"Huh? The Fire Elemental Power up ahead is so dense. It looks like I've reached Flame Sun Mountain!"
He wasn't sure how long he'd been flying.
Yang Xiao stopped and looked around, confirming that this was indeed his destination: Flame Sun Mountain.
'The Earth Fire Qilin Beast loves places with dense Fire Elemental Power. As long as I follow the trail from here toward the densest concentration, I should be able to find it.'
With a faint smile, Yang Xiao leaped down into the crater of Flame Sun Mountain.
"You're finally down! Yang Xiao, I have been waiting for you for a very long time!"
Just as Yang Xiao jumped into the crater, a figure suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
Although the person wore a cloak and their face was veiled, Yang Xiao recognized the voice instantly.
Ye Zongling!
The head of the Purple Sun Sect's Law Enforcement Hallāand a direct descendant of the sect's founder, Ye Ziyangāhad actually appeared here.
From the look of things, he had apparently been plotting for a long time, intending to deal with him personally!
"No wonder I've felt like someone was spying on me ever since I left the Purple Sun Sect. So, it was you, you old bastard."
Yang Xiao landed steadily on the ground, ignoring the hot magma beneath his feet as he spoke nonchalantly.
"Oh? You don't seem scared at all."
Ye Zongling was a little surprised.
He had been lying in wait, only revealing himself once Yang Xiao had dropped into the crater.
It was all to prevent Yang Xiao from escaping.
In his mind, Yang Xiao should have been shocked to see himāhe should have panicked and tried to flee.
But now, not only was the boy not the least bit surprised, he actually looked perfectly calm.
This struck Ye Zongling as very odd.
'Could it be he has some other trick up his sleeve?'
A thought struck Ye Zongling.
He cautiously spread his Spiritual Sense, scanning the area repeatedly.
Discovering that there was truly nothing out of the ordinary for miles aroundānot even a single Barbaric Beastāhe immediately felt relieved.
"So it was just a bluff. I have to say, kid, you've certainly got guts. A pity you've overestimated yourself."
"A bluff? Overestimated myself?"
Yang Xiao smiled.
But his next action seemed to confirm Ye Zongling's words. He turned and fled.
He fled deeper into the earth, following a magma channel.
The inside of Flame Sun Mountain was a vast, hollow space. The constant flow of subterranean magma had carved out a dense network of caves, from which faint, scorching breaths of air occasionally puffed out.
They were like vents releasing pressure.
Anyone else entering this place, even if they weren't afraid of the heat, wouldn't dare to rush about recklessly. But Yang Xiao moved without hesitation, as if he knew the place like the back of his hand.
This greatly surprised Ye Zongling.
If he didn't know that Yang Xiao had never even been to White Cloud Town beforeāthat just half a month ago, the boy hadn't even heard of Flame Sun Mountain...
...he would have suspected that Yang Xiao had already set a trap here.
'So what if there is a trap? Am I, a dignified Martial Arts Grandmaster, supposed to be afraid of some brat who hasn't even reached the Innate Realm?'
Ye Zongling had to accept his loss to Yang Zhentian.
That old bastard was just too ferocious.
But if he was going to be timid and cowardly when facing Yang Zhentian's son, then he might as well renounce his title of Martial Arts Grandmaster.
Therefore, without a second thought, Ye Zongling gave chase.
He was incredibly fast.
Within moments, Yang Xiao's fleeing figure came into view.
Just then, however, Yang Xiao suddenly spun around. Two fiery red wings erupted from his back, causing Ye Zongling to freeze in surprise.
'In a space this narrow, does he actually think he can fly?'
But Yang Xiao's next move made his expression darken instantly.
The fiery red wings on his back snapped together, and all their feathers transformed into tens of thousands of sharp blades. With a SWOOSH, they shot forward.
Blanketing everything.
They filled the entire cavern.
"Damn it!"
With a cold snort, a brilliant golden barrier of light flared to life around Ye Zongling.
It was his body's protective layer of Sharp Gold Gang Qi.
It blocked the torrent of tens of thousands of sharp, scorching feather blades.
But the immense, continuous force of the impacts still drove him back several steps, nearly knocking him right out of the cavern.
What was even more infuriating was that when the torrent of blades vanished, Yang Xiao was already gone.
"You think that's enough to escape?"
Ye Zongling's expression was grim as he chased after him.
He had lost to Yang Zhentian. This time, he could not afford to lose to his son.
Besides, the more terrifying and unconventional the power Yang Xiao displayed, the more excited Ye Zongling became.
Because all this power originated from those Divine Power Secret Skills.
'If I could obtain themā¦'
The mere thought of it made Ye Zongling tremble with excitement.
He pursued him relentlessly.
'The Fire Elemental Power is getting denser. Just a bit denser... a bit more... and maybe I can use the terrain to my advantage and kill Ye Zongling.'
Compared to Ye Zongling, Yang Xiao was much more at ease.
His past life's experiences, combined with the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame in his body, made him naturally suited to and even fond of this kind of environment.
The denser and more abundant the Fire Elemental Power...
...the stronger the flame-controlling power granted to him by the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame would become.
Once he reached the depths...
...it wouldn't be Ye Zongling hunting him, but the other way around.
'Just a little deeper.'
A glint flashed in Yang Xiao's eyes, and killing intent radiated from him.
But just as the thought arose, his expression flickered.
Something was blocking his path ahead.
"A Fire Python?"
Yang Xiao froze for a moment.
A massive, crimson body wreathed in flames, flicking a vicious forked tongueāit was none other than the Fire Python, an Overlord Level existence among Tier Three Barbaric Beasts.
'Crap, this is bad.'
It was indeed bad. If this thing hadn't been blocking his path, Yang Xiao could have continued deeper into a region with extremely dense Fire Elemental Power.
Then, he could have calmly dealt with Ye Zongling.
It would have been an easy task.
But now, this thing was here. And from the looks of it, it was extremely hostile toward him.
Yang Xiao knew that this time, he was in real trouble.
Sure enough, before he could even make a move, a delighted voice sounded from behind him.
"Yang Xiao, let's see how you run now."
Ye Zongling had caught up.
His speed was already incredible; the power of a Martial Arts Grandmaster Level expert was truly extraordinary.
If Yang Xiao had kept fleeing, Ye Zongling might have had trouble catching him. After all, despite being only at the Martial Master Peak, Yang Xiao's speed wasn't much slower than his own.
But now, he had an Overlord Level Fire Python, a Tier Three Barbaric Beast, blocking his path.
And behind him, a Martial Arts Grandmaster hemming him in.
The boy was a dead man.
"If I can't run, then I won't!"
Yang Xiao's expression darkened, but he didn't move.
But before the words had even left his mouth, the Fire Python, which had been watching him like a tiger eyes its prey, made its move.
It opened its great maw and lunged viciously at Yang Xiao.
Ye Zongling didn't move, a mocking sneer on his face.