"Overwhelmed by the situation? Just you? What methods could you possibly have to break through my inescapable lava?"
One of the Fire Sovereigns spoke, slashing another blade towards Wan Lei.
Wan Lei neither dodged nor ducked, directly extending his hand to grasp the blade.
The scorching lava hissed and crackled in his palm, yet it could not harm him in the slightest.
"Is that so? Huo Qingfeng, your lava giant's ferocity merely relies on the inextinguishable nature of this lava, which is why it can persist.
You wish to exhaust me, to wear me down until I die.
But do you know, these moves are ones I, Wan Lei, have long since mastered.
"Oh? Is that so? I eagerly await how you plan to break it."
"In the past, when I was weak, I had to resort to consuming means to deal with powerful enemies, absorbing their cultivation while replenishing myself, and simultaneously depleting their life force.
Only when the scales tipped in my favor would I strike and kill the enemy. Though my methods seemed exquisite, invincible, and powerful, allowing the weak to overcome the strong, and were later imitated by many after my rise, they did not know it was merely a desperate measure for a weakling seeking survival.
If one possessed overwhelming strength, who would willingly engage in the time-consuming, labor-intensive, and perilous slow attrition of an opponent? It was merely a helpless tactic for those unable to defeat their foe.
But today, in our battle, have you seen me employ any such divine abilities?
Formations, blood demonic arts, summoning winds and rain, sea of thunder domain – I have used none of them, because against a weakling like you, I have no need for them.
Huo Qingfeng, as a Tribulation Passing Realm expert, you possess mighty cultivation but lack the aura of a true powerhouse. Facing a junior like me in the Mahayana Realm, you actually intend to use attrition tactics against me.
You are already weak.
Your mindset is weak, you consider yourself the weaker party.
Since you believe yourself to be weak, then do not blame me for overwhelming you with sheer power and momentum."
A cold smile played on Wan Lei's lips, his gaze condescending as he looked at the fiery giant before him.
The fiery giant's eyes were filled with anger, and it roared open its mouth.
"On what grounds do you say that? I am a Tribulation Passing Realm expert, a full major realm above you juniors! How dare you look down on me?
You're simply out of ideas and trying to provoke me with words, to make me reveal my true form and fight you head-on.
Heh, laughable. I have superior means to eliminate you while preserving myself. Why would I attack your strength with my weakness?
Wan Lei, save your energy. I will not fall for your tricks.
The momentum is with me, the advantage is mine. What do you have to turn the tide?
When I kill you, let's see if you can still be so sharp-tongued, if you'll still dare to look down on me.
And your so-called momentum, what momentum do you possess? Show it to me, you blindly confident brat."
"Blindly confident? Heh, Huo Qingfeng, there's something you don't know. Just before we came out, you and I, Xiao Yu and I, just defeated and captured alive... three like you, in the lower Tribulation Passing Realm."
Wan Lei crushed the fiery giant's great chai dao with a single hand, then retreated several feet, proclaiming loudly,
"Huo Qingfeng, watch closely. This is how a true powerhouse overwhelms a weaker opponent who tries to wear them down, crushing them into dust!"
Wan Lei laughed heartily. The tactics Huo Qingfeng was using were all too familiar; they were the very ones he himself had often employed.
Likewise, he knew that the best way to deal with someone like himself was to crush them in one go, without giving them any opportunity to wear him down.
Most importantly, after defeating the three Tribulation Passing Realm experts, Wan Lei's strength now stood at the pinnacle of the Thunder Wind Realm, among the very strongest.
Naturally, he had also developed his own strongman's mentality.
From this day forward, no one would dare to bully him, no one would dare to try and suppress him with their strength!
"Fire!"
Wan Lei spread his arms, his eyes burning with intense flames – the origin of his myriad fires,
The Purple Dust Crimson Fire.
"Rise!"
As Wan Lei roared, flames erupted from the ground, from the lava lake beneath the twenty fiery giants, and converged towards him.
"What are you doing? What have you done?! Why can you control my flames?!"
The lava giant struggled, trying to reclaim control of its flames.
But it was utterly incapable. The flames seemed to be drawn by a majestic will, completely ignoring its commands, all flowing towards Wan Lei.
Seeing this, Fang Xiaoyu also began to absorb the flames from the Fire Sovereign and the lava, not wanting Wan Lei to absorb everything alone, lest his cultivation break through again and he become insufferably arrogant.
With Fang Xiaoyu's involvement, the flames were drawn from the lava at an even faster pace. The area around Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu became increasingly engulfed in flames, and the lava below gradually revealed its bare, black, viscous body.
"No, no!"
The fiery giant roared, ineffectual fury, forced to watch itself turn into rock, into a statue.
The driving force, the will, even the vitality of the lava and the Fire Sovereign were all dependent on the flames. The earth-attribute lava merely supported its structure; without flames, it lost its soul.
Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu were enveloped in flames, their might sky-high.
Boom!!!
A large pit was broken open in the lava mine on the ground, and Huo Qingfeng's figure emerged. His red robe was torn and tattered, leaving him in a state of utter disarray.
"My flames!"
Huo Qingfeng roared.
"No, these are my flames. I am the Great Lord of Fire!"
Wan Lei sneered, condensing a fireball on his fist again and directly blasting it at Huo Qingfeng.
Huo Qingfeng attempted to resist, but as soon as he condensed flames, they were involuntarily siphoned away by Wan Lei.
He was sent flying.
Completely without the power to resist.
Huo Qingfeng gritted his teeth, a flicker of resolve flashing in his eyes, and turned to flee.
"Hey, only the weak run away,"
Wan Lei taunted, immediately giving chase.
Seeing Wan Lei closing in, Huo Qingfeng gritted his teeth, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, forcefully burning his life force to gain speed and power.
But he dared not use this newfound power to counterattack; it was useless in a fight. He could only use it to escape.
He charged into the surrounding firestorm.
Fang Xiaoyu immediately intensified the pressure of the firestorm. Huo Qingfeng suffered immensely within it, and with a desperate effort, he activated his cultivation once more, finally breaking free from the firestorm's embrace.
Upon escaping, Huo Qingfeng immediately fled eastward without looking back.
However, no matter how fast he was, he could not outrun Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.
Wan Lei unleashed his Lightning Escape, while Fang Xiaoyu recalled the firestorm, channeling all her wind power into herself for a swift pursuit.