The emerald fire lotus slowly unfurled, resembling a delicate lotus seat, its luminous glow wrapping around it in a breathtaking display of beauty—yet beneath this astonishing splendor lay a terrifying, violent force of destruction. At the very moment the lotus expanded, intense beams of light surged forth and, under the watchful gaze of countless onlookers, struck with force directly at the very center of the lotus. Two attacks each brimming with formidable energy collided like meteorites, striking with tremendous impact. Unexpectedly, the collision produced no significant sound. Instead, the powerful beams of light and the emerald glow clung tightly together, continuously eroding one another. Where the light streams intertwined, even the otherwise empty space began to ripple with fine, dark fissures spreading outward. The entire arena fell silent, every eye fixed intently on the fire lotus and the beam of light. Though there was no expected thunderous roar, those with acute senses could still faintly feel the immense power of the two energies clashing. The fire lotus rotated slowly, its emerald glow casting it like a green crystal, with flames swirling around it. No matter how powerful the beam, it struggled to penetrate the flame barrier, and instead, as the two energies eroded each other, the beam's light gradually dimmed. As the standoff continued, the spatial disturbances intensified, culminating in a sudden, powerful suction that drew fragments of stones and wood from the ground into the beam's circle, shattering them instantly into fine dust. This oscillation persisted for nearly two minutes, gradually fading as the beam's light weakened, until it finally vanished entirely. After the beam had dissipated, the emerald lotus of fire continued to rotate steadily, though its once vibrant green hue had grown noticeably dimmer—clearly having expended considerable energy during the mutual erosion that had occurred earlier. The clash between these two formidable techniques ultimately ended with the unfamiliar emerald lotus prevailing. At that moment, waves of astonishment rippled across the plaza. The power of Feng Shai Zhi, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion's signature technique, was well known among the attendees; yet no one had expected that, despite Feng Qing'er's skillful execution, it would still be successfully resisted by Xiao Yan's unfamiliar emerald lotus. On the seating area, Feng the Elder gradually relaxed his tense posture, the swirling wind spirals in his hands slowly fading away. His gaze remained fixed on the steadily rotating lotus, a sense of astonishment flickering across his eyes—amazed by the intense, turbulent energy contained within the lotus, even he found himself unable to look away. "He certainly doesn't know this technique—could it be that Xiao Yan learned it from somewhere else? Yet, despite its such powerful effect, I've never heard of it at all." Wind Elder was slightly puzzled, then turned his gaze toward the calm, serene Lei Elder, a faint smile spreading across his face. "It's no wonder that the rigid, high-minded old traditionalist chose him—Xiao Yan's talent surpasses that of Han Feng from back then by a long shot." "He actually managed to withstand Feng Qing'er's Wind-Blade Finger attack!" At the edge of the plaza, Tang Ying and Mu Qingluan watched the fading beam of light as the two clashed, their eyes filled with astonishment. They had faced the power of the Wind-Blade Finger firsthand, so they well understood its strength. Yet this sudden emergence of Xiao Yan left them deeply impressed—clearly, he was stronger than they had expected. Feng Qing'er stood motionless in the sky, her graceful figure outlined by the vibrant robes, curves flowing beautifully. Her eyes, cold and composed, fixed on the dissipating beam below. Though her heart stirred with excitement, her expression remained calm and unflinching. As the beam faded, the emerald lotus hovering above the depression suddenly accelerated its rotation, then with a sharp whoosh, trailed a splendid green flame tail that swiftly shot toward Feng Qing'er in the sky. Observing the surging lotus rushing toward her, Feng Qing'er furrowed her delicate brows. With a gentle gesture of her jade hands, the magnificent peacock phoenix emitted a resonant cry and instantly materialized above her head, radiating a vibrant seven-colored light shield that enveloped her. "Boom!" As the shield was just forming, the lotus arrived unexpectedly, then exploded like a bomb—its massive wave of fire bursting outward across the surface of the shield. The powerful explosion unfolded like a magnificent fireworks display, shooting upward into the sky. Under the intense energy surge, ripples swiftly spread across the seemingly solid seven-colored shield! The ripples spread faster and faster, until, in a short while, the light shield finally could no longer withstand that terrifying force—cracking with a tremendous roar, it burst open. The remaining flames surged forth, striking the massive peacock with unyielding force, and the sheer power sent it reeling, emitting a piercing cry as it was violently thrown into the air. Some of the colorful silk ribbons snapped off and drifted gracefully away from its body. Though the peacock was thrown aside, its inner figure, Feng Qing'er, emerged clearly. Yet she fared slightly better—her body trembling as it left faint traces in the sky, and she smoothly evaded the lingering wave of fire. Still, despite successfully dodging the flame surge, Feng Qing'er appeared noticeably disheveled in this encounter, and this caused the cold hue on her cheeks to deepen further. Yu Jian pointed a single jade foot into the void, and Feng Qing'er gracefully drifted backward, landing upon the already partially shattered body of the colorful phoenix. With a gentle bite of her pearl teeth on Yu Jian's jade finger, she suddenly pressed firmly against the phoenix's back. "Blood absorbing spirit!" As the command rang out, a vibrant, dense crimson glow erupted instantly from her palm, swiftly enveloping the phoenix. Within this strange crimson aura, the phoenix's body rapidly contracted, eventually shrinking into a concentrated beam of red light, which was then drawn into Feng Qing'er's mouth. Upon the red light entering her body, Feng Qing'er shivered, and at once, her pair of colorful phoenix wings unfurled from her back. Her aura surged instantly and intensified. Though the surge did not last long, Feng Qing'er's power level instantly leapt from a single-star Douzong to a three-star Douzong—such a dramatic rise was truly astonishing. As Feng Qing'er's aura surged, Xiao Yan's figure appeared on the plaza, his brows slightly furrowed as he gazed at her, then snorted, quickly shifting his hand seals. "Third Phase of Heavenly Fire!" With a sharp command in his mind, flames erupted violently before swiftly retracting. His aura surged as rapidly as Feng Qing'er's, reaching nearly the level of Three-Star Douzong—yet just as he managed to stabilize at that level, it halted. Feeling that despite his full effort with the Third Phase of Heavenly Fire, he only managed to lift his strength to a mere Two-Star level, Xiao Yan was genuinely surprised. When he had been at the Douhuang level, achieving a Three-Star rank wasn't difficult at all. Now, however, he barely reached Two-Star—this gap was truly significant. After a moment of reflection, Xiao Yan suddenly grasped the reason: among Douzong cultivators, each star's distinction was far greater than the differences between Douhuang ranks. Thus, even with the same secret technique, the expected results were no longer as effective as before. "However, Feng Qing'er has managed to enhance her strength by two stars at least. It seems her secret technique must be of a high rank—likely stronger than my incomplete Tianhuo Sanxuan Change." Xiang Yan murmured to himself. It appeared he would need to find a way to gather all the components of the Tianhuo Sanxuan Change at some point, otherwise, he would fall behind when facing other powerful opponents who also possessed secret techniques. "Since we've reached this point, there's no more reason to delay. We must act promptly and commit our forces without further hesitation..." Xiang Yan gazed at Feng Qing'er, whose seven-colored wind wings were vibrating in the sky. After a moment, his brow furrowed, and he stared thoughtfully at the pair of phoenix wings behind her, feeling an unexpected sense of familiarity—something he couldn't quite explain. As Xuanyin found himself puzzled, the Qing'er floating in the sky suddenly had her silvery-green eyes grow cold. A powerful surge of qi erupted from within her, and instantly, a massive phoenix silhouette materialized in the space behind her. This phoenix was entirely black, exuding an eerie aura; its eyes, fixed steadily on Xuanyin, radiated a peculiar pressure that descended from the heavens. Under this overwhelming pressure, it seems even the energies of this realm have grown somewhat disordered. Outside the plaza, a series of gasps of astonishment echo through the air. Xiao Yan fixed his gaze intently on the towering, ethereal image of the black phoenix, suddenly feeling a chill run through his body. Now he understood clearly—Feng Qing'er, much like Mu Qingluan, was not truly human, but rather the very essence of a beast-wizard. Yet, such a powerful beast-wizard had been a first encounter for Xiao Yan in all the years he had known. Feng Qing'er's eyes, devoid of any emotion, remained fixed upon him. After a moment, she gently raised her jade arm, her jade fingers pointing steadily toward him, her voice cold and resonant, carrying an unmistakable aura of authority and commanding presence. "Divine Image of the Phoenix, consuming the heavens and the earth!" As the cold drink settled, the ethereal black phoenix behind Feng Qing'er seemed to revive, rising skyward and emitting a sharp, resonant phoenix cry. Then, with a powerful sweep of its massive wings, a colossal beam of dark, luminous light—ten zhang in length—emerged, radiating an immense force and crashing down upon Xiao Yan like a meteor. Fixing his gaze upon the eerie, all-encompassing dark glow that enveloped the heavens, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly. His bone-spirit cold flame swiftly surged forth. Yet, just as he was about to take action, a sudden ripple of energy surged within his storage bracelet, causing him to startle. With a quick mental focus, he identified the source of the disturbance. It was a jade vial containing several drops of vivid, potent green-and-red blood—blood extracted from the mysterious, desiccated corpse. Gazing at these very drops, which had been drawn from the ancient corpse, Xiao Yan paused, then suddenly recalled something profound. His eyes narrowed sharply, and his gaze turned toward Feng Qing'er above, a wave of astonishment rippling through his mind. "Her... is she from the Heavens' Fiery Phoenix Clan?"