"Tch, no wonder these guys have such a reputation in the Great Thousand World. Looks like they really do have some skill."
Xiao Yan's brow lifted slightly in surprise as he gazed at the massive crimson dragon before him. Its enormous body could rival half a continent in size. He could tell at a glance that the elders of the Fire Spirit Clan had employed a formation to fuse their flames together, producing this awe-inspiring dragon of fire.
Judging from its aura alone, the crimson dragon was certainly no bluff. Its destructive power could likely overwhelm even some Immortal-grade Heavenly Sovereigns. That a group of Spirit-grade Heavenly Sovereigns could unite to form such an attack was impressive, and even Xiao Yan had to acknowledge it.
Still, while impressive, it was far from enough to pose a threat to him now.
With a thought, the flame beasts conjured by his Heavenly Flames began to churn and shift. In a blink, they gathered together and compressed under Xiao Yan's control. From several-thousand-zhang-tall beasts, they shrank into a fire lotus no larger than a palm. The lotus hovered silently in front of him, radiating a brilliant, mesmerizing glow.
This lotus wasn't his signature Angry Lotus Flame—it was merely a condensed form of the Heavenly Flames he currently controlled. After all, with Xiao Yan's present cultivation at the Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereign level, even the shockwaves of a true Angry Lotus Flame could easily obliterate the entire Fire Spirit Continent. And wiping out an entire clan wasn't what he had come for.
But even though it was only a basic fusion, the power it held was far from ordinary. At least, it was more than enough to deal with the fire dragon.
With a light wave of his palm, the fire lotus zipped through the air and arrived in front of the massive beast.
Compared to the dragon, the lotus looked like a mere speck, barely visible. Yet the energy within it vastly eclipsed that of the fire dragon. In the brief instant that followed, the lotus collided with the enormous dragon—and utterly shattered it.
The Fire Spirit Clan's Grand Elders were stunned. Their joint attack, formed with their full strength, had crumbled on contact. Worse still, the radiant lotus had not dimmed in the slightest after the collision—meaning it hadn't even consumed much of its power.
The strongest among the elders even sensed that the residual might within the lotus was more than enough to obliterate every Heavenly Sovereign present—except Xiao Yan himself.
Such a vast disparity in power could only mean one thing: their opponent was on an entirely different level. Despite their unwillingness to accept it, the truth was clear. Xiao Yan's control over flame surpassed theirs by far. At their level, they couldn't even imagine condensing such terrifying power into such a compact form.
"That should settle it." Xiao Yan extended his hand, and the fire lotus returned to his palm. With a casual squeeze, it dissipated into flames and coiled lazily around his fingers. "According to our wager, the clan's Guardian Flame belongs to me now."
"No!" The Fire Spirit Clan's Patriarch turned pale. If word got out that he had lost the clan's Guardian Flame in a bet—and to an outsider, no less—his authority would be devastated. Worse still, their clan would become a laughingstock throughout the Great Thousand World.
"So… you're going back on your word?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow but didn't look surprised. He had expected this. He already knew how much the Fire Spirit Clan valued their Guardian Flame. If they were willing to hand it over so easily, that would have surprised him instead.
"I admit, your control over fire is extraordinary. We've lost, and we accept that. However, the Guardian Flame is vital to our clan's survival. We cannot simply hand it over to an outsider. If you are willing to show us some consideration, we can offer several peak-tier Divine Arts as compensation," the Patriarch said slowly.
"Sorry, I'm not interested in your Divine Arts." Xiao Yan smiled and shook his head. At his current level, he already possessed the Eight Pagoda Asura Technique and Dragon Roar Demon Subjugation Art, both of which were among the most supreme arts in existence. He had no need for lesser techniques.
Unless they could offer one of the Thirty-Six Ultimate Divine Arts of the Great Thousand World, he wouldn't even glance at it. And as far as he knew, the Fire Spirit Clan didn't possess any of those. Even if they did, they wouldn't just hand one over.
He looked calmly at the elders before him, his tone casual, though the flames on his fingertips danced with increasing intensity. "You made the bet. Now you've lost. It's only right that I take my prize. If the Guardian Flame is so important, you shouldn't have wagered it. But now that you've lost, if you don't intend to honor your word…"
His eyes turned cold.
"Then don't blame me for using force."
"You dare!?" The Patriarch's face contorted in anger. The words were an unmistakable threat.
"What don't I dare?" Xiao Yan sneered. He stepped forward, and in that instant, an overwhelming pressure descended upon the entire battlefield.
Boom!
The atmosphere seemed to freeze. The sheer weight of his aura crushed down on everyone present, making even the strongest Grand Elder gasp for breath. Under the oppressive might of a Saint-grade Heavenly Sovereign, they couldn't even move.
This was the might of a Saint!
Though all were Heavenly Sovereigns, the gap between Spirit-grade and Saint-grade was enormous. If Xiao Yan wished, he could destroy them all with a single glance.
No wonder the Saint Heavenly Demon Emperor had been shocked when Xiao Yan withstood one of his attacks—normally, a Spirit-grade Sovereign facing a Saint-grade Sovereign wouldn't even be able to lift a finger, much less retaliate.
Just as Xiao Yan's pressure peaked, a second immense aura suddenly surged out from the depths of the Fire Spirit Continent, clashing with his.
The pressure that had suffocated the elders was instantly lifted, neutralized by this new force.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan's lips curved slightly upward. He turned his gaze toward the source of the aura and whispered to himself in a voice only he could hear:
"So you've finally come out… the old monster of the Fire Spirit Clan."
(End of Chapter)
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