**Ai Shu Wang website access address:**

This was the first time Yan Liuxing had been dissolved by someone in such a manner.

From within the dissipating Yan Liuxing, Jiang Wang stepped forth, wreathed in flame. Another technique effortlessly countered, his eyes gleamed with ever-increasing brilliance. He felt a surge of excitement. The mysterious uses of totem power had opened his eyes and shown him a path to even greater possibilities.

Falling swiftly through the air, he held his sword vertically downwards in one hand, cleaving the air to accelerate his descent. It seemed he intended to crash into his opponent with his physical body. His other hand rapidly formed seals.

Chirp, chirp, chirp… Chirp, chirp, chirp…
Thump, thump, thump…
Zheng, zheng, zheng…

Eight Sounds Flame Sparrow.

As he rapidly closed the distance, a dense flock of flame sparrows erupted from Jiang Wang, raining down upon Qing Huo Gao Chi. The flame sparrows served as a fiery bridge, connecting the two combatants. The power of this technique, no matter the circumstances, could not be ignored.

Yet, Qing Huo Gao Chi remained composed. His fiery fist, which had been extended, clenched tight. Before the piercing, whistling flame sparrows could reach him, they crumbled and scattered before his very eyes, dissipating like moths drawn to a flame.

But the control over fire could not silence sound. The eight sounds resonated together, each distinct, each offensive. In the vast symphony of sound, a fleeting expression of pain flickered across Qing Huo Gao Chi’s face. But instead of retreating, he advanced, leaping high into the air and striking a fist!

This single punch seemed to land in empty space. But Jiang Wang could sense it; within the fighting range, the elemental force of fire seemed to have been struck at a specific node, all of it artificially guided and expelled. Dust returned to dust, earth returned to earth. Everything returned to nature.

Naturally, the Eight Sounds Flame Sparrow scattered as a result, raising not a single ripple. It was no wonder he was directly worshipped by the Fire Origin Tribe. Qing Huo Gao Chi’s control over fire seemed an innate ability. Using any fire-element technique before him felt like self-humiliation. At least, none of the fire-element techniques Jiang Wang currently commanded could be effective against Qing Huo Gao Chi.

This level of control was something Jiang Wang had only witnessed in the Taixu Illusion, from that brocade-robed youth.

What interested Jiang Wang most was how Qing Huo Gao Chi found that “node” within the range’s fire elemental force. This was too terrifying, yet also too intriguing! He had specifically used a fire-element technique to test Qing Huo Gao Chi’s control over fire. Now, Jiang Wang had his answer.

Thus, the vertical sword! He met Qing Huo Gao Chi’s fiery fist directly. Lure, stab, pull, cut… Sword qi surged wildly. In an extremely simple yet incredibly fierce manner, he clashed with Qing Huo Gao Chi in mid-air, battling intensely.

Qing Huo Gao Chi’s movements were devoid of flourish; merely simple retractions and extensions of his fist. But each strike aimed directly at a vital point, truly a fist technique honed on the battlefield. At this moment, Jiang Wang also met him with the most direct approach. Each sword strike was without specific form, yet each carried a unique momentum. It was the integration of his entire body’s sword techniques into every strike.

“Not bad!”

In the thick of the interwoven battle, Qing Huo Gao Chi suddenly leaped back, unable to contain his joy. “You indeed possess the strength to contend for the top five!”

Although he was still unclear about the strength of other coming from Qingtian, the strength of past Qingtian arrivals had always been limited to a certain degree. The strong ones of Fulu believed this was the limit of the Qingtian passage. Qing Huo Gao Chi was certain that, within this limit, the fighting strength Jiang Wang displayed was absolutely that of an expert.

His ability to casually withdraw from the thick of battle was sufficient proof that in the recent exchange, Qing Huo Gao Chi had not been pushed to his limit. Of course, as it was merely a spar, Jiang Wang was also primarily testing his strength.

Jiang Wang, half-sighing, half-curious, said, “I truly don’t know what kind of transformation into flame the Clan Leader undergoes!”

Qing Huo Gao Chi laughed, “Accept your auspicious words; I hope that day arrives soon.”

Judging from these words, he was currently unable to transform his entire body into flame. It was unclear what his current limit was. But merely a single fiery fist was already quite powerful.

The strength of Qing Huo Gao Chi with his single fiery fist was approximately at the level of the Inner Mansion realm. This did not mean a direct equivalence; two different cultivation systems could not be directly compared in this manner. It was purely from Jiang Wang’s perspective that the pressure exerted by Qing Huo Gao Chi’s single fiery fist was comparable to that of an ordinary Inner Mansion realm expert.

A conservative estimate would place Qing Huo Gao Chi’s full fighting strength at approximately the Outer Building realm level.

However, the Qing Huo Tribe did not even rank among the top hundred in Fulu. It was only by obtaining Jiang Wang’s participation through the Point Star General ceremony that they secured a quota for the Life and Death Chess Game. From this, one could roughly estimate the fighting strength level of Fulu. It was possibly even higher than Jiang Wang had previously imagined.

Jiang Wang could only hope that those figures who commanded wind and summoned rain in Qi Country would not be too arrogant in this world. What if they were countered by a strong Fulu expert? Then, wouldn’t he… just be picking up the scraps?

“Clan Leader, you should have a general understanding of my strength now. How shall we proceed with the next steps?” Jiang Wang asked directly.

“Firstly, it’s impossible to increase the amount of totem power again, as it cannot be used in the Life and Death Chess Game either.” Qing Huo Gao Chi demonstrated remarkably well how a tribe leader burdened by limitations must be thrifty and save.

After a moment’s thought, he continued, “As for the warriors participating in the Life and Death Chess Game, you can select from the entire Qing Huo Tribe.”

“Including those warriors suppressing the Earth Cave?” Jiang Wang asked. He had heard Qing Huo Gao Chi mention the Earth Cave earlier. Although he wasn’t clear what kind of place the Earth Cave was or what dangers it held, it didn’t prevent him from understanding that it was the place where the most elite warriors of the Qing Huo Tribe were stationed.

Qing Huo Gao Chi gritted his teeth and said, “Of course! I’m currently having people arrange for a rotation of warriors to return. Due to the need to guard the Earth Cave, we cannot withdraw too many at once. I’ll still need to trouble you to observe several rounds; you can observe them all.”

“Why is it so troublesome?” Jiang Wang said directly, “Where is the Earth Cave? I’ll go there with you!”

Qing Huo Qi Ming, who had been silently observing the entire exchange, spoke at this point. “The Earth Cave is connected to the You Tian passage. It is too dangerous. You are the chess master of the Qing Huo Tribe, and also the hope of the Qing Huo Tribe this time. It’s best not to take risks.”

Jiang Wang only smiled. “Where is not dangerous? The Life and Death Chess Game, by its name alone, doesn’t sound like a peaceful place, does it? I just want to experience it once and see what the scenery of your Earth Cave is like! I also want to see what You Tian is!”

“Good!” Qing Huo Gao Chi’s demeanor was clearly warmer at this moment. “Elder Witch, you shall guide this true warrior from Qingtian to witness our Qing Huo Tribe’s largest Earth Cave!”

Qing Huo Qi Ming’s face suddenly paled. “I have to go too?”

Qing Huo Gao Chi looked at him with a stern expression. “Just accompanying the star general on a trip to the Earth Cave, merely as a guide, and you’re still unwilling?”

Qing Huo Qi Ming’s mouth remained open for a long time. Finally, he said nothing. He lowered his head, his voice becoming very dejected. “Come with me.” Saying this, he led the way towards the rear of the Fire Temple.

One could see that he was very unwilling, but he had no means to refuse. Jiang Wang nodded towards the sixteen old soldier heads to indicate his understanding, then followed behind Qing Huo Qi Ming.

Among those Qing Huo Tribe grandpas who seemed to be sleeping, one person in the team suddenly asked, “What do we do now? How should we handle this?”

Qing Huo Gao Chi, who remained in his original spot, comforted them. “Go back and rest, bask in the sun!”

That old grandpa said, “You’re the only one who’s old! This old man can still fight!”

They were not only old and trembling, but also deaf beyond repair. Qing Huo Gao Chi truly owed them for gathering all these people. At this moment, he could only brace himself and shout, “It’s no use, you’re all useless for battle!”

“What? When do we set off?”

Ps: Some genuine readers have reported that chapters 142 and 143 are duplicates. Actually, they are not. I had previously posted one chapter twice, counting it as an extra update. However, I first posted 143. The order has now been modified. If you click in directly, the content is different. Alternatively, refresh once, re-download, and then you will see that the chapter names are not the same. This is hereby stated once.