Chapter 136: Fierce Battle
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Within the cave…
The space was vast, yet barren, filled only with stone upon stone.
No surprise there. Who would dare trespass the domain of a Mid Fifth-Order beast? Lesser creatures like bats or vermin couldn't survive its aura alone.
Thus, Lan An and Su Mei progressed unhindered. Though shrouded in darkness, their Nascent Soul cultivation rendered it trivial.
Deeper in, the air grew swelteringly hot, the Spirit Herb's fragrance intensifying.
Su Mei felt a damp warmth, her jade-like skin faintly flushed, dotted with delicate sweat, radiating allure.
"You're stunning!" Lan An couldn't resist praising.
"Focus, you chatterbox!" Su Mei shot him a glance, pressing closer, her small hand clasped tightly in his, easing her nerves.
Roar, roar…
Deeper still, thunderous roars echoed, yet oddly, the beast only threatened, refusing to leave its post.
It clearly guarded the Spirit Herb, unwilling to stray even slightly.
"What herb holds such allure?" Su Mei murmured curiously.
"I wager it's a Fire-type Spirit Herb!" Lan An nodded.
Su Mei agreed lightly.
The rising heat partly confirmed his guess.
To be safe, Lan An conjured a gentle purple flame, enveloping them both, shielding their bodies.
Under his control, the Purple Heart Burning Void Flame spared Su Mei, forming a protective veil.
She wasn't shocked by his Variant Fire his Fire Phoenix summon had already revealed it to the Academy.
Finally, a passage appeared ahead.
Lan An cautiously led her forward, hand in hand.
Grr…
A ferocious eye glared from the passage, locking onto them. Su Mei paled, startled.
"Piercing Star Finger!" Lan An, far calmer, sneered, targeting the blood-red eye with a swift strike.
The battle flashed onto the Ten Thousand Mile Mirror, broadcast outside.
As promised, Piercing Star Finger's terrifying speed left the eye's owner no chance to dodge.
Roar…
A pained bellow shook the heavens, massive blood drops falling. The creature recoiled, clearing the passage.
Lan An pulled Su Mei forward to observe.
Beyond the passage, no path remained just a searing sea of lava, its blistering heat warping the air.
Amid this inferno, a colossal beast writhed in agony from its wounded eye, rolling in the lava as if it were mere water.
The creature was serpentine, its long body clad in thick red scales, unyieldingly tough. Its tongue flicked incessantly, sharp fangs gleaming like a viper's.
Strangely, it bore two muscular arms near its head, tipped with terrifying claws.
"Double-Armed Lava Serpent! A formidable Fire-type beast…" Jin'er announced its identity.
Lan An nodded, his gaze lingering briefly before fixating on something within the lava.
A Spirit Herb, shaped like a hyacinth, floated serenely in the molten sea. Unlike common hyacinths, it blazed with crimson flames, thriving effortlessly.
"Blazing Hyacinth Herb Extreme Earth-Grade Spirit Herb!" Jin'er said gravely.
"Extreme Earth-Grade?" Lan An wasn't impressed, but Jin'er's unusual tone piqued his curiosity. "Something odd?"
With Jin'er's lofty standards, even Heaven-Grade items barely warranted notice. Why such gravity for an Earth-Grade herb?
"Master, don't you find this lava oddly ordinary?" Jin'er probed.
"Indeed!" Lan An nodded. The lava's heat, though intense, was negligible to a Variant Fire wielder like him.
"Wait…"
A thought struck him, his voice deepening, "If the lava's so ordinary, how could it nurture an Extreme Earth-Grade Spirit Herb?"
"That's the crux. This lava lacks the quality to foster a Blazing Hyacinth Herb!" Jin'er affirmed.
"Variant Fire?" they exclaimed in unison.
Beneath the lava lay a Variant Fire.
Lan An's breathing quickened, stunned to stumble upon a Variant Fire's trace.
Su Mei, though knowledgeable, looked puzzled. She sensed the anomaly but hadn't yet deduced a Variant Fire's presence.
Outside the Secret Realm…
The cave's scene reached the onlookers.
Only a few, like the Chief Enforcer Elder and Hundred Faces, recognized the anomaly, instantly deducing a Variant Fire beneath the lava.
Lan An's dual Variant Fires were a seismic secret, known only to a few Academy elders, including the Chief Enforcer Elder. Even Hundred Faces was unaware.
After deliberation, the Academy's top elders deemed it a top-secret matter. A freshman with two Variant Fires would alarm the other three Academies, prompting attempts to eliminate Lan An.
With the Sacred Spirit Academy's vast resources, they'd thoroughly investigated Lan An's background in mere days, from his Luo Clan origins to every detail save for his mysterious "master."
Satisfied with his clean history, they now saw him poised to claim a third Variant Fire. Hidden elders urgently transmitted to the Chief Enforcer Elder:
"Before the Variant Fire emerges, divert the Ten Thousand Mile Mirror from this boy. Let him proceed—absolute secrecy is paramount!"
Understanding their high regard for Lan An, the Chief Enforcer Elder swiftly redirected the Ten Thousand Mile Mirror, ceasing its focus on him.
The crowd outside, expecting a grand Fifth-Order beast battle, was dumbfounded, stomping in disappointment.
None dared question, their respect for the Academy deepening.
Hundred Faces clenched her fists, silently praying for her chosen man.
"Damnable human! This king will feast on your flesh and blood!"
The Double-Armed Lava Serpent roared furiously, failing to heal its eye, ruined by Piercing Star Finger's devastating force.
Now one-eyed like Lan An, as a Fifth-Order beast capable of human speech and transformation, it seethed.
Boom…
A steady, mountain-like rumble echoed as Wood Turtle materialized in the cave.
Its vast size fit the spacious chamber.
"Hide behind it; I'll butcher this beast!" Lan An stroked Su Mei's hair, smiling.
Su Mei nodded obediently, stepping behind Wood Turtle, gripping her pipa, ready to aid if needed.
"Eat me? Dream on, oversized lizard!" Lan An taunted the serpent, leaping into the lava sea to face it.
Knowing its defenses were formidable and his cultivation suppressed, he summoned the Dragon King Halberd for the first time.
Roar…
A majestic, slaughterous roar from the Dragon King's soul within the halberd suppressed the serpent's aura.
Naturally, Blood Iron Battle Armor and Blood Iron Battle Boots clad his body.
Crimson as blood, unyieldingly sturdy, he stood heroic, halberd in hand.
Lan An was a war god on the battlefield, exuding unparalleled charisma.
Su Mei, stunned by his transformed demeanor carefree yet now majestic—felt an unprecedented pull.
In his presence, her heart raced countless times, each moment intoxicating. She realized escaping this man's allure was impossible.
He was a drug, drawing women deeper.
Captivated by his valor, her fingers danced across the pipa, a rousing war march echoing.
She simply wished to cheer him on.
"Foul human! Think a Dragon King's remnant soul can suppress me? Delusional!" The serpent, highly intelligent, shook off initial fear, diving into the lava.
Roar…
It surged upward with renewed ferocity, its twin claws forming a pincer, brimming with killing intent, lunging at Lan An.
"Hmph!" Lan An sneered, bellowing, "Heavenly Halberd Art Sweeping Thousand Armies!"
His heroic form spun, fearless against the Fifth-Order beast. The Dragon King Halberd hummed, wielded furiously, sweeping horizontally.
Its might could crush armies, one man guarding all directions.
Boom, boom, boom…
The halberd clashed relentlessly with the serpent's claws, their terrifying force churning the lava violently.
Finally, Lan An's halberd pierced the serpent's tough claw, forcing it to retreat into the lava.
Bang, bang, bang…
Suddenly, countless destructive fireballs erupted from the lava, the serpent's sneak attack.
Lan An grinned coldly, standing firm, letting the fireballs strike.
"Danger!" Su Mei's heart clenched.
Yet, the next sight left her speechless. The fireballs hit the Blood Iron Battle Armor like ants on an elephant, not ruffling a hair.
"Haha, fool! Sweeping Thousand Armies!"
Lan An swung his halberd, now targeting the lava sea.
He stirred it like Sun Wukong roiling the Eastern Sea.
The lava swirled into a vortex, dizzying the hidden serpent, which roared in fury, surfacing again, its flaming claws lunging.
Sadly, its strength faltered, repelled by Lan An's halberd, retreating repeatedly.
Each thrust pierced its thick scales, riddling the serpent with holes.
Regrettably, Lan An's low cultivation couldn't unleash Heavenly Halberd Art's full repertoire, or victory would've come sooner.
His tiny form against the serpent's colossal body was ant versus elephant, yet the ant drove the elephant back.
"Damn it, how is he so strong?" The serpent shrieked in terror, its massive tail whipping through the air, coiling toward Lan An.
"Harmony Palm!" Lan An sneered, letting the halberd hover, clapping his hands.
Three terrifying spiritual energies fused, blasting forth.
The target: the serpent's oncoming tail.
It recoiled in horror, too late to retract.
Whoosh…
Harmony Palm shattered the tail's scales, pulverizing it into dust, blood gushing, fouling the air.
The palm's energy corroded the serpent's body, inflicting excruciating pain.
"Argh! I'll end you!"
The serpent, maddened by agony, burned its blood essence, forcibly healing its wounds, its power surging.
"Burning blood essence to boost strength? Courting death?" Lan An said sternly.
But the crazed serpent, heedless of its lifespan, sought only to reduce Lan An to ash.
Its cultivation peaked at Fifth-Order Perfection.
"Die, puny ant!" It roared, its claws now overwhelmingly potent, slashing at Lan An.
He gravely raised the Dragon King Halberd to parry.
Boom…
Lan An was hurled back, crashing into the cave wall, shattering it.
"No!" Su Mei leapt up, alarmed.
Dust cleared swiftly, revealing Lan An shaking off minor pain, protected by the Blood Iron Battle Armor, merely shaken.
"Lava Burst Sphere!"
The serpent pressed on, its maw forming a massive lava orb, firing at Lan An.
It followed lightning-fast, baring sharp fangs to devour him.
Dual attacks showcased the serpent's prowess.
Lan An didn't underestimate it, unleashing Sweeping Thousand Armies again, smashing the Lava Burst Sphere away.
The orb struck the cave wall, the chamber trembling as if collapsing.
The serpent, uncaring, lunged with its fangs.
Roar…
Earth Bear materialized heroically, its mighty arms blocking the serpent's jaws, buying Lan An time.
It was swiftly bitten apart, outclassed by the serpent's rank.
Whoosh…
Lan An used Speed Shift, appearing atop the serpent's head, halberd in hand.
His Variant Fire erupted, cloaking the halberd's tip not one, but two colors: gold and purple.
The fused Violet-Gold Flame empowered the halberd, piercing the serpent's skull.
Splurt…
The halberd sank to its hilt.
The serpent's eye widened in terror as the dual Variant Fires ravaged its brain, incinerating its soul.
Boom, boom, boom…
Its massive body collapsed, sinking into the endless lava.
Lan An, panting, stored the Dragon King Halberd and Blood Iron Battle Armor in the Black Tower Ring. The battle drained him significantly.
Whoosh…
He reappeared beside Su Mei.
She flung herself into his arms, embracing her war god, greedily inhaling his sweat-soaked scent.
Lan An tightened his hold on her waist, seeking her crimson lips.
As a hero's reward, a sweet, fervent kiss unfolded.
Time seemed to freeze…