"So, it was you. It looks like Junior Sister Qin fell to you in the end."
Yanm Changqing approached.
He soon spotted Yang Xiao sitting cross-legged before the restriction. He was startled for a moment before his expression reverted to a detached, mournful look.
He sighed.
"Your Junior Sister was deeply in love with you. She may have been a little old and a little ugly, but her feelings were genuine. Why didn't you just accept her?"
Yang Xiao opened his eyes and replied calmly.
When it came to composure, he had never feared anyone.
"You... At my age, why would I bother pursuing worldly affections?"
A flash of shame and anger crossed Yanm Changqing's face, quickly replaced by a look of helplessness.
"Then you could have rejected her outright, couldn't you? But from the looks of it, you definitely didn't. Otherwise, why would things have ended up this way?"
"Just as I thought. You're a hypocrite."
Yang Xiao shook his head smugly.
Yanm Changqing's demeanor was usually excellentâat least on the surface.
But upon hearing Yang Xiao's words, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
Perhaps it was because the environment was too oppressively hot.
It was affecting his state of mind.
Regardless, Yanm Changqing was now in a foul mood.
"Regardless, you killed my grandson Yanm Kuan, then high-ranking members of my Medicine King Valley, and now even my Junior Sister has died at your hands. If I don't avenge these deaths, how can I possibly face the ancestors of Medicine King Valley?"
"So today, no matter who comes, I will send you to your death!"
If you can't win the argument, you fight.
Yanm Changqing raised his hand and struck out with his palm.
It was the Great Wheel Flame Palm again.
However, seemingly influenced by the surroundings, his originally cool Palm Power had become intensely hot, its might appearing to have grown considerably.
But Yang Xiao knew that this seemingly enhanced Palm Power was, in fact, weaker than before.
Because the old man's state of mind had, after all, wavered.
His own chances of victory had just increased.
"Kill!"
With a low roar, a purplish-red light once again surged from his body.
He was then covered in scales and armor, transforming into a Qilin Beast. Unlike before, this Qilin Transformation was no longer a pure purplish-red. Faint strands of crystalline golden light now laced through it.
It made him look even more noble and divinely imposing.
Even his aura became more ancient and majestic.
This was the result of Yang Xiao cultivating the Nine Yang Celestial Skill and using the True Greater Yang Fire to temper his Qilin True Body.
This allowed his Qilin True Body, while not having undergone a full metamorphosis, to grow in strength.
It had broken through the limits of a Peak of Tier Four Beast, now possessing the terrifying destructive power of thirteen hundred Flood Dragons.
Combined with Yang Xiao's current Spiritual Power and physical fortitude, its full potential could be unleashed.
Furthermore, his defensive capabilities had also increased.
Therefore, without any unnecessary flourish, Yang Xiao channeled the Flame Emperor Divine Fist and met Yanm Changqing's Palm Seal head-on with a claw strike.
BANG!
The fist and claw collided.
Yang Xiao was sent flying backward.
Yanm Changqing, on the other hand, merely shuddered.
The difference in their strength was immediately obvious.
But strangely, Yang Xiao's expression remained indifferent, even tinged with a hint of joy.
Yanm Changqing, however, looked utterly horrified, as if he'd seen a ghost.
"You... You're not even hurt!"
Yanm Changqing asked in astonishment.
Yang Xiao simply smiled, offering no reply.
In his Qilin form, he lunged at Yanm Changqing again with another claw strike.
He had the environmental advantage here.
The blistering heat had no effect on him, but it greatly affected Yanm Changqingâespecially after Yang Xiao had just taunted him about Qin Xuejiao.
This caused ripples to form in his once-calm Heart Lake.
The effect was instantly magnified to its peak.
Meanwhile, thanks to the Heaven and Earth Origin Flame, Yang Xiao was like a fish in water fighting here.
His power was greatly enhanced.
The 100% of his strength he could normally exert had become 120%, or perhaps even more.
With one's power waning and the other's waxing, Yang Xiao's true strength was still inferior to Yanm Changqing's.
But now that he had successfully tempered his internal organs, his physical defense had soared, placing him in an essentially unbeatable position.
As for his pure Physical Strength, it had broken through to fifty Flood Dragons, just as he'd expectedâor fifty-six Flood Dragons, to be precise.
This was even a bit stronger than Yang Xiao had anticipated.
However, this was inconsequential to the overall situation.
Although a Physical Strength of fifty-six Flood Dragons was terrifying for someone at Yang Xiao's cultivation realm, compared to his total combat power, the disparity was too great.
It didn't amount to much.
It was merely a byproduct of his vastly increased physical fortitude.
Currently, Yang Xiao's most potent weapon against a Tier Three Martial Saint like Yanm Changqing remained his Qilin True Body combined with the True Greater Yang Fire.
By channeling the Flame Emperor Divine Fist, he could perfectly fuse these two powers and even amplify their effect.
At this moment, his destructive power skyrocketed to a level approaching three thousand Flood Dragons.
Unfortunately, a power of three thousand Flood Dragons was still far from enough to face a veteran Tier Three Martial Saint like Yanm Changqing.
But with his internal organs successfully tempered, Yang Xiao's physique had nearly reached the Minor Achievement stage. Yanm Changqing could no longer injure him easily.
And so, Yang Xiao stood in an unbeatable position.
'What is there to fear?'
Fight!
Fight relentlessly!
Attack!
Attack with everything he had!
Without a hint of retreat.
Again and again, Yanm Changqing sent him flying.
Yet Yang Xiao only grew fiercer with each exchange.
He grew stronger as he fought.
His mastery of the Flame Emperor Divine Fist became more and more refined.
More terrifying.
To fuel the battle by battling, to devour every ounce of absorbable power and convert it into his own combat strength, growing ever strongerâ
This was the most terrifying aspect of the Flame Emperor Divine Fist.
And now, Yang Xiao was unleashing it to its fullest potential.
The battle left Yanm Changqing increasingly alarmed.
Barely ten minutes later,
on what might have been his hundredth or hundred-and-first attack, Yang Xiao forcefully shattered another of Yanm Changqing's Palm Seals with a single claw strike.
The blow landed heavily on his body.
For the first time,
he sent Yanm Changqing flying.
He was injured.
"Haha! I finally landed a blow! Take another claw, old man!"
Yang Xiao roared with laughter.
He gave Yanm Changqing no chance to catch his breath,
pouncing again with another claw strike.
"Transforming into a Barbaric Beast will inevitably twist your mind. So be it! Today, I will rid the world of a menace like you!"
Even now, Yanm Changqing maintained his sanctimonious facade.
But Yang Xiao didn't dare let his guard down.
He knew that now, having been injured, Yanm Changqing was finally possessed by true killing intent.
Before, he had wanted to kill him,
but he hadn't taken him seriously enough.
But now, he would surely fight with all his might.
He would use every ounce of his power to annihilate him.
But at the same time, his state of mind would be in turmoil once more.
The Gloomy Soul True Intent that gave Yang Xiao the most trouble would be weakened again.
There was danger, but also opportunity.
"A fight to the death! Today, I'm going to kill this old bastard and see what it feels like to slaughter a Saint!"
Yang Xiao laughed maniacally.
'In Ancient Times, a Saint was a peerless expert, a being above even a Great Emperor.'
'Like my master, the Nine Yang Supreme.'
'Or Celestial Emperor Yuan Shi, who secured the destiny of the Human Race.'
'They were all Saints.'
'And the one who schemed against me... '
'...there's an eighty to ninety percent chance they're a Saint, too.'
'I can't kill them.'
'But now...'
'This pathetic Martial Saint before me...'
'This Pseudo-Saint... '
'I'm definitely going to kill him!'
'Slaughter him!'