Black-Corner Region, site of volcanic eruption.
At this moment, even Earth Demon Lao Gui, a Seven-Star Dou Zong, found it difficult as he gazed at the soaring magma.
All three elders of his Demon Flame Valley were inside, and under such heavenly might, even if they were all peak Dou Huangs, Earth Demon Lao Gui wasn't entirely confident they could emerge unscathed.
Damn it, was he going to become a lone commander from now on?
Within the endless magma, ripples of energy stirred up bubbles, and suddenly, a violent tremor came from the center, growing stronger as time passed.
Seeing this, Earth Demon Lao Gui's expression softened slightly, and his eyes brightened!
There was still hope?
"Boom—"
Accompanied by muffled thuds, several disheveled figures burst out from within the magma, precisely Han Feng and the others who had just entered the passage.
At this moment, they were all in a sorry state, with varying degrees of burns on their bodies and weakened auras, and several had been permanently left beneath the ground.
They died without knowing why!
This time, Jiang Yun's meticulously planned explosion utilized the power of an array to trigger the magma energy that had existed for countless years beneath the Black-Corner Region, thus creating such immense power that even Dou Zongs were threatened.
Mo Tianxing, who was still alive at this moment, had bloodshot eyes, like a wounded beast ready to devour someone, staring intently at Han Feng, roaring, "Han Feng, what exactly did you do underground, or rather, was this all a trap set by your Pharmacist Han to wipe us all out?"
If there was anyone in the most pain right now, it was Mo Tianxing. His son, Mo Ya, had died completely in this explosion, as had Qi Shan, the chief Alchemist of the Black Emperor Sect.
It could be said that his Black Emperor Sect had suffered a heavy blow this time; twenty years of effort had gone to waste. Not tearing Han Feng apart on the spot was already a testament to his rationality.
Hearing Mo Tianxing's words, the remaining Gold and Silver Elders, Fang Yan, Wu Tie, and others also looked at Han Feng with suspicious eyes.
This time, they had indeed suffered a great loss; they hadn't even seen what the Heaven Flame looked like before encountering this unprovoked disaster. Now, a fire was burning in their hearts, and they desperately needed someone to vent on.
"Sect Master Mo suspects me?"
"Sect Master Mo thinks too highly of me. I don't have the ability to trigger the entire underground world. Besides, that Heaven Flame underground was also a ruse; we were played!"
Han Feng suppressed his anger and said coldly to the crowd, "You're feeling stifled, but do you think I'm having a good time?"
Who could understand this feeling of being given hope only for it to turn into despair?
"That's just your side of the story. How do you prove it's true?" Even if Han Feng's words made sense, Mo Tianxing still wanted to pin the blame on him, hoping to incite a group attack. The collection of a Seventh-Rank Alchemist should be enough to compensate for this loss.
It must be said that Mo Tianxing was indeed a hero; having just experienced the pain of losing his son, he immediately began to consider his own interests.
"Then what do you want?" Han Feng finally understood that this old fox, Mo Tianxing, wanted to make up for his losses from him. However, he wasn't made of clay; the other party had probably come to the wrong place.
"This matter all started because of you. Now, each of our families has suffered losses. Three Seventh Grade Pills per family, and this matter will be considered resolved. Otherwise..."
At this moment, Mo Tianxing also began to reveal his true intentions. Cunning as he was, he brought everyone present into the scheme to keep Han Feng in check.
Fang Yan, the Gold and Silver Elders, Wu Tie, and the others were somewhat tempted. Seventh Grade Pills were very enticing!
Moreover, if they missed this opportunity, there wouldn't be another!
To do it or not...
At this moment, everyone's bodies were more honest than their minds, silently blocking Han Feng's retreat.
Such actions made Han Feng's expression even more sinister.
"Enough! Are the famous powerhouses on the Black List of this generation in the Black-Corner Region so narrow-minded? You only fight among yourselves when a great enemy is present. Even the Old Ancestor feels ashamed of you."
Just as Fang Yan and the others were being tempted by Mo Tianxing into a forced transaction, an ancient voice, as if piercing through space, boomed across the sky like nine heavens of thunder.
The thunderous shout resounded mightily through the mountain forest, its lingering echo, like a reverberating Buddhist chant, shook one's heart.
"This is... the Old Ancestor's voice! Old Ancestor, you've finally come!" Fang Yan was almost in tears at this moment. After he woke Earth Demon Ancestor, the latter had told the three of them to go ahead.
But unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, the three had become one person, which almost brought him to tears.
Han Feng and the others, however, had a drastic change in expression. Had this legendary powerhouse from the previous generation also emerged?
Bursts of wind-breaking sounds suddenly echoed from the edge of the sky, and in a flash, Earth Demon Lao Gui's figure appeared before everyone's eyes.
"Earth Demon Lao Gui!"
"Old Ancestor—" Earth Demon Lao Gui's appearance immediately gave Fang Yan a pillar of support, and he immediately knelt before him.
"You disgraceful wretch, you were played by someone and didn't even know it. You've completely shamed Demon Flame Valley!"
"What—"
"Earth Demon Ancestor, what do you mean by that?"
Upon hearing Earth Demon Lao Gui's words, everyone was startled. They had been played?
"What do I mean?" Earth Demon Lao Gui's eyes suddenly turned cold upon hearing this. With a flick of his five fingers, five sharp Dou Qi streams, emanating a chilling aura, shot out from his fingertips, carrying fierce winds, and blasted towards a hidden bush in the distance. "It means... the rats from Jia Nan Academy, come out and get some air!"
As the five cold glints flew a certain distance, a figure suddenly flashed out, and a majestic aura erupted like a volcano at that instant. A Dou Qi directly shattered the five sharp, chilling energy streams, causing them to dissipate.
Su Qian's figure trembled slightly, then he let out a low grunt and retreated a few steps. He had already suffered a disadvantage in their initial exchange.
A Seven-Star Dou Zong, terrifying indeed!
Seeing Su Qian, Han Feng and the others' expressions changed, becoming extremely ugly. Su Qian's appearance indicated that all of this was a trap, set by Jia Nan Academy. They were like fools, foolishly played.
"You are Su Qian, aren't you?" Earth Demon Lao Gui glanced at Su Qian indifferently and said, "I didn't expect you to have also advanced to the Dou Zong rank. When I saw you back then, you were merely a peak Dou Huang elder."
"However, what if you're a Dou Zong? You shouldn't have provoked my Demon Flame Valley."
With a slight frown, Su Qian coldly shouted, "Earth Demon Lao Gui, today my Jia Nan Academy will eliminate you great scourges!"
"Just with you?" Earth Demon Lao Gui waved his sleeve, glancing at Hu Gan and the others who were slowly approaching, and sneered, "Just with your four newly advanced Dou Zongs, and you, a Three-Star Dou Zong? If you want the Old Ancestor's life, call Mang Tianchi."
"Jia Nan Academy actually has five Dou Zongs? When did they break through?" Seeing Jia Nan Academy mobilize five Dou Zongs at once, Han Feng and the others' expressions changed.
They secretly rejoiced. Jia Nan Academy had quietly acquired five Dou Zongs. If Earth Demon Lao Gui hadn't come, they might have been doomed. But now...
Their expressions were playful as they looked at Su Qian!
Surely Su Qian hadn't anticipated the current situation, had he? This was called, trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice, wasn't it?
Hearing this, a cold smile appeared on Su Qian's face: "Earth Demon Lao Gui, aren't you afraid of being laughed at for saying such things? If the Headmaster was in the Inner Court, would you still dare to appear?"
Upon hearing Su Qian's sarcastic words, a fierce glint immediately flashed in Earth Demon Lao Gui's eyes; "Good, good, good. You people from Jia Nan Academy are all so sharp-tongued. Today, even if Mang Tianchi comes, the Old Ancestor will tear you apart."
"Heh!" Su Qian chuckled softly, his peripheral vision noting that everyone was in position, and his heart immediately settled. "Then you can try?"
"Elders, activate the array!"
As his voice fell, Su Qian formed a complex hand seal. At the same time, Hu Gan and the others also changed their hand seals. Immediately, the energy of heaven and earth surged, and a colossal array diagram slowly appeared above everyone's heads.
"Not good!" Feeling this immense energy, Earth Demon Lao Gui's expression changed for the first time.
"Mysterious Ice Thorn!"
With a low shout, a pitch-black cold aura surged out from within his body. As soon as the cold aura appeared, it instantly solidified, and with a crisp sound, it burst into a pile of shattered ice.
Earth Demon Lao Gui's ten fingers flickered, and countless dense black ice cones, covering the sky and earth, flew towards the five people around him.
Seeing this, the few people remained unfazed, abruptly forming hand seals. Immediately, the incomparably vast spirit array erupted with dazzling light.
"Four Spirits of Heaven and Earth, gather!"
Accompanied by a fierce shout from the four people presiding over the grand array, four brilliant rays of light slowly appeared between heaven and earth.
A terrifying pressure permeated the air.
"Roar—"
Accompanied by a mighty roar, a blood-colored giant tiger, formed by Wu Tianlang, stepped through the air from behind him.
With a single claw, the White Tiger struck, and with a "boom—", the endless ice cones instantly shattered, turning into specks of ice crystals scattered between heaven and earth.
"What—" Seeing his attack blocked, Earth Demon Lao Gui's expression darkened. The power of this grand array exceeded his expectations.
"What a powerful array. When did Jia Nan Academy acquire such a foundation?" Han Feng also witnessed the scene just now, his face grim as he muttered.
At this moment, with the appearance of the White Tiger, it was as if a switch had been flipped.
Chirp!
Accompanied by a clear and resonant cry, from the corner presided over by Elder Huo in the south, a fiery red giant bird, reborn from flames, condensed into existence. As soon as it appeared, the temperature of the entire world instantly soared at this moment, even the air became distorted.
Immediately after, the Azure Dragon of the East and the Black Tortoise of the North appeared one after another.
And with the appearance of the Four Sacred Beasts, it also marked the complete success of Jiang Yun's Four Spirits Array, which he had comprehended from the Four Spirits Seal.
"This array is the Four Spirits Array. Its power has already reached the peak of a Level 5 Spirit Array. Not bad at all!"
In the sky not far away, Jiang Yun and Zi Yan's figures slowly emerged. Looking at the Four Sacred Beasts in the sky, Jiang Yun's mouth curved into a satisfied smile.
A Level 5 Spirit Array was enough to contend with Dou Zong realm experts. If he were given time to set up the array, even a Dou Zun could be trapped for a while!
"Wow—, Xiao Yun, this is great! I want to learn it!" Beside him, Zi Yan's eyes lit up as she looked at the majestic Azure Dragon, pulling Jiang Yun's hand and shaking it vigorously.
"It's not that I'm unwilling to teach you, but this depends on here!" Saying that, Jiang Yun pointed to his own head.
Zi Yan looked at it with some confusion, then reacted and said angrily, "Oh, you actually dare to say I have no brains?!"
"I didn't say that, you said it yourself!" Jiang Yun chuckled softly. Just as he was about to raise his hand to suppress her as before, Zi Yan had already grown up. Jiang Yun immediately retracted his hand. In that fleeting moment, Zi Yan didn't notice and immediately bumped into Jiang Yun, grabbing his head for a headbutt
"That's for calling me stupid—" With a thud, the pain in his forehead brought back Jiang Yun's attention. Zi Yan looked at the red mark on Jiang Yun's forehead with a grin, "Alright, now we're the same!"
Looking at Zi Yan in his arms, Jiang Yun's eyes darted around a bit. He pulled Zi Yan away and flew towards the battle, "Alright, you keep watch here for now. I'll go help the First Elder and the others."
Looking at Jiang Yun's somewhat 'fleeing' back, Zi Yan immediately revealed a bright smile, muttering with a giggle, "Still saying you don't like it, you contradictory fellow!"
After speaking, feeling the fleeting touch from earlier, even the thick-skinned Zi Yan's cheeks were a little flushed.
"Boom boom boom—"
The four colossal Sacred Beasts stood in this dazzling world, their bodies flowing with light, exuding a heart-shaking sense of pressure.
"A mere array, and you think it can trap the Old Ancestor?" Earth Demon Lao Gui looked at the four beast shadows in the sky, feeling the terrifying pressure they exuded, and felt a surge of unease in his heart.
"Mysterious Ice Sword Art!"
Earth Demon Lao Gui's withered claws suddenly formed a seal, then he shouted sharply. The numerous scattered ice cones around him rapidly converged, and in a mere blink of an eye, they all melted and merged into a pitch-black ice sword, about ten feet wide.
As the ice sword took shape, a chilling aura erupted. Even Han Feng, who possessed a Heaven Flame, shivered and looked at Earth Demon Ancestor with apprehension, quietly retreating backward.
At this moment, Earth Demon Ancestor, holding the sharp sword, fully unleashed his Seven-Star Dou Zong strength, letting out a sharp shriek.
"Watch the Old Ancestor strike you down!"
The sharp sword qi, without hesitation, fiercely stabbed towards the White Tiger within the array.
Among the four, the White Tiger, formed by Wu Tianlang, gave him the greatest sense of threat.
This was not only because the White Tiger represented slaughter, but also because Wu Tianlang himself was very skilled in this path, capable of unleashing the White Tiger's power to its fullest.
"You talk big without fear of biting your tongue!" Wu Tianlang sneered at the sight, looking indifferently at the people in the array. His hand seals changed, and the White Tiger within the array immediately trembled. Between the opening and closing of its eyes, a hint of spiritual sentience appeared.
"Geng Metal Annihilation Slash!"
Boom!
A massive blade of light erupted from the White Tiger's mouth, slashing down towards Earth Demon Ancestor with an indescribable sharpness.