Elder Yao gripped the Flame Longsword formed from the Bone Spirit Cold Flame, his arm trembling uncontrollably. The black fire's glow grew increasingly dim, like a flickering candle in the wind that could go out at any moment. Though he could currently use Xiao Yan's body to wield strength close to that of a Dou Huang, Xiao Yan himself was only a two-star Great Fighter, with shallow Spiritual Energy reserves. After the consecutive fierce battles, he was already at the end of his tether. Before them, the purple-robed man leading the Heavenly Snake Mansion held a Dou Qi spear wreathed in dark green poisonous light. Each step he took forward caused the surrounding air to become more foul-smelling. The poison at its tip was like a serpent's tongue, fixedly locked onto Xiao Yan's vital points, as if it would pierce through the young body the next second. At his side, another Dou Huang from the Heavenly Snake Mansion had recovered. His Serpentine Longsword gleamed with poisoned light, and his eyes were as vicious as blades. The instant the purple-robed man attacked, he would launch an assault from the rear, leaving no chance to catch one's breath—in their eyes, this two-star Great Fighter was merely an ant forcing himself to hold on. His destruction was only a matter of time.
In the distance, the ice barrier around Hai Bodong had long been constantly eroded by the poisonous mist until it was riddled with holes. The sizzling of melting ice was unceasing, while the transparent barrier was covered in dark green poison stains like a ruined spiderweb, ready to shatter at any moment. His face was pale as paper, with dried blood still at the corner of his mouth. The hem of his deep-blue brocade robe had been corroded into tatters by