"Still not coming out? You've been tailing me this whole time, haven't you?"
In the vast, empty skies, the voice echoed far and wide. Chen Xiaoming's gaze locked onto a ripple in the air. The space wavered, and then—rip!—a spatial tear was forcefully opened. From within it stepped out a black-robed figure.
Immediately, a vast, chilling aura spread across the heavens. The elder in black robes walked forth with a faint smile on his face, yet his smile brimmed with frost.
"When did you notice me?" he asked.
"When?" Chen Xiaoming smirked slightly, a foot tapping lightly against the void as his figure vanished in an instant. The Soulfruit of Douluo and the Shrouding Dragonfruit surged within his body simultaneously, unleashing an aura so terrifying it tore through the heavens. On his right fist, a golden dragon coiled, silver light dazzling like the stars.
"Die."
Villains die from talking too much. Since this one had been stalking him the whole way, Chen Xiaoming saw no point in wasting words. Especially once he realized where the man was from—he struck without hesitation.
The void beside the elder shattered as a terrifying punch tore through space with unmatched might. Torrential Dou Qi energy surged like a tidal wave. The elder's smirk froze instantly.
With no time to spare, the elder unleashed all his Dou Qi without holding back. It surged out of his body like a thousand-foot storm, howling toward the ambusher with overwhelming momentum.
Chen Xiaoming's eyes narrowed. A torrent of black flame burst out, burning through the void and forming a pitch-black vortex.
Boom!
Fist light collided with the Dou Qi torrent, unleashing an explosive shockwave. Cracks tore through the surrounding void. Silver light pierced through the Dou Qi like a meteor slicing the night sky, streaking straight into the vortex.
A deep rumble sounded within the swirling black hole. The silver radiance continued to blast forward, shaking the vortex violently.
"Out!" the elder commanded.
Dou Qi poured into the black vortex. Explosive rings of flame erupted around it, black fire engulfing the skies—fire that devoured everything in its path.
"Devour."
A low chant slipped from his lips. The black flames converged like an infernal tide, overwhelming the radiant silver light and smothering it within the vortex, which returned to eerie calm.
Void Devouring Flame!
Chen Xiaoming's eyes gleamed with clarity as he watched his fist light vanish. In the world of Battle Through the Heavens, there was only one flame capable of such devouring: the Soul Clan's Void Devouring Flame.
However, this clearly wasn't the true flame—only a fragment.
"Return."
The elder retrieved the flame, but the calmness in his expression had vanished. His gaze sharpened as he scrutinized Chen Xiaoming, fixating on his aura—Dou Venerate, one-star. The more he looked, the more intrigued he became.
"Kid, I was only interested in your alchemy at first. But now… you've given me quite the pleasant surprise."
Just like the ancient clan elder before him, this Soul Clan elder had seen through Chen Xiaoming's extraordinary potential. Despite being only at the one-star Dou Venerate level, he could fight evenly with a five-star Dou Saint—utterly terrifying.
To put it into perspective, the gap between their ranks was like that between a Dou Master and a Dou Venerate. A chasm so vast, the stronger could crush the weaker with a flick.
"I'll be taking you back to the clan. You'll be well… entertained."
A chilling light flickered in his eyes. If the Soul Clan could harness Chen Xiaoming's talent, no one would be able to stop them from unifying the Dou Qi Continent.
Once again facing that unsettling, feverish stare, Chen Xiaoming's body stiffened slightly. What was going on with this world? Why did everyone look at him like he was some rare treasure?
But he had no intention of letting them get their way.
If he dared leave Holy Pill City, he naturally had his trump cards. Now that he had broken through to the Dou Venerate realm, with the power of both the Soulfruit of Douluo and the Shrouding Dragonfruit, his battle prowess had soared.
Facing the Soul Clan elder now, there was not a trace of fear—only fighting spirit.
"You done talking?"
He had given his opponent a few seconds to spew nonsense. Now Chen Xiaoming's tone was cool and steady as he flashed forward once again.
"Hmph! You little brat, I've decided—I'm going to rip your tongue out."
Fury ignited in the elder's eyes. With a cold shout, he unleashed the Void Devouring Flame once more. A thousand-foot black flame palm surged forth like a demonic tide, slamming down toward Chen Xiaoming.
The sky fractured like fragile glass. The Void Devouring Flame sought to consume all, plunging the heavens into utter darkness.
Far across the mountain range—
"Teacher!"
Suspended in the sky, the Violet-Gold Lion King and Xiao Xun'er gazed at the fierce battle from afar. As the giant black flame palm descended, a deep worry surfaced in Xiao Xun'er's eyes. Her small hands clenched tightly, her gaze fixed firmly ahead.
Boom!
Massive Dou Qi erupted as the Lion King sensed the surrounding heaven and earth Dou Qi rushing toward the battleground. Above, a massive vortex of Dou Qi formed, pouring downward.
A towering figure manifested beside it, gradually solidifying as the energy flooded in. Brilliant silver light erupted, illuminating the dark space beneath the black flame palm.
The distant sky was split in two—one half black flame, the other silver light.
"Break!"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens. From within the silver light, a gleaming silver spear shot forth, its tip trembling with overwhelming power. Specks of golden light radiated from it.
The spear thrust forward—void shattered. The massive black flame palm collapsed inwards, Void Devouring Flame surging violently as it attempted to smother the silver spear's radiance.
Endless flames poured down, engulfing the silver glow completely.
But then—silver light burst out from within the black fire, like dawn breaking through the night.
With every explosion came the sound of a dragon's roar. The giant palm formed from the Void Devouring Flame was riddled with holes, shredded by piercing light. The silver glow flashed and streaked through the heavens.
The elder's expression darkened. He quickly formed seals with his hands. The scattered Void Devouring Flame converged into a black flame arrow, shooting toward Chen Xiaoming like a divine strike.
But the massive figure towering over the battlefield did not move. Chen Xiaoming stood tall within it, silver hair flowing. His eyes shimmered with spatial distortion, and two divine rays shot forth from his gaze, shattering the arrow of black flame below.
Dou Qi continued to surge into him endlessly. His enormous form grew more solid, silver light sweeping across the land. The void beneath his feet crumbled piece by piece as Chen Xiaoming's Space Divinity and Dragon Transformation powers reached their peak.
A radiant sphere of intertwined gold and silver enveloped his body. Clad in a divine armor forged from a hundred-thousand-year soul core, he radiated boundless brilliance and divine might.
He descended like a Heavenly Emperor made flesh.
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