Hearing Xiao Yan's cold, deadly words, Chen Xian's face instantly turned pale, with no hesitation at all. His internal qi surged forth in an overwhelming wave and swiftly coalesced onto the palm of his right hand. A thick, deep crimson qi gathered on Chen Xian's right hand, making the entire arm glow like hot charcoal. At the tip of his palm, the crimson qi became intensely concentrated, forming a remarkably sharp flame-blade! "Pyro-Blade!" Chen Xian's expression grew fierce as he slightly inclined his hand, forming a blade-like shape, and then forcefully slashed it toward Xiao Yan's head. As his hand moved, the flame-blade forged from the blazing crimson qi surged in motion, sending a scorching, sharp gust of wind that tore clean through the space, leaving a dark fissure in its wake. Regardless, Chen Xian was a strong fighter of comparable strength to Xiao Yan, and the attack he launched in this desperate counteroffensive was exceptionally powerful. Faced with Chen Xian's fierce counterattack, the cold intensity on Xiao Yan's face deepened. He curled his hands into claws, and a surge of emerald flames erupted, instantly forming a flaming gauntlet that enveloped his palms. With the flame gauntlet solidified, Xiao Yan's expression remained utterly still. Then, he delivered a powerful punch, meeting head-on with Chen Xian's flaming blade under the collective gaze of the onlookers. The sharp gust of wind atop the flame blade was rapidly weakened upon contact with Lu Li's lotus-heart fire, eventually reaching its breaking point. At that very moment, a cold gleam passed through Xiao Yan's dark eyes, and a commanding cry erupted like a spring thunderbolt on the tip of his tongue. The cry carried a wave of sound outward, accompanied by an immense force that sent辰 Xian's face trembling with fear. "Plush!" The powerful force surged like a tidal wave into his palm, and the defensive qi within Xian's body nearly collapsed instantly, forcing a thick stream of crimson blood to burst forth from his mouth. As blood sprayed forth, a crisp sound of shattered bones erupted from Chen Xian's right arm, and his body was once again thrown backward, crashing heavily onto a massive boulder. The impact caused fine cracks to spread across the stone, and after a moment, it finally cracked with a loud "crack," splitting open entirely—within which, the stone had been completely pulverized into dust by the hidden force. Chen Xian lay motionless in the dust, his body convulsing continuously, clearly indicating that Xiao Yan's previous strike had severely injured him. Xiao Yan, having executed the first transformation of Tianhuo Sanxuan Change, was capable of standing against cultivators at the Seven- or Eight-Star levels. While he found himself slightly challenged against Nine-Star cultivators—his earlier blow had pushed back the elderly white-clad elder, primarily due to the elder's own strength. After this exchange, Xiao Yan realized that the elder had only recently attained Nine-Star rank; otherwise, he would not have been pushed back by just a single step. Of course, facing a Nine-Star Dao Sect cultivator, even with Xiao Yan executing the first transformation of Tianhuo Sanxuan Bian, no injuries would be inflicted upon the opponent. Yet unfortunately, Chen Xian had not yet reached that level. In Xiao Yan's eyes, Chen Xian's self-assured prowess was utterly insignificant. Song Qing and Cao Ying's eyes were also fixed on Chen Xian, who looked so disheveled. Their expressions differed—Song Qing's face was stern. Though he had a modest acquaintance with Chen Xian, the way Xiao Yan had treated him in front of everyone naturally made his demeanor less than favorable. As for the young female spirit-being, Cao Ying, she seemed particularly interested in the clash between men. Excitement sparkled in her graceful eyes, as if she longed for the two to engage in a fierce, all-out battle. At the sight of the elder Bai making his move, Xiao Yan's brow furrowed slightly. He glanced at Chen Xian, who lay motionless in the lime but still glaring at him with bitter resentment. With a cold laugh, Xiao Yan shifted his stance and launched himself again toward Chen Xian—clearly intent on delivering the final, decisive blow to the severely wounded young man. As for Xiang Yan's outbursts, he seemed entirely unimpressed. He had long harbored a killing intent toward Chen Xian. This man was notoriously tenacious—only a minor disagreement at the Medicine Master's Exchange had prompted Chen Xian to launch an investigation, then sell his information to the Spirit Palace, nearly resulting in Xiang Yan's elimination. That night, had it not been for Xuan Kongsi's sudden intervention, Xiang Yan would have had no choice but to unleash the Devastating Fire Lotus—indeed, a Battle Sovereign-tier powerhouse remained an exceptionally formidable opponent even now. Until he fully integrated the third unique fire, Xiang Yan understood that he lacked many effective strategies against Battle Sovereign-level opponents, given the sheer magnitude of the strength gap between them. Chen Xian's actions had nearly cost him his life—this matter, Xiang Yan could not simply brush off. In fact, in many ways, he himself was equally tenacious, someone who would not let a slight offense go without retribution. He would repay the kindness, and he would certainly settle the grievances. … Watching Xiao Yan surge forward, his entire body radiating fierce hostility, Chen Xian’s resentment instantly gave way to fear. In his current state, he was absolutely no match for Xiao Yan’s single move—indeed, with just a simple gesture, Xiao Yan could easily end Chen Xian’s life as the Deputy Grand Master of Xuanming Sect. “Xiao Yan, you dare to kill me? Then Xuanming Sect will never forgive you!” At a moment when his life hung in the balance, Chen Xian could no longer spare much concern, and he shouted fiercely, his voice sharp with urgency. Yet Xiao Yan paid no heed to his urgent cries. He had never naively believed that if he truly released Chen Xian, the latter would be grateful and loyal. A wolf, once you let it go, will always find a way to strike back—this was something Xiao Yan had witnessed many times during his years of experience. Therefore, he could not afford to hold back at this very moment. Xiao Yan completely ignored his threatening words, and Chen Xian's face turned pale instantly. Only now did regret surge within him—had he known how fierce this man was, he should have avoided provoking him all along. By now, regret was useless, for Xiao Yan, radiating full of murderous intent, had already materialized above Chen Xian's head. His dark eyes glowed with a cold, chilling intensity. In his hands, a massive black ruler was enveloped in blazing flames, and as it passed through the air, the very space around it warped. "Next time you're reborn, remember—when you're planning something, always think about the consequences!" Gazing at Chen Xian's terrified expression, Xiao Yan's own lips curled into a fierce grimace. With no hesitation, he swung the heavy ruler, producing a deafening roar of wind. A resounding *thud*, the ruler crashed down squarely onto Chen Xian's head. Xiao Yan's move was merciless—clearly intending to end Chen Xian's life with a single blow. Chen Xian gazed at the emerald fire ruler, continuously magnifying within his pupils, his face now pale as ghostly white. "Stop!" With a sweeping motion, the ruler roared, its voice suddenly bursting like thunder in Xiao Yan's ears. Though Xiao Yan's brow furrowed at the command, he still paid no heed—on the contrary, the descent of the ruler accelerated dramatically. "Earth Pyro-Protective Shield!" The one who had issued the command, sensing that the words would fall on deaf ears, finally stepped in and acted at once after the cry. The ground before Chen Xian suddenly trembled violently, then erupted with a thunderous "boom"—a flood of earth surged forth, astonishingly, interlaced with a deep yellow flame. The earth surge immediately coalesced into a thick, solid earth shield before Chen Xian, upon whose surface a peculiar deep yellow flame danced and curled. "Boom!" Just as the earth shield solidified, the heavy measuring rod plunged down with a thunderous crash, striking it squarely. A deep, resonant explosion erupted instantly! As the rod descended, the earth shield rapidly dissolved, mud and sand spraying forth—yet overall, Xiao Yan's attack was effectively cushioned by the shield. Feeling the subtle resistance as the rod penetrated the shield, Xiao Yan's expression grew serious. He knew the attacker wasn't merely aiming to deflect his assault, but rather to buy precious time for the elderly man with the white surname. As Xiao Yan had anticipated, while the rod hesitated, a surge of powerful qi surged forth from behind him, sweeping directly toward his back—clearly, if he truly intended to kill Chen Xian, the figure behind him would not hesitate to claim his life. At the very moment of crisis, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, suddenly twitched his hand in an odd manner, and the descending rod trembled abruptly. A concealed force surged through the shield and struck Chen Xian squarely in the abdomen.