The cold voice that suddenly erupted was as thunderous as a storm, resonating loudly beneath the sky, drawing countless pairs of eyes that had been uncertain and startled, all turning toward the direction from which the voice came. As the gaze of all converged upon the sky, the vast ethereal silhouette swiftly dissolved, revealing a young man dressed in black robes, his face cold and composed. Instantly, waves of exclamations rose one after another. "Xiao Yan? How could he be here?" "It's said that the Tian Yao Phoenix Clan wished to secure a representative from the Jiyou Di Ming Snake Clan—specifically, Xiao Yan's wife. Now it seems, this is indeed true..." "Hmm, this looks like a promising show. Xiao Yan isn't someone to be underestimated. He even defeated the Hall Master of the Soul Palace. Today, the Phoenix Heavens have truly stumbled upon a tough opponent." "Hmph. A mere human? How can he possibly compare to the great Phoenix Heavens?" Our race's combat prowess far surpasses that of human beings of the same rank. Now that Xiao Yan has gained such renown in the Zhongzhou region, this visit to our Beast Domain is precisely an opportunity for him to witness firsthand the strength and might of our beast kin! ... "Brother Xiao Yan!" This sudden development immediately caught the increasingly entangled Yin Mo's attention. As he glanced over, a surge of relief spread across his face—should Xiao Yan arrive in time, today's crisis would surely be averted. In the distance, Xiao Yan nodded gently to Yin Mo, then lowered his gaze toward the Nine-Deep Yellow Spring below. With a swift motion of his sleeve, he gently guided the water column forcibly drawn out by Huang Tian back into the spring, smoothing out the massive vortex in its wake. After completing these, Xiao Yan finally raised his head, his cold, bone-chilling gaze fixed upon the Phoenix Tian slowly ascending from the ruins of towering stones in the distance. Within his heart, a growing sense of determination stirred—during a period of seclusion, the most critical thing was to avoid sudden disruption. A single misstep could not only undo the efforts of a cultivator but even threaten their very lives. The earlier actions of Phoenix Tian, which clearly disregarded the safety of Cai Lin, were simply intolerable to Xiao Yan. "Are you indeed Xiao Yan?" Xiao Yan's expression remained frosty, and Phoenix Tian, too, bore a somber countenance, his golden-eyed gaze steadily fixed upon him, slowly speaking, "At last, you've arrived..." "Are you attempting to force me to appear?" Xiao Yan slightly raised an eyebrow. Phoenix Tian showed no surprise at his arrival—clearly, his objective was not Cai Lin, but Xiao Yan himself. "For all these years, you are the first one daring to seize a senior elder of our clan as a hostage..." Phoenix Tian gazed steadily at Xiao Yan, his mind gradually settling as the dizziness caused by Xiao Yan's fierce assault from the Yellow Springs Heaven calmed. "I can sense the aroma of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan within your body. Indeed, as the elder predicted, you carry the wings of the Heavenly Phoenix. With just these two points, you have now been added to our Heavenly Phoenix Clan's list of those destined to be eliminated." "Today, I shall use your life to prove to everyone that anyone who offends our clan shall be executed without mercy!" As the final word from Phoenix Tian fell, a brilliant golden light surged forth from his back, unfolding a pair of colossal golden wings stretching hundreds of paces in length. From a distance, the golden radiance enveloped him, radiating an aura of dignity and majesty. Xiao Yan stared at Huang Tian with a cold expression, scoffing at each of the charges he presented. He had never truly intended to become a mortal enemy of the Heavenly Phoenix Clan. When he captured their young prince and two elders, he had spared their lives, merely imprisoning them. As the situation on Dong Long Island stabilized, he eventually released all three. In this way, he had already conveyed his intentions—yet... now, observing this scene, he realized his goodwill had been misinterpreted. To the Heavenly Phoenix Clan, his actions were not acts of kindness, but rather a display of an unusual weakness. "Don't think that simply defeating the Master of the Soul Palace makes you worthy of boasting before me!" Huan Tian's eyes hardened. His massive golden wings behind him trembled slightly, and in an instant, his form surged forward with an astonishing speed, nearly teleporting to stand before Xiao Yan. With a powerful hand strike, golden light surged forth, forming a magnificent, radiant golden claw that slammed down upon Xiao Yan. As the claw descended, the space around Xiao Yan erupted in a series of thunderous cracks—popping and shattering violently. "Yellow Springs Palm!" Huan Tian's speed had even caused Xiao Yan to pause, yet he did not retreat. Instead, he altered his hand seal, launching a hand seal vast enough to span a hundred zhang. Fiery hues of pink flame danced continuously within the seal, radiating immense power. "Thud!" The palm and claw collided in the sky, sending out a violent surge of energy and wind that swept across the heavens, tearing apart the very clouds. A direct clash of forces sent a powerful surge crashing against Xiao Yan, causing his body to tremble as he stumbled back several steps. Though Xiao Yan was indeed pushed back, the Phoenix Heavens—being a late-stage Five-Star Battle Saint, with a celestial phoenix as his true form—was no less affected. A direct confrontation would not have favored Xiao Yan much. Nevertheless, even as Xiao Yan retreated, the Phoenix Heavens appeared no better off. The pinkish flames mingled within the energy seal on his hands caused a distinct scorched odor to drift from his palms, clearly indicating he had taken a toll from Jinglian Phoenix Fire. "Indeed, Jinglian Phoenix Fire," the Phoenix Heavens remarked coldly, glancing at his scorched palms. Golden light surged across his hands, instantly healing the burns. Xiao Yan remained silent, shaking his shoulders slightly, and as a result, his pair of jade-green and crimson bone wings unfurled. With a single wingbeat, he swiftly retreated—his speed, though swift, was not enough to fully benefit from close-range combat. "Let's see who's faster before the King!" Upon seeing Xiao Yan's move, Huang Tian chuckled, his twin wings flapping with a deep, resonant wind that roared across the sky. Yet, his form surged forward at a speed imperceptible to the human eye, closing the distance with astonishing swiftness—almost instantly catching up to Xiao Yan. "Thud!" With Huang Tian now at Xiao Yan's side, a surge of golden light erupted from his fist, crashing directly into Xiao Yan's head. At the very instant Xiao Yan turned, a golden fist burst forth from the space, striking his arms with the speed of a thunderbolt. The immense force sent Xiao Yan flying hundreds of feet. Yet even as he landed, before he had time to raise his head, a fierce wave of punching wind surged again, sweeping toward him with such velocity that it caused a slight pause in the onlookers. "Xiao Yan, prepare to witness the true power of the Tian Yao Huang Clan's Yao Huang Step!" Above, a continuous stream of golden light traces appeared around Xiao Yan, the dense and sharp waves of punches enveloping every part of his body. The powerful gusts of wind were so intense that they shattered the space within a hundred paces, turning it into fragments. "How astonishingly fast! The Heavens' Phoenix Clan is renowned for its speed. At its peak, Phoenix Tian's pace would even outpace a six-star Battle Saint. This time, Xiao Yan has truly encountered a formidable opponent—though it's said he himself is quite swift, he still falls far short when compared to Phoenix Tian's mastery." Numerous spectators, watching the dazzling and intricate battlefield, nodded in quiet admiration. From afar, Yao Ming furrowed his brows, his eyes showing a touch of concern. The current situation seemed to indicate that Xiao Yan was gradually gaining the upper hand. "Boom!" Amidst the dense crowd of golden figures forming a battle circle, Xiao Yan continuously darted within a relatively small range at a high frequency. Huo Tian was, by far, the fastest opponent Xiao Yan had encountered in recent years—his speed even surpassed his own, leaving him in awe. As a celestial phoenix of the Phoenix Clan, Huo Tian truly possessed exceptional advantages. At the outset of the battle, Xiao Yan had indeed been momentarily disoriented and clumsy under the onslaught of those seemingly ethereal punches, which instantly solidified into tangible force upon making contact—remarkably unpredictable. Fortunately, Xiao Yan’s combat experience had grown immensely rich over time. Even after falling behind, he quickly regained composure, focusing his attention while maneuvering, carefully tracking Huo Tian’s movements. While he could not match Huo Tian’s speed, Xiao Yan also held a distinct advantage that Huo Tian lacked—his soul power. Within the pitch-black pupils, golden silhouettes of figures swirled, their faces adorned with cold, stern smiles. Their sharp, relentless palm winds continuously targeted vital points around Xiao Yan, causing his internal qi and blood to surge and tremble within just a few seconds. Yet, despite being clearly at a disadvantage, Xiao Yan gradually closed his eyes, and his movements grew more deliberate and slow. Remarkably, this measured, deliberate shifting precisely deflected the overwhelming barrage of punches.