Barely managing to dodge another attack from Yun Li and his partner, Xiao Yan broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't help but shout at Zhou Changqing.
He was only a four-star Grand Dou Master. Without Yao Lao possessing his body, how could he possibly be a match for a Dou King? If not for the power of his treasured bow, he would have been captured long ago. After all, he couldn't even block a single casual bolt of Dou Qi from one Dou King, let alone two!
In response to Xiao Yan's plea for help, Zhou Changqing showed no intention of stepping in. Instead, he said with a faint smile, "Just hold on a little longer. I'll come help you after I break this damn shell."
With that, he turned and began gathering his power, preparing to unleash another Raging Thunder of the Flood Dragon. This time, he would use his full strength.
And this Raging Thunder of the Flood Dragon would be nothing like the one he had used against Yun Ling. A full-power attack using his High Xuan-rank Dou Technique was something even a mid-tier Dou Emperor would have to dodge. Yun Ling was merely a high-tier Dou King, not even at the peak of his rank. If Zhou Changqing hadn't held back earlier, the old man would have been reduced to dust.
Seeing that Zhou Changqing was actually ignoring him, Xiao Yan was dumbfounded. He couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! You bastard!"
But before the words fully left his mouth, his expression changed. He sensed danger!
Yun Li and his partner had closed the distance. They no longer had any intention of capturing him alive. Instead, they channeled their Dou Qi, preparing to unleash their Dou Techniques. Whether Xiao Yan could survive their combined attack was no longer their concern. This boy had nearly killed one of their elders, and that Zhou Changqing had grievously wounded the Great Elder Yun Ling!
At this point, all pretenses had been torn away. Why would they hold back now?
In an instant, the Dou Qi of Yun Li and his partner erupted, rapidly merging and converging into a colossal wind-fire tornado dozens of meters high, which then swept toward Xiao Yan!
The moment the wind-fire tornado appeared, it seemed to fill the entire space between them. A terrifying suction force latched onto Xiao Yan, halting his forward momentum before yanking him backward, pulling him into the vortex!
"Teacher! Help me!"
"Hehe, little Yan, don't be hasty."
"Damn it! Teacher, why are you as unreliable as old Zhou!"
Just as Xiao Yan was about to be dragged into the tornado to his doom, he suddenly felt a weight on his right shoulder, as if someone had grabbed him. His body instantly came to a halt.
He turned his head to see a handsome, middle-aged man in a blue robe. His hair, beard, and eyebrows were all white, yet his face showed no signs of age!
"Elder Hai!" Xiao Yan's surprise gave way to immense relief as his tense heart finally relaxed.
He finally understood why his teacher and old Zhou had been so unconcerned about his predicament! They had both known that Hai Bodong would intervene!
Hai Bodong nodded slightly. "Yes. You should leave now. I'll handle these two."
"Many thanks, Elder Hai! I'll get out of your way then." Hearing this, Xiao Yan immediately beat his wings and flew into the distance. A battle of this level was not something a small fry like him could participate in. With Hai Bodong's strength as a Dou Emperor, dealing with two Dou Kings would be child's play.
With Hai Bodong blocking the way, the suction from the wind-fire tornado had no effect on Xiao Yan, allowing him to escape its pull.
Hai Bodong looked at the approaching tornado with an utterly calm expression. In the next instant, a terrifying and frigid aura of cold Qi emanated from his body, causing the surrounding temperature to plummet! At the same time, the cold Qi coalesced around him, forming countless ice blades of varying shapes!
Then, a fierce gale whipped up, and the ice blades rapidly gathered, churning the air and instantly forming an ice-blade tornado even larger than the wind-fire one!
High Xuan-rank Dou Technique—Spiral of Xuan Ice!
The moment the ice-blade tornado formed, it collided with the wind-fire tornado. The two forces clashed for only a few seconds before the wind-fire tornado, under the terrifyingly low temperature of the Spiral of Xuan Ice, was instantly frozen, extinguished, and forcibly absorbed!
The newly merged ice-blade tornado then swept directly toward Yun Li and his partner!
"What?!" The two of them stared in disbelief as their combined technique was so easily dismantled.
The tornado had obscured their vision, so they had only sensed a strange new aura appear; they had no idea their opponent was Hai Bodong. Otherwise, having heard of his fame, they would never have been so shocked. As for why they didn't suspect Xiao Yan? If that boy had such power, he wouldn't have been hounded by them like a dog.
Sensing the immense power of the ice-blade tornado, the faces of Yun Li and his partner changed drastically. They tried to dodge, but it was too late!
The massive, ice-blue tornado engulfed them both! Inside, countless high-speed ice blades madly sliced at their bodies! Fortunately, they desperately channeled their Dou Qi for defense; otherwise, they would have been diced into mincemeat!
But before they could struggle free, two dragon roars echoed from outside the vortex!
"ROAR!"
The next moment, a colossal dragon formed entirely of ice crystals charged into the tornado!
Refreshing Dou Technique—Soaring Dragon of Xuan Ice!
The ice dragon's two front claws snatched Yun Li and his partner, one in each, before bursting out of the tornado and slamming them down onto the plaza, right next to the crater where Yun Ling lay!
BOOM!
The ground shook violently as the ice dragon struck. Yun Li and his partner had followed Yun Ling's fate, left grievously wounded, coughing up blood, and in a pathetic state.
However, no one paid any attention to their condition. The faces of the Misty Cloud Sect deacons and disciples turned pale, blood trickling from their lips as the connection between them was violently severed, indicating they had suffered serious backlash. But they ignored their own injuries, their gazes fixed in shock on the distant sky!
As for Jia Xingtian and the others, after a brief moment of surprise at Hai Bodong's intervention, they too looked up at the sky, just like the Misty Cloud Sect disciples! Even Hai Bodong and Xiao Yan did the same!
All eyes converged on one spot.
A figure in a white robe was slowly retracting his fist. The protective film of mist that had once enveloped the entire peak of the Misty Cloud Mountain had already shattered into countless transparent fragments, which were rapidly dissipating!
"Old Xiao, we can go now," Zhou Changqing said, turning to Xiao Yan, who had just escaped the wind-fire tornado. He waved his hand, his tone as casual as if he were heading out to play.
Xiao Yan, however, was in a daze. The first time Zhou Changqing had attacked the mist formation, Yao Lao had observed it and told him that its defenses were formidable, capable of withstanding the continuous attacks of a low-tier Dou Emperor for some time. Even a full-power strike from a low-tier Dou Emperor using their trump card Dou Technique would take several hits to break it.
Yet old Zhou had shattered it in a single blow. Didn't that mean his strength had already surpassed that of a low-tier Dou Emperor? But hadn't his teacher said that old Zhou was only a three-star Dou King? The gap between a three-star Dou King and a being stronger than a low-tier Dou Emperor was an entire realm! Was this guy even human?
Old Zhou, that bastard, definitely had a cheat!
"What are you standing around for? Let's go! You planning on staying for dinner?"
"Oh, oh, right! Coming!"
Urged on by Zhou Changqing, Xiao Yan finally snapped back to reality and flapped his Purple Cloud Wings, flying toward him. Hai Bodong quickly followed suit.
Wooo~ Wooo~~ Wooo~…
Just as everyone was still reeling in shock and Zhou Changqing's group was about to fly off the mountain peak, the sound of a flute suddenly rang out. The sound was unique; though it contained no power, its sound waves were incredibly piercing, rapidly spreading out beyond the mountain peak.
"Is there no end to this?" Hearing the flute, Zhou Changqing's brows furrowed as he cast a cold glance at the plaza below. Yun Ling, who at some point had staggered to his feet, was now arduously playing a jade flute.
Sensing Zhou Changqing's gaze, Yun Ling's lips twisted into a sinister, ferocious smile. "Thinking of leaving? What do you take the Misty Cloud Sect for? None of you will be leaving today!"
"In all these years, our Misty Cloud Sect has never been so humiliated. Hai Bodong! And you two little brats! You must pay the price!"
Seeing Yun Ling's crazed expression and hearing his supremely confident words, the pupils of Jia Xingtian, Fa Ma, and even Hai Bodong constricted!
It must be that old geezer! He really isn't dead!
The thought had barely formed in their minds when, in the next second, a vast and majestic aura, like a slumbering dragon awakening, descended upon the peak of Misty Cloud Mountain with an overwhelming and unstoppable might.
The moment Zhou Changqing sensed this aura, he abandoned any thought of escaping in the brief interval before its owner arrived. He had only ever felt this kind of pressure from one other person. Facing such an existence, trying to escape with their strength was pure fantasy. Even if they split up, they would be hunted down and defeated one by one in short order. It was completely pointless.
A second after the aura appeared, a white figure materialized in the air a thousand meters from the mountaintop.
The instant this figure appeared, the many powerful experts present sensed him and turned their gazes in his direction. With their powerful vision, they made out the man's appearance and couldn't help but whisper his name.
"Yun Shan!"