Hai Bodong summoned his ice wings and ice spear, thrusting them towards Tang Jue, who hastily dodged.
The two continued their aerial battle, exchanging blows that transformed them into streaks of light, each clash echoing like thunder, making the sky tremble.
Xiao Jietian watched Hai Bodong, a Two-Star Dou Huang, suppress Tang Jue, a Three-Star Dou Huang, and murmured, "As expected of the Ice Emperor, who only fights at the peak. Truly formidable."
As they fought, Hai Bodong and Tang Jue moved outside the city. Xiao Jietian summoned his Thunder Roc Wings and flew out of the city as well.
Back in the streets, the few survivors who had escaped the poisonous mist were frozen in terror at the scene of corpses and withered bones. Even seasoned poison cultivators shivered in fear.
"This isn't human—it's a devil!"
"I… I want to go home!"
Their legs trembling, they fled without a glance back.
In the sky battlefield outside the city:
"Ice Chain Prison!"
Hai Bodong raised one hand high and then swiftly brought it down to his chest. Ice chains, thick as a baby's arm, shot out, wrapping around Tang Jue and imprisoning him mid-air.
Hai Bodong prepared to finish Tang Jue, but a sudden alert hit his heart. A ball of green venom flew toward him from behind.
"Myriad Flower Ice Mirror!"
Hai Bodong condensed a massive ice mirror behind him. The venom struck it with sizzling sounds, freezing and shattering instantly. His sharp gaze fell on a plump, green-winged middle-aged man—Pavilion Master Cai—who had ambushed him.
Tang Jue broke free from the ice chains and gratefully looked at Pavilion Cai.
"Thank you, Pavilion Master, for saving me. I will repay you!"
"Hehe, Sect Master Tang, no need for formalities," Pavilion Cai said with a faint chuckle.
Tang Jue roared and charged Hai Bodong again, condensing a black-and-red fist.
"Corrupt Blood Fist!"
Venom sprayed from Pavilion Cai's hands in a violent dance, attempting to restrain Hai Bodong.
"Profound Ice Vortex Kill!" Hai Bodong countered, launching ice blades toward the descending fist. The collision produced a loud bang, forcing all three back several steps.
Suddenly, Xiao Jietian appeared before Pavilion Cai. His presence alone radiated supreme pressure.
"Move, and you die."
Pavilion Cai froze, unable to resist the overwhelming aura. Xiao Jietian's body began to transform—dark, flowing energy radiated outward, spreading like a storm of shadows.
Hai Bodong, Qing Lin, and Little Fairy Doctor instinctively jumped back, shielding themselves as a tremendous, oppressive force filled the sky. Even the heavens seemed to darken, clouds swirling violently as the earth trembled.
Xiao Jietian held Tang Jue lightly in one hand, his body cloaked in the profound darkness of his Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul. His roar echoed like the sound of a collapsing world, shaking heaven and earth.
Tang Jue's eyes widened in horror. The might of Xiao Jietian's Devil Soul was absolute, and it penetrated his very being.
His soul, burning under the oppressive power, screamed and writhed but could not resist. Every thought of rebellion and pride was burned away, leaving only blind submission.
The dark energy swirled around Xiao Jietian and Tang Jue, forming a vortex that made even the air itself feel suffocating. Tang Jue's body was paralyzed, his will shattered, and his consciousness submitted fully to Xiao Jietian's command.
By the time the darkness subsided, Tang Jue knelt mid-air, his eyes filled with fanatic devotion.
"My lord… I… belong to you. I am yours."
Xiao Jietian's aura slowly retracted, the sky returning to its normal state, but the trembling of heaven and earth lingered. The Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul had fully imprinted his dominance over Tang Jue.
"First, heal your injuries," Xiao Jietian said calmly. "Then retrieve all the valuable poisonous herbs from your treasury and the auction house."
Tang Jue immediately took a healing pill and flew toward the Absolute Poison Sect's stronghold, utterly loyal, his once-proud demeanor completely gone.
Hai Bodong looked on, slightly stunned. Although he had seen many powerful beings, the use of the Nirvana Devil Emperor Soul in such a terrifying display was unprecedented. Yet he knew better than to interfere—this was a power even he could barely comprehend.
The battlefield fell silent. Even the wind seemed to fear Xiao Jietian's presence, leaving only the echo of his dominance in the hearts of all who witnessed it.