The blood-colored figure stood at the center of the battlefield. Then, with a step forward, he swung his fist. The movement didn't appear particularly intricate, yet the moment he unleashed that punch, an endless tide of murderous intent surged forth. Wherever the fist passed, space itself turned to void, and the entire world trembled in its wake.
As the blood-colored figure wielded his fist, a hoarse voice reverberated through the space.
"My name is the Xue Zhanwang. Throughout my life, I have endured ten thousand battles, and at last, I forged my own divine combat art—its name, the Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist. In my final war, I used this fist to perish alongside the Nether Demon Emperor. Though I fell in battle, I hold no regrets."
"Xue Zhanwang… Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist." Watching this scene, Xiao Yan's expression grew solemn. This so-called Xue Zhanwang was clearly a major figure. The killing intent within this fist technique was countless times more ferocious than that of the Heavenly Underworld Shura Palm he had once obtained. Even his current Eternal Void Demon Body likely couldn't compare to it in sheer savagery.
"The Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist consists of three forms. When combined, their power rivals a peerless divine art. To inherit my legacy, one must possess the courage and will to abandon oneself."
When the Xue Zhanwang finished speaking, he suddenly turned toward Xiao Yan's direction and hurled a punch. Though this was only a remnant illusion, the intense battle intent it carried could still stir fear in even a lower-tier Earth Sovereign.
"Eternal Void Demon Body—Ninefold Demon Fist!"
Facing the Xue Zhanwang's assault, Xiao Yan showed no fear. A wild grin crept onto his face as thousands of blood-red demonic markings surged up his body. He clenched his fist tightly and punched out to meet the Xue Zhanwang head-on. In terms of resolve to wager one's life, he was no less than the Xue Zhanwang.
Boom!
The moment the two fists clashed, Xiao Yan's body instantly exploded into a mist of blood that scattered across the battlefield. Yet, as the Xue Zhanwang looked upon the blood mist, he nodded, and his hoarse voice carried a rare hint of praise.
"Not bad. You are worthy of my inheritance."
As his words fell, the Xue Zhanwang's spiritual form dissipated into countless motes of light, which swiftly gathered the scattered blood mist, reforming Xiao Yan's body. The reconstructed figure was nearly identical to his previous form—except his originally pitch-black eyes now glowed with a faint blood-red hue.
Inside his mind, a crimson silhouette was rapidly demonstrating the movements of the three forms of the Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist. Xiao Yan clenched his hand slowly, and a tide of blood fiend energy erupted from him, causing the surrounding space to violently tremble. The killing aura was at least ten times stronger than before.
"Many thanks for the guidance, senior. I will not disgrace your name," Xiao Yan respectfully cupped his fist toward the spot where the Xue Zhanwang had vanished. He clearly understood that the man had not only passed on the complete Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist to him, but also imparted the battle intent forged through a lifetime of combat—a priceless shortcut for mastering this divine technique.
Although with Xiao Yan's current strength he could only use the first form of the technique, even that was powerful enough to be classified as a lesser divine art. Moreover, the compatibility between his Eternal Void Demon Body and the Self-Sacrificing Demon Fist was exceptionally high. If used in conjunction, the resulting power would undoubtedly climb another tier.
Now Xiao Yan finally understood why the demonic sword inside him had reacted to the jade shard. It was most likely due to the blood fiend aura embedded within it. Now that the aura had flowed into his body, the sword had calmed once more.
After exiting the Heavenly Tomb, Xiao Yan spent some coin to investigate the Xue Zhanwang's origins. As it turned out, the man had once been a prominent powerhouse on the Divine Beast Continent. Though he had only average talent, he had survived countless brutal battles, eventually rising to become one of the continent's most fearsome figures—dying in battle just a step away from Heavenly Sovereign.
For a legacy left behind by someone so powerful to only slightly stir the demonic sword… that gave Xiao Yan a clearer understanding of just how terrifying that sword might be. Perhaps it could even pose a threat to Heavenly Sovereign-level powerhouses—it was simply that he lacked the strength to wield it properly.
When Xiao Yan returned to their residence, Qin Wan'er and the others had just come back from the auction. However, their expressions were clearly laced with frustration, suggesting the experience had not gone well.
He glanced at the group and furrowed his brow. "What happened?"
"You predicted it again…" one of the girls said with a pout. "We ran into the young master of Myriad Beast Mountain during the auction. He took a liking to Captain Wan'er and tried to flirt with her, so we taught him a lesson. Later, during the bidding, he deliberately raised the price several times, making us waste a lot of extra money."
"Oh? And then?" Xiao Yan casually took note of the Myriad Beast Mountain name and asked calmly.
"We used your trick to mess with him a few times, and he was nearly driven mad," Qin Wan'er said, her tone slightly amused. "But… we ran into him again on the way back."
"Let me guess. He said some really nasty things?" Xiao Yan smiled faintly.
"Exactly…" Qin Wan'er looked at him with surprise, clearly impressed by how well he had predicted the encounter.
"There must have been something related to the Dragon God Ruins at the auction, right?" Xiao Yan asked, steering the conversation back to what mattered. That pampered heir was already marked as an enemy—there was no need to dwell on him. When the time came, Xiao Yan would simply take care of it. What interested him more was news about the ruins.
"Yes. The final item was a key supposedly able to open a certain part of the Dragon God Ruins," Qin Wan'er said, her voice steady. "Following your advice, we didn't bid on it. In the end, it was bought by someone from the Kunpeng Clan for thirty million drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid."
"How do relations between the Kunpeng Clan and our Nine Nether Sparrow Clan stand?"
"There's some bad blood," Qin Wan'er replied.
"In that case, we don't need to interfere. Just sit back and watch the tigers fight. There are plenty of people who'll be more desperate than us for that item. All we need to do is assign someone to monitor them." Xiao Yan smiled. "At this stage, what we need most is to conserve our strength and prepare for the opening of the Dragon God Ruins."
"So we're just going to give it up?" someone asked hesitantly.
"You've never heard the saying?" Xiao Yan's lips curved upward. "'When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman profits.'"
(End of Chapter)
---
This Fanfiction Has Been Completed on Patreon, There is 2 Chapters Ahead of Release for Free Members on my Patreon.
Support me if you like this Fanfiction.
Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_
(Remove comma for dot.)
Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.