Thunder roared, shaking the sky. At this very moment, atop Yunlan Mountain, it seemed as though the entire peak had erupted like a volcano, its intense azure-white flames surging out in waves, spreading outward in sweeping arcs. The mountain began to quake violently, massive fissures spreading along its cliffs, stones tumbling down, trees being consumed—painting a scene of apocalyptic destruction. A mighty wave of flame formed a grand lotus shape at the mountain's summit, visible clearly across a radius of over a hundred miles. Throughout the Yunlan Sect's territory within a hundred miles, countless people looked up, their faces filled with awe, gazing at the blazing lotus unfolding on the mountain's peak. Even at such a distance, the air felt suddenly much warmer. The perfectly formed Buddha's wrathful lotus bloom, its destructive power, was astonishingly formidable... Near Fahu, Xiao Yan nodded with a wry smile. Each time they met, this young man seemed to leave them utterly astonished—now, with this mysterious lotus of fire he was wielding, they were truly stunned. Reflecting on this, Fahu suddenly felt a sense of regret and nostalgia. Given the hidden potential Xiao Yan was now displaying, he actually… might not be far behind in value from Yunlan Sect’s massive stature. In other words, even if they had to offend Yunlan Sect for Xiao Yan’s sake, it would not be entirely unprofitable. "Ah, still, Sea Old Man’s eyes are truly sharp," Fahu sighed, glancing at Hai Bo Dong standing aloft nearby, murmuring to himself. "Today’s events have truly escalated. I wonder what Yunlan Sect has done? By Xiao Yan’s nature, he wouldn’t have acted so wildly unless truly pushed to the brink." Focusing intently on the spot where the Buddha's Fury Lotus was blooming, Hai Bo Dong's face grew pale as he rubbed his hands, offering a wry smile. "The Buddha's Fury Lotus is indeed formidable—killing Yun Ling isn't difficult at all. But most importantly, there's Yun Shan... " He knew well that the last time Xiao Yan had used the Buddha's Fury Lotus, he had immediately fallen unconscious. Had it not been for Hai Bo Dong's timely intervention, Xiao Yan himself might have been knocked out by the lingering waves of the Lotus's power. Yet now, with Yun Shan present, even if he himself stepped in, he would absolutely be unable to safely escort Xiao Yan away. And with Yun Yun also there—well, the difficulty had multiplied several-fold. "Ah, the young one! This time, he truly has been bold and impetuous..." With a sigh, Hai Bo Dong turned his gaze toward the fading Lotus, where the waves of flame were now beginning to gently recede. A stream of gazes converged upon the cloud-rising peak, where the flaming lotus blossomed—so close to the explosive force, even a fully empowered battle monarch would find it difficult to withstand the sheer devastation. As time passed, the enveloping wave of fire gradually faded. The scattered wreckage that now lay before their eyes, though anticipated by Hai Bo Dong and his companions, still prompted them to offer quiet, wry smiles and shake their heads in mild amazement. With the dust settling, the vast plaza had been shaken like by an earthquake, fissures spreading in every direction. The once-towering halls had crumbled, nearly half of them collapsed. At the plaza's center, the stone monument stood only partially upright, its upper portion reduced to fine powder by the overwhelming destructive power of the flaming lotus. Outside the plaza, several buildings and halls had been completely reduced to rubble. Throughout the scene, the cries of Cloud岚 Sect disciples echoed continuously. Of course, the destructive power of the fully blossomed Buddha-angry Flame Lotus far exceeds mere destruction of a few buildings. The reason the Flame Lotus did not cause greater devastation lies in the immense energy dome, inverted like a giant bowl, hovering in the upper sky. This colossal energy dome completely envelops the entire summit of Yunlan Mountain. Observing the rippling energy waves flowing across its surface, even a Duke-level warrior would find it difficult to disturb. Nevertheless, the residual energy seeping downward from the explosion still managed to utterly devastate Yunlan Sect. As the wave of flame subsided, Xiao Yan also emerged into view. It seemed his condition was no better—his face pale, his palms blackened with scorched marks, his breathing rapid and labored. His eyes, blazing red, swept across the immense energy shield, finally settling with a grim expression on the figure of Yun Shan, who was floating in midair, one hand pressed firmly against the shield. From his posture, it was clear that the energy shield which had repelled the Buddha's Fury Lotus was his own creation. Of course, although he had successfully held off the Buddha's Fury Lotus, Yun Shan appeared to have expended considerable energy. His once steady and calm breathing had now subtly become more rapid. In comparison, his complexion had grown utterly somber, and fury was rapidly building within his eyes. A solemn gaze swept over Yun Shan, finally settling on the figure he was holding in his left hand. Xiao Yan was taken aback, then a cold smile spread across his lips. It turned out that the person Yun Shan was holding was Yun Ling—the one who had first been struck by the Flame Lotus. Yet, seeing the figure now covered in blood and growing increasingly weak, it was clear that Yun Ling had no chance of survival. A sudden, intense dizziness surged through Xiao Yan's mind; his body wavered slightly, but he gritted his teeth and held on. From his storage pouch, he withdrew a Qi-restoring pill, swallowed it, then vibrated his wings, rapidly retreating. With Yun Ling now dead, he too had to leave at full speed. "Well, well," Xiao Yan said, "after all these years, you're the first person to have reduced my Yun Lan Sect to this state. I truly underestimated you." His gaze slowly swept across the ruins scattered throughout the inner courtyard, and Yun Shan suddenly laughed. In that laughter lay a simmering rage so intense that it revealed a volcano on the brink of eruption. Peering down at the clearly lifeless Yun Ling in his hands, Yun Shan's anger surged even further. After a moment of silence, he tossed the young disciple toward several elders standing on the plaza. With a calm tone, he said, "Go and request Elder Guxue to attend to him. See if his life can be saved..." The two elders swiftly caught the elder as he was thrown and promptly bowed, retreating with haste. A soft voice, lingering for a long time, left everyone stunned—each one took several moments to recover, finally exhaling a quiet sigh. Indeed, this matter had reached its most rigid impasse. In the air, Yun Yun's face gradually grew pale. As Xiao Yan moved his body, the dry hands that had previously remained in place suddenly appeared as if conjured from nowhere, forcefully striking the spatial plane. The immense energy contained within those hands sent out concentric ripples of energy, shaking the very space. "Your perception is good, but that's all," a calm voice echoed in the air. Xiao Yan's face instantly paled, and then he violently coughed up a fountain of blood, forcing himself to turn his head. To his surprise, Yun Shan had already materialized behind him—mere light brushes of his sleeve had previously sent Xiao Yan reeling with internal injuries. "Stay," Yun Shan said coldly, curling his palm into a claw and swiftly slashing toward Xiao Yan's throat. "Boom!" As the moment of Cloud Mountain's capture of Xiao Yan was about to unfold, a figure suddenly flashed past, a delicate, snow-white hand lightly brushing against the claw. At the point of contact, a powerful surge of energy erupted forth, sending Xiao Yan staggering backward under the force. "I've already said it—today, even if Medusa protects you, it will be of no use!" With a slight tremor in her shoulders, Cloud Mountain released the force, her cold gaze fixed upon Medusa the Queen now standing before Xiao Yan. Her body then began to tremble rapidly, and as the trembling intensified, two strange after-images emerged mysteriously from within her. After detaching, these after-images diverged and swept past Medusa the Queen, directly targeting Xiao Yan who stood a short distance behind her. "A corporeal, fully empowered duplicate," Medusa the Queen murmured, her eyes narrowing. She could clearly sense that both of the earlier after-images possessed immense energy. In an instant, Queen Medusa had just stepped forward to intercept the two fading figures, yet Yun Shan's true form unexpectedly materialized before her, firmly blocking her path. During this brief delay, the two fading figures had already surged forward like lightning, swiftly closing in on Xiao Yan. With both hands, they rapidly gathered an immense surge of power, then slammed it directly against Xiao Yan's chest. "Xuan Bing Jing!" A sudden cry rang out. Before Xiao Yan, a massive ice mirror materialized out of nowhere. "Boom!" Xiao Yan's fist struck the mirror with force, which only held for a single second before bursting into fragments. "Xiao Yan, move!" A white figure materialized in front of him. Hai Bo Dong swiftly delivered a palm strike to Xiao Yan's chest, sending a gentle yet powerful force that propelled him sharply backward. "Hai Bo Dong! If you wish it this way, then I shall not hesitate to forget our past friendship!" The two fading figures, clearly possessing Yun Shan's intelligence, now observing his obstruction, immediately grew cold, their expression stiffening as they loudly declared. Sea Po Dong chuckled without speaking, quickly gathering cold energy in his hands, which swiftly coalesced into two sharp, rapidly spinning ice blades. His back wings vibrated and he charged forward, meeting the two fading figures head-on. "Get out of the way!" The first figure, his face cold with fury, roared, a powerful surge of energy erupting from within. He rapidly formed hand seals, then swept his right hand out, creating a massive energy palm nearly several zhang in width that appeared above Sea Po Dong's head and crashed down with force. "Great Wind Palm!" "Boom!" As the energy palm descended, Sea Po Dong swiftly formed several ice walls above his head. Yet the sheer strength of the energy within the palm proved overwhelming. With a crisp crack, the ice walls shattered, and the palm struck Sea Po Dong solidly on the body. A low, muffled hum rose from his throat, and Hai Bo Dong's face paled slightly as a streak of blood flowed from his lip. He hadn't expected the two strange, ghostly silhouettes of Yun Shan to possess such formidable power. The force carried within the hand seal sent his body crashing backward, allowing the two silhouettes to vibrate and surge forward, swiftly closing the gap on the fleeing Xiao Yan. "Young fellow, I've done my best," Hai Bo Dong sighed, shaking his head with a sense of resignation. Under the watchful eyes of countless onlookers, the two silhouettes swiftly materialized ahead and behind Xiao Yan. With immense pressure building in their hands, they roared and unleashed waves of energy ripples, charging forward to strike Xiao Yan with powerful impacts—one from each side. With this intensity, if hit, Xiao Yan would surely be crushed to death. The powerful qi pressure pressed萧In's clothes tightly against his back, while the fist before him rapidly expanded in his pupils. Two streams of qi formed a solid, immovable enclosure, trapping萧In almost like a heavenly and earthly net, leaving him with no room to evade. Feeling the increasingly intense qi pressure bearing down upon him,萧In gently exhaled, his dizziness growing more severe. He knew clearly this was a lingering effect of the Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus. His eyelids grew heavier, fluttering slightly as darkness gradually crept in under the overwhelming qi pressure... "It seems I'll have to stay here... Teacher, I'm truly sorry." In the darkness,萧In murmured softly, a wry smile on his lips. "Hehe, youngster, you've done quite well—managing to put Yunlan Sect in this predicament has certainly exceeded my expectations..." Suddenly, in the darkness, a deep, resonant voice, warm and familiar, emerged, instantly infusing the cold, desperate resolve in Xiao Yan's heart with renewed vitality and vigor. "From now on, it's up to the teacher..." In the darkness, a powerful energy gently pulsing, after a moment of stillness, then surged forth dramatically from the depths.