Seeing the two gray-robed elders in this state, Xiao Yan and the others were also momentarily stunned, and then turned their gaze toward where the elder was looking—only to find an empty, featureless space, devoid of any figures or traces of energy fluctuations... Though puzzled, Xiao Yan and the others knew well that, given the strength of these two, they would never make pointless efforts. Thus, the fact that they were speaking suggested that the seemingly empty space must conceal some subtle, hard-to-detect marvel. "After all these years, you still manage to be so tedious—your method of spatial concealment proves utterly ineffective against us," said Qian elder with a gentle smile. Then, with a slight wave of his sleeve, he caused Xiao Yan and the others to immediately sense a strong ripple of disturbance spreading throughout the surrounding space. A wave-like ripple emanated from the tip of the elder's finger, swiftly expanding and within a single blink, engulfing the once-empty space. "Boom!" Ripples like gentle water waves passed by, and suddenly, Xiao Yan and the others were stunned to see a strange black fissure abruptly splitting open in that space, from which a disheveled figure was expelled. Gazing at the figure cast out by the spatial crack, Xiao Yan's face immediately turned pale. Wasn't this man precisely the ancient earth demon ghost struck down by his "Destruction Fire Lotus" moments ago? How could he have survived beneath that fire lotus? "Has this old earth demon ghost actually survived?" Su Qian was equally astonished, speaking in disbelief. The earth demon elder was indeed still alive at this moment, though his robes had nearly turned to powder. His body bore severe, grotesque burns that made it seem as though not a single patch of healthy flesh remained. Thick, brownish-red blood had congealed over the scorched areas, giving him the appearance of someone whose skin had been stripped off and then plunged into hot oil and rolled around—extremely horrifying. His face, already resembling a skeleton, was even more terrifying; the features of his eyes and nose were nearly indistinguishable. Though the elder had managed to survive the devastating fire lotus from Xiao Yan through some means, the cost had been immense. It's surprising that you two old fellows haven't died yet..." Bai and Qian elderly ones glanced at the earth demon elder, now reduced to a mere shadow of his former self, with a touch of pity, and smiled gently. "You're still alive, how could we possibly be dead?" The earth demon elder's face slightly trembled, yet his inner resolve grew darker. With these two elders stepping forward today, his plans were now completely ruined. With his current strength, even facing just one of them was already a challenge—let alone both of them together, with Su Qian and the others watching from the sidelines. Clearly, things were not looking promising today. "Bai Elder, Qian Elder, we cannot let this old man go. Over the years, many of our academy's students have fallen victim to the Demon Flame Valley. If we allow him to leave today, he will surely become a major threat in the future!" Su Qian's eyes gleamed with cold determination, his tone filled with unwavering resolve. Hearing this, the hundreds of elder professors slightly narrowed their eyes, their weathered faces showing little emotion, merely giving a quiet nod. They were well aware that an opponent of七星Battle Sovereign rank posed a formidable threat to the Galen Academy, and since they were both seasoned and experienced, they naturally understood the necessity of eliminating the threat completely. They couldn't frequently appear these days. By now, they had to retreat into seclusion regularly in hopes of breaking through the Douzong level—sometimes staying in seclusion for extended periods. During such times, they were often unable to sense what happened at the Canyon Academy. This time, it would have been difficult to rouse them from their seclusion unless the energy of the annihilating fire lotus were truly overwhelming. Such a fortunate occurrence this time—perhaps next time, things would be less predictable. Feeling the faint, ever-present killing intent swirling around the bodies of the hundreds of elders, the Earth Demon old man's eyes narrowed slightly. From the very first moment he saw them, he knew these two elders were now stronger than himself. Moreover, his own condition was not favorable—he was seriously wounded and could hardly reach his peak combat strength. If they truly intended to strike him down, he feared he would meet his end right here today. Thoughts surged in his mind like lightning. In an instant, the earth demon elder's eyes grew cold. Before a hundred and two elders could even move, he launched a powerful punch to his chest, spewing a burst of blood that sprayed out and settled like a veil, fully enveloping his body. As the blood mist spread, the space around him began to warp swiftly. As the figure of the Earth Demon elder vanished, everyone else—including Xiao Yan—was instantly startled. After all, they had finally managed to drive this old man to such a state today. If he were to escape and recover fully, he would surely pose a tremendous threat to both the Gan Nan Academy and Xiao's family in the future. "Hundred elders, thousand elders—hurry up and pursue him! We mustn't let that old man escape!" Su Qian, growing increasingly anxious, urgently urged them. "Hehe, don't worry. Rest assured, that old man won't make it." "Thousand-Old smiled slightly, then turned his gaze toward Hundred-Old, saying, "It's your turn this time..." "Still the same spatial blood-fleeing technique," Hundred-Old nodded, his hoarse voice laced with a hint of mockery. "For all these years, still hovering at the Seven-Star Battle Sect level. Today, I shall finally get to understand some of the old grievances..." As he spoke, Hundred-Old moved with a gentle flick of his form, appearing silently and instantly hundreds of meters away—several such flickers later, he vanished from the sight of Xiao Yan and the others. Watching Hundred-Old's astonishing speed, Xiao Yan wiped a bead of sweat from his brow, murmuring, "This is indeed the speed of a Battle Sovereign?" Having witnessed the astonishing feats of both Thousand-Old and Hundred-Old firsthand, Xiao Yan had naturally come to regard them as Battle Sovereign-level warriors. "Battle Sovereign?" You've greatly overestimated us two old fellows—we're merely capable of wielding some basic spatial techniques, still far from the true strength of a True Duelist...” Hearing Xiang Yan's soft murmurs, the elder thousand smiled gently. Upon hearing this, Xiang Yan was instantly startled, exclaiming in astonishment, “Then even this isn't enough to qualify as a True Duelist?” “I and my elder colleague are at most nine-star Duelist Masters. Though only one star short of True Duelist rank, that narrow gap has consumed the efforts of both of us for over thirty years—yet we still haven’t managed to break through. Perhaps, for the rest of our lives, we’ll never succeed.” The elder sighed softly, speaking slowly. Xiao Yan remained silent. Throughout his journey of cultivation, though he had exerted efforts far beyond what ordinary people could imagine, the path had generally been smooth and uneventful. The sensation of stagnating for decades without making a single step—something he had never experienced nor wished to encounter—was a new one. Perhaps this was a necessary phase for many, but he knew that his own path of cultivation, guided by the "Burned Decree," would be distinct. Yet, equally, this path would carry greater risks than the conventional one. Seizing this momentary lull, Xiao Yan glanced around, only to feel a subtle weight settle in his heart—turns out, the cunning fellow Han Feng had already slipped away the moment he first saw the hundred elders arrive. "That rogue really does move fast," Xiao Yan murmured, having originally intended to catch him, hoping to extract some information about the Spirit Palace and the location where the Medicine Elder was being detained. "Well, we'll have another chance later. How about your condition?" the young physician comforted him, then furrowed her brows—Xiao Yan's breath was now erratic, and his complexion pale, clearly indicating that the so-called "Destructive Fire Lotus" had taken a heavy toll on him. "I'm fine, just need a bit of recovery time to heal completely. As for you, though—the ordeal you've just overcome with the厄难毒体—how are you faring?" Xiao Yan waved a hand, wiping the lingering blood from his lip, and sighed. The young physician brushed aside the snow-white strands drifting across her forehead, offered a gentle smile, yet said nothing. "Ah well, don't worry—once I find the last ingredient, then you'll be free...," Xiao Yan said, speaking with a touch of resignation as he observed her reserved expression.