"Boom!" As Xiao Yan's voice fell, a deep purple-brown flame surged forth from within him. With a powerful stomp on the ground, the solid floor shattered instantly into powder. His form then surged forward like a massive fire dragon, charging with raw, unyielding force directly toward the group blocking the crimson scroll. Xiao Yan's sudden intervention had immediately drawn the attention of the crowd. Many of them exchanged a subtle expression of surprise, their eyes flashing with cold determination. With a sweeping motion of his sleeve, they sent a fierce stream of martial energy slicing through the air, roaring with wind, and charging straight at Xiao Yan. Gazing at the十余道 surging streams of qi rushing toward him, Xiao Yan merely coldly exhaled, curled his fingers, and launched five columns of purple-brown flame from his body surface. These flames struck the streams with tremendous force, shattering them as if they were dry reeds, completely eliminating them. The remaining flame columns then exploded violently against the bodies of the attackers, who stared in shock, their forms instantly reduced to blazing spheres of fire. Xiao Yan’s unyielding tactics caused several prepared warriors to pause, their expressions subtly shifting, and thus, they could only grit their teeth and gradually suppress the attacks they had been preparing. Seizing the brief moment of intimidation created by his resolute actions, the fire dragon formed from Xiao Yan surged forward with unrelenting force, flashing through the crowd and swiftly darting toward the crimson scroll. Xiao Yan’s move also caused the only Dou Zun powerhouse within this circle to grow stern. From the very beginning, he had been pursuing this crimson scroll, and with his strength ranking among the strongest in the group, his chances of success had been the highest. Now, with Xiao Yan suddenly stepping in, a deep sense of hostility surged within him. At once, his eyes flickered, and with a firm grasp of his hands, a massive mountain-splitting axe materialized in his grasp. "Ho!" The deep voice came from a Dou Zun-level powerhouse whose strength was roughly at the first star tier. A deep yellow aura surged forth from his body, spreading across the sky, while his muscles on his body began to move in an eerie, rhythmic manner, rapidly coalescing into an overwhelming force. "Get out of the way!" The Dou Zun’s expression grew dark. With a swift movement, he materialized directly above Xiao Yan, his colossal axe wielding a force capable of splitting heaven and earth, tearing through the space and delivering a fierce, powerful strike aimed straight at Xiao Yan’s forehead. "Get out? You're going to be able to keep up with me?" The formidable force that suddenly enveloped the area within ten zhang of him naturally caught Xiao Yan's attention. A cold smile played on his face as he clenched his palm, and the Xuanzhong Scale materialized, spewing out streaks of purple-brown flame that coiled into a serpentine, winding dragon upon the scale's surface. "Get out!" With a sharp cry, the scale surged forward, carrying with it a scorching and piercing gust of wind, colliding powerfully with the one-star Douzun's opening maul. "Clang!" The impact sent a thunderous, resonant sound of metal ringing through the air, and an intense wave of force rippled outward from the point of contact. The nearby stronger fighters felt their chests press heavily, their bodies automatically propelled backward as they stumbled. "Pfft—" "A stunning collision caused the one-star Douzun's face to pale, as a thick stream of crimson blood erupted from his mouth. Shocked, he watched as Xiao Yan's strength—though comparable to his own—proved no match for his own mastery in force-based clashes. Unexpectedly, under Xiao Yan's hands, that very strength failed to make an impact. As the blood spilled, the one-star Douzun's aura instantly waned. Now realizing he had lost the chance to compete with Xiao Yan for the scroll, he gritted his teeth and swiftly retreated. In such chaos, any injury meant vulnerable targets would be exploited. He had already observed several Douzun-level warriors of similar strength being surrounded by hundreds, ultimately forced to flee—once the proud, elite Douzun champions found themselves scrambling and defeated. With a single stroke, that one-star Battle Sovereign was directly repelled. Xiao Yan flipped his hand, once again storing the Xuanzhong Chi within his jade talisman. He gently clenched his palms, feeling a subtle numbness spreading through them. He was no less amazed by the strength of that one-star Battle Sovereign. Over the years, he had consumed countless heavenly and earthly treasures, which had greatly enhanced his physical prowess. Though he could not match Zi Yan in strength, finding another warrior of comparable power among peers of the same rank would surely be a challenge. After repelling this barrier, Xiao Yan swiftly turned his gaze toward the crimson scroll—remarkably agile, it had managed to evade the combined efforts of numerous strong opponents with ease, remaining untouched until now. In fact, due to some warriors having lingered too close, they had even been severely wounded by others working in unison. Witnessing this, Xiao Yan suddenly stomped the void with his foot, transforming once more into a purple-brown fire dragon that darted toward the scroll. Along the way, several defenders were violently knocked off their feet by his sheer force. Under this unyielding assault, he reached the immediate vicinity of the scroll in mere eye blinks. "You're going to die!" The surrounding warriors, whose eyes were blazing red, all roared in unison as Xiao Yan breached the two-zhang radius of the crimson scroll. A surge of powerful qi erupted from each of them, cascading in a thunderous wave that battered Xiao Yan. With nearly a hundred warriors launching their attacks simultaneously, the combined force was nothing short of magnificent. Though the sheer volume of qi pressure caused Xiao Yan's expression to subtly shift, he did not turn around. Instead, he took another step forward and reached out, grasping the soaring crimson scroll with a broad hand. A deluge of qi surged forth instantly. As these attacks were about to strike萧In's body, subtle ripples rippled through the space around him, and Tian Huo Zun, Zi Yan, Qing Lin, and others swiftly materialized, forming a solid energy shield that expanded outward. "Thud! Thud! Thud!" The endless stream of qi pounded against the shield, sending out waves of ripples that constantly surged, yet the shield remained unbroken and steadfast. Together, they successfully withstood the combined assaults of numerous powerful opponents. While they were blocking the attacks, Xiāo Yīn's hand finally settled upon the crimson scroll. "Plip!" However, as soon as Xiāo Yīn's palm touched the scroll—still not yet firmly grasping it—the scroll surged like a fish, shooting forward with a sharp hiss and slipping out of his control. "Hmph!" Seeing this, Xiao Yan's face grew cold. He curled his hand into a claw and firmly grasped the blazing crimson scroll shooting outward. With this grip, ripples surged through the space, causing it to sink inward and form a narrow spatial cage, trapping the scroll within. "Come here!" With a cold command, the suction in his palm surged dramatically, exerting such powerful force that it pulled the crimson scroll completely out of the depressed space. The scroll then transformed into a streak of red light, rushing toward Xiao Yan's palm. Xiao Yan moved slightly, then grasped again, and finally secured half of the scroll in his hand. Yet as he exerted his strength, his expression suddenly changed—because now, a dry, withered hand was tightly gripping the other half of the scroll. "Hmph," he said, "to enjoy the treasure all to himself? A bit too naive, isn't it?" "Hearing that slightly familiar scoff, Xiao Yan quickly lifted his eyes to see that the one who had moved was none other than Chen Tianan, the Master of Xuanming Sect. Upon seeing Xiao Yan's gaze, Chen Tianan gave a cold smile, clenched his right fist tightly, and delivered a straightforward, powerful punch straight toward Xiao Yan's head—clearly intending to shatter his skull with a single blow. "You're dead!" Witnessing Chen Tianan's fierce attack, a flash of cold light flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. A golden glow then materialized before him like a ghostly presence, while Chen Tianan's fist struck Xiao Yan's body with a crisp, resonant sound of metal meeting metal. "An automaton?" Chen Tianan's expression changed as he observed the dark golden celestial yao automaton materializing before him, quickly drawing back his fist. Yet, moments later, the automaton's immense iron fist surged forward with terrifying force, sweeping directly toward Chen Tianan's head. "You fool!" Feeling the terrifying power emanating from Tian Yao Kui's fist, Chen Tiannan's face paled, and he only managed a fierce curse before reluctantly releasing his grip on the scroll, retreating with a sudden surge of urgency. As soon as Chen Tiannan let go, Xiao Yan seized the scroll firmly, purple-brown flames bursting forth from his palms and forcefully suppressing the struggling scroll. Gradually, the red scroll's resistance softened over time... Only when the scroll's symptoms had completely subsided did Xiao Yan finally exhale deeply, swiftly placing it into his storage relic amidst the countless pairs of red-eyed observers. At the same time, a vast aura surged forth from his body, pouring out without restraint, with the purple-brown flames swirling around him. This commanding presence gradually calmed the red-eyed warriors surrounding him. After a moment's glance toward the distant Tian Hu Zunzhe and others, they finally had no choice but to reluctantly turn and begin hastening to claim the remaining scrolls. Seeing these wolves-like figures retreat in awe, Xiao Yan's expression also relaxed slightly. While he might not be intimidated by their individual prowess, a surge of a hundred such figures all coming at once would certainly pose a challenge. "Old fool! Once you've stepped in, don't you dare retreat!" With the scrolls secured, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly grew cold, his gaze shifting to Chen Tianan, who was now slightly disheveled under the assault of Tian Yao Gui. A surge of determination burned in his eyes.