Eliminating Huan Mie Sheng with effortless momentum, Xiao Yan didn't pay him much attention. With Huan Mie Sheng's capabilities, he posed no real threat to Xiao Yan. Having reached the Imperial Realm in spirit, Xiao Yan now looked down upon him with complete ease. With a gentle flick of his fingers, he glanced at the lifeless form before him, then swept his sleeve, sending it crashing into powder. Raising his head, he furrowed his brows, gazing at the chaotic battlefield above. Such a scale of conflict was the first he had encountered in recent years. The formidable strength displayed by the Huan Clan further added to Xiao Yan's seriousness. The allied forces assembled here were a coalition of the Ancient, Thunder, Flame, and Heavenly Palace alliances, boasting a substantial number of elite warriors. Yet even so, the battle remained fiercely contested. Xiao Yan's gaze first swept across the battlefield circle, then lifted to the black mist drifting across the sky. Within that mist, numerous Huan lineage warriors continually vanished. With Xiao Yan's current strength, any warrior below the rank of Seven-Star Battle Saint would go unnoticed. Yet for some reason, in his perception, he sensed that the mist concealed many powerful presences—some even so formidable that even he found them deeply intimidating. This was a subtle sensation; without his soul having reached the Emperor's realm, Xiao Yan would never have been able to detect such fine nuances. Nevertheless, this subtle awareness only deepened his growing seriousness—indeed, the Huan lineage's power seemed truly astonishing. "If we continue like this, today's battle will likely turn into a grueling struggle..." Xiang Yan's eyes flashed, then suddenly shifted his gaze toward the northern sector of the battlefield, where dense black mist swirled and several powerful streams of aura surged—clearly indicating the presence of many strong members of the Hún clan. Here, even the three clans and the Heavenly Palace Alliance had suffered numerous casualties. "Hún Fēng..." As he observed one particularly youthful figure among the several figures, a glint of frost formed in his eyes. It was said that this young man was the most outstanding among the Hún clan's rising generation; capturing him would undoubtedly give the Hún clan significant leverage. "Hiss!" This thought passed swiftly through his mind. With a cold laugh, Xiang Yan moved swiftly, his form transforming into a streak of black light, rushing toward the area shrouded in black mist. "Thud!" "Hunfeng coldly grasped the top of a powerful Yan clan warrior's skull, gazing at the fear etched upon his face. Yet in his eyes, a flush of crimson and ferocity flashed. With a firm squeeze, he crushed the warrior's head, spilling blood and brain matter everywhere, then casually tossed the body aside. 'Unimpressive...' Hunfeng wiped his hands gently, speaking with quiet ease. Beside him, four Hun clan elders, each at the rank of four-star Battle Saint, stood guard—demonstrating that the Hun clan indeed placed strong emphasis on his protection. 'Master Hunfeng, let's retreat a bit,' said an elder with gray hair, glancing around. 'There are so many strong warriors from the three clans nearby.' Though the true powerhouses of the three clans were mostly engaged, the area had become quite deep, and caution was always wise. 'Hm, alright, let's go,' Hunfeng nodded, frowning slightly as he was still in the midst of his momentum, but unable to argue further." "Hehe, Lord Houn Feng, you killed someone and just walked off like that—doesn't that seem a bit too carefree?" Yet, as Houn Feng turned around, a gentle smile suddenly broke through. He was startled, lifting his head only to find a young man dressed in black already standing above him, gazing calmly at them. "Xiao Yan? You managed to escape Lord Hun Mie Sheng's pursuit?" Houn Feng's expression tightened, his voice turning cold. "Pursuit?" Xiao Yan blinked, then fell silent—apparently, he had moved so swiftly that Hun Mie Sheng hadn't even noticed. "Lord Houn Feng, come on—Xiao Yan's spiritual realm has reached the Emperor's level, far surpassing his current rank. Hun Mie Sheng might have already fallen into his hands." Among the four elders guarding Houn Feng, the elder with white hair, whose eyes were sharp, immediately sensed the shift in Xiao Yan's demeanor. His heart sank at once, and he roared, "That's right!" Hearing this, the Huafeng's face could not help but twitch, his eyes filled with reluctance as he stared at Xiao Yan. Back when they were in the Spirit Fire Realm, Huafeng had never felt any hesitation toward the younger man. Yet in just a few years, the pressure Xiao Yan now exerted upon him had surpassed even that of the clan's Supreme Elders. "Let's go!" Though unwilling, Huafeng realized that with his current strength, a direct confrontation with Xiao Yan would likely end in defeat. Thus, he dared not push himself, and with a swift motion, he surged forward, heading straight toward the dark clouds high above. Behind him, the four Huafeng Elders watched Xiao Yan with cautious vigilance, retreating as they went. Upon seeing Xiao Yan relentlessly pursuing them, the four elders grew pale, shook their sleeves, and a chain resembling a venomous python surged forth. However, as soon as the chain emerged, the fire lotus appeared unexpectedly and swiftly adhered to it, unable to be dislodged despite the elders' vigorous struggles. "Boom!" As the elders prepared to hastily discard the chain, the fire lotus suddenly exploded, sending four radiant streams of flame leaping along the chain and reaching the four of them within an instant—first brushing their hands and then penetrating their bodies. "Bang!" With the flame streams entering their bodies, the elders' garments instantly turned to powder. Then, vibrant pink flames burst forth from their pores, hissing loudly and painfully. "Ah!" A piercing cry escaped their mouths as they desperately summoned their qi, furiously striking at the flames within, their cries of agony growing increasingly desperate. Xiao Yan moved through the four elders with a calm expression, lightly flicking his fingers and sending forth four streams of strong winds. The four elders of the Hún Clan expelled bursts of blood, their bodies falling like birds with broken wings, swiftly descending toward the ground—only to be intercepted by the stronger members of the three other clans. Seeing that four elders, each at the level of Four-Star Battle Saints, had been so easily overwhelmed by Xiao Yan, Hún Fēng’s face grew increasingly stern. He pushed his speed to its absolute limit and hurriedly retreated. "I've said it before—you won't escape," a voice filled with endless coldness suddenly resonated behind him as he moved. Hún Fēng’s eyes narrowed instantly, and with a powerful, forceful palm, he countered with a surge of black flame, delivering a devastating blow. "Thud!" The soul-wind's powerful palm strike, upon just being unleashed, met an invisible barrier—crashing with a thunderous sound, the bones in the former's hand snapped under the reverse force. The surge of internal energy recoiled violently, forcing the soul-wind to choke on a gush of blood that he managed to swallow against the flow. With that single gulp of blood, the soul-wind was stunned, his spirit trembling with awe—there was simply no comparison between them in terms of strength. As this thought flashed through his mind, he was about to activate a secret technique to enhance his speed when a slightly cool palm gently settled upon his neck, its icy touch instantly stiffening his body. "Ancestor! Save me!" he cried out, his voice sharp with urgency. "Ancestor?" "Heard the voice of Houn Feng, Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes, quickly scanning the sky battlefield. Now, the Houn Dynasty's Houn Tian Di, the formless one, Xuzhu Tingyan, and the four Houn Magi Saints were all being held in place—what kind of figure was Houn Feng's ancestor?" "Boom!" As Xiao Yan's mind brushed against a moment of curiosity, the black clouds above suddenly surged violently, then flowed dynamically, revealing a frail, elderly figure descending slowly—like one nearing the end of life. At the same time, a terrifying aura erupted, no weaker than that of the ancient dynasty's Black Yen King, Gu Li. "An Eight-Star Battle Saint?" Feeling the overwhelming strength of that aura, Xiao Yan's eyes slightly narrowed. The Houn Dynasty truly harbored such a power? "Esteemed young friend, could you release my unremarkable descendant?" The elderly figure stepped forward slowly, appearing before Xiao Yan in a single stride. His face, etched with deep wrinkles, was beaming with a warm, kind smile, and his tone was exceptionally gentle. "Who are you?" Xiao Yan scoffed. "Hmm, I am Huan Yuan Tian... Hehe, once a useless old man who died at the hands of Xiao Xuan." The elder smiled, and as he spoke the name "Xiao Xuan," Xiao Yan sensed the tone in the elder's voice grow noticeably colder and more somber. "You don't look like someone who's dead at all..." Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, finding the elder's appearance most unusual and thus feeling compelled to remain vigilant. Yet, he still didn't know how many such unexpected, powerful figures the Huan clan still held. If several more emerged like this... then even the allied forces might find themselves utterly helpless against the Huan clan. The thought alone stirred a subtle unease within Xiao Yan. Indeed, the Huan clan was far deeper and more enigmatic than he had imagined. Hun Yuan Tian chuckled, not answering the question directly. He said, "Hand me over to my old self—how about that? With all your allied forces, you'll find it quite difficult to keep me, the Hun Clan, any longer." "Indeed?" Xiao Yan's eyes grew cold. With his grip on Hun Feng's hand, he suddenly tightened it, causing the latter's face to instantly turn crimson as he struggled desperately. Witnessing this scene, Hun Yuan Tian sighed lightly, showing no sign of being pressured at all. A faint, dark aura seeped out from within him, and soon his dry hands began to turn foul and decayed. Then, with a gentle motion, he drifted forward and lightly struck Xiao Yan. On the dry, bone-like hands, Xiao Yan sensed an eerie, almost deathly presence. "Fine. You won't listen to good words—then go die."