Chapter 180: Inferno of Defiance

Dear Readers,

Thank you for witnessing Lan An's blazing defiance! If this epic of valor and vengeance enthralls you, please unleash a torrent of Power Stones! Your support ignites this xianxia saga. Share with fellow cultivators, and let's conquer the rankings together!

-------------------------------------

Lan An's shamelessness reached new heights. Though Shui Niang Qing had seen every inch of him during their time together, a flicker of embarrassment still warmed her cheeks.

Ignoring the countless stares, Lan An shivered with satisfaction, giving his 'little brother' a final shake before tucking it away.

To the Black Sharks, his act was a stinging slap. Hei Bao bore the brunt of the humiliation, ignored and insulted as Lan An urinated before their entire crew. Was this not a blatant affront?

Fury surged, their eyes burning with the urge to flay Lan An and feed him to their sharks.

Hei Sha's face remained composed, but the hall masters near him shivered under the chilling wave of his killing intent.

They glared at Lan An as if he were a dead man, wondering if he provoked them deliberately, knowing his end was near.

If so, they'd make him beg for death, teaching him that dying was a mercy.

The Black Sharks were adept at torture. Some perverse, dual-natured pirates in their ranks would relish toying with a pretty youth like Lan An, leaving him broken in ways unimaginable.

Unnoticed amid the focus on Lan An, a mysterious, fairy-like figure slipped through space, carrying an unconscious youth away from the Sharks' lair.

Lan An's Prestige Points ticked upward, though still a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of a Bloodline.

"Who gave you such guts, brat?" a peak Divine Transformation hall master growled, licking his blade menacingly.

Lan An feigned surprise, meeting the Sharks' bloodshot glares with innocent nonchalance. "My apologies. With only Qi Refining cultivation, I can't expel bodily impurities like Foundation Establishment cultivators. I had to relieve myself. Please understand."

The Sharks' expressions shifted. His excuse held water—only Foundation Establishment and above could forgo eating, sleeping, or bodily functions. Still, no excuse spared him from death.

"Niang Qing, I'm overjoyed you accepted my proposal!" Hei Sha said, ignoring Lan An to gaze at Shui Niang Qing with infatuation.

"Where's Shui Mo Er?" Shui Niang Qing demanded coldly.

"No rush. I wouldn't harm our dear brother-in-law. Once we wed, Shui Mo Er will join us to offer his blessings," Hei Sha said, his eyes glinting with amusement.

Shui Niang Qing glanced at Lan An.

"Relax. Shui Mo Er is safe," a confident voice assured her.

Her heart stirred. This man never disappointed her, despite his occasional shamelessness.

"How do we wed?" she asked, raising a brow at Hei Sha.

"Pirates shun the tedious rites of stuffy fools. Before heaven, earth, and my brothers, we share a cup of wine to seal our bond," Hei Sha said, grinning as he produced two cups.

Shui Niang Qing's eyes flashed, and she approached slowly.

"Drink! Drink! Drink!" the Sharks cheered, raising their cups, some dragging out enslaved women for depraved acts, their revelry chaotic.

"Watching the woman you admire marry our leader must sting, eh, brat?" Hei Bao sneered, joined by another hall master, mocking Lan An.

When Lan An didn't respond, another hall master slung an arm around him, sighing theatrically. "Be grateful, kid. You witness this grand moment. After this, you'll be a corpse for the sharks."

Shui Niang Qing raised her cup, facing Hei Sha. "I want to see Shui Mo Er first, or this wine stays untouched."

Hei Sha's face twitched, but seeing her Qi Refining state, he found the situation laughably simple. That person was right—control Shui Mo Er, and the Lan Hong Sect was theirs.

Wasn't Shui Niang Qing, the Water Dragon Immortal Fairy, proof of that, helpless before him?

He sighed inwardly. He could savor her tonight, but then he must kill her, claiming her Strange Water for that person. A pity.

"I said, show me Shui Mo Er!" Shui Niang Qing repeated, frowning.

"Fine, sooner or later makes no difference. As you wish," Hei Sha smirked, nodding to a hall master.

The hall master understood, hurrying off.

Shui Mo Er was held in the Sharks' dungeon, knocked out, sealed, and guarded by Hei Lie, a late-stage Divine Transformation expert.

After a while, the hall master returned, his face grim, whispering to Hei Sha, "Hei Lie's dead, horribly. Shui Mo Er's gone."

Hei Sha's heart jolted, rage and unease surging, but he maintained his composure, smiling at Shui Niang Qing. "Shui Mo Er's being brought. Let's drink first."

Shui Niang Qing raised her cup, her eyes glinting with amusement.

Suddenly…

"Share a nuptial cup with me? Are you worthy?"

Her scornful shout rang out, her early Void Refinement aura erupting.

She flung the wine in Hei Sha's stunned face.

"Water Rainbow Kick!"

Her slender leg rose, Nirvana Spirit Water surging, delivering a fierce kick to Hei Sha's jaw.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The attack was too swift. Despite his higher cultivation, Hei Sha couldn't react, his body hurtling backward, crashing through a Shark Warship.

"Seems your leader just got kicked," Lan An's mocking voice teased Hei Bao.

A chill of danger washed over Hei Bao. He spun, but a sharp pain pierced his heart, stealing his senses.

Before him, Lan An smiled eerily, a war spear impaling Hei Bao's chest, its tip ablaze with two sinister flames.

"Two Strange Flames…" Hei Bao gasped, his body crumbling to ash.

Pitifully, Lan An's sneak attack, wielding two Strange Flames, was nearly a full-force strike. How could a mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator withstand it?

Roar!

A thunderous bellow shook the heavens. Earth Bear emerged proudly, its massive fists smashing toward an early-stage Divine Transformation hall master.

The hall master reacted swiftly, alert since Hei Sha's fall, raising his fist to block.

Boom!

The collision echoed like a collapsing mountain, sending the hall master flying like a cannonball.

He staggered to his feet, eyeing Earth Bear warily.

"Fire the cannons! Blast him!" a Nascent Soul pirate roared.

Dozens of warships loaded their cannons, aiming at Lan An.

Lan An noted thirty-nine Shark Warships, each cannon blast rivaling an early Divine Transformation strike.

Thirty-nine simultaneous shots covered a terrifying range. Even with Speed Shift, evasion was uncertain.

As the barrage neared, a colossal figure appeared.

Roar!

Wood Turtle bellowed, its massive body shielding Lan An from the storm of cannon fire.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosions rocked the island, many pirates bleeding from their ears, collapsing in agony.

Dust clouded the air.

"Dead yet?" the pirates wondered, staring at the chaos.

Shui Niang Qing, seeing Lan An engulfed, paled, rushing forward.

"Who broke your seals?" Hei Sha's voice boomed, the void splitting as an axe, imbued with immense Earth Spirit Power, swung at her head.

"Hmph!" Shui Niang Qing snorted, summoning a Thunder Long Spear.

Crackling with boundless lightning, she deftly countered the axe.

Clang!

After the clash, Hei Sha grew ferocious, swinging his axe relentlessly at Shui Niang Qing.

Each strike tore the void, the might of a Void Refiner ever terrifying.

"Lance of Ten Thunder Forms!" Shui Niang Qing shouted, her eyes blazing.

Her lithe form danced, gripping the spear tightly, each form unleashing torrents of lightning.

The clash of two Void Refiners upheaved the Sharks' lair. Nearby pirates were flung away, weaker ones reduced to pulp by the shockwaves.

Despite her Water and Thunder spiritual roots, Shui Niang Qing's lower cultivation left her retreating under Hei Sha's assault.

Yet, she was no pushover, trading blow for blow fearlessly.

For every two wounds on her graceful form, Hei Sha bore one.

Verdant Nirvana Spirit Water coiled over her skin, healing wounds rapidly, its regenerative power astonishing.

Hei Sha gnashed his teeth, his greedy eyes fixed on her Strange Water. "Damn it! Nirvana Spirit Water is truly heaven-defying. No wonder that person schemed so much to claim it!"

His attacks grew wilder, bolstered by Earth Spirit Power's robust defense. Neither could gain the upper hand quickly.

As the dust cleared at Lan An's position, all eyes turned.

Roar!

A deafening roar shook the earth, felling countless Qi Refining pirates into unconsciousness.

"What's happening?" a hall master cried, clutching his aching ears.

Lion's Roar.

Purple lightning flashed like dawn, a blood-red spear thrusting forward.

"Dream on!" the hall master roared, unsheathing his greatsword to parry.

Boom!

He blocked the spear but not the second strike.

Before him stood a towering youth in striking Blood Slaughter Armor, hair flowing, mounted on a majestic white-furred beast with proud wings, crackling with purple lightning.

The hall master parried Lan An's spear but fell to the beast's lightning-clad claw, bloodied and paralyzed.

Heaven and earth seemed to pause at their grand entrance.

Master and beast, their combined assault crippled a late-stage Divine Transformation hall master in a flash.

"Why hesitate? Attack with all you've got!" another hall master bellowed, shattering the silence.

"Die!" Lan An sneered, clad in Blood Slaughter Armor, Blood Slaughter Boots, wielding the Flood Dragon King Spear, riding the Purple Thunder Lion Sovereign.

Like a war god dominating the battlefield, invincible.

Facing hundreds of charging pirates, he smirked disdainfully.

Cry!

A piercing cry shook the cosmos. Fire Phoenix soared, its wings unfurling, dominating the skies.

The pirates rushing Lan An were incinerated effortlessly.

Purple Heart Void Flame raged, reducing all in its path to nothingness.

"My heavens, a Phoenix… this man commands a divine Phoenix!" a Golden Core pirate screamed before vanishing.

Pirates paled as Fire Phoenix left no trace of life.

Lan An ordered it to slaughter the Shark Warships.

Against Fire Phoenix's might, the thirty-nine warships couldn't focus on Lan An, activating defensive arrays to fend off its destruction, occasionally firing cannons.

"Kill him! Kill him, and the Phoenix vanishes!" a hall master roared, glaring venomously at Lan An.

"Right, die, you beast!" the seven remaining hall masters bellowed, their Divine Transformation auras unleashed.

They launched varied attacks, each imbued with unique attributes.

Aiming to claim Lan An's life.

"Come on! Today, I'll burn this Shark den to ashes!" Lan An laughed wildly, sweeping his Flood Dragon King Spear, his aura soaring.

Gone was his earlier shamelessness, replaced by a warrior's grandeur.

Roar!

Earth Bear, spurred by its master, roared fiercely, its fists pulping two Golden Core pirates.

Boom!

Wood Turtle reappeared, its colossal form shielding Lan An from dozens of Nascent Soul attacks, an unbreakable bulwark.

Above the sea, Fire Phoenix rampaged, its wounds healing instantly. Two warships burned to cinders, thousands of pirates aboard reduced to nothing.

The Four Spirit Soul Guardian Art, fueled by the Cauldrons in his dantian, was more formidable than ever.

The Black Sharks faced their apocalypse.

Finally, eight attacks from the hall masters closed in, sealing Lan An's escape from all directions.

"Die!" they roared, hopeful to slay this monster.

But no… they despaired.

Cry!

A noble golden radiance lit the sky, another Strange Flame bursting forth.

Boundless flames coalesced, a Golden Crow phantom guarding Lan An's head like a divine protector.

With icy majesty, it spread its vast wings, obliterating the eight potent attacks.

Before the horrified, bulging eyes of thousands…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Like fireworks, the attacks burned to nothing, the Golden Crow's phantom fading.

The combined might of eight Divine Transformation cultivators was no jest.

The Flame Heart Cauldron surged, Fire Spirit Power flooding in, restoring the Golden Crow's form.

Encircling Lan An's heroic figure, he raised his Flood Dragon King Spear, sweeping it around, his voice echoing across the battlefield.

"How do you wish to die?"

One against ten thousand.