"What?" The Hall Master of the Soul Palace couldn't help but slightly pale upon hearing this. The Soul Demon elder was a late-stage Five-Star Battle Saint, while Xiao Chen himself was only at the mid-stage of Five-Star Battle Saint—such a gap should make the elder's victory quite straightforward. "If Xiao Chen were that easy to defeat, he wouldn't have earned such a reputation back then..." said Houn Qiemo calmly. Though he himself was well-known in his time, he still fell short of figures like Xiao Chen. Had it not been for Xiao Chen's prolonged immersion in the illusion for so many years, even he might not have been able to stand against him. The Hall Master frowned, lifting his gaze to the increasingly intense battlefield. At this moment, Xiao Chen still appeared to be at a disadvantage, looking somewhat disoriented under the combined assaults of the Soul Demon elder and the Soul Gourd Frog. "I hope everything goes smoothly..." "Clang!" The colossal body of the Soul-Parasite Frog struck the great axe like a cannonball, delivering a force so powerful that it sent Xiao Chen reeling back several steps. Just as he had steadied himself, a piercing, cold gust of wind cut with exceptional precision and ferocity, sweeping directly toward his vital back area. In response, Xiao Chen instantly twisted his body, lifting the axe blade to sweep it upward, deflecting a sharp, serpentine spike that shot out like a venomous snake. Though he successfully withstood this daring assault, his Blood Axe was thrown backward, and his entire arm felt numb and tingling. "Xiao Chen," the Soul-Mage Elder appeared above the head of the Soul-Parasite Frog, gazing at him with a cold smile, "no matter how experienced you may be, I am still one rank above you in strength. To defeat me is nothing short of dreaming. Before the gathered heroes of the realm, you—once a towering figure—now find yourself so humbled, so embarrassed. Why not simply retreat and avoid further disgrace?" Xiao Chen's figure also materialized in midair. He glanced at the Spirit-Monster Elder, whose stern face showed no change, yet the vast aura swirling around him suddenly weakened. His hands tightened around the axe handle, then he raised it high above his head. "One blow—finish you off." "Hmph! Arrogant!" The Elder's expression grew cold, though within him, deep alertness stirred. His vast inner qi surged like a flood, forming countless spirals of energy along his body surface. Xiao Chen's blood-axe remained high, and the aura radiating from his entire body gradually faded into stillness. If it weren't for the visible form of his figure, one might have thought Xiao Chen's presence had vanished entirely from this realm. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" As萧晨's spirit gradually faded into stillness, suddenly dark clouds surged across the clear sky, within which lightning danced like silver serpents, roaring with thunder that echoed across the heavens. At the very moment the lightning surged,萧晨's spirit erupted violently, rising like a tangible column of energy straight toward the cloud layers. Most astonishing of all, his spirit had now surged directly to the late stage of Five-Star Battle Saint! Xiao Chen didn’t give the Spirit-Monster Elder any time to react. At the very moment his aura surged skyward, his blood axe suddenly swept across the heavens in an unusual arc. Instantly, a slender streak of blood—only as thick as a thumb—emerged and flashed into the sky. Where the blood streak passed, the entire realm seemed to be cleaved in two: one half roiled with dark clouds and thunder, the other surged with blood energy, fierce and deadly! "Whoa!" The Spirit-Monster Elder watched the strange blood streak rapidly expanding within his field of vision, his hands and feet growing cold. A sense of death quietly rose from deep within his heart. Fortunately, he was no ordinary being. Within an instant, he quickly steadied himself, suppressing his panic. At the same time, a fierce determination surged across his dry face. In such a critical moment, if he didn’t make a desperate effort, he would surely perish! "Devour the worm!" Under the watchful gaze of countless eyes, the Soul Demon elder suddenly pressed his palm firmly onto the head of the Soul-Ensnared Frog. As blood streaks surged forth, the frog instantly emitted a piercing, agonized croak. Then, everyone witnessed the massive body of the frog visibly dissolving at a rate visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into a thick, viscous pool of blood that the elder swallowed whole in one gulp. "Gurgle!" As the elder consumed the frog, blood globules began to swell and rise on his face, appearing particularly terrifying. Yet, at the same time, the vast aura of martial energy swirling around him grew increasingly fierce and turbulent. "Croak!" A thunderous croak erupted from the elder's transformed mouth, as energy from the heavens rapidly coalesced within his enlarged maw. In a matter of moments, a dense, viscous blood orb formed. "Boom!" The viscous blood cells appeared and immediately surged forth amidst the crowd's gazes, ultimately colliding with the streak of blood that had flashed across the sky! "Boom!" At the instant of impact, a powerful wave of bloodlight radiated outward, enveloping the entire mountain range in a deep, vibrant crimson hue. Fierce emotions stirred within the hearts of those with weaker capabilities, causing their eyes to grow bloodshot—yet fortunately, the attendees were all of solid strength, enabling them to remain grounded amidst this turbulent emotional surge. As this thought flashed through Xiao Yan's mind and he prepared to search, two figures suddenly launched backward within the massive crimson sphere, crashing hard against two mountain peaks respectively. The tremendous force directly caused both peaks to collapse. This sight left everyone astonished. Just as they were about to exclaim, the two figures emerged from the ruins of the mountains, wobbling slightly as they rose, their bodies streaked with blood and appearing disheveled. "Xiao Chen, the Elder!" "Senior Huamó!" Seeing their grim condition, people from both sides were stunned—clearly unprepared for such fierce resistance from these two. Xiao Chen wiped the blood from his face, glanced at the spirit-mage elder in the distance, and his eyes also grew serious. Indeed, his strength was only mid-level Five-Star Battle Saint—his earlier attack, which had matched a late-stage Battle Saint, could not have been sustained continuously. Yet it was a pity that the spirit-mage elder proved to be both ruthless and decisive; at the moment of crisis, he had directly devoured the insect-creatures, enabling Xiao Chen to emerge unscathed. Of course, while the strength surge from consuming the insect-creatures was significant, the aftermath was severe. For decades to come, this old man would struggle to advance in power due to the erosion of his internal qi by the insect-creatures. Controlling his somewhat frail body, Xiao Chen slowly settled beside Xiao Yan and the others. Now, both he and the spirit-mage elder had no further strength to fight. While Xiao Chen's injuries were merely weakening, the elder's condition was truly dire. "Senior Xiao Chen, are you all right?" As Xiao Chen landed, Xiao Yan quickly asked, and promptly offered a pill whose fragrance spiraled around it. "It's fine, though this match might still end in a draw—this final game, it all depends on you..." Xiao Chen took the pill, swallowed it, and spoke with a slightly regretful tone. Another draw! The elders and others by his side couldn't help but chuckle, as two out of three matches had ended in draws—quite amusing. Still, this meant the most crucial final match would ultimately rest on Xiao Chen's shoulders. "I'll take the final game," he said. "The elder had long predicted that we should launch a direct, all-out war with the Heavenly Alliance. Instead, you insisted on a high-level showdown. Now you're stuck, caught between a rock and a hard place. Should you lose your final match, I'll wager there'll be quite a spectacle!" the Spirit Demon elder murmured, his voice filled with simmering anger. "The existence of the Spirit Pavilion is of utmost importance to our Spirit Clan. This is no time to engage in a head-on confrontation. Should you truly wish to go to war, once our long-term plans are complete, you'll find yourselves fighting until you're worn down." The Pavilion's Master replied calmly. "Enough talk, Mingsheng. Prepare for the final battle—it will be between you and Xiao Yan." The Spirit Pavilion's Master turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan, stating, "Only this match between the two of you will determine the outcome of this entire conflict." The Pavilion's Master nodded slightly. "That young man is quite cunning now, and he's even mastered the Pure Lotus Demon Fire. Be careful not to stumble in the final stretch." the Spirit Demon elder added coldly. "The pure lotus demon flame, you say?" Hearing this, the Master of the Spirit Palace exchanged a glance with Hún Qiānmò by her side, a strange smile flickering across their eyes. Then, with a graceful sweep of her sleeve, the Master stepped forward slowly. "I'd like to see just how powerful the pure lotus demon flame proves to be in his hands."