After snatching the Fallen Heart Flame, the Earth Demon Old Ghost immediately shot off in the direction of Demon Flame Valley. Though he could still sense Xiao Yan tailing behind him, the gap between them widened quickly due to the difference in speed. Eventually, Xiao Yan's presence completely vanished from his senses. Noticing this, the Earth Demon Old Ghost let out a disdainful sneer.
'A junior will always be a junior. All talk, no substance. When it comes to the critical moment, he still falls far short.'
Even though he had shaken Xiao Yan off, the Earth Demon Old Ghost had already made up his mind. Once he broke through to the Dou Zun class, the very first thing he would do was erase that brat and his entire faction from existence. Putting aside the fact that this kid had constantly ridiculed him today and had even killed the four elders of Demon Flame Valley, his talent alone was enough to make one's heart tremble. An enemy like this must be eliminated before he matures!
"Eh?" Just as he was about to reach the perimeter of Demon Flame Valley, the Earth Demon Old Ghost suddenly felt something was off.
'Why is Demon Flame Valley… so quiet today?'
For some reason, a faint unease rose in his heart. He accelerated forward. At the mouth of the valley, he saw a black-haired youth sitting casually atop a pitch-black boulder, playing with a cluster of ghostly blue flame in his hand. Upon spotting the Earth Demon Old Ghost, the youth looked up and offered a faint smile.
"You sure took your sweet time. I've been waiting here for quite a while now."
"You?!" The Earth Demon Old Ghost's pupils shrank slightly. This brat had clearly been thrown far behind, so how had he arrived at Demon Flame Valley even earlier than him?
While his thoughts churned, the Earth Demon Old Ghost let out a sharp whistle. No matter what, this was still his stronghold. As long as he could summon his people, it would be easy to trap this brat.
But after his call echoed out, no figures came rushing to his aid. Realizing this, a sense of foreboding crept into his heart.
Xiao Yan gazed at the Earth Demon Old Ghost's increasingly grim expression, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. Stretching lazily, he said in a relaxed tone, "Old man, you'd best save your strength. No one's coming. While I was waiting for you, I took the liberty of going in and cleaning house. Not a single one was left behind."
The Earth Demon Old Ghost's eyelids twitched. He could sense clearly that this brat wasn't lying. Demon Flame Valley—his life's work—had been completely wiped out.
He gritted his teeth, killing intent flooding his face. "You're truly ruthless..."
"We're the same, aren't we? Weren't you also planning to slaughter my entire faction?" Xiao Yan smiled faintly. "Anyway, I don't have time to waste with you, old man. So how's it going to be? Will you hand over the Heavenly Flame willingly, or should I beat you half to death and take it myself?"
"You, beat me?" The Earth Demon Old Ghost was so enraged he laughed. With a clenched fist, countless ice spikes rapidly assembled into a jet-black ice sword, which he launched straight at Xiao Yan's head. At the same time, his body shot backward at full speed. In his mind, that sword would hold Xiao Yan back long enough for him to escape.
"You really think something like that will work on me?" Xiao Yan chuckled, shaking his head.
Suddenly, a dragon's roar echoed.
A pitch-black dragon shot out from his palm, transforming into a black vortex that swallowed the incoming ice sword whole.
Unlike before, the vortex didn't dissipate after devouring the ice sword. Instead, it quivered slightly—then, in the next instant, a beam of black light burst forth, streaking straight toward the Earth Demon Old Ghost.
It was the same ice sword, yet the Earth Demon Old Ghost instantly felt he had completely lost control of it.
With the blade suddenly turned against him, he was forced to halt his retreat and deal with what had once been one of his most reliable attacks.
While he was preoccupied, Xiao Yan's figure suddenly vanished.
The Earth Demon Old Ghost abruptly sensed a terrifying gust of force behind him. As he spun around, a golden-glowing fist came hurtling toward his face.
The force behind that punch made even the Earth Demon Old Ghost panic. He hastily formed an icy shield in front of him, but it shattered instantly upon impact. The searing wind of the punch sent him flying hundreds of meters.
Before he could stabilize himself, the black ice sword followed close behind, nearly slicing his head off.
"Bastard!" he roared in rage, barely dodging the fatal strike.
Pulling out what looked like a black jade token from his storage ring, he crushed it violently.
"Don't think just because you're hiding your strength you can beat me. I've got trump cards of my own. Prepare to die!"
Seeing this, Xiao Yan didn't panic. Instead, he calmly folded his arms across his chest and watched with interest.
Soon, a dense black mist rose from the depths of the mountains, swiftly arriving at the Earth Demon Old Ghost's side. The figure in the mist glanced at the black ice crystal in the old ghost's hand and nodded slightly.
"Very good. You've done well. The Hall will not mistreat you."
"My lord Protector! This brat has thwarted me time and again, and now he's wiped out all of Demon Flame Valley! Please assist me in killing him!" the Earth Demon Old Ghost said respectfully.
"Hehehe... A mere Dou Zong actually forced you into such a sorry state? Very well. I'll deal with him together with you." A strange laughter echoed from the mist. "Let's strike together. Don't give him a chance to flee!"
"Yes!" the Earth Demon Old Ghost growled. His face twisted into a sneer as he quickly formed a hand seal. A terrifying surge of energy erupted around him.
At the same time, the black mist beside him also began gathering power for a fearsome strike.
Facing the dual assault, Xiao Yan's expression remained calm. In fact, a playful glint sparkled in his eyes.
Just as the Earth Demon Old Ghost was about to unleash his attack, the black mist beside him struck first.
The overwhelming power behind the move made the Earth Demon Old Ghost's heart tremble.
'As expected of someone from the Hall of Souls. Such mastery over Dou Techniques... With his help, killing that brat will be a piece of cake!'
But in the next second, his grin froze.
Because that terrifying attack—was coming straight at him!
(End of Chapter)
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