Chapter Sixteen: The Great War of the Fire Crocodile

  The main hall of Ye's mansion.

  Ye Nantian's eyes were burning with intensity as he gazed at Ye Yang, feeling a mix of reluctance and helplessness.

  "Dad, I'm going to get ready!"

  Ye Yang put down the cup in his hand and said faintly.

  In the armory at the back of Ye Manor, a row of 20 'fine' steel spears were neatly arranged in the corner, faintly glowing with firelight, especially the spearheads, which seemed to be burning like red-hot iron cones, fiercely leaping with flames.

  "Flamethrower, hehe..."

  Ye Yang smiled slightly, putting all the long spears into the Qiankun bag. These "fine" steel spears were made by him when he was practicing the Hundred Refining Technique. Although they were not top-grade, they contained a certain amount of fire god power, making them much stronger than ordinary weapons. Moreover, these long spears were all projectile-type blades!

  An inch longer, an inch stronger. When facing a strong enemy, the longer the attack distance, the more deterrent it is. Forging these flame javelins was just one of Ye Yang's survival strategies in this world. He was a steady and prudent person who never fought without being sure of winning.

  Then Ye Yang came to the depths of the armory, opened a black iron box, and saw 10 dark iron balls, the size of a fist.

  "Whoosh!"

  He put all the iron balls into the Qiankun bag. At this time, Qin Fang's voice came: "Ye Yang, what are these black and shiny marbles?"

  Ye Yang exclaimed: "Oh!" Qin Fang Grandfather, this is my specially made weapon!

  "Oh? A custom-made weapon?" Qin Fang was slightly startled: "What's it called?"

  "Thunderbolt Pearl!"

  “……”

  Qin Fang fell silent for a moment, unable to discern any hidden meaning, and asked: "What's its use?"

  Ye Yang smiled and explained: "I had the servants collect a large amount of saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, mix them in a certain proportion, and add sharp iron fragments. The outer layer is covered with cold iron wrapping. In this way, as long as it is heated to a certain degree, this thunderbolt bead will explode with astonishing power!"

  Qin Fang nodded as if he understood but didn't really understand, and didn't ask any more questions. There seemed to be something about this person that he just couldn't quite grasp.

  Just as he was preparing, a breath of air approached from behind, it was Ye Nan Tian. He held in his hands a dark red colored cuirass, saying: "Zi Yu, this is an armor made from the skin and fur of a ghost tiger. Wear it under your outer garment, this way you will have more chances to preserve your life..."

  Ye Yang nodded and put on the lock sub-armor.

  Ye Nan Tian's face was filled with shame and he sighed to the sky: "Son, it's your dad who is useless, can't protect you. This time, the Fire Dragon Cave's inheritance grand ceremony, you must come back alive!"

  "Don't worry, Dad!"

  Ye Yang patted the shoulder of the chubby guy and revealed a bright smile.

  "Let's get going!"

  "Good!"

  ……

  The horse-drawn carriage rushed all the way to the Fire God Temple, where the eight branches of the Fire God clan gathered. No matter what big event happened in the family, they would always gather here.

  Ye Nan Tian brought Ye Yang into the Fire God Temple, from afar, on the high platform, the war flag was flying high, with the pattern of a battle axe shining in the sun, which was the symbol of the Fire God clan.

  Under the war flag, twelve ' elite' warriors stood in a row, wearing armor and holding long spears, looking quite majestic.

  It's impressive that the Huo Shen clan, after thousands of years, although gradually declining, still possesses a dignity and power that cannot be ignored. Especially when the clan leader, Peng Feng, advanced to the 9th level of the Great Earth Realm a few years ago, this further allowed the Huo Shen clan to possess the strength to rival other families. After all, a 9th-level strongman is an existence that commands respect in Liang City and even within a thousand miles!

  The first altar, on the long stairs, the master of the eight veins of the fire god had taken his seat. They were all elderly with white hair and beards. Peng Feng wore a grey robe, his eyes gleaming like torches, his expression stern. Although he was just sitting there, an intangible aura already enveloped the entire scene, revealing the demeanor of a master-level powerhouse without reserve.

  Seeing Ye Nantian's arrival, Peng Feng immediately stood up and smiled: "Nantian, you've finally come!"

  Ye Nan Tian's face was cold and stern as he stepped onto the high platform, suppressing his killing intent, and sat down beside Peng Feng.

  Peng Feng nodded with a smile and announced: "More than 3,000 years ago, in the Fire Dragon Cave below this Fire God Altar, our Fire God clan produced a powerful Fire God warrior. Today is another annual Fire Dragon Cave Trial Ceremony. According to the cycle calculation, this year's lucky one is Ye Yang, the only son of the Ye family. Prepare, you can enter the Fire Dragon Cave!"

  The thick voice echoed in the field, lingering for a long time without dispersing. Peng Feng's cultivation shocked the other seven vein masters on one side, who couldn't help but sigh at their own inferiority.

  Peng Feng called out again to Peng Yue'er and said: "Yue'er, take Ye Yang into the Fire Dragon Cave, after entering, you immediately come out, do you understand?"

  Peng Yue'er grasped the Bright Fire Sword in her hand and held a silver cone as she walked up to Ye Yang, coldly smiling: "Ye Yang, let's go?"

  Ye Yang's expression remained calm, he nodded slightly and followed the beautiful young woman in front of him.

  The two walked on the long stairs under the gaze of hundreds, Peng Yue'er beautiful and elegant, Ye Yang handsome and steady. These two should have been an enviable match made in heaven, but unfortunately, Ye Yang's original body owner was a useless and arrogant young master, and Peng Yue'er had great hostility towards him.

  The end of the long stairs was just the bottom of the Fire God's altar, where a dark red door was emitting a faint flame glow, with a jade-colored seal on it.

  "Brush!"

  Peng Yue'er raised her hand and the seal flew away, revealing a black lock with two holes below.

  "Crack!"

  The silver cone pierced the lock, Peng Yue'er let out a soft "hum", the fire god's power surged in, and the next moment, the entire altar shook violently. The gate leading to the Fire Dragon Cave opened, and a fierce flame burst out!

  "Huh?"

  Peng Yue'er didn't dodge, and with a condensation of aura on her body surface, she easily blew away the fierce flames. This move immediately won a burst of applause, and countless young heroes shouted hoarsely: "Peng Yue'er, I love you! You are forever mine!"

  Ye Yang couldn't help but smile slightly, this Peng Yue'er was arrogant and proud, with the demeanor of a young lady, yet she had such a beautiful appearance that she was surprisingly popular.

  "What are you laughing at?"

  Peng Yue'er gave Ye Yang a cold look, then suddenly curled up the corner of her mouth, revealing a smile with deep meaning: "Ye Yang, I hope you can come out alive, don't become the Holy Beast's breakfast!"

  Ye Yang looked at Peng Yue'er without giving in, her momentum not inferior to the opponent's. She said calmly: "Thank you for your blessing, I will have a good talk with that sacred beast!"

  "Hmmph!"

  Peng Yue'er let out a cold laugh and didn't say anything else, only gesturing for Ye Yang to enter the Fire Dragon Cave.

  "Brush!"

  Ye Yang stretched out his body, and floated into the Fire Dragon Cave. Just as he entered, a "click" sound was heard from behind him. Peng Yue'er, that ruthless woman, had already locked the entrance. However, the interior of the cave was filled with flames, which illuminated everything clearly.

  ……

  Intense flames enveloped the air, and Ye Yang instinctively activated his Fire God's power to protect himself. With a "clang", he drew out the Broken Flame Sword from behind him. The sword, which was a seven-grade military blade, emitted a clear and crisp hum, and its body danced with flames, making it obvious that this sword was extraordinary.

  Qin Fang's voice came: "Ye Yang, be careful, I sensed a powerful demonic beast aura, this fire python is probably going to be even stronger than I expected!"

  "Hmm!"

  Ye Yang nodded slightly, raised his sword and moved forward step by step, being extremely cautious while secretly increasing the power of the Fire God to its peak state in preparation for what was about to come.

  Huilong Cave, this is a deep and wide underground passageway, with ancient totem stone pillars standing in the passageway, as if guarding.

  The ground was somewhat damp, and a pungent smell wafted through the air.

  "Crack!"

  A faint rustling sound, Ye Yang stepped on something, and when he looked down, it was a humerus bone, which appeared to be human remains, with some fragmented bones around, probably from previous victims.

  With a stern gaze, Ye raised his eyebrows and shouted: "Hu Jiao, come out! You dare to impersonate the sacred beast of the Huo Shen clan? Get out here!"

  "Ah!"

  Suddenly a fierce flame rose in the Fire Dragon Cave, and only someone like Ye Yang who had cultivated the Fire God's Decision could withstand it.

  Ye Yang suddenly felt a strong power rapidly approaching, and at the same time, a shrill and eerie voice echoed in his ears!

  When he lifted his head again, even with psychological preparation, Ye Yang was still startled. He saw a water bucket-thick giant snake coiled between the stone pillars, its body covered with dense blood-red scales, and flames dancing around it. It had four legs, this was not an ordinary python, but a basilisk!

  This is something that only exists in legend, a snake that has been transformed into a python after 500 years, and then transforms into a dragon after another 500 years. And the fire python in front of us has already transformed from its snake state, becoming a ferocious beast covered all over with flames!

  "Hiss..."

  A pair of deep brown eyes stared fixedly at the prey in front, exuding hunger and greed, a fiery red tongue darted out, making a blood-curdling sound.

  Ye Yang tightly grasped the Broken Flame Sword, gritted his teeth, and a blood-red glow burst forth from his entire body - that was the symbol of a 5th-level strongman!

  The fire crocodile completely ignored the tiny human in front of it, suddenly launched a fierce attack, opened its bloody mouth wide and swallowed him whole, a wave of intense fishy stench rushed forward!

  Ye Yang gritted his teeth and charged forward, his long sword flashing in the air as he unleashed three consecutive slashes of icy sword energy at Huo Gou!

  "Pffft!"

  Scales fluttering, the leaf's fire god power is not trivial, that is the true energy born from the residual volume of the fire god, which is far from ordinary fire god power. It actually cracked open the scales of the fire python in the first instant!

  However, this small wound was no big deal for Huo Jiao, it only hurt but didn't cause any damage. With a sudden flick of its head, a massive force struck Ye Yang's waist!

  "Boom!"

  The whole person seemed to be torn apart, Ye Yang's throat was already injured, the strength of the seven-tiered magic beast was indeed something he couldn't match, the gap wasn't small.

  His wrist shook, and in the blink of an eye, three sword auras imbued with the power of the Fire God appeared again!

  "Bang bang bang......"

  Still can only crack the scales, but cannot hurt the fire crocodile's skin and flesh. The defensive power of this seventh-level magic beast is really too strong!

  Helpless, Ye Yang gritted his teeth and shouted loudly: "Duan Kong Zhuan Mu!"

  At the same time, two true energies were derived, one of which condensed into a wall of energy at the back of Huo Jiao's head, while the other transformed into a sword energy that flew swiftly away!

  "Bang!"

  Huǒ gōu's underestimation of the enemy led to its downfall, as it failed to dodge and was hit head-on with a loud thud. The force generated by the collision of the two energies was more than double, and in that instant, Huǒ gōu's lower jaw burst open, releasing streams of scorching hot blood!

  "Hoo-ah!"

  The injured Fire Scorpion was thoroughly enraged, twisting its massive body, a steel whip-like tail sweeping across!

  Too fast, far faster than Ye Yang!

  "Pffft!"

  A dull thud, and Ye Yang's body was sent flying like a rubber ball. Fortunately, he was wearing a ghost tiger skin 'hair' lock armor on his chest, otherwise this blow would have at least broken several of his ribs!

  After knocking down two stone pillars, Ye Yang fell to the ground with a thud, spitting out fresh blood.

  "Go for it!"

  Qin Fang's voice came urgently: "Get up quickly, Huo Jiao is here!"

  Ye Yang raised his head, and the dust on his handsome face made him look even more stern. He gazed at the Fire Python as it rapidly approached, and suddenly a smile appeared on Ye Yang's face. In his hand, a flame spear had somehow materialized!

  That's right, it's Flame Spear!

  "Brush!"

  Flaming spear flew across the sky like a meteor, hitting the Fire Turtle's forehead with a "bang", but unfortunately, the power was insufficient and still couldn't tear open the Fire Turtle's skin.

  Ye Yang didn't falter, his five fingers spread out, and two black iron balls appeared in the center of his palm. The Fire God's power infused the flexible energy wrapping around the iron balls, and in the next instant, these thunderclap pearls had already flown out!

  Two seconds later, the package wrapped in thunderbolt beads burst into flames and suddenly exploded!

  "Boom! Boom!"

  The ground shook and the power was astonishing. The fire-breathing dragon was blown up, its head raised repeatedly, and its mournful cries were continuous.

  Qin Fang was equally shocked, but did not speak to disturb Ye Yang. At this time, Ye Yang not only had strength beyond his age, but also a calm and intelligent mind, which was what Qin Fang was most pleased about.

  Taking advantage of the moment when the fire python raised its head, Ye Yang's figure flickered and made a series of throwing motions. In an instant, seven or eight flame spears shot out, and in the blink of an eye, they all plunged into the lower jaw of the fire python, where there were no scales, which should be the weak point of the fire python!

  Originally, Ye Yang had planned to find the 'flower' of Huo Jiao to make his move, but Huo Jiao's body was too long and he couldn't find a suitable position, so he could only settle for second best.

  Successive explosions and flamethrower attacks had already made it impossible for the Fire Scorpion to advance even half a step.

  Ye Yang continued to attack fiercely, consecutively launching his moves. In the blink of an eye, he had used up all his Thunderbolt Pearls and 20 Flame Spears shot out, pinning Fire Crocodile's lower jaw and head like a hedgehog!

  But unfortunately, the Fire Scorpion did not die, but instead went into a frenzied state, this seventh-tier demonic beast was just too powerful!

  ……

  On the ground, the altar of the fire god shook continuously, as if it were an earthquake.

  Peng Feng gazed at the Fire God Altar with a stern expression, his eyes filled with suspicion.

  "What's going on? What happened in the Fire Dragon Cave?" asked Cao De, the master of the Cao family.

  Peng Feng shook his head and said, "Not very clear, but the sacred beast's aura has appeared, and it's reacting extremely fiercely. It should be... undergoing a succession, right?"

  As he spoke, Peng Feng looked at Ye Nan Tian.

  Poor Ye Nan Tian held a cup tightly in his hand, extremely nervous, the cup had already been pinched to crack by him, tea spilled all over the floor yet he remained unaware.

  ……

  Fire Dragon Cave

  His hand was empty, and Ye Yang's heart was also extremely cold. This wasn't good at all. He had used his full strength, but the fire python was still only injured, not dead. The situation was very unfavorable for him!

  "Hiss..."

  The fire crocodile roared with rage, its eyes turned a deep crimson red, and its lower jaw suddenly swelled up, as if storing up something!

  Qin Fang's exclamation came: "Ye Yang be careful, this is a breath! This fire python is about to evolve into a dragon and actually has the ability to breathe!"

  Ye Yang was stunned, and the fire crocodile had already opened its huge mouth. A blazing ball of fire came straight at him!

  At that moment, he had a premonition of death in his heart. If he was hit by the dragon's breath head-on, Ye Yang would inevitably be burned to ashes!

  In the blink of an eye, Ye Yang pulled out his leg and took off!

  "Boom!"

  The fire-breathing dragon's roar struck the stone wall, instantly burning and melting the rocks, and in an instant, a deep and bottomless "cave" was blasted out!

  "Oh no..."

  Ye Yang was so scared that his soul flew away, fortunately he didn't use the wall to block it, otherwise the fire would have blown him to smithereens!

  "Hurry, Ye Yang!" Qin Fang's voice was urgent: "After the Fire Wyrm's blast of breath, it will be in a state of weakness for a short time. You must kill it within this brief period, otherwise you'll be the one to die!"

  Ye Yang's heart was already set on death. His strength and that of the Fire Turtle were worlds apart, to the point where he couldn't even scratch its scales, let alone kill it.

  However, Ye Yang no longer had time to think of a strategy, as Huo Jiao furiously twisted his body and came at him with extreme speed, not giving Ye Yang any chance to escape!

  A dark shadow flashed before his eyes, and a tearing pain came, Ye Yang slammed into the stone wall in mid-air, his left arm hanging below his shoulder, and his humerus was actually "pulled" off.

  The whole person was in agony, the Fire God's power began to dissipate, and his mind went blank. Qin Fang's voice became indistinct, and Ye Yang knew that this was a harbinger of death!

  With eyes wide open, he watched as the fire lizard drew near, its terrifying head poking out to hook onto Ye Yang's arm. Then, with a twist of its neck, it wrapped Ye Yang around its body, only his head visible.

  The tremendous power of the seven-tiered demon beast was imaginable, and for a moment, Ye Yang's entire body transmitted the "crackling" sound of his skeleton bursting, painful to the point of near death!

  Consciousness began to blur, but Ye Yang was not willing to die like that. Having lived for over 20 years, he had yet to achieve his great dreams and had not even married a wife. How could he just die in the mouth of a beast?!

  The fire lizard opened its bloody basin-like mouth, just making a gesture to swallow the prey in its arms, and the terrible son's violent trembling made people's hearts cold.

  At the moment of life and death, Ye Yang gritted his teeth, a pair of bright eyes burst forth with radiance, and with great effort he raised the Broken Flame Sword, striking with lightning speed!

  "Hmph!"

  A blow from below, the Flame Sword pierced straight into the Fire Crocodile's lower jaw, penetrating its brain, and emerging from the top of its head, a stream of scorching hot blood spurted out, splashing Ye Yang all over.

  "Hiss..."

  The fire lizard let out a miserable cry, its body convulsing violently as it fell to the ground with a mournful wail!

  Finally, this terrible seven-stage demon beast was ended, thanks to the numerous thunderbolts and flame spears that had shattered the fire python's lower jaw earlier, otherwise Ye Yang would not have been able to kill it with one blow.

  Qin Fang's excited voice came: "Ye Yang, you killed the Fire Python! Haha, Ye Yang, you killed the Fire Python! Great, great!"

  Ye Yang smiled wryly, almost all the bones in his body were broken, and he fell weakly on one side of the Fire Python's corpse, his whole body soaked in the Fire Python's blood.

  "Brush!"

  Suddenly, a warm feeling spread from the 'chest' mouth, and the light scattered. The remaining paper of the Fire God surprisingly began to dissolve in the blood of the fire python, transforming into countless starlight points that seeped into Ye Yang's body.

  In an instant, a cool and refreshing feeling came over him. Ye Yang let out a long sigh of relief as his entire skeletal system emitted a soft "creaking" sound. And incredibly, the fractured bones were being repaired!