"Boom!" Two figures, their forms rendered into radiant orbs of powerful aura, collided with tremendous force, sending a thunderous roar straight into the heavens. Even the floating clouds at the horizon were scattered by the shockwave. Within a hundred paces of the two combatants, no one dared to approach—this level of devastating aura impact would likely overwhelm even ordinary Douzun-level warriors. "Ha! Excellent!" After a fierce, head-on clash with the old ghost of Zhixing, the strong force of the impact sent Xiao Yan staggering back several steps. Yet his face was alight with an unmistakable passion for battle. In previous encounters with the old ghost, due to the significant gap in strength, he had always been unable to engage him directly, relying instead on speed and agility to evade and then launch attacks with techniques. A direct, decisive confrontation like this one—such as today's—had never happened before. Yet compared to Xiao Yan's hearty laughter, the old ghost of Star-Seeking grew increasingly gloomy. Before so many strong figures of the Spirit Palace, a venerable Spirit Palace Sovereign like him struggled to contain a mere junior disciple—his dignity had truly been severely tarnished. "You shall wear down old father, and I shall see just how many lives your Star-Perishing Pavilion can spare for your endurance!" With a deep breath, the old ghost suddenly spoke with a sharp, frosty tone. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's gaze swept across the Star Realm, his expression growing slightly weighty. Though some elders of the Star-Perishing Pavilion could still hold their own against the Spirit Palace's elite, the ordinary disciples were no match for them. Though the sheer numbers had so far prevented major casualties, there were still frequent instances of Star-Perishing Pavilion disciples falling victim to surprise attacks by the Spirit Palace's powerful figures. "It can't be sustained anymore—we have to resolve this old man quickly." Xiang Yan paused thoughtfully, then slowly nodded. He silently retrieved several pills that restored his qi from his meditation pouch, placed them in his mouth, but did not immediately swallow. Only after completing these actions did he turn his gaze toward the Old Star-Seeker, a cold smile forming on his lips. His qi began to circulate through an unusual pathway, swiftly and steadily. As the qi flowed, a deep, dark golden glow gradually emanated from Xiang Yan's right palm. At the same time, he stepped lightly through the air, advancing step by step toward the Old Star-Seeker. Seeing Xiang Yan approach steadily, the Old Star-Seeker's face broke into a fierce grin. Xiang Yan had indeed harbored the same intent—speed and decisive action. With his keen eye, he naturally could see Xiao Yan employing a combat technique. Yet he didn't care much—what truly made him wary was Xiao Yan's fire lotus, formed by the fusion of four types of flames. Beyond that, he didn't consider Xiao Yan to be a serious threat at this moment. Even though Xiao Yan's current combat strength was now sufficient to hold his own against him in direct confrontation, he knew that this parity was only achieved through Xiao Yan's secret techniques, exerted with great effort. Once those techniques expired, eliminating Xiao Yan would be a matter of ease. "Now, let me show you firsthand what true power of a Five-Star Combat Sovereign truly entails!" The grim smile on Zhi-Xing Old Ghost's face grew ever more pronounced. Vast amounts of combat energy surged forth from his palm, then transformed into an odd, viscous substance that, after a strange, writhing motion, solidified into a massive black ghost-headed great sword. This sword was most peculiar—covered in a layer of shimmering, dark crystalline film—its blade so delicate that when it lightly brushed the space, a crack the size of a thumb instantly appeared, silently and subtly. Holding the sword tightly in his palm, Zhi-Xing Old Ghost fixed his piercing gaze upon Xiao Yan, who was advancing steadily. The sword suddenly trembled, casting a series of fragmented shadows, then surged forward, cleaving the air with a furious, forceful strike. "Shattered Star Slash!" With the deep, resonant roar echoing through the sky, the brilliance of the heavens dimmed abruptly. Countless stars emerged behind Zhi-Xing Old Ghost and coalesced into fine streams of light, gathering upon the sword. As these streams accumulated, the energy radiating from the blade grew increasingly formidable. "Death!" The Star-Seeking Ghost, Senran, smiled solemnly, and with a single slash of his blade. As the blade descended, the space before him crumbled instantly, fragmenting into countless pieces. Ultimately, a fierce, nearly hundred-zhang-long blade of lightning surged forth, cutting through the space with an overwhelmingly dominant force, transforming into blinding streaks of light and shooting directly toward Xiao Yan! The suddenly appearing blade aura, so powerful and formidable, immediately captured the attention of countless observers. Some seasoned judges immediately displayed astonishment—Fragile Star Blade, indeed, the very cornerstone of Master Star-Grasper's arsenal. Countless strong warriors had fallen to this blade in the past, but since Master Star-Grasper joined the Soul Palace, few had been able to withstand it and force its full display. Now, here, it seemed, such a feat was once again unfolding. … Facing that blinding, earth-shattering blade aura, Xiao Yan’s eyes flickered slightly, and his slow advance momentarily halted. The dark golden glow on his right palm grew increasingly dense. “Now you want to run? It’s too late!” Seeing Xiao Yan stop, the old ghost of Zhaixing still thought he was intimidated by the blade’s intensity and scoffed coldly. Yet, Xiao Yan paid no heed to the old ghost’s scoff. His gaze remained fixed on his right palm—where, after the dark golden light reached its peak brilliance, a deeply profound black streak finally trembled into view. As that black streak emerged, the brilliant golden glow swiftly faded, while the black spot grew steadily larger—seeming as though the golden energy was being absorbed and consumed by the black. As the black blade rapidly expanded, Xiao Yan also felt his qi swiftly flowing out of his body. He quickly swallowed the pill in his mouth and then lifted his head sharply. At this moment, the nearly hundred-meter-long blade had reached within fifty meters of him, its fierce wind leaving fine traces of blood on his skin. "To die under my Shuixing Blade is no small honor!" As the blade approached, even if Xiao Yan were as swift as ever, he could not avoid it. Seeing this, the old man, known as the Ghost of Star-Catching, could not help but laugh heartily. This troublesome young man would finally fall at his hands today. "Hmph..." Hearing the old man's laughter, a gentle smile slowly spread across Xiao Yan's face. He then firmly pressed his palm onto the space before him, and with a sharp, resonant cry, the sound echoed powerfully. "Great Heavenly Transformation Palm!" "Boom!" "As the palm descended, space seemed to collapse almost instantly. A dark, chilling circle of light rapidly expanded from the center of Xiao Yan's palm and collided fiercely with the sharp blade streak. 'Shhh!' Unexpectedly, no explosive impact occurred. Instead, the blade seemed to plunge into an infinitely deep black hole, entering without stirring a single ripple—its expansion even remained unimpeded. 'Whoa!' Witnessing this, countless spectators gasped in astonishment, their eyes filled with disbelief. Among the present, few could have withstood the old ghost's attack—yet... yet this overwhelmingly powerful blade appeared to have no resistance whatsoever against the strange, dark circle? 'How is this possible?' The crowd, now utterly bewildered, murmured these words over and over in their minds. The disappearance of the blade's brilliance also left the old ghost of Zhai Xing utterly stunned. He quickly regained his composure, gazing at the somewhat familiar black aura, his eyes suddenly widening in shock, and shrieking, "The Great Heavenly Transformation Fist? A Heaven-Class Technique? How did you acquire it?" The Great Heavenly Transformation Fist—the old ghost had personally witnessed it during his time in the ancient ruins—its overwhelming power still vivid in his memory even now. He could never have imagined that such a technique, which he had long coveted, would now be in Xiao Yan's hands! "It must be those three ribs!" Zhai Xing, reacting swiftly, immediately recalled the three ribs that Xiao Yan had broken off the skeletal remains. Clearly, if the Heaven-Class Technique truly existed, it should have been embedded within those ribs. "What a cunning fool!" With a surge of regret that dripped from his heart, Zhai Xing's expression darkened, his gaze fixed on the spreading black aura, and he hurriedly retreated. "Trying to escape?" Upon seeing the old ghost of Star-Plucking flee, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh, then sharply shook his palm, causing the black aura to expand at an astonishing pace. Simultaneously, an incomparable suction force surged forth from within the dark circle. Under this force, the old ghost's speed gradually slowed. Then, he was horrified to witness the rapidly spreading black circle—death's fear finally climbed upon his heart. He knew clearly that if he were drawn into the circle, even he would surely perish on the spot. "Thud! Thud! Thud!" In the final moments of his life, the old ghost desperately hurled waves of powerful qi strikes, yet these attacks made no ripple at all—strangely vanishing without a trace. This endless, inexorable consumption left the old ghost feeling utterly helpless. "Died!" Staring at the star-gathering elder now mere steps away, Xiao Yan's eyes grew cold, and the black aura spreading outward suddenly accelerated dramatically. "Nine Heavens Sovereign, save me!" In his final moments, despite having exhausted every possible means to escape, the star-gathering elder finally tore his voice, his piercing cry echoing across the sky.