With the fierce roar breaking the air, the tense atmosphere in the area instantly shattered. Many of the onlookers, whose eyes had been filled with struggle, were now overtaken by a strong, palpable greed—the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pond held an irresistible allure for them. Yet without the guiding presence of the spiritually attuned white fox, they simply could not have broken through the maze. So, even though they knew Xiao Yan was exceptionally strong, driven by the sheer appeal of the Blood Pond, they had no choice but to fight to the very end! A human figure landed, spewing out a burst of blood, his face instantly turning pale. His gaze fixed on the direction where Xiao Yan stood, filled with a mix of astonishment and resentment. No one could clearly see what had transpired—what they did witness was this unfortunate individual, having been the first to break the tense atmosphere, taking a single step only to be met with such a fierce assault. It was evident that the one who had struck was the young man with his composed, indifferent demeanor. "Next time, I won't spare a single move," Xiao Yan said, pausing slightly as he stared at the tree gate. The words, spoken with unwavering resolve, caused several people to feel their throats tighten. The initial greed that had stirred in their hearts was momentarily dampened by fear. In silence, they exchanged glances, and no one dared to be the first to move. "If he manages to get us into the maze, we'll have to wait three years for another chance. If we can successfully break through, there might still be a slim chance—just entering the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool would be worth everything. Our respective families and sects would then surely invest heavily in us, offering treatment and opportunities far superior to what we have now. If we hesitate and lack courage, how could we achieve anything significant?" Just as the crowd's ambitions began to wane, a passionate, compelling roar once again echoed through the room. At that moment, Xiao Yan's gaze turned unusually cold. He slowly turned his head to face the speaker, who was none other than the same person from before. Upon seeing Xiao Yan's steady gaze, the speaker felt a sudden chill, wiped away the blood from his lips, and stepped back several paces. He then glanced around, observing the renewed greed now shining in the eyes of the others, and offered a cold, measured smile. The cold smile on his face had just begun to form, not yet fully unfurled, when it suddenly froze—because he saw the spectral figure swiftly materializing before him, and at the same time, Xiang Yan’s pale face rapidly enlarged in his eyes. As Xiang Yan’s form emerged, the speaker’s eyes narrowed slightly. As a Duke-level warrior, his response was equally swift—he stomped the ground, and suddenly a stone pillar erupted from the earth, rising directly beneath his feet, propelling him backward with a powerful force. Feeling the wind rushing past his ears, the speaker exhaled a sigh of relief, then roared again, “What are you all waiting for?” Though this man was a Nine-Star Duke, he was by no means our combined strength..." The words trailed off as his body, drifting backward, suddenly froze. His eyes narrowed tightly, then slowly lowered—only to see a palm blazing with emerald flames, sharp as a blade, piercing through his back, leaving not a single drop of blood on the flame. With this single strike, Xiang Yan's expression grew even colder. He could feel the greed in the eyes of the others now fully awakened. The flames surged violently from the palm, instantly reducing the man to ash. As Xiang Yan moved, he appeared beside Lan Yan at the next moment, seizing her hand and charging swiftly toward the tree gate. "Thud! Thud!" "Only a few dozen meters away—quite close, given Xiao Yan's speed, he could reach it in a blink. Yet, as soon as his body began to move, the ground outside the tree gate swiftly trembled. A dozen massive, sharp wooden pillars, forged from condensed ki, erupted from the soil, sealing the tree gate completely. With a slightly narrowed gaze at the wooden pillars blocking the gate, Xiao Yan swept his sleeve, sending a streak of emerald flame shooting out that instantly shattered the pillars with effortless force. As he swiftly ran forward, he grasped his palm, and the Xuangong Scale flashed forth. "Thud! Thud!" Immediately after the pillars were destroyed, the ground trembled again, and countless stone spines burst forth from beneath his feet. "Watch out!" Lan Yanran quickly urged, her voice barely finishing before she felt a tightness in her slender waist, her body drifting upward and gliding through the stone spines, landing safely outside the tree gate. "Ssssh!" As his body settled, a sharp whoosh of wind suddenly erupted, and a cascade of powerful, wind-laden energy waves surged forth, crashing down upon Xiao Yan and his companion with overwhelming force. Xiao Yan remained expressionless, tightly gripping his heavy ruler, then suddenly sweeping it in a dynamic motion. Instantly, layers of ruler-shadows emerged, forming a dense, impenetrable shield before him. Thud! Thud! Numerous qi attacks struck against Shi Ying's defense, producing crisp, resonant explosions as the defense absorbed and diminished. Yet just as the initial layer began to fade, more Shi Ying forms surged forth, densely and continuously appearing—like an unbroken stream. The dark, slender Shi Ying defense formed a black, domed shield, fully enclosing Xiao Yan and Na Lan Yanran. Though the attacks appeared formidable, they merely caused slight ripples across the shield's surface. With Xiao Yan's current strength, employing the Liu He You Shen Shi technique, it truly proved difficult for these opponents to penetrate the defense. Moreover, the Shi Ying technique itself possessed an inherent continuity, making it utterly unshaken by numerical superiority. When the final qi attack was deflected by the black Shi Ying shield, the crowd felt a wave of cold apprehension. Though the opponent was a Nine-Star Qi Emperor, they themselves boasted nearly twenty Qi Emperors. Under such unified, coordinated assaults, how could they have failed to breach the enemy's defense? Although the Nine-Star Sovereign was strong, reaching such a level must have been quite difficult, right? The black silhouette slowly faded, and then the young figure that had made everyone feel chilled once again emerged. His dark eyes, devoid of any emotion, lifted slowly. Anyone whose gaze was caught by them instantly felt as if a venomous snake was fixating on them. "You go in first," said Xiao Yan, facing away from Na Lan Yanran. Upon hearing this, Na Lan Yanran was momentarily startled, then nodded gently and said, "I'll wait for you at the entrance of the maze. When you enter, don't wander around—be careful." Xiao Yan nodded slightly. Seeing Na Lan Yanran holding the white fox, he carefully stepped back to the tree gate and then entered, with everyone's eyes blazing with warmth. As Nalan Yanran entered, Xiao Yan slowly raised his heavy staff, and a mighty surge of emerald soul energy erupted from within him, flowing entirely into the staff. With the continuous infusion of soul energy, the once-black hue of the heavy staff began to swiftly transform into a vibrant emerald. A low hum resonated within his heart, and the light in this area suddenly surged dramatically. A massive, emerald-green ripple, stretching over ten zhang in length, surged forth like a dragon breaking through the water, emitting a sharp, piercing cry. It then shot out violently, rapidly, leaving the ground in disarray as cracks spread like those of an earthquake, continuously widening and branching out. With Xiao Yan's current strength, a full-scale display of the Yan Fen Shi Lang Chi would leave even the peak-level Dou Huang warriors hesitant to meet it head-on. These individuals all held no more than five-star Dou Huang rank—so their fate was naturally grim. The sharp glint of the Chi gradually faded, and the tremors of the earth slowly subsided. Xiao Yan raised his head slightly, gazing at the scattered figures lying beyond a hundred meters, faint sounds of pain and shock still drifting through the air. These men, though they might not die outright, would surely suffer severe injuries. With a simple hand motion, he stored the heavy Chi in his storage scroll. As he prepared to turn and enter the tree gate, a sudden, deep, resonant chuckle echoed from beside him. "Hehe, young man, quite a sharp move—managed to eliminate all of them. But you've left such a mess here. Surely, you don't intend to just walk away like this?" Xiao Yan paused, turning his head to see an elderly gray-robed man, somewhat unprepossessing in appearance, crouched on the tree trunk, smiling warmly at him. "Dou-Zong?" Glancing at the gray-robed elder, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. The man's appearance was quite strange—despite his sharp spiritual perception, he had sensed absolutely nothing. Moreover, didn't the stronger cultivators of Tianmu Mountain typically have the ability to enter such areas?