264: Jiutian Waterfall

Seeing this, Tong Hongxia gritted her silver teeth and turned to retreat. She scooped up Yu Huacheng from the ground and streaked toward Nanming City like a shooting star... The Flame Flying Lion originally had a playful expression, but seeing Guan An attacking desperately while Tong Hongxia fled with the other, it instantly grew furious and roared, "Despicable Human Race! Do you run because you cannot win? You are my food!"

"Hahaha, you fool! Should I stay here and wait for death if I can't win?!" Guan An laughed wildly as his blade light swept toward the Flame Flying Lion like a bolt of white silk. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A large patch of lion fur was shorn off and scattered everywhere!

Seeing this, Guan An's spirits were greatly lifted. He hadn't expected this move to actually succeed. Previously, the two sides had fought for nearly three hours, and forget about lion fur, even getting close was difficult. They were completely unable to contend with this Flame Flying Lion. They also couldn't understand why a Fifth Rank Peak Flame Flying Lion could be so powerful. With the strength of the three of them, they were considered prominent even in Yingtian Academy, all being geniuses ranked in the top ten of the Academy Elite Rankings. One must know that Yingtian Academy was a first-rate academy in Great Ming, as famous as the Northern Capital's Shuntian Academy. It was the first choice for countless elites in Great Ming, and one could say it was filled with a cloud of geniuses!

In the Great Ming Empire, Shuntian Academy and Yingtian Academy are the first choices for first-rate geniuses. Second-rate geniuses usually choose second-tier academies, such as Zhongtu Academy in the Central Plains, Kunlun Academy in the Northwest, Qianshan Academy in the Southwest, Beihai Academy in the North, Donghai Academy in the East, and Nanhai Academy in the South, among others. Of course, for some geniuses with backgrounds and influence, even if they are second or third-rate students, they can easily enroll in the first-rate Shuntian Academy and Yingtian Academy by relying on their Family's power and wealth. This situation seems to be continuously expanding. According to the data and information captured by Long Yuan through the Heavenly Dao Eye, nearly half of the students in these two higher academies are now second or third-rate geniuses, and there are even some substandard students. The reason these people can enter to enjoy high-level educational resources is, of course, inseparable from their powerful Family backgrounds and the power of money. They can get in through complex operations unknown to the outside world. Meanwhile, many Genius students who should have been able to enter higher academies are instead diverted to second or even third-tier academies. This situation is actually a special circumstance caused by the fact that national pressure is not as great during peaceful times, and as various aristocratic families gradually formed various clan forces, they completely controlled the country's resources and networks. Under such circumstances, many geniuses born in ordinary families or among commoners are blocked in their upward mobility, dying before they can even begin their journey, and can only struggle for development in the middle and lower classes.

However... even so, in Shuntian Academy and Yingtian Academy, the two most famous higher academies in Great Ming, half of the students are still true elite geniuses. They are the true Prodigies born from various bases in Great Ming; otherwise, they would never have been able to break through the layers of blockades set by those aristocratic clans to enter these two academies.

Therefore, being able to Rank in the top ten among all the students of Yingtian Academy means one is absolutely a Genius among geniuses. Almost every one of them possesses the powerful ability to fight above their Rank. Guan An, Tong Hongxia, and Yu Huacheng were like this. It was because of this that the three of them had the absolute confidence to raid the Flame Flying Lion's nest, but they never expected the Flame Flying Lion to be even more of a Genius than them. Fighting the three of them alone, it still held the absolute advantage, which caused them to have great doubts about their own abilities.

After a fierce battle, Yu Huacheng was heavily injured, and the remaining Guan An and Tong Hongxia were also significantly wounded. The Flame Flying Lion, however, was composed and at ease, seemingly not having exerted much effort. This made the two realize that if they continued like this, they would surely be wiped out. At this moment, Guan An made up his mind to sacrifice himself to save the ill-fated couple, Tong Hongxia and Yu Huacheng. After all, he was a bachelor and an orphan with nothing to worry about.

However, after his move succeeded, Guan An's confidence surged. Subconsciously, he thought the Flame Flying Lion was likely reaching its limit. As someone with nothing to lose, he decided to just go for it. Thus, he gathered all his Xuan Power and gave a loud roar: "Nine Heavens Waterfall!!!"

He leaped into mid-air, and with a series of rapid slashes, his blade momentum rose. The sky changed slightly, and a waterfall of Profound Qi suddenly appeared out of nowhere. The airflow descended from the heavens with a magnificent and unstoppable Aura. A large patch of mist spread out, and within the mist, a bright light suddenly emerged, whistling toward the Flame Flying Lion!!!

The Flame Flying Lion's eyes grew dull as it watched this scene. Its wings flapped wildly, trying to break free from the blade's focus, but its entire body seemed wrong—as if its mind wanted to do something but its body couldn't react. The more anxious it became, the less it could move freely, until finally, it felt its vision go dark, unable to even see the scene in front of it!

"What's going on? Is this move so powerful? It can actually bind me completely so I can't break free? Impossible! Absolutely impossible! If he had this ability, how could I have beaten him like this?!" The Flame Flying Lion's thoughts raced as it roared, but it soon couldn't even hear its own roars. It suddenly felt a chill on its head and a pain in its wing, and then it knew nothing more... Guan An's Nine Heavens Waterfall had almost drained all of his physical strength and Xuan Power. After decapitating the Flame Flying Lion and cutting off one of its wings, he collapsed to the ground. Seeing the lion's head and the severed wing, his heart relaxed, and he fell unconscious... Long Yuan watched this and intended to go over and take a look, but he suddenly looked into the distance and stayed where he was. After a while, Tong Hongxia, who had fled earlier, ran back alone. Finding that the sounds of fighting had stopped, she thought Guan An was dead, and tears couldn't help but flow down. She suppressed her grief and carefully crept forward, only to be shocked by the scene before her!

"Heavens! The Flame Flying Lion is actually dead?!!!" Seeing the headless lion body, Tong Hongxia cried out in surprise.

Turning her head, she saw Guan An lying unconscious on the ground. She quickly rushed over and found that he wasn't dead. Overjoyed, she immediately circulated her Wood Attribute Profound Qi and, after some effort, finally woke Guan An up. She also gave him a Qi Recovery Pill, allowing him to regain much of his strength.

"Brother Guan, you are too amazing! You actually killed the Flame Flying Lion all by yourself!!!" Tong Hongxia said in disbelief...