With Xiang Yin now under his control, a terrifying suction instantly surged forth in all directions. Then, waves of immensely powerful purple-black flames erupted, forming towering columns that roared toward Xiang Yin's palm. "Stabilize!" Xiang Yin's eyes narrowed as he gazed at the gathering flames at his palm. Upon uttering the command, the energy at his palm began to spin rapidly, forming a vast flame vortex—ten zhang in diameter—within his palm. One after another, the flame columns poured into the vortex. As the vortex spun faster and faster, it eventually transformed into a luminous, deep purple-black whirlwind, emitting a steady, resonant hum that rippled through the space, causing subtle tremors in the surrounding area. And when the vortex reached a certain speed, the massive flame vortex—originally ten zhang in size—began to suddenly shrink, eventually reducing to only the size of a palm within about half an hour. Yet this was not what Xiao Yan required. With a simple grasp of his palm, he suddenly accelerated the vortex once more! "Whoa!" A terrifying wave of tremors radiated outward from the fire vortex. Moments later, the flames erupted in a brilliant, dazzling flash of light. Then, a strange humming sound resonated, and as the light faded, a spherical orb the size of an infant's palm, deep purple and black, appeared in Xiao Yan's palm. The orb was uniformly purple-black, with faint, intricate patterns subtly visible on its surface, slightly translucent. Inside, however, the orb seemed to burn with a vigorous, ever-fluctuating flame, constantly swirling and pulsing. Staring at this now-formed purple-black orb, Xiao Yan gently exhaled, his forehead already beaded with cold sweat—clearly, the process of condensing the flame was far more complex than he had anticipated. This type of flame-congealed orb, known as the "Fire-Thunder Pearl," was first discovered by Xiao Yan in some scrolls left behind by the Medicine Elder. It is indeed quite rare—requiring special techniques to compress an identical flame to an extreme degree until it takes on the form of a spherical orb. The creation process demands exceptionally rigorous control over one's soul, as any imbalance during compression could result in an explosive eruption of flame, potentially leading to severe repercussions for the creator. Without his recent remarkable growth in strength and prowess, Xiao Yan would have dared to attempt such a feat only in the most confident circumstances. Of course, although the creation of this Fire-Thunder Sphere is both cumbersome and inherently risky, its power is unquestionable. The strength of this sphere enhances according to the quality of the materials used in its crafting, and the power of the Three Thousand Scorching Flames is, in itself, extraordinary. Now, these flames have further consolidated the power of vast celestial energies, making them the most ideal materials for crafting the Fire-Thunder Sphere. Based on Xiao Yan's estimation, if he unexpectedly unleashes a Fire-Thunder Sphere forged from the Three Thousand Scorching Flames, even a Supreme Domain-tier powerhouse, should he be unprepared, would undoubtedly be thrown off balance. In combat, if such a sphere were suddenly unleashed, it would certainly achieve a decisive element of surprise. With this fire-thunder orb successfully crafted, Xiao Yan retrieved a wooden box from his storage amulet and carefully placed it inside. The item could not be stored in a jade box, for the jade's cold aura would disrupt its delicate balance—should it burst while still in his hands before being discarded, that would indeed be quite comical. Having perfected one fire-thunder orb, Xiao Yan did not intend to stop there. The deep purple-black flames here served as a natural forge, brimming with such immense stellar energy that such flames were exceedingly rare outside this region. Naturally, he intended to produce as many as possible before concluding. Should he encounter a Supreme Battle Sovereign, even a dozen or twenty fire-thunder orbs launched simultaneously would likely overwhelm even an elder like Mu Gu, reducing him to mere fragments. With these thoughts in mind, Xiao Yan chuckled and, grasping his hands, a powerful suction force surged forth once again! Under the vigorous suction and pulling exerted by Xiao Yan, this star realm, long dormant, once again became vibrant—flame storms roared and ravaged across the expanse, their terrifying afterwaves causing black fissures to appear in the very fabric of space. Due to the powerful impact of the Fire Lightning Seeds generated through the use of the Three Thousand Flame Fires, Xiao Yan eagerly continued creating them without pause. However, the production of these Fire Lightning Seeds required substantial energy expenditure. Even with his formidable strength, after crafting approximately eighteen such seeds, Xiao Yan grew exhausted and could no longer maintain the necessary cohesion. Observing this, Xiao Yan immediately settled into a meditative posture, and after half an hour, around seven-eighths of the consumed qi within him was restored. Meanwhile, while recovering his Qi, Xiao Yan was pleasantly surprised to find that the Burned Decree had finally reached the advanced level of the Earth Rank. Its ability to absorb and refine energy had significantly improved. What used to take him half a day to restore now only required less than an hour—this was precisely the benefit brought about by the evolution of the Burned Decree. Given the Decree's unique nature, ordinary Earth-Rank advanced techniques fell far short in comparison. According to Xiao Yan's estimation, the current Burned Decree might well rank as the foremost technique below the Celestial Rank. Of course, this might vary for ancient lineages or species whose inherited techniques are older—such as Xun'er's so-called ancient clan—whose traditions, if lacking in strong, commanding techniques or combat arts, would hardly be believed by anyone. Nevertheless, no matter what, the current Fengjie is gradually showing his true strength. The combat energy cultivated through Fengjie, amplified further by the unusual flames, must be exceptionally powerful. Simply on this account, even without employing any combat techniques, Xiao Yan would likely be a match for even a peak Daoist Conclave-level master in direct confrontation. Thinking of this, Xiao Yan recalled the then-elder, the Great Elder of Ice River Valley. Back then, facing such a formidable opponent, Xiao Yan had had to exhaust every means at his disposal. But now, should they meet again, he could assure himself that the elder would have no chance to even launch a single move. A small delight stirred within his heart, and Xiao Yan rose once more, intent on crafting some more fire-thunder orbs. Yet, he was astonished to find that the remaining purple-black flames had lost most of their stellar essence. The fire-thunder orbs thus produced were not only significantly weaker in power but also could not be preserved for long—they would automatically dissipate once their time ran out. As a result, they held little value at all. Seeing this, Xiao Yan shook his head in resignation, abandoning his initial plan to create a hundred or so. He swept his gaze across the star realm and then stepped forward, blazing through the air toward the direction of the spatial gate. It was now time to go. Dantai—almost all the Dantai elites had withdrawn from within the tower. A series of serious, tense gazes were now fixed upon the sky, where space itself had begun to warp violently, radiating an increasingly intense heat that was gradually raising the temperature of the entire realm. The Dantai people naturally knew precisely where this was—this was the stellar expanse now designated as one of the Dantai's sacred sanctuaries. Everyone still remembered the hasty manner in which Xuan Kongzi had escaped from there half a year ago. With his own formidable strength, he dared not remain within the expanse for long, let alone others? Moreover, should the flames within the stellar expanse fully erupt, the entire Shendan City would likely be reduced to a mere ruin and a graveyard within moments. Yet now, the stellar expanse that had remained largely dormant for nearly half a year suddenly shows signs of explosive activity—indeed, the seal itself seems to be subtly weakening. This development leaves the entire population of Shendan City in a state of shock. "Everyone ranked below Duke Emperor, retreat immediately. The other strong warriors, prepare to form a protective array to shield Shendan City." Floating in the sky, the three figures of Xuan Kongzi issue a series of urgent commands, their expressions grave. They sense that today's stellar expanse is unusually turbulent; should it erupt now, the consequences would be catastrophic—something even the Dan Tower could not withstand. "Xuan Yi, Tian Lei, let's reinforce the seal together!" Xuan Kongzi says, his gaze fixed on the two beside him, his tone serious after issuing the orders. "Understood." Both Xuan Yi and Tian Lei nod solemnly, fully aware of the destructive power unleashed once the stellar expanse erupts. ... "Little Doctor, shall we retreat?" "At a building where Dan Ta Zhou was, Master Tianhuo frowned at the warped space, turning to the young physician beside him. The young physician still wore her simple white robe, though her cheeks now appeared noticeably thinner than before. Listening to Master Tianhuo, she gently shook her head and said, 'I'll wait for him.' 'Ah,' Master Tianhuo sighed, glancing at Ziyan, who was frowning and gently tugging at strands of her hair, constantly adjusting the golden seal on her palm. 'The dragon seal is fine—Xiao Yan must be all right. But why hasn't there been any word for so long?' As she spoke, she glanced over at the young physician, who remained intently focused on the rippling space above. ... 'The seal is being reinforced!' Above, Xuan Kongzi roared sharply, three powerful beams piercing into the void, subtly spreading ripples of invisible waves. As Xuan Kongzi and his two companions fully exerted themselves, the turbulent space gradually stabilized. Yet before the countless citizens of the city could exhale in relief, an eerie disturbance suddenly emerged at the entrance to the star realm—then, a crack, stretching a zhang wide, slowly unfolded before the stunned eyes of Xuan Kongzi and his companions. "It's over..." Their faces instantly grew grim upon witnessing this strange spatial fissure. "Boom!" As soon as the words fell, the crack trembled violently, and a surging tide of immense purple-black flames erupted forth like a storm, plunging the entire Sacred Dan City into panic. "Form a grand array!" Xuan Kongzi's face turned stern, bellowing in urgency. "Yes!" Numerous Dantai masters raised their voices in unison, and waves of powerful qi surged forth like luminous beams, shooting skyward. "Phew, phew! Damn this fire—get back!" As the Dantai masters were preparing to form their array, a slender figure emerged slowly from the vast rift in the space, enveloped in a surging tide of deep purple and black flames. A faint, muttered complaint echoed softly from the figure. Despite the quiet nature of this voice, the bodies of Xuan Kongzi in the sky and Xiao Yixian, along with others on the nearby buildings, instantly went rigid.