Battle Through the Heavens: Reap the Red Lotus Karmic Flame at the Start

Ling Fengzhui's combat awareness was extremely seasoned, far surpassing that of ordinary Ling Clan members. His suppression of Wei Jiangyuan was very precise, as if he had already dealt with countless similar opponents within the clan. Although Wei Jiangyuan had experience, his experience in life-or-death battles was ultimately insufficient, and he was completely at a disadvantage for a time.

Facing both Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan at the same time, he was able to achieve victory first!

However, Ling Fengzhui didn't relax just because he injured Wei Jiangyuan, because on the other side, Xiao Yan and Hei Yan were both rushing over. The eerie black flames, carrying destructive pressure and devouring power, fiercely pounced on Ling Fengzhui's back!

Ling Fengzhui seemed to have anticipated this, and the moment he withdrew his Ink Shadow, he spun around to meet the enemy! The ancient black broadsword in his hand drew a dark trajectory, and the sharp blade precisely struck the core of the black flame, briefly forcing the ferocious creature back.

Xiao Yan's heavy ruler slammed down with the force of a collapsing mountain and a tsunami, aiming straight for Ling Fengzhui's head. Taking full advantage of the height, Xiao Yan's attack was incredibly powerful. Ling Fengzhui sneered, his wrist twisting rapidly as he reversed his grip on the hilt of his sword to parry!

clang--

As the metal clashed, blinding sparks flew like exploding fireworks at the point where the blade and the black ruler collided! A violent surge of energy suddenly spread in a ring, and Ling Fengzhui and Xiao Yan were actually locked in a stalemate. Xiao Yan was startled, as he seemed to have the advantage in terms of the way the force was applied.

Then, the two unleashed their power simultaneously with perfect coordination, their weapons wreathed in shadow and purple flames, unleashing a second wave of power. They then attacked almost at the same time. In this level of combat, falling behind even for a moment could be fatal!

"Shadow Slash!"

"The Celestial Ruler, Shaking the World!"

The two Earth-rank combat techniques clashed head-on without any fancy moves! An even more terrifying energy shockwave exploded and spread.

As the aftershocks spread, the churning, dark shadow broke off from Ling Fengzhui's body again. This time, however, there was no attempt to conceal it. It split off directly from Ling Fengzhui's body and then, carrying his large sword, pounced straight at Xiao Yan from the flank!

"That move again!" Wei Jiangyuan, who was outside the battle due to his previous injury, could see everything and immediately warned him.

However, Xiao Yan's black flames also arrived. After their directions were reversed, a very strange confrontation was formed: Xiao Yan faced Ling Fengzhui's phantom, while Ling Fengzhui faced the black flames!

The dark, illusory figure still came with a sword. Xiao Yan knew that this was probably a fighting technique that could release clones, just like his Three Thousand Thunder Illusion Body. So he didn't hesitate to swing the Xuan Heavy Ruler to meet the attack. No clone could have the full power of its original body. If he could finish the battle quickly, he might be able to destroy one of Ling Fengzhui's important techniques.

As the sword and ruler clashed, Xiao Yan indeed felt that the power had weakened slightly, but he couldn't withstand the attack. The black shadow took the opportunity to deflect the force, turning it into several thin streams of ink to offset Xiao Yan's impact.

Seeing the energy split into many smaller parts, Xiao Yan sneered, "Wind-Summoning Palm!"

The Wind-Summoning Palm could send the strange fire to any desired location according to Xiao Yan's will, and the violent palm wind suppressed the Crimson Lotus Heart Flame as it surged forth! A net of flowing fire instantly enveloped all the fragmented, tiny streams of ink. Not a single fragment of the phantom could escape unscathed; they were all locked onto by the Crimson Lotus Heart Flame.

Then the power of the strange fire was revealed. Any shadowy creature that came into contact with even a trace of the Crimson Lotus Heart Flame would begin to burn. The strange fire ignited instantly upon contact, and the ink-like liquid hissed as if touching oil and wax. Although almost all the shadowy creatures struggled desperately, they were already powerless against the burning of the Crimson Lotus Heart Flame, and their strength waned. Their violent struggles were all in vain.

"Come back!" Ling Fengzhui shouted in a low voice. The remaining ink shadows quickly rolled back and clung tightly to his ice armor. The icy cold air clashed with the strange fire, hissing and barely stopping the spread of the Crimson Lotus Heart Flame.

Xiao Yan looked up and saw that the invincible Black Flame was now trapped in an energy prison sealed by black pillars, chased by the Spirit Wind. Unusually, Black Flame didn't continue its unstoppable devouring attack, but it wasn't completely trapped either, still trying to devour the cage that imprisoned it.

"Your black flames are very powerful, it's a pity they don't obey your commands, otherwise it would only cause more trouble." After Ling Fengzhui gripped the hilt of his sword again, he asked, "Actually, I'm very curious, are your black flames some kind of strange fire?"

Seeing this, Xiao Yan shook his head: "To be honest, I don't know either."

"Alright." Ling Fengzhui nodded. "It's normal for an expert like you to have some secrets."

"Again!"

Ling Fengzhui also raised his sword and slashed, black sword light flying, sword light suddenly rising, the dark sword light slashing through the air towards Xiao Yan.

To be honest, Xiao Yan wasn't afraid of such an attack at all; in fact, to exaggerate a bit, he couldn't be happier! After all, the Xuan Heavy Ruler had been upgraded, and he needed a worthy opponent to test it out. If we disregard the tense situation and the fact that this was a match where a slight misstep could cost him his life, Ling Fengzhui was undoubtedly a perfect testing ground.

The two figures transformed into two streaks of light once again, their battle raging so fast that from a distance, only purplish-red and jet-black lines could be seen constantly colliding.

After the sword and ruler clashed fiercely once more, Ling Fengzhui looked at the broadsword in his hand, a trace of regret flashing in his eyes.

"This sword has been with me for over twenty years. It's not that I'm unwilling to continue fighting you tonight, but my sword simply can't withstand the strain any longer," Ling Fengzhui said, turning to Xiao Yan.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan glanced at the Xuanzhong Ruler in his hand, which had been forged and upgraded. Despite being tempered by different flames, subjected to the collision of immense forces, and impacted by Dou Qi, this newly forged companion remained steady and robust, with dark red patterns flowing continuously, showing no signs of decline.

In this stage of the weapon contest alone, Xiao Yan won!

Ling Fengzhui noticed that the light prison he had released on the other side had been almost completely devoured by the black flames. With Wei Jiangyuan also watching intently, his attack had only injured Wei Jiangyuan, but Wei Jiangyuan's fighting ability remained. Now, he was simply waiting shrewdly on the sidelines, and would most likely make his move once an opportunity arose.

A powerful surge of soul energy erupted from Ling Fengzhui's body—this was originally a strength of the Spirit Clan, but he had not revealed it at all in the previous battle! At this moment, this soul power exploded forth!

Xiao Yan hadn't used his soul power during their fight because he knew that Ling Fengzhui's soul power had already reached the Heavenly Realm. He didn't want to expose his weakness, so he was on guard and preparing to counter his attacks.

At this moment, Ling Fengzhui's soul power suddenly erupted, and Xiao Yan and Wei Jiangyuan also sensed something strange: Ling Fengzhui's soul power seemed to be different from the soul power that had blocked them before!