The deep blue flames were instantly dispersed by the black-clad man.
Tang Yan staggered back a step, feeling the oppressive strength of his opponent. He couldn’t deny it—the man was far too powerful for him to defeat. The consumption of spiritual energy from using the Heaven and Earth Transformation Flame was also taking its toll on him. Tang Yan glanced at Lin Dongxue, who was still standing in place, and shouted, "Hurry, run!"
"None of you will leave!" the black-clad man sneered, his earlier hesitation about Tang Yan's Heaven and Earth Transformation Flame gone. Seeing that the flames no longer posed a threat, the black-clad man advanced, attacking again.
"You must be from the Liu family!" Tang Yan suddenly exclaimed, causing the black-clad man to freeze for a moment.
The fleeting shock in his eyes didn’t escape Tang Yan's notice.
"Trying to figure out my identity? No matter how hard you try, you’ll never guess it unless I tell you," the black-clad man said as he launched another strike at Tang Yan.
Taking a deep breath, Tang Yan’s vortex dantian spun at its maximum speed. His spiritual energy was continuously converted into the Heaven and Earth Transformation Flame as he met the black-clad man's palm attack with a strike of his own.
"You’re using only basic attacks and avoiding using any martial techniques. This shows that you don’t want us to know your identity. The only reason you’d worry about that is if we know you. When you hesitated earlier before attacking Lin Dongxue, it was clear you recognized her. You know us, and you must be in the know about our movements—only Liu Zhi would have leaked them. You’re a fifth-grade expert of the Xuan realm, and now I know your identity, Liu Jing! How bold of you to attempt an assassination on the city lord’s daughter!"
Tang Yan spoke as he continued exchanging blows with the black-clad man.
Despite his best efforts, the difference in their strengths was too great, and Tang Yan felt his internal organs twisting with the force of the impact.
"Poof!" A small stream of blood trickled from his mouth.
Upon hearing Tang Yan’s words, the black-clad man revealed a sinister smile. He tore off his mask, exposing his face.
"Liu Jing!" Lin Dongxue gasped.
"I was originally going to kill Tang Yan and just knock you unconscious, but now that you know, you’ll both be dying today. Don’t blame me for being ruthless; blame Tang Yan for uncovering my identity," Liu Jing sneered. His aura became even more terrifying, and he launched another attack at Tang Yan.
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"I’ll hold him off—go now!" Tang Yan roared, his eyes bloodshot.
Lin Dongxue’s heart skipped a beat.
She understood that Tang Yan was fast and could have easily left her behind. But he hadn’t!
Lin Dongxue’s eyes grew moist, a rush of emotions overwhelming her. At that moment, her own cultivation reached its peak. She had just broken through to the second-grade of the Xuan realm.
With her breakthrough boosting her confidence, Lin Dongxue shouted and charged into the fray. "If we’re leaving, we leave together. If we’re fighting, we fight together!"
Tang Yan, on the other hand, felt a wave of frustration. "Why are you acting tough now? If you’d run, I might have found a chance to escape!"
Liu Jing, who had been focused on Tang Yan, noticed Lin Dongxue charging into battle. A flash of joy crossed his eyes.
Tang Yan, sensing that his spiritual energy was rapidly depleting, quickly opened a vial and swallowed several pills, not bothering to care about the consequences.
Damn it, I’ll die anyway, I’m going all in!
He took pills like the Body-cleansing Pill, High-Spirit Pills, and Vitality Pills, consuming them all in one go.
A massive surge of spiritual energy filled his body, like a volcano about to erupt. Tang Yan struggled to control the overwhelming flow.
"Shit, I’ve overdone it!" he thought as his body became engorged with energy. His dantian and meridians couldn’t withstand the surge. But he refused to accept defeat.
"I’m not going down without a fight!" Tang Yan thought, his spirit flaring as his dantian spun faster, trying to control the overwhelming spiritual energy.
Liu Zhi and Lin Dongxue watched in horror as Tang Yan’s skin turned bright red, with strange bumps forming on his body, as though the pressure from the surging energy was too much.
Liu Zhi stopped his attack and pointed at Tang Yan, laughing harshly. "Ha, ha! You really live up to the title of Cloud City’s biggest wastrel. While others poison themselves to die, you choose to explode your body with pills. Even I, who have lived so long, have never seen someone die from overeating pills!"
Lin Dongxue clenched her fists tightly, filled with worry.
Tang Yan was in excruciating pain as the energy inside him threatened to tear him apart. His body was swelling with energy at an alarming rate, and if he couldn’t find a way to release it, he knew he would explode.
But then, in his delirium, a memory flashed in his mind. The story of Da Yu controlling the waters—the wisdom and solutions came rushing to him.
"Da Yu… controlling the waters?" he thought, his mind clearing just a little. A sudden insight struck him as he felt the surging energy within his body.
He didn’t have much time. He bit his tongue, and a rush of clarity flooded back into his mind.
Looking at Liu Zhi, who was still mocking him, Tang Yan’s eyes gleamed with madness.
If he couldn’t contain the energy, then he would release it. If he could release it faster than the pills were pushing it forward, he might just have a chance to survive!
Without waiting for Liu Zhi to react, Tang Yan unleashed his full power.
His aura soared, and using the Illusory Shadow Step, he charged toward Liu Zhi with terrifying speed.
His right fist traced a complex trajectory in the air, enveloped in the eerie blue flames of Heaven and Earth Transformation.
"Flame Explosion Palm!" Tang Yan roared, releasing an attack with overwhelming force.
The ground seemed to tremble as his fist shot forward, powerful enough to break mountains.