novelraw 695. Firefight
695. Firefight
"Who are you?" Hunyu asked Tang Qiying, her voice carrying a condescending question.
With his strength, he could clearly see that Huo Xuan was no longer Huo Xuan. Only a cold, unfamiliar soul, exuding a strong Soul Clan aura, yet clearly not an ordinary Soul Clan direct descendant, remained within him.
He had been chasing Huo Yi and Huo Xuan for so long, and the Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame that he coveted was about to fall into his hands. Now that the cooked duck had flown away, he was unwilling to accept it! Even when faced with the enormous existence brought by Hun Tu, the proud Hun Yu couldn't help but ask for clarification.
Tang Qiying ignored the Soul Jade immediately; all his attention was focused on his newly acquired body. The feeling of being resurrected was wonderful. The soul was ultimately ethereal, and the feeling of being grounded after rebirth made Tang Qiying feel incredibly exhilarated.
He spread his hands out, palms facing up, and his mind stirred slightly.
A deep, dark, light black flame suddenly rose from his palm. It was none other than the Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame, a rare treasure of heaven and earth ranked sixth on the list of strange flames and possessing the attribute of destruction!
He inherited Huo Xuan's body, and after destroying Huo Xuan's soul essence, he naturally gained control of this strange fire.
As soon as the black flames appeared, due to Tang Qiying's lack of control, the power of destruction automatically began to impact the outside world, and the space was also overwhelmed, silently revealing countless fine spiderweb cracks.
Tang Qiying slowly closed her five fingers, manipulating the strange fire containing terrifying high temperature to leap flexibly between her fingers.
His lips curled back slightly, revealing a sickly smile, as he murmured to himself in a low, dreamlike voice:
"A different kind of fire! I was defeated by a different kind of fire twice, but now I truly possess it myself. Let's see how you try to stop me next time!"
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Hun Yu's voice, raised a few decibels and filled with obvious impatience, rang out again, interrupting Tang Qiying's almost frantic mutterings.
Gazing at the black Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame, Hun Yu's anger surged. He held a revered position in his clan, nearly invincible among the younger generation; even within the Soul Palace, few dared to disregard his presence. If it weren't for Hun Tu standing nearby, given his temperament, he would have already killed someone before seizing the flame.
Upon hearing this, Tang Qiying first glanced at Hun Tu's expression. The latter's face remained expressionless, and he didn't even bother to lift his eyes, seemingly indicating that everything happening here was none of his business. This attitude itself was a form of tacit approval.
Having received this tacit approval, Tang Qiying's last trace of hesitation vanished, and she turned to look at the Soul Jade once more. Her gaze was calm, yet it carried the scrutiny of someone appraising prey.
"My name is Tang Qiying. Who are you?"
Upon hearing his name, Hun Yu smiled disdainfully. The person before him didn't even share the surname Hun, indicating he was likely just a lucky outsider. Even if he had some connection to Hun Tu, with proper maneuvering, Hun Yu still had a high probability of obtaining the Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame. After all, the clan would always prioritize resources for outstanding young people, not arbitrarily allocate them to unrelated individuals.
"Soul Jade!"
Hun Yu slightly raised his chin, revealing the pride and strength of the Soul Clan's direct lineage as he announced his name. This name might be unassuming in the Central Continent, but among the younger generation of the Soul Clan and even the Soul Palace, it carried considerable weight.
Faced with Hun Yu's disdain, Tang Qiying laughed instead of getting angry, and even nodded vigorously: "I've heard of you, one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation of the Soul Clan. It is said that... you have never been defeated by your peers."
Receiving such praise from Tang Qiying filled Hunyu with pride. What Tang Qiying said truly represented his most important achievement to date—undefeated among his peers!
"I didn't expect you to be so sensible. The Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame is something I've been eyeing for a long time. Name your price—pills, cultivation techniques, or rare and precious herbs? As long as you're willing to give it to me, within my capabilities, I won't be stingy with my Soul Jade!"
Since it was someone Soul Butcher had helped, Soul Jade didn't have the guts to directly snatch it.
"This Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame is indeed a good thing. Young Master Hunyu, if you want this flame, there's naturally no problem."
Tang Qiying tilted her head slightly, a strange, ambiguous expression on her face: "If... you're willing to exchange your life for it!"
"What?!" Hunyu even doubted that he had misheard.
"Hehe, this Eight Desolate Annihilation Flame is related to a guy I need to defeat: Xiao Yan!"
At this point, Tang Qiying gritted her teeth and said, word by word, "If I can't beat him, I can't take his life. The life I barely escaped will be taken away again! So I can't give up my trump card that can defeat him, unless someone can take my life directly!"
Tang Qiying stared intently at the Soul Jade: "So if you really want it, you'd better be prepared to die."
"After all, I'm someone who has truly died once."
"Are you trying to scare me?" Hunyu took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart, his eyes sharpening as he tried to see through the other party's bluff.
He is Soul Jade! The Soul Clan's younger generation has never suffered a defeat! How could he be frightened by a few crazy words from an outsider? He would rather believe that this was just a desperate scare tactic by the other party to keep the strange fire he had obtained.
He believed in his heart that as long as he acted tough enough, he could still win over the flames with his own strength and connections.
"Oh, it seems you don't believe me."
"As far as I know, your illustrious record seems to be missing one name—Soul Wind. You've never challenged him, have you?"
These seemingly casual words pierced the most sensitive and feared corner of Hunyu's heart with unparalleled precision.
Soul Wind! That was another, even more majestic mountain pressing down on the heads of all the young prodigies of the Soul Clan, a destiny-like existence that even Soul Jade himself felt he could not surpass.
"Hmph!" Hun Yu's expression changed slightly, and she snorted coldly, "So what? My undefeated reputation is recognized by the clan elders and younger generations, not something I bestowed upon myself!"
"That's for the best!" Tang Qiying suddenly chuckled sinisterly, "You know what? I'm extremely curious about something right now."
"I'd really like to know, in the heart of your nemesis, Soul Wind, whom you so closely respect, what exactly is your status, Young Master Soul Jade?"
"What do you mean by that?" Hunyu had a strange feeling of unease.
"The meaning is very simple." The eerie smile on Tang Qiying's face vanished instantly, replaced by a resolute ruthlessness.
"I'm about to self-destruct this body with its impressive talent. Given the current distance between us, I'm confident you won't be able to dodge it. With my power approaching that of a Dou Sheng, I should be able to severely injure you."