BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

Wandering Flame Soaring Step—an intermediate Earth Rank movement Dou Technique. It could only be cultivated by those with fire attribute Dou Qi. Once activated, the user's movements became light as mist and swift as lightning. When fully mastered, one could even move freely within magma. At its peak, the speed was said to rival that of high-level Earth Rank techniques!

Relying on Wandering Flame Soaring Step, Xiao Yan's speed had already surpassed that of an ordinary Dou Huang. After all, this technique was nearly equivalent to a high-level Earth Rank skill, making its speed naturally formidable. Though he hadn't reached mastery yet, it was more than sufficient to handle the magical beast before him.

However, this technique consumed a significant amount of Dou Qi. Had Flame Mantra still been at Profound Rank, it could only have supported a few minutes of use. Fortunately, after advancing to Earth Rank, the Dou Qi capacity had expanded more than tenfold. Coupled with the recovery pills he'd refined in advance, Xiao Yan had no concerns about exhausting his energy.

Dodging the Four-Winged Sky Demon Scorpion's assault, Xiao Yan immediately counterattacked. The purple-black flame surged over the Heavy Xuan Ruler in his hand. The beast noticed his preparation and attempted to interrupt it with a swing of its giant pincers. But thanks to Xiao Yan's movement speed, it couldn't even graze him.

Taking advantage of a brief moment when the beast had turned, Xiao Yan struck with his ruler at the creature's heavily armored back.

"Flame Splitting Wave Ruler!"

Xiao Yan didn't use Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus. Firstly, it consumed an enormous amount of energy. If further dangers lay ahead, he couldn't risk being drained. Secondly, the tomb's confined space made it a poor location to use such an explosive technique—it might bring the whole place down. Besides, he still hadn't retrieved the Scorpion Poison Dragon Beast's magic core. Blasting everything to bits before finding it would be a waste.

The purple-black flame-coated ruler smashed into the beast's shell with tremendous force, producing a deafening boom. Fragments of shell and splashes of blood flew into the air. Roaring in pain, the scorpion lashed out with its tail, aiming its massive venomous stinger directly at Xiao Yan's heart.

Clang!

The stinger didn't pierce Xiao Yan as expected. Just before impact, a suit of armor formed from condensed purple-black flame appeared on his body. This wasn't ordinary Dou Qi armor but an armor crafted by compressing Heavenly Flame into an extreme form—Heavenly Flame Armor.

Still, the tail's power was terrifying. Even with his armor, the impact sent Xiao Yan flying hundreds of meters back. As he was hurled through the air, flames burst from his eyes. In the next instant, two streams of purple-black flame shot out from his pupils, streaking directly toward the Four-Winged Sky Demon Scorpion.

The surprise attack startled the beast. Having just had its defenses breached, it dared not tank another hit. It immediately formed an energy barrier in front of itself to block the oncoming attack.

But to its horror, the shield was utterly useless. The instant the two flaming beams struck the barrier, it disintegrated like paper. Without pausing, the flames tore straight into the scorpion's body.

Its massive form immediately convulsed. For a moment, it felt as if countless steel needles had stabbed into its mind. Overwhelmed by agony, it began to thrash wildly within the tomb.

Xiao Yan didn't press the attack. There was no need. Watching the beast fall into a frenzy, he popped a pill into his mouth. That chain of attacks had drained him more than a little—but the results were undeniable.

The final strike had been a soul-based attack, one of Xiao Yan's original Dou Techniques from his previous life. It targeted the soul directly, similar to Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus, which focused on physical destruction. This soul attack required the power of flame to function and was known as—

Annihilation Flame Pupil.

Back in his former life, when he was known as the Demon Wrath Saint, Xiao Yan stood at the peak, just a step away from the Dou Di realm. He had created many terrifying Dou Techniques, the most feared of which were known collectively as the Demon Wrath Nine Absolutes. Each of these techniques had at least Heaven Rank high-level power—and some even exceeded that classification entirely.

That didn't mean Xiao Yan only possessed nine Heaven Rank techniques. He had mastered over a hundred of them. But the Nine Absolutes were in a league of their own—each one a nightmare for his enemies.

In his era, few could endure the Nine Absolutes. Even other peak Dou Sheng experts were wary of them.

The Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus, which he had used before, was the most frequently employed among the nine—and also his signature technique. Annihilation Flame Pupil was another of the Nine Absolutes, developed by fusing soul power and Heavenly Flame. Once activated, it incinerated the opponent's soul from within.

Many who fell to this technique showed no outward wounds. Their bodies remained intact, but their souls had already turned to ash. It was an incredibly sinister skill.

In his past life, Xiao Yan had cooperated with Hun Daier a few rare times. On one such occasion, they used Annihilation Flame Pupil to injure the then Patriarch of the Hun Clan—despite his soul being at the Emperor level. That attack created the opportunity for their victory.

Of course, Xiao Yan in this life couldn't yet use the other techniques from the Nine Absolutes. His current strength didn't even allow him to use quasi-Heaven Rank techniques without draining all his Dou Qi in a single move. Let alone the fearsome abilities that were thousands of times more demanding.

He could manage Demonic Wrath Flame Lotus and Annihilation Flame Pupil only because those two had been developed when his strength was still modest in his past life—and their power scaled with the flame used. If they had been at the full strength of his peak past self, Xiao Yan wouldn't dare touch them in his current condition.

(End of Chapter)

---

Read 200+ Chapters on Patreon of This Fanfiction.

Support me if you like this Fanfiction.

Patreon,com/Fallen_Archangel_

(Remove comma for dot.)

Leave a 5 star Review and a Power Stone.