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The Fire Phoenix soared, its majestic cry shaking the heavens, its searing heat radiating terror. Gu Dun Di and Xue You's faces grew grave.
"Strange Fire, just as the three Holy Sons claimed!" Xue You's eyes gleamed. Blood Spirit Sect's Sect Master coveted this Strange Fire, ordering the Four Protectors to seize it at all costs.
"Another Strange Fire? Who is this man?" Gu Dun Di's expression darkened. The heat intensified the agony of his severed arm, unhealable due to the Purple Wood Sword's lingering effect. He struggled to fathom a cultivator wielding such heaven-defying treasures, fearing a powerful backing. Yet, glancing at Xue You, he relaxed—if things went awry, he'd pin the blame on Blood Spirit Sect.
"Brat, your talent and treasures are remarkable, but your cultivation's lacking. Today, your death is certain," Xue You said calmly.
"Go!" Lan An wasted no words. With a thought, he infused soul energy into the Fire Phoenix.
SCREECH!
The Fire Phoenix surged to life, its massive wings flapping, charging Xue You. Lan An turned to face Gu Dun Di.
"Fool! Strange Fire isn't invincible," Xue You sneered. A Blood Pearl, larger than the one used by Blood Spirit Trio's leader, appeared in his hand. Under his control, it hovered, spewing torrents of blood to block the Fire Phoenix.
Sizzle! Sizzle!
The Strange Fire incinerated the blood, but the Blood Pearl's reserves were vast, stalling the phoenix's advance.
SCREECH!
Enraged, the Fire Phoenix roared. The Blazing Star Cauldron thrummed, channeling more Fire spiritual energy into it. Flames engulfed the sky, burning the blood faster.
"Defeating three Holy Sons, indeed no simple feat," Xue You sneered, shouting, "Great Blood Body!"
He swallowed the Blood Pearl's blood, his body swelling grotesquely. His eyes turned crimson, muscles bulged, shredding his robes. Towering nearly as large as the Earth Bear, blood aura cloaked him like a Blood God. The Great Blood Body, a Lower Heaven-Grade art of Blood Spirit Sect, was reserved for core disciples.
As the Fire Phoenix closed in, Xue You laughed arrogantly, striding through a blood river, punching its wing.
SCREECH!
The clash shattered the phoenix's fiery wing, but Xue You's blood-forged arm lost half its mass. Both were evenly matched.
The Blazing Star Cauldron spun, restoring the Fire Phoenix. The Blood Pearl replenished Xue You's arm. Worthy of an Eighth-Grade sect's Protector, trained through brutal selection, Xue You far surpassed Gu Zheng's Early-Stage Spirit Transformation strength, capable of fighting above his realm.
"My Strange Fire's not strong enough yet," Lan An muttered, watching the stalemate.
"As I said, a fully matured Strange Fire daunts even Void Refinement experts. Your Purple Heart Void-Burning Flame is still in its infancy," Jin Ni remarked.
Lan An nodded. "But holding Xue You is enough. First, I'll slaughter this old dog."
Gu Dun Di fumed, Lan An's repeated "old dog" taunts pushing him past endurance. "Cloud-Splitting Slash!"
Lan An dodged with Speed Shift. "Just running? Little rat, what can you do?" Gu Dun Di sneered.
ROAR!
Ignoring him, Lan An summoned the Earth Bear, infused with soul energy. It charged Gu Dun Di, fists swinging.
"Trouble!" Gu Dun Di cursed. If tangled with the bear, Lan An's archery would spell doom. "Fellow Daoist, lend a hand!" Xue You, locked with the Fire Phoenix, grinned, producing a coffin from his storage ring. It opened, revealing a gaunt figure with crimson eyes and pallid skin.
"Blood Slaughter Corpse?" Lan An muttered, surprised by Xue You's arsenal.
The corpse leaped, pummeling the Earth Bear. The bear fought back, regenerating via the Earth Spirit Cauldron, forcing the corpse to retreat. The battlefield raged fiercely.
Lan An frowned. Blood Spirit Sect's tricks were vexing. He vowed to eradicate them if given the chance. Though an Eighth-Grade sect, their infamy allowed other powers to turn a blind eye to their atrocities.
"Khaha, little beast, let's fight!" Emboldened by Xue You's prowess, Gu Dun Di rode Wind Rider Leap, closing on Lan An.
Lan An remained calm, his white robe billowing. Phantom Charm Wander Step and Earth Battle Boots rendered him a ghostly blur, outpacing Wind Rider Leap. He refused close combat with a Late-Stage Spirit Transformation swordmaster. But this stalemate wouldn't do—Mother Earth's Funeral and Great Flood Kick couldn't harm Gu Dun Di directly.
His eyes flickered, analyzing. Xue You's resistance hinged on the Blood Pearl. Destroy it, and victory was assured.
Acting swiftly, Lan An raised his arms, hands overlapping, fingers spread and curved. In his dantian, the Blazing Star Cauldron, Mysterious Water Cauldron, and Earth Spirit Cauldron roared, channeling Fire, Water, and Earth energies to his hands.
Gu Dun Di sensed danger. "Whatever he's planning, stop him!" He accelerated, slashing at Lan An.
Whoosh.
Lan An dodged with Speed Shift, hands unmoving. Between his palms, Fire, Water, and Earth energies swirled, gradually merging.
"You're insane!" Gu Dun Di's eyes bulged, roaring, "Madman, utterly mad!"
Fusing disparate spiritual energies was lunacy. Attributes clashed, their interplay of creation and destruction making fusion a suicidal act. Only the Evil Emperor had mastered dual fusion, creating the Thunder-Fire Mysterious Art, a Supreme Earth-Grade technique whose power rivaled some Heaven-Grade arts. Its extreme difficulty and risk limited its rank, and since his death, none dared attempt fusion.
Now, Gu Dun Di witnessed a madman fusing three energies—Fire, Water, Earth—mutually conflicting, unlike the Evil Emperor's compatible Fire and Thunder. Terrified, he sought escape, cursing, "Die alone, don't drag me down!"
Xue You, noticing, felt his hair stand. "Stop him! He hasn't succeeded! Don't flee, or Blood Spirit Sect won't spare you!" he bellowed.
Gu Dun Di gritted his teeth, resuming his pursuit.
Whoosh.
Lan An dodged again, sweat beading his brow. The Heaven-Grade Spirit Fusion Palm, summoned previously, was unfamiliar, requiring time to master tri-energy fusion. Between his palms, the energies compressed into a bean-sized orb, three colors blending.
"Not enough!" Lan An clenched his jaw, the cauldrons fueling the orb's growth.
"Damn it, stop this lunatic!" Gu Dun Di sweated, the orb's growing power distorting space, terrifying him.
"Stop! It'll explode, you fool!" Xue You cursed, baffled by his opponent's recklessness.
Lan An ignored them, channeling all his energy. The fist-sized orb pulsed. He drew his hands to his side, crouching slightly, chanting, "Ka Mê Ka Mê Ka Mê!"
The orb swelled, space trembling violently.
"No, escape!" Gu Dun Di abandoned all else, fleeing with Wind Rider Leap.
"Useless!" Xue You cursed, attempting retreat. The Blood Pearl surged, trying to repel the Fire Phoenix, but the Strange Fire held firm.
Behind his mask, Lan An eyed Gu Dun Di's retreat, feigning pursuit, hands still forming the orb. Xue You exhaled, relieved the attack wasn't aimed at him.
But Lan An whirled, roaring, "Spirit Fusion Palm!"
His hands thrust forward, unleashing a cataclysmic wave of fused energy, a destructive beam of Fire, Water, and Earth.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The beam's explosive fusion defied reason, shattering space in its path, painting the sky in three vibrant hues.
"What the hell?!" Xue You's soul nearly fled, too late to dodge. "Blood Shield Guard!" The Blood Pearl formed a massive shield of blood.
But the beam ignored him, targeting the Blood Pearl.
"No!" Xue You's eyes cracked with despair. The Blood Pearl was every Blood Spirit Sect cultivator's lifebound artifact.
Too late.
CRACK!
The Supreme Earth-Grade Blood Pearl shattered like paper.
PUFF! PUFF! PUFF!
Xue You spewed three mouthfuls of blood, his Great Blood Body collapsing, his energy drained.
SCREECH!
The Fire Phoenix roared, engulfing Xue You in flames. Before countless hidden onlookers, a Blood Spirit Sect Protector fell.
The Blood Slaughter Corpse, leaderless, stood inert. Lan An stored it in the Black Skull Ring—a Fifth-Turn Body Cultivation equivalent, a fine trophy.
Silence gripped the sky. No one dared breathe. Spirit Transformation onlookers gazed in awe at the figure in the White Horse Battle Robe, his Proud Smile Mask grinning eerily.
Soon, this image would spread across the continent: slaying an Early-Stage Spirit Transformation, routing a Late-Stage, fusing three energies with a terrifying art. Had this occurred centuries ago, Lan An would've topped the Golden Era Ranking. Now, dominated by Void Refinement experts, he'd missed his era. Many sighed in regret.
Unfazed by their thoughts, Lan An marveled at his own power. A jagged scar of shattered space lingered before him.
"Spirit Fusion Palm, a Supreme Heaven-Grade art by the Five Elements Emperor, truly terrifying," he murmured. Turning to Gu Dun Di's fleeing figure, he pursued.