Chi Hu Zhen Xian, the strongest among the many Five-Star Generals in the Heavenly Fiend Star Domain, ranked among the top within the entire war base. Therefore, when Tie Hou found him, Chi Hu Zhen Xian agreed without hesitation.
However, twenty immortal treasures were not a small sum, and they had to find several cultivators to pool them together.
When Chi Hu Zhen Xian, along with Tie Hou and the others, arrived at the decisive battle arena, another Five-Star General had already challenged Zhang Fan.
"We're still a step too late, what a pity," Chi Huo Zhen Xian muttered with a slight shake of his head upon witnessing this. They had moved as quickly as possible, yet someone was even faster.
"There's nothing to regret," Chi Hu Zhen Xian said, his gaze fixed on the two figures entering the arena. "Lie Yang Zhen Xian of the Xuan Yang Star Domain is quite confident. However, his strength isn't top-tier among the Five-Star Generals, yet he dares to make the first move."
Tie Hou remained silent, his eyes intensely focused on the figure on the arena, seemingly trying to discern every single one of his movements.
...
At this moment, on the arena, Zhang Fan had already engaged Lie Yang Zhen Xian in combat. Zhang Fan, as usual, used his physical prowess to press the attack, but Lie Yang Zhen Xian was not Tie Hou. He was not foolish enough to attack with his weakness against an opponent's strength.
Lie Yang Zhen Xian, clad in a white Daoist robe and wielding a red feathered fan, unleashed waves of true fire with every strike, transforming into fire dragons that surged towards Zhang Fan. In the strong wind, the flames burned even fiercer, coming in wave after wave, like an endless tide.
Although Zhang Fan's physique was formidable, Lie Yang Zhen Xian, by combining the Dao of Fire and the Dao of Wind, managed to prevent Zhang Fan from easily closing the distance. Meanwhile, he could continuously launch spells to attack Zhang Fan.
"Fire as the main element, wind as the supplement; fire borrows the momentum of wind, and wind aids the power of fire, cyclically repeating. Continue to comprehend the Dao of Wind, and even breaking through to the Divine Transformation realm will be within reach!" Lie Yang Zhen Xian, seeing Zhang Fan manipulated in his palm, felt quite pleased with himself.
Since the rules of the Dao of Fire had reached perfection, he had begun to comprehend other Daos to supplement the cultivation of the Dao of Fire. After numerous attempts, he finally felt that the Dao of Wind was the most suitable for assisting the cultivation of the Dao of Fire.
Zhang Fan, seemingly struggling with all his might but unable to break through Lie Yang Zhen Xian's attacks, with his body constantly being scorched by the flames, was clearly at a disadvantage. However, what he was contemplating was how to defeat Lie Huo Zhen Xian without revealing his true strength.
After all, these cultivators were not fools. If he defeated Lie Huo Zhen Xian cleanly and efficiently, it was likely that no one among the Five-Star Generals would dare to challenge him again. Harvesting leeks was meant to be done in waves; Zhang Fan did not wish to uproot them all at once.
Zhang Fan's plan was to harvest another wave from the Five-Star Generals, besides Lie Yang Zhen Xian. Therefore, for him, the most difficult part was not defeating Lie Huo Zhen Xian, but defeating him in a precisely controlled manner.
"Lie Yang Zhen Xian, what kind of skill is it to hide in the distance and cast spells? Do you have the courage to fight me up close?" Zhang Fan, greatly annoyed by Lie Yang Zhen Xian's spells, seemed to be feigning anger.
"Fellow Daoist Shi Jue, you speak incorrectly. Every inch has its own usefulness. I do not cultivate body techniques, so naturally I will not engage in close combat with a body cultivator. If you cannot endure it, you can surrender."
Lie Huo Zhen Xian's fair face was filled with a smile as he continued, "The longer the duration, the more dangerous it will become for you. Once I condense a ball of blazing sun, I fear even your physical body will not be able to withstand it."
"Hmph!" Zhang Fan snorted coldly, continuously dispersing the flames that rushed towards him. In just a few breaths, the entire space of ten thousand miles on the arena was engulfed in blazing fire.
The crowd below, witnessing this scene, could not help but feel a sense of pity for Zhang Fan. In the outside world, with ample space, Lie Yang Zhen Xian would not have been able to defeat Zhang Fan. But within the limited space of the arena, with the flames spreading, Zhang Fan had nowhere to hide.
"To possess such strength and still dare to boast so much. I thought he was truly powerful," Chi Hu Zhen Xian sighed, shaking his head. Originally, he had harbored a trace of caution, but now it seemed he had been too careful.
Although Zhang Fan's strength was considerable, it was at most comparable to Lie Yang Zhen Xian's, and still had some gap compared to himself.
"Lie Yang Zhen Xian!"
Zhang Fan suddenly let out a loud shout, a divine light shot from his eyes and entered Lie Yang Zhen Xian's mind. The latter's entire body froze for a brief moment before he instantly regained his senses.
"Take my punch!"
Zhang Fan seized this fleeting opportunity, utilizing his extraordinary speed to appear before Lie Yang Zhen Xian. He threw a punch, slamming it fiercely into Lie Yang Zhen Xian's chest.
At such close range, Lie Yang Zhen Xian had no time to react or defend.
With a low thud, Lie Yang Zhen Xian's chest caved in. He was sent flying, spitting blood from his mouth, staining his white robe crimson.
Lie Yan Zhen Xian's eyes were filled with astonishment, unable to comprehend how the situation had taken such a sharp turn. As a Qi Cultivator, being approached by Zhang Fan meant he could only be beaten, with no time to even cast spells.
Zhang Fan, not slowing down, was about to press his advantage when Lie Yang Zhen Xian quickly cried out, "I surrender!"
After steadying himself, Lie Yang Zhen Xian's eyes were filled with confusion and bewilderment. He looked at Zhang Fan and asked with a hint of dejection, "Why did I lose?"
"Your Nascent Soul is not strong enough. You need to go back and practice more," Zhang Fan said with a smile.
Lie Yang Zhen Xian pondered. His Nascent Soul had been momentarily clouded, and he had no idea what had happened before Zhang Fan appeared before him.
After a long while, Lie Yang Zhen Xian could only give a bitter laugh, produced the twenty immortal treasures he had prepared, tossed them to Zhang Fan, and turned to leave the arena.
At this moment, the area below the arena had fallen into silence. Most of the cultivators had not understood how Lie Yang Zhen Xian had lost.
"Lie Yang Zhen Xian actually lost?" Chi Huo Zhen Xian couldn't believe it. Lie Yang Zhen Xian had clearly held the upper hand, having secured an unassailable position with his Dao techniques. But how had he lost?
"It was an attack on the Nascent Soul," Chi Hu Zhen Xian said in a deep voice.
"Do you have the confidence to deal with it?" Tie Hou asked, staring at Chi Hu Zhen Xian.
Chi Hu Zhen Xian shook his head. His Nascent Soul was slightly stronger than Lie Yang Zhen Xian's, but only slightly. He had no confidence in dealing with Zhang Fan's method.
However, unlike Lie Yang Zhen Xian, his true form was a Crimson Flame Tiger. His physical body was so strong that even cultivators in the late Nascent Soul stage would find it difficult to injure him. Even if Zhang Fan had a method to make his Nascent Soul lose consciousness briefly, he was confident he could withstand it.
But who could guarantee that this was all of Zhang Fan's strength? Chi Hu Zhen Xian was not entirely sure.
"I was fortunate enough to win one match. The consumption today was considerable. If any fellow Daoist wishes to challenge me, it will likely have to wait until tomorrow," Zhang Fan said to the surrounding cultivators as he stepped off the arena.
Amidst the crowd, Qiong Yu Zhen Xian and Mu Shan Zhen Xian stood side by side, looking at the figure standing prominently. Both felt a sense of emotion.
"He has at least forty known immortal treasures on him now, doesn't he?" Qiong Yu Zhen Xian said, glancing sideways.
Mu Shan Zhen Xian nodded. He hadn't expected Zhang Fan to have such means. In just two days of entering the war base, he had already achieved such gains.
Even forty ordinary immortal treasures could be exchanged for over a hundred thousand military merits.
"Fighting again tomorrow? I suspect only the top-tier among the Five-Star Generals would dare to challenge him. Even if those top individuals make a move, it's hard to say who would win or lose," Mu Shan Zhen Xian chuckled.
...