As Xiao Yan collected the three ribs into Nalan’s Ring, he struggled to suppress his wildly beating heart. Lifting his gaze, he saw the Star-Plucking Old Ghost, Phoenix Xuan, and Ice River Venerable swooping towards him with murderous intent.
“Xiao Yan, hand over the Dou Sheng’s remains!” The Star-Plucking Old Ghost roared, his body speeding up abruptly. His massive hand reached out, clenching at Xiao Yan from afar. The space around the latter instantly collapsed, forming a crumpled cage.
“If you want it, then I’ll give it to you,” said Xiao Yan coldly as a purple-brown flame surged from his body, shattering the collapsed space. With a tap of his toes, he swiftly retreated, simultaneously tossing the Dou Sheng’s remains toward the Star-Plucking Old Ghost amidst a sea of stunned onlookers.
Seeing that Xiao Yan genuinely handed over the Dou Sheng’s remains, the Star-Plucking Old Ghost was momentarily startled. But without hesitation, he grabbed the remains again.
“Old ghost, hogging all the goods is not a good behavior.” As the Star-Plucking Old Ghost grasped the remains, two cold voices suddenly echoed in his ears. Two large hands shot out from behind, grabbing onto the remains and pulling fiercely.
“Crack!” Under the terrifying force, the Dou Sheng’s remains creaked, trembling violently.
“This is what my Hall of Souls wants. Dare you meddle?” The Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s face turned iron-clad, holding the remains tightly with his single arm. His Dou Qi surged, channeling powerful energy into his hand. “Others may fear your Hall of Souls, but we, the Nine-Colored Phoenix Clan, are not afraid!” mocked Phoenix Xuan, increasing his grip. Space even cracked slightly under his hand.
Ice River Venerable’s eyes flickered, his expression cold, ignoring the Star-Plucking Old Ghost. The Hall of Souls was indeed powerful, but for the sake of the Dou Sheng’s remains, offending them was a small price to pay. If he obtained this, he could one day glimpse the secrets of advancing to Dou Sheng, and even the Hall of Souls would tread carefully.
“Crack, crack…” Each floating in mid-air, the three men held onto the remains tightly, their veins bulging like writhing worms. As they pulled, the joints of the skeleton gradually loosened.
“Heh, since none of you are willing to let go, let me lend a hand!” Tang Zhen appeared, grabbing the remains with a forceful roar. His hand exerted a terrifying strength.
“Crackle!” Four peak Dou Zhong powerhouses, each around four to five stars, poured their full strength into the tug. The Dou Sheng’s remains finally gave way, exploding into numerous pieces. The jade-white skeleton shattered, scattering its pieces from the sky.
“Damn it!” Seeing the remains destroyed, the Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s face turned ashen. He looked down at the skull and an arm in his hand, his lips twitching. His mission was to bring back the complete skeleton, but now all he had was a skull and an arm.
“Seize the Dou Sheng’s remains, quickly!” The skeleton fragments rained down onto the square. Those who had given up hope rushed forward, their faces filled with joy. Shadows lunged, crazily grabbing the scattered bones.
Xiao Yan watched in surprise. He had only pulled out three weak ribs, but these guys were more ruthless, tearing the remains to pieces.
“However, the Star-Plucking Old Ghost doesn’t seem to know that the remains contain a Heavenly Rank Dou Technique. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have let it go so easily.” Xiao Yan glanced at the Star-Plucking Old Ghost, who was clutching the skull and arm with an iron-clad expression. He pondered, “Perhaps when the Hall of Souls’ Lord gave him the task, he didn’t tell him about the secret of the Heavenly Rank Dou Technique.”
The Heavenly Rank Dou Technique was hidden very secretly. If not for his lucky glimpse, he might not have found it within the three ribs of the skeleton.
“These Dou Sheng remains are still useful. Even if I can’t get the whole thing, I should secure a piece.” Xiao Yan had experienced the resilience of the remains firsthand. Just breaking the three weakest ribs required the fierce heat of the Thousand Lotus Heart Flame and all his strength. To smash it, he would be helpless.
Scanning the air, Xiao Yan locked onto a larger bone, which seemed to be the right arm of the skeleton. Stronger than other parts, it suffered little damage. However, Xiao Yan wasn’t the only one eyeing it; several other powerhouses also targeted it.
“Heh…” Seeing this, Xiao Yan smiled. He tapped the air with his toes, his feet shimmering silver. Instantly, he appeared beside the bone, grabbing it.
“Whoosh!” The sudden intervention made the other powerhouses’ faces change. Stopped in mid-air, they glared, but thinking of Xiao Yan’s strength and the nearby Little Healer Immortal, they gritted their teeth and retreated, seizing other fragments.
Xiao Yan glanced at the retreating figures, lightly weighing the bone in his hand. It was light and intricate. Up close, he noticed peculiar patterns on the bones, faintly glowing, making it look magical.
Xiao Yan stared at the arm, lost in thought. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers, summoning a thread of purple-brown flame. Placing it under the arm, the arm, which was already a jade color, seemed to become transparent, revealing a liquid flowing within.
“Is this… the essence of the Dou Sheng?” Realizing this, Xiao Yan’s hand trembled. Perhaps the Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s task was to obtain this.
“Each fragment must have some…” Xiao Yan turned, looking at the fragments falling. He waved his sleeve, a suction force drawing many fragments to him.
His actions angered many, but as they glared, Little Healer Immortal and her group appeared, surrounding Xiao Yan. This formidable lineup deterred any aggression.
Examining the fragments, Xiao Yan found that not all contained the essence, but after sorting, he gathered four fragments showing signs of the liquid, carefully storing them. These might be useful in the future, being relics of a Dou Sheng.
Tossing the useless fragments aside, Xiao Yan saw the Star-Plucking Old Ghost collecting fragments, anger flaring as he killed those who resisted. Seeing his ruthlessness, the others on the square backed away.
Displeased with his meager gains, the Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s icy gaze turned to Xiao Yan in the air.
Seeing the Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s stern gaze, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow, unafraid. “What? Not enough yet?”
“Hand over the remains you’re holding!” the Star-Plucking Old Ghost snarled.
“Try if you can,” Xiao Yan smirked, snapping his fingers. Three flames appeared before him, causing the Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s expression to waver.
The Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s lip twitched, rage nearly overwhelming his reason. But remembering Xiao Yan’s strength and the horror of his fire lotus, he restrained himself. If not for the Celestial Black-White Emperor’s last-minute aid, he might have died.
“Star-Plucking Old Ghost, I propose a cooperation. Interested?” Phoenix Xuan, not far away, sneered.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face darkened. The Nine-Colored Phoenix Clan was finally making a move.
“What cooperation?” the Star-Plucking Old Ghost asked coolly.
“Let’s join forces to capture this boy. You get the Dou Sheng’s remains; I only need one thing from them,” Phoenix Xuan said coldly. The Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit was too important; they must obtain it today!
The Star-Plucking Old Ghost’s eyes narrowed, then he glanced mockingly at Xiao Yan and nodded. “Very well, deal!”
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