A powerful aura locked onto him, and the distorted space caused Yun Tianming's movements to slow down.
However, instead of retreating, Yun Tianming advanced. The Earth Rank High-Level Qi Method, Flame Mantra, was fully activated within him. His Dou Qi surged, pushing the limits of the Dou Ancestor realm, forcibly breaking through the opponent's spatial blockade, and charging towards the three elders.
"Impudent! The Ground Demon Ancestor is here, and you dare to defy? Die!"
A withered hand extended from the torn space, reaching out towards Yun Tianming.
"Slap!"
Xiao Yi Xian, who had been lying in wait and was already prepared, decisively struck, slapping away the opponent's hand.
"Eh!"
The blood-haired elder in a skeleton-patterned yellow robe stepped out from the torn space, his doubtful gaze landing on Xiao Yi Xian. His expression suddenly changed, and he angrily shouted, "You dare, boy!"
Before Old Ground Demon Ghost could finish speaking, Yun Tianming, with a fist wrapped in Heavenly Flame, punched through the three elders, killing them on the spot!
"What were you saying just now?"
Yun Tianming shook his fist, the blood on it evaporated clean by the Heavenly Flame.
"You!"
The deeply sunken eyes of Old Ground Demon Ghost glowed with ghostly fire. As he glanced at the wreckage of Demon Flame Valley below, littered with corpses burned to charcoal, his anger reached its peak.
"Destroying my sect and killing my elders."
"I, Ground Demon Zi, swear that today I will grind your bones to dust!!"
Old Ground Demon Ghost's gaze suddenly turned icy. With a flick of his five fingers, five sharp Dou Qi beams, emitting a chilling aura, shot out from his fingertips, carrying a fierce gust of wind as they aimed straight for Yun Tianming's forehead!
Using Soul Perception, Yun Tianming instantly predicted the trajectory of the five cold beams. His bone wings and Dou Qi wings behind him flapped simultaneously, lightning flashed under his feet, and his figure vanished from the spot.
"Hmph! Impressive speed, no wonder you dared to break into my Demon Flame Valley."
"But as a mere Dou Emperor, you're still too inexperienced!"
Old Ground Demon Ghost's figure vanished like a specter. He stepped through the void and instantly teleported several hundred meters, catching up with the rapidly moving Yun Tianming.
"Boom!"
Fist met palm, as Heavenly Flame and the chilling aura canceled each other out, but Yun Tianming was struck down by the immense force.
"Don't think you're the only one with an Earth Rank Dou Technique."
"Cold Flame Bone Claw!"
The extremely cold and extremely hot Dou Qi possessed a power somewhat akin to the Chilling Bone Flame, but Old Ground Demon Ghost used two Transformed Flames created by his Flame Art, combined with his self-created claw Dou Technique, making its power formidable!
The opponent's attack was too fast, and Yun Tianming didn't have time to execute a Dou Technique, so he could only hastily activate the Heavenly Flame to counter.
"Boom!"
The giant claw and Heavenly Flame clashed for a few seconds, but soon the former, with its overwhelming Dou Qi power, suppressed the Heavenly Flame and descended upon Yun Tianming like a mountain.
At that moment, a graceful figure in a purple robe suddenly appeared. A torrent of Dou Qi erupted like a volcanic explosion, and the gray Dou Qi, filled with a strong stench, surged upward to meet the giant claw descending from the sky.
"Hmph!"
Xiao Yi Xian coldly snorted, forcefully breaking through the giant claw. Her body trembled slightly, and she was pushed back a few steps by the impact.
"Xiao Yi Xian, are you alright?"
Yun Tianming placed his hand on Xiao Yi Xian's waist, injecting a gentle force to neutralize the impact on her body.
"I'm fine. Be careful; this old man is extremely powerful. His strength is likely at the peak of the 7-Star Dou Ancestor realm. In my normal state, I'm not his match, unless..."
Xiao Yi Xian had just advanced to 6-Star Dou Ancestor, and compared to the peak 7-Star Dou Ancestor Old Ground Demon Ghost, there was still a significant gap. Unless she unleashed her Woeful Poison Body.
"No need for that 'unless.' To deal with an opponent of this level, there's no need to go all out."
Yun Tianming, understanding what Xiao Yi Xian was implying, directly rejected her idea.
"What arrogance! You still want to hold back when facing this Sect Master?"
"You truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth, young ones!" Old Ground Demon Ghost sneered.
"The one who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth should be you, you old relic. After cultivating for hundreds of years, you've only reached the mere 7-Star Dou Ancestor level."
"As for us, youth is our greatest asset."
"In just a few years, we'll easily surpass you."
Yun Tianming retorted sharply, his words hitting the mark with reason and force.
". . ."
Old Ground Demon Ghost was left speechless by the exchange. These two young people had truly astonished him. A Dou Emperor and a Dou Ancestor of their age were unheard of in the Black-Corner Region. And as he had said, with just a few more years of growth, who knows how strong they could become?
"Arrogant youngsters, do you not know that geniuses tend to die young?"
Black, chilling air coiled around his fingers, and then his ten fingers flicked violently.
"Thousand Illusory Black Ice Stab!"
With the flicking of Old Ground Demon Ghost's fingers, countless black ice spikes eerily emerged from his fingertips, then shot out in a massive wave towards Yun Tianming and Xiao Yi Xian.
These black ice spikes might not seem impressive at first glance, but the force within them was terrifying. Not to mention their overwhelming numbers, even a single spike could potentially kill a Dou Emperor outright!
"Poison Mist Wall!"
With a slightly serious expression, Xiao Yi Xian didn't dare to be careless. She waved her sleeve, and waves of grayish-purple Dou Qi rapidly surged out, intertwining to form a grayish-purple mist wall in front of her.
"Sizzle sizzle sizzle!"
The black ice spikes shot forth like a swarm of bees, continuously piercing into the grayish-purple mist wall. However, they were quickly dissolved by the strong corrosive poison mist within, evaporating into droplets.
"Golden Immortal!"
Yun Tianming clasped his hands together, surrounded by golden Dou Qi, as if enveloped in an indestructible golden bell.
"Clang clang clang!"
The black ice spikes struck Yun Tianming, producing a series of sharp, crackling sounds. The golden Dou Qi rippled and showed some cracks, but it did not harm Yun Tianming's body.
"Damn it! What kind of Dou Technique is that kid using?"
Old Ground Demon Ghost wasn't too surprised that Xiao Yi Xian could withstand his attack, given that her strength as a 6-Star Dou Ancestor wasn't much weaker than his. However, what shocked him was that a 7-Star Dou Emperor like Yun Tianming could defend against his attack—and without taking any damage!
"Swoosh!"
Before Old Ground Demon Ghost could think, Xiao Yi Xian swiftly thrust a poison-laden sword towards him.
"Clang!"
Old Ground Demon Ghost waved his hand, forming an ice blade to block the attack, and even managed to put pressure on Xiao Yi Xian in return.
"Young girl, to have reached the Dou Ancestor realm at such a young age, even I must acknowledge your talent. But right now, you are no match for me. If you leave now, I promise not to trouble you."
Having just vowed to grind them both into dust, Old Ground Demon Ghost now made a complete 180 in attitude, seeing that Xiao Yi Xian wasn't easy to deal with. He was clearly trying to pick the easier target!
"Old man, do I look like someone who's easily fooled?"
Xiao Yi Xian sneered, her grayish-purple eyes filled with coldness.
Over the years, she had ventured alone into the Chu Yun Empire, facing countless schemes and betrayals, eventually rising step by step to become the Sect Master of the Poison Sect.
"Stubborn to the end, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
Old Ground Demon Ghost's expression darkened, and just as he was about to unleash his full power against Xiao Yi Xian, his eyebrows suddenly twitched. He quickly looked up, only to see a massive energy handprint in the sky, glowing with a strange cyan light. The terrifying power emanating from it made even him feel a deep sense of threat!
"Sea Overturning Seal!"
Yun Tianming flipped his palm and struck out through the air, sending the massive energy imprint plummeting from the sky.
****
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