An intangible storm of spirit surged around Tianhuo Master, his ethereal form continuously rippling with strange waves of energy. With a calm gaze directed at the ice seal, whose face was pale with shock, he said nothing, and then, with a mere movement of his body, vanished in an enigmatic manner. After the ice seal's voice settled, a ripple passed through the space before him, and the figure of the Heavenly Fire Sovereign materialized strangely, offering the former a faint, gentle smile before lightly extending a palm. Though this palm movement appeared feeble, the ice seal genuinely felt a surge of coldness, and at that moment, his internal qi erupted fully. As frigid energy spiraled around him, a set of ice armor formed on his body's surface—pure white, translucent and delicate-looking, yet possessing an exceptionally strong defense. Of course, to the Heavenly Fire Sovereign, this strength was far from remarkable. Though he now held only the rank of Eight-Star Battle Sovereign, his experience remained that of a former Battle Sovereign; even a Six-Star Battle Sovereign could not command his attention. "Crack!" The seemingly weightless palm struck the ice armor on the ice seal's body with the grace of a breeze, as if untouched by earthly vigor, and a mighty surge of spiritual power erupted forth, flooding out like a rushing river! "Crack!" "Amidst this surging power, the sturdy ice armor offered little protection—cracks spread with each strike, ultimately bursting open in a loud 'pop!' 'Pfft!' The ice armor shattered, and Ice Symbol's face instantly paled as he expelled a stream of cold blood, retreating sharply. As he retreated, his features grew grim. His eyes blazing with fury, he fixed them on Tianhuo Master and roared, 'Ice Crane, gather your forces and eliminate that young man!' Nearby, Ice Crane was gradually regaining composure from the astonishment Tianhuo Master had initially caused. Upon hearing Ice Symbol's command, he gritted his teeth and raised his arm, addressing the dozens of elite disciples behind him with firm resolve, 'Follow me—no matter the cost. Capture the calamity-poisoned maiden and eliminate that boy!' "Heard this, the dozens of disciples from the Ice River Valley glanced in astonishment at the Heavenly Fire Master hovering above, then turned toward the other combat circle deep within the mountain stream—there, the Ice Essence was already under relentless assault from the Earth Demon Puppet, struggling desperately and utterly unable to attend to the unfolding events around them. 'Still not moving!' Ice Crane roared sharply, and upon hearing his command, the disciples from the Ice River Valley all shivered, quickly bowing in response. Seeing this, Ice Crane nodded grimly, then stomped his foot upon the void, launching himself like a streak of lightning straight toward Xiao Yan. Behind him, the numerous disciples of the Ice River Valley swiftly summoned all their internal qi, transforming into radiant arcs of light that swiftly encircled Xiao Yan." The ice seals floating in the mid-air, upon seeing the ice cranes and others engage, turned their gaze toward Tian Huo Master, a cold resentment flashing across their eyes. Within them, a surge of cold qi erupted once more—this time, they actively surged forward, intertwining with the Master. Now, it seemed that only after capturing Xiao Yan could they hope to make the puppet and the mysterious spiritual entity hesitate; otherwise, the situation would inevitably become a dead end. Stepping forward slowly, Xiao Yan swiftly formed a series of strange, arcane hand seals. Then, a translucent shadow emerged from his brow, pulsing and writhing before seamlessly transforming into the form of Xiao Yan himself—this was precisely the Three-Thousand-Thunder-Phantom Body technique he had cultivated. After refining it in the Blood Pool of Tian Shan, the current form of the Three-Thousand-Thunder-Phantom Body likely reached the peak of the Battle Sovereign rank. While he might not be able to directly confront the Ice Crane, he was certainly capable of blocking other disciples from the Ice River Valley. "Go." With a flick of his finger, Xiao Yan sent his soul duplicate a subtle nod. The figure then moved, silver light flashing across his feet. In an instant, he vanished, reappearing behind the Ice Crane and intercepting the wave of ice-valley disciples rushing forward. The sudden manifestation of a soul duplicate left Ice Crane momentarily stunned, his eyes then growing cold as he fixed his gaze firmly on Xiao Yan,冷笑, "You've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve, youngster. But with only a single Star Sovereign-level cultivation, you still aren't enough to match me!" As he spoke, an astonishing surge of icy aura began to radiate from within Ice Crane's body, coalescing at his ten fingertips into sharp, pointed ice spines. "Should word of today's events reach the Ice River Valley, there will be no place for you in the Dan Realm!" With a crisp, composed smile, Ice Crane planted his foot upon the void, his form transforming into a streak of lightning, carrying the piercing cold energy straight toward Xiao Yan. In a flash, the Ice Crane materialized before Xiao Yan, her eyes cold and fierce. With a fist bristling with sharp ice spines, she delivered a brutal strike directly onto Xiao Yan's chest. As the icy fist approached, her dark pupils shimmered with coldness, yet Xiao Yan's lips curled into a cold smile. He spread his palms outward, and a steady green flame surged forth, hissing softly. "The Second-Star Douzong of Binghe Valley has fallen to such a state..." Xiao Yan gently shook his head, his hands like pliers, firmly gripping Ice Crane's fists. His voice carried a subtle mockery—thanks to the Strange Fire, he was almost entirely immune to Binghe Valley's cold energy. Seeing that his single strike had been so easily blocked, Ice Crane's eyes filled with disbelief. When he saw the emerald flames swirling in Xiao Yan's palms, his pupils narrowed sharply, and he cried out, "Strange Fire?" "Correct," Xiao Yan smiled, the chill in his smile especially pronounced. With a gentle twist of his palm, he clenched his fists tightly, then shook his arm powerfully. "Eight-Point Collapse!" The punch struck squarely into Ice Crane's fists, sending a powerful, dark force surging through his body, laced with an intense, roaring heat that surged in lightning speed. Under the pressure of the strange fire's strength, the icy martial energy within the ice crane struggled almost entirely, fleeing in a series of sharp hissing sounds. "Pfft!" As the energy surged chaotically within its body, the ice crane expelled a gush of blood. Then, gritting its teeth fiercely, it poured every ounce of internal energy it had, desperately gathering it at its arm. As more and more icy martial energy condensed, thick layers of solid ice formed on the crane's arm—crystalline and translucent, resembling an entire ice limb, with a serpentine pattern subtly pulsing and moving as if it were a real snake. "Ice Serpent Arm!" The ice crane's face flushed crimson, and a deep roar burst forth from its throat. With the roar, the cold aura surrounding it surged dramatically, and the strength within its arm multiplied exponentially. "Little brat, show me what you've got—take my punch!" With fierce determination blazing in its eyes, the ice crane roared in rage and launched a powerful punch. With a single punch, the surrounding air rapidly solidified into patches of ice—so intense was the cold that even the moisture within the air instantly froze into ice. A surprising blast of frigid air surged toward him, yet Xiao Yan's face remained utterly calm. A vibrant green flame erupted like volcanic lava from within his body, swiftly gathering and converging upon his right fist. Within mere moments, a green fire wolf the size of half a span had fully formed. Without hesitation, Xiao Yan launched his punch. The fire wolf roared and surged across the surface of the fist, its scorching heat instantly vaporizing the incoming cold air. In the very next instant, it struck with tremendous force against the ice crane's ice-laden arm. The impact sent out concentric ripples of air, causing the surrounding massive stones to crack and splinter, forming deep fissures. This intense clash lasted only an instant, and the Ice Crane was suddenly horrified to find that the pyro-ice on his arm was rapidly melting away... Noticing the stalemate between them, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with cold determination, and the power in his arm surged instantly. "Pop!" The renewed force finally shattered the pyro-ice on the Ice Crane's arm completely, sending icy fragments flying in all directions. Under this powerful blow, the Ice Crane's face turned pale, and he stumbled backward, retreating urgently until he collided hard against a massive boulder, spitting out a fountain of blood. He lifted his head, his face filled with astonishment—how could a mere one-star Daoist cultivator exert such overwhelming strength? Struggling to rise again, a figure materialized before him like a ghost, his cool feet gently pressing against the Ice Crane's temple, instantly making him rigid throughout his body.