Chapter 212: Sang Lao Takes Action

"Huh?" Xu Xiaoshou raised an eyebrow. "You can't see it?"

"Suspicion received, Passive Value, 4."

Ye Xiaotian firmly closed his mouth, then wiped his hand through the air, creating a light screen. It clearly displayed the scene within the world of white flames.

"What kind of spirit skill is this?" Xu Xiaoshou's eyes lit up immediately.

"Great Sky-Shifting Mirror."

"Can it see everything?"

"Yes... huh?"

Ye Xiaotian answered, then suddenly felt something was off. "What do you mean?"

"Heh heh, it's not what you're thinking."

"Suspicion received, Passive Value, 4."

Xu Xiaoshou studied the Dean's height, a sudden realization dawning in his eyes.

Once the light screen formed, everyone's attention was clearly diverted. Xu Xiaoshou also stopped bickering and looked at the wondrous "Great Sky-Shifting Mirror." As this wasn't a projection from another realm, Ye Xiaotian exerted no effort. He didn't even need to look at the light screen; his eyes could directly penetrate the world of white flames.

Inside the "Dragon-Melt Realm," three figures stood in mid-air. Unlike Xu Xiaoshou, they were clearly not at ease, and the atmosphere was incredibly stagnant.

The high temperature made several people sweat profusely. Cen Qiaofu was clearly unaccustomed to such heat. With a gentle exhale, a puff of smoke enveloped him, isolating himself.

"Is that all?" He patted the small axe in his hand. If this was the extent of it, the old man in the straw hat truly wasn't worth his anticipation.

Elder Sang, however, merely smiled, then his face turned chillingly cold. "Cen Qiaofu, remember this moment. It is your highlight!"

With a lift of his straw hat, not a single movement was seen, yet several white fire lines shot down from the "Dragon-Melt Realm," suddenly climbing towards Cen Qiaofu. The temperature of Cinderflame Skyfire was clearly something no one would want to easily experience.

Cen Qiaofu instantly darted away. Several white fire lines converged in one spot, exploding with a sudden roar. With a rumble, a surge of air waves erupted. What should have been a sky-shattering explosion was confined within the mere "Dragon-Melt Realm," its power imaginable.

Cen Qiaofu's body was directly thrown back, but he stabilized himself at a crucial moment, avoiding the fate of crashing into the white flame barrier wall. The temperature inside was so intense that even a glance could scorch one's soul!

Outside the realm, Xu Xiaoshou's heart skipped a beat as he watched. "Is it really that terrifying?" Others might not know, but he was of the same origin and could see it with utmost clarity. Those white fire lines were like countless compressed fire seeds blended together. The destructive power of such a collision, if not contained by the "Dragon-Melt Realm," would likely have blown half the inner academy away.

"Elder Sang..." Jiang Bianyan murmured, looking at the "Great Sky-Shifting Mirror." He remembered the last time he saw this old man; it seemed he still had the confidence to contend with him. However, after more than ten years, this fellow had completely left him behind. Not just him, but even several people from the Spirit Palace were stunned.

Elder Sang indeed rarely made a move, which meant their memories of him were almost entirely from over ten years ago. Witnessing it firsthand now, they couldn't help but be impressed.

"So powerful!" Xiao Qixiu said in a deep voice, "Perhaps he's right. We really have been confined by the Spirit Palace..."

The group fell silent again. Xu Xiaoshou secretly glanced at them, seeing envy, but seemingly no remorse.

"Different paths, different choices, that's all."

The four were astonished simultaneously, seemingly not expecting Xu Xiaoshou to utter such words, but they said nothing more.

Inside the "Dragon-Melt Realm," while that explosion was extraordinary to Xu Xiaoshou, it was clearly not enough against the two people present. The masked man, wielding "Grave City Snow," cleaved through the air waves with a single sword stroke. Cen Qiaofu, even more so, as long as the attack didn't hit him directly, the aftershocks alone couldn't injure him in the slightest.

He swung his axe skyward, and a black slash instantly pierced through the "Dragon-Melt Realm." However, the latter was like a water curtain; after the slash passed, it immediately reverted to its original state.

"...That's something." Cen Qiaofu was astonished. The Dao power and spirit energy contained within his axe had failed to blast it open. Instead, it seemed more like it had been incinerated. No, not incinerated—it was swallowed! His own power had actually been consumed by the "Dragon-Melt Realm," then transformed into energy to maintain its high temperature.

"Clever technique!"

"Presumably, I can't get out this way?"

Elder Sang sneered, "You can try."

Cen Qiaofu, raising his axe, lunged forward. "No need to try! If you can lie down, I reckon this damn 'Dragon-Melt Realm' will shatter on its own!"

The figure darted forth, but Elder Sang remained unperturbed. He raised a hand and uttered a command: "Furnace!"

Instantly, the "Dragon-Melt Realm" seemed to transform into a cosmic furnace. Endless white flames erupted from beneath the ground, instantly filling the entire space. Outside, the "Great Sky-Shifting Mirror" immediately hummed and vibrated, seemingly unable to withstand such high temperatures and on the verge of shattering. Ye Xiaotian quickly stabilized it, but the screen turned completely white, and nothing more could be seen.

Xu Xiaoshou's "Perception" however, saw it clearly. Under such indiscriminate attack, not only Cen Qiaofu, who was lunging at Elder Sang, fell prey, but even the masked man couldn't evade it. Both figures simultaneously ignited with roaring flames that simply couldn't be extinguished.

"What the hell is this!" Cen Qiaofu was now genuinely shocked. He used spirit energy to dispel the flames, but the spirit energy was incinerated; he then used Dao repulsion, but his Dao foundation was burned! Such overbearing flames made him seem to recall something. "Cinderflame Skyfire? Are you the disciple of Cinderflame Half-Saint?"

Elder Sang didn't reply. With a grab of his hands, the terrifying flames seemed to directly scorch through their souls. Cen Qiaofu's face immediately contorted, and even his hair turned a few shades grayer.

"Dao and Life both consumed?" His pupils constricted; he couldn't remain calm anymore. Cen Qiaofu's body was already somewhat hunched but still robust; however, under this attack, his skin wrinkled directly, as if his body had aged several years.

"Woodcutter!"

"The item has arrived. There's no need to keep fighting him. Let's go!"

The masked man was also in extreme pain. It wasn't the first time he had experienced the taste of Cinderflame Skyfire. His Dao foundation was already damaged, so he couldn't afford to keep sparring with this old man. This was also why he didn't want to fight Elder Sang. This guy was too repulsive; as his enemy, even if he could kill him, he himself would be half crippled, with damage that was almost irreparable. The gains wouldn't outweigh the losses!

"Grave City Snow" was drawn from his back, but its soaring sword intent was directly stifled by the barrier above the "Dragon-Melt Realm." The masked man had a headache; these all-incinerating flames were truly terrifying. He transmitted his voice: "Cut through it with all your might. Let's leave this place first."

Cen Qiaofu nodded. He already understood the repulsive nature of this old man and naturally didn't want to continue fighting him. Just as he raised his axe, Elder Sang let out a sneer. "Can't win, so you want to run?"

He spread his hands apart, and the "Dragon-Melt Realm" that had trapped both of them immediately split, transforming into two colossal burning spheres, like fiery suns falling to the ground, incinerating everything!

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes widened in disbelief. Why did this technique seem somewhat familiar? The next second, an even more familiar technique appeared. Elder Sang squeezed his hands together, and the two white blazing suns seemed to condense, directly transforming into two human-sized spheres. The immense energy, compressed incessantly, even leaked out a little. That leaking mist directly melted through the space between heaven and earth. The fate of those inside the spheres was easily imaginable!

Xu Xiaoshou was shocked. That combat method, which existed only in his mind, was actually used first by this old man.

"Pill Condensation Art?"