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**
Clang clang clang~
One after another, pitch-black chains extended out from the depths of the dark, swirling mist.
Yao Lao narrowed his eyes slightly, pale-white flames flickering in his palm. He turned to Xiao Yan and said, "Yun Shan has taken heavy damage. I doubt his strength is even half of what it was before. You need to hold him off as long as you can."
"This guy called Protector Tie isn't easy to deal with either. Even if I go all out, it won't be easy to finish him off quickly."
As he spoke, Yao Lao glanced up at the battle raging in the sky. His voice sank into Xiao Yan's mind. "Your priority is survival. Stall for time. That Brat Wei should be finishing his fight soon."
"Soon?" Xiao Yan was taken aback. Wei Yang was facing a high-level Dou Zong!
And from the looks of it, the fight above was still neck and neck—nowhere close to being decided.
"You haven't noticed? That brat's been toying with his opponent the entire time. He hasn't gone all out. And knowing Brat Wei, he either holds back completely or goes in with a finishing move. Right now, he's definitely waiting for the perfect moment to strike and kill in one blow," Yao Lao explained via voice transmission.
"...That's true." Xiao Yan nodded slowly.
He thought about it. Wei Yang had always been that type—if he made a move, it was with full force.
This kind of slow-paced probing fight wasn't his style at all. If he hadn't unleashed any of his big moves yet, it must mean he was still testing and waiting for a one-shot opportunity.
"So, as long as we can stall until Brat Wei finishes off his opponent, today's battle will be ours." Yao Lao sent a slight smile through his voice.
"Mm. Don't worry, Master. You focus on locking down that guy. As for Yun Shan, I'll hold him off," Xiao Yan nodded, his expression hardening.
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and took out a jade bottle. With a quick squeeze, he crushed it into powder and threw both the fragments and several restorative pills straight into his mouth.
He was only at the peak of Dou Wang. Even with the added power of the Glazed Lotus Heart Flame, his strength was just barely at the mid-level Dou Huang. Going up against a Dou Zong was still pushing it.
Even if Yun Shan was injured and not at his peak, he was still incredibly dangerous.
And more importantly, Xiao Yan himself wasn't in peak form either. Leaving aside the energy he'd already spent, just the stabbing pain in his meridians hadn't faded at all.
Looks like this time... he might really have to go all out.
Otherwise, whether he could even hold out until Wei Yang came to help was a serious question.
Because there was no way Yun Shan would let this golden opportunity slip away.
Xiao Yan took a deep breath, forcing down the pain surging through his body, and began circulating his technique at full strength, refining the medicinal energy from the pills he'd swallowed.
"Be careful," Yao Lao sighed softly. This was indeed a dangerous stretch.
But if they could endure it—if they could just hold out until Wei Yang intervened—then victory would be within reach.
"Protector Tie, I'll leave Yao Chen to you. I'll handle this brat," Yun Shan sneered, his gaze icy as he looked at the increasingly tense master and disciple pair. Deep green Dou Qi began to gather in his hand.
"Mm," Protector Tie nodded, then glanced at Xiao Yan. "Just don't kill him. The Xiao Clan still has something the Hall of Souls needs. Keep him alive if you can."
Hearing this, Yun Shan frowned slightly but nodded nonetheless. "Don't worry, Protector Tie. I'll make sure he keeps breathing."
"So it really is all for the Tuo She Ancient God's Jade, huh..." Xiao Yan's fists clenched tightly as he muttered to himself.
The Hall of Souls—this terrifying organization that had spread its tendrils across the continent—placed such importance on that jade, it was clear just how valuable it must be.
And it was that same piece of jade that had brought disaster upon the Xiao Clan.
The most absurd part was that no one in the clan—not the Clan Leader, not the elders—had any idea what that jade even was.
And yet, their clan had been nearly wiped out because of it.
Talk about misfortune falling from the sky!
If not for Gu Xun'er's explanation, even Xiao Yan and Yao Lao wouldn't have known the true meaning behind that so-called "heirloom" jade.
If it were possible, Xiao Yan honestly would've preferred for the Hall of Souls to have just taken the jade and left quietly.
At least then, the jade would be gone, but his people wouldn't have been massacred, and his father wouldn't have gone missing.
"You bastards…" Xiao Yan's fists tightened, and his gaze locked murderously on Protector Tie.
Protector Tie only spared him a single glance before turning away. With a flick of his hand, three pitch-black chains clanged together ominously.
The chains trembled slightly, and with a sinister laugh, Protector Tie snapped his arm forward. The chains tore through the air, transforming into three streaks of black light that shot toward Yao Lao.
"Be careful," Yao Lao said coldly as he saw the attack. The pale-white flame in his hand flared, and he instantly shot forward to meet the blow.
In the next second, Yao Lao and Protector Tie clashed head-on, their fight erupting in a burst of power.
Yun Shan's eyes slowly turned from the two elders locked in combat to Xiao Yan, his gaze dark and twisted.
"You little bastard… Now let's see who else is left to save you."
Staring at Yun Shan, whose face was now filled with cold and murderous intent, Xiao Yan slowly exhaled. Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to use his trump card and fight with everything he had.
Let the Angry Buddha Lotus Flame cleanse the blood debt the Yun Lan Sect owes the Xiao Clan…
But just as he was about to act—
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
From high above the sky, an overwhelmingly terrifying force suddenly erupted!
Everyone below instinctively looked up—and then, they were completely dumbfounded.
Up in the sky, no one knew when it had happened, but ten black suns now hovered overhead, burning with blazing, majestic light.
And then—the entire sky went pitch-black.
"W-What is that?!"
But before anyone could even react—
Those ten black suns detonated simultaneously, bursting forth with an unbearable, blinding brilliance.
It was like ten supernovas exploding at once.
There was no sound.
Just an endless deluge of dazzling black light that came crashing down like a tidal wave. In an instant, everyone's vision went completely dark, swallowed by the boundless black radiance.
They couldn't see anything.
Blinded!
Hissss… hissss… hissss…
Black chains, like venomous serpents, slithered through the void—piercing the very fabric of space. As they passed, they became faint black lines, carving out razor-thin scars in midair.
The tips of the chains were especially sharp, and inscribed with layers of intricate, mysterious runes.
Spiral patterns coiled around their ends, and under the energy infusion from Protector Mo, they radiated a chilling aura—like chains forged to drag souls into the abyss. They repeatedly lashed forward with deadly precision.
Faced with the barrage of chains tearing through the air, Wei Yang dared not be careless. His figure flickered rapidly, leaving afterimages in the void. Every now and then, he'd strike with a palm—and from his hand, a massive fire dragon would roar out toward his opponent.
Yet Protector Mo moved like a ghost, darting and weaving through the air. He dodged whenever he could, only using his chains to block when absolutely necessary.
But even when he blocked, he'd immediately retreat. No matter the result, he never stayed in one spot longer than a second.
It was clear—Protector Mo was extremely wary, even fearful, of the Nine Dragon Formation Wei Yang had used before.
He was terrified of being caught in it and ending up like Protector Wu.
So instead, he relied on his black chains to crisscross the void, leaving net-like scars in the air and completely restricting Wei Yang's movement, never giving him a chance to close the distance.
Protector Mo's tactic was obvious: stall for time.
Right now, he wasn't even trying to defeat Wei Yang. His only goal was to buy time—enough for Protector Tie below to capture Xiao Yan and Yao Chen. Once they succeeded, they would immediately retreat.
Wei Yang was too dangerous.
Especially since they knew he possessed a trump card like the Nine Flame Dragon. Protector Mo had no interest in fighting to the death.
Besides, Wei Yang wasn't even one of their mission targets.
So if they could simply keep him occupied, that was good enough.
Wei Yang, for his part, was feeling a little frustrated.
This guy was slipperier than a mudfish and way too cautious—he wasn't giving him even a single opening.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have used the Nine Flame Dragon so early...
But he had no choice. Back then, knowing that two other Hall of Souls Protectors were lurking in the shadows, Wei Yang's only thought had been to quickly eliminate Protector Wu. Otherwise, Yao Lao and Xiao Yan would have been in grave danger.
But now, it had the side effect of scaring Protector Mo senseless.
Even though Wei Yang was a peak Two-Star Dou Zong, Protector Mo insisted on dragging him into a mobile skirmish, never daring to go head-on.
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