Under the detection of Xiao Yan's spiritual perception, it became evident that beneath the gray robe, the elderly man did not radiate the blazing ki like others did, but instead was enveloped in a translucent, ethereal aura—an aura Xiao Yan was familiar with. This was clearly the power of the soul. Thus, the elderly man currently residing in the mountain forest was not his true body, but a physical form constructed from his soul. "It makes sense that this old man has been so boastful in his departure from the city—apparently, he's merely a soul-bodied phantom. By now, his true form must have long since departed for the Bodhi City, carrying the Bodhi's essence of transformation, leaving behind this illusion," Xiao Yan's thoughts raced swiftly through his mind. His expression gradually darkened. It seemed that everyone here had been outmaneuvered by this old man. Though he didn't know why the old Elder of Yingshan had managed to solidify his soul into such a powerful artificial form, regardless, a false body was still a false body. Under the probing sensitivity of Xiao Yan's soul perception, the latter's intentions were now completely laid bare before Xiao Yan's very eyes. Yet... perhaps it was already too late. With that old man's speed, in just this brief moment, he had ample time to escape into the remote mountain forests of HeiJiao Domain—areas sparsely inhabited by people. And with his capabilities, if he chose to conceal his presence, even a Douzun-level powerhouse would find it impossible to extract him from the vast wilderness. Xiao Yan's words rang like thunder, instantly startling everyone into stillness. It wasn't until Su Qian had recovered that he shook his head, furrowing his brows, "Faked? But why does the aura feel so remarkably genuine?" "This appears to be merely the soul of the Elder of Yingshan condensed into a form. I underestimated his skill—such an unusual soul-bodied manifestation is the first I've encountered. To wield soul energy with such mastery, aside from my master, I can only think of him as the first person I've seen achieve this." Xiao Yan stared coldly at the "Elder of Yingshan" below, who, despite being surrounded by numerous attackers, remained calm and composed. Soul condensation to form a body—this rare application of soul energy—Xiao Yan had never witnessed before. Indeed, he had never seen Yao Lao perform it this way. Yet, even so, he knew without a doubt that Yao Lao far surpassed the Elder of Yingshan in the mastery of soul energy. After all, the reputation of Yao the Sovereign was no mere coincidence. Douzun—a level farther removed and more formidable than Douzong—is already among the pinnacle figures of this continent. The capabilities of such a being naturally surpass those of any Douzong-level master. "Soulsplit?" Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Su Qian and Xiao Yi both were momentarily stunned. Though both were Douzong-level masters themselves, they had to admit that it was difficult for them to truly condense their souls into a physical form that carried substantial actual power. They hadn't expected the elderly master from E Jing Mountain to achieve such a feat. "What shall we do now?" Xiao Li frowned deeply. "Since this is only a facade, the real E Jing Mountain elder must have already departed." He then murmured under his breath, cursing, "This old man is truly cunning—he's got such a move up his sleeve!" Xiao Yan slightly narrowed his eyes, and after a while, he suddenly closed them tightly. His spiritual perception surged once more, but this time it was no longer directed toward the Elder of Ege Mountain. Instead, it hovered throughout the sky, continuously scanning back and forth. A profound spiritual power wove itself into an invisible spiritual net across the sky, then meticulously swept back and forth... Ordinary cultivators specializing in qi generally did not place great emphasis on spiritual power. Thus, on the Qi Continent, it was primarily alchemists who possessed truly strong spiritual capabilities, since sharp spiritual perception is an essential function in potion-making, and the sensitivity of such perception directly depends on the strength of one's spiritual power. Consequently, alchemists' spiritual power is typically significantly stronger than that of cultivators of the same level. As a leading figure among them, Xiao Yan's spiritual power even earned praise from the Elder of the Medicine Sect. Therefore, using his strong spiritual capacity to search for the elder's spiritual resonance was quite feasible. As Xiao Yan closed his eyes once more, Su Qian and the others fell silent, sensing an invisible force emanating from within him—like ripples spreading silently across the sky. Since the bloodshed in the mountains and forests had continued, likely due to the relentless sounds of battle, several previously passive factions began to grow eager, with several strong contenders even advancing together to engage the Eyer Mountain elder, only to be repelled with serious injuries and bloodshed. While the Eyer Mountain elder was clashing with these challengers, Xiao Yan, who had remained closed-eyed, suddenly opened his eyes and his gaze instantly shifted toward the eastern direction—where, at that very moment, a subtle spiritual resonance had just been detected. "Found it?" Upon seeing where Xiao Yan was looking, Su Qian and the others felt a surge of urgency and quickly asked. "I have some sense of it—he hasn't moved far from his original position." A smile of joy spread across Xiao Yan's face. He then glanced at the spirit duplicate of Elder Yingshan within the forest, and promptly declared, "Little Doctor, Ziyan, follow me. Elder Su, you two stay here. I'll leave markers along the way. Should you personally witness this spirit duplicate dissipating, come immediately." "Only the three of us?" Su Qian's brow furrowed slightly. "At this point, no one knows exactly what connection exists between the spirit duplicate and Elder Yingshan. It's best to be cautious. With Little Doctor and me handling the situation over there, we should be sufficient." Xiao Yan smiled gently, then made no further delay. He waved his hands toward Ziyan and the young healer, and instantly, the emerald fire wings extended from his back. With a swift motion, he launched into the air, heading toward the eastern area where the spirit resonance was strongest. Following closely behind came Ziyan and the young healer. Staring at the retreating figures of Xiao Yan and his companions, Su Qian and the others exhaled in relief. It seemed that Xiao Yan had found some traces—as long as the old eagle mountain elder didn't flee, there was still a solid chance of securing the Bodhi Body's essence. "Now, let's see just what kind of move this old fellow is planning..." Su Qian smiled slightly, her gaze slowly shifting downward to the soul-body of the elder, now surrounded, and spoke softly. The fluctuations lasted for about ten minutes before the gray-haired elder slowly opened his eyes, a cold smile playing upon his face. Yet as he prepared to rise, his expression suddenly shifted, his gaze sharp and intense, fixed firmly on the valley beyond, and he barked, "Who is it?" Mo Tianxing smiled slightly and scoffed. "How did you find me?" The Eagle Mountain elder's face grew serious, as though suddenly remembering something, his eyes instantly turning cold and piercing. "Did you tamper with the Bodhi Body Nectar?" "It's just a trace of qi imprint," Mo Tianxing replied calmly. "Elder Eagle, there's no need to delay. Once you've used your soul fragmentation technique, your physical strength will inevitably weaken. In your current state, you're no match for our sect. Therefore, hand over the Bodhi Body Nectar to me." "Hand it over, and then I'll be free to go?" the elder scoffed. Mo Tianxing shook his head gently and smiled. "Not quite. But I can invite you to be a regular guest at my Black Emperor Sect." Upon hearing this, the elder's lips twitched slightly, then a fierce expression flashed in his eyes. He laughed with growing intensity. "Mo Tianxing! Even if I'm not at my peak, you think it's that easy to take back the Bodhi Body Nectar from me?" As soon as the words fell, a mighty aura surged forth suddenly from the elder of Yingshan, pressing down with overwhelming force. Under this pressure, all the black emperor sect masters present—except Mo Tianxing—stepped back several paces before steadying themselves. "Then let's see how it goes," Mo Tianxing's lips curled with a cold determination. With a sweep of his sleeve, a similarly powerful aura, no less than that of the elder, surged out like a tidal wave! The two mighty auras mingled and collided within the small valley, creating ripples that shook the valley itself, causing the mountain walls to tremble subtly and crack with broad, arm-thick fissures slowly climbing upward. The opposing auras stood in tense confrontation, poised for a spectacular clash. Yet, as the two were about to erupt into a grand battle, a clear, bright laugh suddenly rang out from the heavens. "Heh, I didn't expect the real drama to unfold right here—I was almost going to miss it entirely."