Chapter 84: Pursuit!

“Destruction Seal!”
“Demon Whip Stinger!”
“Wild Dragon Pierces the Heart!”

With thunderous shouts, three ferocious and extreme martial techniques attacked, crashing fiercely toward a single point within the glowing barrier!

At that moment, Leng Yuetian and Xu Shaoguang finally sensed something was amiss, but unfortunately, Yang Yan and his companions were too swift and decisive in their actions!

“Boom!”

A deafening explosion echoed through the air. The martial attacks of the three struck the same spot on the front of the barrier from three different angles, and the seemingly indestructible curtain, battered by such overwhelming force, finally gave way with a sharp crack, opening a hole.

“This is bad!”

Leng Yuetian’s expression changed dramatically. The ‘Soul-Burning Fire Array,’ though formidable, had one fatal flaw: if any part of the array was breached, the internal energy balance would collapse, causing the whole formation to unravel. There was no longer any hope of trapping Yang Yan and the others.

Indeed, the hole caused by their attack rapidly expanded, spreading to the other three sides of the barrier in the blink of an eye.

Soon, the crimson curtain of light surrounding Yang Yan and his companions vanished entirely, and the ‘Scarlet Refining Cauldron’ suspended in midair, as if losing its support, plummeted toward the ground where they stood.

“A high-grade spiritual artifact used for array formations—this is a treasure indeed!”

Such a precious item was beyond the reach of the Zhang family, and even within Azure Profound Sect, treasures of this caliber were not handed out like common vegetables.

With this thought, Yang Yan wasted no time. Pushing off the ground with the tip of his foot, he launched himself toward the falling ‘Scarlet Refining Cauldron.’

“You dare!”

Leng Yuetian, clearly realizing Yang Yan’s intent to seize the treasure, grew livid, and likewise sprang up from the ground. Emerald spiritual energy surged in his palms as he rushed toward Yang Yan in midair.

A sharp whistling sound split the air behind Yang Yan. Glancing back with the corner of his eye, he saw a beam of emerald spiritual energy, as thick as a finger, shooting toward him at breakneck speed.

“External spiritual power—so this man’s strength is at the fourth stage of the Spirit Perception Realm!”

Somewhat startled, Yang Yan had originally thought that reaching the third stage at such a young age was impressive enough, but after participating in the ‘Hundred Hunts Arena,’ he realized the truth: there are always greater talents beyond oneself. The younger generation of Jinzhou was far superior to those of tiny Jinhuan City, and he admitted he had been shortsighted.

Though shocked by Leng Yuetian’s display of power, Yang Yan did not slow his rush toward the ‘Scarlet Refining Cauldron’ nor attempt to fend off the incoming attack.

“Courting death!”

Leng Yuetian sneered. Attacks with external spiritual power were perilous even for cultivators at the fifth stage, and Yang Yan, merely at the third, would suffer grave injuries, even with defensive artifacts.

Yet in the next moment, Leng Yuetian’s smile froze. A golden beam of spiritual energy shot out from the side, colliding fiercely with his emerald attack. Two figures, male and female, appeared from nowhere, blocking his path entirely.

With Liu Zhenqing and Sun Zhixin’s timely intervention, Yang Yan successfully seized the ‘Scarlet Refining Cauldron.’

Upon grasping the cauldron, he found, contrary to expectation, a cool sensation rather than heat. The small vessel, barely larger than a palm, was astonishingly heavy, likely crafted from a metal of great density.

Wasting no time on inspection, Yang Yan swiftly stored the ‘Scarlet Refining Cauldron’ in his spatial pouch and scanned his surroundings, his gaze fixing on a particular spot.

There, a rather rotund figure was fleeing in panic.

“This time, old scores and new, we’ll settle them all!”

With a cold snort, Yang Yan pushed off the ground and shot toward the escaping figure.

The instant the ‘Soul-Burning Fire Array’ was breached, Xu Shaoguang realized the situation was lost. Leng Yuetian, with his fourth-stage power, might not fear Yang Yan, but Xu Shaoguang was no match. Moreover, his Xu family’s alliance with ‘Jade Sword Pavilion’ was built solely on mutual benefit; he knew better than to trust Leng Yuetian to risk his life for him. His only option was to flee.

As Xu Shaoguang raced away, he sensed the whooshing wind behind drawing ever nearer. Glancing back, his heart trembled and cold sweat broke out—Yang Yan was barely two or three yards away!

“Yang Yan, just wait! One day, our Xu family will raze your Zhang family to the ground—leaving not even a dog or chicken alive!”

With a vicious thought, Xu Shaoguang wasted no time and reached into his chest as he sped along.

He intended to crush his identification token and withdraw from the Azure Profound Sect’s disciple selection!

There was still time before the closure of the Hundred Hunts Arena. With his strength, he could never last until the end against Yang Yan, and if caught, he might not even have the luxury of dying. Survival is paramount, he reminded himself, and decisively chose to withdraw.

Just as his hand touched the token, a chilling cold surged behind him. In the next instant, a razor-sharp, icy attack struck his back.

“Thud!”

With a muffled crash, Xu Shaoguang’s body was hit hard, his bulky figure flying five or six meters before crashing to the ground.

He lay prone, battered, his back exposed where his clothing had been torn, revealing a section of silvery-white special armor.

“Ugh!”

He spat blood violently, his face twisted in disbelief as he stared at Yang Yan approaching step by step. “Impossible! You’re only at the third stage of the Spirit Perception Realm—how can you wield external spiritual power attacks? Cough, cough!”

Xu Shaoguang coughed up blood again, and a closer look would reveal faint blue ice shards mixed in, an ominous sign.

With a clang, Yang Yan drew his Moonshadow Frostblade from his waist pouch, its cold edge pointing directly at Xu Shaoguang.

Xu Shaoguang, sitting on the ground, scrambled backward, hands and feet flailing, as Yang Yan pressured him. Just as his hand brushed the ‘lifesaving straw,’ a flash of sword light slashed across his shoulder.

“Aaaaah!”

A piercing scream echoed through the forest—Xu Shaoguang’s right arm had been severed at the shoulder.