Amid countless gazes of shock, the sea of fire rushed out from deep within the Star Domain, eventually converging above this battlefield. The sea of fire churned, slowly parting to form a fiery path. Amidst the blaze, a figure clad in black robes strode out over the flames, gradually appearing before everyone.
“Xiao Yan?!”
“Young Pavilion Master?! The Young Pavilion Master has come out of seclusion!”
Looking at the familiar silhouette, various exclamations of astonishment echoed across the Star Domain. The people of the Falling Star Pavilion were filled with wild joy, while those of the Nether River Alliance were utterly terrified.
“How is this possible? This young man was only at the peak of Dou Zun just two years ago. How can he have broken through to Dou Sheng now? And a true Dou Sheng at that?!”
Boneshadow looked incredulously at the young figure stepping out of the flames, his roar ringing crazily across the sky. This scene was too shocking for him to comprehend.
“Is he the Xiao Yan? Weren’t we told he wasn’t a threat? What’s going on here?”
Beside him, Heavenly Demon Elders face twitched, growling under his breath.
“It’s the Bodhi Heart! That boy has obtained the Bodhi Heart.”
Boneshadow’s eyes flashed wildly, then as if struck by some thought, he gritted his teeth and said, “Of course, no wonder he completely disappeared for two years. He was in seclusion, trying to break through to Dou Sheng!”
All battles in the Star Domain ceased at this moment, with intense or fearful gazes fixed on the figure emerging from the sea of fire. Under this terrifying pressure, even Dou Zun powerhouses felt their hearts tremble. This oppression was far stronger than that of Boneshadow and other high-level semi-sages!
The sea of fire raged on, drawing astonished gazes. Xiao Yan hovered in the air, gazing at the Star Domain engulfed in the fires of war. A murderous intent surged madly in his dark eyes.
*Swish!*
Xiao Yan’s figure flickered and reappeared on the massive square, landing in a deep crater beside the blood-covered Medicine Elder. Looking at the latter’s deplorable state, Xiao Yan’s eyes became extremely calm—an unnerving sight to those who knew him well.
“Cough… Cough… Haha, you finally came out of seclusion. If you had been any later, I would have really died.”
At Xiao Yan’s appearance, Medicine Elder’s eyes filled with joy, spitting blood and laughing loudly.
“Teacher, I apologize. Let me handle what comes next.”
Xiao Yan remained silent before speaking softly, lifting the seriously injured Medicine Elder and leaping out of the crater. Placing Medicine Elder on a stone platform, he glanced around, and several elders of the Falling Star Pavilion quickly rushed over to tend to him.
“Caicai and the others are also injured.”
Medicine Elder wiped the blood from his mouth and said.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, his palm reaching out into the air, and three graceful figures flew towards him, finally landing forcibly on the stone platform beside Xiao Yan.
Seeing the blood trailing from Caicai, Little Healer Immortal, and Qing Lin’s lips—especially Caicai, whose cold, seductive face was now pale, and her clothes soaked with thick blood—Xiao Yan drew a large black robe from his storage ring and covered it over Caicai. Without a word, he took out a bottle of pills from his storage ring and handed it to the still conscious Little Healer Immortal.
Taking the bottle, she said softly, “It was the Soul Temple’s Three Venerables. One of them is a low-level semi-sage.”
“Mm.”
Xiao Yan smiled at Little Healer Immortal, but his smile held a hint of viciousness and darkness.
“Be careful.”
As Xiao Yan turned, Caicai, weakly, spoke. She could not see through Xiao Yan’s strength, but knowing that there were three semi-sages, and with Medicine Elder heavily wounded and unable to fight, though Xiao Yan’s strength had significantly increased, victory would not be easy.
“Rest well. Don’t worry about the rest.”
Xiao Yan smiled, then turned to the elders of the Falling Star Pavilion. There were many unfamiliar faces, likely those who joined during his seclusion. Facing Xiao Yan’s gaze, these usually proud elders bowed respectfully, their legs trembling from the terrifying aura emanating from him.
“Take care of them. You don’t need to fight anymore…”
“Yes, Young Pavilion Master.”
The elders responded respectfully.
Having given his instructions, Xiao Yan lifted his head, looking up at the sky where Boneshadow, Heavenly Demon Elder, and the Three Venerables of the Soul Temple had gathered, their eyes wary and heavy.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s calm gaze, the three faces stiffened. They never expected the situation to turn out like this. With their senses, they could clearly perceive Xiao Yan’s current strength—a one-star Dou Sheng, not a semi-sage but a true Dou Sheng!
The difference between a semi-sage and a true Dou Sheng was significant. While semi-sages could call themselves Dou Shengs and had far more strength than peak Dou Zuns, they were only considered “pseudo-sages.” Only when reaching the one-star level, could one truly be called a Dou Sheng!
The advancement from mid to high-level semi-sage was challenging. For instance, Boneshadow had become a semi-sage decades ago but was still only a high-level semi-sage. The Heavenly Demon Elder, who had spent an even longer time, had not yet reached the one-star Dou Sheng stage, highlighting the gap between the two.
Thus, when the three saw Xiao Yan achieve this breakthrough in just two years, even they were inwardly astounded.
“The scenery in the Star Domain is nice. Dying here wouldn’t be such a bad fate.”
Xiao Yan looked at the three, moving to stand a short distance away.
“Xiao Yan, don’t be arrogant. So what if you’re a one-star Dou Sheng? Do you think I can’t call for reinforcements from the clan to deal with you?” Boneshadow sneered, but his heart quivered. True Dou Shengs were the elites of the Soul Clan, and he couldn’t summon them at will.
“Interesting,” Xiao Yan nodded, and with a wave of his sleeve, a terrifying surge spread out. Instantly, the space twisted, making spatial escape impossible.
Seeing that his words led to this, Boneshadow’s face darkened, tempted to slap himself.
“What are you looking at? Do you think he’ll let us off easily? Although he’s a one-star Dou Sheng, his foundation is unstable. Together, we can deal with him.”
Fighting his urge, Boneshadow snapped at the Heavenly Demon Elder.
Reprimanded, the Heavenly Demon Elder fumed. If not for Boneshadow’s assurance, he wouldn’t have attacked the Falling Star Pavilion. Now, the supposed certainty had turned to this chaos.
“Let’s work together!” he growled, stepping into the void, and overwhelming Dou Qi condensed behind him, forming a massive, thousand-foot-tall shadow. Simultaneously, Boneshadow and the Three Venerables activated their Dou Qi to the extreme, causing a fierce wind and dark clouds to swirl, heralding a great storm.
Xiao Yan watched their preparations, his black eyes like ancient wells, devoid of ripples. Yet, in their depths, a chilling coldness stirred.
“Nether Blood Palm!”
“Soul Chain of Ten Thousand Souls!”
Their energies erupted, and with a roar, the three unleashed terrifying attacks, shattering the air and racing towards Xiao Yan like furious dragons.
Staring at their deadly strikes, Xiao Yan slowly raised his hand, a strange light filling his eyes.
“I learned this when breaking through to Dou Sheng. Today, I’ll use it to sacrifice you three.”
As his cold voice fell, four flames burst from his palm, spinning wildly and forming a four-colored, hundred-foot-wide, strange ring. The ring slowly rotated, with darkness inside, purer than a black hole, a taste of reincarnation.
Formed in Xiao Yan’s hand, the ring floated and collided lightly, with a thunderous impact, against the combined attacks of Boneshadow and the others.
“This move is called Buddha’s Wrath, Reincarnation!”
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