Chapter 1573: Chapter 1573: Spiritual Fire vs. Spiritual Fire

“Fang Bai, we meet again!”

Zhang Yang halted, suspended in the air, standing several dozen feet away from Fang Bai at the mountain peak. He asked expressionlessly, “It seems like you deliberately lured us here?”

Fang Bai praised, “You’re really smart!”

A trace of annoyance appeared on Zhang Yang’s face. He snorted lightly, “What’s your intention in leading us here?”

Fang Bai responded with another question, “And what was your intention in chasing me here?”

At this point, Zhang Yang no longer hid his intentions. With a sinister grin, he said, “I’m interested in the spiritual fire within you. Offer it to me and I might spare your life!”

Fang Bai mocked, “Would you really spare me? Do you dare to swear to the heavens?”

Seeing Zhang Yang unable to reply, Fang Bai sneered, “You don’t dare to swear because you never intended to spare me!”

He paused, lifted his eyebrows, and smiled, “But the Nether Spirit Fire within you seems nice. Why don’t you offer it to me? If you do, I’ll spare your life. I dare to swear to the heavens!”

Zhang Yang was taken aback, “How did you know about the Nether Spirit Fire?”

Years ago, Zhang Yang stumbled upon a fortuitous encounter in a secret realm and discovered the Nether Spirit Fire. After much hardship, he barely managed to subdue and control it. He thought he was the only one in the world who knew of the Nether Spirit Fire, never expecting Fang Bai to mention it so easily. How could this not shock Zhang Yang?

On the contrary, Zhang Yang didn’t know what spiritual fire was within Fang Bai, leaving him extremely frustrated and secretly raising his guard.

Since Fang Bai knew about the spiritual fire within him, he would have some understanding of it. In the upcoming battle, Zhang Yang needed to be twice as cautious to avoid an unexpected defeat.

Fang Bai laughed indifferently, “Not only do I know the spiritual fire within you is the Nether Spirit Fire, but I also know you haven’t fully subdued and controlled it. A single mistake could cause it to backfire. Am I right?”

“You’re spouting nonsense! I control the Nether Spirit Fire at will, as easily as moving a limb. It’s more than enough to deal with you!”

Having his weakness pinpointed by Fang Bai, Zhang Yang was even more startled, but he stubbornly refused to admit it aloud, remaining incredibly defiant.

Fang Bai stated, “Whether I’m talking nonsense, you know it better than anyone! Now, let’s have a true battle, spirit fire against spirit fire!”

He then addressed the four Golden Core mid-stage experts behind Zhang Yang, “Are you going to be Zhang Yang’s accomplices, or will you leave now? Here’s a piece of advice: if you want to live, leave now!”

The four Golden Core mid-stage experts hadn’t yet expressed their stance when Zhang Yang loudly declared, “My four brothers here have an eye on your Blood-Drinking Mad Blade and your many secrets. Do you think they’ll let you go? Fang Bai, in today’s battle, it’s five against one. You’re bound to lose!”

Indeed, those four Golden Core mid-stage experts had such thoughts. Once Zhang Yang mentioned it, they voiced their agreement, their figures flickering as they surrounded Fang Bai atop the mountain peak, eyes gleaming viciously, unleashing the intimidation of martial artists as they slowly closed in on Fang Bai.

“Fang Bai, bring your life forth!”

Zhang Yang shouted, and suddenly, in the palm of his left hand, appeared a cluster of dim yet powerfully condensed flames.

With this move, Zhang Yang deployed the Nether Spirit Fire, assuming the posture for the strongest attack.

The location not far from the Flower Pavilion, Zhang Yang was worried that the disciples of the Flower Pavilion might notice. If a high-ranking member from the Flower Pavilion arrived to save Fang Bai, everything would be ruined.

Thus, Zhang Yang decided to go for a swift fight, aiming to resolve Fang Bai as quickly as possible.

Once the Nether Spirit Fire appeared, the temperature within several dozen feet soared instantly. The four Golden Core mid-stage experts that came with Zhang Yang seemed as though they were in a sea of fire, the heat waves scorching them, forcing them to circulate their cultivation techniques to summon qi shields around themselves to fend off the invading heat waves.

With a “snap,” Fang Bai snapped his fingers with his left hand, and at the tip of his left thumb, an orange flame emerged.

Except for the color difference, the flame at Fang Bai’s fingertip was similar in both shape and size to the Nether Spirit Fire.

Red Silkworm Spirit Fire!

One of the spiritual fires Fang Bai had subdued, its power rivaling that of the Nether Spirit Fire.

Once the Red Silkworm Spirit Fire appeared, even with the protection of spiritual energy, the four Golden Core mid-stage experts accompanying Zhang Yang couldn’t remain in place and had to rapidly retreat, or else they risked being engulfed by the heat waves, leading to injuries.

“What… what kind of spiritual fire is that?”

Seeing the orange spiritual fire at Fang Bai’s fingertip and sensing the powerful energy contained within, a fanatic greed appeared in Zhang Yang’s eyes, as if he couldn’t wait to pounce and claim the spiritual fire for himself.

“This spiritual fire of mine is called the Red Silkworm Spirit Fire! How does it compare to yours?”

Fang Bai critically examined the Red Silkworm Spirit Fire in his hand, then looked at the Nether Spirit Fire in Zhang Yang’s palm, carefully comparing the two.

This time, the comparison results pleased Fang Bai even more.

Fang Bai realized that if the Nether Spirit Fire’s full power was unleashed, its power would outmatch the Red Silkworm Spirit Fire under the same conditions. Unfortunately, it had remained in Zhang Yang’s hands, considered a hidden gem left concealed and scorned.

“I must claim the Nether Spirit Fire!”

Fang Bai thought to himself.

Two mighty individuals with spiritual fires inside each clutched their fist while holding their respective fires, then punched out, causing two large fists, imbued with spiritual energy, to collide fiercely in the air.

“Boom!”

With a loud explosion, heat waves swept across in all directions, blowing Zhang Yang and Fang Bai’s hair and clothes wildly.

Meanwhile, the four Golden Core mid-stage experts watching were directly thrown off by the scorching shockwaves dispersing wildly. If they hadn’t retreated quickly enough, and shielded themselves with spiritual energy, they would have suffered severe injuries.

After a prior clash, both sides had some understanding of each other’s strength, so neither left anything in reserve during this first collision.

However, Zhang Yang knew that Fang Bai post-advancement was far stronger than himself. He was prepared for being repelled, intending to join forces with the four experts he brought to wear Fang Bai down as much as possible, consuming his divine sense and spiritual energy until he was overwhelmed and defeated.

Yet Zhang Yang never imagined that Fang Bai, even before advancing, had the power to kill him in one strike, let alone after the advancement.

With one punch, Fang Bai unleashed the power of an initial-stage Nascent Soul expert. Combined with the Red Silkworm Spirit Fire, its power was close to that of a mid-stage Nascent Soul expert’s. Zhang Yang, only bearing the cultivation level of a Golden Core mid-stage expert, couldn’t withstand this blow even with the aid of the Nether Spirit Fire.

Zhang Yang groaned as his body, like a stringless kite, plummeted from the sky to the ground, creating a large pit several yards across upon impact, unable to emerge from it for a while, obviously heavily injured.

Fang Bai’s strike left a significant impact on the four Golden Core mid-stage experts accompanying Zhang Yang. Realizing the situation was not favorable, they immediately commandeered their spiritual artifacts, transforming into four streaks of rainbow light, fleeing into the distance.