"Boom!" A colossal roar, a vast wave of emerald flame surged forth from the point of explosion, surging like a thousand charging horses, thundering with immense force. The wave rolled out like a tide, flooding the entire Tian Shi Platform with violent intensity. The platform trembled violently, and thick cracks—each as wide as a human arm—spreading continuously from the wave's reach. The flame expanded with astonishing speed, catching up within mere breaths to the Hu Family's elite defenders who had just encircled it. The wave surged forward like a massive beast, swallowing them whole. "Pfft!" Blood sprayed from the flames, and then several figures, struck hard, shot backward, leaving long trails of blood—over a hundred meters long—across the ground, their injuries stark and alarming. The surge of flame nearly encompassed half of Tianshi Platform. Countless spectators had their hands trembling as they wiped sweat from their foreheads due to the intense heat, their lips quivering as they watched the wave of fire roll in, only to gradually dissipate. In their eyes, a profound sense of awe and terror surged—fear that emanated from the very depths of their souls. It was the fear of death, a palpable sense of it that they felt as the lotus of fire erupted. Fortunately, the flame wave did not reach the audience section, though the seeping heat still left many in the front rows feeling intensely warm, with some even having their clothes suddenly ignite with a soft pop, causing them to gasp and jump in alarm. The expansion of the flame lasted nearly a full minute before finally subsiding, leaving a thick layer of dust that obscured much of the action on half the platform, making it difficult to discern what had exactly transpired. Amidst the swirling dust, a sudden breeze blew forth, carrying the heavy particles skyward and drifting toward the distant horizon. As the dust gradually dispersed, the stone platform reappeared once more within everyone's sight—yet when they turned to gaze upon it, they instantly froze, their expressions turning stone-like. A stream of gazes, almost stunned, fixed upon the immense crater. For a moment, the entire Tian Shi Platform fell into silence,难以 believe that such devastating destruction could have been wrought by a young warrior of merely Dou Huang level. As residents of Tian Bei City, the attendees knew best the platform's resilience—reports had long stated that this massive stone plaza could withstand attacks from Dou Zong-level warriors. Yet what now stood before them defied that expectation. Unless the accounts were entirely inaccurate, the attack in question had surpassed the typical strength of even a seasoned Dou Zong. Given their firsthand experience of the earlier panic, the audience leaned more strongly toward this latter interpretation. Though it seemed far-fetched for a Dou Huang to unleash an attack comparable to that of a Dou Zong, the sheer depth of the crater bore witness to the truth of the matter. Han Chi and the others also slightly opened their mouths, only regaining composure after a long while, taking a deep breath to calm the turmoil within, and then scanning the area around the massive crater. Among the over a dozen Hong family elders who had previously gone to besiege Xiao Yan, half of them lay sprawled nearby, their bodies blackened with charred remains. A few of the stronger ones, or those who had better luck, still breathed, though clearly in a severely wounded condition. "The Hong family has truly lost a significant number of its core members this time," Han Chi murmured, a quiet, satisfied chuckle forming in his heart. Among the attackers, several were even at the Duke of Battle level—though not necessarily among the very top tier of the Hong family, they were absolutely vital to its strength. Losing so many at once would be difficult for the Hong family to absorb. "Where is Xiao Yan?" Han Xue suddenly asked, her voice urgent, while Han Chi remained in his state of quiet satisfaction. "He's up in the sky." Han Yue stared straight into the sky, speaking softly. At her words, everyone quickly turned their gaze upward, and there they saw a figure standing motionless in the air. Behind him, a pair of crystalline bone wings, stretching one zhang in length and width, gently扇ed back and forth, occasionally producing subtle rumblings of wind and thunder, appearing exceptionally magnificent. Under the collective gaze of the audience, Xiao Yan also vibrated his bone wings and descended slowly to the edge of the crater. He remained expressionless, glancing briefly at the Hong family's powerful cultivators struggling to rise. Then, he grasped his heavy staff, summoned it with a flick of his hand, and took a single step, appearing beside an injured Hong family Du Phong cultivator. Without a word, he raised the staff and, as if striking a ball, swept it out with a flourish. Crack! The heavy measuring staff struck the Dou Phong powerhouse, sending him flying backward. A crisp sound of breaking bones echoed across the plaza, sending a chill through many spectators. They knew that under Xiao Yan’s one measure, unless Hong Family produced a high-rank pill capable of healing bone fractures, this man would be left permanently disabled, even if he recovered. With one measure, Xiao Yan had already incapacitated a Hong Family warrior. Without pause, he turned coldly and moved toward another Hong Family warrior who had survived the explosion of the fire lotus. Upon seeing Xiao Yan’s actions, the Hong Family warrior’s eyes filled with fear. Just as he had drawn his weapon from his storage seal, the figure before him flickered—Xiao Yan’s staff swung with force, and with a powerful thud, the man was sent flying like a ball, landing heavily at a distance of over a hundred meters, unconscious. Another fallen. Xiao Yan’s expression grew increasingly cold. He turned once more, heading toward the next injured Hong Family warrior. Watching Xuanyin step forward one by one toward the Hong family, then suddenly launch a powerful strike with unwavering resolve, the entire arena fell silent. As the coldness of his expression settled upon him, an unshakable chill surged from the depths of every observer's heart. Though young in appearance, this man's tactics were remarkably ruthless—clearly, he intended to utterly dismantle the Hong family. Han Chi's heart trembled with each decisive strike Xuanyin delivered. While he was indeed amazed by the intensity of Xuanyin's resolve, he could not help but recognize that it was precisely this decisive, unyielding action that truly embodied ruthless leadership. Now, having witnessed today's events, Xuanyin knew that he and the Hong family would inevitably find themselves locked in an unyielding, life-or-death struggle. With that in mind, he would leave the Hong family with no strength to mount a future counterattack. To his enemies, he would show no mercy—only by truly weakening the Hong family would he be able to eliminate any lingering concerns about his own safety. This situation couldn't be blamed on anyone—should anyone be blamed, it must be blamed on the Hong family for first showing murderous intent toward him... "Thud!" The heavy ruler struck once more upon the final Hong family warrior, and then Xiao Yan turned his attention away, indifferent to whether this man lived or died, and slowly turned his gaze toward a figure struggling to rise nearby—none other than Hong Li. At this moment, Hong Li's clothes were tattered, and beneath his robe, a shining leather armor glimmered faintly—no ordinary piece. It was precisely this inner armor that had enabled him to survive the explosion of the Buddha's Wrath Lotus. With his hair flowing freely, bloodshot, venomous eyes stared out—having witnessed firsthand how Xiao Yan had sent each of the Hong family's arriving warriors flying like rubber balls. From the force of the ruler's strikes, it seemed only a few might have survived. This time, the Hong family had truly suffered heavy losses! "Xiao Yan, you dare to kill members of my Hong family? Then my Hong family will certainly never rest until you're dead!" Hong Li, his fingers trembling, pointed fiercely at Xiao Yan. "It's been that long, hasn't it?" Xiao Yan smiled, but in his smile there was a coldness that spoke volumes. Just as he prepared to move and strike down Hong Li as well, a deep, resonant sound suddenly echoed from another corner of the Heavenly Stone Platform. Turning his gaze toward the sound, Xiao Yan's mocking expression deepened. There, Shen Yun had been struck hard during a direct clash with the Earth Spirit Puppet, bleeding a thin streak of blood from his mouth. Though the Earth Spirit Puppet lacked combat techniques, the sheer strength and force of its physical attacks were no less formidable than any technique. Given the current situation, Shen Yun's death at the hands of the Earth Spirit Puppet was merely a matter of time. After all, the Earth Spirit Puppet was utterly calm and never showed signs of restlessness or urgency. Once Xiao Yan had ordered it to kill the person before it, even if the Puppet remained breathless, it would continue to raise its fists and strike relentlessly. "These useless scions of the Hong family!" With some injuries sustained during the clash, Shen Yun's expression was unusually grim. He quickly glanced at Xiao Yan's position, then erupted in fury, shouting, "Hong Li, don't you dare delay in summoning Hong Tianxiao! Do you intend for our Hong family to be wiped out today?" Hearing Shen Yun's outburst, Hong Li was momentarily stunned, then fixed a venomous glare on Xiao Yan, coldly declaring, "Little upstart, you've killed my family members—don't think you'll leave this place unscathed!" As he finished speaking, he swiftly retrieved a blood-colored jade slab from his storage scroll and crushed it with force. Just as the jade slab shattered, a figure suddenly materialized before him. Hong Li looked up in shock to see a stern, ominous face, and immediately stepped back in alarm. "Crash!" The heavy staff swayed, instantly generating a sharp sonic boom that struck Huo Li with tremendous force. Huo Li expelled a gush of blood and, like a meteor, was violently hurled into the massive crater, crashing hard against a large boulder. As fragments of stone scattered, Huo Li trembled slightly before gradually stiffening. "Xiao Yan, hurry! Huo Li has already sent a message to the elder of the Hong family. He'll arrive shortly! That elder is stronger than Shen Yun!" As Xiao Yan's staff struck Huo Li, a hurried voice quietly reached his ears—clearly, it was Han Chi's. The fist tightened slightly. Xiao Yan took a deep breath and bowed respectfully toward the direction where the Han family members stood. With a slight振 of his back bone wings, he swiftly rose into the air. However, just as he was about to withdraw the Earth Spirit Puppet, a mighty aura brimming with fury and rage suddenly erupted from one corner of Tianbei City. Immediately, a thunderous roar of anger resonated throughout the sky of Tianbei City. "You dare to kill my Hong family members! Regardless of who you are, today I shall crush you to dust and scatter your bones to the winds!"