"Hun Yuan Tian?" Looking at the two elderly men before him, their bodies wrapped in thick waves of deathly aura, Xiao Yan smiled. One of them was precisely Hun Yuan Tian, the very one Xiao Yan had seized the moment to take away the Stillness Gate from—back then. "Little scamp! You've ruined my Hun Clan's grand plans. Today, you shall die without a proper burial!" Hun Yuan Tian glared at Xiao Yan with venom. When Xiao Yan had taken advantage of his momentary lapse to forcibly claim the Stillness Gate, it had completely shattered the Death Bond, forcing the entire Hun Clan army to retreat. This was a major blunder—had it not been for the current pressing circumstances, even as a senior elder of the clan, Hun Yuan Tian would have surely faced severe reprimands. Indeed, even under these circumstances, he had been frequently scolded by the Hun Emperor. Now, upon seeing Xiao Yan, his resentment was especially sharp. As for the bitter words directed at him by Houn Yuan Tian, Xiao Yan merely gave a slight curl of his lips, then glanced at the two figures before him, his eyes briefly deepening with seriousness. The Houn Clan had personally dispatched two Eight-Star Battle Saints to intercept him—clear evidence of their determination to eliminate him. Though it was certainly troublesome, it wasn't easy for them to achieve such a victory. After all, Xiao Yan himself was a genuine Seven-Star Battle Saint, bolstered by an Imperial-level soul, giving him a true combat strength far exceeding that of ordinary Eight-Star Battle Saints. Even working together, these two were by no means insurmountable. In his mind, Xiao Yan swiftly surveyed the intense battle unfolding across the entire sky of Black Angle Domain, where surging battle energies rippled through the countless figures engaged in combat, continuously erupting towering columns of magma—hundreds of feet high—into the lower sea. "The battle remains fiercely contested," he thought, "but by holding off the two Eight-Star Battle Saints, the allied forces have already significantly eased their pressure." The battle remained stagnant, the sky resembling a colossal meat grinder, with powerful warriors from both sides coughing up blood and plummeting into the molten lava, where their bodies were reduced to ashes by the intense heat. "Little scrap! Die!" Huo Yuan Tian's gaze upon Xiao Yan grew increasingly venomous. Finally, overwhelmed by his fury, he roared, launching a palm strike that surged with an atmosphere of death. The wave of palm wind crashed directly upon Xiao Yan, so potent that merely inhaling it made one feel their vital energies gradually ebbing away. "You've been overestimating me!" Upon seeing Huo Yuan Tian's attack, Xiao Yan sneered, his Jinglian Demon Fire erupting from within like a storm, forming a massive flame hand that firmly absorbed Huo Yuan Tian's assault. The eerie death aura emanating from the latter was swiftly purified by the cleansing power of the Jinglian Demon Fire. "Huo Sheng Tian, join in! Let's eliminate this youngster!" "With just a single touch, Houn Yuan Tian's expression changed instantly. He sensed that Xiao Yan was now even stronger than he had been on that day. He immediately shouted. Upon hearing his shout, the other eight-star Battle Saint elder, whose face was as cold as still water, nodded and swiftly moved, appearing behind Xiao Yan. With a swirling aura of death, he pressed his fingers firmly downward. 'Death's Finger!' 'Get out!' The massive black finger surged through the air, just as it was about to press upon Xiao Yan, the latter launched a powerful punch. A terrifying storm of flames erupted beneath the punch, roaring forward and violently sending the black finger flying. 'Jinggang Lirui Body!' As he swung his fist, Xiao Yan roared loudly. Then, his body suddenly expanded to hundreds of li, radiant golden light surging forth from within. 'Destruction Fire Body!' Having just activated his Jading Lapis Lazuli Body, Xiao Yan once again had his tongue like thunder, with the Pure Lotus Spirit Fire surging violently from within his body, rapidly transforming his massive form into a translucent, crystalline state. Employing two distinct body-enhancing techniques simultaneously—a feat only achievable by Xiao Yan, now possessing an Imperial Realm soul—his aura instantly became fierce and sharp. With a sweeping motion, he delivered a powerful palm strike directly toward Houn Yuan Tian, while simultaneously flicking his fingers in rapid succession. "Yellow Springs Palm!" "Great Heavenly Transformation Palm!" "Yellow Springs Finger!" Three distinct techniques formed in perfect synchrony beneath Xiao Yan's palms and surged directly toward Houn Yuan Tian, crashing with tremendous force. Witnessing this onslaught, even Houn Yuan Tian could not help but grow visibly startled. Such an ability to deploy multiple techniques simultaneously was something he himself could not achieve. "Death's Monument!" A thick aura of death surged wildly from within Xiong Yuan Tian's body, eventually solidifying into a colossal black tombstone before him, its surface resonating with piercing, mournful cries. The space trembled, and a massive black stone pillar surged forth, crashing into Xuanyin's fist with tremendous force. A loud resonant sound erupted, and both Xuanyin and the stone pillar were forcefully propelled backward. Xuanyin stepped back十余 steps before steadying himself, a faint metallic tang rising in his throat that he promptly swallowed. The Hunseng Tian's strength surpassed that of the Hunyuan Tian, and he had delivered his attack with full force. Yet, despite this, the impact was taxing—Xuanyin himself felt no different. Hun Yuan Tian materialized beside Hun Sheng Tian, his voice cold and steady. Hearing this, Xiao Yan only scoffed, then waved his hand—suddenly, a cluster of black light emerged from his palm, transforming into a colossal black gate stretching a thousand zhang wide—the very Gate of Stillness. "Step through!" With his sleeve fluttering, Xiao Yan summoned the Gate of Stillness, and an intense suction force immediately surged from within, pulling Hun Yuan Tian and Hun Sheng Tian toward it. "Hah! Young man, you've actually dared to offer yourselves willingly!" Seeing Xiao Yan summon the Gate of Stillness, both Hun Yuan and Hun Sheng Tian were instantly impressed, yet then exchanged a cold smile—without attempting to resist, they simply seized the momentum and surged through the Gate of Stillness. Watching their actions, Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with a subtle smirk. The foolish moves Hun Sheng Tian had once made—he would certainly not repeat. Within the Stillness Gate, Houn Yuan Tian and the other two emerged, yet as they hurried to locate the soul stones to erase Xiao Yan's seal, they suddenly realized—the Stillness Gate was instead filled with an overwhelming surge of flames! "Something's wrong! Retreat!" Upon seeing the spreading rosy flames, their faces paled. It seemed that Xiao Yan had significantly altered the very nature of the gate. "Boom! Boom!" As they attempted to retreat, the pure lotus demon flames surrounding them surged forth, forming towering dragons that surged toward them, devouring them with fierce intensity. "Crack!" Houn Yuan Tian and the other two waved their sleeves, their powerful qi streams dispersing the advancing fire dragons. With a swift flicker, they materialized at the entrance of the Stillness Gate. Yet, as they reached the entrance, a figure towering a thousand zhang suddenly blocked the gate completely. Immediately, a terrifying wave of soul resonance surged forth. "Moo! Moo! Moo!" "Three consecutive outbursts of the Yellow Springs' wrath—those terrifying soul-wave vibrations directly hurled Huan Yuan Tian and himself thousands of feet into the air. Under such relentless onslaught, even their souls began to spin with dizziness." "Go for it!" The two exchanged a glance, each gritting their teeth, then surged forward like streaks of rainbow light, racing toward the entrance at lightning speed. Determined to break through this silent gate, even amid Xiao Yan's Huang Quan Heaven's wrath! "Too late," Xiao Yan sneered, tossing three more Destroying Fire Lotus into the air. With a sudden surge of his spirit, every Destroying Fire Lotus within the silent gate erupted in a frenzy, exploding simultaneously. As all the fire lotuses burst, Xiao Yan then raised his palm and struck the silent gate with a single palm press—causing the soul imprint preserved on the soul stone within the gate to detonate instantly. "Boom!" With the soul stone's explosion, thick black mist erupted violently across the gate, and the very space within it began to collapse. A force of destruction beyond description, combined with the explosive power of the fire lotuses, surged forth, sweeping violently toward Houn Yuan Tian and his companion. "He's blown the silent gate apart!" "Seeing this scene, even the Heavenly Soul Core of Huan Yuan was filled with astonishment and sorrow—this gate of stillness he had cultivated for several hundred years had now been completely obliterated by Xiao Yan's self-sacrifice..." "Boom!" Yet, as the thought of this passed through his mind, a tremendous force surged forth, engulfing the two instantly. In the sky, Xiao Yan watched as the gate of stillness exploded violently, retreating swiftly and wiping a cold sweat from his forehead. Even if these two old men survived, they would surely be severely injured this time... "To reclaim it? That won't be easy," he murmured, a sudden spark of insight flashing through his mind. Turning his gaze downward, he saw a colossal vortex forming in the molten sea—within it, something seemed to be emerging. "The ancient emperor's sanctuary is finally going to emerge once more..." As he observed this, Xiao Yan's eyes grew ever colder.