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**
The area outside this branch hall had already been sealed by a spatial prison.
Old Ghost Zhai Xing did not believe that with Yao Chen's remaining soul power, the old man could possibly break through that prison and escape alive. So his attention immediately shifted to Xiao Yan below.
After all, this brat was far more valuable than Yao Chen. Thinking of this, Old Ghost Zhai Xing slowly extended a pale hand from within his sleeve.
At that moment, a vast surge of black mist erupted from his sleeve, swirling and condensing before him into a massive palm print made entirely of shadowy fog, stretching more than ten meters across.
With a cold flick of his fingers, he slapped the enormous palm down toward Xiao Yan!
"Wu—!"
Hearing the terrifying wind tearing through the air, Xiao Yan's expression changed drastically. His hand seals shifted rapidly.
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, First Change!"
"Second Change!"
"Third Change!"
As the cold shout rang within his heart, Xiao Yan's aura exploded instantly, skyrocketing from a One-Star Dou Zun straight up to a level nearly equal to Mu Gu's.
At the same time, he flicked his sleeve and a surge of brown flame burst from his palm, forming a roaring fire dragon that lunged toward the descending black mist palm.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion shook the entire hall.
The shockwave alone shattered several of the nearby black chains on the spot. During the blast, several of the glowing orbs strung along the chains were crushed by the overwhelming force and dissipated entirely, their souls erased from existence.
Some souls that were farther away were luckier; the shockwave shattered the light encasing them and flung their souls outward.
"Run!"
Those freed souls froze for a second, then shouted in joy and bolted toward the exit at full speed. After all, who would want to stay here, being drained of their origin day after day, when freedom was right ahead?
Of course, they did not know that a powerful trap awaited outside the hall. Even if they escaped the chains, none of them would make it out of this valley alive.
As for the three fighting inside the hall, none of them cared about the escaping souls. Each was entirely focused on the others, wary of any sudden moves.
On Xiao Yan's end, after blocking the attack from Old Ghost Zhai Xing, his feet were forced back more than ten steps. Forcing down the surging blood in his chest, his eyes hardened.
"This Old Ghost Zhai Xing… his strength is terrifying. Not only is he one of Hall of Souls's so-called Tian Zun, but he's likely reached the peak of Five-Star Dou Zun!"
But even though his opponent was overwhelmingly strong, Xiao Yan was not one to cower. If he didn't force these two monsters back, he would never escape alive. Today—he would leave this cursed place with his master. Whoever stood in his way… he would kill.
Old Ghost Zhai Xing's expression also shifted slightly after seeing Xiao Yan block his attack so "easily".
"This brat's Heavenly Flame is far too frightening. Even after forcefully boosting his strength to Three-Star Dou Zun, he still managed to block my strike?"
The old ghost was stunned by the brown flame's destructive power and unconsciously looked toward Mu Gu. That expression clearly meant: The boy's Heavenly Flame is this strong—why didn't you tell me?
Mu Gu felt his scalp tingle. His face twitched with frustration. Just from the color and power of Xiao Yan's flame, he could already tell the kid had subdued yet another Heavenly Flame recently. But how could he have guessed the brat was capable of finding so many of them?
In just a few months, the boy had acquired yet another flame. Judging from its power, its ranking was certainly high.
"This useless thing… aside from refining pills, he's good for nothing."
Seeing Mu Gu's expression, Old Ghost Zhai Xing immediately knew the man was just as clueless as he was.
Cursing silently, he shifted his gaze back to Xiao Yan and let out a soft chuckle: "Xiao Yan, as long as you hand over the Xiao Clan's key, old me will let you leave. How about it?"
"Heh, keep dreaming."
Xiao Yan sneered, his tone full of disdain.
"Good, very good. I would very much like to see how long you can last."
Old Ghost Zhai Xing's expression darkened. Rage surged in his chest as he turned toward Mu Gu: "Together. Finish this brat quickly!"
"Alright."
Mu Gu did not hesitate.
The instant he responded, he activated the Dou Qi within his body. A strange scorching energy erupted from within him, surging violently through his meridians.
That energy gathered around his arm, forming a dark, crystalline layer, turning his entire right arm into a pitch-black crystal arm. With a lift of his hand, a massive black energy arm pierced out of the void right in front of Xiao Yan and lunged straight toward him!
Because Mu Gu had used this technique back in the Pill Realm, Xiao Yan was not caught off guard. The moment the energy arm emerged from the void, Xiao Yan immediately activated his movement technique.
His figure shifted several meters to the side, narrowly brushing past the enormous arm.
While Mu Gu launched his attack, Old Ghost Zhai Xing was not idle either. He spread his hand toward Xiao Yan, fingers curling slightly before trembling. In that instant, five strands of thick black fog burst from his fingertips.
With a sound like rushing water, the fog twisted and condensed into a pitch-black chain as thick as a grown man's waist. The chain coiled in midair and then, with a chilling hiss, tore straight through the void. In a blink, it appeared directly above Xiao Yan's head.
The attack was so fast and sudden that Xiao Yan's face changed again. He had just dodged Mu Gu's strike, yet danger immediately followed. He hurriedly activated his movement technique once more, Dou Qi wrapping around his legs as he shot to the side like lightning.
"Chi!"
The moment he left his original position, the razor-sharp black chain stabbed down brutally from above, slicing past his face.
The cold glint at the tip of the chain was so sharp it cut a clean slit across his robe. A second later, the chain smashed into the black stone floor beneath him with brutal force.
The chain's razor tip pierced through the stone without the slightest resistance, drilling straight down into the ground for more than a hundred meters.
"No wonder you're an eighth-tier alchemist. Your reaction speed is impressive."
Seeing Xiao Yan narrowly dodge the strike, Old Ghost Zhai Xing chuckled coldly.
He flicked his finger, and the chain shot back out of the ground like a lightning bolt. Like a venomous serpent, it whipped through the air with murderous force, streaking straight toward Xiao Yan's head!
Facing such a relentless attack, Xiao Yan did not dare underestimate it. With a fierce clench of his hand, the Heavy Xuan Ruler materialized in his grip.
He swung it without hesitation, the ruler's path splitting into countless overlapping afterimages that formed a dense defensive barrier around him. The chain's speed under Old Ghost Zhai Xing's control was terrifying.
As he waved it, streak after streak of black shadows flashed across the air, giving Xiao Yan barely any chance to react.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The ruler's afterimages and the chain collided repeatedly, metallic clangs ringing throughout the entire hall. Every rapid strike of the chain against the Heavy Xuan Ruler sent powerful shockwaves through Xiao Yan's arms, forcing him to retreat step after step.
**
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