“Hahaha, kid, you’ve successfully angered me, but I don’t admire you. Now you can die!” Earthfire Tianzun laughed wildly, his words dripping with fury.
He was truly enraged.
“Boss, don’t underestimate him. I heard he’s already taken down the leaders of Circles One through Four. His strength can’t be ignored; he must have some hidden trick,” Xin warned from the side.
“Can those fools compare to me?” Earthfire Tianzun scoffed. “Xin, your cultivation has improved, but why’s your courage shrinking?”
Xin shook his head helplessly.
He wasn’t sure if his instincts were right, but something about Ling Xiao felt off.
Despite his unimpressive cultivation, Ling Xiao demanded caution.
When fighting Leng Mei earlier, Xin hadn’t taken Ling Xiao seriously, but better safe than sorry. He didn’t want his boss to fall in the gutter.
If his boss died, his own good days would end.
“You’re indeed strong, worthy of my sword!” Ling Xiao said, lightly touching his storage ring. The Golden Crow Sword appeared, its sun-like glow dazzling and unique.
The surrounding air warped and twisted upon contact with the blade.
“Take my strike!” Ling Xiao thrust his sword forward, a seemingly ordinary move infused only with the mystery of light.
He wanted to test his opponent’s strength.
A simple attack allowed flexibility.
A big move, once unleashed, was hard to retract.
Whoosh!
The crimson-gold Golden Crow Sword tore through the air, splitting the ground, forming a beam of golden light that shot toward Earthfire Tianzun.
Sizzle!
The ground and air steamed, as if evaporating.
“Nice power, but not enough to face me!” Earthfire Tianzun sneered, wielding a massive battle-axe, faintly burning with reddish-white flames.
Behind him, cold earthfire surged.
His martial soul was likely earthfire, stronger than common flames but weaker than holy flames.
Clang, clang, clang!
A flurry of clashes unfolded in the ravines of Circle Five, moves flowing endlessly. The ground was pockmarked with craters from white flames and golden light.
“Not bad. You’ve managed to infuse your earthfire martial soul with the mystery of explosion. You’re not entirely useless; you’ve got some talent,” Ling Xiao observed while fighting, gaining a deeper understanding of Earthfire Tianzun.
Earthfire Tianzun, however, grew more shocked with each exchange.
He still couldn’t discern Ling Xiao’s martial soul.
Without knowing it, he couldn’t target his attacks.
“I must force him to reveal his martial soul!” Feeling the threat, Earthfire Tianzun decided to escalate.
“Earthfire Nine Heavens!”
His giant axe swung, white flames roaring fiercely, then slashed out with fury.
Nine consecutive attacks surged toward Ling Xiao like a tide of earthfire flames.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Flames burned.
Space warped.
The ground cracked.
The terrifying power of Earthfire Tianzun’s attack made Leng Mei, watching from the side, sweat nervously.
She knew she’d be no match for him.
Ling Xiao kept retreating but blocked each attack, unscathed.
“Hahaha, interesting!” Amid his retreat, Ling Xiao felt the damage from the terrifying energy hitting his body.
But this damage helped him adapt to his current cultivation’s combat strength.
That was the effect he wanted.
Such minor damage cost him only a few drops of blood, nothing serious.
As the nine attacks ended, Ling Xiao grinned. “Earthfire Tianzun, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn!”
His Golden Crow Sword slashed, condensing a Scarlet Sun Cone four or five times larger than usual in an instant.
Normally, he didn’t use a sword for the Scarlet Sun Cone.
But facing Earthfire Tianzun’s pressure, a sword was necessary.
The larger Scarlet Sun Cone was naturally more powerful, like a bizarre red sun taking shape.
“Go!” With a flick of his sword, the Scarlet Sun Cone shot forward.
In an instant, the entire space turned golden, enveloped in searing heat.
Earthfire Tianzun felt momentarily blinded, seeing nothing.
In panic, he unleashed ninety percent of his power, his axe slashing fiercely.
Earthfire Strike!
Boom!
The axe collided with the Scarlet Sun Cone, producing an earthquake-like roar that stunned everyone in the underground factory.
Earthfire Tianzun spat blood, staggering back over ten steps, while Ling Xiao stood firm, unmoved.
“Not bad, kid. I underestimated you. You’re worth my full effort!” Earthfire Tianzun, though bloodied, wasn’t gravely injured. As a late Five Elements Heaven warrior, his physical defense was formidable.
“Your defense is stronger than I expected,” Ling Xiao said calmly.
“Kid, you’re too arrogant, but you won’t be for long!”
“Earthfire Slash: Nine-Nine to Yang!”
In a furious roar, Earthfire Tianzun attacked again.
His strength was no bluff.
The previous nine attacks were nothing compared to this. His axe now unleashed eighty-one strikes, denser and undiminished in power.
Each strike was faster than the last. If it were any other circle leader, they’d have knelt and surrendered by now.
But Ling Xiao just grinned excitedly. “Bring it on!”
His right hand wielded the sword, the Golden Crow Sword moving faster and faster.
Bang, bang, bang…
Onlookers could only see Ling Xiao’s figure flickering amid the attacks.
Each flicker produced a beautiful explosion, like a blooming flower.
His speed and precision were perfect.
Ling Xiao wasn’t just defending; he was dancing, graceful yet brimming with masculine vigor.
Eighty-one attacks, eighty-one sword blocks, all countered.
Though minor scratches marked his body, he didn’t spit blood, handling it more easily than the nine attacks.
This wasn’t because his strength had grown.
Rather, Ling Xiao was growing increasingly familiar with Earthfire Tianzun.
