"Mo Hu Fa?!" The sudden turn of events caused everyone present to halt their current actions. The soul palace's enforcers stared in deep astonishment at the lifeless body without a head, as a gush of blood sprayed forth, and a blood-soaked head fell from the sky, rolling several times before coming to rest on the ground. The face of the head remained as cold and lifeless as it had been at the moment of death, casting a deeply unsettling impression. "You... who are you?! This is our territory—the Soul Palace's ground!" The man, clearly holding a position of greater prominence than the others, gazed in sheer terror at the two figures materializing from the sky. After a brief pause, he suddenly roared loudly, as if trying to expel his growing dread through the force of his voice. "The Spirit Palace's reach has already extended this far..." In the sky, the figures of a man and a woman gradually solidified—none other than Xiao Yan and Xun'er who had burst forth from the Spirit Flame Realm. With a calm glance at the group of thirty or so black-robed Spirit Palace attendants, the man's dark eyes revealed a subtle chill. Xiao Yan's own growing sense of cold immediately made the man's limbs feel icy, as though his internal Qi had momentarily frozen. Given that he could effortlessly dispatch a Five-Star Dao Sect master like Mo, the man believed their own defense would surely be a breeze. "Too solid—retreat!" With this thought, the man acted swiftly, speaking not a single word more. As his figure retreated to a hundred paces away, he roared. Seeing him bolt directly for the exit, the others' faces paled, and without bothering with the Li captain or the others, they turned and fled in panic. Witnessing this, the Li captain and the others instantly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though they had survived a near-death experience—so drained did they feel they were. "Having killed so many people, they can't possibly just walk away so easily. The people from the Heavenly City aren't easy to kill," said Xiao Yan, his gaze calm and detached as he watched the scattered black figures fleeing in all directions. With a gentle tap of his foot against the void, an invisible ripple spread out like lightning. "Plump! Plump!" As this invisible ripple gradually expanded, within just a few breaths, the dozens of figures fleeing from afar suddenly froze. Then, one by one, their heads were launched into the air by the force of the blood columns, crashing down with a thud onto the ground, their blood staining the earth crimson and creating a scene of overwhelming violence. Li and the others felt a wave of cold dread wash over them. They hadn't even seen exactly how Xiao Yan had delivered his attack—those elite soul palace masters, far stronger than themselves, had all been reduced to lifeless, headless corpses. "Thank you so much for your heroic rescue. We are the Xuan Squad of the Third External Division of the Tianfu Alliance. This life-saving grace will never be forgotten!" Yet Li, ever perceptive, quickly composed himself, bowing respectfully to the two figures floating in the air. Though they appeared remarkably young, in this world where strength reigned supreme, such effortless mastery over a Daoist cultivator of the peak rank was enough to command the deepest respect and earn them the title of elder. "External Division…" Hearing this, Xiao Yan was slightly surprised. Clearly, the Tianfu Alliance had grown significantly in recent years. "Divide these pills among them. As long as they still have a breath, they should survive." Xiao Yan flicked his finger, and the jade bottle landed in the Li team leader's hands. Without thinking, the latter grasped it tightly, his eyes widening instantly. The pills within the bottle exuded an exceptionally rich qi, and the fragrance rising from them surpassed even the highest-grade six-rank pills he had ever encountered. "This elder must be some remarkable figure—so generous with his offerings. A single pill like this is worth selling off all our people's assets." The Li team leader held the bottle tightly, then quickly pulled out the pills and distributed them to his most severely injured comrades. Only then did he lead several key members of the team, hesitating and trembling, to gaze at the man and woman who had descended from the sky. "Tell me what has happened since the closure of the Yāo Huǒ Space," Xiao Yan said casually upon landing. "Yes." "He promptly replied with due respect, for being a thoughtful man, he knew precisely what to ask and what to leave unsaid. After organizing his thoughts, he briefly recounted the major events that had taken place in Zhongzhou over the past two years. Throughout his narration, their eyes kept subtly shifting toward the young man before them, as though something familiar had unexpectedly surfaced. 'Stone Clan gone?' The events in Zhongzhou over the past two years had prompted Xiang Yan to nod repeatedly. When the Lu Captain mentioned that the Stone Clan had vanished in a manner similar to the Lin Clan, Xiang Yan and Xun'er both experienced a sudden and simultaneous change in expression. 'Yes, the Stone Clan's disappearance mirrors that of the Lin Clan. However, in the past year, no such incidents have occurred—perhaps this is related to the ancient alliance among the three clans...' said the Lu Captain respectfully." "It's surprising—within just two years, so many things have happened..." Xiao Yan's face was serious as he murmured softly. In such a short span, the Heavenly Palace and the Spirit Temple had gone to war, the Stone Clan had vanished, and the alliance among the three clans had been forged—such momentous events had now converged, truly making it a bustling time. "Senior, I mean..." Seeing Xiao Yan deep in thought, the Li team leader glanced around hesitantly before carefully speaking, "There's a branch of the Spirit Temple not far from here. Usually, if a guardian perishes, they are immediately aware. Therefore, we should make our departure as soon as possible. The Spirit Temple branch on the Spirit Fire Plain is quite strong. In fact, during the hot season, I have a Spirit Clan Divinity Saint stationed there. Over the past two years of conflict, several of our Heavenly Palace's strongest warriors have fallen at the hands of that Divinity Saint." "Ah? How many Divinity Saints?" Xiao Yan's eyebrows slightly raised as he replied. "One star..." Although Li, the team leader, didn't understand why Xiao Yan was asking so specifically, he still calmly replied. To them, a warrior of that level existed only in legend. "One star, huh..." Xiao Yan stroked his chin and then nodded slightly. Seeing this, Li and the others exchanged a pleased look. Just as they were about to seize the moment and urge the elder to leave promptly, they were suddenly stunned by the next sentence. "Do you know the way? Take me to the branch pavilion." Upon seeing the young man's warm, smiling expression, everyone fell silent. Li's lips trembled. The branch pavilion of the Soul Pavilion had always been regarded as their most formidable sanctuary—everyone avoided it at all costs, never imagining they would dare to enter. "Come on..." At their silence, Xiao Yan merely smiled, placing his hand on Li's shoulder. Before he could speak, the space rippled, and the three of them vanished without a trace. The other teammates stared, their faces instantly pale—going to the Soul Palace's branch was no mere gamble; it was a death sentence. "This time, we're done..." one teammate sighed, his face drained of color. After barely surviving, he now found himself willingly stepping into the path of certain doom. "What now?" "Don't worry—seems that senior isn't an ordinary person." "But the branch is guarded by a Supreme Battle Saint. Even if that senior is exceptionally skilled, how can someone so young possibly stand against such an old, formidable presence?" "Hmm..." The group exchanged glances, debated, and ultimately ended up with their heads bowed in resignation. "Hmph!" "Just as everyone remained silent, the space stirred once more, and three figures materialized—precisely the trio who had only just left ten minutes prior." "Captain!" Upon seeing the three alive and returning, the others erupted with joy and rushed toward them. Yet, amid the crowd, the Captain stood utterly stunned. No one, after witnessing the legendary Elder Saint, a figure of myth in their hearts, reduced to pulp by a mere palm strike from a young man standing before them, could remain composed. "Captain, wasn't the Elder Saint still in the secondary pavilion?" Hearing a faint sound from around him, the Li队长 finally regained his composure, shaking his head with a strained voice: "Then, on the Spirit Fire Plain, there will be no branch of the Spirit Pavilion, nor will there be that renowned Spirit Qing Sage anymore..." Upon hearing this, everyone was momentarily stunned, then suddenly snapped back to awareness, their eyes filled with disbelief—within just a few minutes, the Spirit Pavilion's branch had vanished entirely? "Let's go..." Seeing the comical expressions on these people's faces, Xiao Yan smiled and turned around, stepping into the void, slowly making his way toward the distance. "Go find the regional director. From now on, you will be regional members of the Inner Alliance of Tianfu..." Hearing the faint voice, every person present felt their bodies subtly tremble. Members of the Inner Alliance were ranked as Heaven, Earth, Cloud, and Yellow. Even though they had made significant contributions this time, they could at best attain Yellow-level status—how far they still had to go to reach the Regional level remained unknown. How could this person achieve such a transformation with just one sentence? "Senior, may I know your name?" The Li team leader was equally startled, then suddenly knelt down, bowing deeply and shouting respectfully. "Tell them that it was Xiao Yan who sent you," came a light, breezy voice from afar, drifting gently and lingering in the air around everyone. "Xiao... Xiao Yan..." The crowd suddenly looked up, their eyes wide with astonishment at the fading, ethereal figure that had vanished into the void. It wasn't until after a moment of silence that their voices, trembling with excitement, finally broke.