Chapter 244: Clash of Thunder and Wind

"No wonder she's a Late Void Refinement expert at such a young age…"

Lan An smiled wryly to himself. A Lian Ya, ranked 15th on the Golden Ranking, was a formidable foe. Without unleashing all his trump cards, he had little confidence in victory.

"She's a seasoned powerhouse, while I'm just a Late Spirit Transformation cultivator. Isn't this a bit unfair?" Lan An asked, gazing at A Lian Ya's stunning face.

A Lian Ya laughed, one hand on her hip, the other pointing her longsword at him with a charming smirk. "Haha, who in the Sea Continent doesn't know you're a monstrous genius? Defeating Chen Jue to a mere breath at Late Spirit Transformation and clashing with Elder Hai He of the Sea Palace? Are you asking a woman like me to suppress her cultivation?"

Lan An sighed helplessly. Fame could be a burden. With a thought, the Night Brilliance Battle Armor cloaked his body in inky darkness, the Dragon King Spear appeared in his hand, and the Blood Iron Battle Boots encased his feet. His combat state was fully unleashed, his aura shifting to that of a battle-hardened general, ready to slay all in his path.

"Intriguing…" A Lian Ya's eyes gleamed, her Green Wind Blade trembling, clearly roused by the Dragon King Spear's battle intent. Her weapon, a Low Spirit-Grade artifact, pulsed with Wind Spiritual Power.

Atop a colossal tree piercing the heavens, the Elf Queen sat regally on a Phoenix Throne crafted from rare wood, her presence unmatched. Behind her veil, starry eyes watched Lan An face A Lian Ya with keen interest.

Beside her, Ya'er clapped excitedly, her large eyes sparkling with both joy and worry. "Mother, can Brother Lan An defeat Sister Lian Ya?" she asked, her voice tender.

The Elf Queen didn't reply, instead glancing at the stunning figures below, her voice calm. "What do my esteemed subjects think of this battle?"

Those addressed were high-ranking Elves, each a powerhouse, the weakest at Late Void Refinement. A golden-haired Elven matron, her figure graceful and eyes sharp, studied A Lian Ya and Lan An before speaking warmly. "Lan An's talent is monstrous, but his cultivation time is short. He can't compare to our Elf Clan's top genius."

This was the Elven Queendom's Prime Minister, an Early Body Integration expert with unparalleled insight. Her words drew nods from many, including another general who smiled. "The Prime Minister is right. Even I'm not confident against General Lian Ya. This youth, though impressive, falls short."

"We shall see. I wager he's no less than Lian Ya," the Elf Queen said lightly, a faint ripple of emotion in her eyes unnoticed by others. She recalled meeting Lan An as a mere Peak Nascent Soul youth. In a short time, he'd reached Late Spirit Transformation—a breakthrough speed beyond monstrous.

Others assumed his base cultivation was Late Spirit Transformation, but she believed he'd transformed profoundly, beyond mortal perception. The Elves exchanged glances, puzzled by her high regard for him but不敢 voicing dissent.

"Make your move!" A Lian Ya said with a carefree smile, her elven guards tactfully retreating to a safe distance.

"I don't strike women first, especially unnamed ones. You go," Lan An replied, smirking, gripping the Dragon King Spear tightly.

"Then I won't hold back!" A Lian Ya declared boldly, her footwork light as a dance. The Green Wind Blade slashed toward Lan An's head, Wind Spiritual Power surging, shredding space with destructive gales.

Lan An's expression grew serious. Purple Strange Flame enveloped the Dragon King Spear, roaring as he met her blade head-on. Boom! His body was forced back hundreds of miles, his hands numb. In this initial clash, he was thoroughly suppressed.

He eyed A Lian Ya warily as she charged gracefully. "Heavenly Emperor Transformation – Unrivaled Under Heaven!" His golden hair fluttered, an imperious aura erupting, like a Heavenly Emperor commanding reverence. The Elves felt a heavy pressure, a trace of fear stirring within.

Facing him, A Lian Ya's face shifted, sensing her combat strength dip slightly—a bizarre effect. Lan An seemed untouchable, a sovereign not to be challenged.

"Clever trick, but not enough!" she muttered, her blade surging with mountain-crushing force. "One Blade Beheads the General!" The strike warped space, a black streak splitting the sky, its might capable of felling an enemy commander.

"Sweeping Thousand Armies!" Lan An countered gravely, the Dragon King Spear sweeping horizontally to block. But A Lian Ya's power exceeded his expectations. Her Wind Spiritual Power scattered his Strange Flame, her Late Void Refinement cultivation overwhelming his single flame.

Clang! Their weapons clashed again, Lan An pushed back, his hands numbed. The Dragon King Spear roared in frustration, urging its master to unleash all his might to humble this arrogant woman.

"Go all out!" A Lian Ya shouted, sensing his restraint, her own full strength still untapped. With a thought, Wood Spiritual Power coalesced into tough vines, racing to bind Lan An.

"Blade Wind Shadow!" Her figure vanished, reappearing as her blade split into countless afterimages, slashing at Lan An's shoulder. Focusing intensely, Lan An's Piercing Weakness Sight scanned her attack. As vines neared, the Golden Crow Body Protection flared, its blazing claws incinerating them.

"Golden Crow False Flame—you're tied to her," A Lian Ya noted, a spark of interest in her eyes.

"Spear Shaking Nine Heavens!" Lan An ignored her words, his face stern. The Dragon King Spear vibrated, infused with Black and Purple Thunder, thrusting with force to shake the heavens.

Boom! A Lian Ya was pushed back, her delicate hands trembling, shock and disbelief in her eyes. Her Blade Wind Shadow hid profound mysteries, its countless afterimages masking the true strike. Yet Lan An's spear hit her blade directly—how could she not be stunned?

Her interest in him deepened, noting the crescent glow in his eyes. "That eye technique? Impressive…" she murmured.

Lan An seized the moment, Star-Piercing Finger condensing at his fingertips, three rapid strikes piercing space, each fueled by two Strange Flames, swift as meteors. But A Lian Ya's next move shocked him. Translucent wings sprouted behind her, fluttering lightly.

Whoosh! She vanished, dodging all three strikes, reappearing behind him, her blade slashing down. "How? She has Flash Step too?" Lan An thought, alarmed, sensing the terrifying strike. His body vanished—Flash Step activated.

A Lian Ya wasn't surprised, having studied his battles via Video Recording Jade. Wind Spiritual Power swirled at her feet, her wings fluttering, she vanished again. "It's like Flash Step!" Lan An realized, sensing her behind him. He spun, sweeping his spear.

Clang! He skidded back, the Night Brilliance Armor absorbing the blow, but her relentless pressure frustrated him. His Flash Step advantage was nullified against her.

"Her ability is 'Instant Shift,' akin to Flash Step. Using wind and her wings, she maximizes speed to vanish and reappear nearby. With abundant Wind Elements here, it costs her little," Jin'er explained seriously.

"Instant Shift, huh?" Lan An grinned, his battle lust surging. As A Lian Ya charged again, he shifted from defense to offense, Flash Step engaging. Appearing beside her, her scent filled his senses. Laughing, he raised a hand.

A massive thunderous palm formed—Star-Plucking Hand—aiming for her shapely rear. "You rogue!" A Lian Ya snapped, realizing his target. Though the palm's might seemed crushing to onlookers, she knew he aimed to spank her.

Furious, she grew serious, raising her blade skyward. "Wind Blade Heaven-Splitting Slash!" Countless Wind Elements surged, curling around the crescent blade, forming a terrifying wind blade that tore space and sky apart—a strike worthy of its name.

The elven guards watched their general's heroic stance in awe, worthy of the Elf Clan's top young genius. They'd retreated far to avoid the battle's fallout.

"Here we go!" A Lian Ya laughed boldly, her Wind Blade Heaven-Splitting Slash cleaving toward the Star-Plucking Hand. Boom! Space shattered, a black rift splitting the sky. The windstorm ravaged the thunder, slicing the palm in two.

Undeterred, the blade's destructive force targeted Lan An. "Wind's speed and sharpness are not to be underestimated," he muttered gravely. Unlike Liu Shi Qin's eerie, corrosive wind, A Lian Ya's was pure, sharp, and swift, her greatest strength.

With no time to dodge, he set the Dragon King Spear aside, condensing Cross Heaven Fire. Flames scorched the sky, meeting the wind blade. Logically, wind fuels fire, but her blade's power extinguished his flames, though its force weakened. It grazed the Night Brilliance Armor, leaving a faint scratch.

Lan An was pushed back again, frustration mounting. "My turn!" he declared, Flash Step activating, thunder flashing in his eyes. Purple and Black Thunder gathered at his fist, forming a devastating thunderous punch—Starburst Fist—aimed at the beauty.

Space shattered, air exploded, the punch capable of bursting a star. A Lian Ya's eyes blazed with excitement, her blade floating aside. Stepping back, she lowered her stance, her delicate hand clenching.

In that moment, the distant forests and windmills of Elf Island resonated. Endless Wood and Wind Elements surged, forming twin orbs of power in her fists. "Elven Battle Fist!" The sky darkened, her heroic figure dominating the world.

The Elf Clan's famed fist art, amplified by nature's forces, showcased their harmony with the environment. Lan An's expression shifted, sensing his Starburst Fist couldn't match her terrifying technique.

"Time to use it…" he grinned. Deep in his eyes, flame and thunder merged. His fist, once thunder-only, now blazed with two Strange Flames, fused with two Thunders in supreme arrogance.

A world-destroying force erupted. "Thunder Flame Mysterious Art?" A Lian Ya gasped, her lush lips trembling, stunned by his trump card.

His time on Dwarf Island wasn't just for leisure. The Thunder Flame Mysterious Art, long memorized but unpracticed, became his focus after his loss to Hai He. With monstrous comprehension and the Acceleration Array Disk, mastering it was swift, especially since Spirit Fusion Palm shared similarities, which he'd already perfected.

Thunder and flame fused at his fist, striking toward A Lian Ya. "Fight!" she roared proudly, meeting him head-on, her Elven Battle Fist unleashed.

In that instant, the heavens dimmed…