"Whoosh!" A massive column of black light erupted from the center of the array, shooting downward with astonishing speed. In a single flash, it pierced through the heavens, even tearing open a colossal chasm in the molten sea below, stretching hundreds of paces wide. "Ah!" As the black light struck Net Lian's ethereal flame, he immediately sensed an extremely strange and powerful decomposing force emanating within it. Under this force, even the flames on his body began to fade, one by one. A cry of shock and rage rang out across the realm. "Thud! Thud! Thud!" Faced with the strange power emanating from the black light column, even the pure lotus demon flame felt a growing sense of urgency. Instantly, its body surged and expanded, transforming into a massive flame form stretching a thousand zhang in diameter. The temperature of the heavens and earth soared immediately, causing the molten lava below to boil violently, with towering columns of lava erupting continuously, roaring like the dawn of the end of days. Under the intense struggle of the pure lotus demon flame, the black light column rippled, even beginning to distort subtly. As his roar settled, the Hall Master immediately adjusted his hand seals, channeling all the vast qi within him continuously into the array, surging forth in an unceasing flow. Seeing his example, the others hesitated only briefly before gritting their teeth and swiftly channeling their own qi into the array. The pure lotus demon flame launched a furious counterattack, instantly causing the seven senior masters of the Soul Pavilion to pale, spitting out large amounts of blood at once. Their expressions grew weary and subdued, as the battle with the pure lotus demon flame had been so intense and vigorous that even they could no longer sustain it for long. "Let's fight it to the end!" The senior master of the Soul Pavilion wiped blood from his lips. Though his face had been ordinary before, now it bore a fierce determination. He bit down on his tongue, spitting out a surge of vital essence that shot directly into the light beam. "Plsht!" Seeing the senior master willingly sacrifice his essence, the others' expressions subtly shifted. Eventually, they gritted their teeth and also expelled a powerful stream of refined blood, pouring it into the light beam. "Shhhshhh!" As the seven began to fight fiercely, the light within the column suddenly intensified. Instantly, they saw the massive body of the Qinglian Demon Flame rapidly shrinking, despite the latter's continuous roar, which could not halt the trend of diminishment. "Sky-Net Sealing the Demon Array—Seal!" The Hall Master of the Soul Palace was overjoyed to witness this, swiftly changing his hand seals and finally delivering a sharp cry. With the cry, the black light column spanning heaven and earth rapidly retracted, condensing within a brief moment into a black cylindrical form about one zhang in height. Within the cylinder, a milky-white flame slowly rose, radiating an increasingly terrifying heat. "Success!" Everyone was filled with relief. After seven four-star Battle Saints had fought with relentless determination, they had finally managed to seal the Qinglian Demon Flame. Xiao Yan's gaze remained fixed on the black light column. After a moment, he quickly regained his composure, giving the Hall Master a subtle glance. At this moment, Xiao Yan and Zi Yan, along with the others, were all covered in wounds, their energies weakened—clearly, the battle against Jinglian's divine flame had taken a heavy toll on them. As Jinglian's divine flame was sealed, the sky briefly fell into stillness. The spirit hall's master took a moment to steady himself, then broke into a hearty laugh, bowing slightly to Ziyan and the others. As he did so, the tension in everyone else's bodies eased a little. Yet, just as they relaxed, a strange smile flashed across the master's face, and with a sudden grasp of his palm toward the black light pillar, the latter surged forth like lightning toward him. "Hah! Thank you all so much today—my spirit clan will never forget this kindness of yours!" "You fool!" "Indeed, not a worthy one at all!" This sudden turn left the crowd stunned, quickly regaining their composure, their voices of outrage now echoing across the sky. "Hmph. To take away the demon's flame? That won't be so easy!" When the black light pillar was only a few dozen paces away from the spirit hall master, a sharp, cold voice finally rang out, causing the space around to warp. The direction of the pillar instantly shifted, and it flew out to the left of the master. "You!" Upon seeing the primordial phoenix flame slip away just as it was about to be secured, the Master of the Soul Palace instantly erupted in fury, his gaze icy and sharp upon the one who had intervened—Zi Yan. Though currently in a less-than-optimal state, Zi Yan, who mastered spatial energy, had swiftly warped the space to deflect the light beam and shift its trajectory. Yet, though angered, the Master did not immediately launch an attack against Zi Yan. Instead, he quickly turned to Soul Feng and the Deputy Master of the Soul Palace, shouting, "Don't you dare hesitate—seize the phoenix flame!" "Now, act!" This sudden turn of events, though abrupt, was no surprise to Xiao Yan. He had anticipated it—he knew that after their brief alliance, an immediate internal conflict would erupt. Such a hasty union was inherently fragile, and under the allure of the pure lotus phoenix flame, the alliance had little resistance. Thus, as the Hall Master of the Soul Temple had just issued his command, he roared forth with a deep voice, and his back-mounted cyan-and-crimson bone wings swiftly emerged. With a single sweep, he materialized before the black light pillar, seizing it firmly. "You're going to die!" However, as his hand extended, a cold, resonant voice rang out from above—exactly the same as the deputy master of the Soul Temple, who had been intently observing the scene. Noticing the gust of wind rising from above, Xiao Yan's heart tightened, and he immediately changed his grip to a solid strike, pressing his palm against the light pillar, sending it hurtling toward Xun'er and the others. At the same time, he sharply pointed his finger toward the sky. "Yellow Springs Finger!" The massive energy finger rapidly solidified and collided directly with the deputy master's, their combined force sending out a powerful gust that drove both of them back several paces. "That's the essence of the spirit fire—seize it now!" At that moment, almost everyone had finally realized what was happening. A wave of fiery glances immediately turned toward the black light column dancing through the sky—within it lay the essence of the demonic flame, and whoever secured it would see an immediate, dramatic surge in their power! "Whoosh!" The intense gazes, blazing with urgency, fixed upon the black column. Within a single instant, the wind rushing through the sky sounded like a continuous roar. Every surviving powerhouse scrambled, employing every possible maneuver, rushing toward the column to seize it. "Ha! I've secured the essence of the demonic flame!" Exclaimed an elder half-saint in yellow robes, beaming with exhilaration, as he successfully grasped one end of the column. Yet, just as his laughter rang out, nearly ten sharp punches struck him without mercy, crashing into his body with tremendous force. Half of him exploded into a cloud of blood mist, his piercing cries echoing across the heavens. Staring at the chaotic scene, Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, sweeping his sleeve and sending two jade vials swiftly flying, which finally landed in the hands of Zǐ Yán and Gǔ Nánhǎi. "Quick! Restore your internal injuries!" he roared at them. Now that most of the强者 with four-star Battle Saints or above were somewhat weakened, they had not yet launched an attack—anyone who moved first would significantly increase their chances of successfully claiming the essence of the beast's flame. Upon receiving the pills, Zǐ Yán and Gǔ Nánhǎi said nothing, immediately swallowing them and restoring their battle energy. Of course, they remained vigilant around them, ever on the alert to prevent any surprise attacks. Xiao Yan turned his gaze toward the chaotic area, a flash of light passing through his eyes. His back-mounted cyan-and-crimson bone wings trembled once more, and his speed—far surpassing that of ordinary Dou Shengs—allowed him to surge through the crowd in just a few flashes. Yet, as he prepared to strike again, the Deputy Hall Master of the Hún Palace moved like a ghost, closing in with precise intent, clearly keeping a constant watch on him. As the deputy head of the Soul Temple's secondary hall was ensnared, Xiao Yan flicked his wings and instantly appeared beside the light pillar, grasping one end with a single hand. Yet when he pulled with all his strength, the light pillar remained utterly still. His expression grew cold, and he turned to see, at the other end of the pillar, a young man dressed in black gazing at him with calm yet ominous stillness. "Hun Feng," Xiao Yan's face gradually turned icy upon recognizing him. "No one has ever taken anything from me yet." Hun Feng stared at Xiao Yan with a cold, serene smile. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan lifted a corner of his mouth and delivered a solid palm strike. "Starting now, that changes!