Chapter 85: Yao Li

"What in the world are these things!"

Xiao Yan activated his Exploding Steps with a thunderous boom, leaping backward at extreme speed to evade the attack.

He was somewhat astonished as he stared at the three different types of magical beasts before him. His Octane Blast had failed to kill these magical beasts with a single punch!

If the Amethyst Winged Lion King were to know his thoughts, it would likely scoff at him. A mere Dou Master wanting to one-shot Rank 3 magical beasts? Had he lost his mind?!

Even when it came to fighting above one's realm, there were limits to how far one could push it!

"These magical beasts are the ones that entered the Beast Tomb in search of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame over the past three hundred years. Without exception, they all found the flame but were corrupted by its tainted energy. Their souls merged with the ghostly figures of the Beast Tomb, transforming them into beast slaves," the Amethyst Winged Lion King explained as it shrank its body, leaning against the wall and quietly watching Xiao Yan being attacked, showing no intention of lending a hand.

It was practically just missing some popcorn to complete its role as a spectator.

'No wonder their bodies are so tough. Even my Octane Blast cultivated to perfection can't shatter their bodies.' These magical beasts had reached the location of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and were strengthened by it. However, in the end, they failed to inherit the flame and instead had their spirits erased, becoming slaves of the flame.

The might of the Octane Blast cultivated to a perfect mastery was comparable to an entry-level Di Class Dou Technique. Although Xiao Yan's cultivation level was not high, his combat strength surpassed that of an average Rank 3 magical beast.

The explosive hidden force of the Octane Blast could instantly slay some weaker Rank 3 magical beasts.

"Mad Lion Chant!" A layer of energy resembling a Dou Qi cloak enveloped his entire body. With a flick of his storage ring, the Heavy Xuan Ruler appeared in his hand.

His palm tightly gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler as his concentration intensified. Strands of Dou Qi began to flow out from the Qi cyclone within his body, surging through him to provide the necessary strength for battle.

Xiao Yan seemed to transform entirely at this moment. He stood tall and imposing with the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand. The immense weight of the ruler made him as immovable as a mountain, unshakable by anything in this world.

Roar, roar, roar!! A beast slave resembling a crocodile charged forward on all fours, its scales glinting with a cold light, as if capable of withstanding any attack.

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as his Spiritual Strength surged outward. The world appeared vastly different in his enhanced perception. The charging beast slave's movements seemed to slow down, and the flow of its blood vessels became distinctly visible.

With a gentle lift, he gripped the Heavy Xuan Ruler tightly with both hands and executed a simple upward slash. There were no fancy techniques—just a straightforward, unadorned upward strike. A tremendously heavy thud resounded as the blow connected with the beast slave's jaw, launching it into the air and exposing its unarmored belly.

In a swift transition, his right hand formed a claw similar to the Black Tiger Steals Heart technique from his previous life and plunged it into the beast slave's belly. Black flames erupted with a whoosh, and a piercing ghostly wail emanated from within the beast slave.

Xiao Yan extracted the ghostly figure from the beast slave's body and threw it into the air. Mao Wu appeared from above and spat a ball of black flames that enveloped and incinerated the ghostly figure in a relentless manner.

These ghostly figures were more human-like than those on the outskirts of the Beast Tomb. They uttered heart-wrenching shrieks and displayed a higher level of intelligence as they were burned by the Nihility Devouring Flame!

Two thunderous booms rang out. Xiao Yan executed his Exploding Steps and surged forward in a Z-shaped pattern toward another beast slave.

Leaping high into the air, he brought down the Xuan Heavy Ruler in a seemingly simple yet forceful strike. To say that Xiao Yan slashed downward would be inaccurate; more precisely, he pressed down with all his might using both hands.

It was as if he was employing the full weight of his body to suppress the beast slave.

The Heavy Xuan Ruler descended like a mountain bearing down, its immense weight augmented by the Dou Qi-driven Mad Lion Chant. This terrifying gravitational force pinned the beast slave directly beneath the ruler.

Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength locked onto the ghostly figure within the beast slave. His five fingers pierced into its body and directly extracted the ghostly figure using black flames.

Flame Splitting Tsunami!

Xiao Yan didn't even turn his head, as his Spiritual Strength had already sensed the final beast slave pouncing toward him. The instant he turned, without a second thought, he unleashed the Flame Splitting Tsunami!

Black flames engulfed the entire Heavy Xuan Ruler.

The energy of the world surged as Xiao Yan swung the Heavy Xuan Ruler downward. A crushed trail appeared in the cave and even the space itself exhibited minuscule cracks.

This was the power of the Nihility Devouring Flame; it had burned through a tiny portion of the empty space!

Such power was immensely terrifying. In that fleeting instant, it seemed as though the black flame-enveloped ruler's radiance could even cleave space itself.

Boom, boom, boom!!! The Flame Splitting Tsunami imbued with the Nihility Devouring Flame was terrifyingly powerful. The intricate and winding cave system was torn asunder. Several gaping holes were left in its wake. Not only were the ghostly figures within the beast slaves annihilated, but even their physical bodies, enhanced by the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, vanished into nothingness.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King gazed at the panting Xiao Yan in astonishment, its heart trembling with shock.

'The power of this Dou Technique!! If not for his weak cultivation, he might have been able to cleave the entire cave open!'

Xiao Yan tossed a 3rd-tier Grand Qi Recovery Pill into his mouth to replenish his Dou Qi. The consumption from using a Di Class Dou Technique in conjunction with the Nihility Devouring Flame was truly immense.

However, the might it possessed was also unrivaled. Dou Grandmasters below the 7-star level would be unable to withstand this strike.

"Advanced Dou Spirit soul bodies? They are a bit different though." After recovering his Dou Qi, Xiao Yan raised his head to observe the three ghostly figures being incinerated.

These ghostly figures differed slightly from those outside. At the very least, they possessed higher intelligence and would cry out when burned.

Generally speaking, Dou Spirits who had not cultivated their souls could not produce soul bodies. However, due to the unique nature of the Beast Tomb, those strong individuals who were unwilling to die merged with resentment and turned into such ghostly creatures.

Mao Wu looked at the three ghostly figures that had been 'roasted' to perfection and opened its mouth to swallow them in one gulp.

Meow~o(=∩ω∩=)m

It even let out a contented burp.

'Advanced Dou Spirits are still too weak. If it could devour the ghostly figure of a Dou King, the power of the Nihility Devouring Flame would rise another notch. Then, unleashing the Flame Splitting Tsunami might enable me to slay a 9-star Dou Grandmaster,' Xiao Yan silently calculated.

It was at this moment that Xiao Yan suddenly sensed a powerful Spiritual Perception sweeping from the cave ahead. This Spiritual Perception was extremely strong, comparable to that of a 5th-tier alchemist!

Without time to ponder, Xiao Yan swiftly withdrew the Nihility Devouring Flame and pulled the hood of his Soul Robe over his head, enveloping his entire body. In an instant, he concealed himself within the shadows of a nearby cave.

A mere second after Xiao Yan had hidden himself, two figures appeared as if they had materialized out of thin air.

Only when the figures emerged did Xiao Yan clearly discern them. It was an elderly man and a younger man. The young man wore a robe with the character for 'Medicine (Yao)' embroidered on the chest.

'Medicine? People from the Alchemist Association? No, that's not right. I remember Sister Ya Fei saying that the Alchemist Association's robes bear a medicinal cauldron emblem, not characters.' Xiao Yan furrowed his brows. At that instant, he inexplicably recalled the words Hun Lao Gui had imparted to him via spiritual transmission before he departed from the Soul Sacrifice Old Shop.

[If you need a Heavenly Flame, be wary of the Yao Clan and the Yan Clan, those two Dou God Clans. ]

'Are these two from the Yao Clan? Here for the Ten Thousand Beast Flame?!!!'

The young man wearing the robe with the character 'Yao' glanced left and right, not putting the Amethyst Winged Lion King not far away in his eyes at all.

"Strange, I clearly sensed the fluctuations of a Heavenly Flame with my Spiritual Strength just moments ago. How has it vanished?" the young man muttered to himself, his face etched with bewilderment.

"Yao Li, could it be that you sensed the Amethyst Beast Flame of the Amethyst Winged Lion King?" The elderly man cast a sideways glance at the Amethyst Winged Lion King in the distance, his tone indifferent.

Waves of spiritual fluctuations swept through the area, but regardless of how meticulously this person named Yao Li attempted to perceive, he came up empty-handed.

"Impossible. How could a trash flame like the Amethyst Beast Flame even be mentioned in the same breath as a Heavenly Flame? I am, at the very least, a 5th-tier alchemist. I couldn't possibly commit such a low-level mistake."

Roar!! The Amethyst Winged Lion King let loose a furious bellow: "Brat, do you have a death wish!!"

Yao Li responded with a cold chuckle, his words tinged with mockery, "Mu Lao, why can't I comprehend its utterances?"

In an instant, an aura even more terrifying than Yun Yun's erupted from the old man's body.

An Advanced Dou Emperor!