Pulling Out All the Stops!

*Boom!* Terrifying fire energy swept through heaven and earth in an instant, reducing everything within a five-hundred-zhang radius around the two of them into a sea of flames! At the same time, an uncanny spatial force warped around them, thoroughly locking Li Guanqi within this domain. Furthermore, this mysterious space was saturated with extraordinarily dense fire-attribute spiritual power. As a result, Miao Rongchang’s strength received a tremendous boost, and the recovery rate of his primal energy surged drastically. Smiling faintly, the old man looked at Li Guanqi and said softly, "To tell you the truth… across several centuries, you are the most terrifyingly rapid-growing talent I have ever laid eyes upon. In fact, throughout this journey, I was tempted to strike and kill you many times. The speed at which your strength and cultivation realm improved genuinely made me feel dread." At that, the old man looked around at their surroundings and murmured, "This place isn’t bad either. You can die here in peace!" *Boom!* In an instant, the surrounding flames churned and crashed down upon Li Guanqi! Li Guanqi’s eyes narrowed. Lightning flashed beneath his feet as he dodged one wave of incoming fire after another. *Sizzle!* The sharp sound of burning flesh suddenly rang out. Looking at the singed hem of his trousers, Li Guanqi’s heart sank slightly. He hadn’t expected the old man’s power to be so formidable! That terrifying aura was hardly inferior to that of a half-step Soul Formation powerhouse. Li Guanqi’s gaze flickered as he gripped his sword, dodging frenetically through the void while expanding his divine sense across the battlefield, desperately searching for any slight opening. Suddenly! Miao Rongchang’s figure materialized behind him! *Clang!* *Clash!* Blades collided, and fire instantly erupted around the old man! *Boom!* Lightning coursed around Li Guanqi, forming a barrier of lightning before him. The searing flames crashed heavily against the barrier, triggering a deafening explosion. *Bang!* The barrier shattered, and dozens of sword rays pierced through the flames, slashing toward him in an instant! Li Guanqi’s expression grew exceptionally grim. Squinting, he whipped the sword in his left hand out in a rapid flurry of flashes. In the blink of an eye, dozens of lightning sword rays repelled all the incoming strikes and flames. Yet no sooner had those sword beams shattered than a towering tidal wave of fire rose from the inferno behind him, rolling forward to engulf him! Li Guanqi’s expression shifted slightly. His sword swept out in a graceful arc, tracing a circle beneath his feet. Primal energy roared within his body as his face darkened, words muttering softly from his lips. *Boom!* The monstrous wave of fire descended like the collapse of heaven itself! Miao Rongchang’s face was solemn. Daring not let his guard down in the slightest, his hands rapidly shifted through incantation seals as he roared under his breath, "Spirit Incantation 221: Surging Flame Waves!" *Boom!* The sea of fire throughout the entire domain rose skyward, churning into waves dozens of zhang high that slammed down one after another toward Li Guanqi’s position! The surging fire slammed relentlessly like an ocean tide against the faint speck of purple light in its center. Several spirit talismans abruptly appeared in the old man’s hand. The moment they were slapped onto his body, they burst into roaring flames! The garments on his upper body blew apart, his robes whipping fiercely in the void. Miao Rongchang’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s. He naturally knew that Li Guanqi possessed terrifying sword cultivation, and he even knew the boy’s physical body was exceptionally strong. That was why he had intended to go all out from the very beginning! He thrust both withered hands fiercely into the sea of fire! *Boom!* The old man’s aura continued to surge crazily, spreading a horrifying pressure through the void. His silver hair whipped wildly in the gale, yet his eyes remained fixed on the distance. Flames rapidly coiled up both of his arms. As fire surged beneath his feet, the old man roared, "Spirit Incantation 196: Flame Burial!" Powerful torrents of primal energy surged furiously, causing the towering waves of fire beneath his feet to suddenly freeze. Immediately afterward, the surrounding flames unfurled like flower petals before surging madly toward the center alongside the fiery waves! *Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!* The relentless barrage continued for over a dozen breaths! The suspended stone bridge spanning the chasm was burned completely to ash, and the ground before the two colossal statues was scorched into a massive crater dozens of zhang deep! Miao Rongchang held his sword, his chest heaving violently. He swallowed several medicinal pills in succession, his gaze narrowing. He had trapped his foe in his domain, seized the initiative, and unleashed his greatest power in continuous bursts. Even so, he dared not show the slightest carelessness. Having observed Li Guanqi for nearly two years, he was all too familiar with the youth’s tenacity. Unless he severed the boy's head with his own hands and destroyed the Nascent Soul, he could not afford to drop his guard. A lion must exert all its strength even when hunting a rabbit, let alone against someone ranked on the Tianji Rankings! Yet within that raging inferno, a figure stood proud and upright, drenched in blood! *Buzz!* Suddenly! A faint wisp of lightning flashed and vanished within the sea of fire. Miao Rongchang’s face changed drastically! A spark of fire flared beneath his feet, and he instantly vanished from where he stood! *Boom!* A terrifyingly fierce sword ray shot straight up from the sea of fire! *Crash!* The fearsome lightning sword ray flashed and tore the sea of flames cleanly in two along its path. Even the spatial fabric of the entire domain destabilized, trembling violently! Miao Rongchang’s face turned dark as he stared at his severed wrist. Raising his right hand, he forcefully used fire energy to cauterize the wound until it was charred shut. Throughout the entire process, his face merely twitched slightly, his gaze devoid of emotion as he let sweat from his brow drip into his eyes. Instead, his eyes remained glued to the center of the sea of flames, filled with sheer disbelief. At the heart of the inferno, an endless torrent of lightning suddenly erupted! A bare-chested figure stood proud and tall, clad in a battered suit of lightning armor! Beneath the helm of armor, pure-white eyes made no attempt to conceal their murderous intent! The moment Miao Rongchang saw the armor of lightning, his pupils shrank to pinpricks, and he swallowed hard with difficulty. For an armor of lightning to remain mostly intact after enduring two major spirit incantations, it was obviously a spirit incantation of its own. But he could hardly imagine what rank a technique with such terrifying defensive power held among the spirit incantations. Before he could ponder further, the stray lightning dispersing into the surroundings began to suppress his flame domain with savage force! Li Guanqi’s cold voice slowly rang out. "Sword Prison! Open!" *Boom!* Thunder roared and arcs of electricity flared! In the blink of an eye, the terrifying power of lightning enveloped the entire flame domain, expanding outward to a full eight hundred zhang! Only then did the old man’s expression warp in shock! He swept a hand frantically across the space before him, but the void merely rippled faintly without reacting. The old man gasped in a dry, hoarse whisper, "A domain! When did you comprehend the power of a domain?!"