Chapter 1840: War Fire of Ancient Xu

The cave began to shake, and the lava churned violently as if boiling. Ancient Sage Huo Xu narrowed his eyes, and his voice, imbued with world-crushing power, demanded, "Say that again?"

"What do you intend to do?"

Ancient Sage Mo Ling hastily stepped forward. He hadn't expected the Guild Master to be so direct, but since the Guild Master was leading, he naturally wouldn't back down from anything said or done.

"I've long heard that your Witchcraft Soul Masters are arrogant. You defied Master Kong back then, which led to the Master Teacher Pavilion slaughtering your entire clan, forcing you to flee here... I thought it was just a legend, but now it seems to be true!" Ancient Sage Huo Xu sneered again, stepping forward. Heat waves surged around him, and his body emitted scorching energy that seemed capable of tearing space into shreds.

As an ancestor for thousands of years, this was the first time someone had dared to approach and declare they would take him as a spirit beast. Even Emperor Chen Yong back then hadn't dared to speak like that. A mere Immortal Realm junior... his audacity was truly immense! If he wasn't taught a lesson, where would his dignity be?

"What we Witchcraft Soul Masters have done is none of your business to comment on!" Ancient Sage Mo Ling snorted coldly.

"Is that so?" The enormous head turned, and a beam of fire immediately poured down. Ancient Sage Mo Ling's pupils contracted, and he raised both hands. The flames clashed with his palms, creating a huge pit beneath his feet, and he was forced back dozens of steps.

He hadn't expected the creature to attack without any warning. Ancient Sage Mo Ling was so furious he almost exploded; his body flickered, and he charged forward. As he unleashed his power mid-air, a chilling wind immediately swept through the cave, as if it were about to freeze solid. Witchcraft Soul Masters generally feared flames, but after learning the cultivation technique taught by the Guild Master, that sense of oppression had vanished. In a real fight, he might not necessarily lose!

"Let me handle this!"

Before he could get close, a faint voice sounded. Ancient Sage Mo Ling stopped, looking with vigilance at the colossal creature not far away.

Zhang Xuan stepped forward, reaching the lava, and looked up at Ancient Sage Huo Xu, who was suspended in the air. "How about we make a bet?"

Ancient Sage Huo Xu didn't respond, merely staring intently. He hadn't met Ancient Sage Mo Ling before, but he had heard rumors of his immense strength and arrogance. Yet, at this moment, Mo Ling was so loyally obeying this individual's commands, indicating that the latter must possess extraordinary abilities.

"My bet is simple," Zhang Xuan said with a faint smile. "I will fight you. If you lose, you will submit to me and become my spirit beast. If you win, I will bring Emperor Chen Yong here and have him personally agree to terms that are beneficial to your sacred beasts!"

"How about it?" Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "Surely, with my current strength, you're not afraid to face me, are you?"

"Hmph!" Ancient Sage Huo Xu snorted coldly, and his enormous hoof-claw struck down through the air. "Let me see the true power of the Witchcraft Soul Master Guild Master!"

The space beneath the hoof-claw shattered, and a tangible force sealed off Zhang Xuan's entire position. Ancient Sage Mo Ling clenched his fists, an anxious expression on his face. Even he would struggle to resist the power of that attack. Could it be that... Ancient Sage Huo Xu's cultivation had increased again after thousands of years?

"He's leveraging the terrain..." After his initial shock, he quickly understood. It wasn't that the opponent's strength had surged significantly; at their level of cultivation, even a slight breakthrough was incredibly difficult. The reason he appeared so powerful was primarily because he was utilizing the power of the lava within the cave, allowing the fiery beast's inherent advantages to be fully unleashed. It was safe to say that in this state, his opponent was no longer a match for him. At best, he could escape with his life. If even he couldn't win, what about the Guild Master?

He hastily looked, then saw the Guild Master smile faintly and, with a flick of his wrist, a long spear appeared in his palm. As if treading on air, he stepped onto the rising lava and flew upwards. With a shake of the spear in his hand, man and spear became one, instantly transforming into a colossal dragon soaring through the heavens, charging straight towards the hoof-claw above. The dragon let out a brief roar in the air, and cracks appeared throughout the cave from the sound, sending countless loose rocks raining down from above.

"This is... the Eight Sounds of the Celestial Dragon?" Ancient Sage Mo Ling was stunned. He had only ever read about this dragon roar in books. It was said to be a roar only true dragons could emit, and countless creatures, unable to withstand its might, would have their minds shattered on the spot, driven to madness. Hadn't the Dragonbone Divine Spear just broken through? And its bloodline wasn't pure... how could it produce such a roar?

While he was inwardly shocked, Ancient Sage Huo Xu across from him also seemed disbelieving, involuntarily retreating a few steps, his eyes wide with horror. Although he didn't possess dragon bloodline, and the Eight Sounds of the Celestial Dragon didn't inherently oppress him, the fact that such a sound came from a dragon—the ruler of all beasts—still caused cracks to appear in his mental fortitude, making him unwilling to directly confront it.

No sooner had he retreated than he saw the black dragon before him, its massive tail stirring the air. The lava below also churned, rising in a hurricane-like swirl, forming dozens of lava fire dragons. Shaking his head, he then clearly saw that it wasn't the black dragon's power. The young man stood still, his long spear rotating in his hand, and under the rapid churning of the spear, the lava transformed into colossal dragons that surged towards him.

"This is my territory," Ancient Sage Huo Xu roared, "and you think it's too simple to use my own elements against me!" He hadn't expected his own home ground to be borrowed by his opponent and wielded with such formidable combat power. Ancient Sage Huo Xu's thick nose snorted a plume of flame, and he lifted both feet, stomping them down. A golden ripple spread outwards, and countless lava dragons, upon contact, immediately shattered, reverting to droplets of liquid that plummeted downwards. He had resided in this place for thousands of years, and the underground fire lava within had been tempered by him over millennia. Although it obeyed the opponent's command for a short time, he could easily regain control whenever he wished.

"Is that so?" Zhang Xuan retracted his spear and stood, smiling faintly. He wasn't disheartened by the opponent regaining control of the lava; instead, he radiated strong confidence.

Ancient Sage Huo Xu looked at him again, the previous contempt gone from his eyes. "To be able to become the Guild Master of the Witchcraft Soul Masters, you are indeed not simple... However, your true strength is only at the Grand Completion of the Immortal Realm. The reason you can exert such powerful combat ability is because of this long spear, isn't it?" With a single exchange, he had seen through it: this so-called Guild Master's true strength was not formidable. His ability to fight him was mainly due to the spear.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan didn't deny it.

"A weapon without a master cannot unleash its strongest combat power. The fact that you could employ such a formidable move, nearly putting me in a difficult situation, truly shows your insight and combat experience..." Seeing him admit it, Ancient Sage Huo Xu nodded in satisfaction, then snorted, "However, if that's all you have, trying to defeat me... you're still thinking too simply!"

As he finished speaking, the lava below began to boil again, continuously surging up from the ground like a rising tide.