Chapter 165: Terrifying Blazing Flames

Engaged in a rapid exchange of blows, Dongfang Ba found himself suppressed by Xu Xuan’s formidable and explosive blazing might, leaving him both startled and furious.

Although Xu Xuan held the upper hand, the combat proved somewhat tricky. Dongfang Ba possessed a bloodline power; his attacks were not only tyrannical but also carried a terrifying baleful aura, possessing immense destructive potential.

This bloodline power, combined with the family's inherited martial arts techniques, made Dongfang Ba's strength far surpass that of his peers, rendering him fully capable of contending with cultivators at the fourth level of Spirit condensation who stood above the dividing watershed.

In truth, as long as Xu Xuan could pin down Dongfang Ba, it meant the scales of victory were tilting in favor of the Zhang family. Moreover, Xu Xuan was not merely holding him in check, but suppressing him to a certain extent—a fact that would inevitably affect the enemy's morale one way or another.

On the other side, Zhang Feng and the red-robed immortal master, along with two others, were more than enough to deal with the three Spirit-condensation immortal masters of the Dongfang family. With four Spirit-condensation masters on the Zhang side, freeing up just one of them would be enough to sway the entire battle.

Within moments, the cultivators of the Dongfang family showed signs of retreat, and their casualties mounted.

"This is bad! If the young master keeps fighting this person, he is bound to suffer."

Far away in the mountain forest, the alluring figure of a palace-dress-clad matron emerged. It was none other than Fan Jiugu, who had been heavily wounded by Xu Xuan a few days prior.

Beside Fan Jiugu lurked an emaciated, withered old man. Shrouded in a black robe, he exuded a bone-chilling and intimidating demonic frost energy.

"This little brat at the first level of Spirit Condensation actually possesses quite extraordinary strength. If the young master is smart, he will lure this person over here. With a sudden ambush and our combined attack, we have at least a ninety percent chance of obliterating him."

This withered old man possessed a peculiar aura—he was a practitioner of the Demonic Path, and his cultivation had reached the fourth level of Spirit Condensation.

"This person is no ordinary opponent. Even if we combine forces with two or three fourth-level Spirit Condensation cultivators, slaying him is not guaranteed. Our top priority is to protect the young master."

Fan Jiugu clearly disagreed. Xu Xuan’s defensive power was terrifyingly formidable; working together, they might at best inflict wounds upon him, but the chances of actually killing him were slim.

Just as the two were debating their strategy, the battle before the array of Zhang Tieling finally reached a one-sided tipping point.

Zhang Feng, Old Hu, Zhang De, and the red-robed immortal master, leading the Zhang family cultivators, routed the Dongfang family forces into a chaotic defeat.

Dongfang Ba also retreated repeatedly, his expression venomous and distorted. As he fought his way back, his demeanor revealed a lingering sense of reluctance and grievance.

Following the tide of battle to pursue and suppress Dongfang Ba—who was clearly no match for him yet refused to fully flee—Xu Xuan suspected the man harbored some sort of formidable secret technique or trump card for a counterattack.

Naturally, Xu Xuan was not worried; he possessed his own hidden cards as well.

Before long, a dense and complex mountain forest loomed ahead.

"We shouldn't pursue any further!"

Zhang De and Old Hu exchanged glances and called out in low voices.

The Zhang family had already secured their victory, and everyone understood the old adage about not chasing a cornered beast when the terrain ahead was treacherous.

Even Zhang Feng, amidst his excitement, calmed down a fraction, slowed his pace of pursuit, and adopted a cautious expression.

High in the air, the two intertwined figures suddenly separated.

"Xu Xuan! Aside from a formidable physique and powerful attacks, what other divine abilities do you possess?"

Seemingly having gauged Xu Xuan's capabilities, Dongfang Ba sneered. He flung his arms wide, causing the bloodline within his body to pulse violently. A layer of purplish baleful light, a foot thick, surged over his entire body, and a violent tempest ravaged the nearby trees into utter ruin.

Even more alarming was the eerie purple bloodlight that suddenly manifested across Dongfang Ba's palms. Resembling a ferocious, twisting evil dragon, it danced wildly and roared in mid-air, causing the souls of all living creatures within a radius of several miles to tremble and shudder.

This inherited technique, guided by bloodline power, caused the expressions of the Zhang family's Spirit-condensation masters to shift drastically.

"Oh no! This is the Dongfang family's legendary 'Blood-Shattering Purple Light.' It can suppress most immortal spells in this world; living beings that touch it will instantly melt into blood..."

Old Hu's expression changed drastically, and he only had time to shout a warning: "Brother Xu, dodge quickly!"

"Hehe... The young master has actually mastered the 'Blood-Shattering Purple Light.' Against this secret technique, even a fifth-level Spirit Condensation immortal master would not dare to meet its edge head-on. Let's intercept him together; that brat is a dead man."

The withered old man lurking in the forest smiled eerily and shot through the air toward Xu Xuan.

"This secret technique will likely consume vital essence; the young master is sparing no cost to kill this fellow surnamed Xu."

Without hesitation, Fan Jiugu followed closely behind the withered old man, moving in to kill Xu Xuan.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two Spirit-condensation immortal masters suddenly emerged from the forest, launching a simultaneous assault on Xu Xuan. This development was entirely unexpected.

Given the current situation, Xu Xuan was effectively forced to face three Spirit-condensation immortal masters at once.

"This is terrible! Quick, go save Brother Xu!"

Zhang Feng and the others cried out in shock and anger, eager to rush to Xu Xuan's rescue.

However, the three dark-faced martial cultivators of the Dongfang family immediately stepped in to block their path. Even if they could not completely halt them, they could stall them for two or three breaths of time.

In a battle between top experts, two or three breaths of time were enough to decide life and death several times over.

Too fast to describe!

The moment Dongfang Ba condensed the terrifying "Blood-Shattering Purple Light" in his palms, he lunged straight at Xu Xuan.

A sense of crisis spread through Xu Xuan's heart. His spiritual perception throbbed incessantly, and the moonlight secret pearl within his body chimed softly, as if portending something.

"Hmph, who says I only have physical strength and no divine abilities?"

Xu Xuan sneered without dodging in the slightest. Taking a deep breath, a ball of scorching, heart-burning true fire abruptly materialized in his palm, within which flickered wisps of an eerie, jade-green residual light.

In an instant, a layer of pale red flame surged over his entire body, making him look like a deity born of fire. A scorching heat wave swept overwhelmingly in all directions. Wherever it passed, the trees were charred black, and any cultivators caught in the periphery immediately saw their robes burst into frantic, screaming flames.

As Dongfang Ba swung the dead-dragon-like Blood-Shattering Purple Light, the moment it approached Xu Xuan, its momentum sharply plummeted by a third.

Bang! Puff, hiss...

The fiercely explosive true fire in Xu Xuan's hand instantly intertwined with the purplish baleful bloodlight. The former possessed a violent momentum, accompanied by a toxic fiery glow that seeped directly toward Dongfang Ba.

Within the span of a breath, the Blood-Shattering Purple Light peeled away and retreated continuously. Where the two forces collided, a plume of purple-black smoke billowed into the air.

"Aargh, hiss!"

Dongfang Ba let out a howl as hot sweat streamed down his forehead. Tormented and scorched by the toxic flames intertwining with his true power and baleful aura, patches of his skin turned black and purple, and his robe was scorched to tatters.

Clearly, Xu Xuan's natal true fire outmatched Dongfang Ba by a distinct margin. Amidst his agonizing howls, Dongfang Ba pulled back all his Blood-Shattering Purple Light to protect his body, retreating like a stray dog.

Xu Xuan was also astonished, never expecting that the true fire he had cultivated with the aid of the Toxic Fire Three-Sun Pill and his own unique traits could be so terrifying.

At this rate, he might actually have a chance to slay Dongfang Ba—something he hadn't fully anticipated beforehand.

"Go to hell!"

Right at that moment, a fierce glint flashed in the withered old man's eyes. Launching a surprise attack from the flank, he transformed one hand into a claw wreathed in billowing, chilling black Qi, thrusting straight at Xu Xuan's head.

Left with no choice, Xu Xuan had to abandon his pursuit of Dongfang Ba. Instead, he casually swept the toxic flame fire burning in his palm and viciously hurled it at the withered old man.

The withered old man was a fourth-level demonic cultivator. Having launched a mid-stream ambush, he had expected to exploit an opening, never anticipating that Young Master Dongfang's formidable purple baleful bloodlight would last merely a single breath before collapsing in defeat.

Whoosh!

The crimson true fire, accompanied by an eerie jade-green alien light, instantly swallowed the withered old man's chilling demonic Qi. It was an utterly devastating sweep, as if the former was a natural counter to the latter—just like fire meeting withered grass.

"Not good..."

The withered old man felt as though he had been plunged into a sea of fire. Xu Xuan's fierce and toxic true fire was already upon him, leaving him nowhere to hide.

He hurriedly mobilized his protective demonic Qi, but the fiery, venomous flames easily pierced through it, quickly igniting his body.

In an instant, the withered old man's body was ravaged and burned by the blazing light, while the jade-green flame venom invaded his interior. Tormented both inside and out, his body quickly turned as red as a glowing lantern.

"Ah—!"

Continuous, shrill screams echoed over the mountain forest. Despite the fourth-level demonic Qi of the withered old man, he could not block the destructive erosion of the venomous true fire. Soon, his entire body was engulfed in roaring flames as he cried out in despair: "Teacher... save me!"

Yet no one came to his rescue. Dongfang Ba was likewise enduring the scorching erosion of the remaining toxic flames; his face distorted, cyan and black, he desperately suppressed the terrifying venomous fire and fled into the distance in utter terror.

"Tsk tsk, the might of this venomous true fire is even more terrifying than I anticipated. It is supremely righteous and blazing, yet wild and bewilderingly persistent. It completely suppresses most immortal spells in this world and acts as the ultimate nemesis to Demonic Path arts." The sigh of the ancient remnant soul echoed in his mind.

Xu Xuan stood stunned for a fraction of a second before quickly stepping forward to harvest the withered old man's storage pouch.

This was a fourth-level demonic cultivator; the spoils of war would undoubtedly far surpass those of first or second-level ones.

Swish! Clang!

Right at that moment, a crystalline blue ice sword slashed down from mid-air. Xu Xuan failed to dodge in time, leaving a bloody gash on his arm as his figure flickered in place.

Xu Xuan let out a muffled grunt, his face turning slightly pale. Although the terrifying true fire possessed immense might, it consumed a tremendous amount of vital qi for a body cultivator, making it difficult to sustain continuously.

When Fan Jiugu struck, she had yet to recover from the sudden shift in the situation—first seeing Dongfang Ba scream in agony and flee, and then witnessing the fourth-level demonic cultivator being instantly incinerated to death, sealing his fate.

The ice sword she landed on Xu Xuan inflicted a certain degree of damage, but it only served to arouse his ferocity, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes: "Stay behind as well..."

By now, Dongfang Ba was fleeing for his life, leaving Fan Jiugu entirely on her own.

With a pale complexion, Fan Jiugu abandoned even her flying sword, transforming into a streak of azure Qi as she bolted into the distance.

Though his vital qi was largely depleted, Xu Xuan gritted his teeth and gave chase.

Yet speed was indeed not his forte. When charging forward in a short burst, Fan Jiugu could rely on full defense to endure some damage, but she managed to maintain distance, making it difficult to obliterate her instantly.

On the other side, the Zhang family members stood dumbfounded, their minds blank and souls shaken.

This flame divine ability of Xu Xuan was simply too terrifying; it had wiped out a fourth-level Spirit Condensation cultivator in a single stroke.

Swish! Swish!

Fan Jiugu and Xu Xuan chased and fled, one ahead of the other.

In long-distance pursuits, Xu Xuan held no advantage. In the early stages, martial or body cultivators relied primarily on close-quarters combat.

In terms of raw speed, Fan Jiugu surpassed him; Xu Xuan could only rely on short bursts of explosive speed, which heavily consumed his vital qi. Moreover, whenever he closed in for melee combat, he could only strike for a fleeting moment before she utilized full defense to absorb the damage and widen the distance once more.

"Since close combat won't do..."

Xu Xuan’s expression darkened as he parted his lips and spat.

Swish!

An azure, translucent peacock burst through the air, expanding rapidly as it met the wind, displaying an astonishing momentum. With a "flutter," it shook a multicolored, azure-flaming tail feather several feet long, transforming into a rainbow-like blaze that overtook Fan Jiugu in an instant.

"What! Is that magic treasure? This Seven-Feather Copper Peacock has circulated through Huanglong City for hundreds of years without anyone ever managing to comprehend or unlock it—how has it changed so drastically in his hands?!"

The Zhang family's fourth-level red-robed immortal master stared with eyes widened to their limits.