"Xiao Yan, what exactly do you want?" Seeing Xiao Yan's claw firmly pressed against the elder tiger-headed monk's throat, the two senior elders of Mulan Valley couldn't move an inch. As long as the elder exhaled a single surge of qi, he would fall dead on the spot. Faced with this predicament, the two elders could only raise their voices in a sharp, urgent tone. "Nothing much—just a clean cut, root and all," Xiao Yan smiled slightly, his voice calm and composed. Yet even this composed statement sent a deep chill through the hearts of the three Mulan elders. Though they had been prepared, they hadn't anticipated that Xiao Yan would dare to launch such a bold surprise attack on their very stronghold within the Three Armies Alliance. "If you kill him, you'll be our outright enemy. Then, we'll have no choice but to fight until one of us is gone!" The elder on the left stared at Xiao Yan with a grim, menacing expression. "Our own alliance nearly perished at your hands. Now, isn't it a bit too late to be saying such things?" Xiao Yan smiled calmly, his expression equally carrying a subtle coldness. As he spoke, he suddenly tightened his grip slightly, causing the tiger-headed elder's face to flush red, his mouth agape and breathing rapidly. The two elders from Mulan Valley slightly twitched their facial muscles before finally drawing a deep breath, suppressing their growing anger and stating, "Xiao Yan, as long as you release him, I can swear on this spot that Mulan Valley will never again cause any trouble to your kingdom of Jima or the Yan Alliance. How about that?" "Never mind," Xiao Yan replied with a smile. The two Mulan Valley elders narrowed their eyes slightly, their hands behind their backs subtly forming hand seals, while speaking in a steady tone, "If you still aren't satisfied, I can offer you our Three-Beast Wildness Technique—how does that sound? It's a mid-tier terrestrial stage technique, and you've personally experienced its power." "The Three-Beast Wildness Technique?" "Heard this, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered, and upon seeing his expression, the two elders from Mulan Valley instantly caught a subtle gleam of joy. Yet before they could speak, Xiao Yan merely smiled and said, 'Indeed, I am very interested in this technique. However, he—must die!' As he finished speaking, his gaze suddenly turned cold, and a surge of emerald flame erupted from his palms. With a firm press of his middle finger, the flame pierced straight through the throat of the tiger-headed elder. A gush of blood erupted—splattering vividly across the snowy tent's white surface, leaving behind a stark, crimson stain." Staring in stunned silence at the tiger-headed elder whose vitality rapidly faded and then whose body slowly collapsed, the two Lu-Man Valley elders found their eyes brimming with tears. With just a little more time, they could have forcibly activated the Three-Beast Wildness Technique, channeling their power into the elder's body to overcome Xiao Yan's restraint—indeed, it would have been quite achievable. Yet… just a little more was needed. "Xiao Yan scion! Today, I shall crush you to dust!" The roar of rage burst forth instantly, followed by a powerful surge of combat energy erupting from the two elders' bodies. The force of the energy waves sent the massive tent billowing and tearing apart, revealing the scene directly to the Lu-Man Valley warriors patrolling overhead. Xiao Yan also faced a cold expression, the blood on his fingers having been vaporized by the flames. With his sharp spiritual perception, he was fully aware of the schemes the two elders were secretly plotting—yet he expected them to simply hold him here, thinking him a mere rookie, still untested? "Seize him! No matter what happens, live or die!" The elder from Mulan Valley pointed a finger at Xiao Yan, his roar echoing throughout the entire camp. The death of the tiger-headed elder would be a severe blow to their Mulan Valley. Without him, the Three-Beast Wildness Technique could no longer be performed, and without that technique, Mulan Valley would lose its power to command and intimidate the other powerful factions within the Empire. For them, this would be absolutely fatal. That was precisely why the two elders from Mulan Valley were so furious at this moment. As the elder of Mulan Valley roared, countless figures surged forth from the camps and swiftly materialized in the central area. Across the ground, sky, and tent roofs, a series of cold, piercing gazes locked onto Xiao Yan, their eyes filled with icy hostility—so intense it seemed as though they would shatter him into a thousand pieces. With this thought flashing through his mind, Xiao Yan suddenly knelt down, then, under countless slightly astonished glances, fiercely snapped off one of the tiger-headed elder's fingers, retrieved the nayi ring from the fingertip, and tucked it into his chest. With a firm stomp of his foot on the ground, his body surged upward with explosive force. "Hold him! Hold him at all costs! Whether he lives or dies—anyone who kills him shall be promoted directly to Outer Valley Elder!" The two elders of Mulan were also momentarily stunned by Xiao Yan's sudden actions. When they regained their composure, they instantly reacted like cats startled by a tail flick, leaping to their feet and roaring in fury. The rewards promised by the two elders appeared to be exceptionally appealing to these Mulan Valley warriors. As a result, the eyes of the sky-bound warriors blazed with intensity, each one roaring and charging wildly toward Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan subtly vibrated his fire wings, evading the direct charge of a Dou Huang-level powerhouse, then delivered a fierce blow to the head of a Dou Wang-level warrior standing beside him, his expression cold and stern. The fire surged violently, and with a single punch, he shattered the latter's head like a watermelon, sending it bursting in all directions. After felling a Dou Wang, Xiao Yan's face was streaked with blood, and a growing ferocity of bloodlust flickered in his dark eyes. He surged forward again, charging toward the edge of the camp. "Boom!" The fist, blazing with Lirui Lotus Heart Fire, crashed hard against a Dou Huang powerhouse, causing a powerful surge of energy to explode at the point of impact. Xiao Yan's shoulders trembled slightly, while the Dou Huang warrior—whose strength was only slightly above average—was thrown back with force, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood as he retreated. He stared in shock at Xiao Yan, now completely drenched in blood, astonished that he had been defeated so decisively in just one exchange, despite their comparable levels. Though Xiao Yan had stunned the warrior with his single punch, the latter had clearly momentarily slowed his pace. In that brief instant, the two elders of Muran, who had been glaring at Xiao Yan with intense resentment, suddenly surged into action, roaring fiercely. Blood glimmers gathered on their fists, coalescing into fierce bear and lion heads! "Fiery Bear that Shatters the Earth!" "Lion's Piercing Force!" Feeling the sharp, blood-charged assault coming in succession, almost sealing off all escape routes, Xiao Yan's face grew slightly serious. With a hand seal, a dense, solid ring of emerald-green flame surged outward from his body, sweeping across all directions. "Fire Ring Burst!" As the emerald-green flame rapidly expanded, it collided fiercely with the vigorous attack of Mu Lan's two elders. The resulting energy explosion echoed like thunder across the sky. The turbulent energy spread rapidly, gradually dissipating the flame ring, yet Xiao Yan still sensed two hidden forces striking him—powerfully pressing against his chest and back—causing him to emit a low, dull hum. Though injured, Xiao Yan was met with equal damage from Mu Lan's two elders, who were also struck by the blast of the Liru Lotus Heart Flame, their fists now streaked with blood. Clearly, this direct confrontation had left both sides with visible wounds. Temporarily repelling the two elders of Mulan, Xiao Yan still hadn't caught his breath when suddenly,十几 solid streams of powerful qi surged forth from all around, directly enveloping every vital point of his body. Clearly, after absorbing the sharp, close-range attacks from Xiao Yan, the stronger members of Mulan Valley had begun to avoid direct combat and instead relied on their robust qi to slow down his movements. While a single stream of such qi might have been easily dismissed by Xiao Yan, with so many converging at once, he could no longer let them strike him directly—thus, he swiftly formed a jade-green shield of fire using the Lüli Lianxin Flame across his body. Thud! Thud! Although some qi streams were dispersed by Xiao Yan's strikes, around a dozen still impacted the fire shield, causing powerful shockwaves that vibrated through the qi within his body. "Damn it!" Xiao Yan muttered, "If this continues, I'll be worn down right here!" Although these streams of qi had not inflicted severe wounds upon Xiao Yan, they had significantly slowed his pace. Taking advantage of this delay, the two Mu Lan elders and several other Supreme Sovereign-level warriors had once again stabilized their breath, now glaring at Xiao Yan with fierce determination, their powerful techniques rapidly coalescing. Feeling the multitude of strong techniques gathering around him, Xiao Yan's heart sank slightly. Just as he resolved to unleash his Buddha's Wrath Fire Lotus once more to obliterate these stubborn opponents, a streak of light suddenly burst forth from the distant sky, swiftly darting through the air and cutting through the chaos, eventually materializing directly before Xiao Yan. With a graceful twist of her body, she appeared before him, and with a simple hand gesture, the streams of qi that had surged from all directions were instantly dispersed. The figure slightly turned her head, revealing a refined and elegant face—none other than Medusa! She glanced over at Xiao Yan, who was covered in blood, and immediately sensed the slightly disordered flow of his energy. The pair of unusually wide, piercing eyes instantly darkened with cold, lethal intent. "From now on, it's my turn. Those two old fellows will pay dearly."