Word Count: 2,900 Words
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Hua Jin wasn't alone in her shock and fear. The two experts from the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, whose faction had long since torn all pretenses with the Yan Alliance, stared with utter disbelief.
"His strength far surpasses that of an ordinary 5-star Dou Venerate!"
"What in the world are those Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe fellows doing? Why haven't they arrived yet?!"
The Dou Venerate experts from the various top-tier factions all turned their gazes toward Xiao Yan. For them, Di Class techniques and Qi Methods held no value. Their sole objective was the Tian Class Dou Technique created by Saint Zhao Hua.
Xiao Yan sensed the hostile stares locked onto him but paid them no mind, his attention remaining fixed on Saint Zhao Hua's skeleton.
"A pity you're just a skeleton clinging to a trace of consciousness from life." Xiao Yan cracked his neck. Though this skeleton fell far short of a true Dou Saint's strength, it served perfectly as a practice opponent. He hadn't encountered anyone worthy of a proper warm-up since reaching 5-star Dou Venerate.
Red light flashed within the empty eye sockets as the skeleton sensed Xiao Yan's fighting spirit. An aged voice emerged: "Trespassers in the ruins... die!"
A resonant hum filled the air as the Sky Demon Puppet-level guardians activated their formation once more. This time, however, the golden energy didn't flow to the puppets. Instead, it converged entirely upon the jade-white skeleton!
Buzz!!!
The skeleton transformed before their eyes, plated in gold as strands of golden patterns wrapped around its entire frame. Its aura soared without restraint.
"Need help?" Little Fairy Doctor's voice transmitted to him. Ten puppets, all possessing Dou Venerate strength, were channeling their combined power into a Dou Saint's skeleton. No one knew what methods Saint Zhao Hua had prepared before his death.
Xiao Yan smiled. "No need. The chance to battle a Dou Saint is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Little Fairy Doctor watched his back and could only shake her head helplessly at the rich battle intent in his tone.
Two streaks of light shot forward simultaneously. Xiao Yan and Saint Zhao Hua's skeleton moved with blinding speed, their locations revealed only by the thunderous sounds of their collisions.
The skeleton raised its palm, tearing through space with terrifying power as it struck toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan merely smiled at the incoming palm. He clenched his fist, every drop of Dou Qi in his body condensing onto his right arm before exploding outward!
The collision created shockwaves like two titans clashing. The plaza cracked and shattered beneath them, stone pillars crumbling as they exchanged dozens of blows in mere moments.
Saint Zhao Hua's skeletal durability proved astonishing. Despite Xiao Yan's enhanced physique, which now matched that of a Rank 8 magical beast, each impact sent waves of pain through him.
A tremendous crash sent Xiao Yan flying backward. He smashed through three stone pillars before coming to rest, blood dripping from his numerous wounds. Yet the skeleton had fared no better. Cracks spider-webbed across many of its bones!
"Heavens! He's brawling hand-to-hand with a Dou Saint's skeleton!"
"That guy must be a transformed magical beast!"
Xiao Yan's terrifying physical strength left everyone stunned. Even the genuine magical beasts from the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe and Feng Qing Er stood slack-jawed.
His body was stronger than theirs!
When Xiao Yan claimed to have just entered Rank 8 in physical strength, his point of comparison was the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe. Even in primordial times, the Ancient Void Dragon's physique reigned supreme among all magical beasts!
Xiao Yan pushed aside the rubble and rolled his shoulders. Strands of purplish-red flame emerged from his body as the Ten Thousand Beast Flame reinforced his flesh while the Three Thousand Burning Flame mended his injuries.
He wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth and grinned. "Truly worthy of a Dou Saint's skeleton."
Despite his wounds, he showed no signs of serious injury. His eyes still blazed with fighting spirit as the Three Thousand Burning Flame circulated through him. His bones made disturbing cracking sounds, as if broken pieces were snapping back into place.
"The Three Thousand Burning Flame!"
"I'd forgotten. He's the Pill Gathering champion who refined the Three Thousand Burning Flame."
Many suddenly remembered that this 'humanoid tyrannosaurus' was also an alchemist. Weren't alchemists supposed to be fragile medicine jars? How was this one fiercer than a magical beast?!
"Again!" Xiao Yan roared, Dou Qi surging through his body. If you won't use techniques, then neither will I!
His legs coiled with power before he launched himself forward like a cannonball. Each step shattered the ground, leaving deep craters in his wake. The merger of the Ten Thousand Beast Flame and the Three Thousand Burning Flame granted him devastating physical might!
Though Saint Zhao Hua was long dead, he had been a Dou Saint in life. How could the skeleton, retaining a trace of that consciousness, tolerate such disrespect from a mere Dou Venerate? It was an insult to Saint Zhao Hua's dignity!
The jade-white skeleton roared and charged to meet him. Thunderous impacts shook the air as space itself fractured.
Xiao Yan landed atop a stone pillar, fierce determination flashing in his eyes. He stomped down hard, shattering the pillar as dragon aura erupted from within him. Dragon roars emanated from his fist!
They collided like two massive mountains crashing together, but this time, the one sent flying wasn't Xiao Yan!!!
"Holy shit! Xiao Yan defeated Saint Zhao Hua!"
"It's just the skeleton."
"That's still insanely strong!"
The skeleton sailed through the air as many experts' expressions shifted. They exchanged meaningful glances. Xiao Yan was injured now. Even if they couldn't defeat him, couldn't they snatch the prize and flee?
With the puppets drained of energy, the scrolls had already been claimed. Many experts capable of competing for the Tian Class Dou Technique now gazed with burning desire.
A Tian Class Dou Technique… who wouldn't want one?
Several figures began edging toward the fallen skeleton. Even if they couldn't claim the technique, some essence blood from the bones would still prove more than valuable.
All except for one person!
'That… that… that punch!!!'
Old Ghost Zhai Xing stood to the side, his face deathly pale, teeth chattering as he stared at Xiao Yan's back with absolute terror, as if he had seen a ghost.
That punch just now, that punch with the dragon aura eruption… why did it feel so familiar? No, he hadn't just seen it. He had been hit by it!
'Yan Alliance's Xiao Yan... Yan... Could it be!!!'
Zhai Xing's scalp nearly exploded as a horrifying realization struck him.
"Lord Tianzun, Xiao Yan has expended considerable energy and is injured. If we strike now, we could claim both the Tian Class Dou Technique and a top-tier alchemist's soul," a Hall of Souls Dou Venerate whispered from behind him.
"Fool!" Zhai Xing's backhand slammed across the speaker's face with devastating force. The unprepared Dou Venerate's teeth scattered as he was nearly killed by the blow.
The other Hall of Souls Dou Venerates dropped to their knees in terror, bewildered by what their colleague had said to provoke such a vicious response from Tianzun Zhai Xing!
"Hmph! Anyone who dares to do such a thing, I will kill them myself!" Zhai Xing snorted coldly, glaring furiously. If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!
His heart filled with terror, because he had been the first to attack earlier!
'I'm finished! If Xiao Yan truly is the Tenth Tianzun… I actually attacked the Tenth Tianzun!!!' His entire body trembled. He felt death was not far away!!
Not many people paid attention to Tianzun Zhai Xing's behavior. It was best for them if he didn't compete for the Tian Class Dou Technique.
Xiao Yan revealed a meaningful smile as he watched people creeping toward Saint Zhao Hua's skeleton, and laughed inwardly. "Fools."
The dust settled, revealing the skeleton he had sent flying. It now sat motionless on the ground as if drained of power. Only the faint red glow in its eye sockets suggested it was more than ordinary bone.
"It's not moving!"
"The Tian Class Dou Technique is mine!"
Greed blazed in their eyes as everyone rushed forward like moths to a flame.
When the first person crossed within ten meters of the skeleton, it abruptly raised its head. A blurred, hoarse voice seemed to echo from ancient times.
"Great… Heaven… Creation… Palm!"
The hoarse, ancient, broken voice carried an extreme sense of danger that welled up from the depths of their souls. Driven by this fear of death, the experts who had rushed forward in greed instantly felt regret surge through their hearts.
They suddenly noticed that Xiao Yan remained at a distance without approaching at all.
"It's using a Dou Technique! Retreat!"
Horror painted every face as screams erupted. All thoughts of treasure vanished as they turned to flee.
"Damn him! He stayed back on purpose!" Hua Jin's face twisted with fury. No wonder he hadn't moved. He had deliberately baited them into a trap to reap the benefits himself!
Though she cursed, she and the two Flower Sect elders fled with desperate speed, covering a hundred meters in a flash. The two serpents from the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, both 4-star Dou Venerates, likewise retreated explosively.
What the two serpents never expected was for Tianzun Zhai Xing to appear behind them.
"Jie Jie Jie, since you want the Tian Class Dou Technique so badly, then go and get it." Zhai Xing gathered Dou Qi in his hands and slammed a palm into their backs, the terrifying force blasting them toward the skeleton.
"Agh!"
"Zhai Xing, you—!!!"
A sinister smile crossed Zhai Xing's face as he transmitted, "You offended the Tenth Tianzun and thought you could escape?"
Everything happened in an instant. The scarlet energy suffusing the Dou Saint skeleton suddenly came alive, flowing entirely into its right palm. Within moments, that hand appeared dark and chilling, as if it had been soaked in blood for countless ages.
When the last trace of red converged in the palm, a black dot the size of a soybean materialized at its center. This dot possessed such absolute darkness that a single glance threatened to devour one's soul. It was bizarre beyond description.
The skeleton raised its right palm high before slamming it down onto the hall's impossibly hard floor.
Where bone met stone, no sound emerged. The incomparably durable floor simply vanished at the point of contact, revealing dark brown bedrock beneath.
A black barrier erupted from the impact point and began expanding rapidly!
Swish swish swish!
The black dome spread outward from Saint Zhao Hua like a devouring void. Terror seized everyone as they watched stone, pillars, and everything else simply cease to exist wherever it passed. It wasn't destruction, but complete erasure, leaving absolutely nothing behind!
It was as mysterious and horrifying as a black hole.
"Run!"
Scalps tingled with primal fear as the expanding darkness continued its inexorable advance. Hearts constricted as everyone desperately retreated.
"Ahhh!"
"Save me!"
Even though they were Dou Venerates who could use Spatial Strength to traverse space, they still couldn't escape the expansion of this black hole. An extremely terrifying suction force pulled the 1-star and 2-star Dou Venerates backward. The moment they touched the black light circle, they disappeared without even a trace remaining.
Puff puff.
The two Nine Serene Deep Ground Python experts ambushed by Zhai Xing resisted for a moment but ultimately fell to the Tian Class Dou Technique. They could never have dreamed that this Hall of Souls Tianzun would suddenly ambush them.
They hadn't offended the Hall of Souls!
And who was this Tenth Tianzun? When had they ever offended him!!
Of course, they would never receive answers.
The Great Heaven Creation Palm reached Xiao Yan almost instantly. He stood his ground in the face of this terrifying Tian Class Dou Technique.
"Xiao Yan!" Yun Yun's heart clenched seeing him remain in place.
"Master, be careful."
Little Fairy Doctor had already begun circulating her Dou Qi, but sensing the mad surge of power within Xiao Yan, she relaxed.
"Haah." Exhaling deeply, Xiao Yan murmured, "Let's see if your Great Heaven Creation Palm is stronger than the Gu Clan's seal techniques."
Skyfire Three Mysterious Change!
His Dou Qi exploded upward as endless power condensed into his right hand. His hands blurred through seal formations, afterimages dancing as Dou Qi surged like floodwaters through the meridians of his arm.
Open Mountain! Sea Flipping! Overturning Land!
As the three seals merged, Xiao Yan's face flushed with exertion. A brilliant light seal flickered in his palm, its terrifying energy fracturing the surrounding space with pitch-black cracks.
Four seals overlapping—Sky Burying Seal!!!
Four seals created Sky Burying; five would form the Ancient God Seal!
An energy light seal, about the size of a palm, emerged and silently merged with the previous three.
God Seal Technique! The Dou Technique Xun Er had given to him!
Among all his techniques, this had proven the most challenging to cultivate. Even with Heavenly State Spiritual Strength, Xiao Yan could only manage four seals.
"Ha!"
BOOM!
He condensed a special palm print from the four stacked seals and slammed the crystal-clear impression against the encroaching black hole.
The two extremely powerful Dou Techniques collided. The surrounding world changed color in an instant as space dimmed. The entire plaza shattered completely under this single blow. Even the surrounding walls of the main hall developed terrifying cracks!
The might of the two techniques shattered the hall's dome, beating space into nothingness and turning the void itself to chaos. If both combatants had been at the Dou Saint level, the entire hall would likely have crumbled.
"A collision of Tian Class Dou Techniques?"
"I don't know, but what Xiao Yan used was definitely not a simple Di Class Dou Technique!"
Not to mention the Dou Ancestors who had followed them in, even Old Ghost Zhai Xing's face turned pale at the display. He was now one hundred percent certain that Xiao Yan was Yan Tianzun! The newly promoted Tenth Tianzun of the Hall of Souls!!
What normal 5-star Dou Venerate possessed such combat strength!!
Taking on a Dou Saint's skeleton single-handedly simply wasn't something a 5-star Dou Venerate could do. Only the Tenth Tianzun, who had powerfully defeated the Black and White Tianzun with the cultivation of a 3-star Dou Venerate, could possess such level-skipping power!
Moreover, it was common knowledge that Xiao Yan possessed multiple Heavenly Flames.
Hua Jin, who had narrowly escaped, also turned pale with horror. She had never imagined Xiao Yan's strength was this immense! With this level of power, she feared that even if she and her beloved joined forces, they might not be able to defeat him!
Boom!
The tremendous impact sent a black shadow flying—it was Xiao Yan! Though Yun Yun wanted to fly to him, the higher-cultivated Little Fairy Doctor was a step ahead, her jade hand steadily catching him. Worry crossed her face as she saw his battered state.
"Why didn't you dodge?"
"Hehe, I wanted to test the Dou Technique's power. I'm fine, I have the Three Thousand Burning Flame."
Little Fairy Doctor watched the Three Thousand Burning Flame slowly heal his wounds and could only glare at him, unable to say anything more.
Once the fluctuations dissipated, the originally magnificent plaza had completely vanished. Space itself was shattered, and the skeleton of Saint Zhao Hua floated in the void, the red light in its eyes now gone.
But not a single person dared to step forward and snatch it.
Most of those who had competed for it earlier had turned to nothingness, not even their bones remaining. Besides, who would dare snatch anything from Xiao Yan, a monster who faced a Tian Class Dou Technique unleashed by a Dou Saint head-on!
Xiao Yan swept his gaze over the remaining people, pausing briefly on Hua Jin before looking with some interest at the trembling Old Ghost Zhai Xing. At Xiao Yan's glance, Zhai Xing lost all his earlier arrogance. If there were not so many people around, he would have kneeled on the spot!
"Anyone else want to compete?" Xiao Yan asked calmly.
The hall fell silent. Although many people had soul jade slips and could call for stronger experts, the strongest backup they had was at most a 6-star Dou Venerate.
The question was, could a 6-star beat Xiao Yan??
"Seems no one wants to. In that case, I won't be polite." Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength swept out, wrapping around the floating skeleton and drawing it into his hand.
He didn't have time to examine it now, so he stored it in his ring to study later. After which, he slowly began to recover some of his Dou Qi by swallowing a medicinal pill.
"Let's go. This trip has been extremely fruitful." He couldn't help but laugh heartily. The harvest this time was a true bounty, so much so that he couldn't stop grinning!
He had even taken Saint Zhao Hua's corpse!
With a wave of his hand, he jumped onto the Little Lion King and led Little Fairy Doctor and the others away from the ancient ruins. They swaggered out in grand style under everyone's envious gazes.