Hearing the deep, resonant roar emanating from Xiao Chen's mouth, Xiao Yin's heart trembled violently at that very moment. A peculiar sensation, originating deep within his bloodline, gradually spread through every part of his body—so profound that even his soul seemed to shiver. It was a sense of pride once held by a race that had stood at the pinnacle of this continent. Though the race had now declined, that pride remained deeply embedded in its very veins. In the era when the Xiao clan had reached its zenith, no one dared challenge its authority. Even the Hun clan had merely coiled like a serpent, quietly observing, waiting for the right moment to strike when the Xiao clan grew weary. Xiao Chen's eyes were cold and piercing, and with a sudden thrust of his foot against the ground, he flashed forward, materializing directly above the Spirit-Mage Elder. His massive crimson axe, resembling the legendary Heaven-Opening Divine Axe that had split the heavens and earth, crashed down with tremendous force upon the elder. "If I have no merit, you shall personally test it!" Despite the overwhelming momentum of Xiao Chen's attack, the Spirit-Mage Elder merely sneered. With a ripple of his sleeve, dozens of slender, pale bone chains shot forth, forming a swift white web of interlacing strands in the air. Black mist surged as the web stabilized, absorbing the full force of the axe's impact. "Creak! Creak!" The axe struck the web, and the powerful force was rapidly dissipated. Its descent slowed progressively, as though sinking deep into a thick, sticky mud. Eventually, it halted, just half a foot from the elder's forehead. "Xiao Chen's Blood Axe—nothing special!" "Indeed?" "Heard this, a flash of red light appeared in Xiao Chen's eyes. A thin streak of blood suddenly emerged on the massive axe's blade, and the axe descended once more. That bone network, as delicate and supple as silk, was cleanly severed with ease. At the same time, the axe's edge darted swiftly, slashing across the elder spirit-mage's throat. The sudden turn of events startled the spirit-mage slightly, yet he remained calm. With his hand, like dry bones, he drew an odd arc and gently pressed it against the axe's surface, then casually struck it. A tremendous crash echoed as the massive blood axe was propelled right off its path—his palm strike sent it flying—and the blade severed a lock of the elder's hair. 'Hmph!' "During their first encounter, they had been a bit overconfident and suffered a small setback. The Spirit Demon elder's expression grew cold, and his hand seals shifted suddenly. From within the vast black clouds crowding his head, countless piercing cries of agony suddenly erupted—faintly, one could even see countless figures struggling within the clouds. "Heavenly Demon Blood Parasite, devour!" With the cold command from the elder, the black clouds surged violently. In a moment, a fierce, unnatural aura, unlike anything human, burst forth. Then, under the stunned gazes of all present, a brilliant streak of blood light, like a thunderbolt, tore through the clouds and surged toward Xiao Chen at lightning speed. "Earth-Shattering Slash!" Gazing at the blood glow rapidly expanding within his pupils, Xiao Chen's massive blood axe instantly spun like a windmill. Then, the axe halted, and a blood aura stretching a full thousand zhang surged forth from its blade, carrying a deep sonic boom with it, colliding fiercely with the glow as swift as lightning. "Quack!" Hitting the thousand-zhang-long blood aura with full force, the glow was violently hurled back thousands of zhang, emitting a piercing cry that shattered several mountain peaks along its path into fine dust. Though struck hard, the glow proved remarkably resilient, steadying itself only to surge back again—this time at a noticeably slower pace, allowing many observers to clearly see its form, prompting numerous gasps of awe. It was something resembling a toad, only its body was a deep red color, and across its surface, there were countless protruding flesh masses. Upon closer inspection, these masses bore fierce human faces. "Indeed a spirit-worm toad. This spirit-mage elder must have quite sharp tactics," the herbal master remarked, gazing at the terrifying blood toad, his expression not much improved. Xiao Yan's brow also furrowed slightly. He had heard of the spirit-guilded frog—supposedly, it was crafted by gathering numerous souls, having them fight and slaughter one another, and then refining them with various materials. This creature resembled a puppet, yet due to the forced amalgamation of countless souls, it possessed a certain level of intelligence. However, that intelligence was dominated by its fierce, aggressive nature. Once released, the spirit-guilded frog would relentlessly attack and even, in later stages, turn on its master, launching assaults against its host. Therefore, such a creature was typically cultivated by individuals with particularly ruthless means. As for those gazes, the Soul Demon elder paid them no heed, his face growing stern and sharp. With a finger pointing toward Xiao Chen at a distance, he issued his command—immediately, the Soul-Ensnaring Frog surged forth once more. While the Soul Demon elder continuously launched sharp, precise attacks on Xiao Chen, keeping him under constant pressure, especially targeting his vital points, clearly aiming to finally eliminate him right there. Facing the combined assault from both the man and the frog, Xiao Chen was forced to shift from offense to defense, gradually beginning to feel the pressure. "It seems things aren't going well at all," murmured the elders of the Medicine Sect, frowning slightly. In contrast, the delegation from the Soul Palace appeared delighted. Xiao Yan's gaze was firmly fixed on Xiao Chen. Though Xiao Chen was constantly constrained, his expression remained largely unchanged, which eased Xiao Yan's mind slightly. While Xiao Chen's ancestor might have been slightly less powerful than the Spirit-Mage Elder, he had still been a prominent figure of his time and possessed considerable experience that could not be easily matched by the Spirit-Mage Elder. "I wonder how things are going in that space..." Xiao Yan's eyes turned once more toward the space constructed there. The battle within had gradually intensified, and even though it was separated by space, Xiao Yan could still feel the surging destructive forces. However, now, with just his eyes, he could no longer clearly discern the details of the battle, so he wasn't entirely certain of what was unfolding inside. "With two out of three matches completed, the Spirit Pavilion's master still hasn't stepped in—perhaps he intends to wait until after the final two matches to decide his next move..." Xiang Yan pondered. If both the Spirit Demon elder and Hún Qiān Mò secure victories, then the opposing side will have won two out of the three matches, making the final match unnecessary. As Xiang Yan contemplated, the sky's battle grew increasingly intense, with sharp exchanges so rapid and dynamic that only those with keen eyesight could keep up with the flashing figures. As the two figures emerged from the spatial passage, waves of astonishment rippled through the mountains. "Well, Old Man Huang truly has some skill after all..." Hu Qinmo stabilized himself in the sky, appearing neither disheveled nor out of breath—his clothes remained largely unchanged. Yet, as a true powerhouse like Xiao Yan could easily discern, the inner qi of the elder had been drained to an astonishing extent, clearly indicating how fierce and intense their battle within that space had been. Hearing this, both Hún Qiān Mò and the Elder of Dān Tǎ paused slightly, exchanged glances, and then spoke: "Let's call it a draw..." Their strengths were not vastly different; indeed, if they truly fought to the death, a clear winner could be determined. Yet clearly, neither was willing to go that far.