Despite the furious roar of the Purple Robe Master, Xiao Yan paid it no heed, his figure transforming into a blurred streak of black, moving with lightning speed toward the inner hall. In a few flashes, he surged through the grand doors and vanished at the end of the corridor. Seeing this, the Purple Robe Master's face trembled slightly. As he was about to shout in anger, the forceful punch rushing toward him caused him to pause, his expression shifting to concern as he had to immediately engage. Even he felt a palpable pressure from the dark golden automaton before him—should he falter in the battle, today might indeed prove perilous. With this thought passing through his mind, the vast surge of qi within him began to flow vigorously. From his sleeves, a cascade of dark iron chains slid out, roaring as they sliced through the air, and swung powerfully toward the Sky-Phoenix Automaton. At the very moment a titanic battle erupted outside the Spirit Temple, Xiao Yan surged inward like a whirlwind, his powerful aura so strong that even before the seasoned Spirit Temple warriors could launch an attack, they were knocked back, gasping and spitting blood—so overwhelming was the force that no one dared to intervene. "Kid! You're barging into my temple in the middle of chaos—do you think you're going to die?" Though this was merely a branch of the Spirit Temple, its defenses were no weaker than those of some of the top-tier sects. Xiao Yan's unrelenting charge didn't last long before roars of fury echoed through the hall. Four figures burst forth from each corner, swiftly materializing like towering fortresses along Xiao Yan's path. Black mist swirled around them, radiating an exceptionally potent and majestic presence—clearly, all four had reached the rank of Six-Star or even Seven-Star Great Sect Masters. "Stubborn fool! Stand your ground, you junior!" As the four appeared, the one in the center saw black mist surge forth, revealing an ancient, pale face with a gloomy expression. His gaze dark and penetrating, he fixed it upon the surging black streak rushing toward him, and coldly bellowed. With his voice falling, the four said not a single word more—instead, they roared in unison, powerful black mist bursting forth from their bodies. The mist then coalesced into a massive black serpent, stretching dozens of zhang in length, which arched its body skyward and let out a deep, resonant roar. With a sweeping motion of its colossal tail, it generated a powerful gust of wind, charging directly toward Xiao Yan. Where the black serpent passed, the intense wind pressure shattered the solid ground into fine dust, and cracks radiated outward from the path like lightning. "Four protectors? Dare they stand in my way?" "Facing off against four formidable soul palace guardians, Xiao Yan's face only flickered with a cold smile. His advancing form remained unbroken as purple-brown flames surged forth from within him, coalescing into a massive purple-brown dragon. With a single tail sweep, Xiao Yan's speed surged dramatically, and he then collided with the black giant serpent as if a meteor had struck the earth. 'Get out of my way!' 'Boom!' The force of the impact sent out a thunderous roar, rippling outward in waves like a storm. Several towering stone pillars cracked and shattered with a series of sharp cracks. Some soul palace guards close to the scene were caught in the devastating energy waves, flying backward like wind-blown kites, crashing against the dark walls with a series of cries of pain, their bodies instantly pulverized into bloody, mashed pulp." Energy ripples spread outward, and the four soul palace protectors' faces instantly turned pale—there was no time to retreat as the rippling energy surged forth, crashing directly into their bodies. "Boom!" Under such a powerful impact, the dense black mist clinging to their bodies instantly thinned, and their forms were thrown backward, skidding across the ground for nearly a hundred meters before finally stabilizing. By then, they had lost the strength to even rise. "Trying to hold back a speeding chariot!" With a sharp laugh, Xiao Yan's eyes flashed with fierce intensity. He curled his fingers, and four waves of deep purple-brown flame erupted, striking the four wounded soul palace protectors with devastating force. The scorching heat of the Three-Thousand-Lotus Heart Flame sent them into thunderous, agonizing screams. Eventually, after struggling, the black mist dissipated, revealing four slightly ethereal soul forms. "Same as us—soul beings—yet they've worked against us. Despicable!" Gazing at the four soul beings, each etched with fear, Xiao Yan spoke with a cold, stern demeanor. With a firm grasp of his hand, a vast surge of soul energy erupted from his brow, instantly knocking the three soul entities floating in midair into nothingness with a resounding boom. "In the Hall of Soul Binding..." the Soul Palace guard spoke with trembling urgency, now unable to conceal a single detail. His three companions had been completely vaporized before his very eyes—utterly gone, as if erased from existence—leaving no chance of revival. "Guide me, or perish!" said Xiao Yan, his gaze cold and resolute. "Turn left at the next junction," replied the guard promptly. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan stamped his foot on the ground, instantly transforming into a shadow and darting swiftly toward the deeper reaches of the colossal hall. The journey thereafter, though eased by the guide's directions, remained obstructed by numerous Soul Palace warriors—many of them at the Douzong level. Yet, with Xiao Yan's current strength, surpassing the Douzong tier, he found himself nearly unbeatable. Though these opponents were numerous, under the relentless onslaught of his formidable Three-Thousand-Heart Lotus Fire, they faltered and collapsed swiftly. All the way thus far, Xiao Yan had endured countless bloody battles. By a rough count, he estimated that alone in this stretch of journey, the number of Hu Dun protectors who fell at his hands reached no less than ten—some, even more, were simply uncountable. Whenever he raised his palm, any Hu Dun guards slightly inferior in strength were almost instantly consumed by the Three-Thousand Lotus Heart Fire, reduced to ashes. Though these protectors weren't particularly strong—those at the very peak were only around Seven-Star Battle Sect level—the more elite ones managed to escape swiftly. Should Xiao Yan pursue them, he could certainly dispatch them, but his current primary objective was to locate Yao Lao. He simply couldn't afford to waste time on these pursuits. At this moment, the newly forged hetero-fire, forged after absorbing and fusing three thousand Yanyan flames, also demonstrated its terrifying power, advancing unimpeded throughout the path—almost no one could halt his progress. Noticing the change in Xiao Yan's expression, the guardian of the Soul Palace felt a sudden chill, his body jolting as he broke free from Xiao Yan's grasp and darted swiftly toward the other end of the corridor. Yet before he had gone far, a surge of scorching wind flashed from behind, instantly engulfing him. After completing this, Xiao Yan calmly拍d his hands. He deeply detested the people of the Soul Palace; whenever he thought of the soul bodies they had captured, he felt no hesitation in striking them down. With this guardian eliminated, Xiao Yan's gaze turned toward the far end of the corridor, where a dark iron door stood firmly shut, exuding a strange aura that he could sense faintly. His inner qi flowed steadily, and he quickened his pace to reach the outer edge of the black iron door. His eyes grew cold, and with a sweep of his sleeve, a deep purple-brown flame erupted from within, crashing against the door with force. Clang! Under such fierce and relentless assaults, even the impossibly sturdy iron gate shattered and burst open, revealing the scene beyond to Xiao Yan's vision. It was an expansive plaza, where towering stone pillars stretched skyward, black chains spreading out like a spider's web. At the ends of these chains, countless luminous orbs floated, each containing ethereal, translucent soul forms. Though this scene had been witnessed twice before, when Xiao Yan finally viewed it from his own bodily perspective, he could not help but take a quiet, refreshing breath. As he slowly walked through the plaza radiating an eerie and deathly atmosphere, his gaze swept across the area, and then halted at a lofty stone platform deep within—the spot where a particularly bright orb hovered, radiating a palpable energy that caused Xiao Yan's entire body to tremble. With a light tap of his foot on the ground, Xiao Yan's figure shot forward like an arrow released from its bow, swiftly sweeping across the plaza. Within just a few breaths, he had reached the platform, his gaze fixed in astonishment upon the frail elder seated in meditation, his limbs tightly bound by four massive chains. His eyes instantly filled with tears, his knees buckling as he bowed his body, kneeling heavily upon the stone platform. His voice, strained and trembling, carried a deeply moving rasp. "Master, I've arrived."