Hearing the stern words of the cloaked elder, the eyes of the Thunder Patriarch and others instantly flashed with fierce determination. "Deliver that cloaked elder to the Heavenly Fiend Puppet." In Xiao Yan's gaze, a cold intensity spread. The most formidable opponent was precisely the cloaked elder; as long as he could be contained, the others would pose no serious threat. As soon as the words were spoken, Xiao Yan swiftly formed a peculiar hand seal, and the spiritual energy from his brow radiated outward. With the expansion of this spiritual force, the ten Earth Fiend Puppets in the air began to move in unison, and within a mere blink, the array they had previously cast outside the hall reformed. This array was particularly ingenious—it temporarily channeled the power of other puppets into the central puppet at the array's core. Fortunately, when Xiao Yan had gained control of these puppets, he had also successfully mastered the subtleties of this array technique, allowing him to execute it now with ease and composure. "Hear me!" "A roar issued from Xiao Yan's mouth, and as the Tian Yao Puppet shifted, it surged into the array. Instantly, brilliant silver light erupted from the ten puppets, flowing continuously toward the central Tian Yao Puppet. "Let's go!" Seeing Xiao Yan's decisive action, the black-robed elder's expression darkened. He had personally witnessed the array's unusual nature earlier, and thus issued a sharp command. Upon hearing this, the Lei Zun and others nodded firmly, then stomped the ground with their feet, their forms transforming into streaks of light that swiftly moved toward the altar. The thunderous rush of wind echoed throughout the realm. "Want to take what's here? First, you'll have to pass through my trial!" As the impressive figures surged forward with great force, Xiong Zhan roared in anger, stomping the earth with one foot—causing the entire land to tremble. "Hmph. It's said that the Dragon Bear possesses the power to split mountains and crack the earth. Today, I shall put that claim to the test!" The Earth Tiger Clan chief sneered, and suddenly a thunderous roar of a tiger erupted. Instantly, his figure transformed into a streak of light, charging straight toward Xiong Zhan. "Watch out! I'll smash your head with a single punch!" Xiong Zhan's face contorted with fierce determination. With a powerful grip on his massive fist, he charged forward like a tank, meeting the Earth Tiger Clan chief with unyielding force. The resulting gust of wind surged forth like a storm. "The Thunder Sovereign—she'll be mine." As the intense battle erupted around them, Xiao Yi's gaze turned toward the Thunder Sovereign, who was rushing forward in a blaze of lightning. With a soft cry, she swiftly moved, intercepting the Sovereign mid-air. With a graceful gesture of her jade hands, a dense, all-encompassing gray mist spread out around her. "The Silver Moon Wolf Clan chief will be handled by me. Xiao Yan—take care of the celestial phoenix clan member." The Celestial Fire Master also moved instantly, intercepting the Star-Rank Sovereign of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan directly. The vast aura that radiated outwards caused the latter to pale slightly and quickly focus his attention. Observing the rapidly forming, entangled combat circle, Xiao Yan nodded slightly and glanced at the white-haired man who had arrived on the air. A cold smile appeared on his face. "Qing'er, shouldn't you have sensed the peculiarities of this realm?" The cloaked elder swept his gaze over the land and then turned to Feng Qing'er. Feng Qing'er's eyes flickered slightly as she sensed the atmosphere, a touch of surprise passing through them before she quickly nodded. "Senior, please rest assured—I'll handle it." "Well, whether we succeed in obtaining the Dragon-Phoenix Primordial Fruit will depend on you," the cloaked elder replied, then waved his sleeve with a motion like a great phoenix, his five-star Sovereign aura bursting forth in full force, causing the very heavens and earth to shift in color. "Shh!" A brilliant surge of energy poured forth, fully flooding into the celestial spirit puppet. As such a vast amount of energy flowed in, the deep golden hue of the puppet grew even more profound. "Hrrr!" When the final strand of silver light entered its body, a dry, resonant roar erupted from its throat. Golden light now filled its hollow eyes. It lifted its gaze toward the black-robed elder who had approached, then forcefully stomped the void with its feet, causing countless dark fissures to crack and splinter across the space. The ten earth spirit puppets that followed instantly transformed into ordinary iron-colored forms, clearly having exhausted all their energy. "Hmph. A mere puppet, dares to block me?" The black-robed elder sneered, clenched his fists tightly, and delivered a straightforward, unadorned punch. "Block!" The two collided with a thunderous crash, and a terrifying wave of sound radiated outward across the sky. Some cultivators at the Douzong level instantly felt a sweet taste in their throats, their faces instantly filled with shock—mere aftereffects of the clash were already beyond their endurance. This level of combat was truly astonishing. The white-haired man strode through the air, his fierce aura spreading across the heavens. His strength was indeed a two-star Dominant, one star stronger than Xiao Yan's. As he laughed, he clenched his fists, and brilliant golden light surged forth, forming a massive golden palm strike nearly fifty paces wide. This strike, imbued with an irresistible force, surged like a nine-heaven thunderbolt, crashing directly toward Xiao Yan atop the altar. With every passing wave of the strike, low rumbling sounds of air explosions echoed through the air. "Heaven Phoenix Dominant Fist!" The strong wind dispersed; Xiang Yan merely trembled his shoulders and effortlessly absorbed it. Raising his head to gaze at the white-haired man in the sky, he spoke calmly, "I have no right to claim dominance or rule. You, on the other hand, have no such claim!" "Hmph. I'll see if you still stand your ground when you're about to be knocked down!" The white-haired man sneered, his eyes flashing with fierce intensity. As his back trembled, his pair of phoenix wings unfolded, spreading out with majestic grace. With a single wingbeat, his speed surged exponentially, and in an instant, he appeared before Xiang Yan. His powerful, unrelenting punching techniques poured forth without reservation. In the sky, two figures engaged in the most intense and brutal close combat, each strike landing with full force. With every clash, a terrifying gust of wind shattered the surrounding space, sharp gusts of wind echoing continuously. As this fierce, unrelenting exchange unfolded, the white-haired man's expression grew steadily more serious. Though he was a celestial phoenix, his body exceptionally strong, he now found himself facing Xiang Yan, who not only showed no signs of strain but actually grew more vigorous with each passing moment—seeming to match him in physical strength, if not surpass him. "I never believed," the white-haired man declared, his eyes blazing with fierce determination, "that a mere human like you could possibly outmatch the celestial phoenix clan in sheer physical prowess!" Faced with this relentless assault, Xiang Yan remained unmoved. During the combat, his gaze continually scanned the surroundings. After a moment, it suddenly sharpened. At the very moment Xiang Yan's gaze fixed upon Feng Qing'er, she was there, her jade finger broken, droplets of pale purple blood cascading down and hovering before her. With a serious expression, Feng Qing'er watched the blood, gently brushing it onto her finger, then sketching lightly in the air. Moments later, an unusual symbol materialized spontaneously in the sky. As this symbol appeared, a subtle phoenix call seemed to resonate throughout the realm—though faint, it sent a profound tremor through the very souls of Xiang Yan and the others. "Using blood as a pledge, and the pledge as a seal—to awaken the ancestral spirit!" Feng Qing'er bowed respectfully in the sky. As her words settled, the symbol burst forth with brilliant light, the radiance pouring down from the heavens and gradually settling upon the crimson plain. Thunderous—*boom!* The earth suddenly trembled, and instantly, everyone was struck with awe to see the celestial phoenix's remains on the plain slowly stirring. As the bones moved, a solemn, ancient aura—descended from the primordial era—gently spread out, causing the qi circulating within Xiao Yan and the others to suddenly become severely obstructed. Under this terrifying energy, even Xiao Yan and the others felt their hearts sink sharply. Yet, as they were about to launch their attacks simultaneously, a slender, delicate figure gradually materialized before them. Though her voice was calm, at this moment it radiated a pressure that surpassed even that of the ancient Heavenly Phoenix.