Gazing at the purple-stone barrier blocking his path ahead, the old ghost of Zhaixing furrowed his brows slightly. His eyes scanned the figure several times, yet for some reason, he found himself unable to clearly gauge the exact strength of Ziyan. Though he couldn't see it clearly, he could sense that Ziyan posed no significant threat to him. "Perhaps something unusual that shields his aura..." murmured the old ghost to himself. Then, his gaze shifted to the figure behind—Xiao Yan. Now, after summoning three different flames, Xiao Yan's ring trembled, and a slender streak of pale, misty flame slowly rose upward. "Four flames..." Even with his formidable strength, the old ghost's eyes narrowed slightly, his expression subtly shifting. The power of the rare and potent hetero-flames was immense, yet exceedingly scarce—securing just one was a great fortune. Yet now, Xiao Yan held four such flames! How could it fail to move the old ghost of Star-Seeking's heart? "This youngster truly has a strange air about him. The way he looks now—clearly preparing to unleash some powerful attack..." Seeing Xiao Yan's serious expression, the old ghost immediately deduced his intent. Though he didn't know exactly how strong the technique Xiao Yan had in store was, his naturally cautious nature would not allow Xiao Yan to succeed in executing it, even if he didn't personally believe Xiao Yan could turn the tide with it. "Young man, stop resisting now. The more you fight, the more painful your fate will become." With this thought in mind, the old ghost gave a cold smile, his foot pressing gently into the void, slowly advancing toward Zǐ Yán. Vast black mist swirled behind him, spreading out and exerting a heavy pressure that made the breath of several elite soul-dome warriors below feel strained. Facing the steadily approaching Star-Plucking Old Ghost, Zǐ Yán's face grew increasingly serious, and a rich purple glow surged from within her, as she tightened her grip on her jade hands. "Shall you step aside on your own, or shall I take action? I have no patience for the young men's delicate gestures." Stopping a few paces away from Zǐ Yán, the Star-Plucking Old Ghost slowly extended his palm, gently addressing her. "Hmph. Then let's get down to it—what's all this chatter?" Despite the immense pressure exerted by the Old Ghost, Zǐ Yán merely sneered, brushing her lips with a dismissive smile. "Indeed, just like that boy—his very tone is unbearable." The Old Ghost's expression darkened slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, and then, with a sudden snap, he clenched his palm firmly! As the old ghost hand of Zhi-Xing was firmly grasped, an invisible ripple surged forth instantly, spreading like lightning. At once, the space surrounding Zǐ Yán seemed to be crushed under the weight of an immense, intangible palm imprint, collapsing inward with a series of sharp cracking sounds. The surrounding space pressed fiercely against Zǐ Yán, exerting a powerful force—so intense that if it pressed firmly, even a peak Dou-Zong-level warrior would immediately suffer flesh and blood ruptures. Yet, just as this compressing space was about to make contact with Zǐ Yán’s body, the swirling purple light encircling her suddenly rippled and expanded outward. As the purple glow spread, the inward-crushing space instantly solidified and then slowly vanished into nothingness. "Playing around with spatial power in front of me? You're still quite green," Zǐ Yán said, with a dismissive flick of her lips, her tone seasoned and composed. "Interesting..." Seeing that even the peak-tier cultivators had been helpless against this spatial compression, which had been so effortlessly defused by Zi Yan, the old ghost of star-accumulation was momentarily struck with astonishment. Yet, he soon scoffed, clenched his fist firmly, and delivered a straightforward, unadorned punch. "Boom!" With this punch, the vast, surging black mist immediately surged with tremendous waves, writhing violently before coalescing into a colossal black serpent stretching over a hundred zhang in length. It then roared skyward, and with a sweeping motion of its massive tail, it sliced through the void with a sharp crack, carrying an unstoppable gust of wind, charging directly toward Zi Yan. A black giant serpent surged across the sky, its powerful wind pressure causing the ground within the valley to sink into a depression several tens of zhang long, even at a distance of over a hundred zhang—some massive stones shattered instantly. Faced with the relentless assault from the Old Ghost of Zhixing, Zǐ Yán’s delicate features subtly changed, a rich purple glow surging forth from within her. With her jade hands tightly clenched, the purple light gradually coalesced into a faint, indistinct image of a dragon’s head upon her jade fists. “Too-Empty Fist!” With a soft, graceful cry, a surge of purple light erupted from her jade fist like a volcanic eruption. Instantly, a colossal purple dragon several tens of zhang long broke free from her palm, bearing the sharp force of the fist and a strong, resonant dragon aura. It roared skyward and collided powerfully with the black giant serpent. Boom! The two collided, instantly unleashing a thunderous roar. A terrifying surge of wind, like a storm, swept across the sky, sweeping over the cliffs surrounding the valley, and the southern plaza collapsed under the force—massive boulders rolled down and crashed heavily onto the valley floor, producing a tremendous sound. "Hmph!" The fierce gusts pushed back Purple Yan, who stepped several paces backward, her throat emitting a low, muffled hum. Fortunately, she sustained no injuries. After a while, the wind's fury gradually subsided, and the old ghost of Star-Plucking gazed at Purple Yan with growing wonder. Though her punch had been powerful, it had not been enough to fully withstand his palm. Through his subtle sensing, he noticed that at the moment of impact, the purple light dragon had sliced open a rift in space, absorbing much of the black serpent's attack into the void. Such an extraordinary technique was one the old ghost had never encountered before. "Such an odd style of fist technique..." The old ghost with star-like eyes chuckled, then glanced at Xiao Yan. That single glance was enough to send a shiver down his spine—what he saw there was truly astonishing. Xiao Yan had now forcibly blended the four distinct flames into one, appearing as if a wildly agitated fire ball, radiating an intense heat that spread out in all directions. The old ghost could clearly sense the moisture in the air being rapidly evaporated, and the lush grasses in the valley were visibly withering at an observable pace. "This boy is no ordinary one. We can't delay any longer..." The strange scene finally unsettled the old ghost. He was well aware of the power of the unique flames, but the combined force of four such flames—especially when they struck directly—would likely prove overwhelming, even for him. A thought flashed through his mind, and the old ghost of Star-Seeking instantly grew pale, his figure flickering like a phantom before appearing before Zǐ Yán. With a powerful stroke of his hand, a vast surge of force—so potent it threatened to shatter the very space—raced toward Zǐ Yán's chest. In the sky, another fierce clash unfolded. The purple figure finally could not withstand the impact, spewing out a gush of crimson blood from her mouth. Her form was shaken, retreating step by step before steadying herself, only to find her face now pale as paper. This kind of direct confrontation—she simply wasn't up to par with the Star-Seeking Elder. If it weren't for her strong Purple Research constitution and innate strength, the mere dozen hard blows would have shattered her internal meridians. After all, a five-star peak Battle Sovereign was simply too formidable. The corner of his mouth twitched, and suddenly a surge of murderous intent surged in the old ghost's eyes. These people weren't ordinary—absolutely no way could he leave them as potential threats. Otherwise, when they met again in the future, it would surely be his turn to suffer misfortune. "Star-Hand!" With the surge of his inner resolve, the old ghost's expression darkened completely. He fixed a stern gaze on Zi Yan, who was on high alert, and let out a cold laugh. Black mist swirled in his palms, then surged forward—his hand snapped out with astonishing strangeness. At the very moment of the grasp, his palm seemed to vanish, leaving only a segment of his arm suspended beyond the space. Watching this strange occurrence, Zi Yan felt a deep sense of urgency rise in her heart and quickly retreated. Yet as she stepped back, she suddenly felt a sharp chill along her neck, followed by a powerful pressure that squeezed her neck tightly. "Die!" "You're the one who's going to die, you damn fool!" Grasping the jade neck of Zǐ Yán, the Old Ghost of Star-Catching radiated a glint of murderous intent, about to deliver a palm strike that would send her to her death. Suddenly, a crack appeared in the space just a few feet ahead of him, and forth emerged a massive figure, towering like an iron tower, charging with a powerful punch aimed straight at his head. It seemed that should he be struck, even with his formidable strength, the Old Ghost’s head would burst with a resounding *thud*.