Chapter 97: Xiao Yan vs. Hai Bodong

"Dou Grandmaster? No, your aura feels somewhat like a magical beast... and that flame is..." The old man's expression turned solemn. His strength was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

His actual strength was that of a 5-star Dou Emperor, but for certain reasons, his Dou Qi had been sealed to the 2-star Dou Spirit stage. Although his Dou Qi was sealed, his Spiritual Strength and Dou Techniques were still genuinely at the Dou Emperor realm.

His Qi Method was a High Xuan Class ice-attribute one, and he even knew a Di Class Dou Technique, not to mention a slew of Xuan Class Dou Techniques.

And yet, this ice seal of his had been broken by a mere 1-star Dou Grandmaster?!

"Who exactly are you? Neither the imperial family nor the Misty Cloud Sect of the Jia Ma Empire could possibly cultivate a talent like you."

The old man stared at Xiao Yan with a sharp gaze, a cold and domineering aura spreading out from his body.

However, the moment the old man's icy Dou Qi came in contact with the blood-red flames surrounding the latter, it instantly evaporated into water vapor.

Hidden under his black robe, Xiao Yan smiled faintly and said, "I'm just a kid passing through here to visit relatives. If not for this map, I wouldn't have disturbed you, old sir."

His words were gentle, as if bathed in a spring breeze, but the domineering attitude beneath his words was clear to anyone. He was clearly the one barging in and robbing, yet he made it sound as if he was forced to do this.

Upon hearing the other party's twisted logic, the old man suddenly started to laugh, gradually turning into wild laughter: "Hahahahaha! After being sealed by Queen Medusa for over twenty years, I, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong, have now fallen so low as to be bullied by a Dou Grandmaster! How amusing!"

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed. This old man in front of him was actually the Ice Emperor, one of the top three among the Ten Strong of the Jia Ma Empire from back then!

He had heard that the Ice Emperor had disappeared for a long time. Rumors said he had died while exploring some ruins, but who would have thought he had his Dou Qi sealed and was hiding in Desert City!

A fierce light flashed in Hai Bodong's eyes. Tiny, needle-like white ice spikes shot out from his palm with a faint whistling sound.

The instant his spiritual perception detected the danger, Xiao Yan quickly condensed the Ten Thousand Beast Flame in his right hand and threw a punch at the incoming ice spikes.

Three sharp cracks rang out, and his fist felt a cold sensation as a layer of frost formed on it. He circulated his Dou Qi, and the Ten Thousand Beast Flame instantly vaporized the frost.

Xiao Yan lightly blew on the remaining ice shards on his fist, his eyes narrowing slightly as a competitive spirit rose within him.

After refining the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, he had not had a chance to test it in real combat. Now, he happened to come face to face with a 2-star Dou Spirit who was once a formidable elite Dou Emperor.

A strong sense of battle intent surged within his heart. He wanted to see how far his current strength could go against a former Dou Emperor.

'Dou Qi Armor! Mad Lion Chant!' Xiao Yan directly executed the Dou Technique Mad Lion Chant. The blood-red flames transformed into a set of beast armor enveloping his body. A fierce, scorching blood energy spread out as a three-meter-tall illusory figure of the Eight-Winged Flame Demon Tiger appeared behind him.

With a thunderous boom, Xiao Yan executed the Exploding Steps and launched himself forward with explosive speed. He was not afraid of the so-called Ten Strong at all. Given enough time, he believed the Jia Ma Empire would recognize only one true supreme expert in the future—himself!

He took the initiative to strike. His figure blurred as he appeared in front of Hai Bodong in an instant. His five fingers turned into claws, slashing five blood-red stripes at him.

"Hahahaha, come on then! Let me see how capable you are to dare snatch my things!" Hai Bodong let out a cold laugh. His withered hands quickly formed a seal, and the ice attribute Dou Qi within him surged as he softly chanted, "Condensed Ice Mirror!"

The white cold air around Hai Bodong suddenly swirled rapidly. In an instant, a transparent ice mirror about half a meter long and wide abruptly condensed in front of him.

Screech!!! Five ear-piercing noises echoed as Xiao Yan's attack only left five scratches on the ice mirror, unable to break through his defense.

Hai Bodong revealed a look of disdain as he looked at Xiao Yan in the air. With a wave of his hand, several dozen spiral-shaped ice spikes rapidly formed in front of him. Then, with another wave, they shot toward Xiao Yan like a torrential storm.

Xiao Yan's feet slid across the ground for a short distance. He raised his head to look at the massive barrage of ice spikes carrying a chilling aura. His brows furrowed slightly as the eight wings of the Flame Demon Tiger illusory figure folded around his body. At the same time, he crossed his arms in front of him to block the incoming attack.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sound of countless ice spikes colliding like a torrential downpour rang out. They quickly pierced through the protection of the eight wings and penetrated the Dou Qi armor on his hands. After that, the cold energy from the spikes formed a thick layer of ice on his body.

Hai Bodong's eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Xiao Yan attempting to withstand his Dou Technique with just his physical body.

This was sheer madness! His ice attribute Dou Qi was based on a High Xuan Class Qi Method. Not even a deity could save one once the cold energy entered the heart. And yet, the other party was trying to resist it with his bare flesh?!

"Ha!" Xiao Yan's body trembled as the roar of ten thousand beasts resounded from within him. All the frost on his body was blasted away. The Flame Mantra circulated at extreme speed as Xiao Yan switched flames. The Nihility Devouring Flame revolved inside him, and any invading cold energy without exception became nourishment for it.

Moreover, the Ten Thousand Beast Flame had already strengthened his body to the level of a magical beast's physique. Hai Bodong's spiral ice spikes had only pierced through the Dou Qi armor but failed to penetrate his arms!

Xiao Yan charged forward once more with a thunderous boom. His right fist pulled back like a drawn bow, muscles bulging to the extreme. He smashed his fist directly onto the ice mirror.

Octane Blast—Ten Thousand Beast Collapsing Fist!

The ice mirror shattered with a bang. Xiao Yan's punch was like ten thousand stampeding beasts as it instantly crushed the solid ice mirror and continued its destructive trajectory toward Hai Bodong.

Hai Bodong's scalp instantly went numb as he saw the fist smash through his ice mirror! What kind of human-shaped monster was this?!

Had the world changed during the time he had been hiding?! Or had he gotten rusty from not fighting for so long?!

His hands quickly formed a seal. At this moment, it was as if the former Ice Emperor had returned, filled with unstoppable resolve. Instead of dodging, he met the attack with his own palm strike.

His hands quickly formed a seal. At this moment, it was as if the former Ice Emperor filled with an unyielding spirit had returned. Instead of dodging, he met the attack with his own palm strike.

"Ice Sky Palm!"

Fist and palm collided, and the clash of two opposing energies unleashed a terrifying shockwave that swept through the entire shop. Shelves, books, tables, and chairs were thrown into the air, while maps scattered like leaves in a storm.

"Ice Explosion!"

"Hidden Force, Erupt!"

Two explosions rang out almost simultaneously. The eightfold hidden force of the Octane Blast erupted. Hai Bodong retreated eight steps before stabilizing his body. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was sent flying but managed to flip in the air and spread his Eagle Wings to stabilize himself.

Xiao Yan's entire right hand turned extremely pale. Even the Nihility Devouring Flame needed some time to devour this ice-cold energy. However, Hai Bodong was not faring any better. The terrifying aspect of the Hidden Force was the internal injuries it caused.

In terms of Dou Techniques, Xiao Yan held the advantage with his Ten Thousand Beast Flame-enhanced Octane Blast. But Hai Bodong's Dou Qi cultivation was at the Dou Spirit realm, so Xiao Yan wasn't having an easy time either.

Hai Bodong stared at Xiao Yan in the air and said in a deep voice, "A flying-type Dou Technique, you really are full of surprises."

Xiao Yan took the Heavy Xuan Ruler out of his storage ring and said with a faint smile, "Old Hai is also a precious blade not yet rusted."

As a Dou Emperor, Hai Bodong still had a Di Class Dou Technique he hadn't used yet, but he sensed that Xiao Yan also had hidden cards to play. Most importantly, Hai Bodong actually understood that he probably couldn't keep Xiao Yan here.

This was because Xiao Yan possessed a Heavenly Flame, which severely suppressed his ice attribute Dou Qi. Normally, the cold energy entering the body would be enough to slow down one's Dou Qi circulation, but the Heavenly Flame could eliminate the cold energy within the body.

"If I'm not mistaken, you possess a Heavenly Flame, don't you? Otherwise, there's no way a mere Dou Grandmaster like you could dissipate my cold energy so easily."