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With the Heavenly Emperor Transformation unleashed, Lan An stood like an untouchable emperor, scorning the heavens. Though masked, his aura shifted dramatically, commanding the battlefield with an unshakable presence. His mere stillness stirred the winds, daring anyone to challenge him.
The two Sixth-Order beasts, Elder Third Hou and Lang Cang, showed flickers of unease. This overwhelming aura pressed upon them, as if facing a supreme Heavenly Emperor, not a youth under twenty. Against this Emperor, their combat strength dipped by a fraction.
While the Proud Laughter Mask hid Lan An's face from those below Void Refining, the Sixth-Order beasts, equivalent to Void Refining cultivators, saw his youthful, ferocious visage burning with intent to slaughter them.
"Too uncanny! Kill him now!" Elder Third Hou growled to Lang Cang, his muscled arm forming a fist, striking at Lan An from afar.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
Spirit Energy tore through the air, explosions rippling as a Sixth-Order beast's punch surged forward.
"Die!" Lan An's silver eyes blazed red, fearless and frenzied, meeting the earth-shaking fist with raw defiance.
"Wood Form Fist!"
Devouring Heaven Wood fueled his fists, twin ancient trees manifesting, countering the incoming strike.
"Ugh!"
The collision forced Lan An back nearly a hundred steps, blood trickling from his lips, hands numb. Elder Third Hou, caught off guard, staggered back a few steps.
"How?!" Hu Yu Yan gasped, hand covering her mouth. A Nascent Soul cultivator withstanding a Sixth-Order beast's strike and pushing Elder Third Hou back was unthinkable, as even Spirit Transformation humans would crumble.
"Strange!" Lang Cang's eyes widened. Though Elder Third Hou's strike was casual, it could've killed or crippled Lang Keo or the Monkey twins, yet this youth endured.
Unbeknownst to them, Lan An's Alien Wood absorbed part of the attack's force, and the Heavenly Emperor Transformation Peerless Under Heaven was terrifyingly potent.
A cultivator's full strength is rarely unleashed in battle due to external factors or mental state. A lone warrior with nothing to lose can fight with reckless abandon, achieving 100% potential, facing only victory or death. But one with loved ones to protect fights cautiously, reserving strength for survival, leading to hesitation, weakened resolve, and fatal errors.
The Heavenly Emperor Transformation stripped Lan An of such burdens. His mind burned with one purpose: fight relentlessly, to the bone, unleashing his full power without restraint. Even in death, he'd remain defiantly unmatched, wielding every ounce of strength. Additionally, Peerless Under Heaven imposed an invisible pressure on foes, sapping their combat ability.
In essence, it maximized his performance while diminishing his opponents'. The cost was immense Spirit Energy consumption ordinary cultivators could sustain it for less than a minute. But Lan An's Four Cauldrons negated this limit, allowing indefinite use.
Yet, his foes' cultivation vastly outstripped his, and he faced two.
ROAR BOOM SCREECH
Unleashing everything, the Wood Turtle, Earth Bear, and Fire Phoenix materialized, roaring behind him like sacred beasts defending their master. Infused with Soul Power, they acted autonomously.
"Struggling in vain!" Lang Cang sneered, dismissing Lan An as a mere ant.
Elder Third Hou, out of patience, raised his arm. A blazing orb of Beast Fire, rivaling the Yan Clan's Blazing Fire, formed, its heat warping space, cracks appearing under his Void Refining might.
"Die!"
Cold and merciless, he hurled the Beast Fire orb at Lan An, its speed piercing space, laden with killing intent.
BOOM
The Fire Phoenix roared defiantly, intercepting with its flaming wings, attempting to devour the orb.
"Explode!" Elder Third Hou sneered.
BOOM
SCREECH
The orb detonated, Void Refining energy scattering, obliterating half the Fire Phoenix's body the first time it faltered against fire. Though Alien Fire outclassed Beast Fire, the latter's wielder was Sixth-Order, and Purple Heart Burning Void Flame was immature. Surviving was already remarkable.
The Blazing Heart Cauldron hummed, restoring the Fire Phoenix.
"Catch the king to win!" Lang Cang grinned, tearing space, appearing behind Lan An, claws slashing.
ROAR
The Earth Bear, guarding Lan An's rear, swung its massive fists at the claws.
"Ant challenging a chariot!" Lang Cang scoffed, slashing.
CRACK
The Earth Bear's fists shattered, disintegrating before Lang Cang's Sixth-Order Mid-Stage might. His claws continued, aiming to pierce Lan An.
"Harmony Palm!"
Facing the claws, Lan An roared, a tri-colored orb forming instantly, striking without hesitation.
"Oh? Faster formation? Still an ant! Earth Wolf Claw!" Lang Cang sneered, Earth Spirit Energy coating his claws, slicing space as they met the Harmony Palm.
SLASH
The palm pierced through, but Lang Cang's claws split its tri-colored energy into three, scattering them. One fragment struck Lang Cang, drawing blood.
"You little beast! I'll kill you!" he roared, Void Refining energy sealing the wound, but his fury surged. A junior wounding him was an unbearable humiliation.
Unbeknownst to him, the Heavenly Emperor Transformation's pressure had dulled his edge, enabling Lan An's strike.
"Brother Lang, don't forget me!" Elder Third Hou cackled, appearing beside Lan An.
The Wood Turtle lay crushed beneath his foot, suppressed rather than destroyed a testament to Sixth-Order might.
BOOM
The Wood Turtle roared, but Elder Third Hou's weight was immovable. Lan An recalled it, letting it dissipate.
"Die, old monkey!" Using Speed Shift, he appeared behind Elder Third Hou, unleashing another Harmony Palm.
"Foolish ant!" Elder Third Hou sneered, turning without restraint. "Fire Monkey Heaven-Suppressing Fist!"
A Low Heaven-Grade technique of the Fire Monkey Clan, it summoned a colossal Fire Monkey phantom. As Elder Third Hou struck, the phantom's fist mirrored, clashing with the Harmony Palm.
BOOM
Lan An's eyes blazed as the Harmony Palm was repelled. Tri-colored and crimson energies lit the night, space shattering. The Harmony Palm vanished, but the Fire Monkey Fist struck Lan An.
CRASH
He flew dozens of zhang, blood spraying like a fountain, body like a broken kite.
The Fire Monkey Fist collapsed, weakened by the Harmony Palm.
"Die!" Lan An sprang up, unscathed in spirit, driven by one word: "Fight!"
"Harmony Palm!"
Another palm shot forth, Peerless Under Heaven enabling rapid casts without delay.
"Overreaching!" Elder Third Hou sneered, advancing to finish him.
SCREECH
The Fire Phoenix intercepted, blocking Elder Third Hou, but was outmatched, its body crumbling and reforming via the Blazing Heart Cauldron.
"Time to end this!" Lang Cang grinned, recognizing the Harmony Palm as Lan An's strongest move. The Unicorn Eagle King's arrogance and injuries allowed a fatal hit, but the gap between Nascent Soul and Sixth-Order was too vast.
Raising his claws, he mocked, "I'll use full power. Let's see how great this palm is!"
Earth Spirit Energy formed a condensed sandstorm on his claws.
"Great Sandstorm!"
A Low Heaven-Grade Earth Wolf technique, it shredded space like a vortex, slicing the Harmony Palm and charging Lan An.
BOOM
The Wood Turtle blocked, halting the storm but dissipating itself Sixth-Order Heaven-Grade techniques were devastating.
"Not bad, but you die!" Lang Cang closed in, claws aimed at Lan An's head.
"Speed!" Lan An shifted, retreating.
"Pointless hopping!" Lang Cang tore space, reappearing beside him, sneering.
Speed Shift couldn't evade Sixth-Order senses, as Bing Lan Xi once proved. Lang Cang's claw struck.
"Spirit Fist!" Unable to dodge, Lan An's fist blazed with fire, meeting the claw head-on.
SLASH
The Spirit Fist shattered, Lan An's hand bled, and he flew back. The White Horse Battle Robe's defense saved him, though dirtied and worn.
"Die!" Elder Third Hou, having dispersed the Fire Phoenix, tore space, stomping at Lan An's head.
"Spare him!" Hu Yu Yan, unable to stay silent, flew forward, pleading.
"Get lost, girl! We spare you for the Fox Clan and Heavenly Beast Academy, but don't push it! Our clans together don't fear yours mutual destruction at worst!" Lang Cang roared, a sandstorm engulfing Hu Yu Yan.
"How can you bully the weak, two against one?" She gritted her teeth, her three tails swaying, barely resisting the storm.
"Out!" Lang Cang opened a spatial rift, tossing her through, avoiding harm to prevent Fox Clan retaliation.
WHOOSH
Lan An Speed Shifted, dodging Elder Third Hou.
"Clever movement! It's ours!" Lang Cang's claw aimed at Lan An's head.
CRACK
The Proud Laughter Mask shattered, revealing his pale, defiant face.
"Haha, die, ant!" Elder Third Hou laughed, unleashing Fire Monkey Heaven-Suppressing Fist, the phantom looming.
"You should be proud we're killing you ourselves!" Lang Cang sneered, Great Sandstorm forming.
Facing their killing blows, Lan An's expression turned maniacal.
"Want to kill me? I'll bury you and all of U Yuan!"
He prepared to unseal the Immortal Genesis Scripture's taboo aura, summoning the Eye of Heavenly Dao to obliterate U Yuan Continent.
"No, Young Master! Heavenly Dao suspected you at the Lan Clan. If it appears now, it'll strike with lethal force—you'll die!" Kim Nhi screamed, sensing his intent.
"So what? No way out!" Lan An growled.
"There's still a way! It depends on your luck!" Kim Nhi urged.
"Luck again?" After such misfortune?
Fearing he'd unleash the taboo, Kim Nhi blurted, "The Yan Clan token! You forgot it!"
Lan An's mind raced, recalling the token from the Yan Clan's Seventh Elder, obtained after parting with Hong Lian and Diep Tinh.
"A teleportation token?" he asked, hopeful.
"No, a distress token! Crush it, and its owner will sense it!" Kim Nhi explained.
"Who's the owner?" Lan An frowned.
"That's why it's luck! If they're a supreme expert, you might survive if they choose to help!" Kim Nhi fretted.
"Screw it, I'll take the gamble!"
Though the exchange seemed long, it was instantaneous. The elders' attacks loomed.
An ancient token marked "Yan" appeared in Lan An's hand. Without hesitation, he crushed it.
"Die, ant!" Elder Third Hou and Lang Cang grinned, relishing killing a human genius.
As their attacks neared, Lan An stood tall, ready to die heroically.
A sudden shift.
BOOM
A cataclysmic explosion deafened Lan An, space shattering. Golden flames poured from the void, overwhelming and majestic.
Lan An cloaked himself in Purple Heart Burning Void Flame for protection, his face alight with anticipation. The golden flames, indescribably domineering, incinerated the elders' attacks before they touched him.
CRASH
Like a meteor's descent, a breathtaking figure stepped from the void. A voice, cold and murderous, thundered:
"Who dares bully my daughter? How do you wish to die?"