A blazing fire formation, like two enormous fire disks, enveloped the space, with one above and one below. Xiao Yan and the others were like ants within these gigantic disks, appearing utterly insignificant. “He… can actually control the grand array set by the Demon Lotus Saint.”
The Soul Devil Elder stared in disbelief at the sudden change. A moment later, he regained his senses and quickly glanced towards the distant, slowly rotating spatial passage—the path to Central State.
“Quick, retreat!”
With a flicker in his gaze, the Soul Devil Elder dashed toward the spatial passage without further ado. The great array here was arranged by the Demon Lotus Saint. Even the former leader of the Soul Race, who had once admitted to being no match for him, was now overshadowed. Though this superpower had fallen countless years ago, his fearsome reputation remained deeply etched in the minds of those who had heard of him, impossible to forget.
Seeing the Soul Devil Elder’s actions, the three from the Hall of Souls hesitated but soon gritted their teeth and followed reluctantly. Even a powerhouse like him was retreating like a beaten dog. It seemed that this great array was truly terrifying.
The Soul Devil Elder’s lead caused widespread panic. Even elders from other ancient races, seeing the situation, hesitated briefly before gritting their teeth and following. The enticement of the Demon Lotus Fire might be significant, but one needed to have the life to enjoy it.
Xuanr and the others watched the scene, their brows furrowed. They hurriedly turned their gazes to Xiao Yan, only to see him clutching his forehead, a hint of pain visible on his face.
“Brother Xiao Yan, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Xiao Yan like this, Xuanr’s face paled as she anxiously called out.
“We should leave too.”
Xiao Yan gritted his teeth. The tumultuous fluctuations in his mind made him feel waves of dizziness. Although he didn’t know the origin of this grand array, he could sense the destructive power surging within it. If that force spread, everyone here would turn to ashes in an instant.
“Haha, now you want to escape, but it’s too late! I’ll turn all of you into my fire slaves!”
Just as Xiao Yan spoke, the Demon Lotus Flame, high in the sky, let out a crazed laugh. It pointed a finger at the spatial passage, and a jet of milky white magma fire shot out, striking the spatial passage with the force of thunder and shattering it completely.
The Soul Devil Elder appeared in front of the now-shattered spatial passage, his face dark. The Demon Lotus Flame seemed intent on not letting anyone go.
“What do we do now?” the leader of the Hall of Souls and the others asked, frowning.
“How should I know? This Demon Lotus Flame Realm was constructed by the Demon Lotus Saint. He was known as the being closest to the Emperor Rank in his era. No one on the current continent can forcibly enter a space constructed by him without passing through the passage,” the Soul Devil Elder said with a grim expression.
“Are we just going to wait here and die?” the deputy leader of the Hall of Souls bit out.
“Wanting us to die won’t be so easy,” the Soul Devil Elder sneered, then turned his gaze to the Alchemist Ancestor. “How about we join forces? Now that he controls the Refining Heaven Array, even you wouldn’t stand a chance fighting him alone.”
“Refining Heaven Array has two parts: the Heaven Array and the Earth Array. I’ll handle the Heaven Array, and you take care of the Earth Array.”
The Alchemist Ancestor, noting the Soul Devil Elder’s quick adaptability, responded without hesitation, “Agreed.”
“Xiao Chen, the little girl from the Ancient Void Dragons, Gu Nanhai, and you four, follow me to deal with the Heaven Array.”
The Alchemist Ancestor turned to Xiao Chen and the other three, barking out a command.
“Okay!”
Now was not the time for much deliberation. The spatial passage had been erased by the Demon Lotus Flame. If they didn’t unite against the enemy, they would all be turned into fire slaves of the Demon Lotus Flame. The four of them nodded and moved to the Alchemist Ancestor’s side.
While the Alchemist Ancestor was gathering people, the Soul Devil Elder also recruited some of the Four-Star Dou Sheng experts. Although they weren’t particularly fond of the Soul Devil Elder, at this crucial moment, they decided not to hesitate, prioritizing their lives.
“A futile struggle. Even though I detest that guy, if the array he set up could be broken by your puny efforts, would I still be trapped here for thousands of years?” Seeing the preparations of the Alchemist Ancestor and the others, the Demon Lotus Flame sneered. Murderous intent glinted in his eyes. With a change in hand seals, the array encompassing the heavens and earth began to rotate slowly, rumbling like a grinding mill.
As the two arrays slowly rotated, the energy in the space became extremely chaotic. Some Semi-Saints paled instantly, and a few even spat out blood. The array hadn’t even unleashed its attack, yet some could already not bear it. The Demon Lotus Saint’s reputation was indeed well-earned.
“Refining Heaven Array, refining the heavens into servitude!”
The Demon Lotus Flame floated in the air, releasing a torrent of milky white flames from his body, channeling them into the array.
“Boom!”
At the sound, the entire realm shook. A ring of milky white light spread rapidly from the edges of the array towards the center. In the midst of astonished gazes, it converged into a hundred-zhang-tall beam of light, filled with destructive power.
“Refine!”
A sinister smile crossed the Demon Lotus Flame’s face as he pointed downward. Both the Heaven and Earth Arrays quivered violently. Two jets of milky white light shot out like fountains, aimed at the Alchemist Ancestor and the Soul Devil Elder.
“Attack together!”
Seeing such a ferocious attack, even the formidable Alchemist Ancestor grew serious. He gave a low shout, and a drop of semitranslucent, blue-and-gold blood flew from his fingertips, expanding into hundreds of zhang, emanating intense energy ripples and a strong medicinal scent. Xiao Chen and the others activated their powerful qi, closely following the blood cloud, facing the oncoming milky white beams.
Below, the Soul Devil Elder and the others also used all their strength, combining their power to collide with the surging light pillars.
“Boom!”
The collision, in a split second, produced a deafening explosion. Below, the lava sea was shattered, creating a deep pit tens of thousands of zhang wide, with the lava pushed tens of thousands of zhang away.
“Haha, pointless resistance, refine!”
In the sky, the Demon Lotus Flame’s eyes gleamed red. He looked mad, pressing his hands down. With a loud bang, the struggling blood cloud and the Soul Devil Elder’s defense were destroyed!
After destroying the obstacle, the two light beams shot across the sky at incredible speed, finally colliding with the Alchemist Ancestor and the Soul Devil Elder in the sky.
High in the sky, the Demon Lotus Flame couldn’t help but laugh crazily, watching the light ring expand rapidly to thousands of zhang, engulfed by flames. Nothing could stop his escape now!
“Demon Lotus Saint, do you think you can destroy me? I am a divine being, protected by the heavens and earth. Haha!”
The Demon Lotus Flame, freed from millennia of seal, couldn’t help but feel ecstatically crazed.
“Hmm?”
His laughter did not last long. The Demon Lotus Flame gradually calmed down and suddenly lowered his head, staring intently at the intersection of the light beams. He sensed the presence of many living beings there…
“Still alive? How is this possible?”
The milky white flames surrounding the sky slowly faded. As the flames dissipated, a faint light ring appeared under the Demon Lotus Flame’s watchful eye. Inside the light, Xiao Yan, the Alchemist Ancestor, the Soul Devil Elder, and everyone else remained. Though they looked disheveled, they appeared unharmed.
Not only the Demon Lotus Flame but even the Alchemist Ancestor and the others gazed in astonishment at the light ring. Despite its frail appearance, it had withstood the impact that could destroy a Six-Star Dou Sheng.
“What is this?”
Everyone exchanged puzzled looks, clearly confused about what had happened.
“Brother Xiao Yan?!”
Amidst the confusion, Xuanr suddenly exclaimed. Everyone’s gazes turned to her, only to see Xiao Yan, seemingly in a comatose state, emitting a faint halo. The halo slowly condensed on his surface, transforming into a somewhat ethereal figure.
“The Demon Lotus Flame?!”
The appearance of the figure startled everyone, prompting them to back away. The figure bore a striking resemblance to the Demon Lotus Flame in the sky!
“No, it’s not the Demon Lotus Flame! It’s the Demon Lotus Saint!”
The Alchemist Ancestor, staring incredulously at the figure, detected something and shouted in shock.
“What?!”
Hearing this, everyone was stunned. The legendary super-strong being who had fallen thousands of years ago, how could he suddenly reappear on Xiao Yan?
While everyone was in shock, Xiao Yan, with closed eyes, twitched slightly before opening his eyes. However, his pitch-black pupils had turned milky white. His gaze slowly moved, and wherever it landed, even a powerhouse like the Soul Devil Elder, felt a compelling urge to kneel and worship, filled with trembling fear.
The Demon Lotus Saint, the one hailed as the strongest close to the Emperor Rank, had reappeared in this form!
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