The Huolian was only palm-sized, floating gently in Xuanyin’s palm. Its core shimmered in four distinct hues, appearing breathtakingly splendid. Yet beneath this dazzling surface lay an overwhelmingly destructive force. Xuanyin’s face had turned pale. Merging the four unique flames was far more difficult than he had anticipated. Though he had previously succeeded in fusing the Flame of Destruction, the Huo fire—though distinct—was not a true unique flame, so the process had been relatively smooth before. But this time, it was truly four authentic unique flames. The complexity of the fusion had become immediately apparent. Had it not been for Xuanyin’s remarkable growth in strength and his soul having ascended into the so-called Ling Realm, he likely would never have managed to successfully fuse the Flame of Destruction. Moreover, the current Flame Lotus had not yet achieved complete success. Its destructive energy was too formidable; even Xiao Yan had to carefully balance and harmonize it before daring to use it against his enemies. Cold sweat poured continuously from Xiao Yan's forehead, flowing like a steady stream down his face. His gaze remained fixed on the slowly rotating Flame Lotus in his palm, his vast soul energy pouring into it without cease. "Such a terrifying destructive force..." At a distance, the old ghost of Zhaixing also grew pale at this sight. The destructive energy radiating from within the Flame Lotus stirred a deep sense of unease even in him. "How could a young man with only Nine-Star Battle Sect strength possibly unleash such a devastating attack?" The old ghost's mouth twitched slightly, then his eyes ignited with fierce determination—this young man must not be allowed to survive! A surge of deadly intent flashed through his mind, instantly transforming the old ghost of Star-Collecting into a fierce, grim expression. In a single motion, he became a streak of blurred form, rushing toward where Xiao Yan stood. He sensed that Xiao Yan's attack had not yet fully concluded—by interrupting it now, he would surely cause a counter-reaction in Xiao Yan, not only neutralizing the formidable assault but also eliminating him in the process. It would be a double victory. As soon as the old ghost began to move, Zi Yan noticed him and immediately shouted, "Big guy, hurry! Stop him!" Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhan only managed a wry smile, nodding in agreement. With a solid stomp of his foot, his body erupted like a cannonball, swiftly accelerating to catch up with the old ghost. He roared, lifting his iron fist and delivering a powerful blow straight to the latter's back. "Ah!" The true form of Xiong Zhan was an ancient dragon-bear, possessing exceptionally powerful physical strength. Now, as this punch was unleashed, several indentations appeared across the entire space, and an invisible current of air formed a concave arc along the surface of his fist, emitting a continuous, piercing wind sound. Noticing the fierce blow from behind, a glint of determination flashed in Zhai Xing's eyes. He glanced at Xiao Yan, who was already nearby, then bit his teeth firmly, and unexpectedly twisted his body slightly—without turning to face Xiong Zhan. Zhai Xing's refusal to turn caught Xiong Zhan off guard, though he didn't care much about it; if you won't turn, then just accept the blows. "Thud!" The powerful punch finally tore through the air and struck squarely against Zhai Xing's shoulder, producing a deep, resonant sound of solid body impact. As Bear War's fist struck the elder ghost's shoulder, thick black mist surged forth from the spot, like cotton, absorbing much of the force and dissipating the pressure. Yet some of the power still penetrated, delivering a heavy blow upon the elder ghost's shoulder. "Hmph!" The impact caused the elder ghost's face to pale, and subtle cracks in his bones echoed softly—clearly, Bear War's punch had shattered several of his ribs. Despite the force of the blow, the elder ghost's eyes gleamed with a fierce, grim smile. Leveraging the momentum of Bear War's fist, he surged forward with astonishing speed, appearing in a flash above Xiao Yan's head, his low, resonant laughter echoing from his throat. "You fool!" Seeing this, Zi Yan's already pale complexion lost all color. With a sharp kick of her foot, she turned to Bear War and shouted in anger. Seeing that the Star-Plucking Old Ghost was willing to take a punch from himself just to kill Xiao Yan, Xiong Zhan could only sigh with苦笑, and then grit his teeth, charging forward headlong in a desperate attempt to send the Star-Plucking Old Ghost flying at the very last moment. However, even as he began his advance, it was clearly too late—upon appearing above Xiao Yan, the Old Ghost instantly changed his hand seal, and a surge of black energy erupted in all directions, rapidly coalescing into a half-shou-long black ghost claw before him. The ghost claw was dark and oppressive, exuding a dense, chilling aura, resembling the hands of a death deity emerging from the underworld, so that mere sight of it sent a shiver down one's spine. "Nine-Deep Soul Hand!" With the ghost claw fully formed, the Old Ghost's expression grew even more fierce, shouting coldly at Xiao Yan. Then, without mercy, he swung the claw down, delivering a powerful blow straight to Xiao Yan's chest. Old Master Zhai's attack had nearly drawn upon all the Qi within his body. Though the ghostly claw was not large, wherever it passed, space instantly collapsed, revealing dark voids. Under the stark contrast of these voids, the claw appeared even more eerie and terrifying. "Boom!" A thunderous roar erupted the very instant the Fire Lotus was launched, a destructive force sweeping down from the heavens like a storm, shaking the entire mountain range as if struck by an earthquake. Massive fissures radiated outward from the valley, spreading in all directions, while the towering Huan Palace trembled and began to sway, its many Huan Palace masters panicking and scrambling in fear. The sudden onslaught of this destructive storm immediately caught the attention of both sides' Douzun-level combatants, who, upon a single glance, were filled with awe. Without hesitating, they swiftly retreated, dreading that the destructive force might reach them. "Faced with this devastating assault, Xiao Yan's face instantly paled, spewing out a burst of blood mist. Cracking sounds of broken bones echoed from his chest, and his body, struck by the powerful force, was hurled backward like a cannonball. At the very moment his body was thrown back, a cold, determined curve appeared on his lips—because at that instant, he saw the old ghost's face, etched with growing fear. The Fire Lotus was destroyed, and an explosion erupted... 'Boom!' " A colossal flame storm, spanning hundreds of zhang, erupted instantly, surging upward from the ground as if linking heaven and earth—like a divine miracle. The storm's destructive waves spread out like ripples, eventually collapsing the immense black palace, once impossibly sturdy, within the valley. Numerous elite warriors of the Soul Palaces were reduced to dark ashes with a single, soft *puff* as the waves reached them. The destructive force extended nearly a kilometer, turning the entire area into scorched earth. The dense forests within were utterly annihilated in that instant. High above, on the distant sky, the two sides' Supreme Combatants, whose valleys had vanished in mere moments, were left stunned, their eyes filled with awe. They took a deep breath—such overwhelming power was beyond even the highest-tier Celestial Sovereigns of the Soul Palaces. *Bang!* Xiao Yan's body flew backward and crashed into the mountain wall, where massive stones rolled over him, burying him deep within. Suddenly, a graceful figure rushed forward, waved her hand to shatter the stones, and swiftly lifted Xiao Yan to safety, shielding him from the spreading waves of destruction. "How is he?" Xiong Zhan flashed into place beside Zǐ Yán, gazing at Xiao Yan, who was covered in blood and whose chest had been deeply indented, and urgently asked. Zǐ Yán's face was dark with concern—this was the first time she had seen Xiao Yan injured so severely. A full-force strike from a Five-Star Battle Sovereign would have been impossible for anyone present to withstand, let alone Xiao Yan. "Whoosh! Whoosh!" The wind swept through the sky, and the Wind Sovereign, Xiao Yi Xian, and others quickly rushed to the scene. Upon seeing Xiao Yan, bloodied and battered, their expressions all turned grave. Just as Xiao Yi Xian and the others were growing pale with concern over Xiao Yan's condition, a sudden surge of spatial tremors erupted within the massive flame storm, and then two vast presences—stronger even than that of the Old Ghost of Star-Seeking—gradually emerged. Noticing these two immense presences, Wind Master and the others immediately felt their hearts sink—these were definitely the aura of the Soul Palace. As the flame storm swept across the heavens, the two vast presences grew increasingly distinct. Then, abruptly, the storm halted, and a tremendous force surged forth from within, reversing the storm's momentum and shaking it into a slow, steady dissipation. Watching the flame storm gradually fade, Master Mu Gu breathed a deep sigh of relief—should this storm have continued unchecked, the other Soul Palace members stationed at this branch would have been completely buried beneath the earth. As the flame storm gradually subsided, two elderly figures slowly came into view within the crowd. At that very moment, their vast aura surged to its peak, and an immense pressure descended from the heavens, causing every single person present to feel a sudden tightening in their chests. "For so many years, the one who dared to destroy my Hu Dun Sect—Xiao Yan, you are the first." With the appearance of these two figures, a distant, cold, and resonant voice slowly echoed across the sky.