The sudden, cold voice that rang out on the stone platform drew a few surprised glances. As those glances settled upon Xiao Yan and Feng Qing'er stepping onto the platform, however, some of the observers' expressions turned subtly scornful. "Xiao Yan, brother?" The group of ancient clan members seated on the platform turned their attention to Feng Qing'er's voice. At that moment, the young girl in blue robes, who had been meditating, opened her eyes and gazed at the slender young man stepping onto the platform. She was momentarily stunned, then a warm sense of joy spread across her features. "Heh, it seems Xiao Yan is in for a bit of trouble. I didn't expect him to have any disputes with the Celestial Phoenix Clan." A man in a silver robe smiled, his face familiar—indeed, he was one of the Four Commanders of the ancient clan who had joined Xiao Yan and the others in training within the Heavenly Tomb back then. His name was Gu Hua. Hearing this, Xun'er's brows slightly furrowed, her bright eyes shifting toward the woman in colorful robes on the other side. She softly remarked, "The Tian Yao Huang clan truly seems rather excessive." "Don't rush to act yet," Ancient Qingyang calmly replied. With his keen perception, he could clearly sense that Xiao Yan had now reached the rank of Nine-Star Battle Sovereign. Though Feng Qing'er's aura seemed a bit unusual, even when Xiao Yan was at the Five-Star Battle Sovereign level, he had defeated an Ancient Beast at its peak of Eight-Star strength. And now, even more so. Xun'er nodded slightly, then her gaze suddenly shifted to the back of Xiao Yan, finally settling on Cai Lin, her eyes flickering with a sense of unfamiliar stir. The previously animated stone platform fell into a quiet stillness as a wave of eyes converged upon Xiao Yan. "A quiet, unassuming woman—just ignore her." Yet, under the gaze of so many, Xiao Yan only smiled slightly, never turning his head toward Feng Qing'er. He merely glanced sideways at the group behind him, casually uttering a few words before continuing forward, heading toward the stone platform. Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, Feng Qing'er's cheeks flushed with a sudden shade of iron, her eyes growing icy. With a sudden flourish of her jade hands, a vibrant, colorful ribbon of energy surged forth like lightning, slicing through the space and violently rushing toward Xiao Yan's head. "Crash!" Faced with Feng Qing'er's sudden assault, Xiao Yan's feet halted instantly. With his left hand rushing out like thunder, he seized the colorful ribbon in one motion. At the same time, a surge of blazing flame erupted, forming a roaring flame line that surged along the ribbon and swept toward Feng Qing'er. "Hmph!" Seeing this, Feng Qing'er's eyes grew cold, yet she also knew the power of Xiao Yan's Strange Fire. With a swift motion of her jade finger, the flowing ribbon of energy snapped in two. At the same time, a vast and ancient aura, imbued with timeless grandeur, surged forth from within her, flooding the surroundings—subtly echoing the resonant cries of a phoenix, as if shaking the very heavens. "This sensation... is indeed that of a primordial Heavenly Phoenix." Feeling the aura emanating from Feng Qing'er, Xiao Yan's heart stirred. The flavor of this energy bore a striking resemblance to the long-extinct, ancient Heavenly Phoenix he had encountered in the ancient forest within the Battle Saint's sanctuary, though he didn't yet know the reasons. Still, he was certain that Feng Qing'er's remarkable surge in strength was directly linked to that ancient phoenix. "Xiao Yan, today I shall claim your life to repay the suffering I have endured!" "Feng Qing looked at Xiao Yan with a cold, resentful expression. If it weren't for Xiao Yan and his companions seizing the Dragon-Phoenix Primordial Fruit that day, each of them would have faced disciplinary punishment upon returning. Fortunately, within the fossilized bones of the ancient forest's celestial phoenix, some traces of celestial phoenix essence still lingered—though these essences were now quite fragile, hidden deep within the bones. Should the bones be broken open directly, the essence would dissipate. Therefore, to obtain this pure celestial phoenix blood, the stronger members of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan chose to perform a surgical bone transplantation, transferring the bones containing the essence directly into the bodies of their clan members. This process, however, inevitably brought immense suffering. A total of ten young clan members underwent such bone transplants, yet only two ultimately succeeded—among them was Feng Qing herself. As for the other eight, they all perished outright." "Hmph!" "Seeing Feng Qing'er act so promptly—just stepping in whenever she decides—Xiao Yan's companions, including Cai Lin, have their expressions grow cold. Their inner ki surges violently, and all their gazes now remain frosty, fixed upon Feng Qing'er. Their palms begin to gather and concentrate ki. "You're Xiao Yan, I presume? Since Qing'er wishes to spar with you, then you step forward alone. The rest of us shall refrain from intervening—otherwise, you'll surely suffer losses." As Cai Lin and the others surge with ki, a soft voice echoes from behind Feng Qing'er. Turning to look, they find a man dressed in white robes. What's most unusual is that his eyes are of a rare, vivid, multi-colored hue—strangely out of place. While this man speaks, several powerful members of the Tian Yao Huang clan stationed beside him cast sharp, unwelcoming glances at Xiao Yan and his companions, clearly prepared to engage in full-scale action should any disagreement arise. "Perhaps it will be *you* who suffer losses, after all?" However, as soon as the colorful-eyed man finished speaking, a similarly calm voice suddenly echoed from another direction, causing him to pause slightly and glance toward the source. His brows furrowed as he said, "Gǔ Qīngyáng? You both also intend to intervene?" "Ah, a one-on-one battle doesn't necessarily require intervention," Gǔ Qīngyáng smiled gently, then turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, giving him a subtle nod. In return, Xiao Yan smiled warmly at Gǔ Qīngyáng's gesture, yet his eyes remained fixed on the young girl in the green robe among the ancient clan's gathering. The Tian Yao Huang clan was no ordinary force—neither would the ancient clan readily engage them unless circumstances demanded it. Their current decision to step in was likely due to Xun'er's involvement. Noticing Xiao Yan's gaze, the green-robed girl returned a bright, fleeting smile—so exquisite it seemed to draw the attention of several of the surrounding elite. "Heh, very well. Then, let it be as you wish..." The man with colorful eyes stared at Gu Qingyang for a moment, surprised that Xiao Yan had such a connection with the ancient Gu clan. Yet, being a man of deep strategy, he merely smiled and turned his gaze toward Feng Qing'er, speaking softly. Upon hearing his words, Feng Qing'er nodded in reply, her eyes cold as she directed a sharp question at Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, dare you step forward?" Xiao Yan smiled, extending his hand to block the group behind him. Most of these people were strangers to him, and from their expressions, he could see a clear sense of relief and envy. Coming here, his purpose had always been the Bodhi ancient tree. However, with such a diverse mix of dragons and serpents, and with the strong and the clouds vying for position, one needed a certain presence to stand out. And now, he could not retreat. "As you wish." Xiao Yan stepped forward slowly, still carrying a few smiles on his face, yet the cold intensity in his eyes was unmistakable. Though he didn't fully understand why Feng Qing'er had suddenly surged in strength, she had always lagged behind him significantly. Even now, despite her growth, she had only reached the peak of the third-tier Doubu Master—something that would be a formidable challenge for other Nine-Star Doubu Masters. Yet for Xiao Yan, it truly wasn't much. "Hmph!" As Xiao Yan finally stepped out, a cold smirk appeared on Feng Qing'er's face. With a delicate foot press against the ground, a vast expanse of colorful silk banners surged forth, cutting through the air like sharp, unyielding blades, generating a fierce, penetrating wind that enveloped the area within ten zhang around Xiao Yan, leaving him with no place to retreat. Still relying on her old technique—her surge in power, though impressive, remained unrefined, as if a beggar who had just discovered a treasure. Yet, upon catching the vibrant, colorful silks that filled his vision, Xiao Yan slowly shook his head, taking deliberate steps forward. With each step, a thick surge of flame erupted from within him, enveloping his entire body. Any silks that entered the flame's reach only managed to advance half a zhang before turning to ash and scattering. Under the watchful eyes of all present, Xiao Yan advanced steadily toward Feng Qing'er, his composed, unhurried gait exuding a remarkable ease. In contrast, Feng Qing'er's face turned as pale as paper—she had never expected that, despite her own remarkable growth in strength, she still posed no real threat to Xiao Yan. How could she bear such a sense of underestimation, especially given her proud demeanor! "Heaven Phoenix Shadow!" "A sharp, angry cry issued from Feng Qing'er's lips, as the qi within her surged rapidly, eventually forming a vast, hundred-meter-tall phoenix silhouette in the heavens, radiating an ancient and overwhelming pressure. "Roar!" The colossal phoenix silhouette raised its head and emitted a clear, resonant cry, then spread its wings with a powerful sweep, sending a terrifying force directly toward Xiao Yan beneath. The sheer force caused several strong contenders to visibly stiffen. Facing the immense phoenix silhouette, Xiao Yan finally halted, lifting his head to gaze at the phoenix rapidly expanding in his field of vision. In his heart, he now confirmed that Feng Qing'er's remarkable strength was undoubtedly linked to the ancient phoenix remains from the primordial forest. "Xiao Yan, die!" With the phoenix silhouette now less than a hundred paces away, Feng Qing'er's resentment intensified. Her cold, commanding voice echoed across the entire plaza—by this point, even if Xiao Yan had wished to evade, he could no longer have avoided it!