Chapter 186: Four-Colored Fire Lotus
With a soft cry amid the pitch-black chill, an emerald-green sea of flames surged outward, sweeping away the surrounding frost and revealing Yao Yan's figure. His eyes burned with emerald fire, and between his palms, a miniature seal radiating terrifying energy took shape. As it formed, the surrounding natural energy trembled, and the sinister smile on Earth Demon Old Ghost's lips instantly froze.
Because the energy within that seal was enough to pose a genuine threat to him.
But by the time he realized it, it was already too late.
Almost at the same moment, Yao Yan hurled the emerald seal. In the blink of an eye, the tiny imprint grew into a massive stamp large enough to cover all of Black Seal City, slamming down toward Earth Demon Old Ghost. The crushing force seemed capable of suppressing the heavens themselves.
"A mere four-star Dou Huang can unleash such a technique? You surpass many peak Dou Huangs. But if you think this alone can kill me, you're deluding yourself!" Earth Demon Old Ghost sneered. He stretched out a hand, unleashing a torrent of black, icy dou qi that formed a towering hand, which collided forcefully with the descending seal.
A sizzling sound erupted where the two energies met. The opposing forces clashed, corroding each other, warping space itself with their intensity.
"Rise!"
With a roar, Earth Demon Old Ghost forcibly lifted the massive seal—fully showcasing the terrifying power of a seven-star Dou Zong.
Even when facing a full-power earth-tier Dou Technique, he deflected it with ease—an attack capable of gravely injuring a peak Dou Huang was barely a nuisance to him.
"Out of tricks already, brat?" he mocked. But just then, he noticed the energy within the seal was fluctuating wildly. His expression changed. He immediately surged his icy dou qi, freezing the surrounding space.
BOOM!
Just as he finished forming his defenses, the massive seal compressed and exploded.
A blinding emerald flash burst forth, as brilliant as the sun. The shockwave overwhelmed even Earth Demon Old Ghost's defenses. A deafening boom echoed through the sky like divine thunder.
Everyone's heads buzzed. Weaker cultivators felt dizzy or faint. As their vision cleared, they saw a colossal mushroom cloud of fire spreading across the sky, engulfing both Yao Yan and Earth Demon Old Ghost.
Cai Lin and the Demon Flame Valley experts were blasted back several miles by the sheer force.
Cai Lin clenched her fists, her beautiful eyes filled with worry. She bit her lip and muttered, "Damn it… always acting reckless. You better be fine, or I swear I won't forgive you!"
Below, the Heavenly Flame Master and Yao Lao remained calm. As Dou Zun-level powerhouses, they could sense the true state of those within the explosion. This attack could injure them—but it couldn't kill them.
Yao Yan relied on his near-invincible body and multiple heavenly flames for protection.
As for Earth Demon Old Ghost—
A seven-star Dou Zong's durability was no joke. With some preparation, even taking a direct hit would only leave him wounded—less serious than Yao Yan's previous punch.
As countless eyes watched, the mushroom cloud gradually dispersed…
Revealing a massive black energy shield, inside which stood Earth Demon Old Ghost. The shield's surface churned with countless small vortices, shredding any energy that neared it.
Clearly, the explosion hadn't harmed him.
His robe was still immaculate, his hair barely tousled. His ghostly eyes remained cold as he stared at Yao Yan emerging from the fading energy cloud.
"That explosion was decent," he said mockingly. "If I were careless, I might've been hurt. But if that was your trump card, your life ends today—and so does everyone in Black Seal City. I'll make sure the entire Black-Corner Region knows that Demon Flame Valley is not to be trifled with!"
He might not dare provoke Canaan Academy, but a mere tier-7 alchemist? He wouldn't tolerate being stepped on by one.
As his voice fell, the icy aura around him surged, producing a ghostly howling.
Swish!
Earth Demon Old Ghost vanished like a ghost, reappearing near Yao Yan with terrifying speed. The killing intent he now radiated was unmistakable. He was done playing games.
That he was taking a four-star Dou Huang this seriously was, in itself, a compliment.
"Earth Demon Old Ghost, don't you dare!" Cai Lin shouted, racing toward him.
"Girl, wait your turn. I'll deal with you after him," he growled, glancing her way. He raised a hand, forming a massive black ghost claw, and reached for Yao Yan. Even with Yao Yan's unique body, this full-force strike would deal serious damage.
He had no doubt that his cold energy could outlast Yao Yan's endurance. And this boy's body would make the perfect vessel for his Heavenly Demon Puppet—plus, his tier-7 alchemist soul would be a great supplement to Demon Flame Valley's losses.
"Come to me, boy!" Earth Demon Old Ghost's eyes gleamed as he lunged forward.
Boom—
The ghost claw shredded the surrounding mist, revealing… a flame-formed copy of Yao Yan. It had identical aura and soul fluctuations—but it wasn't real. It even smiled mockingly as Earth Demon Old Ghost crushed it.
"Tricky brat!"
He roared and prepared to track Yao Yan again.
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger came from his side. Instinctively, he swung his ghost claw, releasing a surge of freezing cold that froze even the lingering energy fog.
"You can have this~"
A quiet voice with no emotion accompanied the appearance of a four-colored fire lotus. It tore through space, leaving behind a jagged black rift. Though beautiful, its destructive power made Earth Demon Old Ghost's expression change drastically.
The space around him twisted and cracked. He wanted to flee—but it was too late. The fire lotus had locked onto him. The surrounding space warped, preventing his escape.
Even the Heavenly Flame Master and Yao Lao were shocked.
"…This boy may have created a Dou Technique beyond classification," Yao Lao muttered. He had seen Yao Yan's fire lotus before, but this one—formed with four heavenly flames—was on another level entirely.
Its destructive power likely surpassed high-rank earth-tier techniques—perhaps even rivaling heaven-tier ones.
And this was only with four heavenly flames. If Yao Yan gained one or two more...
Don't forget, he was still only a Dou Huang.
The fire lotus's power would scale with his strength. Once he reached Dou Zun, who knew how terrifying this move would become?
The Heavenly Flame Master, eyes blazing, thought of his Five-Wheel Departing Flame Technique. Someday, Yao Yan might really unleash it in full. The scene would be spectacular.
Su Qian, watching from afar, was stunned. Seeing the four-colored lotus, he muttered, "He has two more heavenly flames? Since when did heavenly flames become so common…"
Had Yao Yan not gifted the infant Fallen Heart Flame to the academy, he might already have five.
Su Qian shuddered at the thought.
The rest of the spectators were speechless, awed by the fire lotus. But no one felt it more than Earth Demon Old Ghost, who now faced its destructive force head-on.
He would die!
If he couldn't block it, he would die!
Sweating, he stared at the approaching fire lotus. He wanted to beg for mercy—but Yao Yan had already thrown the lotus without giving him a chance.
Dammit!
Now panicked, Earth Demon Old Ghost held nothing back. He flushed red and expelled a torrent of dark, icy qi from his pores, laced with a faint blood hue that made it even colder.
"Blood-Chilling Absolute Freeze!"
His hoarse voice rang out. The black mist around him exploded into a massive cloud, completely engulfing his figure.
Instantly, the temperature dropped. Snowflakes began falling from the sky, covering all of Black Seal City. Even those who barely touched them could feel their dou qi starting to freeze.
A terrifying Dou Technique. Those with weaker strength couldn't even withstand its aura.
Meanwhile—
The four-colored fire lotus arrived.
Elegant yet deadly, it touched the black cloud… and the cloud burst apart, disintegrating rapidly. The delicate lotus was swallowed by the mist.
Silence fell.
Everyone stared at the frozen sky, waiting for the result.
A few tense heartbeats later—
The crimson-black cloud trembled violently. Deep, resonant echoes rang out as if from the soul. Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. An unnatural pressure made their bodies tremble involuntarily.
Crack—crack—
Under countless terrified gazes, the cloud formed by a seven-star Dou Zong was shattered instantly. The fire lotus overwhelmed it completely. Multicolored flames exploded, surging through the sky.
A firestorm hundreds of meters wide incinerated everything in its path. Demon Flame Valley members who failed to retreat in time were vaporized instantly—nothing left, not even ash. The shockwave alone was fatal to Dou Huangs.
Yao Yan returned to Cai Lin's side. Under her worried gaze, he gently covered her ears and smiled. "Just watch quietly. It's only getting started. Should be beautiful~"
He then turned his gaze to the blazing fire, eyes filled with anticipation.
(END CHAPTER)
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