"Ha-ha-ha, kid, you're just like me. Selfish, cruel, heartless, and won't even hesitate to use your own men. Even I'm feeling a bit afraid of you!"
Boom!
The thunderflame gale prison blew away with a loud noise to reveal the sinister smiling seventh elder. Yet now he held another centipede chain in his hand, this one black.
The two chains formed a helix around him, sparing his life from the dreadful attack. But even so, his body was littered with burn marks, and one could even see the bone in some places as blood seeped out.
It was obvious that he survived because of these chains.
And that too against the true power of the Thunderflame Gale Array.
After spitting some burning blood, the seventh elder gasped, but his wicked eyes never left Zhuo Fan for a moment.
"Kid, I have always been quick to pick up on things related to my enemies everywhere I went, but today you almost had me killed! I have to admit, I never met such dreadful brat in my life."
Zhuo Fan looked over to see Xue Ningxiang unconscious at his feet. But she wasn't dead. Perhaps the chain helix protected her the same way it protected the elder.
But it wasn't like Zhuo Fan cared if she lived or died. He just kept staring at the black centipede chain, "You have another 4th-grade demonic treasure?"
"He-he-he, I used to have only one!"
The seventh elder joined the two centipede chains together to form a black and white chain, "This 4th-grade demonic treasure, Yin Yang Chains are of one body. I usually attack with the yang chain and use the yin chain to kill my enemy at the right time. But to save myself today, you forced me to reveal my yin chain. You should be proud of that. Even Profound Heaven experts only figure out the truth at the moment of their deaths!"
Zhuo Fan gnashed his teeth, "The Insidious Demon title fits you like a glove! You were willing to suffer a heavy wound just to keep this move hidden!"
"But of course!"
The seventh elder coughed blood twice but his face still retained the sinister smile, "With how the world is filled with lies and schemes, I prefer to keep my strongest move hidden. That is why my ploys always succeed while the ones against me fail!"
"But today is the exception!"
The seventh elder's eyes flashed and threw the yang chain at Zhuo Fan and the yin chain at Xie Tianyang as he roared, "Too bad you're out of tricks and can't beat me!"
"I beg to differ." Zhuo Fan smirked and made a hand sign, making a bloody light fly out of Xue Ningxiang towards the seventh elder.
The elder was seriously hurt and the chains were far away. Zhuo Fan watched him like a hawk just to find if he also had a defensive demonic treasure.
This way he could put Blood Infant to good use.
In his sorry state, if Blood Infant was to get inside the seventh elder, he'd be refined without even a means to resist.
This was Zhuo Fan's true killing move. Even the thunderflame gale prison was only used as bait to reveal all the elder's cards.
Zhuo Fan refused to believe a man with the Insidious Demon fame had no hidden means to save himself.
"Demonic creature!"
On the other hand, the seventh elder was startled by the bloody light. He now figured out what Zhuo Fan really intended when he said Xue Ningxiang was the bait.
It wasn't just to trap him in the thunderflame gale prison but to also hide a killing move. With how close he was to her, he had no way of dodging.
Insidious Demon had to admire Zhuo Fan's cunning mind for beating him at every turn.
Zhuo Fan was expectant of victory as he smiled, "It's over, seventh elder. This fight is my win…"
Suddenly, the seventh elder's yang chain pierced through Zhuo Fan's chest. He felt his heart being crushed. A large hole was left behind on his body, with pieces of his heart here and there.
"This is impossible…"
Zhuo Fan was confident that the Blood Infant would gain control of the seventh elder once it entered him, also stopping the yang chain's attack.
But the truth was, the chain never stopped. Zhuo Fan even felt his organs withering and seeping life force.
This wasn't caused by the chain, but by Blood Infant's injury!
Puking blood, Zhuo Fan watched in shock as Blood Infant hung behind the seventh elder. A flash of silver revealed a needle impaling Blood Infant's chest.
"3rd-grade demonic treasure, Twisted Needle!"
The seventh elder sneered at Zhuo Fan and pulled back the Twisted Needle into his elbow.
Blood Infant collapsed and Zhuo Fan fell to his knees. His eyes were filled with dread. He couldn't believe he just lost.
Bam!
A sound was heard from the side, Xie Tianyang struggled for his life but the yin chain lashed over his chest and he was now spitting blood. It was thanks to his spiritual armor that he was still breathing!
Ignoring the rest, the seventh elder walked to Zhuo Fan calmly.
"Kid, I am known as the Insidious Demon. How can anyone outsmart me?"
The seventh elder watched the dying Zhuo Fan, "You're good, real good. Your schemes even make me feel fear. In a decade or two, you will become an outstanding demonic cultivator! Not even the number one sage in Tianyu can compare to you. A pity you won't live so long, because I am afraid, afraid of what you'll become. You are the first to ever make me feel this way…"
He was about to land the finishing blow, "You might die at my hand, but do not feel bad. Our cunningness is about the same, but I am stronger. In front of true power, all tricks, all methods are moot… "
The seventh elder's palm came from above and Zhuo Fan could even hear the whistling wind.
He didn't want to die, but he had nothing left to fight with.
A loss was a loss, be it in power or cunningness. And the one to lose, died! But he had so many things he wanted to do.
So what? The loser never had a choice to begin with!
Closing his eyes, Zhuo Fan took one last breath and blacked out…
Roar!
A sudden roar shook the entire Allbeast Mountain Range and the seventh elder's palm stopped an inch above Zhuo Fan's head.
Along with the roar, a wave of flames came to engulf everything. It swallowed trees and left empty husks behind.
The seventh elder was startled.
Looking towards the third area, he said with uncertainty, "Why is this monster coming to the second area…"
Taking another look at the hopeless trio, he gnashed his teeth and fled, even disregarding the Diamond Sand.
A bird cry soon followed and the skies darkened. A huge bird wing trailed above, overshadowing the earth.
The spiritual beasts shivered in their caves.
The huge bird's wing burned blue, and each flap sent sparks everywhere. Wherever the sparks landed, flames torched all of it into nothing.
The previously lush forest was now reduced to ash after the bird passed. Not even bones were left of the 4th level spiritual beasts touched by the flames.
The huge bird flew for a while then left, but the forest beneath it was no more.
Zhuo Fan and the other two were lying unconscious among the ashes. Some spiritual beasts passed by but finding them dead, they left.
In fact, it was thanks to the Energy Concealing Pill that hid their auras.
Cough, cough, cough…
With a light cough, Xue Ningxiang strained her eyes open, but shock swept her heart. [Why is the forest gone and only ash remained?]
[The seventh elder couldn't have done this.]
She looked around in haste for Zhuo Fan and Xie Tianyang and saw them lying unconscious. Zhuo Fan had the most critical injury, bleeding from the hole in his chest.
He wasn't too far from breathing his last…