First Battle with the Ninth Heavenly Venerate!

"Trash. Driven to such a state by a mere junior—how do you still have the face to call yourself a member of the Soul Hall?"

Just as the golden giant seal was about to completely crush the black barrier, an indifferent voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation suddenly rang out slowly across the sky.

That voice carried an innate arrogance and majesty.

Immediately afterward, a torn spatial rift abruptly appeared behind Protector Wu. From within the eerie black space, an elderly figure clad in a light blue robe slowly stepped out.

His features were ancient and rugged, and whenever his eyes opened and closed, sharp light flashed within them as though lightning flickered there. As this figure fully emerged, the air throughout heaven and earth immediately became moist! Faintly, tiny droplets of water condensed out of thin air above the sky before raining down with a patter!

This terrifying strength, capable of using his vast Dou Qi to stir Heaven and Earth Energy and create such phenomena, made Xiao Yao's gaze turn solemn in an instant!

"A phantom body without physical form—is this a soul-force avatar descending? A high-level Dou Zun... and the avatar alone is probably no weaker than a two-star Dou Zun!"

"I am the Ninth Heavenly Venerate of the Soul Hall!" The blue-robed elder stood proudly, his calm yet majestic voice resounding over all of Wutan City. The immense pressure formed dark whirlpools in the sky, as though the end of the world had arrived.

This strange development naturally caught the attention of the Xiao Family below. The flames of hope that had only just ignited within them were instantly doused by a bucket of cold water, and their hearts sank into the abyss once more.

"Greetings, Ninth Heavenly Venerate!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Protector Wu felt as though he had been granted a pardon. He hurriedly led the other protector in kneeling and bowing in a wretched state, their eyes filled with the wild joy of surviving a calamity.

Yet the Ninth Heavenly Venerate did not even spare him a glance. His hawk-like, razor-sharp eyes locked directly onto the golden giant seal, and then onto Xiao Yao, who stood with his hands behind his back.

He wasted no words. The instant he appeared, he attacked!

His withered hand clenched from afar toward Xiao Yao. Spatial power!

"Buzz!"

The space before him suddenly twisted violently. Then, a pitch-black ring of light roughly ten feet wide materialized out of thin air!

The entire ring was black as ink. As it rotated, even light itself seemed to be forcibly devoured, radiating a heart-palpitating power of devouring and annihilation!

"Black Soul Yuan Devour!"

With the Ninth Heavenly Venerate's indifferent voice, the black ring shot forth abruptly, shattering all space along its path!

Faced with this sudden, overwhelmingly powerful attack, Xiao Yao's eyes held not the slightest trace of fear. Instead, unprecedented, blazing battle intent erupted from within him!

"Hahahaha! Good! Excellent!"

"This is my first time fighting a true Dou Zun expert! Let me see just how powerful these so-called Dou Zuns really are!"

Filled with heroic spirit, he moved his mind, and the Heaven Annihilating Seal suspended above the Soul Hall members instantly changed direction and flew toward the black ring!

At the same time, his hands formed seals as he shouted once more!

"Immortal Technique · Sky-Burning Martial Display · Golden Flame Dragon Spear!"

Golden Immortal Family Mana gathered madly before him, transforming into a divine spear blazing with raging flames and brimming with boundless killing intent!

"Go!"

One spear and one seal, one after the other, carrying heaven-destroying might, collided violently with the eerie black ring in midair!

"BOOM—!!!"

An indescribably terrifying energy storm exploded over Wutan City!

The entire sky seemed to have been torn apart like an enormous rag! Golden light and black radiance intertwined and annihilated each other! The defensive barrier formed from the corpses of the Soul Hall experts below could not even last a breath against the energy shockwaves before instantly vanishing into nothingness!

In the end, the spear shattered, the seal dispersed, and the ring vanished!

They had actually... fought to a draw!

"Hm?!"

For the first time, genuine shock appeared on the Ninth Heavenly Venerate's previously impassive face!

With uncertainty in his eyes, he began to reassess this absurdly young junior before him!

Though his earlier strike had appeared casual, even an ordinary peak Dou Zong would never have been able to receive it so easily! Yet this boy had not only taken it, but done so while simultaneously controlling another fighting skill of equally formidable power!

"I never expected this... I truly never expected this..." The Ninth Heavenly Venerate spoke slowly, his voice now carrying genuine gravity and killing intent. "A ruined Xiao Family whose bloodline has long since run dry could actually produce a monstrous talent like you... one capable of rivaling the prodigies of my Soul Clan! You cannot be allowed to live! Today, you must die!"

He no longer held anything back. His hands suddenly formed an obscure seal, and blood-red energy even more terrifying and sinister than before gathered madly in his palms!

"Earth Tier High-Level Fighting Skill · Soul Extinguishing Profound Blood Light!"

A thick pillar of blood-red light, as though condensed from the blood of countless vengeful souls, pierced through the void and shot straight at Xiao Yao, carrying the horrifying power to taint souls and corrode heaven and earth!

"Excellent!"

Xiao Yao's battle intent soared into the heavens. Rather than retreating, he advanced!

"Imperial Seal Art: Opening Mountain, Overturning Sea, Covering Earth, Heaven Annihilating!"

"Four Seals as One, Carefree Heaven and Earth!"

His hands flashed like lightning. In a single instant, he perfectly fused together the first four seals of the Imperial Seal Art!

A new golden giant seal, more solid and far larger than the previous Heaven Annihilating Seal, formed with a thunderous roar. Upon it even flowed a trace of the Daoist true meaning of "carefree freedom"!

"Break for me...!"

With Xiao Yao's furious shout, the Carefree Seal, fused with the power of four seals, crashed fiercely into the blood-red pillar once more!

This time, they were no longer evenly matched!

The instant the blood-red pillar touched the golden giant seal, it seemed to encounter its nemesis. It gave off a sizzling sound of dissolution and crumbled inch by inch at a visible speed!

"Boom!"

The golden giant seal's remaining force did not diminish. It forcibly drove the remaining blood light back!

The Ninth Heavenly Venerate's expression changed drastically. He hurriedly retreated, narrowly avoiding that terrifying blow!

Below, Protector Wu was already dumbfounded, his soul nearly fleeing his body! Though the Xiao Family members could not understand a battle of this level, seeing Xiao Yao display such divine might and force even the arrogant blue-robed elder back, they immediately erupted into earth-shaking cheers!

Throughout the Jia Ma Empire, in the imperial capital, the Misty Cloud Sect, and among the experts of every major faction, they all sensed this energy fluctuation capable of destroying heaven and earth—yet none had the courage to even approach and take a distant look!

Jia Xing Tian and the others could only tremble as they cast reverent yet terrified gazes toward Wutan City.