Chapter 25: Flame Seal, Activate!

Xiao Yan's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he held a red stone sphere in each hand. With a wide swing of his arms, he hurled the stones toward the mercenaries on both sides. However, the stones traveled at a moderate speed, slow enough for the mercenaries to track their flight.

"What?!" He Meng exclaimed in shock. The memory of yesterday's explosion was still vivid in his mind. If not for his brothers acting as human shields and his rock-attribute Dou Qi offering strong defense, he wouldn't have escaped unscathed.

Had any of those factors been missing, he would have been severely injured. He understood all too well the devastating power of those explosives.

Dou Qi surged across He Meng's body as he instinctively stepped back. Even though he wasn't the primary target of the attack, he didn't dare be careless.

The memory of his brothers being blown apart still haunted the mercenaries. Seeing the glowing red spheres flying toward them, they scattered in panic like startled birds, cursing their parents for not giving them more legs to run with.

The moment he threw the stones, Xiao Yan grabbed the massive black ruler in front of him, then picked up the broadsword that the burly mercenary had dropped earlier. With a powerful stomp of his foot, he launched himself forward like a tiger charging into the forest, heading straight for the scattering mercenaries.

Still shaken and terrified, the mercenaries never expected Xiao Yan to be so ferocious. Even with an impending explosion, he charged in for close combat!

Xiao Yan's attacks were relentless—his ruler was swift, and his broadsword even swifter. In the blink of an eye, he cut through five mercenaries as if slicing watermelons.

As his brothers fell one after another, He Meng's heart trembled violently. A pressing question arose in his mind: Why hasn't the explosion happened yet?

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the red object lodged in a wooden post within the camp. He Meng's pupils shrank sharply.

Upon closer inspection, he realized it was nothing more than a bloodstained rock. It wasn't the deadly explosive from yesterday at all!

"You dare toy with the Wolfhead Mercenary Group like this?! I'll kill you!"

The tremendous advantage they once had had now been squandered by such a simple trick. Furious, He Meng's rage boiled over. With a heavy stomp, he charged at Xiao Yan like an enraged magical beast, his massive figure barreling forward with terrifying momentum.

Sensing the overwhelming energy surging from behind, Xiao Yan suddenly swung the broadsword in his hand with all his might. Like a piercing arrow, the sword shot forward, impaling a fleeing mercenary straight through.

Without missing a beat, Xiao Yan spun around and met He Meng's charging fist head-on with his own punch.

"Boom!"

The collision sent a dull, resounding shockwave through the air. Unprepared, Xiao Yan failed to fully brace himself and was forced back five steps before coming to a halt.

"Kid, you've got some skill." He Meng's expression grew solemn as he exhaled deeply. He tapped his chest with his fist, and his previously bronze-colored skin began to pale slightly.

"I've cultivated the rock-attribute Dou Qi technique, renowned for having the strongest defense among all attributes. Even at your peak, you wouldn't be able to break through my defenses. Now that your Dou Qi is almost depleted, it's time for you to pay for my brothers with your life!"

With a cold laugh, He Meng clenched his fist tightly. Even his arms began to turn pale, reflecting his defensive power.

Having faced Xiao Yan head-on, He Meng couldn't help but marvel at the boy's physical resilience.

He knew all too well the grueling pain involved in body cultivation—it was far more demanding than training Dou Qi. Judging by Xiao Yan's seemingly delicate appearance, it was hard to believe the boy had undergone such rigorous physical training.

Xiao Yan, meanwhile, was feeling the strain. To ensure precision with every strike, he had been fully focused, expending his energy to eliminate several mercenaries in succession. Now, his Dou Qi reserves were nearly depleted, and fatigue was starting to set in.

Breathing heavily, Xiao Yan smirked with disdain. "You're just now realizing the situation? No matter how strong you are, you're nothing more than a stupid pig. Killing you would be no more than a flick of my finger."

Aware that He Meng still had over a dozen mercenaries on his side, Xiao Yan wasn't foolish enough to charge in recklessly.

On the road, he had already devised a strategy: under no circumstances could he allow the mercenaries to group up and attack together. He had to find a way to divide them.

Soon, Xiao Yan thought of the fiery explosive he used the day before—the Fire Blast Sphere.

Naturally, he couldn't craft the real thing in such a short time. But couldn't he whip up some fakes to bluff them? After all, his goal wasn't to deal a decisive blow but to scatter the mercenaries.

Creating some blood-red dye was incredibly easy in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The tricky part was finding the right round stones, which took him some effort.

And thus, two "Fire Blast Spheres" were born.

Even Yao Lao was shocked by Xiao Yan's cunning.

"What a clever little rascal!"

With a furious expression, He Meng stomped his foot on the ground again. This time, his speed was visibly faster than before. His charging momentum generated gusts of wind as he bore down on Xiao Yan like a raging bull.

Xiao Yan remained calm, feeling the fierce wind pressure head-on. Thanks to his extraordinary soul perception, He Meng's attacks appeared as slow as a crawling turtle.

With a slight shift of his body, Xiao Yan effortlessly dodged the massive fist that flew past his ear, carrying a violent gust.

Sliding his toes lightly against the ground, Xiao Yan moved like a ghost to He Meng's back. With his fist infused with Dou Qi, he struck hard at He Meng's spine.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

A cold cry echoed in Xiao Yan's heart as his fist tightened abruptly. The smooth sleeve of his robe rippled loudly from the surging force.

Retracting his fist slightly, he suddenly unleashed a punch. Though the distance was short, the immense power behind it emitted a sharp whistling sound.

"Clang!"

The punch landed on He Meng's body, producing a crisp, rock-like sound as if striking solid stone.

"With your current strength, you think you can break through my rock defense?" He Meng sneered confidently. His right leg surged with energy as he unleashed a powerful backward kick toward Xiao Yan. At the same time, he shouted to the remaining mercenaries, "This brat's Dou Qi is exhausted! What are you waiting for? Attack!"

He Meng's roar snapped the remaining five mercenaries out of their daze. Realizing Xiao Yan had been fighting him for a while, they finally understood that they had been tricked.

Once numbering over ten, the mercenaries had been reduced to six in what felt like the blink of an eye. Recognizing their dire situation, the five remaining mercenaries surged with Dou Qi, their energy rising to its peak.

In an instant, they unleashed their most refined Dou Techniques, honed to near perfection.

The camp became awash with a brilliant display of colors as five weapons—blade, spear, sword, axe, and more—hurtled toward Xiao Yan with the force of thunder and wind.

Exhausted of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan's ordinary Eight Extremes Collapse had little effect. While marveling at the defensive power of He Meng's rock-attributed Dou Qi, he couldn't help but feel regret. Had he been able to unleash his hidden strength, He Meng would have been a dead man.

Sensing the sharp attacks from behind, Xiao Yan deftly sidestepped and raised his heavy black ruler horizontally in front of him. Supporting the tip of the ruler with one hand, he lifted it upward with apparent ease.

The five mercenaries' combined Dou Techniques crashed down heavily on the black ruler. It trembled violently under the impact, as if it might fly out of Xiao Yan's hands at any moment.

Facing the full-force assault of five seasoned mercenaries, Xiao Yan used every ounce of his strength to block them. His expression twisted slightly from the effort.

"It seems his Dou Qi is completely depleted!" He Meng shouted excitedly upon seeing Xiao Yan appear on the brink of collapse.

Though their initial strike hadn't landed, the five mercenaries were reinvigorated by the realization that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was spent.

Without Dou Qi, Xiao Yan was merely a man wielding a powerful weapon. With six of them left, Xiao Yan's defeat seemed inevitable.

However, Xiao Yan's lips curled into a faint smile. In a low voice, he growled, "Flame Seal, activate!"

(End of Chapter)

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