The thunderous roar of furious rage rolled across the sky above Tianbei City, unceasing and resonant, silencing the entire city for a moment. A wave of awe-struck glances shot toward the direction from which the sound emanated. This roar naturally reached the Tianshi Platform, where the crowd immediately erupted into murmurs and gasps, their eyes following the sound's path until they settled firmly on the location of the Hong family. "It's Hong Tianxiao! We never expected him to be involved as well!" "Xiao Yan must be in for it this time. Hong Tianxiao is said to be a Five-Star Battle Sect master, even stronger than Shen Yun of Fenglei North Pavilion. Though he has his puppet allies, he simply won't be able to withstand an attack from two Battle Sect masters." "As for the murmurs around him, Xiao Yan paid no attention, tightening his fists slightly. If Xiao Yi were here or Tian Huo Zun were awake, he wouldn't have to fear the old patriarch of the Hong family at all. Unfortunately, however, his two key assistants—one has been dispersed, the other is still asleep. Relying solely on the Earth Spirit Puppet, Xiao Yan truly finds it difficult to match two Douzong-level masters. Unless he employs the Buddha's Fury Lotus formed by the fusion of three unique flames, which would, in turn, severely weaken him. This is the Hong family's territory, and there's also the Fenglei North Pavilion located thousands of miles away. Engaging here too extensively would clearly be detrimental to their position. 'Then it seems today we must retreat first...' thought Xiao Yan. His gaze quickly shifted to the Earth Spirit Puppet currently battling Shen Yun. To his surprise, Shen, as if anticipating his intentions, had suddenly intensified his efforts, desperately trying to hold onto the puppet so that Xiao Yan couldn't reclaim it. 'You're setting yourself up to die!' Seeing Shen Yun's actions, Xiao Yan's eyes grew cold. As if sensing the sudden surge of murderous intent within him, a brilliant silver glow erupted from the Earth Spirit Puppet, instantly accelerating its attacks. Its fists, like wind hammers, surged with powerful and terrifying force, crashing directly into Shen Yun. Noticing the sudden increase in attack speed, Shen Yun's face slightly tightened, and he quickly summoned all the qi within his body. Yet even with this effort, each impact caused his body to tremble, and a faint numbness began to spread along his arms. "Damn it! What exactly is this puppet made of? Its physical strength is astonishing!" Feeling the pain radiating through his arms, Shen Yun couldn't help but be struck with awe. "Xiao Yan, move quickly! Don't hesitate—delay any further and it'll be too late!" Frantically,韩池's voice once again whispered through, as Xiao Yan guided the Earth Spirit Puppet to intensify its assault. Heeding Han Chi's reminder, Xiao Yan merely shook his head. He could feel himself locked in place by a surge of cold, deadly intent—no matter how swiftly he turned and fled, he would be swiftly pursued. His eyes flickered, and then, with a sudden motion, he reached out and grasped at the massive crater. A powerful suction surged forth, lifting Hong Li's body and securing him firmly. After a brief inspection, Xiao Yan smirked, saying, "Your life is indeed tenacious—you've managed to evade death thus far. Yet, that's quite well, too." Hong Li, still unconscious, seemed to have heard Xiao Yan's words. His eyelids fluttered as he attempted to open them, but the severity of his injuries ultimately forced him to give up in vain. As Xiao Yan lifted Hong Li into his arms, a sharp, piercing wind sound suddenly echoed across the sky. Instantly, a blurred figure surged forward like a bolt of lightning, racing toward the Heavenly Stone Platform. The cold, ominous aura radiating from within that figure was so potent that it could be felt even from a distance. "Young man, set down Hong Li or else—die!" From afar, the figure had already spotted the person held by Xiao Yan, and instantly roared in fury, his voice crashing forth once more. Hearing this roar, Shen Yun, who had been struggling to hold on, felt a surge of relief. With a quick glance to the side, he confirmed it was indeed Hong Tianxiao's form. He then urgently shouted, "Old Hong, your family members have all perished at this young man's hands—act now and kill him!" "Hearing Shen Yun's roar, the arriving light and shadow momentarily paused, revealing one elderly man with a red robe and a yellow complexion. He frowned, studying the earth-dwelling spirit automaton engaged in fierce combat with the one Shen Yun was fighting against, his eyes flashing with serious concern—clearly able to judge from the intensity of the struggle that Shen Yun was being steadily pushed back. 'What are you waiting for? This automaton belongs to that young man! Once you subdue him, the automaton will cease its attack. Act now—don't let the boy escape! Otherwise, all your efforts at the Hong family will have been in vain!' As Hong Tianxiao was stunned by the earth-dwelling spirit automaton, Shen Yun roared again. Upon hearing his voice, Hong Tianxiao's solemn gaze slowly shifted to Xiao Yan in the sky, his tone growing colder. 'Young man, simply release Hong Li. If you do, I'll ensure your death is as peaceful as possible.'" Xiao Yan remained expressionless, his gaze briefly scanning Shen Yun, who was growing increasingly frail under the relentless assault of the earth spirit automaton. From the look of it, with just a bit more time, Shen Yun might well be slain—though even if he didn’t die outright, he would certainly have to be left severely wounded. Xiao Yan sought to buy time, but Hong Tian Xiao didn’t grant him that opportunity. He clearly saw that Shen Yun could barely hold on against the powerful automaton. "No matter who your elders are," Hong Tian Xiao said coldly, "you've slaughtered so many of my family members. I will not allow you to leave unscathed!" With a sudden tremor in his form, he transformed into a streak of light, rushing toward Xiao Yan with an aura of unyielding determination that sent a chill down the spines of many onlookers. Fixing his eyes firmly on the charging Hong Tian Xiao, Xiao Yan suddenly let out a cold laugh. He pressed his palm firmly against Hong Li's chest, then grasped his arm, and with all his strength, hurled him forward like a heavy ball being thrown. "Old man, I've been nurturing a hidden internal force within Hong Li. If you don't go after it and dissipate it before it erupts, with his current condition, the moment that force bursts, he'll surely die!" Throwing Hong Li aside, Xiao Yan laughed loudly. Just as Hong Tianxiao turned around, Xiao Yan's solemn gaze suddenly sharpened on Shen Yun, a cold arc forming at the corner of his mouth. His hand seals surged and spun, gathering powerful qi into a dense, flowing surge. Stepping back urgently, Shen Yun suddenly felt a sharp sense of danger. A blurry figure appeared behind him, and at the figure's palm, a translucent energy seal the size of a palm was gradually forming—its energy intensity caused Shen Yun's face to pale. "Sea-Flipping Seal!" Xiao Yan roared, swiftly launching the seal straight toward Hong Chen's back, aiming at his vital center. Feeling the attack pressing against his back, Shen Yun's expression grew increasingly strained. Under normal circumstances, he would have easily evaded it, but now he was locked in place by the force of the Earth Spirit Puppet's punch, unable to shift or maneuver. With a firm grit of teeth, he quickly turned around, channeling a powerful surge of combat energy that erupted like a waterfall from both palms. "Boom!" The powerful aura and the Sea-Imprint collided with tremendous force, causing Xiao Yan's body to tremble as he stepped back ten or so paces. In contrast, Shen Yun only retreated a few steps, though his pallor deepened noticeably. "Shriek!" As he had barely exhaled in relief after his step, a sudden, fierce force erupted from behind, striking him squarely on the shoulder. "Pfft!" The force of the blow proved too much, and Shen Yun could no longer contain himself, spewing out a gush of bright red blood, his body skidding across the ground, leaving a trail several dozen meters long. As soon as he had taken his step back, the Earth Spirit Puppet surged forward again, seizing his hand and, amid countless expressions of astonishment, forcibly snapped the fingers where he had been wearing his storage ring. With his fingers tightly clenched, the earth spirit puppet made no further move, swiftly advancing toward Xiao Yan until, upon Xiao Yan's gesture, it was sealed within his storage relic. The storage relic taken from Shen Yun's fingers, however, remained in Xiao Yan's palm. The surge of refined blood lightning startled Xiao Yan, who instantly spread his bone wings and shot upward like a streak of lightning. Yet the blood lightning was astonishingly swift, piercing directly into his body in a single flash. Upon the lightning entering his body, Xiao Yan felt no discomfort whatsoever. Frowning slightly, he heard Shen Yun's bitter voice once again. "You've been marked by the Blood Lightning Seal of the Fenglei Pavilion. No matter where you go, we of the Fenglei Pavilion will always find you. Little scamp—let's see just how far you can hide!" "I'll hold my ground until the end!" Hearing Shen Yun’s words, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh, his gaze lingering for a moment on the direction where the Han family members stood. Then, with a single振 of his bone wings, he swiftly transformed into a streak of light, darting out of the sky above Tianbei City—disappearing within a blink.