Chapter 79: Lin An Versus Xiao Yan
The sudden scene left countless disciples of the Cloud Mist Sect awestruck with envy. Nalan Yanran was the goddess in the hearts of every disciple, and now, their goddess belonged solely to Lin An.
“With your kiss, I feel my chances of victory today are even greater!” Lin An said with a grin.
Nalan Yanran, however, was not as composed as Lin An. Truth be told, she was still somewhat anxious.
Amid the attention of the crowd, Lin An strode directly to the center of the plaza, stopping near Xiao Yan.
“It finally begins. Do you know what my state of mind was when I first entered Cloud Mist Sect?” Xiao Yan gazed at Lin An, recalling the past three years—all of them leading to this moment, to Lin An.
Three years ago, he was the high and mighty personal disciple of the sect master of Cloud Mist Sect. Now, Xiao Yan stood as a key figure who could determine the outcome of war between two nations.
“Why bother with so much nonsense? You and I are enemies from the start—your words won’t sway me!” Lin An retorted. “Besides, I’m very interested in the secrets you’re hiding.”
“In that regard, it seems our goals are the same,” Xiao Yan replied.
His current system task was to kill Lin An of the Cloud Mist Sect, and the rewards promised by the task, if exposed, would shock the entire continent of Battle Qi.
Of course, all depended on whether he could defeat Lin An.
Whatever the reason, Lin An had to die by his hand.
“In that case, let’s begin!” Lin An’s eyes flashed, and he struck instantly.
“Ultimate Wind, Radiance of the Setting Sun!”
As Lin An’s shout echoed across the sky, a terrifying surge of energy erupted. A fierce sword aura swept toward Xiao Yan, blanketing the heavens.
The sturdy floor cracked under the pressure of the sword aura, fissures spreading all the way to the edge of the plaza.
“Is Senior Lin An really using such a powerful battle technique right from the start?”
“But that’s Xiao Yan—he hasn’t yet shown his true strength. I suspect Senior Lin An wants to test how strong Xiao Yan really is!”
---
“Yes, this duel has only just begun. I fear its intensity will far surpass everyone’s expectations.”
...
Seeing Lin An use a ground-level battle technique of Cloud Mist Sect from the outset stunned everyone. After all, such techniques consumed immense energy; even with Lin An’s higher cultivation, this move would drain him greatly.
“Trying to gauge my strength? I’ll let you witness it for yourself!”
“Ground-level battle technique—Azure Flame Divine Seal!”
No sooner had Xiao Yan spoken than flickers of crimson flame appeared around him, quickly gathering before him and forming a crimson divine seal.
The seal radiated a terrifying energy. The temperature of the surrounding space soared abruptly, and a dragon shadow danced atop the seal, mysterious patterns emerging and warping the space, as if the area could not withstand the power of the Azure Flame Divine Seal.
The spectators, especially the countless disciples of Cloud Mist Sect, watched the duel in stunned silence.
The battle had barely begun and both had already used ground-level techniques—this was not a match befitting their cultivation level.
Such techniques were usually trump cards, but now they were wielded as if energy were limitless, revealed at the start.
Even a Dou Emperor would hesitate to fight this way unless ready for a decisive blow.
Boom~
In a flash, Lin An’s and Xiao Yan’s attacks collided, the explosive energy rippling outward. Though thousands of Cloud Mist Sect disciples maintained the defensive formation, cracks began to appear.
A few elders of Cloud Mist Sect sighed helplessly at the scene: if the fight continued at this intensity, the young disciples would not be able to withstand it.
Yun Shan quickly moved among the disciples, using his own power to reinforce the formation—this would suffice for now.
Crack, crack, crack...
The solid ground was shattered by the overwhelming energy, reduced to dust.
Lin An and Xiao Yan both retreated several steps before regaining their footing.
They stared at each other in shock—the first move, evenly matched!
Lin An laughed, summoning both the Bone Spirit Cold Flame and the Green Lotus Core Flame. Xiao Yan, not to be outdone, summoned three types of exotic flames, rarely seen on the continent.
---
“You possess the Green Lotus Core Flame and the Bone Spirit Cold Flame—I know both well. But I’m curious, what is that third black exotic flame I saw last time?” Xiao Yan asked in surprise; he had seen Lin An display three-colored flames before, yet Lin An seemed intent on keeping his hand hidden even now.
“Don’t worry, you’ll see it soon!”
With those words, the Green Lotus Core Flame and Bone Spirit Cold Flame condensed in Lin An’s hands into a two-colored fire lotus. Then, wisps of black energy emerged, swiftly merging into the lotus.
The sudden appearance of the yin energy was domineering and fierce, instantly transforming the lotus into a black flower, an extinction lotus, carrying an aura of annihilation.
Even Yun Shan sensed a dangerous energy emanating from it.
Xiao Yan frowned, feeling the same threat—he suspected this must be Lin An’s trump card.
“Do you think you can kill me with that? You’re underestimating me!”
“You have exotic flames—I do too!”
Xiao Yan’s three exotic flames formed three terrifying creatures before him. The energy they released was astounding. Before everyone’s eyes, the flames soared into the sky, merging into a blazing sun rising overhead.
The intense fire spread like a tidal wave, engulfing Lin An in moments.
Lin An felt as if he were facing the sun itself.
“Go!”
With that command, the extinction black lotus drifted from Lin An’s hand.
Its movement seemed slow, but in the blink of an eye, it reached the blazing sun forged from Xiao Yan’s three exotic flames.
It was as if a giant stone had been tossed into a tranquil lake.
Boom~
With a world-shaking roar, the overwhelming energy caused countless cracks to appear in the formation maintained by Yun Shan. If not for the quick reactions of others—Yun Yun, Medicine Dust... most of the top experts present joined their efforts to support the formation.
Had the aftermath of their battle been allowed to spread unchecked, the disciples maintaining the formation would have been reduced to dust in an instant.