A terrifying storm of flame spanned the heavens, its intense heat making the air in this space extraordinarily dry. Vast, powerful ripples of flame spread out like a curtain of fire radiating from the horizon, filling half the sky and distorting and blurring the view upward. Countless pairs of eyes stared in awe at the roaring flames sweeping across the entire sky. Though separated by great distances, they still felt their legs grow weak—should this explosion occur any lower, the entire city would be reduced to a dead city in mere moments. On a mountain peak, Lin Yan wiped the sweat from his face, offering a wry smile to Lin Xiu and Li Qing beside him. Now all three of them were senior elders of the inner courtyard, so large-scale battles naturally required their presence. Earlier, they had jointly held off a Dou Huang-level powerhouse, though they had been rather disheveled under the latter's relentless attacks. Nevertheless, their delaying effect had ultimately succeeded. Heard Lin Yan chuckle, Lin Xiu'ya nodded in deep agreement, sighing as well. In just two years, the fresh-faced student who used to call them "Senior" every time he saw them had now developed the strength to directly challenge the top-tier warriors of Hei Jiao Domain. Such a transformation was truly remarkable. Li Qing felt this change especially deeply. Remembering their previous match, when Xiao Yan had fought so hard that he was seriously injured and even unconscious, the result had been a mutual exhaustion—both of them barely able to stand. But now, looking at the present situation, Li Qing couldn't help but feel that Xiao Yan might easily defeat him in just a few rounds. With that thought, he smiled faintly, silently acknowledging Xiao Yan's overwhelming prowess. This astonishing pace of cultivation no longer depended on innate talent—it was entirely a matter of personal fortune. "Xiao Yanzi, don't do anything unexpected to me—otherwise, how will I face Brother?" Wiping his hands, Xiao Li could only pray that Xiao Yan had enough luck to escape from that terrifying flame storm. Only after escaping the reach of the storm did the countless eyes lift, slightly relieved, to gaze at the swirling flames filling the sky, murmurs quietly exchanging among the crowd—everyone eager to find out whether Xiao Yan or Han Feng would emerge unscathed from the storm. Under the steady gaze of so many, the flame storm in the sky began to dissipate gradually after spreading over an extremely distant stretch, yet the two figures within remained utterly still. With no movement from the sky, the people on the ground held their breath, exchanging glances, their expressions subtly shifting—could it be that both had perished within the storm? Su Qian stared intently at the swirling fire storm in the sky, utterly unaware of the unfolding situation—despite his prowess, he knew nothing of what was transpiring. Beyond praying, he seemed to have no other effect. As everyone stood in bewilderment, suddenly a gust of wind broke through the heavens, followed immediately by a figure leaping dramatically from the midst of the storm. The figure who appeared instantly captured the full attention of the crowd. Though the figure moved with incredible speed, some sharp-eyed observers immediately recognized him. A wave of astonishment rang out throughout the gathering. "It's the Grand Marshal! He's alive!" Hearing one after another of these exclamations of surprise, the faces of the Black Alliance members, previously taut with tension, gradually relaxed, and a subtle sense of pride began to bloom upon their features. Since the one who ultimately survived was Han Feng, the Inner Courtyard would surely return this time with heads bowed and faces stained with dust—once again, a source of embarrassment. And now, they would have yet another point to boast about when speaking to other powers in the Black Corner Region. Indeed, over the years, few powers in the region had managed to defeat the Inner Courtyard—save for the Black Alliance, there had been none. "Everyone, stay calm—something's not right!" Just as the inner courtyard's spirits were sinking, Su Qian's voice suddenly cut through, drawing everyone's heads up in surprise. They saw Su Qian fixing his intense gaze on Han Feng, who had plummeted from the sky, his eyes following the figure as the others began to notice the anomaly. Though Han Feng had escaped the flame storm, his landing posture seemed as though he'd been violently kicked—how could someone fall from the sky with such a force? "Shhh!" As the crowd's curiosity grew, another sharp, piercing wind sound erupted from the heavens. The swirling flame storm suddenly rippled, and then a dark figure burst forth, its striking emerald-green flame wings standing out vividly against the sky. "It's Xiao Yan! He's alive!" Upon seeing the familiar flame wings, the inner courtyard's warriors, whose spirits had been low, erupted into cheers. Staring in astonishment at the familiar flame wings, Xiao Li's fierce expression gradually softened, and he finally exhaled a deep, relieved breath, chuckling, "This guy... truly never lets you relax." When Xiao Yin appeared, the black-angled domain crowd—formerly boasting and laughing confidently—suddenly went silent, as if strangled ducks, their expressions now especially comical. In the sky, the dark silhouette shimmered with emerald flame wings, and in an instant, transformed into a streak of vivid green flame, shooting straight toward Han Feng, who was rapidly descending toward the ground. Within a blink, Xiao Yin materialized above Han Feng, right before the stunned eyes of the black-angled domain's powerful warriors. "Little brat, dare you—" Fixing his gaze on Han Feng, whose internal qi was now blocked due to the flame rebound, Xiao Yin grinned fiercely. With a surge of emerald flames rising onto his fist, and accompanied by a powerful gust of wind, he slammed his fist hard into Han Feng's chest, right in the midst of the latter's wide-eyed astonishment. "An apprentice who defies his master—deservedly so!" The roar of Xiao Yan's fury echoed across the heavens. "Thud!" A deep, resonant sound of solid contact suddenly erupted in the sky, causing countless hearts to tighten at that very moment. "Pfft!" Unprepared for the force of the blow, Han Feng expelled a gush of bright red blood from his mouth. His body, like a bird with its wings snapped, sagged and fell toward the ground, landing heavily on the plain outside Feng City, amid a sea of stunned gazes. Xiao Yan's face was streaked with blood, his chest rising and falling rapidly, his arms trembling slightly. A growing sense of frailty pulsed within him, signaling that he too had reached his limit. With the flames of his back wings growing increasingly thin and trembling, Xiao Yan fixed his gaze on the spot where Han Feng had fallen to the ground, crashing into a massive crater yet remaining motionless. He sensed that although Han Feng's aura was extremely frail, it had not entirely faded. Grasping his teeth tightly, Xiao Yan flicked his hand, and the massive Xuanzhong Chi-Staff shot forth. Holding it firmly in both hands, he shook his back wings, channeling the dwindling Qi within him, and launched it directly at Han Feng, who was barely holding on on the ground—his final, decisive blow. Just as the strong figures from Black Corner were about to take action, Su Qian issued a sharp command, and the numerous inner-courtyard elders who had been on standby instantly moved into position. Outside the city of Feng, they formed a solid human wall, their powerful energies rising in waves, repelling all those from Black Corner who had come to rescue them. Thanks to the interception by the inner-courtyard elders, Xiao Yan appeared before Han Feng within mere moments, standing several zhang above his head, lifting the heavy staff high above his head with no hesitation and delivering a devastating blow directly onto Han Feng's head. The force of the impact was so immense that even with Han Feng's strength, he would likely perish on the spot. "Hahahaha! Han Feng is absolutely correct—indeed, Master Yaochen's spiritual body has truly taken root in this young man!" As the staff descended with thunderous force, a strange, ghostly laugh suddenly echoed across the sky. Then, a mysterious black mist emerged from the plain, appearing with eerie grace. "Splash!" Just as the black mist began to rise, a deep, obsidian iron chain suddenly burst forth from within it, shooting with astonishing speed and reaching near Xiao Yan almost instantly. The tip of the chain was as sharp as a blade, and faintly shimmered with an eerie cold luminescence. At this moment, Xiao Yan was already near his breaking point—having exhausted all his strength in his final strike with his scroll against Han Feng. Thus, when the chain surged toward him, he had absolutely no room to dodge. With great difficulty, he tilted his head, and what met his eyes was the massive, strangely dark chain. "This... are they the people from the 'Spirit Palace'?" His mind flashed back to the black mist figure he had seen on the vast plains of Black Thorns Domain—the very manner of attack was nearly identical! The obsidian chain did not pause at all, despite Xiao Yan's recognition of their identity. The mist figure had been particularly ruthless, and from the very first move, it had delivered a true killing blow. If this chain strikes upon Xiao Yan's body, it will surely claim his life instantly! "I never thought... I'd ultimately fall at the hands of these people," sighed Xiao Yan, weary beyond measure, a bitter taste rising at the corner of his lips. He slowly closed his eyes—even if Su Qian had rushed to save him, it would have been too late by now... "Shh!" As the chain surged forward, just as it was about to pierce through Xiao Yan's heart, a sudden, cold and tingling voice echoed in his ears. Then, a delicate, pale hand, seemingly fragile and ethereal, materialized unexpectedly, firmly grasping the chain!