"Black Annihilation Army, seize him!" As the figure was erupted from the mountain body by molten lava, Xun'er immediately commanded coldly, for she was not unfamiliar with this figure. "Bundle of Spirit Net!" Upon Xun'er's command, numerous figures surged across the sky, all shouting at once, their powerful qi rapidly coalescing into a vast qi net that then pressed down upon the figure with overwhelming force. The net carried a distinct resonance—anyone caught within would be torn apart by the Black Annihilation Army soldiers, making escape extremely difficult. "Explosion!" Facing the immense energy net, the figure remained calm, adjusting his hand seals, launching dozens of fierce gusts of wind that struck the net at various points in succession. The gusts roared and, remarkably, shattered the net completely. Then, he swiftly raised his gaze toward the distant sky, accelerating his movement to its peak, and surged upward toward the heavens. "Ineffective. He's extremely familiar with the Black Annihilation Army's Soul-Weaving Net—his moves are precisely targeting its weakest points!" Seeing the massive soul-energy net, painstakingly formed by countless Black Annihilation soldiers, so easily torn apart, Gu Qingyang's expression grew serious. "Hmph, Gu Yang—you traitor!" As Gu Yang swiftly soared toward the sky, Gu Dao and his two companions spotted him and immediately grew cold. However, just as they were about to intervene, three of the four Soul-Emperor saints from the Spirit Clan materialized like ghosts before them, while the fourth one manipulated hand seals, a colossal beam of black light erupting from his palm and striking the defensive energy shield with tremendous force—so powerful it tore a gaping crack through the shield. "Don't let him escape!" Above, the sky was in chaos. Xun lightly waved her hands; though the ancient clan boasted many powerful warriors, they had to remain vigilant against the spiritual clan's potential counterattacks, so many of the elders couldn't leave their array positions. The younger warriors, however, were free to act. As soon as Xun issued her command, she stepped forward and surged into the air, followed swiftly by Gu Qingyang and the others. "Let's also engage!" Upon seeing this, Huo Xuan, standing on the stone platform of the training ground, spoke firmly and then moved with decisive motion. Her massive fire wings unfolded behind her, sweeping toward the figure in the sky. Behind her, Huo Zhi and several other strong warriors from the Flame clan also launched their attacks. "What should we do, Brother Lei?" The younger members of the Thunder clan were stunned by the sudden outbreak of battle. The thundercloud hesitated and asked. "You all stay here—I will take the lead!" Lei's brows furrowed tightly, then he lightly roared, a flash of silver light rippling across his body as he surged forward. The other members of the Lei Clan, seeing this, could only nod helplessly—given their strength, even a slight touch from the ancient ram might result in serious injury, and such an outcome would only add to the complications. "Heard Xun'er's scolding, the elderly man with his hair wildly disheveled could not help but chuckle strangely, his strands of hair falling across his face parting to reveal two eyes gleaming with a cold, sharp intensity—quite unlike the gentle demeanor he had previously displayed. Xun'er and the others' eyes narrowed slightly, a chill spreading through their hearts. Indeed, this ancient ram was a true elder of the ancient clan. If he were false, then how could it be that all the clan's secrets had been fully revealed to the Hún clan over these many years? "My soul was forcibly merged with that of the Void Lord over a century ago," the ancient ram said with a strange chuckle. "For these years, I've stayed quietly in the background, avoiding appearances before Gu Yuan and the others. Yet, fortunately, I've finally waited for this very day!" As he spoke, he stepped back abruptly, and at the same time, brilliant streams of martial energy surged forth from the palms of Xun'er and the others, intersecting and striking powerfully toward him. "A group of younglings, daring to keep me here?" "The ancient ram burst into laughter, pressing hard with his palm toward the ground. The space instantly warped and solidified, forming tangible substance that effortlessly blocked the numerous streams of qi energy launched by the others." "Young man, dare you disrupt the great affairs of my Spirit Clan? Then you are surely seeking your death!" Naturally, Huan Yan had clearly observed what was unfolding here. Seeing the ancient ram blocked, especially when he noticed that the one who had intervened was precisely Xiao Yan—someone who had escaped from his very grasp—Huan Yan erupted into fury. With a roar, he pointed at the void, and a deeply profound black glow surged from his fingertip, racing forth with a speed imperceptible to the human eye. "Withered Finger!" Seeing Xiao Yan directly counter his assault, Hounyan's expression suddenly darkened, with a touch of astonishment flickering in his eyes. Back then, at the time of the Medicinal Clan, Xiao Yan had still needed to rely on the Strange Fire to push him back. Now, however, he could already hold his own against Hounyan with his own strength—such progress was truly astonishing. "Today, I shall see just how many of my fingers you can withstand!" Hounyan's gaze shifted, black glimmers reappearing at his fingertips. Xiao Yan's strength, though, was only at the level of a Six-Star Soul Saint—only enhanced through a special technique to reach this point. Yet, to truly match him on equal footing with this level of prowess, he still fell short. With a sharp command, Hounyan offered Xiao Yan no time to recover. Ten fingers shot out, ten black glimmers darting swiftly into the cracks of Xiao Yan's defenses before converging and shooting toward him. Watching this scene, Xiao Yan's eyes also narrowed slightly. With a twist of his palm, he reached to gather the Flame Lotus. Yet before the Lotus fully formed, a solid figure suddenly burst through the air, delivering a powerful punch that unleashed a wave of pressure as vast and imposing as a mountain, directly shattering the ten streaks of black light. "Hunyan, let me have a proper match with you—attacking a young upstart like this isn't exactly skill!" "Hmph. Gu Li, you haven't improved much over the years as Black Annihilation King!" Observing the figure's form as solid and weighty as a mountain, Hunyan's expression changed. "Black Annihilation King? The supreme commander of the Black Annihilation Army? Indeed, the Gu clan boasts truly outstanding talents!" Staring at the figure's silhouette ahead, Xiao Yan was momentarily stunned—he had never seen this person before in the Gu clan. "Xiao Yan, take care of Gu Yang. Make sure you recover the ancient jade!" The Black Annihilation King waved his cloak, didn't turn around, and with a solemn voice, said these words before stepping into the air, immediately engaging in fierce combat with Hunyan. Xiao Yan nodded, with no intention to focus on the battle between the two, and turned around, coldly gazing at the ancient ram who was disheveled and wild-haired. Xun'er and the others gradually gathered around, forming a tight circle that completely encircled him. The ram stared at the surrounding encirclement, and suddenly a fierce expression swept across his face. With a firm stomp of his foot, his body surged directly toward the energy shield floating above, aiming to charge through it head-on. Seeing that he intended to break through despite the resistance, Xiao Yan's expression grew stern. Fiery flames erupted, rushing at him with the speed of lightning and striking his body with tremendous force, causing his flesh and blood to fly in all directions. Amidst the intense assault from Xiao Yan and his companions, the ram was covered in blood, yet the fury and wildness on his face intensified. As he approached within a hundred paces of the shield, his body—already nearly shattered—began to rapidly expand. "He's going to self-explosion!" "Seeing this scene, Xiao Yan and the others immediately stiffened. A Five-Star Late Peak Battle Saint's self-explosion released an immense force, causing everyone's pace to slow down momentarily. 'Boom!' As the group's speed diminished, the ancient sheep's body exploded instantly. The violent shockwave tore through the energy defense shield in a matter of seconds, and as the energy surged forth, a streak of blood suddenly burst out from within, racing wildly toward the several battle circles above. 'The ancient jade is inside—it's protecting him!' Xiao Yan spotted it immediately. The blood streak carried a palm-sized, translucent ancient jade, clearly the Tosheda Ancient Emperor's Jade from the Ancient Clan. To deliver it, the warrior had chosen to sacrifice himself outright."