Chapter 1483: Victory
As one of the 10 geniuses acknowledged by the Darkdevil Sect, Yan Lie was naturally not weak. However, for Xiang Shaoyun, Yan Lie's strength was not on par with his reputation. Thus, Xiang Shaoyun was slightly disappointed.
Of course, Xiang Shaoyun also knew that Yan Lie could still do more. That was why he had tried provoking Yan Lie with his words, trying to see just how much stronger Yan Lie could become.
"Very well. You have successfully angered me," said Yan Lie, both his eyes lighting up with flame. The phantom of a luan beast appeared behind him, and his aura surged. The orange flame around him became even thicker than before as the destruction contained within the flame rose to a dreadful level.
"Is this the Flame God's Secret Art of the Yan Clan?" someone exclaimed in alarm.
"That's right. It is said that the Flame God's Secret Art is capable of increasing one's strength by 10 times. At present, Mister Yan Lie's strength seems to have increased by several times. He has fully fused with his flame, entering the human flame unity state," said someone else.
Everyone assumed a solemn expression.
The Flame God's Secret Art was a secret technique exclusive to the Yan Clan. It was an extremely difficult technique to cultivate, and only those with great perseverance could even attempt to cultivate it. Yan Lie lived up to his reputation as he had cultivated up to the middle stage of the technique, which allowed him to increase his strength by five times. In Yan Lie's current state, he could easily kill a regular Great Saint.
"Xiang Shaoyun, you will pay the price for your arrogance. Take my third attack!" roared Yan Lie, wrapped in raging flame. His entire person transformed into a divine beast.
Divine Bird Strike!
In the ring, the dreadful fiery bird spread its wings and sent numerous feathers shooting forward like blades. The sharp feathers cut space into pieces, creating numerous spatial currents that the raging flame burned into nothingness. This was an attack with the might of a middle-stage Great Saint.
This was the strength of an exceptional genius. As a seventh-stage Saint, Yan Lie unleashed the strength of a Great Saint. An increase of two stages might not seem impressive, but this was a feat only the best among the best could accomplish. After all, a Great Saint was about a hundred times stronger than a Saint.
Looking at the incoming attack, Xiang Shaoyun smiled and said, "Something noteworthy at last."
If Xiang Shaoyun hadn't broken through into third-stage Heaven Battling Realm, this attack would be enough to force him to use all his strength. But after his breakthrough, that was no longer the case. Two different energies gathered in his palm. One was white, while the other was black. As the yin and yang alternated, the Yin Yang Shield took form!
As Yan Lie's attack crashed against Xiang Shaoyun's Yin Yang Shield, the attack was unloaded in all directions, greatly shocking those around the ring. Fortunately, the ring was protected by an energy barrier that stopped the sputtering energy from spreading toward the audience.
When Yan Lie felt his attack strike something like a clump of cotton, a solemn expression finally appeared on his face. Without any hesitation, he took a step back and prepared to launch his next attack. However, Xiang Shaoyun was done giving him chances.
"You shouldn't have come after my woman," said Xiang Shaoyun as a finger sword shot forth like a meteor. Before Yan Lie could even see the attack, a bloody gash was opened on his neck, and several strands of red hair dropped. Yan Lie stood dumbstruck, not daring to make any additional movements.
Few of the people present could see Xiang Shaoyun's attack, but from the wound on Yan Lie's neck, everyone could see who the winner was. If Xiang Shaoyun had intended to kill, Yan Lie's head would have been severed.
"What terrifying speed," someone exclaimed in alarm.
"How can someone ranked first on the Saintly Forest Ranking be a weakling? Yan Lie needs more training," remarked someone.
Meanwhile, Yan Lie's body was completely drenched with sweat. He had felt how near death was and could still vividly remember that stifling sensation. Only now did he realize how big the gap between him and Xiang Shaoyun was.
"I lost," said Yan Lie as he lowered his head and left the ring.
After Yan Lie left, a different genius sneered and said, "I don't get why you dared to go up and embarrass yourself with only that much strength." He then looked at Xiang Shaoyun and said, "I, Sun Doukong, will defeat you."
As he said that, he leaped onto the ring. Sun Doukong was the direct disciple of a grand guardian from the Celestial Palace. His strength was not to be underestimated. He might not be the young palace master, but he was one of the candidates to be the next deputy palace master.
As the self-proclaimed number one palace under the heaven, the Celestial Palace was incredibly powerful. They might not be as powerful as the Immortal Road Chamber, Guangling Palace, and Celestial Alliance, but they were definitely comparable with the likes of the Darkdevil Sect. Perhaps they were even slightly more powerful than the Darkdevil Sect.
Even among the 10 geniuses gathered at the Darkdevil Sect, Sun Doukong could be ranked in the top five. After cultivating for 150 years, he was one of the absolute geniuses from the True Martial Academy's previous batch of disciples and possessed an impressive combat strength.
"It's him? Sun Doukong, previous eldest senior brother of the True Martial Academy? I heard that he was unrivaled among his peers. Xiang Shaoyun is too young to be his match."
"I heard that Sun Doukong was already capable of becoming a peak Saint when he was 100 years old. But at the time, a Great Saint had hunted him and nearly killed him. He would have long become a Great Saint if it wasn't for that incident."
"The Darkdevil Sect isn't even that friendly with the Darkdevil Sect, yet Sun Doukong is aiming to marry the young lady. I must say that he has good tastes."
"Sun Doukong is probably strong enough to kill Great Saints. Can Xiang Shaoyun be his match?"
...
Sun Doukong had the appearance of someone about 30 years old. His hair was cut short, and he was clad in a simple martial outfit. With the iron stick hanging on his back and a powerful gaze, he was brimming with confidence. Looking at Xiang Shaoyun, he said, "Devil Concubine possesses the Yin Yang Physique and will definitely grow into the strongest woman in the future. She is the only woman worthy of being with me. You're not qualified to have her."
"That's not up to you," said Xiang Shaoyun nonchalantly.
"With both of us in the ring, it's definitely up to me," said Sun Doukong as dark energy started converging around his body. After forming a complicated seal with his hands, he sent the seal flying toward Xiang Shaoyun.
Dark Skysealing Crest!
Sun Doukong attacked right after he was done talking, not giving Xiang Shaoyun any chance to prepare himself. The crest formed of dark energy shot forward, carrying a terrifying might.