With a light tap of her foot, Ya Fei's jade-like hands clenched tightly, and the two fireballs in her palms instantly elongated into a pair of blazing crimson swords, resembling radiant red jade.
With a flick of her wrist, she swung her swords toward the incoming iron chain.
Under the scorching brilliance of the crimson sword aura, the iron chain let out an ear-piercing screech.
Clang!
Sparks scattered as the chain was instantly severed by her strike, melting as if exposed to extreme heat.
The broken chain dissipated into a wisp of black mist and vanished into the air.
"I truly underestimated you!" The Soul Envoy of the Hall of Souls let out a surprised murmur. The iron chain trembled violently, then instantly reformed, slithering like a sinister black serpent, radiating eerie malevolence.
The "Sacred Demonic Soul Burning Technique" was no ordinary cultivation method—it judged one's potential based on appearance and charm.
With Ya Fei's beauty, she was an exceptionally rare genius for cultivating this technique.
Moreover, with Xiao Yan as her esteemed mentor, even though she had only been training for half a year, her progress was equivalent to several years' worth of cultivation for a genius practicing a Earth-Tier Dou Qi Technique.
Thus, despite still being in the Dou Qi stage, her soul power alone rivaled that of an ordinary Da Dou Shi expert.
Yet, to think that this little girl was still holding out against him—this enraged the Soul Envoy.
In response, a massive surge of black mist gathered from all directions at his command, swiftly coalescing into several enormous serpent phantoms, each lifelike and exuding an aura of malice.
These spectral serpents shot straight toward Ya Fei with terrifying speed.
Under the overwhelming pressure, Ya Fei found herself struggling—the sheer number of serpents, combined with their swiftness, made it impossible for her twin swords to fend them all off.
In just a few breaths, the massive, gaping maws of the shadow serpents loomed over her, howling with darkness and death, ready to consume her entirely.
At that critical moment—just as the countless monstrous serpents were about to engulf Ya Fei—a massive, blazing crimson arm suddenly shot forth from the distance, moving even faster than the spectral serpents.
The colossal hand reached Ya Fei first, grasping her delicate frame before the serpents could reach her.
One of the shadow serpents clamped down on the flaming hand, but instead of dealing damage, a sizzling hiss erupted—the serpent writhed in agony as if it had plunged into molten lava.
The Soul Envoy of the Hall of Souls froze in shock, immediately commanding the serpents to retreat.
Yet, just from that single bite, the once-ferocious serpent had been reduced to a toothless old tiger, utterly stripped of its former menace.
What had seemed like an easy prey had suddenly turned into a burning-hot stone in his mouth.
The Soul Envoy scanned the surroundings in disbelief, then roared in fury, "Who's there?!"
Ignoring his outburst, Xiao Yan controlled the Flame Deity, gently placing Ya Fei beside him.
"Are you alright?" he asked, retrieving a few exquisitely crafted jade bottles.
These bottles contained healing medicine he had meticulously refined. Though they weren't as potent as a Tier 7 Resurrection Pill, when combined, their effects were nearly as powerful.
As long as one's head hadn't been severed or their heart completely shattered, these pills could bring them back from the brink of death.
Ya Fei, her face pale, took a deep breath before shaking her head slightly. "I've just exhausted too much energy."
Xiao Yan selected a jade bottle, poured out a pill the size of a dragon's eye, and smiled. "Then take this purple pill—it works wonders for restoring soul power."
Seeing Xiao Yan inside the blazing Flame Deity, completely disregarding his presence, the Soul Envoy felt utterly humiliated.
His fury erupted as he roared
"Who the hell are you, brat? How dare you ruin my plans?"
After swallowing the pill, Ya Fei immediately felt a surge of warmth rush into her mind. The exhaustion that had been weighing her down eased significantly, and her complexion quickly regained its rosy glow, making her look even more enchanting.
Leaning against Xiao Yan's chest, Ya Fei smiled charmingly and said, "Weren't you looking for the alchemist? Well, here he is."
"What?!" The Soul Envoy of the Hall of Souls was momentarily stunned. A Fourth-Tier Alchemist this young was a rare sight, even in Central Plains!
How could such a genius appear in this backwater land of the Jia Ma Empire?!
Not only that, but his combat techniques were exceptionally refined and clearly not ordinary.
Could he be from that family?
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. Why would someone from the Hall of Souls appear in Wu Tan City? And why were they after Ya Fei?
Could it be that the recent commotion from selling medicine had drawn their attention?
As the Soul Envoy gazed at the massive, blood-red skeletal figure surrounding Xiao Yan—its thick bones radiating an unusual aura—an ominous feeling crept into his heart. The black mist that formed his body subtly drifted backward.
He had discovered that Wu Tan City was far from ordinary. Just reporting this back to the Protector of the Hall of Souls would already be a major accomplishment.
"Your techniques bear some resemblance to those of the Hall of Souls. You seem talented. Why not kneel and kowtow to me nine times? Join my Hall of Souls, and you'll come to understand just how vast this world truly is."
"A mere specter dares to run his mouth? Begone!"
With a deep growl, Xiao Yan's forehead flame mark began to pulsate rhythmically as if it had come to life.
A surge of energy erupted, triggering a complete transformation in the Flame Deity's body.
Countless fiery tendrils, resembling muscle fibers, rapidly emerged, enveloping and reinforcing the skeletal frame of the Flame Deity.
In an instant, the skeletal construct was no more—replaced by a fully-formed, towering Flame Giant.
Its presence was overwhelming, like a small mountain radiating raw, violent power.
Having reached its intermediate stage, the Flame Deity raised its enormous hand and swung it toward the Soul Envoy's black mist form, tearing through the still air with devastating force.
The Soul Envoy roared in fury, not daring to underestimate the attack. He immediately commanded the chains of black serpents behind him to lash out, their gaping maws snapping toward the incoming hand like venomous beasts.
But as Ya Fei's teacher, Xiao Yan's strength was leagues above hers.
Though the Flame Deity appeared crimson, its unique nature stemmed from its fusion of two rare Heavenly Flames—the Xuan Huang Flame and Yin-Yang Twin Flames.
The Soul Envoy had foolishly chosen to clash head-on with Xiao Yan's attack—an act of pure self-destruction.
Sizzle!
In an instant, several black chain serpents were burned away mid-strike, their bodies vanishing into nothingness.
While the Soul Envoy was powerful enough to dominate the weak Jia Ma Empire, the abilities wielded by Xiao Yan and Ya Fei countered him perfectly—much like the Hall of Souls' own methods against spirit bodies.
"This... this is impossible!" The Soul Envoy's voice trembled in disbelief.
The colossal hand effortlessly tore through the black chain serpents as if they were mere paper.
Within moments, the black mist surrounding the Soul Envoy had thinned drastically—so much so that even Ya Fei could now kill him with ease.
With a single move, Xiao Yan had crippled the Soul Envoy.
The Flame Deity's massive hand then clutched the Soul Envoy as if he were a mere chick in its grasp.
The fiery grip tightened around the Soul Envoy's very soul, causing thick white smoke to rise as a terrifying sizzling sound filled the air.
A bone-chilling shriek of agony erupted from the Soul Envoy's form, reverberating through the surroundings.
"Damn it! What kind of technique is this?! How can it directly harm a spirit from the Hall ofSouls?!"
(End of Chapter)
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