The roar of voices thundered through the inner courtyard, resonating with a profound echo, like sacred chants that stirred the soul. Not long after this deep, resonant sound had begun, figures swiftly darted across various parts of the courtyard, soon materializing above the area where Xiao Yan and his companions stood. Leading the procession was Su Qian, the Senior Monastery Elder, whose face was now serious, gazing steadily toward the direction from which the voices had originated. His fists were clenched tightly, and he murmured, "The Earth Demon old fool..." He then lowered his gaze, meeting the eyes of Xiao Yan and the others below. His brows furrowed, clearly indicating that the disturbance had indeed come to their doorstep. Just as the deep voice had begun to echo from afar, sudden gusts of wind burst forth at the horizon. Within mere moments, a large group of small black dots appeared in the collective view. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into a cluster of figures radiating an aura of fierce intensity, hovering steadily in the sky above the courtyard. Xiao Yan's gaze slowly swept over the group of figures, numbering about twenty, and then settled on the two at the center. One of them was already quite familiar—besides Han Feng, who else could it be? The other was an elderly man with blood-colored hair, wearing a yellow robe adorned with skeletal patterns. His face was slender and nearly bone-thin, resembling that of a skull itself. His deeply set eyes glowed with a faint, ethereal light, like ghostly flames, exuding a sense of eerie and somber grace. The crimson-haired elder stood motionless in the void, his deeply set eyes calmly observing the inner courtyard below. Each time his robe swayed gently with the breeze, a subtle ripple would emanate from the surrounding space—though faint, this ripple was clearly perceptible to Xiao Yan. His eyes narrowed slightly. Such profound qi flow was truly the first time he had witnessed it in years. Clearly, this man must be the very one who had long intimidated Su Qian, the senior elder, and the others—the founder of Mo Yan Valley, the Earth Demon Elder, right? "You must be Su Qian," the Earth Demon elder glanced at Su Qian calmly. "I never expected you to have advanced to the Battle Sovereign rank. When I first saw you, you were merely a senior at the peak of the Battle Emperor level. As for my purpose here—by now you should know—it is to have the young man named Xiao Yan delivered to me. He has slain my three senior elders of the Magu Yan Valley. This debt must be settled; otherwise, how can my valley maintain its standing in Black Angle Domain?" "Heard this, Su Qian's face flashed a cold smile, saying, 'Grounded Demon, you speak so boldly—don't you fear people will laugh at you? If the Headmaster were here in the inner courtyard, wouldn't you dare come all this way with such grand gestures?' Upon hearing Su Qian's subtle rebuke, the Grounded Demon's eyes instantly glowed with fierce intensity, responding, 'Su Qian, you must truly believe I fear Meng Tian Chi. Even if I do indeed respect him, you have no right to speak to me like this! I've just laid down my firm words here—unless you hand over Xiao Yan, your inner courtyard shall cease to exist from this day forward!' As soon as the Grounded Demon finished speaking, the faces of numerous inner courtyard elders turned pale, then burned with anger. This eternal old man has gone too far!" "Heh, it's truly surprising that such a strong warrior would remember my name," a clear and resonant laugh suddenly rang out on the plaza. Behind Xiao Yan, his emerald-colored fire wings shot forth, then unfolded and swiftly soared into the sky, hovering beside Su Qian, where he smiled warmly at the ancient earth demon. As Xiao Yan appeared, the small healer and Zi Yan followed closely behind, their forms moving with grace and instantly joining them in the sky, their eyes alert and watchful toward the earth demon's party. "You are Xiao Yan, aren't you?" The earth demon's cold gaze slowly shifted to Xiao Yan. With a slight smile, he spoke in a sharp, frosty tone—so intense that even during the daytime, a palpable chill spread through the air. "Heh, Elder Earth Demon, yes, he is Xiao Yan. The three of us from the Fang family died at his hands. Even the Bodhi's transformed essence fluid fell into his possession." "Before Xuanyin could even reply, Han Feng, who stood beside the Earth Demon elder, interjected with a chuckle, then cast a cold, menacing glance at Xuanyin, his sneer particularly evident—clearly, he had put considerable thought into ensuring Xuanyin's demise. The Earth Demon elder nodded slightly, his face expressionless, as if neither pleased nor displeased, his ghostly eyes glowing steadily upon Xuanyin. In a calm tone, he said, "Are you coming with me of your own accord, or shall I personally sever your limbs and carry you off?" "Earth Demon elder," Suqian exclaimed, eyes widening in sudden fury, "this is the Inner Courtyard—not your Maguanyi Valley. If you wish to make a scene, you'll have to consider the ground. Today, I too shall make my demands clear. Should you dare to act against me within my courtyard, I will risk my life to ensure you understand—this Gan Nan Academy is no mere clay figure!" As Su Qian's sharp, direct voice settled, the atmosphere in the sky instantly tightened—everyone knew that today's matter would likely not end well... "Hahahaha, truly impressive, Elder of the Inner Academy—what a show of strength! But really, do you think I'm going to take you seriously, Bao Tian Chi?" The earth demon elder chuckled, then spoke with a cold, calculating tone. "If you truly insist on getting involved, then I have no objection to giving you a little lesson right before all your inner academy students. That way, when you speak and offend others, should Xiao Yan kill my three senior elders of the Magic Flame Valley, who will dare to support him—those very people will become my enemies!" "I suspect your real intention is the Bodhi Body-Saliva. Your excuse is quite solid—after all, the longer one lives, the thicker one's skin becomes," Xiao Yan suddenly remarked calmly. "Sharp-tongued!" The earth demon elder's eyes suddenly narrowed. With a swift motion of his fingers, five beams of cold, piercing combat energy burst forth from his fingertips, rushing toward Xiao Yan's head with a fierce gust of wind. Five streaks of cold brilliance erupted as they were still several paces away from Xiao Yan. Suddenly, a graceful white figure materialized, radiating an overwhelming presence that surged forth like a volcanic eruption. The gray aura, faintly tinged with a subtle metallic scent, instantly dispersed the five sharp streams of energy. However, as the five streams faded, the white figure slightly trembled and emitted a low, dull hum before retreating one step. Seeing the young physician staggered back, Xiao Yan's expression darkened and he quickly asked, "Are you all right?" "Fine, just be cautious," the young physician shook her head, her face now serious. "This old man is exceptionally strong, and his aura is filled with a strong coldness. With your current strength, if you're struck directly, you'll likely suffer considerable damage." "Hmm?" "The attack was dispersed, and a faint gleam of brilliance flickered in the ancient earth demon's eyes. He then turned to the young healer who had appeared before Xiao Yan, speaking slowly, "I never expected someone of your age to have already reached the Battle Sect level—truly surprising. Has the path to becoming a Battle Sect cultivator become so accessible these days?" "You really think everyone is still as stagnant as you, after all these years of cultivation, with hardly any progress at all?" Xiao Yan冷ly replied, offering the old man not a single word of courtesy. Yet under Xiao Yan's sharp and critical remarks, the old earth demon's eyes twitched involuntarily, his gaze flashing with fierce intensity. Though his talent wasn't mediocre—otherwise he wouldn't have reached this level—when compared to Meng Tian Chi and other elders who had left Black Angle Domain years ago, he truly ranked among the last. Meng Tian Chi had long since ascended to the status of a Battle Sovereign, while he himself still hovered at the Battle Conclave level. This had always been a source of deep regret for him. Now, Xiao Yan's words served as a fresh, blood-soaked wound to that ache. "Then Su Qian shall be handled by me. As for Xiao Yan and that white-robed master, I shall entrust them to the Elder of the Earth Demon. With your prowess, I believe it will not be difficult to deal with them." As he spoke, a subtle cunning glint passed through Han Feng's eyes. He had long been wary of Xiao Yan's ever-evolving strategies and the enigmatic Little Healer, and now he simply assigned both to the Earth Demon Elder, leaving himself only with the comparatively more manageable Senior Master Su Qian. The Earth Demon Elder nodded slightly, and a fierce, cold resolve stirred within his deep-set eyes. Noticing the ominous intensity in the Earth Demon Elder's gaze, the numerous senior elders from the Inner Court immediately became alert, their powerful ki flowing steadily through their bodies, ready to act at a moment's notice.