The sudden reinforcements immediately caused Fan Lao's face to pale significantly, especially upon seeing Xiao Yan's cold, fierce expression—his complexion now as white as if coated with frost. When Xiao Yan displayed two distinct types of fire, Fan Lao realized that even if all four of them fought together, they would likely struggle to push him back. Moreover, the battle had only just begun, and already one established Dou Wang had been completely disabled by Xiao Yan. With their strength diminished, their chances of victory were rapidly dwindling. Thus, he had only planned to capture Xiao Li and use that leverage to secure Xiao Yan's attention. However, the timely arrival of Lin Yan and Zi Yan completely undermined his strategy. Now, he would have to face Xiao Yan's blazing fury and wrath alone! "Kill everyone in the stronghold!" When Fan Lao's face turned pale, he suddenly snapped to attention and roared loudly—clearly determined to fight to the very end against Xiao Yan and the others. The hundreds of "Black Alliance" troops stationed outside the mountain village, who had been waiting for orders, instantly responded with a thunderous, unified cry upon hearing Fan Lao's command. Then, countless figures surged forth from the forest, launching a sweeping assault on the village. Observing the steady stream of figures emerging from the forest, Xiao Yan furrowed his brow. These troops clearly belonged to Xiao Li's second brother; if they suffered heavy losses, it would indeed be difficult to manage. "Third brother, handle that old man. I'll take charge of repelling the attack from outside!" As Xuanyin's thoughts turned in his mind, Xu Li suddenly leapt down from the platform, roaring fiercely. Shadows within the mountain fortress stirred, and then, in a matter of moments, over a hundred figures emerged in neat formation, filling the once-empty streets with people. "Everyone, follow me!" Xu Li barked, then dashed ahead toward the main gate of the fortress. The following black figures moved without hesitation, swiftly following in his wake. Despite the pressing situation, their steps remained perfectly steady and orderly, responding precisely to Xu Li's commands, spread out across various points of the fortress. Watching the figures emerge from the shadows, Xu Yin was momentarily struck by astonishment, then reassured. Though Xu Li now bore injuries, aside from Fan Lu and a few others, no more Storm King-level warriors remained among the main forces. Even ordinary Storm Lords could easily handle them should Xu Li be injured. Drawing his gaze back, he turned toward Fan Lao, who stood not far ahead. Xiao Yan smiled, his white teeth gleaming with a cold, sharp intensity. "Old dog Fan, you managed to escape two years ago—do you think you'll have such luck today?" Xiao Yan's voice was warm, yet as cold as a blade, sending a shiver through one's very bones. Being called "old dog" one after another by Xiao Yan, Fan Lao's face turned as pale as iron. Yet he knew well that the man before him was no longer the young lad he had been two years ago. Now, with his strength and stature firmly established, Fan Lao felt himself completely at the mercy of Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, all our grievances stem from you. If you hadn't killed my son, I would never have had any reason to hold a grudge against you!" Fan Lao's eyes flickered, darting around subtly, yet he clenched his teeth and spoke firmly. "In this chaotic Black Corner Domain, who would have thought it unusual that your son was killed? In fact, the number of people who have fallen at your hands is surely far greater than the number who have died at my Xiao Yan sneered, then slowly raised his heavy ruler, pointing it steadily at Fan Lao and said in a calm tone, "What you say now is useless. Our grievances have no room for reconciliation. Today, you must die!" "Arrogant little upstart! I, Fan Lao, do not fear you!" His face twitched violently, and finally he could no longer contain himself, roaring with fierce intensity. Blood-tinged qi surged forth from within him, filling the air in waves, rising to form a vast sea of blood stretching three to four zhang in diameter, completely engulfing his form. "It's been two years. Still the same old tricks. None of this matters to me." Xiao Yan glanced at the spreading sea of blood, then lightly tapped the green flames on his hands with the intangible fire. The two flames swiftly merged, forming a shimmering emerald flame. Gently tossing the emerald flames, Xiao Yan suddenly swept his sleeve, and in mere seconds, the compact emerald flame—smaller than a head—swelled dramatically to a size of two or three meters. With his fingers pressing against the vast emerald flame, Xiao Yan slowly smiled, then flicked his fingertip, sending the massive flame surging forth like a storm, sweeping across the sky. As the emerald flames surged, the blood-soaked sea surrounding them began to churn, the foul odor swiftly dissipating, and the thick blood sea gradually thinning. Even more, faint roars of Fan Lao's furious rage could be heard echoing within the blood sea. To be honest, Fan Lao has indeed been rather unlucky. This Blood Sea offensive is his signature technique that has enabled him to dominate the Black Angle Region—once deployed, it allows him to vanish from sight, and while within it, whether restoring his ki or performing other actions, his capabilities are significantly amplified. Many powerful fighters in the past had to retreat helplessly against this technique. Yet now, facing a master of the Strange Fire, Xiao Yan, the Blood Sea behaves as if mice are fleeing before a cat—utterly powerless to resist. Though Fan Lao himself is a Duke-level warrior, under Xiao Yan's command, his combat effectiveness seems no more than that of an ordinary Duke-level fighter. This truly exemplifies one technique overcoming another. Gazing at the blood spear bursting forth from the sea of blood, Xiao Yan merely smiled and shook his head. With a flick of his finger, a strand of emerald flame shot out from his fingertip and collided powerfully with the blood spear. The two then vanished in a tremendous roar. "Such stubborn resistance indeed..." A mighty surge of emerald flame erupted from within Xiao Yan, enveloping him completely. With a solid stomp of his foot upon the ground, his form shot straight into the increasingly thin sea of blood. As Xiao Yan boldly plunged into the sea, the blood sea instantly surged and churned violently, resonating with crisp metallic clinks. Moments later, a wave of energy ripples spread out, dispersing the entire sea of blood. The sea of blood dispersed, and two figures reemerged once more. Xiao Yan, though slightly breathless, otherwise fared well. In contrast, Fan Lao's robe was completely torn, and blood dripped continuously from his palms, clearly having been at a severe disadvantage during their earlier clash. Amidst the thunderous battle cries echoing across the entire mountain fortress, Fan Lao fixed his gaze on Xiao Yan with eyes sharp as a venomous serpent, filled with unyielding resentment. If not for his aura being suppressed by the strange fire, he would have certainly secured at least a draw against Xiao Yan—though perhaps not a victory. Unfortunately... "Hahahaha, Xiao Yan. I must admit that right now, I'm no match for you. But if you want to kill me, it's far from easy!" Suddenly, Fan Lu's face broke into a strange smile. With a sudden change in his hand seals, he expelled a burst of blood from his mouth. As the blood dispersed, Fan Lu's form vanished in an utterly eerie manner from the spot where he had stood. As soon as Fan Lao's voice had finished, a sudden laugh erupted from behind, causing every pore on his body to tighten instantly: "Heh, Fan Master, you might not get the chance to go back anymore..." With his body rigid, he struggled to turn his head, and what met his gaze was a young face beaming with warmth, along with a cluster of emerald-green fire hovering in the palm of that face! "It's over, Fan Master," Xiao Yan smiled, but his emerald-green fire ball suddenly began to spin rapidly. As it spun, it seemed to draw in the surrounding air as well. Then, with a slight shake of his arm, the swiftly rotating fire ball surged forward, carrying with it an intense, scorching heat, and struck Fan Lao squarely on the back. At that very instant, a fierce and unrivaled gust of wind erupted from the fireball. Under this attack nearly wild in its intensity, Fan Lao had no time to mount even the slightest defense, his face instantly paling as a stream of blood mixed with fragments of his internal organs sprayed forth.