Hearing the words of the Soul-Monster elder, every person present felt a sudden jolt in their hearts, casting a series of puzzled and astonished glances toward the empty space—could there be stronger beings hidden there, unknown to them? "The old monster from Xiao Dan Tower?" Xiang Yan followed the direction of their gaze, his mind instantly stirred. Could it be that the elder was referring to the enigmatic elder from Xiao Dan Tower? As this thought came to him, a subtle sense of joy welled up within him. Regardless of the circumstances, now the Dan Tower was firmly aligned under his banner. If this mysterious elder appeared, he had no doubt that he would not harbor any hostility toward them. "Ah, I knew it—the Hu Clan would surely not abide by the established customs..." Under the collective gaze of the audience, the space remained still for a moment before gradually beginning to ripple. Then, a voice unusually weathered and profound emerged softly. As the voice resonated, the space's vibrations intensified. Suddenly, a young ox stepped forth through the void, moving steadily beneath a deep, resonant lowing. "Hmph..." The attention of Xiao Yan and his companions immediately shifted toward the ox—specifically, toward the figure upon its back. Yet, upon seeing the figure clearly, they were taken aback. The image of an elderly sage they had expected did not materialize. Instead, the person on the ox was compact in stature, dressed in simple, coarse cloth garments, with clear, bright eyes and a youthful face. At first glance, he appeared to be no more than a child of about ten or so! A series of astonished glances were cast upon the child riding on the green ox, and for a moment, all fell silent—clearly unprepared to hear such a venerable voice emanating from a young boy. "The Grand Elder mentioned that the elder often enjoys playing life, constantly transferring his body to renew himself. Now, seeing this firsthand, it truly seems to be so," said Xiao Yan, after initially being struck by surprise, his eyes briefly brightening with sudden clarity. "Old sprite, you still enjoy playing the part of a mystic!" the Spirit Demon elder remarked, a cold smile forming as he gazed at the child on the ox. Though his eyes, usually calm and composed, now carried a subtle undercurrent of apprehension. "If the Spirit Clan adheres strictly to protocol, I might never have needed to appear at all," said the child, lazily stretching his arms and then smiling gently, his clear, bright eyes fixed upon the elder. "This very protocol was agreed upon long ago. Now, the Spirit Clan has even sent you out—what could this possibly mean?" "The essence of the spirit flame—my soul clan absolutely must secure it. Old beast, you'd better not interfere. Our clan elder has been deeply interested in you for a long time now. By now, I'd wager you've already reached the peak of the ninth-rank pyro-essence. Should you make one more step... heh, even our clan elder might be compelled to step in and make a move." The spirit demon elder chuckled. As the spirit-mage elder finished speaking, the distant black screen suddenly burst apart, and a figure was thrown backward, spitting out several streams of blood along the way before finally steadying himself with a pale face. It appeared to be the spirit palace's master who had previously attempted to use the screen to trap Xiao Chen. "You've truly disgraced the name of the Spirit Palace master," the elder remarked, frowning slightly at the master's evident embarrassment. "You're not exactly humble either, old man—don't act so superior over your years. I believe you know better than I do about that man's true capabilities!" The spirit palace master wiped blood from his lip, shouting angrily. When Xiao Chen had drawn out that massive blood axe earlier, he had already deduced the visitor's identity. In the Xiao clan, who else besides the young prodigy Xiao Chen—born with exceptional talent—could wield such an unusual weapon with such commanding skill? Yet, he had not expected that the one who should have been missing would appear precisely here at this moment. "Xiao Chen, the Blood-Axle... I didn't think you'd actually made it this far. It's fortunate for you—had you been part of the Xiao clan, your fate would have been no different from that of Xiao Xuan and the others..." The Spirit-Monster elder raised his head, gazing at Xiao Chen who walked steadily forward with his massive blood-axe, his eyes shimmering with a cold intensity. Xiao Chen paused, his gaze fixed on the elder, his brows furrowed. From the elder's presence, he sensed an aura far stronger than that of the Spirit-Dome's master—so powerful that even he would find it difficult to overcome. "Heh, the Xiao clan truly is a resilient organism, enduring even in the face of adversity. It's truly commendable that you've managed to survive this long, Xiao Chen," smiled the young ox herdsman. His seniority was immense, and even when facing such a venerable being as Xiao Chen—living for thousands of years—he treated him as a peer. "You're... the one from the old Dantai, aren't you?" Xiao Chen's gaze turned to the young cowherd, though the latter had changed greatly in appearance, the unique aura he carried was unmistakably familiar. Indeed, in all the world, there seemed to be only one person who possessed such an aura. The young cowherd smiled, the smile appearing somewhat awkward and youthful on his fresh-faced countenance, yet everyone knew that beneath this youthfulness lay a deep, world-weary wisdom. "Senior!" At that moment, the senior abbot of the small Dantai finally recovered from his astonishment and immediately knelt down, tears streaming down his face, deeply moved. Though he had only met the guardian of the Dantai a few times before, the renewed encounter stirred within him an overwhelming sense of emotion. "Hehe, you must be Xiao Mo. I didn't expect you'd already reached the level of Battle Saint now..." The young green ox herdsman smiled, then lightly waved his hand, and at once, the senior elder straightened up. "Now isn't the time for small talk, Xiao Xin. Hand me the original Phoenix Flame essence." At the very instant Xiao Yan projected the black light column, the Spirit Demon elder's eyes grew cold. A sharp, resonant exhalation echoed like a thunderclap in everyone's ears, carrying an intense surge of soul-force that sent waves of dizziness rippling through many of the listeners. "Fifth-Star Soul Saint, late stage—what a formidable presence this old man possesses!" Xiao Yan's eardrums buzzed with sharp pain, his heart filled with awe. This elder's strength was truly overwhelming; should they engage in direct combat, Xiao Yan would likely be unable to withstand even a single palm strike. "Whoosh!" As the cold exhalation escaped his lips, the Spirit Demon elder vanished from his original position, instantly materializing at the spot where the light column had passed, and immediately reached out to grasp it. Yet, as the spectral elder's hand was about to rest upon the luminous column, he suddenly noticed that the surrounding space had undergone an eerie transformation. A ripple passed through the space, and his body materialized directly at the location of the young oxherd, while the latter appeared unexpectedly where the elder had previously stood—so astonishing was this phenomenon that it seemed as though their positions had instantly swapped in that very instant. Between the Saint levels, each tier represents an immense gap. When the Hall Master of the Soul Palace transitioned from late Four-Star Saint to early Five-Star Saint, he could easily defeat Zǐ Yán—this alone demonstrates the significant disparity between them. Thus, although the Soul Demon elder is at late Five-Star Saint level, he offers no resistance whatsoever against the young ox herdsman, who has reached the level of Six-Star Saint. The Hall Master, Deputy Master, and Soul Wind, stationed behind, watch in growing disbelief, silent and speechless. A Six-Star Saint is a rare achievement even within the Soul Clan—only the few Supreme Elders possess such strength. It is thus no surprise that the founder of the Small Dan Tower has reached such an extraordinary level. This explains why, in the past, the Soul Palace often halted their efforts to truly engage the Dan Tower—there truly exists such a presence within the Small Dan Tower. As for the astonishing cry of the spirit demon elder, the young ox herdsman paid it no heed. With his small hands gripping the black light column, he slowly examined the essence of the demonic flame under the tense gaze of Xiao Yan. "Old monster, are you truly determined to go to war with our spirit lineage?" the spirit demon elder barked, his face cold and stern. "Unimaginably foolish," the young ox herdsman glanced at him, shook his head, and then casually tossed the light column into the sky. As the elder watched, his face lit up with delight—only to have it fall into alarm when the young herdsman spoke the next words. "The Pure Lotus Demonic Flame—indeed, a third-tier flame on the list of rare flames. You deliberately kept it sealed, not to merely observe the internal conflicts among them, but so that you could reap the benefits as the beneficiaries of their struggles. You've hidden your intentions well, yet you've failed to conceal them from me. Now, step forth." The young herdsman of the green ox slowly raised his head, gazing at the swirling column of black light in the sky. With a clear gaze fixed upon the core of the demonic flame within it, he smiled gently.