"Your soul is burning? You're mad!" The massive face suddenly flushed with shock as the strange flames rose from Xiao Xuan's body, his voice sharp and urgent. "If your soul is burning, you're not just vanishing—you're completely disappearing from this world!" "Soul burning?" Xiao Yan's body also jolted, his expression quickly turning grave. As a master alchemist, he knew well what soul burning meant—a form of explosive release, akin to bursting apart—requiring the sacrifice of one's life. The same was true here: by burning his soul, Xiao Xuan could unleash an immense surge of power, but at the cost of his soul being completely consumed. "My ancestor..." Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly, his eyes glistening with emotion. Xiao Xuan had never told him he would burn his soul. "My mission is complete. Whether I vanish or not now—no longer matters." Facing the slightly frightened spirit of Tian Mu, Xiao Xuan smiled gently and said nothing more. He raised his palm, glowing with flame, and reached out remotely, forming an immense suction force at the center of his palm. Suddenly, within the massive mouth of the Tian Mu spirit, intense tremors erupted, as though something were being forcibly pulled out. "You want to die? Then don't drag me along!" roared the Tian Mu spirit, its voice shaking the entire Tian Mu realm. With a wide opening of its great mouth, a colossal, invisible soul spear—stretching hundreds of li in length—burst forth, tearing through space and striking directly at Xiao Xuan. "I will proceed at the cost of burning my own soul. You shall not stop me." Faced with the soul of Tian Mu's resistance, Xiao Xuan's expression remained composed. He smiled gently and extended his hand, then lightly grasped it. The soul spear, surging with sharp sonic waves, suddenly halted. Then, with a mere flick of his sleeve, it reversed direction, striking Tian Mu's soul with even greater force—now bearing clusters of strange flames, the very fire of souls burning themselves. "Whoosh!" The spear's reflection was swift, almost instantaneous, transforming into a blazing streak that pierced straight through the giant's face. Instantly, the flames clinging to the spear flared up like they had encountered dry wood, spreading out in a sudden, lightning-fast blaze. "Ah!" The fireworks spread, and the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb emitted a piercing, agonized cry. If this were a normal battle, it would indeed be wary of Xiao Xuan, yet not truly afraid—however, now that Xiao Xuan had taken action, his very soul began to burn, its power surging dramatically. Even the Heavenly Tomb Spirit found it hard to withstand. To say nothing of the searing flames consuming his soul, which proved devastatingly lethal to a being composed entirely of spirit. Pure lotus-like妖 flames swirl around Xiao Yan's body. Though the soul shock is extremely powerful, Xiao Yan, with his current strength, is able to withstand it, and thus does not retreat—his gaze remains firmly fixed upon the battle above. Now, Xiao Xuan's soul power has reached an exceptionally formidable level; no matter how intensely Xiao Yan probes, he cannot reach its limits. Clearly, the self-burning of his soul has placed Xiao Xuan in a state akin to invincibility. Yet, as soon as Xiao Yan considers the cost—soul sacrifice—his fists involuntarily clench tighter. Though Xiao Xuan now exists only as a fragment of his soul, he still persists. After this battle, once his soul is completely consumed, he will vanish entirely from this world. "Xiao Xuan," Xiao Yan declares, "I will not let you go!" The colossal face withered within the flames, and after a long while, it transformed into a humanoid silhouette, its crimson, furious eyes locked onto Xiao Xuan, radiating an overwhelming killing intent. Undeterred by the roar of the Heavenly Tomb Soul, Xiao Xuan remained silent. He brought his hands together and swiftly manipulated a series of intricate and elaborate hand seals. As his seals shifted, brilliant streams of flame surged forth from his fingertips, rapidly weaving through the sky to form a vast, complex array. At the very center of this grand formation stood the Heavenly Tomb Soul. "Shhh!" As the array took shape, before the Heavenly Tomb Soul could react, countless streams of flame cascaded down from the array, piercing through its body with a series of sharp hissing sounds, ensnaring and suspending it within the formation. "Boom! Boom!" "Facing the entanglements, the celestial tomb soul was wildly struggling, sending waves of soul energy that even Xiao Yan found himself growing pale—like cannonballs continuously striking the entwined flame lines. Yet these seemingly fragile flame lines appeared to have a remarkable resistance against soul power. No matter how powerful the soul impacts, as soon as they touched the flame lines, they swiftly faded away." "If you can't even manage this state, then you're truly underestimating me, Xiao Xuan." Xiao Xuan glanced at the wildly struggling celestial tomb soul, offered a calm, serene smile. Though his voice was not loud, it carried an inherent presence and momentum—echoing the aura of a once-unparalleled master, even now reduced to a mere remnant of his former self. "Xiao Xuan, release me. Whatever you wish, we can discuss it together!" "After prolonged struggle without success, that day the spirit of the Heavenly Tomb grew more accommodating. It realized that in this state, Xiao Xuan was far stronger than itself. Yet as long as it could endure this period, even without direct intervention, Xiao Xuan would inevitably fade away. "No more hesitation—hand over your soul essence!" Xiao Xuan smiled at the Heavenly Tomb Spirit's softened tone, then changed his hand seal. Instantly, countless fiery threads surged forward, piercing deeply into the former's body, before slowly retracting. As the threads pulled, a luminous, translucent orb—about one zhang in diameter—began to emerge from within the spirit's form. As soon as a corner of the orb became visible, a brilliant radiance poured forth. Xiao Yan extended his palm into the flowing light. A warm sensation surged from the depths of his soul. At that moment, he seemed to hear his soul itself, almost in rapt hunger, calling out in eager anticipation. "This is indeed the essence of the Heavenly Tomb's soul..." Xiao Yin murmured. When he had destroyed the halls of the Soul Palace, he had obtained some of the soul essences that the Soul Palace had accumulated. Yet, compared to the radiant glow now before him, those essences seemed insignificant—like a minor artisan facing a master. The purity and strength of this one surpassed even the Soul Palace's soul essences by a vast margin. "Roar! Roar!" As the soul essence was forcibly drawn out, the Heavenly Tomb Soul roared like a wild beast, finally feeling fear. "Xiao Xuan! Release me! I will hand over the entire Heavenly Tomb to you. Whatever you desire, I shall give it to you!" With growing fear, the Heavenly Tomb Soul cried out continuously. Yet, his roar made no difference at all. Xiao Xuan didn't even glance at it. His hand seal changed rapidly, the force of the fiery lines growing stronger and stronger, until the translucent glow eventually had nearly half of it forcibly torn away from the body of the Heavenly Tomb Soul. "Xiao Xuan! I'm going to fight you to the end!" Feeling his inner strength rapidly fading, the Heavenly Tomb Soul finally realized that unless he fought desperately, he would be completely lost. Its body glowed brilliantly, and faintly, flames began to surge within—its very soul was being ignited and consumed. "Crack!" Just as the flames began to rise on its body, a palm seal descended from the heavens and struck hard across its face. The immense force sent it flying backward. At the same time, the round, translucent glow was suddenly torn completely from within the Heavenly Tomb Soul— "Give it back! Give it back!" The essence of the soul was forcibly drawn out, and almost immediately, a sense of frailty spread throughout the body of the Heavenly Tomb Soul. It roared wildly, charging furiously toward the source of its essence. Facing the charging Heavenly Tomb Soul, Xiao Xuan merely swept his robe, and a powerful gust of wind sent the former reeling backward, then crashing to the ground. As the Heavenly Tomb Soul landed, the energy bodies at a distance suddenly flushed with anger, their eyes blazing with hatred. Finally, with a deep, resonant roar, they surged forth in overwhelming numbers, launching a relentless assault upon the now profoundly weakened Heavenly Tomb Soul. "Ah!" "With its power drained, the Heavenly Tomb Soul naturally could not withstand such a volume of attacks. Soon thereafter, piercing cries rang out, and its body was shattered outright. A furious, reluctant remnant spirit rose into the air, gradually dissipating with the wind—this generation's Heavenly Tomb Soul had met such a fate. As the Heavenly Tomb Soul faded, the energy bodies on the ground saw their blood-red eyes grow clearer. When they looked at others again, their desire to consume them diminished significantly. After a moment of stillness, nearly all of them bowed respectfully to Xiao Xuan in the sky. Xiao Xuan paid no attention to these gestures. Before him floated a luminous, crystal-clear orb about a zhang in diameter. He turned his gaze to Xiao Yan below and smiled gently.