"Xiao Xuan?" Hearing the gasps from Hún Diāo, Xiao Yan's body suddenly trembled, and the blood flowing through his veins surged with an unusual ripple—something that carried an intensely familiar sensation. Under the gaze of everyone present, ripples spread across the stillness before them, and then, without any celestial phenomena, a figure dressed in pale green robes appeared silently. Though the emergence of the figure was unremarkable in itself, there was an unmistakable impression that every single person present felt as if they could not withstand even a single punch or step from this individual. The two soul-elite figures fixed their eyes on the face that was so familiar to them, their eyes flashing with shock and fear. Though they possessed extremely powerful abilities, the man before them had reached the very pinnacle of the continent's hierarchy—fewer than a handful of individuals across the entire land could match him. "Senior Soul-Elite...," Soul-Cliff also felt his heart trembling, gazing at this sudden stranger, though he didn't personally know him. Yet, he sensed an unmistakable aura of death. "Xiao Xuan is strong, but he is constrained by the Heavenly Tomb. He cannot leave the Tomb's estate at will—he must return there every ten years. Yet now, the ten-year period has not yet passed. How then can he be here?" Soul-刁 took a deep breath, suppressing his inner fear and speaking softly. "So, the Xiao Xuan before us is not actually here personally?" The other gray-robed elder blinked, remarking. "Perhaps it's merely a mere image..." the spirit soul spoke coldly, his courage subtly growing. Although Xiao Xuan was strong, he could hardly be intimidated solely by an image. "Your eyesight is indeed quite good..." the man in the green robe smiled gently, his black pupils fixed on the two spirit souls before him, speaking softly, "Yet you have greatly overestimated yourselves. Two one-star Soul Saints—yet neither of you even possesses the right to speak before me." As he finished speaking, the man in the green robe slowly raised his hand and gently closed his fingers toward the two spirit souls. "Shatter!" With those words leaving his lips, Xiao Yan and the others were stunned to see the space within a thousand zhang radius instantly collapse. A formless, dark, immense hand suddenly took shape and struck the two spirit souls with a casual palm. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" "A massive, pitch-black hand, stretching a thousand paces in length, gently descended upon this land, causing it to tremble violently—like an earthquake. Massive fissures erupted across the ground, spreading out and extending all the way to distant horizons..." "Another one of these calamities has surfaced..." Such a grand display naturally drew the attention of powerful energy beings from other regions. Yet, upon sensing the familiar aura, their expressions changed—hesitant, even—each one gradually drawing in their energy, becoming increasingly ethereal, until they finally withdrew and settled beneath the earth. "How is this possible?" The two soul-entities stared in stunned silence at the collapsing space. Even they could not withstand such a powerful strike. "Escape!" Faced with the massive, ink-black hands rushing swiftly from the collapsing space, the two spirit souls finally sensed a death-like aroma that sent shivers through their bodies. Their faces pale, they no longer hesitated—each grasping one of Houni and Hounli, they turned and fled. "Boom!" Yet their speed proved insufficient to ensure a safe escape. Under the weight of those ink-black hands, it seemed as though space itself had been shattered. As soon as the two figures had cleared a hundred paces, the hands crashed down with thunderous force! "Crash!" "The massive palm never truly struck the bodies of the two, but at a distance of nearly a hundred paces, the terrifying gust of wind pierced through space and directly impacted them. Faced with such a powerful gust, the two instantly shuddered—no cry of pain escaped them—and with a sudden 'crash,' they exploded into nothingness. However, as they dissolved into void, the residual force of the palm power violently hurled them outward, sending them soaring toward the distant horizon. Xiao Xuan glanced at the two figures being thrown away, yet made no move to intercept them. To him, eight-star Star Sovereigns were truly no more than insects. 'Boom! Boom!' The massive palm finally shattered the two, settling down upon the ground. Instantly, the earth trembled, dust swirling outward. After a while, the dust settled, revealing a vast chasm stretching a thousand paces deep—its sheer depth now glaringly visible to Xiao Xuan and the others." "Shh..." Gazing at the abyss that stretched endlessly, Xiao Yan and the others took another deep breath of cool air, stunned by the sheer force of destruction—so overwhelming, so terrifying. "This calamitous figure still acts with such ruthless precision..." Blood-Scythe Saint, watching as two Dou-Sheng-level warriors were instantly obliterated by a single palm strike from the man in the green robe, couldn't help swallowing a lump in his throat. Yet, he felt a sense of relief—thankfully, he had stepped in today. "The Xiao clan—finally, someone has arrived. It's not been in vain all these years of my waiting..." The man in the green robe stepped gracefully through the void, approaching Xiao Yan slowly, his voice carrying a touch of satisfaction and relief. "Junior descendant Xiao Yan, bowing to my ancestor!" Hearing these words, Xiao Yan could no longer contain his excitement, kneeling on the void before the elder, performing the most solemn ceremony of the Xiao family. "Hah, Xiao Yan... quite a good name indeed," smiled the man in the green robe, gently lifting Xiao Yan and patting his head. "Since you entered the Heavenly Tomb, I've sensed your presence. Your journey so far has been quite commendable." Xiao Yan nodded, knowing that the elder had once been a towering figure in the clan, and to receive such a favorable assessment from him must have been no easy feat. "I am Gu Qingyang, junior, bowing to Master Xiao Xuan!" Beside them, Gu Qingyang and the others also bowed deeply and respectfully at this moment, speaking with solemnity. They knew well that whoever stood before them—no matter how high-ranking the leader of the Gu clan might be—had to be treated with due courtesy. "The Gu clan members, then?" Xiao Xuan smiled, glanced at Gu Qingyang and the others, and said, "It seems your clan has not fully upheld the agreements we made back then." Upon hearing this, Gu Qingyang and the others immediately felt a cold sweat break out on their foreheads, and quickly replied, "Master Xiao Xuan, this only involves a few individuals within the clan. Our clan leader has always upheld the agreements to this day." Xiao Xuan remained silent, but his gaze suddenly shifted to Xun'er, saying, "Your bloodline resembles Gu Yuan's quite a bit..." "Gu Yuan is my father," Xun'er replied respectfully, her beautiful eyes slightly nervous as she glanced at Xiao Xuan. After all, he was also a senior figure in Xiao Yan's family—someone with absolute influence within the Xiao clan—and she naturally didn't want to leave a negative impression on him at their first meeting, especially since Xiao Xuan was no longer truly a living person. "Ah, so it's her daughter! It makes sense that she possesses a divine-tier bloodline—truly surpassing even the original standard." Xiao Xuan nodded, then his gaze swept over Xiao Yan and Xun'er with a distinct air of meaning, and he smiled with a touch of subtle satisfaction, "In the end, it's still the Xiao clan that comes out on top." Seeming to catch the nuance in Xiao Xuan's words, a gentle blush rose on Xun'er's flawless cheeks. "You go first. From now on, you will always remain within the Heavenly Tomb..." Xiao Xuan glanced at the Blood-Blade Saint, speaking softly. "Thank you, Elder Xiao Xuan." Hearing this, the Blood-Blade Saint immediately became delighted, bowing respectfully. Within the Heavenly Tomb, there were countless energy bodies, many of whom possessed greater strength than he. Yet with Xiao Xuan's words, even these powerful beings would now hesitate to challenge him in the future. As soon as he finished speaking, the Blood-Blade Saint gracefully bowed and then turned to depart, vanishing into a streak of light toward the distance. "First, go to the Tomb Estate. Due to the presence of the Heavenly Tomb, I cannot leave it. What you are seeing now are merely projections of my form..." Xiao Xuan said, upon observing the Blood-Blade Saint's departure. Hearing this, ancient Qingyang and the others were all struck with astonishment. A mere image was enough to effortlessly eliminate two one-star Dou Sheng energy beings with a single gesture—what if it were the entity's true form? Then indeed, it would possess a truly terrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth. "I think you must have many questions," said Xiao Xuan, turning his gaze toward Xiao Yan, with a gentle smile. "Come with me... I've been waiting for this very day for a long time." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart also stirred with excitement—this day, he too had been waiting for a long time.