As Xiao Yan’s cold voice echoed through the heavens, the dark fog that filled the distant sky fluctuated. Then, the black mist spread out, and a blue figure slowly stepped out from within. In a few blinks of an eye, it appeared about a hundred yards away from Xiao Yan.
“I was wondering who it was. It’s you, the mangy dog. I didn’t expect you to have the guts to return here. Since that’s the case, let’s capture you and take you back with us,” said Nine Heavens Revered, his cold gaze fixated on Xiao Yan in the distance, sneering.
“Scared you might not have the qualifications,” Xiao Yan replied with a smile. If he had met this Nine Heavens Revered before entering the Heaven Tomb, it might have been a bit troublesome, but now, even his superficial rank was no less than that of the latter. If they were to fight, Xiao Yan was a hundred percent confident that he would be able to utterly defeat the Nine Heavens Revered.
Within the same rank, Xiao Yan had never feared anyone!
“Big talk! You really think that a little improvement in strength is enough to make you arrogant? Today, you may enter, but you won’t be leaving,” snarled Nine Heavens Revered coldly, but he did not immediately act. He wasn’t a fool, and from the situation where Xiao Yan had seriously injured Shi Tian with just one palm, it was clear that Xiao Yan’s strength had greatly improved during this period; therefore, the cautious Nine Heavens Revered naturally had to be a bit more careful.
*Sizzle!*
While Nine Heavens Revered’s cold words still lingered, the black mist behind him undulated again, and three figures flashed over, standing by his side. With a sinister glance at Xiao Yan, they laughed weirdly, “It’s this brat. Apparently, many of our Soul Palace guys failed to capture him…”
“Shall we work together and capture him? Bringing this brat back would be a great achievement.”
On the city walls, the expressions of Cai Lin and the others changed slightly as they saw these four people suddenly appear. Obviously, they sensed the terrifying aura of the four.
Xiao Yan’s gaze swept over the three elders in black robes. These three were clearly also strong ones from the Soul Palace, their strength at the level of eight-star Dou Zuns, quite formidable. It seemed they were the four powerful individuals mentioned in the intelligence report who had reached the eight-star Dou Zun level.
“Ha ha, the Soul Palace always likes such dealings…” When the three old men in black robes appeared, a boisterous laugh echoed from Xiao Yan’s rear. Three figures flashed over, appearing instantly behind Xiao Yan—it was the Hu Clan’s three elders, invited for this very occasion. The current situation was thoroughly stabilized by the intimidating lineup that Xiao Yan brought. The originally charging strong ones were all eliminated, and the other strong ones from the Lion Spirit Sect, upon seeing the sudden appearance of dozens of Dou Zuns, were no longer as aggressive, not daring to recklessly rush in…
After stabilizing the situation, the Hu Clan’s three elders also moved to assist Xiao Yan. They were somewhat renowned on the Central Plains, and felt no fear towards the Soul Palace. Therefore, they weren’t overly polite in their speech.
“Three Hu Elders? Didn’t think you three old bastards would come. Seems like you’ve lived too long, your minds muddled…” Seeing the three Hu Elders, the expression of Nine Heavens Revered darkened, and he sneered. Evidently, he had heard of them.
“Heh, others might fear the Soul Palace, but we don’t. Do you really think the Soul Palace can cover the heavens and earth?”
The Elder Hu snorted, unfazed by Nine Heavens Revered’s threatening words.
“Junior Young Master, leave this chatty old man to you. How about the other three are left to us?” Hearing Elder Hu, Xiao Yan smiled and nodded. The three Hu Elders were all at the level of eight-star Dou Zun, so they should have no problem dealing with three equally ranked opponents.
“Haha, then let’s see who finishes off their opponent first.” The Elder Hu roared with laughter, his Dou Qi surging out, rushing straight at one of the black-robed elders. Behind him, the Second and Third Elder closely followed, dispersing and targeting the other two black-robed elders.
“Hmph, since you seek death, we’ll gladly accept it.” Seeing the three Hu Elders’ swift attack, the three black-robed elder also smirked, exuding a chilling black fog. Their bodies flickered, transforming into black smoke, colliding heavily with the attackers. Instantly, a terrifying energy fluctuation burst out, spreading across the sky.
Seeing the six instantly engaged, Nine Heavens Revered frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected Xiao Yan to bring so many powerful individuals from the Central Plains.
“Our task is to capture all the members of the Xiao clan. It seems we must deal with him first today…”
Nine Heavens Revered’s eyes flickered, a vicious glint flashing in them. He wasted no words, clenching his hand, gathering the chilling air around, which condensed into a layer of black crystal, covering his right palm. Simultaneously, stepping on nothingness, his figure vanished under the gazes of many.
“Such speed…”
Seeing Nine Heavens Revered vanish in a flash, the faces of the Flame Alliance’s strong on the city wall slightly changed.
“Such speed is not enough.”
In the sky, Xiao Yan shook his head slowly, his hand shooting out like lightning, striking the void. In the spot it hit, a shadowy figure appeared, meeting the frigid force of Xiao Yan’s strike.
*Boom!*
As their palms clashed, a gust of alternating chilling and scorching force erupted, distorting the surrounding space.
“Eight-star Dou Zun?” The storm surged, and Nine Heavens Revered appeared, his face changing due to the extreme heat and cold surging up his arm. He grunted, actually being pushed back several steps by Xiao Yan, surprise filling his face. After this initial clash, he realized that Xiao Yan had reached the level of eight-star Dou Zun!
Nine Heavens Revered clearly remembered that only half a year ago, Xiao Yan was just at the five-star Dou Zun level. Meeting now, although he sensed an increase in Xiao Yan’s strength, he never expected the leap to be so tremendous.
On the city wall, the strong of the Flame Alliance cheered, their eyes filled with shock. To push back the eight-star Dou Zun, Nine Heavens Revered, meant that Xiao Yan’s strength was at least at the eight-star Dou Zun level!
“Ahh, when Xiao Yan left, he was just at the level of Battle Emperor. Yet, in just a few short years, he’s made such rapid progress. It’s truly incredible,” said Hai Bodong and the others, sighing in resignation. Over the years, with the help of the pills from the Flame Alliance, they barely managed to break through to the Battle Sect level. Originally, they thought they were fast, but compared to Xiao Yan, there was no comparison.
“Six months, and you haven’t improved at all.”
Contrary to the surprised expression of Nine Heavens Revered, Xiao Yan shook his head slightly. The former’s strength should be close to the peak of eight-star Dou Zun, but compared to the present him, it was still weaker. Back when Xiao Yan was just a five-star Dou Zun, he could still fight fiercely with him. Now, the so-called Nine Heavens Revered posed no threat to him.
“Boy, you’re getting cocky too soon!”
Hearing Xiao Yan’s words, Nine Heavens Revered’s face turned slightly ashen. His hands formed a seal, and a low, hoarse roar came from his throat. As the sound echoed, the chilling air coalesced into a massive energy palm, roaring towards Xiao Yan, covering the sky.
Facing Nine Heavens Revered’s fierce attack, Xiao Yan casually walked on the void, multiple afterimages appearing. The numerous energy palms landed on empty space, and even those he couldn’t dodge were shattered by a single counterattack.
Under the gazes of countless onlookers, Xiao Yan steadily approached Nine Heavens Revered, ignoring the latter’s frantic attempts to stop him. It was clear to everyone that Xiao Yan’s strength far surpassed the latter.
*Bam!*
With a hand engulfed in violet-brown flames, Xiao Yan shattered a massive energy palm and finally stopped. Lifting his head, he looked at the slightly pale Nine Heavens Revered, giving a faint smile. Although both were eight-star Dou Zuns, Xiao Yan’s combat power was several ranks higher, and with the protection of the ancient insect emperor’s robe and dragon phoenix armor, Nine Heavens Revered’s attacks could not harm him. This battle was already a foregone conclusion from the start.
“Not just eight-stars, but peak eight-star. This boy’s progress is remarkable, far beyond my reach.”
Seeing Xiao Yan shatter his attack without a scratch, the disheartened Nine Heavens Revered admitted that, with his current strength, he was no longer a match for Xiao Yan. Making a decisive choice, he gritted his teeth, and with a step, he retreated.
“Since you’ve come, why leave?”
Seeing Nine Heavens Revered’s attempt to escape, Xiao Yan smirked, vanishing and reappearing behind the latter, gently slapping a void. A black halo, laden with a faint sense of destruction, spread quickly.
Feeling the destruction-filled aura closing in, Nine Heavens Revered paled. Given Xiao Yan’s current strength, unleashing such a tiered Dou Skill was like summoning the Reaper itself.
Overwhelmed by the presence of death, Nine Heavens Revered lowered his head, looking at the ground below, and shouted in a sharp voice, “Fourth Brother, save me!”
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