The arrival of Hu Qian and the others was undoubtedly like a fresh wave of strength, instantly revitalizing the already strained spirits of the senior elders. "All listen—let's swap out a few of our senior elders!" Instantly, a wave of figures materialized in the sky outside the energy dome. With a wave of his hand, Hu Qian summoned over a dozen strong contenders who had come from the outer courtyard, who swiftly leapt onto the dome, seamlessly transferring the responsibility of maintaining the energy field. Once the heavy burden was passed to them, the senior elders breathed a deep sigh of relief, bowed gratefully to Hu Qian and the others, then launched themselves down to the ground, settling into meditative poses to quickly restore their depleted qi. Although the outer-courtyard warriors brought by Hu Qian were generally less powerful than the inner-courtyard elders, their numbers gave them a distinct advantage. Even as the color of the vibrant energy net dimmed slightly, it still managed to withstand the relentless impacts of the invisible fire serpent. Feeling the growing weakening of the intangible fire serpent, Su Qian slowly exhaled, his mind at ease—seemingly, even this entity had its limits. Beyond the vibrant energy web, a dense crowd gathered around houses and tree tops, gazing up at the awe-inspiring standoff in the sky, all of them silent and speechless. The elders once revered within the inner courtyard now appeared remarkably fragile beneath the intangible fire serpent. Even with their keen eyes, they could clearly see that had it not been for the reinforcements from the outer courtyard arriving in time, the energy web likely would have been breached. Yet, amid their silence, a growing sense of awe and astonishment arose toward this mysterious intangible fire serpent—capable of causing such upheaval with its sole presence, and even the Grand Elder seemed to hold it in deep respect. "What on earth is this thing?" countless voices murmured, filled with shock and wonder. Above the sky, as the frantic impacts proved futile, the intangible fire serpent finally ceased its fruitless efforts, once again coiling its massive body in the air, its completely whitened eyes fixed intently upon the energy web floating above. Its half-meter-long serpentine tongue hissed steadily, as though gathering the energy to launch another assault. Su Qian nodded slightly, then smiled. "Rest assured. Right now, it's weary, and won't be able to deliver its strongest impact in the near term. During this time, we should prepare for the next phase of sealing." "Agreed. Our outer courtyard team will maintain the energy network, and you take charge of coordinating the next sealing efforts from within." Hu Gan nodded, then formed a series of hand seals. A powerful aura surged from his palms, smoothly transferring the energy that Su Qian was holding. Although Hu Gan's strength was slightly behind Su Qian's, he was still a top-tier Duke-level cultivator, so as the central point controlling the entire energy network, he remained calm and composed without any signs of haste or confusion. Su Qian, now free, slowly ascended until he hovered at the center of the energy net. He glanced at the sea of flames surrounding the Tian Fen Qi Tower, then solemnly declared, "All inner-courtyard senior elders and mentors, listen up. Take your designated positions according to the formation and implement the sealing plan!" As soon as Su Qian's words settled, the senior elders who had rested briefly quickly opened their eyes, leapt into the air, and once again floated in a staggered formation in the sky. After the elders had settled into their positions, a large number of figures suddenly emerged from the gathering crowd at a distance—these figures were numerous, and though their presence and grandeur were clearly less than that of the senior elders, even when compared to Lin Xiu, Liu Qing, and the others, they still fell short. Clearly, these were the inner-courtyard mentors. Although their momentum wasn't particularly strong, their numbers gave them the advantage, and as a result, a large number of figures darted and moved swiftly, creating a powerful and dynamic presence. Many of the trainees stationed at a distance were inspired to the point of feeling a strong urge to join in and lend a hand. The eighty-eight mentors, lacking the ability to fly, mostly climbed onto the tree tops surrounding the energy net, forming a scattered and distinct contrast to the gathered senior elders in the sky. Gazing solemnly at the streams of qi beams radiating from all directions, Su Qian suddenly altered his hand seals, causing powerful waves of spatial energy to ripple before him. Eventually, a circular vacuum of about half a zhang in diameter formed, and the nearly hundred qi beams poured directly into it. Instantly, the vacuum was filled with an exceptionally strong surge of qi, forming a large, half-zhang-long and wide vacuum qi sphere hovering above Su Qian's hands. Gazing at the intangible fire serpent bearing unmatched momentum, Hu Kai's face grew serious as he spoke in a low, resonant voice. "Yes!" The crowd echoed in unison, their inner qi surging wildly and finally pouring into the energy network, making it shine even more brilliantly. "Whoosh!" The massive figure pierced through the space, ultimately crashing down like a colossal meteor onto the energy network, sending out a thunderous roar akin to mountains collapsing and the earth splitting. At that instant, many of the outer courtyard强者' faces grew slightly pale. "This beast truly is formidable..." With a slightly flushed complexion, Su Qian watched the energy network, compressed into an increasingly precarious arc, as his inner qi surged like a flood, continuously flowing into and pressing down upon it. Yet this time, the intangible fire serpent seemed to fully grasp the threat posed by the energy concentrated in Su Qian's hands, struggling with all his might. As a result, the energy web, under the strain, dimmed slightly. "Su Elder, hurry!"琥乾 bit his teeth tightly, his hands trembling subtly, and shouted loudly at Su Qian in the sky. Su Qian's gaze remained firmly fixed on the intangible fire serpent writhing violently within the web. The massive qi sphere in his hands grew ever more brilliant, and his robes, fluttering without a breeze, were inflated to a full, balloon-like state. The qi sphere, as it continued to coalesce, had nearly become a radiant sun, dazzling in its brilliance. Suddenly, however, the massive sphere began to tremble violently—Su Qian knew instantly that it had reached its critical point. Feeling the tremor in the qi balloon in his hands, Su Qian's eyes flashed with cold determination. He murmured a sharp command, and the sound resonated like thunder throughout the inner courtyard: "You beast! Go back!" As the words settled, Su Qian suddenly pressed his hands downward. With a sharp hiss, the massive qi balloon pierced through the spatial barriers, silently dissolving into the energy network before finally striking the enormous form of the intangible fire serpent like a cannonball. "Crick!" The force of the impact was so powerful that even the intangible fire serpent, despite its strength, emitted a sharp, piercing cry. The sudden, violent explosion hurled it violently off the ground, and under Su Qian's control, it was launched into the shattered Tian Fen QI Tower. "Seal!" With the intangible fire serpent once again hurled into the Tian Fen QI Tower, a flash of satisfaction passed briefly through Su Qian's eyes. He then swiftly formed hand seals and roared. As Su Qian's roar echoed through the air, a thin layer of pale black energy membrane suddenly surged forth from the tip of the shattered Tianfen Qi-Tower, completely enveloping the tower's apex. "Wow!" Watching the fallen Xinyan once again sealed within the tower, the countless students gathered at a distance erupted into a thunderous wave of cheers. "Teacher..." Amidst the cluster of flames, Xiao Yan frowned, his brow furrowed, and softly called out in thought. "Don't worry—Xinyan isn't so easily sealed. Moreover... it seems other forces have also been stirred by this disturbance." The slightly surprised voice of Yao Lao suddenly resonated within Xiao Yan's mind. Hearing this, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned, then his expression turned serious, exclaiming, "Could it be the people from Black Angle Domain?" "The only force outside of Gan Nan Academy is Black Angle Domain—so it must be them." "Indeed, these cats are truly squeamish. They even dare to step in on matters within the academy itself." Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, gazing upward at the clear sky. Though the inner courtyard was enveloped by a spatial seal, this hardly posed much concealment for true masters. Above, upon seeing the once again sealed Fallen Heart Flame, Su Qian exhaled deeply, his face brightening with a smile at the cheers from afar. Yet, just as the smile began to form, it suddenly stiffened—stiffened by a sudden, light laugh. "Hehe, I didn't expect the inner courtyard to harbor such a rare flame. Su Qian, Elder, you've certainly kept this well hidden!" As the laughter faded, a ripple surged through the clear sky, and then a large group of figures stepped forward, gradually hovering above. Instantly, a thick scent of blood filled the air above the inner courtyard.