172: Chapter 172 The Battle of the Two Emperors

Hun Feng was the first to raise his hand. The blood-colored battle spear formed by the Heaven-Slaying Flame slowly rotated in his palm; wherever the spear tip passed, space collapsed silently, revealing dense black cracks. He was not in a hurry to attack, but instead turned his head to glance at the ruins outside the cocoon of light. There, his wife, his daughter, and tens of thousands of soldiers from the Hun Clan Allied Forces were waiting. Xiao Yan was likewise in no rush to act; he glanced toward the direction of the remnants of the Flame Emperor Alliance—Yao Chen, Valley Master Tang Zhen, Tang Huo'er, and those brothers who had followed him through life and death.

The two raised their hands almost simultaneously. They did not attack each other, but instead each set up a barrier.

Xiao Yan pressed his right palm down into the void, and the six-colored Emperor Flame surged from his palm, transforming into a six-colored light screen that blotted out the sky and sun, shrouding the thousands of surviving soldiers of the Flame Emperor Alliance within it. Ancient Emperor runes flowed ceaselessly across the light screen, each rune emitting a low hum under the infusion of Emperor Qi. Hun Feng swung his right hand down, and the blood-colored flames of the Heaven-Slaying Flame poured down like a waterfall, building a blood-red fire wall hundreds of feet high in front of the Hun Clan Allied Forces. Nine-colored halos intertwined and flowed on the fire wall, and the fluctuations of the Law of Space spread silently within the wall—any attack attempting to penetrate this fire wall would be led into nothingness by the folded space, never able to reach behind the fire wall.

After doing all this, both of them withdrew their gazes simultaneously. Their eyes collided in mid-air, and the two auras of Emperor Realm power clashed silently, pressing the air within the light cocoon into visible ripples.

Xiao Yan was the first to attack. He stepped into the void, shattering it, and his figure slammed toward Hun Feng like a meteorite. The ancient ruler of exotic flames carried the destructive power of the six types of Emperor Flame, and the Ancient Emperor runes on the ruler's body emitted a deafening hum under the frantic infusion of Emperor Qi. Before the ruler's edge even arrived, the wind from it had already torn dozens of pitch-black cracks in the surrounding space. This was the strike he had once used to cleave through the defenses of the Ancient Emperor puppet. Hun Feng did not dodge or evade; he held the Shitian battle spear horizontally, using the spear shaft to hard-block the ruler's edge. The instant the weapons clashed, the six-colored Emperor Flame and the blood-colored Heaven-Slaying Flame exploded in all directions, shaking countless dense cracks into the space within the light cocoon. The shockwave struck the inner wall of the barrier, causing the entire light cocoon to tremble violently, and the outer barrier of Emperor Qi buzzed as if it would shatter at any moment.

Xiao Yan used the force of the rebound to flip in mid-air, and the ancient ruler of exotic flames slashed down from above Hun Feng's head. Hun Feng side-stepped to avoid the ruler's edge, and the battle spear slanted upwards from bottom to top, thrusting directly at Xiao Yan's ribs. Xiao Yan blocked with the body of the ruler, and the spear tip grazed across the ruler, sending up a stream of blinding sparks. The two fought from the ground to the sky, and from the sky into the void; the space within the light cocoon was torn apart and reconstituted, reconstituted and torn apart again by the aftermath of their battle. Every collision was like two stars crashing together in the void, and every clash of weapons made the hearts of the spectators beat violently.

Medusa stood behind the blood-colored fire wall, her purple eyes fixed unblinkingly on the battle within the light cocoon. Her fingers gripping the hilt of her sword were slightly white, and the expression on her face remained her usual cold and elegant composure, but her breathing was half a beat slower than usual—she only controlled her breathing like this when she was extremely nervous. It was not that she did not trust Hun Feng, but the danger of a battle at the Emperor Realm far exceeded anyone's imagination. Yao Yao stood beside her, her peach blossom eyes staring fixedly at Hun Feng's figure. She watched as Hun Feng clashed head-on with Xiao Yan, spear strike after spear strike; she watched as his dark black robe was burned with several holes by the Emperor Flame; and she watched the corners of his mouth lift slightly. That was his expression when he was excited. She recognized this expression—he would reveal this expression every time he was about to risk his life. She suddenly smiled and cursed in a low voice, "Bastard."

Gu Xun'er clasped her hands in front of her chest, and the Golden Emperor Sky Burning Flame danced restlessly around her. Her gaze switched back and forth between Xiao Yan and Hun Feng, and every time their weapons collided, her eyelashes would tremble slightly. She did not want to see either of them fall—one was the Xiao Yan gege she had admired since she was a child, and the other was the father of her daughter. Xiao Yi Xian stood beside Gu Xun'er and silently held her hand. In those eyes, which were usually indifferent, extremely complex emotions surged. She had seen life and death countless times in this life, but she had never been this afraid before. The man who had saved her from the curse was fighting for his life against another man who had also once saved her life.

Inside the light cocoon, the battle had entered a white-hot state from the very beginning. Xiao Yan's fighting style was fierce and domineering, the ancient ruler of exotic flames swinging wide and open, each strike carrying the destructive power of the six types of Emperor Flame. He stepped into the void, shattering it, and swept the ruler's edge horizontally, forcing Hun Feng back several feet; he then flipped the tail of the ruler to strike directly at his throat, and brought the body of the ruler down, sealing off all paths of retreat—the three-hit combo was completed in one breath, each strike precisely cutting at the weakest point in Hun Feng's defense. Hun Feng retreated several steps, blocking with his battle spear as sparks flew everywhere. A trace of seriousness flashed in his eyes—Xiao Yan's combat instinct was indeed extraordinary; to be able to unleash such continuous offensives while his cultivation was suppressed was not something that could be achieved by talent alone, but an instinct honed from countless life-and-death battles. But relying on instinct alone was not enough.

He forced Xiao Yan back with a spear strike, and his left hand suddenly formed an extremely strange seal. In that instant, the aura around his body changed abruptly—it was no longer purely Emperor Realm power, but a more profound, more ancient power. This power did not belong to the Fighting Qi Continent, did not belong to Emperor Qi, and did not belong to any fighting style known to anyone present. The space around Xiao Yan suddenly solidified. It was not a space lock—a space lock used Dou Qi to imprison an area, which could be broken through as long as the opponent's Dou Qi was strong enough. But what Xiao Yan felt at this moment was that the space itself had undergone a fundamental change; the flowing void had turned into a solid cage. His movements suddenly stalled, and he felt the surrounding air, rubble, and even the light solidify in this instant. He frantically attacked with Emperor Qi, and the six-colored Emperor Flame exploded around him, forcibly burning a hole through that solid space. But his speed was still half a beat too slow—the Shitian battle spear had already thrust to his chest. He blocked horizontally with the ancient ruler of exotic flames, and the spear tip struck the ruler's body, blasting him away and causing him to slam heavily against the inner wall of the light cocoon.

Outside the light cocoon, there was a deathly silence. All the experts present who were above the Dou Sheng level widened their eyes, trying to understand the scene that had just occurred.

On Soul Yuan Tian's aged face, for the first time, there appeared an unconcealable bewilderment. He was the head of the Hun Clan Four Demon Saints and was proficient in space-sealing techniques like the Gate of Dead Silence, but the method Hun Feng had just displayed was completely different from the Gate of Dead Silence—the Gate of Dead Silence used soul power to seal space, which was essentially still using force to suppress others, but that move Hun Feng had just used made it seem as if he himself were the master of that space, changing the essence of space at will. Hun Qian had lived for hundreds of years and considered himself knowledgeable and experienced, but even after searching through all the ancient records in his mind, he could not find any method similar to it. It was not a Dou Technique, not Emperor Qi, not an exotic flame—it was a power he had never seen before, one that was not even recorded in ancient texts.

"How did the Young Master... do that just now?" Hun Qian's voice trembled slightly. Everyone present could see it—that move Hun Feng had just used had already exceeded the understanding of combat on the Fighting Qi Continent for the past ten thousand years. Yan Jin and Lei Ying looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment. Feng Tianyu was even rendered speechless, and Gu Qingyang beside him also wore an expression of disbelief. In Gu Yuan's brown eyes, which had seen thousands of years of wind and clouds, unconcealable shock surged; he considered himself to have a thorough understanding of all fighting styles on this continent, but he could not understand the move Hun Feng had just used. That feeling was like someone had created a brand new law out of thin air before his eyes.

Yao Chen stood behind the six-colored light screen, his aged fingers trembling slightly. He was not afraid, but shocked. He had lived for most of his life and had seen all sorts of earth-shattering methods, but the ability Hun Feng had just displayed—solidifying space—was not a seal, not a lock, but a direct change to the essence of space. This ability had already exceeded his understanding of all cultivation systems on the Fighting Qi Continent.

Tang Huo'er gripped her father's arm tightly, asking in a trembling voice what Dou Technique that was. Valley Master Tang Zhen shook his head slowly; having lived for hundreds of years, he had seen countless earth-shattering Dou Techniques, but he had never seen anyone who could directly manipulate space itself. That was not a Dou Technique—a Dou Technique was a specific attack method driven by Dou Qi, and even the strongest Heaven Rank Dou Skill required Dou Qi as a foundation. But that move Hun Feng had just used did not mobilize Dou Qi at all; he had simply clenched his fingers casually, and the space had solidified on its own.

"Law." Void Swallowing Flame suddenly spoke. He had lived for thousands of years, surviving from the ancient era to the present, and had once followed a powerhouse at the Dou Di level; he was one of the most knowledgeable beings on this continent. But at this moment, his black-flamed pupils were also contracting violently, and his voice was low and hoarse, "There was a legend in the ancient era—above the Emperor Realm, if one could comprehend the essence of the rules of heaven and earth, one could grasp the power of the Law. But that was a realm that even ancient Dou Dis might not have been able to reach." He paused, his eyes burning with black flames falling on Hun Feng, "What this kid obtained in the Myriad Soul Origin Pool is likely not just Emperor Realm cultivation. He has comprehended the Law of Space—no, not just one."

Not just one. The battle inside the light cocoon did not leave the crowd any time to digest this shock. Hun Feng attacked again, and this time he simultaneously invoked both the Law of Space and the Law of Time. The Law of Space folded the space around Xiao Yan layer by layer, and dozens of twisted spatial folds appeared out of thin air, each fold hiding a phantom of the Shitian battle spear. The Law of Time accelerated Hun Feng's own flow of time—in the eyes of the spectators, Hun Feng's figure suddenly disappeared, and the next second, dozens of Hun Feng's figures appeared simultaneously around Xiao Yan, each holding a Shitian battle spear, and each exuding real Emperor Realm power. Dozens of Hun Fengs, dozens of battle spears, simultaneously thrust at Xiao Yan from all directions. Time acceleration superimposed with space folding allowed Hun Feng to appear in dozens of different positions at the same instant. Every figure was real, and every battle spear carried the destructive power of the Emperor-level Heaven-Slaying Flame.

"How is this possible!" The entire arena was in an uproar.

Xiao Yan's Emperor Realm Soul operated frantically, trying to distinguish which figure was the real body. But he quickly discovered a fact that made his spine turn cold—every single one was real. Under the blessing of the Law of Time, Hun Feng existed simultaneously at dozens of different spatial nodes at the same instant. This was not a clone technique, not an illusion, but the result of the Law of Time and the Law of Space acting simultaneously—he accelerated time to the extreme, leaving behind real existing trajectories at different spatial nodes, and then used space folding to present these trajectories at the same point in time. He tried his best to block with the ancient ruler of exotic flames, blocking three spear shadows in front, two on the left grazing his ribs, and one on the right carving a bloody gash in his back. The six-colored Emperor Flame exploded simultaneously, blasting all the phantoms back together. His back slammed heavily against the inner wall of the light cocoon, blood surged in his chest, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

Xiao Yan raised his head and stared fixedly at Hun Feng, extremely complex emotions surging in his eyes—there was unwillingness, shock, anger, and also a trace of awe that he himself was unwilling to admit. He suddenly understood that Hun Feng's fierce attack just now was not to kill him, but to prove one thing to him—no matter how strong your Emperor Flame is, you cannot defeat someone who can manipulate time and space. This was not a crushing defeat in terms of strength, but a gap in levels.

There was a deathly silence on the spectator stands. Tang Huo'er covered her mouth, and tears slid silently through her fingers. Yao Chen closed his eyes and sighed heavily. He had already seen the ending—Xiao Yan could not beat Hun Feng, not because he was not strong enough, but because Hun Feng's methods had already exceeded the understanding of this continent. Hun Tiandi stood behind the blood-colored fire wall, a faint smile appearing on the corners of his mouth, and he murmured, "Feng'er, well done." Gu Yuan finally understood that the words Hun Feng had said back then at the Ancient Emperor Hall were not empty promises—he had said he would break the plane barrier to bring in the Source Qi of the Great Thousand World; at that time, he thought he was just depicting a distant vision, but now it seemed he was truly capable of doing it. Every step that young man took was ahead of everyone else.

Hun Feng stood with his spear on his back, behind him were dozens of time afterimages that had not yet dissipated. In front of him was Xiao Yan, who was covered in blood but still refused to fall. He did not pursue, but simply said calmly, "Xiao Yan, you cannot beat me. It is not because you are not strong enough—your Emperor Flame is very strong, and your combat instinct is also very strong. But I can manipulate time and space; no one on this continent can teach you how to break these two Laws. Do you still want to continue?"

Xiao Yan held the ancient ruler of exotic flames with one hand, and the six-colored Emperor Flame burned fiercely on the ruler's body. He looked up at Hun Feng, and a smile suddenly appeared on the corners of his mouth. It was not mockery, not a bitter smile, but an extremely pure excitement—it was the smile that a warrior would only have when encountering an opponent worth going all out for.

"Continue." He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gripped the ancient ruler of exotic flames tightly again. The six-colored Emperor Flame surged again, and the Ancient Emperor runes on the ruler's body emitted an unprecedented hum; in those black eyes, which had been tempered by the flames of war countless times, burned a flame that refused to be extinguished, "I, Xiao Yan, even if I lose, I will lose on the path of charging forward. This is my Dao."