Though the fire lotus was only palm-sized, it appeared far more terrifying to Han Feng than the earlier, nearly sky-spanning beam of light—because two years prior, it had been precisely this very thing that had nearly cost him his life! Now, the fire lotus no longer bore its former pale, jade-like hue; it shone with a more vibrant, emerald brilliance. Yet Han Feng knew that, despite its improved appearance, this fire lotus was likely even more formidable than it had been back then. Although the previous peak form of the Buddha's furious lotus flame was formed by the fusion of Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire and Gǔlíng Cold Fire—where Gǔlíng Cold Fire ranked slightly lower on the Unusual Fire Ranking—on certain aspects, this blended flame may not quite match the earlier forms. Nevertheless, as Gǔlíng Cold Fire is the Unusual Fire of Yao Lao, even though Xiao Yan can manipulate it, achieving the same level of mastery as with Qinglian Earth-Heart Fire is nearly impossible. Thus, the two Unusual Fires inevitably experience some resistance when fused. While under the strong suppression of Xiao Yan's powerful soul force, these resistances remain largely imperceptible, they still present certain hindrances to the overall strength of the lotus flame. Yet now it is different. Both the Qinglian heart-fire and the Fallen Heart Flame have been completely refined and controlled by Xiao Yan, allowing him to wield them with ease. With the fusion of these two flames into the Buddha's Wrath Lotus, Xiao Yan now experiences significantly reduced consumption—both in terms of qi and soul—compared to before. The power of the Lotus remains undiminished, and in fact, the seamless integration of the two distinct flames enables the Buddha's Wrath Lotus to reach its fullest potential. Though the Fallen Heart Flame may not rank as high on the Unique Flame List as the one previously known, the strength of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus it produces is no less than in past years. As for the current potency of this jade-like Lotus, Han Feng, with his exceptional soul perception, can already sense its subtle effects, causing his expression to grow increasingly gloomy. He knows once again that he has been outwitted by Xiao Yan. The power of the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus was indeed tremendous, yet it required considerable time to coalesce. If this process was interrupted during that period, the fire lotus would naturally fail to fully merge. However, previously, Xiao Yan had subtly completed the coalescence of the fire lotus, concealing it behind the collision between the "Flame Divided and Wave-Consuming Pole" and the "Radiant Brilliance Seal." That is why, after the energy dissipated, his face appeared so pale—not because he had suffered a counter-effect during the collision, but simply because of the effort required to form the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus! Gazing warmly at the gloomy Han Feng, Xiao Yan lowered his eyes to the emerald fire lotus floating gently in his palm, slowly rotating. He felt a quiet sense of admiration—since creating the Buddha-angry Fire Lotus, this was the first time he had fully crafted the strongest form of fire lotus entirely on his own. In the past, to fully unleash its peak form, he had not only needed the spiritual power of Yao Lou, but also had to borrow the Bone-Spirit Cold Fire. Now, however… With a gentle toss of the lotus, a faint sense of satisfaction curled at the corner of Xiao Yan’s lips. The pain and trials he had endured beneath the earth over the past two years clearly had yielded significant results. Turning his gaze toward Han Feng, who remained sternly distant, Xiao Yan smiled. With a light flick of his finger against the lotus, it drifted gracefully upward. As soon as it detached from his hand, the lotus surged with an unusual vigor, expanding rapidly—within mere eyeblinks, it grew from palm-sized to nearly half a zhang wide. A vibrant, emerald flame rose from its surface, casting it into a majestic, almost sacred form—like a Buddha seated upon a lot As the Jade Fire Lotus expanded to half a zhang in width, the space around it suddenly trembled violently, with countless fine black streaks spreading out from the fabric of space—its inner power had already reached the astonishing level of shattering the very space itself! Observing the fine black traces continuously appearing around the slowly rotating lotus, Han Feng at a distance suddenly narrowed his eyes. Such devastating force, even he found it unsettling; should he be struck by it, he would likely be killed instantly! "Damn it! Holding his breath and gritting his teeth, Han Feng could no longer afford the slightest negligence. A deep, resonant roar erupted from his throat, followed by a continuous surge of deep blue flame pouring forth from within him, eventually expanding into a vast expanse of deep blue fire sea stretching seven to eight tens of meters wide. His figure stood at the very heart of this roaring sea, surrounded by surging flames that crashed against one another with thunderous roars—sounds reminiscent of waves pounding against rocky shores—creating a sense of overwhelming pressure. It felt as though he were alone, facing an endless ocean, leaving no room for resistance. Amidst the blazing blue flames, the intense heat enveloped the sky. While those with stronger capabilities remained relatively composed, others, especially those less resilient, broke into a sweat, their bodies drenched in perspiration. Some even grew dizzy and disoriented, collapsing to the ground. The异fire possesses a terrifying power capable of transforming the very environment of a region—this is indeed true. Under full effort, the surrounding area of Feng City instantly became as parched as if it had endured prolonged drought, with moisture in the very air completely evaporated. The dry air caused a dry, sore sensation in people's throats even with simple breathing. "Go—" Focusing his gaze upon the vast expanse of fire now spreading throughout the sky under Han Feng's command, Xiao Yan flicked his finger. The large jade lotus, slowly rotating, trembled slightly before suddenly erupting with a sharp, spatial-shattering cry, transforming into a beam of jade light infused with an overwhelming surge of intense heat and wind, sweeping across the distant deep-blue sea of fire in all directions. "Sea Heart Mythical Beast!" Gazing intently at the surge of emerald light rushing toward him, Han Feng could not hesitate a moment. With a swift gesture of his hands and a powerful exhalation from his throat, the vast sea of flames instantly surged and roiled violently, roaring and spiraling before gradually coalescing into a massive deep-blue giant beast. The emergence of this colossal creature immediately caused Han Feng's complexion to pale noticeably, clearly indicating that the beast consumed a considerable amount of qi. The giant beast was as large as, if not larger than, the previous combat form of the Sky-Eating Python. Resembling a lion, it bore a thick, substantial tail of a scorpion. At its head, a single deep-blue horn glowed with a soft, ethereal blue light, and whenever it slightly trembled, subtle black streaks would ripple through the very fabric of space. When the colossal flame beast resembling a giant deep-blue lion appeared, even Xiao Yan was stunned. After two years, he had never expected Han Feng's mastery over "Sea-Heart Flame" to have reached such a level—Xiao Yan believed that even at his current stage, he himself would struggle to shape such intricate and complex forms with the hetero-fire. While Xiao Yan was amazed, the Emerald Fire Lotus, already locked onto its target, showed no hesitation. It seemed to teleport, flickering several times before coming to rest near Han Feng, its powerful gusts causing even the vast expanse of deep-blue flame sea stretching across the sky to ripple slightly. "Go!" Han Feng, his expression grave, suddenly changed his hand seals and issued a low command. The massive flame lion, formed with his full concentration, roared out a thunderous sound, then surged forward with the strength of a tank, charging boldly and unflinchingly straight at the fire lotus. The distance between them was instantly bridged, and then, two terrifying energies—capable of incinerating mountains and boiling seas—crashed together like meteors within the suddenly tensed nerves of Xiao Yan and Han Feng! "Boom!" As they collided, the entire realm fell into stillness. Then, the energies throughout the heavens surged violently, swirling and dancing everywhere, as though they were fleeing the zone of impact in a frantic rush. This sudden upheaval of energies caused the numerous elite warriors in the sky to pause mid-action, their eyes wide with awe, fixed upon the area that had nearly become a vacuum—where the powerful energy waves radiating from the collision of the Flame Lotus and the Flame Beast now surged with overwhelming force. They were deeply alarmed, fearing that should such waves strike them directly, their very bodies might shatter instantly. "Boom!" The silence lasted only an instant. Then, a storm of energy erupted from a central point, sweeping outward like a great calamity. A terrifying storm of fiery energy, spreading out nearly a hundred meters wide, forced the two groups of elite combatants engaged in fierce battle overhead to scramble and flee, their movements awkward and hurried. They knew well that if caught in its path, even with their formidable strength, they would surely suffer severely. Thus, a comical scene unfolded: the battlefield, just moments before locked in intense combat, suddenly scattered like startled birds, rushing in all directions, leaving behind only countless stunned onlookers on the ground. Su Qian unleashed a powerful palm strike, the sheer force directly sending the two elders, Jin and Yin, staggering back, their faces turning pale. Though together they could hold their own against a Daoist master, when it came to sustained combat, they would inevitably fall. In the past, when faced with this situation, Han Feng had already broken free from his adversaries to assist them against Su Qian. But now, not only was he being held back by Xiao Yan, who dragged him into a struggle he could no longer fully focus on, but he himself seemed increasingly vulnerable. As time passed, their defeat at Su Qian's hands became inevitable.