"However, Brother Xiao Yan has now reached the two-star Stellar Saint level. Your own combat strength far exceeds this tier—quite comparable to that of Hun Feng. Should a direct confrontation arise, it's still uncertain who would emerge victorious..." Xun'er smiled gently. Xiao Yan smiled in return, with no trace of underestimation. The Hún clan members were never kind, and the fact that Hun Feng had risen to become one of their outstanding figures, even being considered the next clan leader, clearly demonstrated his formidable prowess. Xiao Yan understood that this would be a particularly formidable opponent. Gǔ Qīngyáng glanced at the elite troops behind Xiāo Yīn—numerous in number and formidable in presence—but shook his head with a touch of helplessness. "Uh..." Upon hearing this, Xiāo Yīn and Yàolǎo and the others all paused. "That realm has been cultivated over thousands of years by the pure lotus demon fire. It is now a veritable dragon's den and tiger's lair—even a half-Saint-level powerhouse can barely survive upon entering..." Gǔ Nánhǎi, dressed in blue robes, smiled. "Thank you for the reminder." Xiāo Yīn silently breathed a sigh of relief, realizing their inexperience compared to these ancient races. Had it not been for Xūn’ér’s timely advice, their group would have surely suffered heavy casualties. "Within our ancient races, each has its own regulations: any warrior surpassing the peak of Five-Star Battle Saint status cannot act freely. Thus, the personnel dispatched have not exceeded the Five-Star threshold," Xūn’ér explained softly. "It's no wonder..." Xiao Yan finally understood. He had been puzzled as to why the Huan Clan hadn't sent any strong warriors to confront him after he destroyed one of their key branch palaces. It now made sense—currently, the only figure in the Huan Clan capable of making Xiao Yan feel threatened was the Huan Clan's Grand Master. However, with his focus on subduing the Qinglian Demon Flame, Xiao Yan simply didn't have the time or energy to deal with them. Thus, despite the significant blow suffered by the Huan Clan this time, they had remained silent and patient. "The Qinglian Demon Flame is immensely powerful—anyone who succeeds in mastering it becomes a tremendous asset. Yet, if one relies solely on warriors ranked below Five-Star Battle Saints, the task of subduing it may prove difficult. That's why the Qinglian Demon Flame has remained unconquered for thousands of years..." Xiao Yan's gaze flickered slightly. This limitation, while beneficial to the ancient races, seemed to be of little advantage to them. Instead, it appeared they willingly acted as obstacles—so strong was the Qinglian Demon Flame that even if they themselves didn't succeed in mastering it, they ensured no one else could either. "Hehe, Fire-Yao Elder, I didn't expect the Yan clan to send you out this time," said the ancient sea elder, his gaze suddenly shifting to the three figures who had remained silent since their arrival. "It's quite impressive." "There's no solid evidence, but the Ancient Clan and the Spirit Clan are most suspect—some caution is necessary. I don't want to see our Flame Clan suffer the same fate as the Spirit Clan." Huo Yao paused for a moment before finally speaking slowly. After he finished, he waved his hand and turned, walking off toward the side. Seeing this, Huo Xuan only sighed, spread his hands in resignation, and followed. "Ah..." Upon seeing Huo Yao depart, Guo Naihai exhaled deeply, his brows furrowed. "It seems the disappearance of the Spirit Clan has created a significant rift among the major ancient clans." Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan found himself pondering as well. If either the Ancient Clan or the Spirit Clan were the perpetrators, he would naturally lean toward the latter. Yet the Spirit Clan had vanished without a trace—no one had noticed any signs at all. Even among the numerous peak-tier masters of the Ancient Clan, none had detected any early warning. This in turn cast some suspicion upon them, for only the Ancient and Spirit Clans possessed the capability to quietly extinguish an entire Spirit Clan presence. "It is most likely the Spirit Clan that orchestrated this. Their objective is to keep the ancient clans on edge, preventing them from uniting or collaborating together," Xun'er glanced gently toward the direction where the three Spirit Palace masters were seated, and spoke softly. "There's no proof, and no one will believe us..." Guan Naihai shook his head, somewhat helpless, waved his hand dismissively, not wanting to dwell on the matter any longer. He glanced around, then said, "With the emergence of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, the Thunder Clan, the Herbal Clan, and the Stone Clan will surely also arrive—perhaps they'll be here soon as well..." "The Herbal Clan..." Hearing this, Xiao Yan's gaze shifted to the Elder of the Herbal Clan, and indeed, a touch of complexity flickered in the latter's eyes. "Now, we simply need to remain patient, waiting for the optimal moment to enter the space, and then attempt to subdue that Pure Lotus Demon Flame." Guan Naihai sighed deeply, placed his hands behind him, and lifted his gaze toward the distant, distorted sky. ... The terrifying heat poured out in waves from the ruptured space, with the luminous, milky glow appearing more and more frequently. Eventually, the desert beneath began to thicken, and the sand grains gradually melted. As the desert transformed into molten rock, the gusts of wind around it grew increasingly frequent. More and more powerful beings were drawn by the extraordinary phenomena, so that within just half an hour, the sky above was densely filled with figures. Yet most of these figures remained at a considerable distance from the ruptured space, only the true masters daring to approach within a thousand paces, like Xiao Yan and others. Meanwhile, the Lei and Shi clans, among the ancient eight tribes, also arrived sequentially. However, upon seeing Xun'er and the Hall Master of Hun Palace, they hesitated and then stepped back slightly, maintaining a distance—clearly, the disappearance of the Ling clan had instilled in them a heightened sense of caution and vigilance toward the ancient clans and the Hun clan. In response to this reaction, Xun'er and the others could only shake their heads slightly. They had no concrete evidence to prove that the Ling clan's disappearance was orchestrated by the Hun clan, and thus, faced helplessly with this sudden, unexplained suspicion. With the passage of time, roughly half an hour after the Lei Clan and Shi Clan arrived at this place, a gust of wind once again echoed on the horizon, carrying with it a faint aroma of herbs and medicine. "Members of the Yao Clan..." Noticing this distinct resonance, Xiao Yan's eyes instantly narrowed slightly. He could feel the skin of his companion, the elderly Yao, tightening noticeably around him. "Whoosh!" Under Xiao Yan's gaze, the space at a distance rippled, and three figures swiftly materialized. In a single flash, they appeared before all present. The visitors were three strangers—a man, a woman, and an elder. The man wore a splendid silk robe, with a handsome face, even possessing a delicate, slightly feminine grace. His lips were thin, conveying a certain coldness and sharpness. Beside him stood the woman, with long,蔚blue hair and a refined complexion, yet her expression was as cold as ice, embodying the elegance of an ice queen. The elder, dressed in a set of herbalist's robes, kept his hands folded in his sleeves, his eyes slightly narrowed, with occasional flashes of sharp intensity passing through them. "The young man's name is Yao Tian, the most outstanding among the youth of the Yao clan currently. His spiritual power has reached the late Heaven Realm, and having once consumed a precious pill that nearly became a Nine-Rank Xuandan, his actual strength has already reached the mid-stage of a Star Stellar Saint. He is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant figures in the clan. It is said that he has successfully crafted a Nine-Rank Xuandan before." Xun'er whispered softly beside Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan nodded slowly. Among these ancient races, endless resources could even turn a pig into a strong warrior—let alone these individuals, each possessing extraordinary talent. Such achievements were naturally astonishing. "The woman is her younger sister, Yao Ling. Though her current strength is only at the junior half-Saint level, her soul is truly exceptional. Within the Yao clan, she is regarded as the most likely to cultivate her soul all the way to the 'Emperor's Realm'." "The elder I mentioned—his name is..." Xiao Yan softly called out, gently grasping the elder's arm as he sensed that the latter was not in a good mood. "I'm fine..." the elder exhaled slowly, then shook his head. "Master has a grudge against Yao Wangui?" Xiao Yan asked softly. The elder tightened his fists slightly, remained silent for a moment, then spoke with a slightly strained voice: "Back then, it was he who failed to see the truth—just one remark, and he expelled me from the clan." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded silently, gently patting the elder's arm. A smile then spread across his face—one laced with quiet, sharp resolve.