A terrifying blood-red aura swept across the entire square.
Xiao Yan personally demonstrated to everyone present that Heavenly Flames were not just tools for alchemy; they possessed special abilities that only heaven and earth could bestow!
"What kind of flame is this?! It actually turns a person into a magical beast!!" Liu Ling's face was bathed in the crimson glow, his eyes filled with horror. Could it be that Xiao Yan had taken a reverse Body Transformation Pill?!
Gu He's expression was grave as he recalled a certain Heavenly Flame. He said solemnly, "If I'm not mistaken, the Heavenly Flame Xiao Yan obtained is the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. It's said that this Heavenly Flame is the fire of magical beasts and can purify a magical beast's bloodline, enhancing their physique. But I never expected that a human cultivator refining it could transform their body to resemble that of a magical beast!"
The Body Transformation Pill was a high-grade tier 7 medicinal pill precisely because it could grant magical beasts, who had strong bodies but weak cultivation talent, the combined advantages of both humans and beasts. That's what made it worthy of being a high-grade tier 7 pill.
And now, Xiao Yan was like a human-shaped magical beast! Wasn't that equivalent to a magical beast that had taken the Body Transformation Pill?! He possessed the best of both worlds!
It was as if the Heavenly Flame came with a complimentary high-grade tier 7 medicinal pill! No wonder Queen Medusa wasn't willing to exchange a Heavenly Flame for a Body Transformation Pill. Even if she didn't use it for her own evolution, the value of a Heavenly Flame far surpassed that of any tier 7 medicinal pill!
In an instant, the situation in the arena became unpredictable once again.
First Elder Yun Leng's face darkened instantly. He could never have imagined that an alchemist—often ridiculed as a soft-footed shrimp, weakling, or drone—could possess such formidable strength!
Yun Yun clasped her hands tightly as she watched the intense standoff in the square, suddenly unsure of whom she should be more worried about!
After activating the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and undergoing beast transformation, Xiao Yan's heart was filled with raging emotions that he no longer suppressed. Fire wings unfurled behind him as he stomped heavily on the ground. The plaza floor shattered instantly as a blood-red afterimage appeared before Nalan Yanran, and his right hand brought the Heavy Xuan Ruler crashing down!
Nalan Yanran's eyes flashed as she swiftly dodged to the side. The Heavy Xuan Ruler smashed into the ground and created a massive crater with a thunderous boom.
"What ferocious power! This single strike is comparable to that of a low-star Dou King. His physical strength must have reached that of a peak Rank 4 magical beast!"
In that instant, Nalan Yanran appeared behind Xiao Yan and launched a swift attack. A flash of sword light streaked by in the blink of an eye.
Just this single ray of sword light caused the hearts of all the Misty Cloud Sect disciples present to skip a beat, as if it had slashed across their own throats.
They subconsciously touched their necks.
The sword thrust aimed directly at Xiao Yan's back, actually targeting his heart. From the moment Nalan Yanran grasped the black sword, her demeanor had changed. Yun Po Tian's Di Class Qi Method had made her ruthless and merciless. Every sword strike was aimed at a vital point.
In that split second, something Nalan Yanran hadn't anticipated occurred. Xiao Yan actually reacted! He gently turned his body and used the hilt of the Heavy Xuan Ruler to collide with the sword tip, deflecting the strike!
This skillful maneuver caused even Dou Emperors like Yun Yun and Hai Bodong to feel a jolt in their hearts. How was this possible?!
"It's his Spiritual Strength. Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength doesn't seem like that of a tier 5 alchemist; I feel it has reached tier 6. Moreover, his application of Spiritual Strength is simply astonishing," Fa Ma said in a deep voice.
Xiao Yan's fire wings trembled as a mass of blood-red flames surged toward Nalan Yanran. Her jade-like hand gripped her sword and cleaved the flames apart with a horizontal slash, but Xiao Yan's figure had already vanished entirely.
The next second, a black ruler swept horizontally toward her from the side. Nalan Yanran crossed her sword and sheath to block with a clang, and her figure drifted backward to dissipate the force.
Xiao Yan grinned, baring his teeth. He hefted the Heavy Xuan Ruler and pursued her with a flap of his fire wings. Upon catching up, he brought the ruler crashing down on her.
Although Nalan Yanran's speed surpassed his, she was not a Dou King after all. She couldn't fly without a flying-type Dou Technique, allowing him to seize air superiority.
Clashing sounds echoed continuously from the square as a figure shrouded in black sword energy and a blood-red silhouette tangled together, their forms blurring into mere afterimages as they unleashed fierce strikes against one another.
Boom, boom, boom!
Explosions boomed repeatedly; the surface of the square had long been rendered unrecognizable. It was now marred by the deep pits smashed by Xiao Yan and the sword marks carved by Nalan Yanran.
"Expand the barrier! All sword formation disciples, retreat! Leave the square immediately!!"
Everyone hurriedly retreated. The Misty Cloud Sect's dueling square, which was twice the size of a football field, was actually insufficient for the battle between these two!
Their fight had escalated from the scale of Dou Grandmasters to that of Dou Spirits, even reaching the peak level of Dou Spirits!
One was the Little Sect Leader who had entered the Gate of Life and Death and inherited Yun Po Tian's legacy, while the other was the Little Clan Leader who possessed the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and tier 6 Spiritual Strength.
"Thousand Wind Slash!"
Nalan Yanran's eyes sharpened as she swiftly spun the black sword in her delicate hand. A spiraling sword energy formed from condensed black wind-attribute Dou Qi took shape at the sword tip in an instant. A light cry rang out as she leaped high from the ground. The sharp sword energies intertwined, transforming into a thin black-cyan line that emitted a piercing sonic boom as it shot toward Xiao Yan with lightning-like speed.
A faint smile played on Xiao Yan's lips as he saw Nalan Yanran actually jump into the air to attack him. He advanced rather than dodge, flapping his wings violently as he charged straight at her.
Nalan Yanran's sword pierced through all defenses, spilling fresh blood. Xiao Yan's left shoulder had been impaled! Scalding hot blood stained his chest.
One must know that Xiao Yan possessed the enhancements of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and the protection of the Mad Lion Chant, along with Dou Qi Armor. Ordinary attacks couldn't penetrate his tough body. Yet, his shoulder was still pierced under this sword strike!
The next second, a thunderous boom resounded as a figure was violently slammed from mid-air into the ground.
Xiao Yan clearly had no concept of going easy on the fairer sex and ruthlessly traded injury for injury. The Heavy Xuan Ruler slammed down brutally on Nalan Yanran's body.
He then smiled faintly as he looked at his pierced shoulder. The Ten Thousand Beast Flame flared up, and a searing pain transmitted back as it cauterized the wound!
Gazing down from above, Xiao Yan said, "You should surrender. With the enhancement of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame, my vitality is even more resilient than that of ordinary magical beasts. But you have a human body. If we continue like this, sooner or later all your bones will be shattered. It'll be troublesome if I can't heal you then."
The hearts of everyone present skipped a beat. Xiao Yan's fighting style was simply too ferocious. He brazenly exchanged injuries with Nalan Yanran, relying on the enhancement of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame. Though he was pierced by a sword, he had also sent Nalan Yanran flying with a heavy blow.
Xiao Yan was like a thick-skinned, brawny tank, while Nalan Yanran could at most be considered an assassin. How could she contend with him like this?!
The dust cleared with a whoosh. Nalan Yanran stood in the center of the large pit, looking up at Xiao Yan. After being pummeled by the Heavy Xuan Ruler and sent flying, blood streamed from her forehead, continuously dripping onto her clothes and staining them red. However, Nalan Yanran didn't even furrow her brows at this moment.
Not only did she not furrow her brows, she even revealed a faint smile. That blood-stained smile actually had a unique charm to it.
Suddenly, with a buzzing sound, the silver dragon on her black sword emitted a white light that enveloped her entirely. To everyone's astonishment, the wounds that had left her battered and bruised after Xiao Yan's attack began visibly healing right before their eyes!
"Hmm?! What kind of power is this?!"
"Did she secretly consume a medicinal pill just now?"
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes. As an alchemist, he could say with certainty that this was definitely not the effect of any medicinal pill. Nalan Yanran must have obtained something else within the Gate of Life and Death!
'This power... Why does it seem a bit similar to that thing?' Xiao Yan furrowed his brows deeply, a strange glint flashing through his eyes.