Villains Aren't Stepping Stones!

”Let’s blow him up first.”

Shen Ying immediately threw several high-grade spiritual herbs—rare Grade 6 Crimson Fire Grass, volatile Explosive Sun-Pith, and unstable Sulfur-Core Roots—into the open tops of the heavy bronze cauldrons without much thought.

Then, she snapped her fingers, and a flicker of dark crimson flame appeared on her thumb, instantly shooting forward into the bellies of the iron vessels.

The dark flame immediately started refining them at an absurd, unsafe speed.

However, since it was a chaotic refinement just thrown together without much thought or proper ratio balance, the medicinal energy inside was wildly unstable.

The heavy bronze cauldrons began to glow with a sickly, volatile orange radiance, vibrating and shaking violently against the ground like ticking time bombs ready to burst.

Then, with a face that still looked bored, blank, and completely emotionless, Shen Ying flicked her sleeves and threw the unstable cauldrons directly toward General Chen.

WHOOOOOOSH—!

The massive, glowing cauldrons flew through the air like heavy cannonballs!

BOOOOM! BOOOOM!

The massive cauldron explosions detonated right in the face of the four-armed red spirit avatar.

Volatile alchemical fire, sharp bronze shrapnel, and corrosive medicinal shockwaves violently ripped through the air, causing General Chen’s Spirit Avatar to stumble backward, its single giant eye watering and its energy armor cracking under the sudden, concentrated blast.

General Chen roared in pure, bloodthirsty anger and pain as the burning alchemical residue scorched his skin. ”Damn it! Kill them! Tear those bastards to pieces!”

Hearing the order, the surviving soldiers gritted their teeth, shook off their terror, and attacked.

”CHARGE!”

”KILL THEM!”

The remaining soldiers all lunged forward, their spiritual weapons glowing as they charged past the stumbling giant to breach the clearing.

Shen Xun’er grinned and cracked her fingers, ”Well now, time to stretch my muscles.”

Shen Hei vanished into the shadows.

Meanwh, Shen Bai just waved his hand, ”You people handle it yourself, I’m exhausted.”

Shen Ying, meanwhile, didn’t even blink at the incoming horde and just raised her right hand, her fingers forming a swift, familiar seal.

ROAAAAAR—!!!!!

The earth fractured as Shen Ying summoned her Heavenly Flame—the Crimson Dragon Burning Flame.

An immense surge of dense, suffocating heat exploded into the sky as a thirty-meter-long, dark crimson dragon made entirely of roaring, divine fire materialized into reality.

Its scales were composed of solid crimson plasma, and its burning golden eyes radiated ancient, predatory majesty.

Shen Ying stepped lightly and landing gracefully right on top of the fiery dragon’s head as she rode on it through the sky.

”Come forth,” Shen Ying commanded softly, her voice cold and indifferent.

SWIIISH—!

From the roaring flames of her dragon’s tail, a secondary, colossal Flame Spirit—a blazing, three-headed infernal lion made of pure crimson fire that she had hunted and killed in a ancient secret realm—erupted into existence.

This is the main main ability of the Crimson Dragon Burning Flame, it could absorb, refine, and manifest the lingering flame spirits of powerful entities that its master had previously slain and burned.

”Go.” Shen Ying ordered, pointing at the soldiers.

The flame spirit let out a deafening roar and leaped directly into the charging ranks of soldiers.

BOOOOM! SLASH! BURN!

The three-headed azure flame spirit tore through the vanguard, incinerating the soldiers’ armor, melting their weapons into liquid slag, and turning dozens of guards into ash before they could even scream.

Meanwhile, Shen Hei and Shen Xun’er moved like shadow phantoms on the flanks, their daggers and fists flashing in blinding arcs to butcher and smash any surviving soldier who managed to slip past the roaring fire storm.

Up in the sky, General Chen stabilized his four-armed Spirit Avatar, his single eye burning with murderous, bloodshot rage as he locked his sight on Shen Ying riding her fire dragon.

”Arrogant girl! You are merely a Nascent Soul junior! Die under my martial might!” General Chen thundered, his four massive arms coming together to form a colossal, mountain-crushing fist that drove straight toward her skull.

Shen Ying’s expression remained completely flat and she didn’t bother trying to clash head-on using her martial arts.

Instead, she opened her spatial ring, pulled out three more massive bronze cauldrons, tossed a handful of volatile herbs inside, ignited them with her Crimson Dragon Flame, and kicked them directly into the path of the descending giant fist!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!

The catastrophic cauldron explosions detonated at point-blank range against the four-armed spirit avatar.

The violent shockwave negated the kinetic force of General Chen’s strike, shattering two of his avatar’s energy arms into scattered red sparks and sending a violent backlash through his meridians.

General Chen coughed up a heavy mouthful of blood, staggering backward in mid-air. ”W-What kind of mad alchemist uses failed cauldron detonations like this? Aren’t you feeling pained from all that losses?”

Shen Ying didn’t answer. She was just actively using these chaotic cauldron explosions to bridge the massive cultivation gap between her Nascent Soul realm and General Chen’s peak Spirit Ascension realm.

The violent release of uncontained alchemical energy was more than enough to disrupt his attacks and spirit avatar.

As for the losses? Please. Shen Clan was rich beyond measure. These cauldrons and herbs were just mass produced products cultivated by the 7th Enshrined Elder, a Rank 10 Alchemist.

”Tch! I don’t believe you can continue throwing that thing!” Said General Chen.

And that was true, the sheer strain of controlling her Heavenly Flame, summoning her killed flame spirit, and throwing volatile cauldrons was starting to drain her reserves and even shock her internal organs.

However, before anything could even happen, Shen Ying casually reached into her storage ring, pulling out a massive handful of Grade 6 Rejuvenation Pills, Dragon-Core Elixirs, and Meridian-Sustaining Pellets, stuffing them all into her mouth and swallowing them whole!

BOOM!

Her depleted qi instantly refilled to maximum capacity.

Her internal injuries mended in a fraction of a second, allowing her to continuously summon more cauldrons, refine volatile herbs mid-battle, and throw bomb after bomb without pause.

General Chen’s eyes widened seeing that, and he couldn’t help but curse. ”Damn rich people!”

Right now, he felt like he was going completely insane with frustration!

He roared, swung his remaining energy arms, unleashed devastating wood-element blade slashes, and attempted to crush her with his superior realm pressure over and over again.

But every time he gained an inch of momentum, another glowing, unstable cauldron would detonate right in his face, followed by a torrent of dark crimson dragon fire.

So, although General Chen was far superior in pure cultivation, battle experience, and raw physical strength, he simply couldn’t gain a single inch of advantage against the pill-chugging, cauldron-exploding nightmare riding a divine flame dragon in front of him.

”Damn it! Damn it!” General Chen cursed, glaring at Shen Ying who doesn’t even looked winded, without even a single bit of scratch.

Meanwhile, his own four-armed Spirit Avatar was now severely battered, its thick green energy armor cracked in dozens of places, its lower left arm completely shattered into fading sparks of qi, and its singular giant eye bloodshot and oozing dark, superheated spiritual fluid.

Inside the entity’s forehead, General Chen was sweating profusely, his heavy dark-green plate armor scorched black, his breathing ragged, and his chest heaving as he desperately channeled his peak Spirit Ascension qi to keep his avatar from collapsing under the relentless, chaotic assault.

”You vile, shameless, wretched woman!” General Chen roared at the top of his lungs, his voice hoarse and raw with unbridled, maddening frustration. ”You call yourself a cultivator?! You call yourself a disciple of an elite faction?! You have no honor! No martial dignity! You rely on cowardly, underhanded tricks, throwing unstable trash cauldrons and chugging pills like a gluttonous pig! Face me in a true, honorable duel of martial skill if you dare, you wretched witch!”

Shen Ying stood tall and composed on the head of her thirty-meter-long Crimson Dragon Burning Flame as it circled through the sky.

She looked down at the raging, blood-covered general with ice-cold disdain.

Her expression didn’t change in the slightest—her clear eyes remained completely flat, unbothered, and bored, as if she were looking at a noisy, dying insect squirming in the dirt.

”Honor?” Shen Ying spoke, her voice calm, level, and entirely devoid of emotion, cutting smoothly through his frantic shouting. ”How laughable. The elders said it before didn’t they? This academy simulates the real world. Out there, do you think your opponent cares about such things? I’m just teaching you right now, in the real world, although talent is important, it’s useless without a backing.”

Without missing a single beat, Shen Ying made her combat tactics even more filthy, underhanded, and mercilessly dirty.

She flicked her wrist, opening her spatial storage ring to pull out four massive bronze cauldrons simultaneously.

But this time, she didn’t just throw in explosive Sun-Pith and Sulfur-Core Roots, and instead reached into another storage ring and pulled out a handfuls of highly volatile, nauseating herbs meant to make poisons: Blinding Dragon-Dust, Acidic Bone-Melting Slag, and Devouring Soul-Corrosion Powder.

She threw them towards the cauldron and snapped her fingers, her dark crimson flame instantly igniting the toxic mess inside the vessels.

GLOW—!

The four cauldrons didn’t just vibrate—they turned a sickly, glowing shade of deep purple-red, hissing violently as noxious, blinding fumes began leaking from their seams.

”Take them,” Shen Ying murmured softly as she kicked all four unstable cauldrons straight toward General Chen’s face.

”Not again, you wretched brat!” General Chen screamed, raising his remaining giant energy arms to sweep the cauldrons away before they could reach his avatar.

However, Shen Ying didn’t wait for them to hit his arms.

The moment the four cauldrons were three feet from his avatar’s face, she snapped her fingers and detonated them prematurely mid-air.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!!

A catastrophic, violent explosion of alchemical fire and pressurized bronze shrapnel ripped through the night air.

But far worse than the blast itself was the immediate aftermath: a colossal, hundred-meter cloud of thick, blinding purple dust and acidic bone-melting mist erupted instantly, completely enveloping General Chen and his Spirit Avatar.

”ARGH! MY EYES! MY SKIN!” General Chen shrieked in agony.

The acidic slag burned through his spirit avatar’s protective qi barrier like hot oil poured over snow, sizzling violently as it made contact with his real skin beneath his armor.

The blinding dragon-dust completely neutralized his physical vision, while the soul-corrosion powder interfered with his divine sense, rendering him utterly blind, deaf, and disoriented inside the toxic purple cloud.

”Gah! Curse you! Verdant Cleansing Wave!” General Chen screamed, desperately trying to summon a high-pressure wave of wood-element qi to blow the toxic cloud away.

But before his spell could fully form, Shen Ying took another step in her filthy, relentless assault.

She reached into her spatial ring and pulled out three dozen small, caltrops. These are Qi Disruption Caltrops, an artifact that can disrupt the flow of qi of a person, making it near impossible for anyone to even circulate their qi.

Without a word, she tossed them directly into the purple cloud beneath his feet.

THUD-THUD-THUD!

The caltrops embedded themselves into the bedrock around General Chen, instantly setting up a localized jamming field that disrupted man’s qi pathways.

The smooth flow of energy supplying his peak Spirit Ascension dantian stuttered violently, forcing his Verdant Cleansing Wave to fizzle out into harmless, sputtering sparks.

”W-What?! My qi flow?!” General Chen gasped, cold sweat pouring down his blood-stained face as panic finally seized his heart.

ROAAAAAR—!!!!!

Taking full advantage of his blindness and disrupted energy flow, Shen Ying commanded her thirty-meter Crimson Dragon to dive directly into the purple cloud.

Simultaneously, her secondary Flame Spirit, leaped from the shadows, sinking its massive, fiery jaws straight into the back of the Spirit Avatar’s leg.

CRACK!

The avatar’s right leg was completely severed by the lion’s bite.

At the same time, Shen Ying’s Crimson Dragon whipped its massive, plasma-scaled tail across the cloud, slamming into the avatar’s remaining shoulder with the force of a falling meteor.

BOOOOOOM—!

The colossal four-armed red giant groaned in agony, its chest caving in as it was violently forced back fifty yards, dragging its single remaining leg through the shattered cobblestones.

General Chen coughed up three heavy streams of dark crimson blood, his knees buckling inside the avatar’s forehead as the violent feedback ripped through his internal organs and fractured his ribs.

He was completely getting pushed back! His Spirit Avatar was crumbling, his vision was destroyed by blinding dust, his skin was sizzling from acidic slag, and his qi was jammed by caltrops.

”I am a General of Leaf Green City!” General Chen screamed, his voice cracking with sheer, desperate rage as he tried to pull together his shattered pride, blindly swinging his last remaining energy arm through the toxic mist. ”I will not be defeated by a dirty, honorless snake!”

High above him, hovering effortlessly just outside the purple cloud on the head of her dark crimson dragon, Shen Ying didn’t give him a single second to catch his breath.

Her expression remained completely flat, cool, and emotionless.

She reached into her pouch, pulled out another massive handful of Grade 6 Rejuvenation Pills, stuffed them casually into her mouth, and swallowed them down.

As fresh, roaring spiritual energy flooded her dantians once more, she opened her spatial ring and pulled out five more heavy bronze cauldrons, her dark crimson flames flickering to life around her hands.

”You talk too much,” Shen Ying said indifferently, and threw the next wave of volatile bombs straight down into his face.