All eyes were fixed on the hand paused at Feng Qing'er's snowy neck, even the subtle streak of murderous intent subtly rising on Xiao Yan's face caught the attention of many. The entire Lei Mountain seemed to have fallen silent at that moment—had the long-anticipated clash between the rising stars of the North Domain finally reached a conclusion? The outcome, however, came as a surprise to most. Feng Qing'er's reputation and prowess were well-known to nearly everyone, yet this extraordinary young prodigy of Fenglei Pavilion, hailed as a once-in-a-century gem, had truly fallen to the young man named Xiao Yan. The quiet plaza only deepened the somber expressions of many present. The Lei Patriarch, his face as still as water, had not expected Feng Qing'er to truly succumb to Xiao Yan. Now, not only could he no longer launch a challenge against Xiao Yan, but he had to rely on Feng Qing'er's prestige to elevate himself—effectively losing both his wife and his army. In the direction of Feng Lei Pavilion, everything was silent. Fei Tian and the others exchanged glances, their faces though not particularly pleasant, remained silent without further words. The strength and prowess displayed by Xiao Yan had compelled even them to set aside their previous underestimations. Compared to the gloomy expressions of the Thunder Sovereign and others, the Pavilion Sovereign smiled warmly—Xiao Yan's performance had truly won over someone with an exceptionally discerning eye. "That old stick-in-the-mud still has such a sharp eye. I wonder how he managed to find such a splendid disciple," the Pavilion Sovereign murmured, smiling softly in his heart. On the grand platform, Feng Qing'er felt her body grow stiff beneath the slightly cool hands resting gently on her neck. The genuine, palpable intensity of threat conveyed in Xiao Yan's words made her doubt that, should the moment come, he would not swiftly and decisively end her. Yet as the faint sense of apprehension just began to rise, it was swiftly replaced by anger and humiliation. How many times, in her position and strength, had she ever been treated this way? Clenching her silver teeth, Feng Qing'er stared fiercely at Xiao Yan, her eyes blazing like a proud phoenix, a strange black flame slowly oozing out from within her body. Seeing that Feng Qing'er remained stubborn, Xiao Yan's gaze grew cold. The lapis lazuli lotus flame surged forth from his palm, and with a low command, he shouted, "Get back!" The emerald flames flashed rapidly, colliding with the strange black flame on Feng Qing'er's body. The two flames intertwined fiercely, and then, under Feng Qing'er's stunned gaze, the black flame hurriedly retreated back into her body as though encountering a formidable foe. Among all the fires in the world, the unique ones are most esteemed, and Xiao Yan's Lapis Lazuli Lotus Heart Fire—formed by the fusion of two such unique flames—is particularly remarkable. If one were to rank them, entering the top ten would certainly not be difficult. Though Feng Qing'er's black flame is somewhat unusual, it still fails to gain any advantage against Xiao Yan's Lapis Lazuli Lotus Heart Fire. "You truly think I'm afraid to kill you?" Suppressing the black flame upon Feng Qing'er's body, Xiao Yan's expression grew cold. Yet before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly changed—his finger's naryu ring trembled, and without warning, a jade bottle materialized. Within the bottle, a vibrant greenish-red blood pulsed with an immense energy surge. The sudden development left many people momentarily stunned. Xiao Yan was the first to recover; with a hand gesture, he enveloped the jade bottle in emerald flames and swiftly stored it within his naryu ring. Xiao Yan's reaction was incredibly swift; many people hadn't even caught what exactly had transpired, while the elders seated at the dais—such as the Thunder Sovereign—only sensed a powerful surge of energy before vanishing swiftly. Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan's heart sank further, and a growing sense of unease stirred within him... Feng Qing'er fixed her beautiful gaze on Xiao Yan's nacreous ring. Though Xiao Yan had reacted so swiftly that she hadn't been able to clearly see what it was, even without a clear view, she could distinctly sense that at the very moment the object appeared, her blood had instantly boiled, a powerful attraction surging within her. "Heard this, Xiao Yan's heart stirred slightly, yet his expression remained utterly composed. With a calm tone, he asked, 'What do you mean?' 'Hand over everything you previously brought!' Feng Qing'er fixed her gaze on Xiao Yan, her cold smile not concealed but openly spreading across the plaza. 'Your courage is truly remarkable—how dare you even touch the treasures of our Tian Yao Huang clan?' The sudden shift in the scene surprised many spectators who were unaware of the situation, their eyes now all directed toward the two of them. Even the elders seated at the podium, including Lei Zun, were momentarily stunned, rising from their seats and stepping forward to join the scene. After glancing at the two, they spoke solemnly, 'Qing'er, what has happened?' At the moment when Lord Lei appeared, Lord Feng also stepped beside Xiao Yan, advancing a single step to just block Xiao Yan behind. With a slightly furrowed brow, he gazed at Feng Qing'er and said calmly, "Winning or losing in a competition is nothing unusual. Though you are from the Celestial Phoenix Clan, do not assume that the Celestial Phoenix Clan can dominate effortlessly throughout this Central Region." Feng Qing'er lightly bit her red-lipped with her pearly teeth, her gaze still fixed on Xiao Yan. After a moment, she coldly remarked, "Master Feng, this isn't Qing'er being stubborn or making up excuses. The entity I sensed earlier was clearly the ancient Phoenix blood essence of our clan. As someone of your stature, you should be well aware of our Tian Yao Phoenix clan's customs—no clan member's body may fall into the hands of outsiders. And this ancient Phoenix blood essence must be extracted specifically from the phoenix bloodline of our clan members. By doing so, you have violated a fundamental taboo of our clan. Should this matter be relayed back to our clan, the clan's judicial enforcement team will surely intervene." Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned, their expressions then shifting subtly. Master Feng's smile slightly faded. The Tian Yao Phoenix clan was no ordinary gathering like the Fenglei Pavilion—his own experience with their tenacity and authority had been firsthand, and he had personally witnessed it during his tenure. The Lord Lei and others remained silent at this moment. After all, this matter involved the Celestial Fiend Phoenix Clan, so it was indeed a relief for Wind Lord to be burdened with it. Moreover, they were quite pleased to see that the strength of Xingyin Pavilion had been weakened. "Though the Xingyin Pavilion may not match the Heavens' Phoenix Clan in stature, it by no means falls easily to be treated with contempt. The elder members of the Heavens' Phoenix Clan—I myself have had several encounters with them in the past. To simply rely on your personal assertion to search someone's nether storage relics—how could anyone else endure that?" Master Feng's expression darkened as he spoke. Upon hearing Master Feng's words, Feng Qing'er dared not meet his gaze directly. As a Douzun, even within the Heavens' Phoenix Clan, he was considered one of the foremost warriors, and behind him stood the Xingyin Pavilion. Yet, to have to yield under such circumstances felt deeply unyielding. The ancient Phoenix blood essence played a vital role for the Phoenix Clan; if she could secure it, her lineage's power would surely grow significantly. With that in mind, Feng Qing'er clenched her silver teeth and said firmly, "If I may search his nether storage relics, then I shall do so—but only according to the Clan's established procedures for such searches. Should the results still fall short, I shall offer my apologies." "Heard this, Wind Master's face also stiffened, and then his mind grew slightly hesitant. He turned to glance at Xiao Yan. He did know something about the Tian Yao Phoenix clan's customs—Feng Qing'er's actions were indeed reasonable. Yet he was somewhat concerned: what if, as Feng Qing'er claimed, there truly was that ancient Phoenix blood essence within Xiao Yan? Should it be discovered, the Tian Yao Phoenix clan would surely be notified, and then matters would indeed become quite troublesome. Xiao Yan sensed Wind Master's gaze and his eyes flickered slightly. 'This search technique will only react to the ancient Phoenix blood essence. If I've wronged you, then what should you be worried about?' Seeing Xiao Yan remain silent, Feng Qing'er coldly chuckled. Xiao Yan gave her a calm, steady glance, and the flicker in his eyes gradually faded. A subtle cold smile formed on his lips, and surprisingly, he nodded. 'Very well,' he said, 'then let me have your search technique.'"