Boom!
The cavern shook, and lava billowed furiously. Ancient Sage Allfire’s eyes narrowed as he spoke with a voice that seemed to crush the world, “What did you say?”
Alarmed, Ancient Sage Mo Ling quickly rushed to Zhang Xuan’s side and asked, “What are you trying to do?”
He did not expect the guild leader to be so direct. However, since he had already chosen to follow the guild leader’s bidding, he would not back down no matter what the latter said.
“I’d heard that you soul oracles are an arrogant bunch. It’s because you refused to submit to Kong shi that your kind ended up getting slaughtered by the Master Teacher Pavilion and was forced to escape here… I thought that it was just a legend, but it seems like it’s all true!”
Ancient Sage Allfire took a step forward, and powerful heatwaves gushed into the surroundings.
It had been several thousand years since he had become the head of the otherworldly battlefield Beast Tribe, but this was the first time anyone tried to take him in as their tamed beast. Not even Sovereign Chen Yong had dared to utter such words, but a Sempiternal realm brat actually dared to say that… How audacious!
If he did not teach the other party a lesson, what would become of his dignity?
“It’s not your place to discuss whatever our soul oracles have done!” Ancient Sage Mo Ling harrumphed coldly.
“Is that so?”
A massive head leaned in, and a brilliant stream of flames poured down from above. Ancient Sage Mo Ling narrowed his eyes in astonishment as he quickly stepped forward and raised both of his arms to defend against the stream of flames.
Peng!
The stream of flame created a huge depression beneath Ancient Sage Mo Ling, and the sheer pressure forced him back dozens of steps.
He had not thought that the other party would make a move without any warning at all. Infuriated, Ancient Sage Mo Ling gathered his power and flitted forward furiously. All of a sudden, a chilling gale whipped up within the cavern, threatening to cover the entire area in a layer of frost.
Even though soul oracles were afraid of flames, just by driving the cultivation technique that the guild leader had imparted to him, he could feel the burning sensation gradually being alleviated. With this, he felt that he would stand a chance even if he fought a real battle against the other party!
Before Ancient Sage Mo Ling could get close to Ancient Sage Allfire, a voice suddenly sounded from beneath.
“Don’t worry, leave it to me!”
He swiftly halted in his footsteps before looking at the massive Inferno Behemoth standing before him warily.
Hula!
Zhang Xuan stepped onto the edge of the lava and looked at Ancient Sage Allfire floating in the air before saying, “Why don’t we make a wager?”
Ancient Sage Allfire did not respond right away, choosing to eye the young man before him intently instead.
It had never met Ancient Sage Mo Ling before, but based on the rumors, he was one of the strongest soul oracles in the world. For him to follow the orders of this young man so loyally, the chances were that the young man possessed extraordinary means.
“My wager is very simple. I’ll have a fight with you, and if you lose, you’ll have to submit to me and become my tamed beast. On the other hand, if you win, I’ll bring Sovereign Chen Yong here personally and have him agree to terms that are favorable to your Beast Tribe!” Zhang Xuan said.
“How about it? Surely you can’t be afraid to fight with someone at my power level, right?”
“Humph!” Ancient Sage Allfire harrumphed as he raised his massive claws and swiped them toward Zhang Xuan. “Let me witness the prowess of the guild leader of the Soul Oracle Guild!”
Boom!
As Ancient Sage Allfire brought his claws down, the surrounding space seemed to have shattered apart. Incredible energy gathered around Zhang Xuan, keeping him firmly in place.
Seeing such a sight, Ancient Sage Mo Ling clenched his fists tightly in agitation.
The strength that Ancient Sage Allfire could exert was greater than he had expected. Even he would have trouble coping with strength of such caliber. Could it be that Ancient Sage Allfire’s cultivation had advanced once more after several thousand years of absence?
“No…” Ancient Sage Mo Ling swiftly came to a realization. “It’s due to the advantage of the terrain.”
Even the smallest breakthrough for experts at their level was an incredibly arduous task.
The main reason that Ancient Sage Allfire seemed exceptionally powerful was because he could tap into the power of the lava within the cavern, thus allowing him to fully draw out his strength as an Inferno Behemoth.
In such a state, he would definitely be no match for Ancient Sage Allfire.
The best he could do was escape and preserve his life.
Considering that even he did not stand a chance at all, what about the guild leader?
Ancient Sage Mo Ling quickly turned his gaze over and saw the guild leader whipping out a spear with a light chuckle.
With a powerful leap off, he stepped against the lava crater ahead of him and flew upward. Devoting his spirit into his spear, he seemed to warp into a massive dragon soaring through the nine heavens, charging toward the enemy before him furiously.
Boom!
A momentary dragon roar sounded in the air, and cracks swiftly appeared all over the cavern under the immense pressure. Countless fragments fell down from the ceiling.
“This is… the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragon?” Ancient Sage Mo Ling was stunned.
There was only one roar that he had heard of that could crush the will of enemies and render them irrational, and that was the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragon. However, it was said that only Pureblooded Dragons were able to voice those notes.
Did the Dragonbone Divine Spear not achieve a breakthrough not too long ago?
Furthermore, its bloodline was not pure, so how could it make such a roar?
Deng deng deng deng!
While Ancient Sage Mo Ling was still in shock, Ancient Sage Allfire was also in a state of disbelief. He was forced to retreat several steps, and shock was reflected in his eyes.
As he did not possess the Dragon Bloodline, the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragon did not pose any intrinsic pressure to him. Nevertheless, the instinctive fear toward the emperor of all beasts still caused cracks in his state of mind, making him afraid of standing against the enemy before him.
Hula!
Barely after taking a step back, the black dragon whipped its powerful tail, and the lava beneath began billowing furiously. A hurricane gushed through the cavern, raising dozens of lava dragons.
Shaking his head, Ancient Sage Allfire had to take another look before he realized that it was not the might of the black dragon. Rather, the young man was still standing on the spot while swiftly shaking up the lava with his spear, sending massive dragons in his direction.
“This is my territory. If you think that you can use my own sphere of domain against me, you are really underestimating me!”
Not expecting the other party to make use of his own battlefield against him and even bringing forth such astounding prowess, Ancient Allfire’s huge nose breathed out a bundle of flames as he raised his legs and stomped down forcefully.
Weng!
A golden ripple spread into the surroundings, and the innumerable lava dragons swiftly turned back into lava and plummeted back into the lava pool upon coming into contact with it.
Ancient Sage Allfire had lived there for several thousand years, and the lava in there had been refined by him time and time again. While the other party did gain control over the lava for a short period of time, as long as he took charge, he would be able to wrestle back control.
Retracting his spear, Zhang Xuan asked with a smile, “Is that so?”
It did not seem like he was discouraged just because the other party had undone his attack. Instead, he was filled with absolute confidence.
After all that had happened, Ancient Sage Allfire dared not underestimate the young man before him. “You are indeed an extraordinary individual to be able to become the leader of the Soul Oracle Guild… However, it’s also a fact that your cultivation is only at Sempiternal realm consummation. The main reason that you are able to draw forth such astounding fighting prowess is due to the spear in your hand, isn’t it?”
The short fight they had earlier allowed him to see that the so-called leader of the Soul Oracle Guild was not too strong. The reason that the other party was able to fight with him at all was due to the spear in his hand.
“Indeed!” Zhang Xuan admitted frankly.
Hearing Zhang Xuan’s admittance, Ancient Sage Allfire nodded in satisfaction. “A weapon is unable to showcase its greatest prowess without someone wielding it. The fact that you are able to execute such a powerful move and nearly drive me into a corner shows that you are indeed an incredible person…”
At that moment, his tone took a sharp turn as he harrumphed coldly. “However, if that’s all you have, I must say that you are too naive to dare challenge me!”
The lava began bubbling once more as it gushed up furiously, reminiscent of a tsunami.
