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"In just three short days, he managed to cross the vast distance from Central Continent to this place. This is the power of a Saint-level expert. The ancient eight clans prohibit Dou Saint-level warriors from entering the mortal world easily—could this man be a Half-Saint?"
Qian Renhan felt a deep sense of dread rising within him. He had miscalculated. He thought the ancient clan was unaware of his true strength and would only send a higher-tier Dou Zun. Never did he expect them to send a Half-Saint-level powerhouse. And for such a being to reach Canaan Academy in just three days—it was terrifying.
The wings of the Fallen Angel unfurled, and the Shura Sword appeared in his hand. A bloodthirsty glint flickered in Qian Renhan's eyes, turning them an eerie crimson. He took a deep breath as his hand seals rapidly changed. With each transformation, his body began to shrink. Jets of blood sprayed from his pores, covering his figure in a crimson sheen, making him look like a being of blood—terrifying to behold.
Earth-Tier Mid-Level Dou Technique: Blood Condensation Ritual—a technique that enhances one's strength for a short time by evaporating blood from the body.
The Half-Saint watched with a raised brow, an amused glint in his eyes. He didn't bother to stop Qian Renhan from unleashing the technique. In his view, Qian Renhan was no more than an ant. Even if an ant grew twice its size, it was still an ant—one that he could crush effortlessly.
In the distance, Zi Yan—en route to Canaan Academy—sensed the overwhelming surge of Dou Qi. She turned her head, and her pupils instantly shrank.
A deafening boom erupted up ahead as an entire mountain range collapsed. A blood-red meteor streaked through the air, tearing through rows of towering trees. The figure slammed into a massive boulder over a hundred meters wide, shattering it to pieces. The bloodstained figure crashed into the debris, buried among the broken stones.
From within the shattered rubble, a blood-drenched figure coughed up mouthfuls of blood. His chest was caved in, bearing a clear palm-shaped imprint.
Zi Yan's nose twitched as she instantly recognized Qian Renhan. Her eyes turned red as she cried out, "Senior!"
"We're not that close. Get lost."
Qian Renhan replied coldly. He stabbed the Shura Sword into the ground and used it to push himself upright with difficulty. The same principle applied—if you're the boss, then act like the boss. After all, he was once the Pope of the Spirit Hall. A king must bear the consequences of a king's actions.
This Half-Saint from the ancient clan was simply too powerful. He cultivated an ancient clan's Heaven-Tier technique and possessed strength far surpassing Qian Renhan.
The Half-Saint realm is divided into early, mid, late, and peak stages. The one pursuing Qian Renhan was clearly among the stronger Half-Saints. It was obvious that the ancient clan had resolved to eliminate him this time.
Before absolute strength, Qian Renhan's Seven-Ring Dou Zun techniques were useless. Yet, even in the face of death, he still smiled. So what if he died? If he had to perish, he would take the ancient clan's young lady down with him—let the Soul Clan destroy their future.
The Half-Saint appeared, casting a glance at Zi Yan. Surprise flashed across his ancient face, which then blossomed into a smile as radiant as a chrysanthemum. "A young Taixu Ancient Dragon? And with such pure bloodline too. Perfect—I'll take you back to be our clan's mount."
*Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan—*one of the three great magical beast clans on the Dou Qi continent.
In their prime, even the ancient clans dared not provoke them. But now, the Taixu Ancient Dragons were so weakened that even the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan—once their food—didn't dare to hunt them lightly. And the Sky Demon Phoenix Clan's Supreme Elder was only a Five-Star Dou Saint. That alone revealed just how far the Taixu Ancient Dragons had fallen. The ancient clan now had no reason to fear turning them into mounts.
"You can die now," the old man said flatly, casting a cold glance at Qian Renhan. With a flick of his finger, the Dou Qi of heaven and earth surged into it. This was the same technique used earlier by an ancient clan Dou Zun—The Great Annihilation Finger.
"Not that easy. Explode!"
Qian Renhan pulled out a soul fragment of a Nine-Star Dou Zun. It was his last safeguard, meant for a second wave of pursuers who might be too strong. This soul fragment belonged to one of the ten ancient clan Dou Zuns.
Of the ten fragments, three had already been detonated, one was devoured, and five had been used to enhance his cultivation. This was the last one.
BOOM—
The soul of the Nine-Star Dou Zun exploded, unleashing a colossal wave of soul power. Black mist engulfed the surrounding ten-thousand-meter radius. The protective array at Canaan Academy, only recently repaired, was shattered once more. Even Elder Qianbai and the other senior elders of the academy couldn't withstand the shockwave—they spat blood and were hurled backward.
Within the dark mist—
"Zi Yan, take this Dou Qi. If I don't survive this pursuit, open the spatial pouch and escape." Qian Renhan placed Zi Yan into the pouch. With a sweep of his twelve wings, he soared toward Canaan Academy.
The Half-Saint elder, seeing the soul of his clansman explode before his very eyes, finally let his ancient, emotionless face twist in fury.
"Damn beast! Not only will I flay your flesh and rip out your tendons, grind your bones to dust, but I'll also drag your soul into the Soul Incubation Pool. There, under its immense power, I'll crush it piece by piece until it becomes nothing more than nourishment for my Gu Clan!"
Amid the black mist, Qian Renhan burst out like a blood-colored meteor, shooting into the distance at incredible speed.
"Heh, trying to run? Great Annihilation Finger!"
The Half-Saint elder, who had long prepared the technique, pressed his finger downward. With a single motion, space shattered for over a thousand zhang. The shockwave far exceeded that of the Eight-Star Dou Zun who had used the same technique earlier.
The Great Annihilation Finger came crashing down, completely engulfing Qian Renhan's figure. An entire mountain range exploded on the spot, boulders flying in all directions, and a massive black hole was torn into space.
"Now, I just need to find that beast's soul... and then that Taixu Ancient Dragon."
The Half-Saint elder looked into the swirling black mist below but was shocked to discover that Zi Yan had disappeared. At that moment, a blood-red figure shot into Canaan Academy. Who else could it be but Qian Renhan?
As it turned out, the Qian Renhan that had been crushed by the Half-Saint earlier was merely a clone, conjured by his twin martial spirits.
"This brat has some skill... even I didn't see through it at first."
The Half-Saint stamped his foot and charged straight into Canaan Academy. To him, the defensive array was no more than paper—it offered no resistance at all.
However, upon entering the academy, the Half-Saint elder didn't immediately attack. He knew the Gu Clan's young lady—the clan leader's daughter—was currently studying at Canaan Academy. Ling Ying hadn't died either. As a Half-Saint, his attacks were too destructive. If he accidentally injured the young lady, not even his rank would save him.
With prior experience sneaking into Canaan Academy to search for Gu Xun'er, Qian Renhan quickly arrived at a sunken terrain. Deep within this depression lay a massive black tower, buried underground, with only the tip of the spire and a single dark entrance exposed above ground. This was none other than the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower.
Channeling blood energy through his hands, Qian Renhan unleashed Heavenly Nether Shura Hand, blasting through dozens of walls and barriers within the tower, forcefully breaking the seals until he reached the very bottom—where the Fallen Heart Flame was sealed.
The magma below stirred. A colossal flame beast, nearly ten meters thick and hundreds of meters long, emerged—its twisted body wrapped in dark fire. It opened its massive maw, and from its huge triangular eyes, formless flames constantly spewed forth. This was the Fallen Heart Flame.
With a furious roar, the flame beast prepared to devour Qian Renhan and burst through the shattered seal.
"Out of my way."
With one slash, Qian Renhan severed the flame serpent's hundreds-meter-long body of fire in two. Dou Qi surged around him as he plunged toward the depths of the magma.
The Fallen Heart Flame let out a pained howl. Its flame-filled eyes flashed with something terrifyingly human—fear. It no longer dared to attack Qian Renhan and turned instead to escape through the broken seal of the tower.
Just as it was about to burst out, the Half-Saint elder descended above the magma. With one foot, he stomped down on the Fallen Heart Flame's head. That single step forced the beast, on the verge of erupting in fury, to sink back into the magma.
"You think diving into the magma means you can escape?" the Half-Saint said coldly, a slight smirk on his lips. "Now that you're here, I'll just take you back to the Gu Clan."
With a wave of his hand, he reinforced the broken seal and turned to the Fallen Heart Flame again.
"Once I'm done with that brat, I'll take you as well. A rampaging Fallen Heart Flame... even if we take it back, Mang Tianchi won't have any reason to object."
(End of Chapter)