"Boom!" As the cold voice fell, the flame storm sweeping across the heavens suddenly froze, then exploded with a thunderous roar, splitting into four parts. Waves of fire surged outward, spreading across the sky and crashing against the surrounding aura shields, causing them to tremble and weaken. The fire waves dispersed automatically at a distance of ten paces from Xiao Yan's body, while his gaze remained fixed on the point where the storm had exploded. There, a figure completely enveloped in cold aura stepped forth through the void, appearing steadily before everyone's eyes. The ancient beast now stood covered in a thick layer of dark ice, with radiant light flowing across its surface—clearly, it had used this unusual ice armor to withstand the force of the flame storm's impact. The ancient beast stepped upon the void, holding in his hands a long spear of crystalline clarity. The spear, forged from an unusual metal, shimmered with a cold, ethereal glow, exuding a piercing, sharp wind that seemed to carry an unnerving intensity. "Today, I shall show you what true excellence among the youth looks like! With your current abilities, you still fall far short!" "Ten-Thousand-Beasts Spear Technique!" Noticing the fiercely intense roar of the beast, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly, and a surge of powerful qi erupted within him. He swiftly danced his heavy staff, successfully deflecting most of the oncoming gusts. Yet with each contact, cracks formed in the ground beneath his feet, reaching nearly half a meter deep. Even his footprints began to leave two distinct, deep impressions—testifying to the extraordinary strength and power of the ancient beast's force. "The Hundred-Beast Gun Technique—King of Beasts Roar!" Facing Xiao Yan's unyielding defense, the ancient beast maintained his icy composure. In an instant, his technique shifted dramatically. Countless gun shadows coalesced in lightning speed, and a vast surge of qi poured forth from the ice spear, rapidly forming a formidable beast-like phantom. Then, the spear swept out, tracing a sharp, agile arc, like a flash of lightning, and plunged directly into Xiao Yan's throat. Feeling the fiercely angled phantom of the beast, a sense of gravity passed through Xiao Yan's eyes. A vast surge of spiritual energy erupted from his brow, instantly revealing the true attack concealed within the beast's phantom. Then, his heavy staff swiftly slashed through the air, carving out an unusual trajectory. "Clang!" The strike landed entirely in empty space. Yet, as many believed Xiao Yan had missed, the very space where the strike fell suddenly trembled, and a subtle spear-like shadow burst forth, colliding precisely with the staff—sparks flew in abundance. "Hmph!" The concealed attack had been detected—surprise flickered in the ancient beast's eyes. With a cold exhalation, he firmly pressed his palm against the spear. The crystalline spear instantly spun like a top, accelerating rapidly, and as it rotated, a continuous whistling sound of wind broke through the air. "Release it!" The swift, swirling silhouette of the spear repeatedly struck the heavy staff, then suddenly twisted—its tip once more flicked out, sending a powerful surge of force that launched the heavy staff right off Xiao Yan’s hands. “Dead!” As the staff flew away, the ancient beast surged forward, planting a foot firmly on the spear shaft, and surged like a hawk or eagle, charging directly at Xiao Yan with a sharp, piercing gust of claws aimed straight at his chest. Yet, facing this close-range, fierce assault, Xiao Yan showed no hesitation, allowing the ancient beast to close in and enduring the sharp claws that struck his chest. “Crack!” The force of the claws instantly shattered the fabric of his garments, scattering them into fine powder. “Clang! Clang! Clang!” "The clothes tore apart, and powerful gusts of wind fiercely struck Xiao Yan's bare body. Yet, a series of crisp metallic sounds astonished everyone—only those with keen eyesight could clearly see that Xiao Yan's body was now completely covered in a shimmering purple-gold scale armor, which successfully absorbed and deflected every blow from the ancient beast's attacks." "This... the Dragon Scale Robe of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragon Clan?" Many in the crowd were well-versed in such matters and immediately recognized the origin of Xiao Yan's armor. Numerous spectators murmured in awe, clearly surprised that the defensive prowess of the Tai Xu Ancient Dragons had manifested so prominently on Xiao Yan. "Yet even the Dragon Scale Robe should not be able to withstand such relentless attacks from an Eight-Star Domain Sovereign!" Suddenly, a sense of bewilderment arose. After all, although the Dragon Scale Robe offered strong defense, it couldn't completely ignore attacks from an Eight-Star Domain Sovereign. Many people were now utterly confused—naturally, they hadn't expected that the Dragon Scale Robe wielded by Xiao Yan was actually the most resilient of all the ancient Dragon-Phoenix Armor from the Immortal Void Ancient Dragon. Thanks to the exceptional defense of the Dragon-Phoenix Armor, Xiao Yan managed to withstand the ancient beast's assault, yet the force penetrating his body still caused his internal qi to surge and churn. Even with the armor's superior protection, the attacks from the Eight-Star Domain Sovereign could not be fully neutralized. "With a sharp command from Xiao Yan, the ground beneath the ancient beast suddenly surged upward rapidly. Then, a massive flow of scorching magma, stretching ten zhang in length, erupted like a volcano, striking the ancient beast with the speed of lightning. 'Boom!' The powerful impact sent the ancient beast soaring skyward. Yet at this moment, Xiao Yan suddenly drove his feet down with fierce force. With each resounding step, the entire plaza transformed into a volcanic landscape, erupting radiant columns of hot magma that surged like splendid fireworks, all under the stunned gazes of onlookers, before crashing forcefully into the ancient beast soaring in the sky." "Such exquisite control... channeling the hetero-fire into the ground, compressing it in a unique manner, and then silently unleashing it from beneath the feet of the opponent. Though Xiao Yan's power may not match that of the ancient beast, his combat experience is truly remarkable. If they are on equal footing, it's truly hard to predict who will emerge victorious." Gazing at the steadily erupting columns of flame shooting forth from the battlefield, even members of the ancient clans outside were visibly astonished. It was the first time they had witnessed an outsider, specifically a member of the Xiao clan, pressure an ancient beast to such a degree. Indeed, Xiao Yan proved himself to be no ordinary contender. In the sky, the successive surges of molten energy left the ancient beast increasingly uneasy. While molten rock itself was not something he feared, the subtle, deeply concealed forces of intense heat and intense cold embedded within it were proving troublesome. As soon as these forces touched his body, they relentlessly penetrated inward, causing him great irritation. He had not anticipated that, despite his strength, not only had he failed to subdue Xiao Yan in this prolonged period, but he had instead become locked in this state of stalemate. "Stubborn fool! Get out of my way!" With wave after wave of such surges pressing upon him, the ancient beast finally lost patience. With a sharp command, he slammed his palms down firmly upon the ground. Instantly, a vast surge of cold energy erupted, pressing down with the weight and force of a mountain, crashing downward. The molten pillars struck by this immense cold force shattered and burst apart. Gazing at the icy aura surging forth like waves, Xiang Yan's foot glowed with silver light, flashing and instantly rising into the sky. His internal Burned Technique surged to life, and at that moment, the energy of the entire realm roared forth, pouring in as tangible streams into his body. "It's truly a heavenly-tier technique!" Many people's eyes narrowed slightly, witnessing Xiang Yan's powerful absorption of energy. "You really thought you were the only one with a heavenly-tier technique?" "The Ancient Sage's Mirror—swallowing heaven and earth!" "Watching Xiao Yan absorb energy to replenish his reserves, the ancient beast sneered, then changed his hand seals. Suddenly, vast dark clouds surged across the sky, rolling and generating powerful suction forces that forcibly drew energy from the heavens and earth. This energy coalesced into a radiant column, which was then channeled into the ancient beast's body. As the energy flowed in, the power of the ancient beast's qi grew ever more potent and overwhelming." "Indeed, they've been forced to deploy the Ancient Sage's Master Artifact!" Outside the arena, Lin Xiu and the others, upon witnessing the sweeping clouds that enveloped the sky, had their expressions gradually shift—some even displaying disbelief. They had expected a decisive, effortless victory in this encounter, yet they were surprised to find that even the ancient beast's formidable strength could not easily overcome Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, now let me show you what true Ancient Clan's Heavenly-Level Technique truly is!" The skies were shrouded in thick clouds, the ancient beast suspended high above, gazing down at Xiao Yan with an impassive, cold voice that resonated throughout the heavens. Upon hearing the ancient beast's command, Xiao Yan's expression grew serious. He then drew a deep breath and transformed his hand seal, causing a surging tide of extraordinary fire to erupt from within him, spreading across the heavens. The four distinct flames swiftly separated and coalesced, gradually taking on a form resembling that of a beast... "The Five-Phase Separating Fire Technique," the celestial fire master seated at the dais murmured, his heart suddenly stirred. He himself had acquired this technique through rare fortune, and even at his peak, he had never fully unleashed its full potential—due to the stringent demands of requiring four distinct flames. Yet now, Xiao Yan had completely fulfilled those demanding conditions! Finally, today, this extraordinary fire array, comparable in brilliance to a heavenly-level technique, would fully reveal its true splendor.