Hearing Xun'er's words, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned and did not stubbornly uphold what he considered the dignity of a man. He simply nodded gently. To be strong in expression is often full of passion, but if done poorly, it can come across as impetuous. With Xiao Yan's experience, he naturally didn't behave like many young men who, in such moments, would stiffen their necks and force their composure—such an effort would only serve to draw laughter. "Be careful," Xun'er smiled more warmly as she saw Xiao Yan not object. She didn't particularly like it when Xiao Yan kept their relationship so clearly separated. Then, noticing the steadily growing gaze now fixed upon her, with a slightly furrowed brow, Xiao Yan slowly said, "Who are you two?" "This is my Ice Valley matter..." Ice River, having risen to become the master of Ice Valley and achieved such prominence, was certainly no fool. From the moment Xun'er appeared, he could already sense that she came from a strong background. However, the ancient clan has always maintained a low profile—so much so that even many ordinary people have never heard of this lineage that traces back to ancient times. This clearly illustrates just how understated the ancient clan has been. Precisely because of this, even when Ice River first encountered Xun'er and the others, he found it difficult to immediately recognize their identities. After all, the continent of battle energy is vast, and its ranks of powerful individuals are countless—no matter how strong Ice River was, he could never claim to know all the great ones across the land. "The Master only wishes to capture the Female Poisoned by Misfortune. If he is your friend, I will forgive his past offenses; but that Female Poisoned by Misfortune—she shall not escape!" Ice River's gaze passed over the two cloaked elders, then paused on Xiao Yi, his voice steady as he clearly perceived the deep connection between this enigmatic woman and the young man named Xiao Yan. Upon hearing this, Xun'er glanced toward Xiao Yi's position, where her gaze met the woman's return glance. Their eyes briefly intertwined, each seeming to carry an unspoken significance, before both subtly shifted their focus away. "Master of Ice Valley, Xiao Yan must not be allowed to go free!" Seeing this, Qinghai quickly interjected. Xiao Yan was personally designated by the Spirit Palace's Master to be captured—should he truly escape, how could she report back to the higher authorities? "If you wish to seize him, then go ahead and act yourself!" The ice-blue complexion of Binghe darkened, silently cursing the old man's lack of foresight—how could he still act so boisterous in such a setting? Upon hearing Binghe's sharp rebuke, Qinghai's expression also tightened, a cold glint flashing across his eyes before he emitted a cold sigh. As a senior elder of the Spirit Pavilion, though he held a certain courtesy toward Binghe, that did not mean he had to bow low to him. "You two needn't argue any longer. Here, not a single person from either of you can be taken away. Within one minute, if you manage to evacuate everyone from this city, I'll allow you to depart—without further ado," said Xun'er, lifting her gaze with a calm, gentle tone. Hearing Xun's words, both Binghe and Qinghai found their faces somewhat flushed with displeasure. The powers they represented were no ordinary forces—especially Qinghai, whose backing was the formidable Huan Palace, which allowed him to act with almost unchecked authority. In the Central Plains, few forces could even make the Huan Palace take notice, let alone compel such figures to simply retreat. Though those two elderly figures in black commanded strong presence, they certainly couldn't be expected to simply bow and go at the mere word of these two. "Those words, spoken by the Master of the Soul Pavilion, may still carry some weight—but you? You haven't earned that kind of stature yet..." Xun'er lifted a subtle curve to her lips, shook her head with a half-smile, implying that on this continent, beings capable of making even the ancient clans tremble were truly rare. "Thirty seconds remain..." Her bright eyes flashed, and delicate golden flames danced gently around her. Ice River and Qinghai's faces grew increasingly somber. After a moment, Ice River finally could no longer contain himself and let out a cold laugh. If he truly had to retreat in such a humiliating manner today, then the honor of the Ice River Valley would indeed be severely tarnished. "For all these years I've been navigating the Central Plains, I've never encountered a young upstart so bold and unruly as you!" Ice River's expression remained cold, with an eerie glow of black snow shimmering at his brow. A deep, black cold surged steadily from within his body, spreading outward. As he clenched his hands, black ice began to spread across his palms, eventually forming a strangely twisted black ice spear. The tip of the spear was exceptionally sharp, with spiral patterns radiating throughout its length, creating an immediate sensation of cold dread. Should someone be struck by it, a blood hole the size of a human head would likely form directly on their body. "Since you, the old man, have chosen first, then these two shall be mine." The other black-robed elder shook his head helplessly and turned his gaze toward Qinghai and Tian Shuangzi. Faced with this vigorous assault from the white-haired elder, even Ice River—no matter how strong—had to treat it with caution. At that moment, the strange black ice spire rising from his arm suddenly spun at high speed and surged toward the white-haired elder. While the white-haired elder was engaging Ice River, another black-robed elder stepped through the void, advancing steadily toward Qinghai and Tian Shuazi. "Tian Shuazi, with us two working together, let's see how this man fares," Qinghai said, his expression growing increasingly grim as the black-robed elder drew nearer. He spoke firmly to his companion beside him. Tian Shuangzi watched the fierce combat between the white-haired elder and Ice River, nodded in approval. The current situation on the field was far from optimistic, and there were two more Douzun-level masters yet to engage on the opposing side. Moreover, that enigmatic young woman in green robes seemed rather unusual. "We'll have to give it our all," Tian Shuangzi gritted his teeth. Since Ice River had not ordered a retreat, he naturally couldn't abandon the battlefield without permission. Thus, he had no choice but to step in. "Gan Da, attack and eliminate Xiao Yan!" Qinghai's face remained cold as he barked the order at the senior figures of the Hún Palace. The figures stationed in the sky, including Gan Da, were startled, then broke into a wry smile. With two Douzun-level masters already surrounding Xiao Yan, how could they possibly succeed without being killed themselves? Despite their reservations, they could not ignore Qinghai's command. They quickly steadied their minds and, with a swift motion, launched toward Xiao Yan and Xun'er's position. "The Elder of Ice River Valley, attend! Assist the soul pavilion's forces in capturing Xiao Yan!" Tian Shuangzi's cold command rang out. The elders of Ice River Valley in the sky exchanged glances, then, with no choice, surged forward. Seeing this, Qing Qi gave a slight nod. His cold gaze suddenly shifted to the black-robed elder now before him, and as their eyes briefly met, both exchanged a cold smirk. A vast surge of combat energy erupted from within, rushing forth with a sharp whoosh—separating the two—and then, they launched themselves forward, launching a coordinated assault on the black-robed elder, one in front and one in rear. At the time these two major battles erupted, the group led by Gan Da gradually spread out in a fan-shaped formation, encircling Xiao Yan and Xun'er. As for the younger physician and Tian Hu Zunzhe who came after, no one dared approach them, yet neither of them made a move—both knew that this enigmatic young woman in green robes was far from ordinary. Xiao Yan scanned the surroundings, his brows furrowed. Gan Da, a soul palace master, was no weaker than Wu's protector. If it had been just one person, there would have been little to worry about. But now, with so many gathered, even a typical peak-stage Douzong master would have found it difficult to hold on. While Xiao Yan hesitated whether to act, Xun'er at his side gently stepped forward with her graceful movements, her jade hands slightly curved, and suddenly a golden flame, flowing like liquid, rose softly. At the very instant this golden flame appeared, Xiao Yan himself, standing behind her, suddenly turned pale—because he realized that his inner hetero-fire had begun to stir and agitate at that very moment! "This... is also a strange fire?" Xiao Yan stared intently at the unusual golden flame in Xun'er's hands, his eyes gradually filling with growing astonishment!