Shortly after the peculiar rune appeared on the forehead of the Heavenly Fire Venerable, Xiao Yan, in a state of elation, discovered that the dragon mark on his palm was also gradually becoming blazing hot. At the same time, an extremely mysterious sense of connection suddenly arose in his heart. Soon after this mysterious sense appeared, Xiao Yan froze, and his gaze fixed on the Heavenly Fire Venerable before him. In that moment, he seemed to dimly sense the emotions of the latter.
“Roar!”
Just as Xiao Yan was stunned by this change, the Heavenly Fire Venerable, which had been briefly immobilized by the appearance of the rune, regained its consciousness. It seemed to have understood something at that moment, and from its dragon eyes, cold and fierce rays suddenly shot out, staring intently at Xiao Yan. The rune on its forehead also grew brighter and brighter…
Facing the fierce gaze of the Heavenly Fire Venerable, Xiao Yan’s heart tightened. He knew that the most dangerous moment was about to come. As Zi Yan had said, the dragon mark was reciprocal. If he could not control the Heavenly Fire Venerable, it would take control of him, and such a situation was something Xiao Yan absolutely could not allow.
“Come then, let’s see how fierce you can get?” At this point, there was only one choice: either you or me. Xiao Yan was no pushover, and his eyes flashed with ferocity. He had already devoured two kinds of abnormal fires; could it be that he couldn’t overcome the Heavenly Fire Venerable today?
“Roar!”
The Heavenly Fire Venerable roared to the sky, and the rune on its forehead suddenly blazed with a golden light, like a dazzling golden sun rising in the empty void.
As the brilliance of the rune on the Heavenly Fire Venerable’s forehead grew more resplendent, the mysterious sense in Xiao Yan’s heart also became increasingly intense. After a while, his vision blurred, and his mind became confused. When he reappeared, he found himself in an unfamiliar space, surrounded by purple-black flames, and he was in the very center of an endless sea of fire.
“Foolish human!” A voice of furious dragon growl suddenly echoed from the purple-black flame space. Then, with a whooshing wind, a massive dragon slowly rose from the sea of fire, coiling in the air, and gazing at Xiao Yan within the sea of fire with cold eyes.
Xiao Yan’s gaze was fixed on the dragon covered in purple-black flames. After a moment, he took a deep, scorching breath, and it dawned on him that this was the soul world of the Heavenly Fire Venerable. It wanted to take control of the dragon mark here and thus dominate him.
“A clash of souls, is it…?” Xiao Yan raised his hand, glanced at his slightly illusory hand, but his face remained calm. With a shift in his mind, a vast wave of soul force formed a lotus dais beneath him. He sat cross-legged, his pitch-black eyes locking onto the Heavenly Fire Venerable within the sea of fire. “Wretched beast, show your true colors!”
“Roar!”
Hearing this, the Heavenly Fire Venerable let out a furious roar. Under its roar, the purple-black flames in this space erupted crazily, surging towards Xiao Yan with a terrifying force.
Faced with the frenzied assault of the Heavenly Fire Venerable, Xiao Yan’s expression remained unnaturally calm. At this moment, it was not just a battle of souls but also a test of will. Whoever lasted until the end would be the ultimate victor. The years of training had bestowed upon Xiao Yan unyielding resilience and calmness. If it came down to a real fight, the outcome was still uncertain!
As the purple-black flames surged, a green flame shield slowly spread out from within Xiao Yan, enveloping his body completely. No matter how the purple-black flames crashed against it, it remained as immovable as a mountain.
This fateful clash that would determine their fates had just begun…
In the void, Cao Ying, far away, looked intently and puzzled at the scene. There, Xiao Yan suddenly stopped all movements, and his eyes closed. What made them even more surprised was the purple-black fire dragon before Xiao Yan. This originally fierce beast was now in a strange, silent state, hovering in mid-air. If it weren’t for the faint signs of life emanating from both of them, one might think they had suddenly lost all vitality.
“What’s going on?” Cao Ying frowned, whispering softly.
“They seem to have changed their mode of combat. I can sense that Xiao Yan is mobilizing a tremendous amount of soul power, and the Heavenly Fire Venerable is also showing some activity. I believe it’s a soul battle,” Dan Chen, beside her, said softly.
“A soul battle?”
At these words, Cao Ying’s face changed slightly. Soul battles were rare, only occurring when soul powers reached a certain level. However, such battles were brutally intense, and any mistake could result in irrevocable damage to the soul, or even cause soul weakening. Thus, even those with immensely powerful souls dared not easily engage in such battles.
“Worrying is useless now. At this point, disturbing either of them could lead to serious backlash. We can only wait for it to naturally end,” Dan Chen said.
Cao Ying’s brows furrowed, but she had no other choice and could only sigh inwardly.
When Cao Ying and the others noticed the strange state of Xiao Yan and the Heavenly Fire Venerable, Mu Gu Elder and his companions also sensed something. Though they did not understand why Xiao Yan and the Heavenly Fire Venerable were engaging in a soul battle, Mu Gu Elder realized it was the perfect opportunity. If they could break the soul confrontation between Xiao Yan and the Heavenly Fire Venerable, it would surely cause both sides to suffer, achieving a double victory.
“You hold him off, I’ll strike!” Mu Gu Elder’s eyes flashed, and he gritted his teeth, shouting.
Hesitating for a moment, the black-robed venerated being who was fighting bitterly with Qi Ling nodded fiercely. They didn’t have much time left, and if they didn’t gain anything, they would have to retreat.
Seeing this, Mu Gu Elder swiftly retreated, and noticing him trying to escape the battlefield, Qi Ling’s face darkened. Just as he was about to give chase, the previously faltering black-robed venerated being suddenly launched a crazed counterattack, forcing Qi Ling to focus.
“Cao Ying, stop him!” Trapped by the black-robed venerated being, Qi Ling’s expression changed, and he shouted hastily.
Hearing his call, Cao Ying and the others immediately agreed, but as they moved, the two Soul Temple experts who had infiltrated the top ten with Mu Gu Elder intercepted them.
Trapped in this dire situation, everyone could only watch helplessly as Mu Gu Elder rapidly approached Xiao Yan and the Heavenly Fire Venerable.
“Hehe, Xiao Yan, you’ve given me a good opportunity.” Mu Gu Elder’s eyes glinted viciously as he watched Xiao Yan and the Heavenly Fire Venerable within reach. A deep blue flame burst from his palm, and he slammed it down toward Xiao Yan’s head.
“Boom!”
Just as Mu Gu Elder prepared to strike, an incredibly powerful force suddenly tore through the void, slamming into his chest.
“Guh!” The sudden, heavy blow instantly drained the color from Mu Gu Elder’s face, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes filled with horror as he cried out, “Xuan Kongzi?”
“The Soul Temple really has a grand scheme, sending so many strong forces here,” Xuan Kongzi’s icy, aged voice echoed through the void, and as he spoke, a figure slowly materialized in the once-empty space.
Realizing it was indeed Xuan Kongzi, Mu Gu Elder’s pupils contracted, and he bit his teeth, making a split-second decision. “Retreat!”
Pulling out a silver jade slip from his storage ring, he crushed it without hesitation, and immense spatial energy surged out, creating a black spatial fissure.
Seeing Xuan Kongzi, the expressions of the other three Soul Temple venerated beings also changed dramatically. They did not need Mu Gu Elder’s reminder; they drew out their own silver jade slips, and upon crushing them, several spatial fissures quickly appeared.
Watching the four Soul Temple venerated beings retreat so hastily, Xuan Kongzi’s face twisted into a sneer. He clenched his fist and, with a swipe, punched the void, sending a series of intangible fist imprints piercing through space and striking the chests of the four.
“Uh!” A single punch shattered the space, and the fearsome force sent the four spitting blood and internal organs, crashing headfirst into the spatial fissures, disappearing without a trace.
A single punch, and four Dou Zuns were defeated—a true testament to Xuan Kongzi’s strength, one of the three great figures of the Alchemist Tower.
With the four Soul Tower venerated beings repelled, Xuan Kongzi was about to speak when his face suddenly changed. In the void, the enormous purple-black dragon began to rapidly expand, its flames erupting like a volcano.
“The Heavenly Fire Venerable is about to explode.”
Seeing the rapidly expanding dragon, even Xuan Kongzi, with his composure, could not help but draw a sharp breath.
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