Chapter 4

"Having only recently advanced to Dou Sheng, your realm is still unstable. Aren't you afraid such big words will make you bite your tongue?" Bone Blade's expression darkened. A hundred years ago, he had fought Yao Chen many times, and every time he had held the upper hand, leaving Yao Chen with no choice but to flee in disgrace. Having just broken through to Mid Two-Star Dou Sheng this time, he had eagerly taken on the mission to capture Yao Chen, intending to settle this grudge once and for all.

Yet in today's clash, he had instead gradually fallen into a disadvantage. How could the arrogant Bone Blade possibly accept that?

"Great Heavenly Venerate, Yao Chen is no longer what he once was. Not only is his Dou Qi strength terrifying, but his soul realm has likely reached at least the Mid Heavenly Realm. Under the circumstances, retreating may be our best option..." Second Heavenly Venerate Gu You said in a low voice, still shaken with lingering fear. Had Bone Blade not acted in time just now, he likely would have died beneath that fire phoenix as well.

"Useless trash! We dispatched so many Venerates and suffered such losses, yet we still can't even take down a mere Starfall Pavilion. What face would Soul Hall have left to stand in the Central Continent?" Great Heavenly Venerate roared furiously at Gu You.

"Pass down my order—form the Senluo Sky-Splitting Array!" Great Heavenly Venerate's hand seals shifted rapidly as the Soul Hall Venerates changed positions. Countless black beams rose from above their heads and converged upon Great Heavenly Venerate's body. His aura surged wildly, breaking through Mid Two-Star Dou Sheng and soaring all the way to Late Two-Star Dou Sheng!

"Yao Chen, the grudges of all these years will be settled completely today!" Great Heavenly Venerate said to Yao Chen with a sinister smile, though there was not the slightest warmth in it.

"Bone Emperor Blade, Man-Blade Unity!" Though his strength had risen by a small tier, Bone Blade still did not dare underestimate his opponent. From the very start, he unleashed his strongest Dou Technique, hoping to finish the battle in one stroke. Over a hundred blade gusts, each hundreds of zhang wide, shot toward Yao Chen.

The sight made the hearts of the observing Starfall Pavilion disciples leap into their throats. The Bone Emperor Blade was Great Heavenly Venerate's signature technique. Decades ago, he had used it to slay two Rogue Dou Shengs, establishing his formidable reputation across the Central Continent. Now, his Bone Emperor Blade had improved even further, reaching the realm of man-blade unity. How could anyone not fear it?

Yao Chen's expression also turned grave as he faced the incoming Bone Emperor Blades.

"Nine Yang Fire Phoenix!"

Another enormous flame phoenix, a thousand zhang long, flew toward the blade gusts. The two collided, and the tremendous shockwave caused all space within a thousand zhang to collapse. Both Yao Chen and Great Heavenly Venerate retreated several steps. This exchange ended in a draw, and before the shockwave had even dispersed, the two resumed their desperate battle. For a moment, the outcome was impossible to predict.

As the battle between the two grew increasingly fierce, Yao Dan, who was concealing his aura within Starfall Pavilion, became more and more uneasy. If Yao Chen were defeated, no one in Starfall Pavilion would be able to stop Great Heavenly Venerate. The battle would turn into a one-sided slaughter. If that truly happened, he would have no choice but to violate the agreement of the Ancient Eight Clans and intervene. The Yao Clan's diplomatic reputation, as well as his own prestige within the clan, would suffer a devastating blow.

As the battle reached an increasingly feverish stage, Great Heavenly Venerate fought with ever-growing ferocity, while Yao Chen gradually fell into a disadvantage. Another blade gust, a thousand zhang wide, came crashing down and caught Yao Chen off guard. With no time to evade, he was forced to take it head-on with his body. He was blasted back several hundred steps, and a trace of blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Yao Chen, your strength today has already surpassed mine by a slight margin. If I weren't borrowing the power of this great array, I could never have pushed you into such a state. Your alchemy still has some use to our Hun Clan. If you surrender today and hand Xiao Yan over for us to deal with, I can guarantee with my position that I will personally petition the Hall Master to spare both you and your disciple!" Seeing Yao Chen's bedraggled state and recalling their many battles, Bone Blade felt a degree of mutual respect and spoke in a deep voice.

"No need. One move is enough to deal with you," Yao Chen said gravely. He had indeed been severely injured and had fallen into a disadvantage. But Bone Blade and the Venerates maintaining the array had also been drained to a terrifying extent. Even the color of the array was gradually dimming. Both sides had expended heavily, which was the perfect opportunity for him to exploit the advantage of his powerful soul power.

"Then don't blame this old man for not giving you a chance. Bone Emperor Sky Split!" Seeing this, Bone Blade stopped trying to persuade him to surrender.

"Nine Yang Fire Phoenix!"

This time, the fire phoenix effortlessly swallowed the blade gusts and crashed directly into the Soul Hall array. The array shattered at once, and Bone Blade's aura instantly withered. He spat out a mouthful of blood.

"You've materialized your soul power and attached it to your Dou Technique? Your soul realm has actually reached the Late Heavenly Realm?" Bone Blade stared at Yao Chen in utter shock. After a hundred years apart, Yao Chen's strength had reached such a terrifying level!

"I've only just entered the Late Heavenly Realm, but it's enough to deal with you," Yao Chen said with a mocking smile. "Thank you for your kind offer. I won't kill you, but Soul Hall invaded first, so you must pay some price today. You may leave, but a few of the remaining Venerates must stay behind."

"What a joke! If I truly abandoned these subordinates, how could I report back to the Hall Master? How could I face their families?" Bone Blade roared. "You all leave first. I'll cover your retreat!"

"You? Forget it!" Yao Chen did not waste another word and directly sent forth a palm gust a thousand zhang wide.

"Insolence!" Countless Soul Chains suddenly spread out, effortlessly blocking the enormous flaming palm.