The vast energy seal emerged amidst countless stunned gazes, then paused slightly before generating an unusually potent pressure and energy surge, forcefully colliding with the energy longsword surging toward it. "Boom!" In an instant, two attacks each brimming with terrifying force met in the sky, triggering a thunderous explosion. Even those well-prepared found their ears ringing, their vision momentarily blurred. At the point of impact, waves of tangible energy surged violently, distorting the very space around them—testimony to the sheer magnitude and ferocity of the attacks unleashed by the two combatants. The distorted space encompassed the positions of Xiao Yan and Yun Shan, thus causing those gazing upward to remain unaware of who among the two had gained the upper hand in this nearly catastrophic clash of energies. Under the countless expectant eyes, the energy fluctuations spreading across the sky gradually faded, and the distorted space slowly regained its clarity. As the space stabilized, the two figures reappeared once more in the collective view of all present. Upon seeing the figures materialize in the sky, everyone was momentarily stunned. At this moment, Xiao Yan's sleeves were completely torn, revealing his bare arms, upon which faint traces of blood still ran in delicate lines. His face was pale, with a few streaks of blood lingering at the corners of his mouth. The once robust aura had noticeably weakened, clearly indicating that although he had managed to absorb the tremendous impact of the earlier clash, he had still been significantly shaken and injured by the counterforce. Despite his disheveled appearance, Yun Shan was far from unscathed—his garments were likewise tattered, and the dry, withered hands protruding from his sleeves trembled slightly, a thin stream of blood seeping from his palm and gradually dripping down his fingers. And gazing at Yunshan's hand, now dripping with blood, many people silently took a deep breath, then turned their eyes in astonishment toward the young man in black robe—no one had expected that not only had this young man successfully withstood Yunshan's devastating blow, but Yunshan himself had also sustained injuries as a result. Even the more seasoned combatants within the chaotic battlefield, such as Jia Xingtian and Hai Bode, stared in disbelief at Yunshan, whose hands trembled and whose face remained as still and dark as water. Though they had long held confidence in Xiao Yan, witnessing him absorb an attack capable of seriously wounding even the peak-tier Du Phong warriors stirred a profound sense of awe within them. At the spot where Yun Yin stood, upon seeing Xiao Yan not immediately slain by Yun Shan, she quietly exhaled a sigh of relief. Yet, when she saw Yun Shan's palm dripping with blood, a complex expression flickered across her delicate features. She didn't want Xiao Yan to fall at Yun Shan's hands, nor did she wish to see Yun Shan defeated by Xiao Yan. Yet at this very moment, she could only remain quietly below, waiting for the battle to conclude. "Yun Shan smiled coldly, saying, "Your earlier combat technique was indeed powerful—so strong that I couldn't overlook it. Yet, merely on that alone, to defeat our sect, you still fall short by a bit." Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and he gradually clenched his fists. While Yun Shan's words were somewhat irritating, they were not without merit. With his current strength, employing this still somewhat unrefined opening seal to counter Yun Shan's equally formidable attacks was already quite impressive. To defeat him outright solely on that basis, Xiao Yan would have to either stand completely unprepared and absorb a direct blow, or face considerable difficulty—otherwise, the task would be far from easy. With his fists clenched, he glanced at the battlefield situation between Yao Lao and the opponent, his brows furrowing slightly. At this moment, the Herbal Elder and the Wù Protector were locked in an exceptionally intense standoff, deploying their strongest attacks with the battle swinging perilously, yet maintaining a strange equilibrium. No matter how much pressure either side applied, neither could inflict substantial damage on the other. Though the scene seemed to favor the Herbal Elder, Xiao Yan, who understood the Elder deeply, knew that due to the Elder's soul-body form, while his strength could match that of a Douzong-level master, his endurance was far inferior. Thus, this stalemate, in truth, was not particularly beneficial to the Herbal Elder. Once the Wù Protector sustained him until his strength waned, the battle would surely see a dramatic reversal. His gaze swiftly swept across the key battle zones—Haibo Dong and others—within the chaotic battlefield, and Xiao Yan exhaled a subtle sigh of relief. Fortunately, among the top-tier clashes, their side remained in a strong position. With sufficient time, they would surely be able to overcome their respective opponents. Once Haibo Dong and the other strong warriors were free, the turbulent battlefield would begin to stabilize. As his eyes shifted, he also caught a glimpse of the area beneath Yunlan Mountain, where faint sounds of combat were emerging—likely the royal army of a hundred thousand stationed there, now launching their assault. Currently, nearly every corner of Yunlan Mountain was alive with fierce fighting and clashes. What had once been a tranquil sect was now completely enveloped in blood and storm. After scanning the surroundings, Xiao Yan swiftly turned his gaze back, exhaled slowly, and coldly stared at Yun Shan, whose lips curled in a grim smile. His eyes slightly lowered, he glanced at the pale, forest-green ring on his finger, hesitated briefly, then clenched his teeth firmly—should he truly want to defeat Yun Shan, he would have to deploy this final, decisive move. With his resolve set, he no longer hesitated. He moved his hand, and a pill appeared in his palm. He then swallowed all of them at once, chewing vigorously. The combined power of the two unique flames, forming the Buddha's Wrath Lotus Fire, consumed a level of qi that was no less than that required to fully unfold the Mountain Seal. With the three unique flames now fused, the demand for qi multiplied accordingly. Thus, at this moment, he had to make every effort to maintain a full and abundant flow of qi within his body. The pills were gulped down in great haste by Xiao Yan, who didn't bother to focus on refining them. With the extraordinary fire of the L琉璃 Lotus Heart, the pills automatically dissolved and transformed into the purest form of combat energy, flowing smoothly through his broad meridians. Watching Xiao Yan devour the pills so enthusiastically, Yun Shan felt his cheeks grow warm. Though he was a strong Dou-Zong cultivator, his collection of pills could never match Xiao Yan's vast reserves. Thus, he could only watch helplessly as Xiao Yan's combat energy gradually replenished itself, thanks to the pills. Of course, Yun Shan wouldn't simply stand there and wait for Xiao Yan to recover. At the very moment Xiao Yan swallowed a pill, Yun Shan suddenly moved, appearing before him with an eerie stillness. With a palm extended, he slashed horizontally across Xiao Yan's throat, his fingernails cutting through the deep azure combat energy with the sharpness of a blade. With a slight backward tilt of his body, Yun Shan's palm skimmed past Xiao Yan's face, sending a crisp, cold gust of wind that made Xiao Yan's skin shiver. As he leaned back, the silver glow of Xiao Yan's foot manifested, and then his figure suddenly retreated. During the retreat, he flexed his fingers, launching the Xuan Zhong Chi into the air, and then planted a powerful kick onto the handle, sending the heavy staff hurtling forward with fierce force toward Yun Shan's face. The sudden surge of the heavy staff caused Yun Shan to momentarily stagger, his fist crashing down and sending the staff flying. At the very instant Yun Shan drove the staff into the air, Xiao Yan's fingers trembled, and the pale, icy ring on his hand instantly burst into fragments, erupting into a vibrant, white flame that surged before him. As the dense, silver-white flame appeared, Xiao Yan simultaneously tore open the Lvylian Lotus Heart Flame, transforming it into a cluster of jade-green and intangible fire. Without hesitation, he then slammed his palms together, sending the Qinglian Earth Heart Flame and the Fallen Heart Flame into the silver-white flame. Upon the contact of these three distinct flames, intense ripples immediately surged throughout the space around Xiao Yan. Witnessing Xiao Yan's actions, Yun Shan's expression grew grave—he could feel the three differently colored flames generating an exceptionally terrifying energy. Crack! Almost simultaneously, Yun Shan's figure vanished instantly, as he had to interrupt Xiao Yan's devastating strike—otherwise... The figure of Yun Shan, materializing as a shadow, also caused Xiao Yan a slight frown. With his back wings of deep green flapping, Yun Shan tightly clutched the rapidly merging trio of colored flames in his palms, and swiftly retreated. As he dodged, Xiao Yan curled his fingers and sent several jade vases bursting forth from his talisman. Inside each vase bloomed a small fire lotus, no larger than a palm. Pop! Pop! Pop! The vases launched out and, at a distance from Yun Shan, exploded in a dazzling, cascading burst, like fireworks. Though these small fire lotuses could not inflict any real harm upon Yun Shan, they effectively slowed his pursuit. Thus, when Yun Shan finally broke through the continuous chain of fire lotus explosions, Xiao Yan halted his retreat, standing still at a distance. His gaze slowly shifted from Xiao Yan's pale, frail face—yet one that carried a subtle sense of relief—and finally settled upon his palm. At that moment, Yun Shan's eyes narrowed sharply. In the air, Xiao Yan vibrated his back wings, a deep emerald hue, his face pale and his breath weak. Floating gently in the palm of his hand was a three-colored lotus, spanning a foot in width and length, radiating a surge of powerful, turbulent energy that sent waves of awe rippling through every person present.