CHAPTER 572: FIVE HUNDRED SEVENTY-TWO, IT IS NOT POLITE TO RECEIVE WITHOUT GIVING IN RETURN!

Boom!

Just as Qi Heishan’s palm was about to strike down onto Ling Wan’s head, a tiny fiery-red claw suddenly extended from somewhere, followed by a powerful force that hit him, causing his entire body to shake violently, involuntarily retreating several steps.

Qi Heishan’s shock was absolutely no small matter. As soon as he steadied himself and looked up, he saw a fiery-red mouse the size of an adult’s palm sitting on little fatty Ling Wan’s shoulder; he had no idea when it had appeared.

"Is that the mouse-shaped Vein Demon belonging to Yun Xiao?!"

Qi Heishan indeed had an astonishing memory. Even though after the Countries Hidden Dragon Conference ended, the Fire Cloud Rat Chi Yan was immediately sent flying by Shen Xingmou’s slap, the events that followed were still vivid in his memory.

That was Yun Wei, who had driven away Shen Xingmou and subsequently helped several people and Vein Demons that were allies of Yun Xiao to breakthrough, including one Vein Demon that had advanced to the Seventh Rank, who at this moment was engaged in fierce battle with the Earth Rank strongman Ran Xing.

The other Vein Demon was the fiery-red mouse on Ling Wan’s shoulder, but Qi Heishan knew that this mouse had only just broken through to the Lower Sixth Rank; how was it that its strength almost overwhelmed him?

Qi Heishan didn’t know that this was a Fire Cloud Rat from the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud region, a rare and peculiar Vein Demon with incredible natural talent, not only possessing powerful Fire Attribute but also astonishing physical strength.

"Chi Yan, well done!"

Without concerning himself with Qi Heishan’s unsightly expression, Ling Wan excitedly shouted, causing Chi Yan to roll over proudly on his shoulder.

Just now Yun Xiao had gone to assist Liu Hanyi, fearing that the strongmen would make a move against the disciples of Jade Pot Sect here, so he left Chi Yan behind. In the end, it proved to be extremely effective.

Despite Chi Yan having just broken through to the Lower Sixth Rank, with its talent, even a Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage strongman like Qi Heishan was likely no match.

Over the past few years, Chi Yan had grown quite familiar with Ling Wan; the little fatty often got good things from his teacher for it to eat, so it naturally knew to return the favor with gratitude.

"Squeak!"

Chi Yan, who had rolled several times, let out an excited squeal, then leapt from Ling Wan’s shoulder and pounced fiercely toward Qi Heishan.

It’s worth mentioning that as it lunged at Qi Heishan, Chi Yan’s body continually grew larger, eventually reaching a length of about three meters, much more stout than Qi Heishan.

A Vein Demon that was just the size of an adult’s palm turned into such a huge creature in the blink of an eye; this visual impact left many disciples of the Jade Pot Sect dumbfounded, and also brought a sense of unease to Qi Heishan’s heart.

Chi Yan, however, didn’t have that many thoughts. With a fierce swipe of a claw, a scorching force surged towards Qi Heishan, who, despite being a strong practitioner from Qingshan Sect, dared not face it head-on.

It must be said that Qi Heishan had some skills to still dodge Chi Yan’s powerful strike at such speed, but it seemed that failing to land the hit had enraged Chi Yan.

Pfft!

Suddenly, Chi Yan turned its head, and from its mouse mouth, it spat out a tiny object the size of a rice grain, fiery-red in color, appearing to be an extremely small flame.

"Burning Flame?!"

Watching Chi Yan’s battle from not too far away, Yun Xiao’s eyes widened in utter disbelief when he saw this tiny flame, because this was something he had never contemplated before.

The Fire Cloud Rat was a rare species known as the Fiery Holy Rat in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, naturally possessing several powerful talents, such as the ability to freely change its size.

And the "Burning Flame" Yun Xiao mentioned was another talent of the Fiery Holy Rat. But wasn’t it said that this talent only began to show at the Earth Rank, and how could Chi Yan, merely at Early Sixth Rank, be spitting out Burning Flame?

The Earth Rank of Vein Demons refers to the Seventh to Ninth Rank, and only the Fire Cloud Rats of this Tier can borrow the Fire Attribute power from the earth and mutate their innate talents to produce the immensely powerful Burning Flame within their bodies.

However, having witnessed Chi Yan’s magic as it changed its size at the Fourth Rank, Yun Xiao quickly accepted seeing the Lower Sixth Rank Chi Yan spewing Burning Flame.

"What the hell is that?"

However, on the Hidden Dragon Continent, probably only an old soul-monster like Yun Xiao could recognize the Burning Flame. Everyone else looked puzzled, wondering whether such a tiny flame could pose a threat to Qi Heishan, a Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage practitioner?

As it turned out, though Chi Yan had not yet evolved into a true Fiery Holy Rat, the exclusive Burning Flame of the Fiery Holy Rat was not to be underestimated.

The rice grain-sized Burning Flame struck Qi Heishan’s chest with the swiftness of lightning, and soon after, his clothes at the chest burned up instantly.

The speed at which the Burning Flame burnt was incredibly fast. By the time Qi Heishan thought of responding, it was already too late. The moment the Burning Flame touched his skin, it would spread instantaneously, and there was no longer any hope of reversing it.

For such an extraordinary talent of the Fiery Holy Rat, Yun Xiao believed that even his own Lifebound Fire would probably not be its match. This was an innate gift that others could only envy but never obtain.

Back in the Nine-layered Dragon Cloud, even Emperor Canglong, who was regarded as peerlessly domineering, did not dare to easily provoke the Fiery Holy Rat clan. Although the clan had few strong members, once provoked, it would likely become endless trouble.

It was said that a Fiery Holy Rat that had reached the Holy Rank Third Realm could unleash Burning Flame so extensively that it could turn a city of a million people into molten lava in an instant, truly a fearsome and terrifying power.

At this moment, the Burning Flame unleashed by Chi Yan, though only a tiny dot, was enough to catch Qi Heishan, a mere cultivator at the Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage, off guard. How could he possibly withstand it?

"Ah!"

A scream rang out from Qi Heishan’s mouth, but it stopped abruptly halfway through. His entire figure had turned into a fire man and then was burnt to ashes.

Such a ghastly scene naturally caught the eye of the many warriors besieging the Luoyi Sect. Their faces revealed a trace of shock. That inconspicuous fiery-red rat was a bit too terrifying, wasn’t it?

Many looked down on Qi Heishan’s end. This fellow, a Spirit Vein Realm Middle Stage powerhouse, actually bullied a group of young disciples from Meridian Rushing Realm and even Meridian Union Realm. He simply didn’t deserve any sympathy.

However, with Chi Yan’s overwhelming presence, the Family Heads of the three major families grew even more intense. They suddenly realized that they could not delay any longer. If they allowed the Jade Pot Sect’s strong members to regain their strength, today’s plan might indeed fall through.

The pressure on the Luoyi Sect increased significantly as the powerful figures from several major forces exerted more effort. They were already at a disadvantage, and now it was even more difficult to cope. They didn’t know when they would be breached by the enemy, who would then brutally slaughter the Jade Pot Sect’s powerful members.

"Hmph, it’s only right to return the favor!"

Just as the Luoyi Sect was about to falter, a cold shout suddenly came from somewhere. Immediately after, everyone saw a figure clad in coarse clothes swooping down like a giant bird from the sky toward a specific location.

"Li Yue, be careful!"

Qingshan Sect Sect Master Li Feng, who was in a fervent battle with Luoyi Sect Leader Jia Yi, caught sight of Yun Xiao’s move and his face changed abruptly, shouting a warning.

Following Li Feng’s shout, everyone saw clearly that Yun Xiao was pouncing toward the location where Li Yue, the top young talent of Qingshan Sect, was.

"Heh, old man, isn’t this retribution coming quite swiftly?"

Hearing the urgency in Li Feng’s voice, Jia Yi felt immensely pleased. It was this old monster who had prevented her from rescuing Liu Hanyi just now. Now the situation was about to turn around.

Jia Yi could clearly feel the increase in strength from Li Feng’s hands, probably wanting to get rid of her quickly to save Li Yue. But how could she possibly let him succeed at this moment?

Li Feng was truly anxious. Others might not know Yun Xiao, but he, who had witnessed the entire Countries Hidden Dragon Conference, how could he not understand?

That was someone who had defeated Xuan Jiuding at the Peak of Meridian Union Realm and even slain the Strange Spirit Golden Blade Jin Wuli with a single sword slash. How could his own disciple at the Late Stage of Meridian Union Realm possibly be a match for him?

Moreover, Li Feng knew that the current Yun Xiao was many times more powerful than he was at the Hidden Dragon Conference. Didn’t they see that earlier, the Spirit Vein Realm Early Stage cultivator Yan Shi was kicked and disabled by him in one move?

"Despicable woman, get out of my way!"

Li Feng, who failed to break through several times, began to speak more rashly. But the more anxious he became, the more comfortable Jia Yi felt, although her actions did not relax in the slightest.

On the other side, Yun Xiao, who leaped out, didn’t care about Li Feng’s roar of fury. Since those from Qingshan Sect had no scruples about attacking the young disciples of Jade Pot Sect as Spirit Vein Realm cultivators, he had no reason not to pay them back in kind.

"Teacher, save me!"

Feeling the massive aura and the extreme intent to kill from Yun Xiao, Li Yue was so terrified that his soul flew out of his body. Now he didn’t even have the courage to confront Yun Xiao.

Pfft!

Towards the top talent of Qingshan Sect, who was scared out of his wits, Yun Xiao had no hint of mercy in his heart. With a soft sound, Li Yue’s head had been smashed open by Yun Xiao’s palm.

Li Yue’s eyes were filled with unwillingness. At this moment, perhaps he had some regrets, regretting that he had provoked Yun Xiao during the King’s birthday feast, regretting leading a team to seek a match with the disciples of Jade Pot Sect, and regretting causing trouble to Yun Xiao in the Demon Realm.

But all of this would only become fleeting clouds. In the end, the life in Li Yue’s eyes finally vanished, his limp body fell to the ground. A once-in-a-generation talent couldn’t even take one strike from Yun Xiao, truly a pitiful and lamentable end.

Yun Xiao, who had crushed Li Yue’s head with a palm, acted as if he had done something trivial. His sights were no longer on these younger generations. He now had the capital to contend with the true powerhouses of the Hidden Dragon Continent.