Upon hearing the Fire Spirit Clan's Patriarch agree to his proposal, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Xiao Yan's lips. Clearly, he had anticipated this outcome. He knew full well that if he had merely made a demand, these people would have rejected him nine times out of ten—they weren't fools. However, when the bait was tempting enough, even the cautious would take the risk. And the Blazing Sky Spirit Flame was precisely the bait he had prepared to lure them in.
"Patriarch, how confident are you of victory?" one of the more prudent Grand Elders asked in a low tone. He suspected that Xiao Yan wouldn't propose such a duel without some level of certainty. If their Patriarch lost, not only would they lose their clan's divine flame, but their tribe's reputation across the Great Thousand World would be utterly ruined.
"I will win!" the Fire Spirit Clan Patriarch declared confidently, not answering directly, but issuing a bold proclamation.
He stepped forward, clenching his palm. A deep crimson flame surged from his body, forming above him a massive fire tiger that spanned tens of thousands of feet in length. The flame-beast loomed high, gazing coldly down at Xiao Yan. "Since you're so determined to experience the Fire Spirit Clan's fire control techniques firsthand, I won't hold back."
Seeing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly. The Fire Spirit Clan truly lived up to its fame as the most proficient fire-controlling race in the Great Thousand World. That one display of power was enough to put pressure even on some Immortal-grade Heavenly Sovereigns. However, Xiao Yan's mastery over flames was no less refined—perhaps even surpassing them. As the Grand Elders had guessed, he wouldn't have made the challenge if he wasn't confident in a win.
He lifted a finger gently, and a crimson rune bloomed at the tip. The rune wove and twisted, transforming into a savage fire beast that soared into the sky and lunged directly at the massive tiger.
This wasn't even Xiao Yan's full strength. Against an opponent of this level, he didn't need to summon the Emperor Flame. The power of the Flame Ancestor Symbol alone was more than sufficient to suppress the fire tiger.
The Patriarch of the Fire Spirit Clan clearly noticed this too. His brow creased as he watched his fire tiger gradually be forced back. With a wave of his sleeve, over a hundred unique flames burst forth from his body, each manifesting into various fire beasts that charged toward the Flame Ancestor Rune beast. This technique alone was enough to show his incredible control—no ordinary expert could handle that many flames, let alone shape them all into living entities.
"Now that's more like it," Xiao Yan murmured with a grin.
With a flick of his fingers, twenty-two fire streams burst from his fingertips, morphing into distinct fire beasts in the air—each forged from one of the twenty-two Heavenly Flames he had gathered during his journey through the Dou Qi Continent. Though he had fewer than the Patriarch, their quality was far superior.
The results spoke for themselves. The Fire Spirit Clan's fire beasts were swiftly torn apart one by one. On Xiao Yan's side, aside from the Flame Ancestor Rune construct which eventually shattered, all his fire beasts remained intact.
By the time the final fire beast was destroyed, the Fire Spirit Clan's Patriarch staggered backward, face pale, blood spewing from his lips. The backlash of his wounded flames had clearly taken a toll. In stark contrast, Xiao Yan stood calm and unruffled—the battle hadn't even been enough to warm him up.
If the Patriarch had known what Xiao Yan was thinking, he might have coughed up another mouthful of blood. He had gone all out… only to be dismissed as not even a proper warm-up.
"You've lost," Xiao Yan said flatly, gazing at the dispersing flames.
The Patriarch's expression darkened, but before he could reply, a group of Fire Spirit Clan Grand Elders stepped forward.
"Hold on! You haven't defeated us all yet," one of them declared.
"Oh? So the illustrious Fire Spirit Clan of the Great Thousand World resorts to a group battle now?" Xiao Yan's tone turned mocking, his smile tinged with disdain.
"You never said you'd only fight our Patriarch," the eldest of the Grand Elders countered calmly. "We're still within the rules."
"Ah, I see. No wonder your tribe managed to carve a name for itself in the Great Thousand World—you rely on sheer shamelessness."
Xiao Yan laughed coldly. "But have you considered this? Your Patriarch already lost—embarrassing enough. If all of you gang up on me and still lose, won't that be even more disgraceful?"
"Enough talk. Let's fight!" the elder barked. The others summoned their flames as well. As elders of the Fire Spirit Clan, their control was no less than the Patriarch's—some even more refined.
"Fine then. Let me be the one to shatter your tribe's reputation." Xiao Yan flicked his fingers, and his twenty-two Heavenly Flame beasts surged into the air once more.
This time, the Fire Spirit Clan's Grand Elders tasted what the Patriarch had experienced earlier. Xiao Yan's flame beasts were like tigers among sheep, shredding through their creations with ease.
They had assumed numbers would grant them the edge—but the quality gap proved insurmountable. Their fire beasts collapsed under the relentless assault, and their defeat was becoming a matter of time.
"Form the Sacred Flame Heaven-Burning Array!" shouted the leading elder.
In unison, the elders formed a complex array of hand seals. Crimson light condensed in their palms and then shot skyward, transforming into magma-like beams. These beams intertwined high above, forming a towering pillar of fire.
Drawn by the array's power, their remaining fire beasts leapt into the flames. Soon after, a massive red dragon—hundreds of times larger than the previous fire beasts—emerged from the blazing pillar.
Its body shimmered with terrifying spiritual energy. The overwhelming aura it exuded would leave even an Immortal-grade Heavenly Sovereign hard-pressed to endure!
(End of Chapter)
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