yan Qingshan flew, a flash of purple light appearing behind him. With a spread of his wings, he quickly arrived above the three. As he moved his hands in a series of seals, a green light emerged. "A combination technique is just that. If you can't hit your target, no matter how powerful it is, it's all useless."
"Green Light Convergence, A Single Thought, A Flower Blooms, King's Descent!"
Yan Qingshan's figure overlapped with the sun in mid-air. A surge of Dou Qi suddenly rippled around him, and sunlight continuously gathered on his body, forming a sun that seemed to be jade-green. Threads of light then spread out from his body, and countless sparkling petals scattered.
An endless rain of flowers fell, each petal glistening. Yan Qingshan looked like a divine being, holding a flower with a smile, flawless and holy. Every single petal was marked with his imprint.
A breeze blew. With a glance, dozens of Yan Qingshan figures, difficult to distinguish as real or fake, appeared within this rain of flowers. They then launched attacks from multiple directions towards the Mulan Three Elders.
"Strange, even this old man can't tell which one is real."
The multiple powerhouses not far away were all extremely surprised at this moment. Even Xie Biyan of the Chu Yun Empire had a look of shock on his face, his gaze darting around, wanting to find the true body but having no success at all.
"Old Bear, Old Lion, this kid is a bit strange. Everyone, be careful," said Tiger Elder, who was the first to face the initial attack from Yan Qingshan. As he warned the other two, the blood-red energy in his palm transformed into a tiger claw that tore through space.
"Mine is real!"
Tiger Elder's sword tip collided with this Yan Qingshan's. After feeling a genuine resistance, he was delighted. The other two elders simultaneously channeled their Dou Qi to him, and Tiger Elder's combat power suddenly doubled, reaching the Dou Ancestor level. With a single strike, he blasted the Yan Qingshan in front of him into pieces.
—------------------------------------------------------------
Support me get up to 40 chapter advanced chapter in: www.patreon.com/Yullain