"Aaaah!" The massive wolf-shaped fire spirit roared skyward, sending out a surge of invisible waves. All the crimson soul bodies cascading down were instantly dissolved upon contact, their soul energies completely erased—none escaped even a single trace. "Falling Heart Flame?! Good boy! I underestimated you—never expected you to control it so well!" As the wolf-shaped fire spirit unleashed this relentless wave of destruction, the dark cloud, tinged with faint streaks of deep red, surged violently. A sharp, exasperated cry of astonishment and anger erupted. Of course, though this was merely the first level of Fire Spirit, the power it demonstrated had left Xiao Yan thoroughly satisfied after the previous tests. The "Five-Ring Separating Fire Technique" truly was the signature skill of Tian Fire Master—such an advanced mastery of fire control, aside from Yao Lao, was probably the most profound Xiao Yan had ever witnessed. As the cold laugh of Xuan Huafu settled, a sudden surge of blood-like light erupted from the dark clouds, carrying with it piercing, shrieking cries—sharp and unbearable—and faintly, even, the horrifying sound of chewing, as though something were being devoured... "That creature is making the souls of all beings feed on one another. If this continues, the same fate will befall the fierce spirits!" Su Qian's face grew serious as he gazed at the eerie, dark-red clouds, sensing the overwhelming rage radiating from within. He spoke gravely. Xiao Yan frowned slightly, said nothing, and swiftly adjusted his hand seals. One after another, ethereal, translucent shadows appeared, layer upon layer, until, at the very moment he exhaled, his hand seals solidified. With a soft command, he said, "Go!" As the words left his lips, the massive wolf-shaped fire spirit hovering above the group of them suddenly flared with a steady, tangible flame in its eyes. A towering, invisible flame, stretching several zhang in height, surged upward and swirled around the spirit's body with a resonant boom. "Aaaah!" The wolf-shaped fire spirit, radiating an astonishing intensity of heat, let out a long roar and then surged forward with sudden momentum, appearing in the black cloud within mere eye blinks, before charging straight into it. As the wolf-shaped fire spirit approached, the black cloud instantly contracted, as if startled, and the piercing cries momentarily subsided. "Hmph!" A sharp exhalation rang out suddenly within the black cloud, and a surge of black mist rippled forth, revealing the slightly blurred figure of Xuan, who extended his hand and gently pressed it against the wolf-shaped fire spirit. With the pressure of his palm, a powerful wave of black mist erupted, intertwining with the intangible flames swirling around the fire spirit's body, producing a sharp, hissing sound. The wolf-shaped fire spirit was obstructed, and at the same time, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed as he remained mentally connected to it. Changing his hand seal, a profound surge of spiritual energy erupted from his brow like lightning and flowed into the body of the wolf-shaped fire spirit. Receiving Xiao Yan's powerful support, the intangible flames on the wolf-shaped fire spirit surged another cattie in height. With a wide opening of its massive mouth, a scorching stream of intangible flame shot directly toward Xuan's guardian. Feeling the subtle waves of energy embedded within that intangible flame, Xuan's guardian felt a slight tightening in his heart. The special searing effect of the fallen heart flame on the soul was amplified further by Xiao Yan's refined mastery of flame control, making it even more formidable. Thus, even he hesitated to face it directly. As this thought passed through his mind, the black mist on his body rapidly expanded, and then his form trembled, allowing him to glide like a ghost into the dense layers of black clouds. "Shhh—" The intangible flame pillar did not strike Xuan Fu, but instead plunged directly into the black clouds. Harnessing its terrifying heat, it miraculously tore through the dense black layer, creating a vast hollow several dozen paces in diameter. Through this opening, Xiao Yan and his companions' eyes narrowed slightly. They saw countless souls within the cloud layer devouring one another like starving wolves—much like insects trapped in a box, relentlessly fighting and consuming their peers to emerge as the final survivors. As this ceaseless mutual consumption continued, a thick, oppressive atmosphere of ferocity, cruelty, and brutality began to grow and spread throughout the cloud. Xiao Yan and his companions sensed, almost imperceptibly, that a formidable spirit soul was rapidly taking shape within. "Let it explode!" Xiao Yan's face grew slightly somber. With a sudden grip of his palm, the intangible flame pillar shooting into the clouds erupted in a thunderous blast, sending out waves of intense heat that spread outward. Any soul touched by the flame vanished instantly. Following this massive destruction caused by the collapse of the Heart Flame, the deep crimson hue within the black clouds had noticeably lightened, clearly indicating the significant impact of Xiao Yan's initial attack. "Young man, you've destroyed nearly a thousand souls. I'll personally settle this account with you later, but right now, you're far from capable of hindering the formation of the Foul Spirit!" The cold voice of Xuan, emanating steadily from the swirling clouds, resonated through the air. As soon as Xuan Hu's voice had finished, four exceptionally powerful soul surges suddenly emerged within the clouds, then surged forward like a tiger charging into the mountains, rushing into the countless souls and beginning to devour them wildly. "These four souls were carefully gathered over the past three years by me. Each of them was a peak-tier combatant at the Battle Emperor level before death, and their souls remained exceptionally strong even after passing. I had originally been reluctant to release them. But now, looking at this situation..." The devouring power of these four souls was astonishing—within less than a minute, the souls within the clouds were completely consumed. Then, the four soul bodies, filled with fierce and aggressive emotions, began to devour one another. As they did so, dense, cold, black mist poured down from the clouds in vast quantities, overwhelming and pushing back the wolf-shaped fire spirit formed from the fallen Xin Yan. "If these four soul bodies complete their final devouring, the Foul Soul will manifest. I must engage with Xiao Yi Xian—there's no time to wait any longer." Feeling the pressing weight emanating from the dense, dark clouds above, Su Qian furrowed his brows and said, "As soon as you act, Han Feng or Elder Yingshan will step in too—I'll handle it." Xiao Yan gently shook his head, then clenched his right hand, forming a deep green flame in it. With his left hand, he reached out toward the fallen Heart Flame above, and as soon as he grasped it, the flame rapidly retracted, eventually transforming into an intangible flame that spiraled around Xiao Yan. Two flames—one solid, one intangible—hovered before him and swiftly merged. As the flames merged, sparks burst forth in threads. Within mere moments, a jade-green lotus of fire materialized in Xiao Yan's hands. With his current strength, performing this Buddha's Wrath Lotus formed from the fusion of two distinct divine flames was now effortless—almost second nature. Just as Xiao Yan prepared to launch it, the voice of Tianhuo Zhuneng suddenly resonated within his mind: "Wait—don't destroy that ferocious spirit." Xiao Yan slightly furrowed his brows, thinking internally, "Master Yao, what do you mean? If that spirit successfully coalesces, the number of our opponents' Douzong-level强者 will greatly exceed ours. And yet, you haven't fully recovered your strength yet." "Master Tianhu smiled, his voice warm and vibrant: 'Then I'll take care of that ferocious spirit. Hehe, with so many soul energies coalesced, it's a great boon for me. If I can fully absorb and refine it, my own soul strength might well recover to the Du-Zong level...' His brow slightly arched as he gently lowered his palm. Should Master Tianhu truly reach Du-Zong level, it would undoubtedly be a tremendous advantage for me in the future!" Xiang Yan hesitated slightly. "Master Yao, do you feel confident? That spirit is formed from countless intense emotions. Should I absorb it, there's a risk of affecting its mental clarity..." "Hehe, precisely—so this will be your task. After I've subdued it, I'll need to borrow your fallen heart flame." Master Tianhu laughed heartily. A quiet sigh of relief passed through Xiang Yan's mind as he smiled. "Of course, no problem at all." "Xiang Yan, hurry! The spirit is rapidly solidifying!" Seeing Xiao Yan standing motionless after successfully fusing the fire lotus, Su Qian hurriedly urged him. Upon hearing Su Qian's prompt, Xiao Yan regained his composure, offered a gentle smile to him, and then looked up at the swirling black clouds, speaking slowly, "Senior Elder, don't worry—the fierce spirit won't cause much disturbance." As Xiao Yan's words settled, the turbulent cloud layers suddenly froze in place, emitting a piercing, agonizing cry. A fierce, oppressive aura gradually descended from within, and Xuan Fuzhufu's previously confident laughter became sharp and jarring. "Xiao Yan," Xuan Fuzhufu declared, "if you remain calm and surrender today, I'll spare you a good deal of suffering!"