Chapter 201: Clash of Prodigies in Capital City

Thank you for witnessing Lan An's fiery prowess and Ji Ya's icy dominance in Capital City's clash! If their defiance, dual Strange Fires, and bold challenge to Refining Void ignite your soul, unleash a torrent of Power Stones! Your support fuels this xianxia epic. Share with fellow cultivators, and let's ascend the heavens together!

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"Change your appearance," Lan An said to Ji Ya.

She currently bore Shui Niang Qing's visage. The Water Spirit Fairy's fame in Hai Zhou Continent was significant, and he wished to avoid risks to Hai Hong Sect.

Hai Hong Sect needed to develop quietly, becoming a future pillar for the Harem in Hai Zhou, not entangled in conflicts.

Understanding, Ji Ya willed the Seamless Mask to shift. In a blink, she transformed into Bai Su Mai's pristine beauty.

"Wow, another gorgeous sister, so pure!" Ai Er, fearless, marveled at Ji Ya's new look, her eyes sparkling.

"Little one, enter the Spirit Pearl," Lan An instructed Ai Er.

"No worries, they can't touch Ai Er," she giggled mischievously. From nowhere, she produced a floating cradle a Spirit-grade defensive treasure, per Jin Ni—and hopped in, swaying happily.

Lan An and Ji Ya's lips twitched, about to speak, when space cracked open, revealing two figures.

"You?" Lan An's eyes narrowed. Contrary to his expectation of an Integration expert, it was Lam Ji, the 11th-ranked genius on the Hundred Spirits List and young master of the Lam Clan, accompanied by a white-haired elder radiating Mid Refining Void cultivation, exuding formidable strength.

"Come out!" Lam Ji ignored Lan An, shouting into the void.

"Kekeke, your Lam Clan's word holds weight. The deal is set," came a sinister laugh as two more figures emerged from the void.

Lan An and Ji Ya's eyes sharpened. They were two Night Shadow Island elders, one tall, one short—the tall one likely off plundering elsewhere.

The tall elder, An Li, was Early Refining Void, while the short one, An Ran, was Mid Refining Void.

"An Li, An Ran, Lam Clan who gave you the gall to ambush my husband?" Ji Ya faced the three Refining Void experts without fear, sneering coldly.

"Who are you?" The Night Shadow Island elders flinched. Not just anyone could name them so precisely.

An Li was the tall one, An Ran the short.

"No need for caution. We outnumber them. Strike fast," the Lam Clan elder, Lam Yan, said. He was Lam Ji's protector for this venture.

"So young, only Peak Nascent Soul?" Lam Ji smirked at Lan An, his eyes gleaming with greed, avoiding Ji Ya's Bai Su Mai guise.

Her beauty risked unsettling him, but as a Hundred Spirits List genius, he prioritized Lan An's immense wealth. With such treasures, what beauty couldn't he have?

"How did you track me?" Lan An asked darkly.

He'd restored his true appearance and changed clothes, thinking himself untraceable, yet they'd followed.

From their exchange, Lam Ji's method was clear.

"A dead man needs no answers," Lam Ji sneered.

Lan An stopped asking, activating Piercing Weakness Vision, not on his foes but himself.

They must have a tracking method; such coincidence was impossible.

Sure enough, he spotted a minuscule living creature, smaller than a bacterium, in a pore on his skin—a stealthy insect.

"Tracking Insect, used for pursuit. Even Transcending Tribulation experts might miss it without close inspection," Jin Ni informed, apologetic. "I knew someone planted it on you, but the mission prevented disclosure."

"No matter," Lan An nodded, then sneered at Lam Ji. "Your pathetic Tracking Insect lured a feast to me."

Strange Fire erupted, incinerating the insect to nothingness.

"Where's my Tracking Insect?" Lam Ji's face paled, his connection to it severed. It had cost him dearly.

"No matter. Robbing him will repay tenfold," he reassured himself, turning to Lam Yan. "Strike with full force."

"Yes, Young Master," Lam Yan grinned wickedly.

"Husband, I'll handle the three Refining Void experts. Take Lam Ji's head," Ji Ya said calmly.

"Arrogant!"

Before Lan An could reply, the three Refining Void experts trembled with rage. A Mid Refining Void woman dared claim she could face them all?

"Kekeke, dying by your tongue is no noble death," An Li sneered, melding into darkness, vanishing into the void. His forte was assassination and stealth.

A dagger suddenly thrust from nowhere, aiming for Ji Ya's snowy neck.

"Overestimating yourselves. All three, come at once," Ji Ya scoffed, forming an Ice-Water Barrier.

An Li felt the space chill, trapped in a rigid barrier. He snorted, attempting to tear through the void to escape, but his face changed as the space froze, immovable.

"How?" An Ran and Lam Yan gasped, charging Ji Ya.

The Ice-Water Barrier had trapped even Late Refining Void Shui Liu; an Early Refining Void like An Li would need time to break free.

"Ice Soul Palm!" Lam Yan's face hardened, his palm radiating icy shards, cracking the surrounding space.

"Shadow Flow Kill!" An Ran dissolved into black mist, a sharp black greatsword appearing. He vanished, reappearing near Ji Ya, his blade slicing space without a traceable path, far trickier than Lam Yan.

But Ji Ya, seasoned from past clashes with Night Shadow Island, was unfazed. "Lingering Wave Steps – Lingering Wave Dual Palms!"

With a delicate shout, her feet danced like a fairy's, leaving ethereal afterimages, dodging An Ran's blade. Her jade hands formed palms, unleashing torrents of ice and water.

The sky shifted under the onslaught.

Boom

Her Ice Palm clashed with Lam Yan's Ice Soul Palm, forcing him back dozens of steps. Her Water Palm spun whirlpools, pinpointing An Ran's erratic path, striking him.

"Dark Guard!" An Ran's face darkened, his greatsword shrouded in darkness, blocking his chest.

Boom

The Water Palm sent him reeling through the air.

"So strong," An Li gasped, hammering the Ice-Water Barrier with dark attacks.

"Who is this woman? Her movement and palm arts are peerless," An Ran and Lam Yan exchanged glances, shouting at Lam Ji, "Finish that boy quickly. We'll hold her."

"No problem," Lam Ji sneered at Lan An. A Mid Spirit Transformation genius against a Peak Nascent Soul was like a butcher's knife on a chicken, brimming with confidence.

"Boy, I don't know how you amassed such wealth, but weaklings deserve death," Lam Ji growled, his form blurring into afterimages.

Whoosh

Ice sculptures danced in the sky as Lam Ji darted, his speed blinding.

Lan An stood still, making no defensive move.

"Frozen in fear? Your flashy stupidity is to blame," Lam Ji thought coldly.

Closing in, he drew an Earth-grade longsword. "Instant Kill Sword. Dying by this is your honor," he said smugly, slashing at Lan An's neck.

Clang

A metallic clash.

Lam Ji's pupils dilated. "Illusion… it must be!"

He muttered, eyes bulging. The youth he deemed an ant caught the sharp blade between two fingers, his eerie white eyes gazing calmly.

Wood attribute energy swirled on his fingers, mingled with a faint green water flow, unscathed. Strange Wood defended and absorbed, Strange Water healed combined, Mid Spirit Transformation attacks like Lam Ji's were mere scratches.

"How?" Lam Ji laughed weakly. "An illusion?"

Gripping the sword, he yanked it back.

"Gentleman Demon-Subduing Fist!"

Lan An's voice rang out, physical strength surging into his fist.

Ugh… Spurt

Lam Ji reeled mid-air, his abdomen wracked with pain as if struck by a thousand catties, spewing blood.

Crack

"Wood Form Fist!"

Lan An vanished. Before Lam Ji could recover, a massive wooden fist smashed his face.

Spurt

Another blood spray, sent flying again.

Lan An shook his head casually. Strange Fire gathered at his fingertip.

"Star-Piercing Finger!"

Whoosh

At blinding speed, death loomed over Lam Ji.

Clang

A round Ice Shield appeared, blocking the fatal strike. The Strange Fire melted it swiftly, but Lam Ji's life was spared.

"As expected of an Eighth-grade clan, not easy to kill," Lan An said, unsurprised.

Lam Ji, regaining his senses, glared with resentment and disbelief. "You hid your cultivation. Such卑劣 tactics!"

"Star-Plucking Hand!"

Ignoring the taunt, Lan An formed a massive purple hand with Purple Heart Burning Void Flame, shaking space, lunging at Lam Ji.

"Strange Fire? Heaven-grade technique? I have that too!" Lam Ji growled, believing his earlier loss was due to carelessness. Regaining a genius's confidence, he faced the Strange Fire undaunted.

"Ice Spear Sun-Breaker!"

Roaring, he sheathed his sword, condensing boundless ice energy into a massive spear above his head, chilling the sky. It surged toward the Star-Plucking Hand.

Lan An's eyes flashed with golden flames. His other hand rose, Golden Crow Void Flame forming another massive hand, clawing at Lam Ji.

"How? Two Strange Fires?" The onlookers nearly lost their minds.

Even Ai Er, calm till now, gasped, covering her mouth.

The purple Star-Plucking Hand collided with the Ice Spear.

Boom

The explosion shattered space, the domineering Strange Fire turning it to a black void under Purple Heart Burning Void Flame's heat.

Lam Ji paled as the golden hand loomed.

"Black Sky!"

He roared, leaping onto a Black Sky Horse, its neigh echoing as it vanished with him.

Boom

The golden hand missed, striking the sea, evaporating a swath, the surface ablaze.

"Fast runner," Lan An sneered. The Black Sky Horse's wind attribute explained its speed.

"I must aid the Young Master," Lam Yan panicked, seeing Lam Ji overwhelmed. Facing Ji Ya's relentless palms, he shouted at An Ran, "Use full force!"

"Kekeke, on it," An Ran grinned ferociously, his form expanding into a dark cloud.

"Dark Sky-Covering Palm, Night Shadow Island's Heaven-grade technique!"

His body became a sky-shrouding cloud, dark energy forming a massive palm print, crushing toward Ji Ya's head.

"Ice Spear Sun-Breaker!" Lam Yan, unwilling to lag, mirrored Lam Ji's technique, a massive ice spear forming above, charging at Ji Ya.

An Li neared breaking the barrier.

"Lingering Wave Heaven-Imprisoning Hand!" Ji Ya remained poised, her hands forming seals. The towering Lingering Wave Fairy phantom appeared.

"Dual Hands – Shatter Mountains and Rivers!"

The phantom extended both arms, clashing with the incoming techniques.

Boom

Like four meteors colliding in space, the impact shattered the surroundings. Lam Yan and An Ran were blasted back, spewing blood.

Ji Ya stood serene, her phantom merely distorted, dominating both foes without falling behind.

Lan An's blood boiled at the sight. Seeing Lam Ji warily atop his Black Sky Horse, he sneered, "No more attacks, genius? Laughable!"

"You…" Lam Ji fumed, but before he could speak, Lan An vanished.

Using Charm Shadow Carefree Steps, Lan An raised both index fingers one wreathed in purple flame, the other in golden.

Crossing them, space dissolved as a murderous voice echoed, "Cross Heavenly Flame!"

The purple and golden flames erupted, forming a massive cross-shaped inferno spanning dozens of zhang, hurtling toward Lam Ji.

"This technique? How did you master it so fast?" Lam Ji roared, crazed.

Received at the festival mere days ago, Lan An wielded it already. "The Time Acceleration Array," Lam Ji deduced, but it deepened his disbelief. Thirty accelerated days to master a Heaven-grade technique? Absurd.

If he knew Lan An took only seven days, he'd die of shock.

Unheeding Lam Ji's thoughts, the Cross Heavenly Flame surged with killing intent.

"You won't be spared by the Lam Clan!" Lam Yan roared.

"Let me save him!" An Li, shattering the barrier, tore through space. Night Shadow Island, a secret Lam Clan ally, couldn't let him die.

Appearing before the Cross Heavenly Flame, An Li bellowed, "Dark Remnant Dragon!"

Facing the terrifying dual Strange Fires, he opened his mouth, a dark-energy dragon, dozens of zhang long, roaring forth, shattering space as it met the fiery cross.

Boom

The Cross Heavenly Flame exploded. Lan An staggered back hundreds of steps.

Roar

The dark dragon wailed, its head obliterated by the Heaven-grade technique, though An Li's Refining Void power endured.

The battle drew countless Sun Island experts, awestruck onlookers crying out, "How? A Peak Nascent Soul's attack damaged a Refining Void's technique?"

They felt they were dreaming. An Li trembled with rage.

"Humiliation… the greatest of my life!" he roared, locking onto Lan An with boundless killing intent.

Lan An clenched his fists, his white eyes blazing with exhilaration.

"Exactly… exhilaration!"

His arrogant voice shook the heavens, quickening countless hearts: "I want to see how strong Refining Void truly is!"