met free 371. Contest of Different Flames
371. Contest of Different Flames
"Wouldn't we find out soon enough? Since Young Master Lingzhuo's condition is a different kind of fire, I'd also like to give it a try. How about we have a competition outside the auction hall after Young Master Lingzhuo's auction ends?" Xiao Yan said slowly.
Ling Zhuo's eyes flashed, sharp as knives: "How dare you! You're the first person to dare speak to me like that! I'm only giving Elder Qin Qiong of Yin Valley face today. After the auction, I'll definitely see your so-called alchemy skills."
"Valley Master Tang, how about we wait until this young friend from room number sixty-six has had his duel with Young Master Lingzhuo before making a decision?" The hunchbacked old man spoke up at the opportune moment when the atmosphere became tense again.
"Then I'll trouble Young Master Ling Zhuo and this young friend Xiao Yan to compete again after the auction." Seeing that there was a reasonable opportunity to resolve the matter, Tang Zhen immediately stopped dwelling on Ling Zhuo's arrogant words. Instead, he planned to take this opportunity to see if Young Master Ling Zhuo's alchemy skills had truly reached that level. After all, what he was seeking was too important. Although the Pill Tower had eighth-grade alchemists, strange fires were extremely difficult to find. As for Xiao Yan, Tang Zhen hoped that he could force Ling Zhuo to reveal more of his abilities. If Xiao Yan could demonstrate enough strength to contend with Ling Zhuo, Ling Zhuo's demands should be lowered, and that would be the true beginning of the transaction.
"Excuse me, esteemed guests, our transaction will continue..."
Although the trade fair was still ongoing, everyone's hearts were already aroused. The clash of different flames was such a rare sight! Because of the agreement between Xiao Yan and Ling Zhuo, the speed of the subsequent transactions was much faster, and everyone was full of anticipation.
……
Ling Zhuo flashed into the air not far from the auction house and called out to Xiao Yan below:
"Since we are both alchemists, I will not bully you, a mere Dou Zong. We cannot fight like those roughnecks in Zhongzhou. How about we compete in playing with fire according to the rules of alchemists?" Before he finished speaking, a gust of wind carrying a faint dragon's roar and a temperature that distorted the space itself surged out from Ling Zhuo's body.
"Since you like it, then I'll play along," Xiao Yan smiled, a hint of amusement in his smile. He took a step forward and arrived on the sea of clouds opposite Ling Zhuo.
Seeing that Xiao Yan dared to agree, Ling Zhuo's arrogance grew even stronger. He slowly took a step forward, and the earth-yellow flames swirling around him, carrying immense soul pressure, surged forth, rapidly writhing above his head. Then, they condensed into a yellowish-brown divine dragon. Amidst the swirling flames, dragon horns grew sharp, and four jet-black claws emerged, their long claws gleaming with a dark, crystalline sheen, resembling peerless divine weapons capable of tearing apart anything.
Seeing that the four-clawed dragon of strange fire had condensed in such a short time, Tang Zhen couldn't help but exclaim, "It's actually the Spirit Clan's Myriad Spirits Enlightenment Technique! It's said that among the eight ancient clans, the Spirit Clan is the most skilled in soul techniques. Naturally, any strong member of their clan, regardless of their attribute, can achieve perfect harmony with their soul and battle qi attributes once they cultivate the Spirit Clan's clan-protecting divine art, the Myriad Spirits Enlightenment Technique. It can even imbue the spiritual objects and rare treasures in their hands with spirituality. The two become one, and one plus one is definitely not as simple as equal to two. Moreover, I observed that the flame condensed by Ling Zhuo actually has a substantial crystalline layer. Could it be that this young Ling Zhuo is a Dou Zun expert?!" Tang Zhen, who was watching the battle from the side, was clearly somewhat shocked by the dragon of strange fire that Ling Zhuo had just condensed.
"I've only seen this technique three times in my life. All things possess a spirit; if it can be utilized, its power will be immense. But if another entity develops sentience, that would be no laughing matter! Moreover, it's said that the Spirit Clan's clan-protecting divine technique has five levels. I wonder which level this Spirit Clan member has cultivated to?" At this moment, the hunchbacked old man presiding over the auction also appeared above the auction hall, standing beside Tang Zhen, seemingly floating in the void.
Xiao Yan remained expressionless. He thrust out one palm, and a similarly blazing crimson flame erupted from it. As the dazzling flames leaped up, they formed an exquisite red lotus shape that stretched across the clouds for miles. The red lotus slowly unfurled in the sky, and a destructive power quietly emanated from it.
Tang Zhen, who was watching from afar, sensed the oppressive force emanating from the strange fire almost instantly. The Nine Dragons Thunderfire within his body trembled slightly, as if it had encountered something extremely terrifying. A trace of surprise flashed through Tang Zhen's mind again: the Nine Dragons Thunderfire, ranked eleventh on the Strange Fire Ranking, could cause it to react with fear even while inside his body. Although the Red Lotus Karmic Fire was ranked in the top ten, it seemed a bit too strong? The ability to subdue and even condense a strange fire of this level was far beyond what ordinary soul power could support. Could it be that Xiao Yan wasn't bluffing?
Ling Zhuo's originally arrogant face twisted slightly the moment the fire lotus unfolded. The previously imposing and powerful Wind Fury Dragon Flame, which had been soaring through the clouds and displaying its majestic aura, began to fluctuate violently, becoming almost ethereal. Even the howling wind it had been accompanied by weakened considerably. As the fluctuations of the strange fire intensified, Ling Zhuo could no longer restrain himself. He raised his hand and pointed, channeling a vast amount of soul power into the Strange Fire Dragon. The Strange Fire Dragon roared to the sky, seemingly alive, and with the support of the soul power, it withstood the suppression of the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, ranked eighth on the Strange Fire Ranking!
"Boy, just having strong strange fire isn't enough. I'll teach you how to properly use flames today!" Ling Zhuo roared to the sky, the roar of the strange fire dragon in front of him shaking the heavens. His body transformed into a dragon-shaped aura, and with a bang, he unleashed a claw that enveloped and locked onto Xiao Yan. Within the five claws of earthen-yellow flame, there seemed to be a peculiar power and terrifying high temperature. Under this power, the entire void seemed to melt.
The instant Xiao Yan's soul sensed the threat: a scorching, almost painful heat, carrying a power that made the hairs on Xiao Yan's body stand on end, shot through the void like lightning, directly penetrating the Crimson Lotus Karmic Flames in front of him and onto his body, as if trying to tear out his internal organs. "This is a soul impact that only a powerful being who has reached the Spirit Realm can possess!" Xiao Yan's scalp tingled, and an aura of death enveloped his entire body.
"What if Huo Xuan protects you? What if the Red Lotus Karmic Fire? Xiao Yan, you are far from qualified among the geniuses of this continent!" Ling Zhuo's lips curled into a smile. Just then, Xiao Yan suddenly made a move. A dark red aura surged out from the young man's body, forcefully pushing back the previous soul impact. The next moment, a similar aura appeared around the Red Lotus, and the two connected to resist the impact of the earth-yellow strange fire dragon claw attack that was about to arrive.
Just as Tang Zhen was about to calmly observe the battle, he exclaimed, "Impossible! I observed that this young friend Xiao Yan didn't make any movement. Could it be the backlash from the collision of the different flames? The way and speed of this Spirit Clan member's soul attack are extremely strange. He can actually exist in the different flame as a soul bubble and release it secretly, then quickly obliterate the opponent's mind? The speed of that attack and the intensity of the soul attack would probably cause me to suffer a great loss even if I were completely unprepared!"
"Hmph, this isn't a clash with Young Master Xiao Yan's strange fire!" Qing Lin's figure appeared beside Tang Zhen and the hunchbacked old man who were watching the battle at some point.
"Could there be a second technique in this world that can imbue all things with spirituality and cause the strange fire to automatically retaliate?" A familiar, aged voice sounded beside me; it was the hunchbacked old man asking the question.
"Why must we imbue them with spirituality? Can't the inherent spirituality of all things be refined and used for our own benefit?" Qinglin retorted.
"What? How is this possible? This is a strange fire! Strange fire is born between heaven and earth, and its power can be described as destructive. What kind of person would dare to retain the spirituality of a strange fire and devour and refine it? Aren't they afraid of being burned to ashes by a spiritual strange fire if they are not careful?" The hunchbacked old man stubbornly retorted in shock.
Upon hearing this, Tang Zhen's expression showed even more surprise, and he said with a hint of doubt, "According to the records in my Burning Flame Valley, the Spirit Clan's divine art, the Myriad Spirits Enlightenment Technique, requires one's own spirit to enlighten the spiritual objects of heaven and earth, helping them gather spiritual energy to achieve a state of complete control. However, even a Dou Sheng old monster who has cultivated the Myriad Spirits Enlightenment Technique to the fourth level cannot take a spiritual object of heaven and earth for his own use without refining it, can he?"
"All things have a spirit. If one cannot cultivate with both human and human, but insists on using the substitution method and calling it the Enlightenment Method, then one is abandoning the right path and taking the wrong one!" Qinglin said in a delicate yet firm voice.
"You shallow little brat, how much do you really understand about the endless mysteries of soul power and strange fire? Ignorance is bliss, how pathetic..." The old man surnamed Yan also came to this area to watch the battle, and he retorted indifferently, his eyes still showing undisguised arrogance.