Chapter 243: Chapter 243: Fan Lao
Support me at patreon for 80+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk
**
Wei Yang and Xian'er were cloaked in wide black robes, standing at the edge of the battlefield within the forest. Their gazes were locked onto the sky not far away, where Han Feng was currently suppressing Hu Gan in combat.
"Brother Yang, should we act now?" Xian'er asked softly.
"No, let's wait a bit longer," Wei Yang said after some thought, slowly shaking his head.
Now was not the best time to make a move—the scene wasn't chaotic enough yet.
Han Feng was a Peak Dou Huang and possessed a Heavenly Flame. His combat strength wasn't weak. If he were to truly go all out, even an ordinary Dou Zong wouldn't be able to defeat him easily.
Wei Yang didn't have full confidence in being able to take Han Feng down in a short time. If the other experts from the Black-Corner Region came to his aid, they might end up with nothing but trouble instead of any gain.
In that case, Wei Yang himself would become the primary target of the Black-Corner Region's collective assault.
Although it seemed like Jia Nan Academy was at a disadvantage, the experts from the Black-Corner Region were actually very coordinated—none of them were delivering killing blows.
First, if they truly pushed Jia Nan Academy too far and forced them to fight with everything they had, the Black-Corner Region would suffer tremendous losses too.
Even Han Feng, who appeared to be dominating Hu Gan, wasn't actually using his full strength.
He had his own concerns.
None of the experts from the Black-Corner Region were fools. They all clearly understood that Jia Nan Academy had a deep foundation. If they pushed too hard and provoked the academy into unleashing its full fury, no one would escape unscathed.
They had only come this time to help Han Feng seize the Heavenly Flame. They would do what they could, but there was no need to fight to the death.
Even more so, none of them wanted to form a true life-and-death vendetta with Jia Nan Academy.
Though the act of stealing a Heavenly Flame would inevitably sour relations, it was still a far cry from outright war.
Those hidden experts of Jia Nan Academy would not show themselves unless the academy was on the brink of destruction. They might tolerate the loss of a Heavenly Flame—but they would never tolerate the death or crippling of most of their Elders.
There was another reason, too.
Wei Yang was well aware that the Fallen Heart Flame was still secretly gathering strength in the shadows, biding its time to make a comeback.
And when that happened—it might be the perfect moment to strike.
For Wei Yang, he would rather sit back and watch the entire spectacle within the Inner Academy today than make a reckless move and alert their prey.
If today wasn't the right time, then they'd simply wait for another opportunity.
If they spooked Han Feng and he took precautions—or worse, ran off to seek protection from the Hall of Souls—then killing him later would become incredibly difficult.
Han Feng already had dealings with the Hall of Souls. That much was certain.
Within the Black-Corner Region, the Hall of Souls had Protectors moving in the shadows—more than one, in fact.
Even the strongest faction in the region, the Demon Flame Valley, had a cooperative relationship with the Hall of Souls.
...
Wei Yang's spiritual perception quietly spread out, just as he was about to search for Xiao Yan's whereabouts.
Suddenly—
In the distance, a figure wrapped in blue flame Dou Qi unfurled a pair of black wings streaked with purple and swiftly took off from a mountaintop, flashing through the air.
Boom!A sharp burst of force swept across the mountaintop, blasting open a deep crater.
"That's the Purple Cloud Wings," Xian'er said softly.
Wei Yang watched the scene unfold and shook his head in speechless frustration.
That Xiao Yan—he really was bold.
Earlier, he had been too close to the battlefield and was nearly struck by the aftershock of a fierce exchange. In the nick of time, he'd had no choice but to deploy the Purple Cloud Wings to dodge the attack.
But this act had exposed his presence and drawn attention.
Just as Xiao Yan narrowly avoided the aftershock and prepared to retreat—
High in the sky, Fan Lao, the sect master of the Blood Sect, who had been locked in intense battle with three Dou Wang experts, casually swept his gaze across the landscape… and then froze.
His sinister eyes locked directly onto Xiao Yan.
Ever since his only son had been mysteriously killed in the Black-Corner Region, and all attempts to find the culprit had failed, Fan Lao's already gloomy temperament had become volatile and murderous—he was now prone to killing and blood rituals at the slightest provocation.
And truth be told, the death of Fan Lao's son was indeed connected to Xiao Yan—and also to Ah Da.
That particular incident had been carried out by Xiao Yan and Ah Da working together.
So now, the moment Fan Lao saw Xiao Yan, his gaze instantly zeroed in.
That figure cloaked in blue flame Dou Qi—so familiar, so recognizable—caused a flood of bloodthirsty red to surge into Fan Lao's eyes.
Using a secret technique to sense the aura, he instantly confirmed: this figure was one of the very same people he had seen in the mirrored image extracted from his son's blood before he died.
The murderer he'd searched for in vain, one of them—unexpectedly appeared at this very scene, completely by coincidence.
ROAR!Bloodlust surged. A furious and killing-intent-filled roar erupted from his mouth.
A surge of ferocious crimson Dou Qi suddenly burst out, catching the three Dou Wang Elders from the academy off guard and forcing them to retreat in a flurry.
As the three Dou Wang Elders backed away, the blood-colored wings behind Fan Lao flapped sharply, and his figure shot out like a blood-red streak, blasting straight toward Xiao Yan. A piercing roar echoed across the sky.
"You little bastard, you really made me search long enough!"
…
"Is that Xiao Yan, Brother Yang?" Xian'er asked softly.
"Ignore him," Wei Yang replied casually. "Let him play around. If he can draw a bit more of Han Feng's attention, all the better."
"Play? Uh… he's only a Four-Star Dou Ling. The enemy's a mid-level Dou Huang."
"Isn't Yao Lao watching over him?"
Xian'er nodded and said no more.
Wei Yang then secretly transmitted a message: "Senior, I won't make a move."
Yao Lao quickly responded: "Don't bother with such trivial matters. Just keep your eyes fixed on that traitor Han Feng."
"Got it." Wei Yang pulled Xian'er back a little, blending into the depths of the forest. Beneath a large tree, his figure vanished into the shadows as his soul power enveloped the area. Quietly, he settled in to watch the show.
On the other side.
Whoosh!
A sharp gust of wind tore through the air. Xiao Yan's heart tightened as he forcibly twisted his body, narrowly dodging the incoming blood-red energy.
His wings beat rapidly as his figure shot backward. Shock filled his heart. "How did this old bastard figure out I was the one who did it?"
But what came from his mouth was a curse: "Old dog, you're really going all out, huh?"
"You little bastard! Today, even if you want to die, it won't come that easy! Where's the other one?" Fan Lao's face was full of venom and rage, his eyes locked onto Xiao Yan.
With a flap of his bloody wings, his figure turned into a streak of crimson, charging at Xiao Yan with terrifying speed. On his palm, a chilling blood-colored Dou Qi rapidly condensed.
"The other one?" Xiao Yan was briefly stunned, then suddenly understood.
It seemed the other party had used some special means to uncover information about the killer of his son.
A strange look appeared on his face, and he mocked: "That person... are you sure you want to go looking for him?"
That man, when alive, was a Dou Zun. Even if now he only remained as a soul form, his strength was still at the peak of the Dou Huang level. There's no way a mere mid-level Dou Huang like Fan Lao could handle him.
"Enough nonsense! After I rip you to pieces and extract your soul, I'll take my time torturing the whereabouts of the other one out of you!" Fan Lao roared.
Although Xiao Yan had the help of a Flying Dou Technique, when it came to raw speed, he was no match for Fan Lao.
So in just a few blinks, Fan Lao flashed up behind him, appearing above his head. The blood-colored energy in his hand smashed downward with brutal force.
At that moment, even the surrounding space violently trembled.
Clearly, Fan Lao wasn't holding back at all. He was aiming to kill—no mercy.
"Die, die, die!" Fan Lao roared with a vicious grin.
He could sense Xiao Yan's strength—just a measly Dou Ling. Killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand.
Shhh!
The blood light swept down like a tidal wave.
Zzzzt!
Suddenly, the faint sound of thunder rang out.
Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly, and in that instant, his figure became faint and illusory.
Boom!
The blood light exploded downward and struck his body squarely.
However, the expected scene of him vomiting blood and being gravely wounded did not occur. Instead, the blood light passed right through Xiao Yan's body without the slightest resistance.
Then, that body slowly faded away.
It turned out… this figure was merely a residual shadow.
Dozens of meters away, Xiao Yan's true form abruptly appeared, panting as he materialized. Looking at the shocked Fan Lao, he sneered coldly: "Trying to kill me? It's not that easy, old dog."
Fan Lao's gaze darkened as he stared at Xiao Yan, his voice cold and sinister: "Three Thousand Lightning Movement? So it really was you who killed my son!"
In the distant forest, Wei Yang, who had been secretly observing everything, also raised his eyebrows in surprise and murmured: "Three Thousand Lightning Movement!"
That movement technique... looked impressive.
Its speed was lightning-fast and could even leave behind residual shadows in mid-air to confuse the enemy.
Even though it was only Low-Level Earth Grade, it was clearly a cut above the Flowing Fire Step Wei Yang cultivated.
Moreover, the Three Thousand Lightning Movement had follow-up advanced versions.
---------------------------------------------------------
Support me at patreon for 80+ advanced chapters :
patreon.com/YaoIk