*Chapter 25: Flame Seal, Activate!*

Xiao Yan's dark eyes narrowed slightly. Grabbing one stone in each hand, he swung his arms in a wide arc, throwing them toward the mercenaries on both sides. However, the speed of the throw wasn't particularly fast, and all the mercenaries could see it clearly.

"What?!" He Meng was shocked. If it hadn't been for his brothers cushioning the blow yesterday and his cultivation of the extremely defensive Rock Dou Qi, he would not have escaped unscathed.

Without those conditions, he would have been severely injured. No one knew better than him the power of that object.

Dou Qi surfaced on his body, and He Meng quickly retreated. Even though he wasn't the main target of this attack, he dared not be careless.

The mercenaries, still haunted by the gruesome explosion yesterday, were already like startled birds. Seeing the red glow flying towards them, they scattered in all directions, cursing their parents for not giving them two more legs.

After throwing the stone spheres, Xiao Yan immediately drew the Heavy Xuan Ruler in front of him. He also picked up the large saber that the muscular mercenary hadn't used. With a fierce stomp on the ground, he rushed toward the scattered mercenaries like a tiger pouncing into the forest.

The mercenaries, still in a state of shock, couldn't believe how fierce this person was. He was charging at them even when an explosion was imminent!

Xiao Yan's strikes with the ruler were fast, and his saber was even faster. In a flash, he had slain another five mercenaries, as if he were cutting through watermelons.

Seeing their numbers dwindle sharply, He Meng's heart trembled with a huge question: Why hadn't the explosion happened yet?

Glancing at the red object nailed to a wooden post in the camp, He Meng's eyes narrowed sharply!

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the object was just a blood-smeared stone. It wasn't the terrifying explosive from yesterday at all!

"How dare you toy with the Wolf Head Mercenary Group like this! I'll kill you!"

The great advantage they had was lost because of such a small trick, and He Meng was burning with rage. His foot stomped hard on the ground, and like a rampaging magical beast, he charged toward Xiao Yan.

Sensing the powerful force rushing toward him from behind, Xiao Yan swung the saber in his hand. Under the forceful throw, the saber shot out like an arrow, piercing through a fleeing mercenary with a "pfft," leaving him cold to the bone.

Immediately after, Xiao Yan turned around deftly and swung a fist to meet the incoming attack. His punch collided heavily with the rapidly enlarging fist in his dark eyes.

"Boom!"

A muffled sound echoed. Xiao Yan, having attacked hastily without fully gathering his strength, was forced back five steps before he managed to steady himself.

"You've got some skills, kid." He Meng's face grew solemn as he exhaled slowly. He patted his chest with his fist, revealing that his originally bronze skin was now gradually turning pale.

"I've cultivated the Rock Dou Qi, known as the strongest defensive technique among the elemental skills. Even at your peak, you couldn't break through my defense. Now that your Dou Qi is depleted, pay with your life for what you did to my brothers!"

With a cold laugh, He Meng clenched his fists. Even his arms turned a pale color.

Having exchanged blows with Xiao Yan, He Meng was astonished by his physical strength.

He knew well the hardships of training the body. It was far more grueling than merely cultivating Dou Qi. Looking at Xiao Yan's seemingly delicate appearance, it was hard to imagine that he was also a practitioner of body cultivation.

To ensure each attack hit its mark, Xiao Yan had focused all his energy and spirit into each move. After taking down several mercenaries in quick succession, his Dou Qi was nearly exhausted, and he felt a bit fatigued. His current state was not ideal.

Taking a deep breath, Xiao Yan sneered, "Only realizing it now? No matter how strong you are, you're still just a fool. Killing you will be as easy as snapping my fingers."

Knowing that there were still more than a dozen mercenaries around, Xiao Yan didn't come without a plan.

He had already devised a strategy on the way here. He couldn't allow the mercenaries to group up; he had to find a way to divide them.

Thus, Xiao Yan thought of yesterday's explosive fireballs that had worked so well.

He couldn't make real ones in such a short time, but what was stopping him from making some fakes to scare them?

After all, his goal was merely to disperse the mercenaries, not to use them as decisive weapons.

In the Magic Beast Mountain Range, finding some blood-red dye was easy; however, finding the right round stones took a bit more effort.

And so, two "Fire Bombs" were born.

Even Yao Lao was astonished by Xiao Yan's cunning!

"You sly little brat!" He Meng stomped on the ground again, his face turning blue with anger. This time, his speed was obviously much faster than before, whipping up gusts of wind with his wild charge.

Xiao Yan stood calmly in the face of the incoming wind pressure. With his exceptional spiritual perception, He Meng's attack seemed as slow as a snail to him.

Xiao Yan slightly shifted his body. The enormous fist, carrying fierce energy, brushed past his ear.

With a light pivot of his toes, Xiao Yan ghostly circled behind He Meng, his fist infused with Dou Qi, crashing heavily into He Meng's spine.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

A cold shout rang in Xiao Yan's mind as his fist abruptly tightened. His smooth sleeve was violently shaken by the fierce energy.

The fist retracted and then shot out in a flash. In that short distance, the ferocious power in his fist emitted a sharp whistling sound.

"Clang!" The punch landed on He Meng's body, making a crisp sound as if striking a rock.

"Do you think you can break my Rock Defense with your current strength?" He Meng sneered arrogantly. His right foot swept backward, carrying a violent force, aiming to kick Xiao Yan away. At the same time, he shouted to the panicked mercenaries, "This brat's Dou Qi is exhausted! What are you waiting for?! Attack!"

He Meng's loud roar snapped the remaining five mercenaries out of their panic. Realizing that Xiao Yan had been fighting the Third Commander for a while, they suddenly understood that they had been tricked.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten mercenaries had been reduced to six. The five mercenaries realized they were on the brink of danger, and their Dou Qi surged throughout their bodies.

In an instant, the five of them unleashed their Dou Techniques, each reaching near mastery.

The camp was filled with colorful Dou Qi. Five weapons—blade, spear, sword, and axe—all carried the force of thunder as they struck toward Xiao Yan, who had been pushed back by He Meng.

With his Dou Qi depleted, Xiao Yan's ordinary Eight Extremes Collapse had little effect. While marveling at the defensive power of the Rock Dou Qi, he also sighed in regret. If he could use his hidden strength, He Meng would be dead.

Sensing the fierce attacks coming from behind, Xiao Yan nimbly sidestepped and held the Heavy Xuan Ruler horizontally in front of him. Supporting the head of the ruler with one hand, he lifted it skyward with ease.

The five mercenaries' Dou Techniques crashed heavily onto the ruler. Like five massive hammers, they struck the Heavy Xuan Ruler, causing it to tremble violently, as if it might fly out of Xiao Yan's grasp at any moment.

Facing the full assault of five experienced mercenaries, Xiao Yan used all his strength to hold his ground, his expression twisted with strain.

"Indeed, his Dou Qi is depleted!" Seeing Xiao Yan struggling to hold on, He Meng shouted triumphantly.

Although the five mercenaries hadn't succeeded in their first strike, they were greatly encouraged by the fact that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was exhausted.

Without Dou Qi, Xiao Yan was just someone with a powerful weapon. With six of them left, he would inevitably fall!

Xiao Yan's mouth curled into a slight smile as he let out a low shout, "Flame Seal, Activate!"

(End of Chapter)