Hearing the cold resonance echoing across the heavens, the Wind Sovereign and others also grew slightly concerned, then fixed their gaze on the spot where the flame storm had dissipated—there, three figures appeared within their sight. Two of them were elderly strangers, dressed in black and white robes, their vivid colors making them instantly recognizable. Both elders now bore a somber, shadowed expression; with the pavilions destroyed, the responsibility for this incident would likely fall upon every soul of the Hall of Souls present. As the crowd's eyes passed over these two, they immediately settled on the figure between them—everyone's faces now brightened with renewed interest. That figure was no better off than Xiao Yan at the moment—just as covered in blood, with large patches of flesh exposed beyond his robes, his sleeve completely blown apart. Blood flowed continuously from the severed sleeve, and one entire arm had vanished entirely. Witnessing the gruesome state of Zhai Xing, even the Wind Patriarch and the Mu Gu Elder were left speechless, drawing in sharp breaths. Finally, one after another, their eyes turned toward Xiao Yan, cradled in Zi Yan’s arms—this man, despite possessing only Nine-Star Douzong strength, had reduced a Five-Star Peak Douzong master to such a state. "Gurgle." The elderly Mu-Gu man wiped his cold sweat with a deep breath, now gazing at Xiao Yan with a deep sense of both apprehension and relief. He was relieved that Xiao Yan hadn't yet unleashed this terrifying fire lotus upon him—his own strength was far inferior to that of the Star-Catching Elder. Should he have taken even a single blow from it, he would have surely perished on the spot. "Cough… cough…" The Star-Catching Elder gasped violently, spitting out thick streams of blood, from which fragments of internal organs could clearly be seen. It was evident that not only had he lost an arm, but his internal injuries were now more severe than ever before. Should things go wrong, his demise would be entirely plausible. Witnessing this scene, everyone exchanged a moment of silent awe, silently mourning the elder. With such grievous wounds, it was remarkable that he had managed to endure them at all—certainly, he would bear lasting consequences, and it was far from impossible that his future growth in strength would be significantly hampered. "Kill... kill that boy! I... I want to crush him to pieces!" Blood frothed continuously from his lips, yet the old ghost's gaze remained fiercely venomous toward Xiao Yan. His hatred for the latter now surged to near boiling point. With his full strength as a Five-Star Peak Domain Sovereign, he had suffered such a crushing defeat at the hands of a mere Nine-Star Domain Conclave disciple today—how could he possibly remain calm? The two elderly figures in black robes standing beside him, though still maintaining their cold composure, could not help but display a subtle shock. They were well aware of the old ghost's prowess; though not quite on par with themselves, he had been close. Yet, they had never imagined he would fare so poorly today. "You old fool—your fate is entirely self-inflicted. If you had spotted us, and summoned us immediately through your Spatial Jade Scroll, you would never have ended up like this!" "The elder in black robes spoke with growing anger: 'With the branch palaces now destroyed, the Master will surely hold you accountable—so expect to suffer!' 'Well, right now, even if you tell him all this, it'll do no good. What kind of character does this old man have, do you think you still haven't learned? Capturing Xiao Yan is a major achievement. He originally believed he had secured victory, so naturally he wouldn't have summoned us to share in the glory. Hehe. I suspect he wouldn't even have used the Spatial Jade Scroll unless forced to.' The elder in white robes chuckled coldly. "The pavilions have been destroyed—your share of responsibility, too," Bai Tianzun glanced at several of them, speaking softly. At this, the elders, including Mu Gu, all flushed with surprise, yet dared not speak further, only offering a wry nod. "Right now, the only way to make amends is to capture Xiao Yan. You should know this," Black Tianzun said coldly. The elders quickly agreed. Looking at Xiao Yan's condition, it was clear he had fought fiercely with Zhaixing Tianzun, resulting in a stalemate—there was no way he could withstand another devastating fire lotus attack. Bai Tianzun gently tapped Zhaixing, sending him with a soft force into the valley where a few survivors from the Hun Pavilion had managed to escape. For now, they could only ask these survivors to take care of the old man. "Don't delay—start moving, and let's go together..." Black Tian尊 said firmly. Now that their side held a decisive advantage, he absolutely could not afford to lose it. At present, the most urgent matter was to capture Xiao Yan first; otherwise, if the Hall Master became furious, no one on their side would be safe. "It seems we'll have to make a stand. Ziyan, take Xiao Yan and leave—this situation makes it impossible to retreat without loss; someone must stay behind to hold the line." As Xiao Yi finished speaking, her arm was suddenly grasped. She turned to see Xiao Yan, covered in blood, holding her. Seeing his appearance, her heart ached—this was the first time she had witnessed the usually composed and cheerful Xiao Yan looking so unsteady, despite facing a Five-Star Peak Battle Sovereign. Steadying herself with force, Zi Yan adjusted her hand seal, and then, with her slender jade finger stained dark gold, swiftly drew a line through the empty space before her. Gradually, a spatial rift emerged. As the rift appeared, Zi Yan changed her hand seal once more, and the rift slowly unfolded like a door being opened. Meanwhile, fine beads of cold sweat began to form on the smooth forehead of Zi Yan. "Want to escape?" The commotion was immediately noticed by the Black and White Celestial Sovereigns, who frowned, raised a cold voice, and with a sweep of her sleeve, two vast black mist ribbons surged through the space, rushing toward Xiao Yan and his companions. At the sight of the black mist rushing forth like a flowing ribbon, the elders of the Wind Sect and others slightly stiffened, about to move. Yet Zi Yan spoke calmly, "There's no time to act—whomever acts, will have to go." Upon hearing this, everyone paused, their expressions now complex. As the swift black mist surged toward them, Xiao Yi, the Young Healer, clenched her teeth and prepared to step forward—only to be pushed back by a single palm. Then, the Iron Sword Elder stepped forward, his voice composed, "You all go. Drugun, you once owed me great favors. Today, I repay you." With a quiet smile, he didn't wait for the Wind Sect Elder to speak. His form surged forward, and as his internal qi surged forth, he successfully intercepted the two flowing ribbons of black mist. Yet the overwhelming force of the qi shook him so violently that he gasped, spitting out a stream of blood. A two-star Dao Sect cultivator, how could he possibly stand against the Black and White Heavenly Sovereign? "Ha ha! My great vengeance is now fulfilled. All I ask for is to die—preferably at the hands of the Heavenly Sovereign of the Soul Palace. To die there would indeed be fitting." The Iron Sword Sovereign wiped the blood from his lips and laughed aloud. Suddenly, the crowd was struck with awe as the qi within him surged and erupted violently. "Take care! He's about to self-explode!" Seeing this, both the Black and White Sovereigns exchanged a slight frown, silently cursing the man—a true madman, determined to make a point of dying! At the very moment the Iron Sword Sovereign intercepted the Sovereign of the Soul Palace, the spatial gate finally began to open, and from within, a thick, luminous silver glow surged forth, enveloping Xiao Yan and the others completely. The moment the glow had just enveloped the space, the spatial gate suddenly began to tremble violently. Zi Yan’s face slightly changed, as her current strength made it still quite taxing to forcibly open a spatial gate and traverse the void—especially since she was now carrying a group of people. As the gate’s tremors grew more intense and Zi Yan grew increasingly desperate, the trembling gate suddenly inexplicably stabilized. The glow surged again, this time with an unprecedented intensity, and the spatial ripples became remarkably steady. "This…." Witnessing this transformation, Zi Yan was momentarily stunned, then seemed to grasp the meaning, a grateful expression flashing across her eyes. She swiftly altered her hand seal, and from within the spatial gate, radiant light burst forth, followed immediately by a powerful suction that violently pulled Xiao Yan and his companions into the gate. As the group entered, the gate trembled and dissolved into nothingness.