The Legend of Futian

Jianmu City was the home territory of the Xi clan, meaning that Xia Qingyuan and the others were at a disadvantage.

That was why Xi Chan was daring to be so forceful and insisting on keeping them around.

However, while the forces of other imperial realms were incapable of doing as they pleased in Crimson Dragon City, the native forces didn’t dare to act rashly either.

Xia Qingyuan did not balk at all and forcefully retorted, “Many of the people on Heavenly Flames Avenue witnessed what transpired personally—the flames were gifted to us by an old man. If you insist on being so forceful, then bring the old man here. If he told us to hand over the flames, we would comply without question. As for you people, we did not get the flames from you. Do you think that we’ll just hand them over because you say that the flames are yours?”

If these people had spoken to them nicely and proved that the flames were indeed theirs, Ye Futian and his people would have considered returning them to them. However, there was no way they would hand them over just because the other party claimed that the flames were theirs.

Furthermore, these people had attacked as soon as they’d arrived and had behaved extremely rudely and forcefully. They’d also voiced their intentions of taking down Ye Futian’s party out loud.

In this case, it was simply impossible for Ye Futian’s party to hand over the flames.

Both parties stayed in a deadlock for quite some time, neither of them giving way to the other.

Both women—Xi Chan and Xia Qingyuan—were extremely powerful people.

A new group of people approached them. They emanated extremely powerful auras and wore crimson dragon robes, making it obvious that they were part of the Crimson Dragon Army and tasked with maintaining public order in Jianmu City.

Jianmu City was part of Crimson Dragon City. Within Crimson Dragon City limits, the Crimson Dragon Army served as the absolute peacekeepers.

A fight had broken out there and caught their attention.

“Commander Mu.” Xi Chan bowed slightly to the leader of the army. It was obvious that she knew the commander. The Crimson Dragon Army of Jianmu City had been stationed there for many years. There were nine lieutenants and two commanders. Commander Mu was one of the two. He was tasked with managing the upper regions of Jianmu City.

“What happened?” Commander Mu looked at the opposing forces and asked.

A figure arrived in a flash of light and reported to the commander what had transpired.

Commander Mu then looked at Ye Futian and his group after finding out who they were. It was said that Yu Sheng of Qianye City had entered the Regional Palace by overpowering all the mighty being there. He could become one of the commanders of Crimson Dragon City someday.

There was a great possibility that he would join the Crimson Dragon Army’s ranks one day.

“Xi Chan, how can the Xi clan prove that those flames are theirs?” Commander Mu looked at Xi Chan and asked. “How did the Xi clan come to possess the flames?”

“Commander Mu, those Flames of the Way indeed belong to the Xi clan.” A figure appeared in midair at that moment. A fiery aura swept out through the air. A legendary figure appeared, looking as brilliant as the sun in the sky.

He seemed to have the sun on his back. He was blindingly bright and nearly impossible to look at.

It was the Saint Lord of Jiuyang of the Xi clan. However, this was probably only a projection of his will rather than his true self.

Commander Mu looked at the materialized specter and said, “There has never been a Renhuang in the ranks of the Xi clan, Jiuyang. Those flames are of the Renhuang level, so that means they were acquired elsewhere. By my logic, I’m afraid no one would have traded those flames away without good reasons.”

It was apparent that Commander Mu had a good guess as to the origins of the flames.

The Saint Lord of Jiuyang frowned.

Commander Mu then looked at Xia Qingyuan and asked, “The Xi clan claims that the flames are theirs. Would you be willing to return it?”

“No,” Xia Qingyuan answered decisively.

“Very well.” Commander Mu nodded.

“One side wants to take the flames while the other side refuses to give it up. In that case, the Xi clan is free to take the flames by force, but do not cause too much of a commotion in Jianmu City. Furthermore, if you people clash with them in the future over the flames, the Crimson Dragon Army shall not interfere with matters between your parties. You are free to do as you please with each other.”

Crimson Dragon City had rules that forbid haphazard killing. In truth, Crimson Dragon City was the safest city in the Crimson Dragon Realm because it was the only place where rules were firmly enforced. That was because those rules had been laid down by the Crimson Dragon Emperor himself. Everyone had to obey them.

Anyone who broke those rules would be dealt with by the Crimson Dragon Army. However, at present, the Crimson Dragon Army was there simply to mediate the conflict between the two parties. Since neither of the parties was in the mood to make compromises, the commander saw fit to let them deal with the conflict on their own.

The Saint Lord of Jiuyang looked down at those below him until his eyes fixed on Xia Qingyuan. “If a conflict breaks out between your parties, none of us will have anything to gain from it. What would it take for you to return the flames?”

Those flames were rather important to them. It was about more than the flames being left behind by a Renhuang.

If the flames had only been left behind by a Renhuang, the saint lord would not have bothered making an appearance.

“Since you people sought to overwhelm us through sheer force, there is naturally no way we will return the flames.” Xia Qingyuan looked at the Saint Lord of Jiuyang coldly. If he had been a top-notch figure who didn’t belong to any group, he would have been tricky to deal with. However, since he was part of a top-notch clan, then he did not dare to make a move against her.

“Overwhelm you through sheer force, eh?” The Saint Lord of Jiuyang looked at Xia Qingyuan and said, “Xi Chan.”

“Yes, sir.” Xi Chan looked up at the saint lord.

“If Princess Xia here thinks that we are simply throwing our weight around, you should fight her. After all, you are on the same plane as her.” The saint lord then said, “Princess Xia, if Xi Chan wins, you shall return the Flames of the Way. If you win, then the Xi clan shall never ask for the flames again, and I shall have Xi Chan apologize for her rude actions. What do you think about that?”

If it not for Xia Qingyuan and the others being from Emperor Xia’s Realm, the Saint Lord of Jiuyang would not have bothered being so polite. He would have simply taken them on right there and then.

Of course, if that had been the case, Xia Qingyuan and the others would not have dared to maintain such a forceful attitude in the first place. They would have been forced to give up the flames.

Xia Qingyuan looked up after hearing the Saint Lord of Jiuyang’s words. Ye Futian then said, “I’ll do it.”

They did not object to the saint lord’s proposal.

Xia Qingyuan took a look at Ye Futian and then at Xi Chan. She said, “Mind your own business.” She then looked up at the saint lord and said, “Very well then.”

The people around them got rather excited when they heard her agree, especially those who had been watching the entire time.

They have long heard of Xi Chan’s talents and powers. She was the most powerful member of the younger generation of the Xi clan. She had honed her Flames of Jiuyang to frightening levels, making powers were unparalleled.

Xia Qingyuan, on the other hand, was a princess from Emperor Xia’s Realm. They were rather curious as to how a princess from an imperial realm would fare against a genius from the Crimson Dragon Realm.

It seemed to them that a good show was about to start.

The two women rose into the air. Xi Chan basked in the flames like a goddess of the sun. She hovered high in the air as the scorching afternoon sun showered down on her. Nine suns appeared behind her and rotated. Raging flames emanated from behind her. The light from those flames was capable of burning anything it touched. The fire was imbued with the devastating might of the great path.

Terrifying sunrays shot out at Xia Qingyuan. They could have burned her to death on the spot.

Holy light glimmered all over Xia Qingyuan’s body as Will of Calamity Swordsmanship emanated from her. It turned into the light of Calamity Swordsmanship and fired out beams of sword wills, clashing with the sunrays. The collision created high-pitched noises.

Xi Chan did not expect to beat Xia Qingyuan with only that one move. Her body hovered in the air as the nine suns circled her. The celestial bodies rotated and high above. Suns appeared in astounding numbers in the blink of an eye, shrouding the entire area and enveloping Xia Qingyuan.

Every single sun harbored extremely ferocious flames. They were the Flames of Jiuyang. Every single direct descendant of her family had trained in the Flames of Jiuyang. The only thing that differed between them was their plane levels.

Even though the flames that she’d conjured and honed were only of the Proving Holiness level, they were nonetheless tremendously devastating.

The suns that surrounded Xia Qingyuan rotated shot down rays of light, trying to burn their target alive. Xi Chan’s beautiful eyes looked as if they held suns inside them. She lifted her arms and fire of the sun coiled around her palms.

She was out to see just how capable a princess of an imperial realm could be.

“Burn,” said Xi Chan. Saint-level spells were cast as the suns repeatedly fired beams of flames. They tore through the sky as they headed right for Xia Qingyuan. Ringing noises were heard in the air. It was difficult to imagine just how devastating the flames of the suns were.

Ye Futian looked at the battlefield from below and was rather startled. Xi Chan was more powerful than he had expected her to be.

Top-notch clans who were trained in the power of the flames in Crimson Dragon Realm exhibited extremely proficient control and use of fiery powers. They were considered masters among masters in the art.

Holy light dazzled over Xia Qingyuan as countless lotus flowers appeared around her. Those lotuses shielded her as they blossomed in the air. The beams of flames collided with them, making the petals ring intensely. However, the flowers remained intact instead of melting or burning away.

The suns fired beams of even greater intensity, drowning the space and burying Xia Qingyuan completely. Xi Chan waved her hands, causing the suns in the air to merge. They turned into a gigantic sun and buried Xia Qingyuan.

The air around them became extremely hot in an instant. It felt like everything was on the verge of melting down. Xia Qingyuan and her lotuses had been all but swallowed by the sun.

At that moment, dazzling sword auras burst from the petals of the lotuses, especially from the one in the middle. Terrifying Calamity Swordsmanship pierced through the sun and shot outside. The number and intensity of the auras grew increasingly dramatically as they tried to tear everything apart.

Within mere moments, the boundless sword auras tore the sun into pieces which then exploded with a loud noise. The lotuses blossomed to reveal an imposing figure standing at their center. It was none other than Xia Qingyuan.

Xia Qingyuan stood on a lotus flower as countless others blossomed in the air. The Will of Calamity Swordsmanship harbored extremely terrifying explosive capabilities. They became numerous enough to block out the sky in mere moments and headed straight for Xi Chan.

“Go.” Xia Qingyuan pointed at Xi Chan. The boundless swords imbued with the worldly great path zipped past as they launched at Xi Chan.

Xi Chan stepped aside as an extremely enraged aura burst from her body. It seemed as if a sun had appeared around her, shrouding her within. The space around the sun was burning red. When the swords reached her and pierced through the sun, they melted into nothing.

The swords melted immediately.

Xi Chan kept moving forward, forcefully making her way toward Xia Qingyuan. The flames of the sun were capable of melting everything in the world. The swords crumbled before the Flames of Jiuyang.

Xia Qingyuan frowned as boundless swords shot forward. They were all quickly destroyed when they hit the screen of the sun.

It was her first time fighting with someone at her level. She’d never faced someone who was trained in such formidable powers as the art of flames.

Furthermore, it seemed as if Xi Chan intended to fight up close and personal.