Chapter 90: Xiao Yan vs. Yao Ao

Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with uncertainty. If he fled now, there was indeed a chance he could escape, but that would mean giving up on the Ten Thousand Beast Flame.

Mao Wu had already completely devoured Yao Ao's soul imprint. Right now, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was completely ownerless and he could refine it at any time.

Moreover, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame was ranked twenty-second. Even though he had not been able to refine the 5th-tier Blood Lotus Essence Pill, his body had absorbed some of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and was strengthened by it. Coupled with a whole box of Ice Spirit Cold Fountain in his storage ring, refining the Ten Thousand Beast Flame could be said to be most suitable for him at this moment.

The success rate was very high.

Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened as he glanced at the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and muttered something under his breath.

Roar!!

Xiao Yan turned around, and a series of beastly roars erupted from his body. The Ten Thousand Beast Flame that he had stolen from the Amethyst Winged Lion King surged out of his flesh and enveloped him in a blood-red flame.

His eyes became fierce, his teeth grew into a pair of fangs, and his hair turned sharp and bristly. He looked like a humanoid magical beast.

"Oh ho? It seems you had obtained some wisps of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame before." Seeing Xiao Yan's body undergoing beast transformation, his muscles bulging and physical strength explosively increasing, Yao Ao wasn't the least bit flustered. He could tell at a glance that Xiao Yan had used a bit of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame to temper his body before.

Xiao Yan went all out, dumping the entire batch of five Purple Flame Pills straight into his mouth. In an instant, an unbridled and furious flame swept through his five viscera, six bowels, and eight extraordinary meridians, as a horrifying fire-attribute energy slammed into every inch of his body.

But that wasn't all. He directly swallowed several more pills that could temporarily increase his cultivation and physical strength, raising his cultivation to the 1-star Dou Grandmaster stage!

Roar! Xiao Yan roared toward Yao Ao as terrifying heat waves erupted from his body. With the combined power of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and the medicinal pills, his physical strength was now comparable to that of a Rank 4 magical beast.

Yao Ao had a look of disdain on his face. Up to this point, Xiao Yan had not used the Soul Command Token to summon strong allies, which confirmed to him that Xiao Yan had indeed been bluffing all along.

It was useless no matter how much Xiao Yan tried to increase his strength. Yao Ao knew his own strength very well. Even though Yao Li's original cultivation wasn't high, with a Soul State soul and half of the power of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, his current combat strength could rival a peak Dou King or even a 1-star Dou Emperor.

Just as Xiao Yan seemed ready to risk everything in a fight, a surge of flames suddenly shot into the sky behind him, and a spiritual transmission echoed in his mind.

"Human boy, remember what you promised me."

Xiao Yan's lips curled into an almost imperceptible smile upon hearing this spiritual transmission.

He turned to look behind him and saw a gigantic eight-winged tiger beast that was tens of meters tall staring back at him. Xiao Yan knew this was actually the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, but because a part of the soul of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger had fused with it, its appearance looked a bit like the Demon Tiger.

The Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger turned into a streak of flames, enveloping his entire body before he could react. In an instant, an unfamiliar power gathered on him.

"This is the remnant strength of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger?!" The Amethyst Winged Lion King was utterly astonished. The Lord of the Magic Beast Mountain Range had actually chosen a human over it?! How could this be!!

With a thunderous boom, the temperature of the entire space instantly soared and turned everything scarlet red. It was as if an unparalleled magical beast had awakened at this moment.

Eight fiery wings formed from the Ten Thousand Beast Flame appeared behind Xiao Yan. His stature didn't change, but wrapped in flames, everyone who saw him had the false impression that he had transformed into a colossal beast!

The terrifying flames raged all around him as an oppressive force seemed to dominate the entire space. It was as if the former Lord of the Magic Beast Mountain Range had returned!

Even if it was just a momentary flash of splendor, this moment represented the might of a former overlord!

"You have gained the support of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, so I trust you. If I have to choose between you and Yao Ao to inherit the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, I choose you."

The aged voice of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger echoed in Xiao Yan's mind. His eyes snapped open, and his originally black pupils transformed into a chilling blood-red.

"Rest assured, the Magic Beast Mountain Range holds my memories too. I won't allow it to be destroyed." Xiao Yan thought of the cave he had lived in with Yun Yun and the small valley where Little Fairy Doctor was.

His blood-red eyes sharpened and with a rumble, he exploded forward with his Exploding Steps. A long red fire trail was created as flames erupted from the ground. His speed was so fast that he became a blur.

Octane Blast—Ten Thousand Beast Collapsing Fist!

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan appeared in front of the astonished Yao Ao and took the initiative to strike first! The roar of countless beasts emanated from the ball of scarlet raging flames gathered in his right hand.

The Octane Blast cultivated to perfect mastery rivaled the power of an entry-level mastery Di Class Dou Technique. If used in conjunction with the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, its power could definitely reach that of a major-level mastery Di Class Dou Technique.

Yao Ao's expression changed drastically. Xiao Yan's physical strength had been greatly enhanced by the power of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger! He wrapped his entire body in Spiritual Strength and didn't even have time to use a Dou Technique before he threw a punch to meet Xiao Yan's punch head-on.

The two fists collided—one imbued with the Spiritual Strength of a Soul State soul, while the other was powered by the strength of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger. A terrifying energy spread out in all directions with the two of them at the center.

Mu Long, who had been suppressing the Amethyst Winged Lion King, frowned. His attacks had actually weakened!

This guy was someone who could judge the situation. He knew he couldn't offend either side, so he would help whoever was stronger!

Hidden Force Eruption!

Waves of fire surged out from Xiao Yan's fist, the hidden force of the Octane Blast also being enhanced. Every wave of fiery hidden force seemed to be as heavy as ten thousand stampeding beasts.

The power of ten thousand beasts moved with Xiao Yan as he attacked. It seemed as if the force of countless beasts was contained within the scarlet flames. Roaring sounds erupted, shaking the earth and sky as the beastly might rolled forward in a terrifying manner!

The eightfold hidden force eruption directly sent Yao Ao flying back.

"You're still not qualified to play with fire against me! Fire Dragon Whip!" Yao Ao let out an angry roar as the world's energy surged around him. This was actually a Di Class Dou Technique!

It did make sense, though. Yao Ao was a high-grade 7th-tier alchemist. It would be strange if he didn't have one.

The flames solidified! A fire dragon with bared fangs and brandished claws pounced toward Xiao Yan. Facing this terrifying fire dragon, he seemed to lose all reason and actually charged forward to fight it head-on!

With a thunderous boom that shook the earth, Xiao Yan's hands turned into tiger claws and directly grabbed the fire dragon's claws!

The cries of the dragon and the furious roars of ten thousand beasts rang out. Even against the powerful fire dragon, Xiao Yan remained fearless with the gathered power of ten thousand beasts.

"Scram!" Xiao Yan shouted. The muscles on his arms bulged, his veins popping out! With a swift motion, he directly flipped the fire dragon 180 degrees and hurled it back at Yao Ao as if it were a mere weight.

The sheer strength of his body was overwhelming.

Yao Ao's expression changed drastically upon witnessing Xiao Yan's immense physical strength. Instantly, a fiery armor enveloped his body as he prepared to withstand Xiao Yan's counterattack.

The cave began to collapse and the ground shattered into countless pieces with a resounding crash. The scene was incredibly spectacular.

In contrast, the battle between the Amethyst Winged Lion King and Mu Long, who should have fought more fiercely given their superior strength, seemed more like a lazy scuffle. Especially Mu Long, he completely refrained from attacking with lethal force and just focused on holding back the Amethyst Winged Lion King to prevent it from going to provide support.

"Mu Long! Come take care of him!" Yao Ao shouted at Mu Long.

However, Mu Long acted as if the battle was too fierce for him to break free. He continued to drift farther and farther away, even giving the impression that he was being slightly suppressed.

Even though medicinal pills could enlist the help of elite experts, those hired hands wouldn't risk their lives for you. True loyalty couldn't be bought with pills.

"Damn it! All beast slaves, attack!!" Yao Ao waved his hand and countless beast slaves awakened. He still had an ace up his sleeve!

These measures were originally meant to deal with the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger and to prevent the magical beasts of the Magic Beast Mountain Range from interfering.