The space warped, and a figure slowly emerged—blue hair and a blue robe, none other than the Nine Heavens Sovereign who had led the elite forces of the Hún Palace in attacking the Xīng Yǔn Pavilion that day. Xīao Yīn remembered him clearly. Had it not been for the old Dr. Yào successfully advancing to the half-Saint stage, the Xīng Yǔn Pavilion would have suffered significant damage under that assault. "Neither did I expect him to be here..." Xīao Yīn's gaze flickered slightly. The appearance suggested a growing connection between the Hún Palace and the Tiān Míng Sect—this development weighed on him somewhat. Though the Tiān Míng Sect wasn't as powerful as the Hún Palace, it was still a formidable force. Should these two unite, the pressure on the Xīng Yǔn Pavilion would indeed be substantial. "Xīao Yīn, you're quite bold. If you'd merely stayed within the Xīng Yǔn Pavilion, I'd have found you quite difficult to handle. Yet here you are, stepping out on your own—something I never expected." The Nine Heav Xiao Yan's face was gloomy, and he said nothing, though his mind was actively working. This Nine Heaven Sovereign's strength was at least at the Heptastar or Octastar level—despite Xiao Yan's use of the Three Great Transformations of Heavenly Fire, he could not match him head-on. Moreover, as the Sovereign had previously mentioned, this space had already been sealed off by him. In that case, the spatial scroll his teacher had left behind would now be completely ineffective. With a quiet breath, Xiao Yan hadn't anticipated the situation to have grown so dire. Yet his own strength had significantly improved, so he did not truly feel despair. With the power of the Devastating Fire Lotus and the Great Heavenly Transformation Palm, he was confident that even if the Nine Heaven Sovereign attempted to absorb the blows directly, he would face considerable challenges. Furthermore, now that the Burned Decree had evolved into a near-Heaven-tier cultivation technique, he no longer feared entering a weakened state after unleashing the Devastating Fire Lotus. "Boy," the Sovereign said, "you'd better surrender now. Do you really think you can escape from the grasp of these three of us?" "The tone of Senlao Guizun was grim. The immortal Yaxia, gently swaying her fan, observed Xiao Yan's somber expression, yet felt an added sense of caution in her heart. Having fought against Xiao Yan before, she well understood the devastating power of the Flame Lotus that had once destroyed her. Now, with this man cornered and facing extinction, if he grew hot-headed and charged headlong, it might truly come down to a complete clash—both of them sacrificing everything. "That's not certain," Xiao Yan scoffed, subtly rotating his right palm, where a faint golden glow began to emanate. His inner qi surged with a roaring intensity. "Xiao Yan, do you really intend to abandon your father?" Seeing the golden radiance in Xiao Yan's palm, Nine Heavens Sovereign's eyes narrowed slightly. He had personally witnessed Xiao Yan's demonstration of the Great Heavenly Transformation Palm, which had even defeated the ancient ghost of Star-Cutting, instantly eliminating him. Thus, even he had long held a deep sense of apprehension toward this technique. Now, upon seeing Xiao Yan prepare to unleash it, he suddenly roared, his voice sharp with urgency. Hearing the cold command from the Ninth Heavens Sovereign, the golden light in Xiao Yan's palm momentarily wavered, and he then fixed his gaze steadily upon the sovereign. "Come back with me to the Hall of Resurrection," the sovereign said coldly, "and you shall see your father. If you dare resist, when I return, I shall have your father killed." Gazing at Xiao Yan's calm face, the Ninth Heavens Sovereign's expression grew slightly gloomy. He hadn't anticipated that Xiao Yan would handle the situation so well. Indeed, as Xiao Yan had pointed out, as long as he remained alive, there was still a chance to save Xiao Zhan. However, once even he fell into the hands of the Spirit Palace, that chance would vanish forever. Though this reasoning was straightforward, for someone who had made great personal sacrifices—travelling from the Gamma Empire to the Central Plains solely to rescue his teacher—it required a remarkable level of composure and discernment. "Ninth Heavens Sovereign," said the Fiery Blossom Sovereign, "this young man is as cunning as a fox. He won't fall for your scheme. We must act together and capture him." The Nine Heavens Sovereign nodded calmly, then took a gentle step forward. As soon as he did so, the space before him twisted and warped, and his body vanished instantly—appearing like a ghost at Xiang Yan's side the very next moment. His five fingers curled into claws, sending a sharp gust of wind that swept across the air, and he lunged directly at Xiang Yan's throat. Where the claw wind passed, the very space shattered and collapsed. The two clashed, and Xiao Yan's body trembled, retreating step by step for over a dozen paces before steadying himself. He clenched his slightly numb right hand, his expression growing more serious. Through this encounter, he now fully understood the strength of the Nine Heavens Sovereign. At the peak of the Seven-Star rank—only one step away—he could have easily reached the Eight-Star level. "Good thing my right hand was refined by that golden spirit essence. Otherwise, merely from this direct impact, injuries would have already begun to form." Xiao Yan's gaze flickered. The Seven-Star peak was indeed formidable; even now, it was quite challenging to keep up. Without deploying his Great Heavenly Transformation Palm or the Devastating Fire Lotus, he simply couldn't match the Sovereign's strength. "Nine Heavens Sovereign, don't let this news rest—he possesses a celestial stage cultivation technique and recovers remarkably quickly. If we keep delaying, unforeseen complications are certain..." Upon witnessing Nine Heavens Sovereign's magnificent display, delivering a single palm strike that repelled Xiao Yan, both Senlo Ghost Sovereign and Yin-Hua Demon King swiftly advanced, roaring in unison. Together, they unleashed fierce, unyielding streams of martial energy that surged directly at Xiao Yan, leaving him no respite at all. "It's rare that we three would come together to fight you, Xiao Yan. Today, you've certainly earned our respect." Regarding Senlo Ghost Sovereign's proposal, Nine Heavens Sovereign offered no objection. His primary objective was to capture Xiao Yan. The failure of his previous mission had already drawn disapproval from the Hall's Master. This time, by taking the initiative to intervene, he hoped to redeem himself. If he could successfully seize Xiao Yan, he would be able to make up for his past shortcomings. Thus, he made no fuss about appearances—everything would be decided once Xiao Yan was captured. This thought flashed through his mind, and Nine Heavens Sovereign no longer hesitated, his form surging forward once more, his every movement unleashing a vast surge of martial energy that poured out like a tidal wave—so powerful that even the sky itself trembled in response. As Xiang Yan stepped back, his expression grew completely gloomy. Golden light surged violently from his right palm, with a continuous flow of inner martial energy pouring into the center of his palm. "Be careful—he's about to unleash the Heavenly Realm Technique!" Witnessing this move, the Nine Heavens Sovereign halted his forward charge and spoke firmly. At these words, both Senlo Ghost Sovereign and the Fiendish Blossom Sovereign were startled and quickly retreated. "Great Heavenly Transformation Palm!" Xiang Yan's face remained stern, the brilliance of energy in his palm intensifying. In an instant, a strange black glow emerged, and then his palm struck the void with force. "Crack!" As the palm made contact, a sudden, spiraling ring of eerie black light expanded rapidly, while a powerful suction force surged forth from within the black ring. Under the influence of this terrifying suction, the speed of the nine heavenly sovereigns noticeably slowed. Gazing at the rapidly expanding black aura bearing down upon them, the nine heavenly sovereigns grew serious and commanded, "Do not panic. Though the celestial technique is powerful, together, we three can still hold it off!" As soon as the words were spoken, the leading sovereign halted his movement, unleashing his inner qi in a full, unreserved surge. The vast flow of qi caused fine droplets to drift gently through the air, like a light rain. Seeing the sovereign stop, the two sovereigns of Senlo and Shenro hesitated briefly, then braced themselves, summoning all their inner qi as well. For a moment, the sky roared with the rushing wind of qi, whistling like a hurricane. "Hoo!" With their qi surging forth, the three sovereigns gathered their qi into three massive, hundred-foot-long ribbons. These ribbons spun rapidly around their heads, then surged forward with a sharp crack, crashing directly into the advancing black aura. "Boom!" Several profoundly terrifying energies collided with tremendous force, at that moment even the sunlight of this realm dimmed. A dreadful energy storm surged forth from the point of contact, sweeping across the land, while the dense rows of towering ancient trees were severed like wheat in a great gust—crashing dramatically and uniformly in a magnificent display. The energy storm spread widely, yet the once-unstoppable black aura was halted in its expansion, though its suction force remained terrifying, completely absorbing three vast streams of qi, each stretching a hundred zhang, which then gradually faded into the void. "Ah...," exhaled Shen Luo Gui Zun and Yao Hua Xie Jun, both deeply relieved, their eyes reflecting a touch of awe. Had it not been for the presence of Jiu Tian Zun, they truly would have struggled to match this formidable technique. The Nine Heavens Sovereign's face also carried a touch of paleness, clearly indicating significant prior exertion. Fortunately, he had successfully blocked Xiao Yan's decisive strike. As for what came next... he slowly lifted his head, his gaze sharp and stern, fixed upon Xiao Yan who stood at a distance, and sneered, "Now, I'm curious—what else do you have in store?" Seeing this familiar figure, Xiao Yan was also taken aback, staring in surprise, "Black Qing?"