A mighty aura surged forth from Xiao Yan's body at once, bursting out like a volcanic eruption, sweeping across the heavens and filling the entire area. Cracks erupted across the ground, accompanied by a series of sharp cracking sounds. Xiao Yan's sudden and overwhelming surge of power even startled Yi Chen, who was just a short distance away. Before Yi Chen could recover, a fist wrapped in deep purple-brown flames instantly tore through the space and collided powerfully with his hand. "Boom!" A powerful gust of wind rippled outward, lifting layers of stone from the hard granite ground. Dust and lime carried by the wind spread out, and soon the onlookers saw Yi Chen's figure tremble violently, retreating several steps before steadying himself. Waves of astonishment and exclamations erupted immediately. "Master, something seems off. This young man's aura has grown significantly stronger than when we first met. Easy Sir...," said an elder standing behind Chen Tiannan, his brows furrowed. From his appearance, it was clear he was the same Supreme Battle Sovereign who had once accompanied Chen Xian. Upon hearing this, Chen Tiannan furrowed his own brows slightly and remarked, "There should be no issue. Even if this young man is exceptionally strong, he is still only a Nine-Star Battle Sect Master. In the past few years, there have been several Nine-Star Battle Sect Masters who have fallen to Easy Chen's hands." Seeing this, the elder could only give a slight nod and said no more. "Nine-Star Battle Sect Master?" Steadying himself, Easy Chen's hands slightly trembled, blood glimmers pulsing and gradually easing the burning sensation in his palms. Yet his gaze remained darkly intense upon Xiao Yan across the way, his heart stirred with growing astonishment. According to his knowledge, Xiao Yan's strength should have been within the range of Four to Five-Star Battle Sect Masters—yet how had he suddenly surged to this level? The Nine-Star Sovereign Sect level—compared to him, it's merely a slight gap. More importantly, though he appears young, everyone who knows him well knows that he's actually well past thirty. He has been cultivating ten years ahead of Xiao Yan, yet the gap between them today is only a mere fraction. For Yi Chen, who has always been proud, this is no small blow. Moreover, even with his natural talent, achieving peak Douzong status at his age was no small feat—thanks largely to the peculiar cultivation method of Tianming Sect, which allowed the user to draw qi by consuming human flesh and blood. Though powerful, this method proved to be inherently fatal; it demanded a lifelong sacrifice of vitality. Thus, he had poured the strength of his second half of life into attaining his current prowess, believing that with this foundation, he could command the respect of his peers. Yet now, the sudden emergence of Xiao Yan has revealed a harsh truth: his relentless efforts have not yielded the strength he had hoped for. A roar filled with murderous intent echoed within his heart. Yi Chen clenched his hands tightly, blood qi swirling up his arms and rapidly coalescing into a long, blood-red spear within his palm. His eyes gradually shifted to a deep crimson. Anyone witnessing this knew that the renowned warrior of Tianming Sect, Yi Xiu Luo, was now truly preparing to strike. The rich, suffocating scent of blood slowly seeped out from Yi Chen’s body, spreading like a tide, making it seem as though a god of death had descended. "Kill!" A low, resolute roar burst from Yi Chen’s throat. With a sudden movement, he vanished, and in an instant, a sharp, blood-tinged spear pierced the space beside Xiao Yan, directly stabbing toward his head. "Hmph." Though he sensed Yi Chen’s attack, Xiao Yan merely issued a cold hum, stepping smoothly to the right, effortlessly deflecting the spear. "The Seven-Death Spear!" "His first strike missed, and the blood glint in Yichen's eyes intensified. His long spear suddenly spun into motion, forming a series of blood-like shadows that completely enveloped Xiao Yan's vital points. Facing Yichen's relentless barrage, reminiscent of a downpour, Xiao Yan's feet shimmered with silver light, and a series of residual figures emerged—seemingly effortlessly deflecting the dense, crimson spear shadows. 'Clang!' As the spear surged forward, a clear, crisp sound rang out, and the dancing spear instantly froze. Yichen's expression slightly tightened. At the tip of the spear, Xiao Yan's two fingers, glowing with deep purple and brown flames, had firmly gripped it. Xiao Yan's swift response deeply unsettled Yichen, and for the first time, he truly sensed the difficulty of his opponent. Previously, all nine-star cultivators he had faced had barely managed to counterattack, let alone had their spear tips caught and held by someone's fingers?" This thought flashed through Yi Chen's mind, and he immediately made his decision, abandoning the blood spear. With a swift movement, he transformed into a blood shadow, rushing into Xiao Yan's side. Thick blood mist surged from the palm of his hand. "Having employed his techniques time and again, yet never inflicting even the slightest harm upon Xiao Yan, Yi Chen finally grew weary, his patience wearing thin. With a firm grasp of his palms, thick blood mist seeped continuously from his pores, gradually transforming into a deep, almost coagulated crimson hue. "Heavenly冥 Bodhisattva's Hand!" As the cry rang out, intense ripples surged through the space in his palms, black fissures slowly spreading across the surrounding area. The overwhelming aura of martial might and decisive force sent shockwaves through every person present. "This Yi Chen has actually summoned one of Tianming Sect's foundational techniques—the Tianming Shou Luo Hand—so impressive!" "Xiao Yan has truly done well to push Yi Chen to this point. It's just unknown whether he'll be able to withstand this assault." Hearing the murmurs around him, Yi Chen's expression grew even more fierce. He was extremely confident in his single palm strike, having previously defeated a peak Daoist cultivator with exactly that same palm! Blood mist swirled, and Yi Chen's form trembled, then transformed again into a blood shadow, surging forward with overwhelming force and speed, like a lightning bolt, sweeping toward Xiao Yan. Faced with Yi Chen's exceptionally powerful assault, Xiao Yan did not retreat once but instead displayed a faint spark of excitement on his face. With a swift hand gesture, his hand seals began to rapidly shift. "Opening Mountain Seal!" A cold喝 issued from his heart, and a luminous energy seal appeared in the palm of Xiao Yan. However, as soon as the seal formed, Xiao Yan's mind stirred, and his hand seal did not remain still—it instead continued to shift with breathtaking fluidity. "Fen Hai Seal!" A smaller, yet brilliantly radiant energy seal emerged in his palm, gradually merging with the Kai Shan Seal, eventually uniting into a single seal. As these two seals fused, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, and his hand seal transformed once more! "Fu Di Seal!" With a light command, vibrant purple-brown crystalline glimmers burst forth from his palm, forming a crystalline seal the size of a clenched fist, which then slowly integrated into the previous two seals. As the Fu Di Seal merged, intense ripples surged through the space before Xiao Yan, and delicate fragments of space began to fall from the void, only to vanish into nothing. The emperor's seal was activated, three seals layered upon one another—such mastery was rare even within the ancient clan. As the three seals began to merge, the blood shadow surged forth with overwhelming force, its dark, viscous blood mist enveloping the hands, starkly contrasting against the elegant features of Yi Chen and making them appear terrifying. "Die!" With that fierce cry, Yi Chen slammed her palm with fierce determination into Xiao Yan's chest. Instantly, cracks of deep black streaks tore through the space, and the surging blood mist spread across the heavens. A sharp, rich scent of blood rushed toward Xiao Yan. Gazing at Yi Chen's fierce expression, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with cold resolve. His palm, glowing with a deep purple-brown crystalline seal, silently traced through the space before gently meeting Yi Chen's blood-streaked hand—directly and powerfully—amidst the stunned silence. "Boom!" A thunderous explosion suddenly erupted at that moment, shattering the massive stone platform—nearly twenty zhang in size—into countless fragments with a single boom. A wave of powerful qi ripples spread out swiftly, but just as it was about to reach the crowd, it was gently absorbed by an unseen, soft force. Even so, several people close to the platform were still knocked back, spitting blood. Everyone turned their gaze, and as they saw the blood-soaked figure, looking utterly disheveled, the entire hall fell silent. Many took a deep, quiet breath—this Tianming Sect's renowned warrior-king, the one known for his decisive strikes, had actually lost today!