Clashing Head-On with a Dou Zun—Old Ninth, You're Not Enough!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Above Wutan City, the sky had long since become a chaotic wasteland of rampaging energy!

Golden divine seals clashed with pitch-black ghost claws, while purple wind blades mixed with lightning and blood-red pillars of light. Every collision erupted with an earth-shaking roar! Terrifying energy storms spread wildly outward like tangible ripples, tearing the clouds overhead into scattered fragments!

On the ground, if not for the divine-sense barrier Grandpa Lu had set up, all of Wutan City would have already been reduced to ruins by the devastating aftershocks of this battle!

Xiao Yao and Ninth Heavenly Venerate's avatar were engaging in a direct head-on clash!

At first, during Xiao Yao's first encounter with a Dou Zun expert, spatial manipulation had caught him off guard.

The reason Dou Zuns were called "Venerates" was that they could truly fuse their soul power deeply with the power of space between heaven and earth, allowing them to control it!

Ninth Heavenly Venerate's attacks often appeared to come from the front, only to twist space strangely midway through and launch fatal strikes from behind, from the side, or from any angle one could never expect! Such exquisite control over space was far beyond anything at the Dou Zong level could compare with!

"Kid! Watch the spatial fluctuation three zhang to your left!" Grandpa Lu's voice promptly rang out in Xiao Yao's mind.

With a thought, Xiao Yao shifted one step sideways to the right like a phantom.

"Screech!"

Almost at the same instant, the space where he had been standing abruptly tore open, and a gigantic claw condensed from pitch-black energy slashed fiercely through empty air!

"Your reactions aren't bad!" Ninth Heavenly Venerate snorted coldly. Bringing his hands together, he caused the ghost claw to explode instantly, turning it into hundreds of smaller and even more sinister black energy needles that once again descended upon Xiao Yao like a covering sky!

However, after the initial probing and Grandpa Lu's guidance, Xiao Yao's Innate Dao Body, with its extraordinary sensitivity to space, along with his Spirit Realm soul that far surpassed those of the same rank, had begun to display terrifying effects!

The world in his eyes seemed to have changed!

He could clearly "see" that the surrounding space was no longer formless nothingness, but had turned into strings that could be plucked! Every attack from Ninth Heavenly Venerate caused those strings to tremble!

In but a moment, Xiao Yao had already familiarized himself with his opponent's attack patterns and intervals!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

High in the air, two figures flickered like phantoms, and every contact between them erupted with a thunderous blast!

Xiao Yao had actually relied on strength comparable to a Peak Dou Zong, along with his masterful use of Immortal Family techniques, to fight this genuine Two-Star Dou Zun avatar evenly!

At times, he unleashed Heaven Burning Martial Arts. Golden divine spears and swords carried the supremely yang and unyielding Immortal Family Mana, firmly suppressing those sinister and bizarre Soul Hall Fighting Skills!

At other times, he activated the Eight Extremes Fist and engaged in close combat. Every punch and kick contained the profound principles of the Great Dao, stirring space into tremors and forcing even Ninth Heavenly Venerate to temporarily avoid their edge!

This incomparably fierce battle made Protector Wu's heart pound in terror below, while the Xiao Family members boiled with excitement!

As Xiao Yao's opponent, however, Ninth Heavenly Venerate grew increasingly horrified and stifled as the fight continued!

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"

He roared madly in his heart!

This boy's combat talent was simply unprecedented in his life! It was even more terrifying than the Young Masters he had seen within the Soul Clan, those with the noblest bloodlines and the finest resources!

He had gone from awkwardness at the beginning to such effortless control now in merely a few dozen exchanges!

Watching a junior he had once regarded as an ant grow at terrifying speed in battle, even showing faint signs of surpassing him, was not a pleasant feeling!

Especially when that person was his opponent, it made this long-renowned Ninth Heavenly Venerate unable to eat or sleep in peace!

"This boy's combat talent... perhaps not even the clan's young clan leader could surpass him!"

"Old fool! You've cultivated for so many years, and this is all the strength you have? You're not enough!"

Just as Ninth Heavenly Venerate's mind was in turmoil, Xiao Yao's mocking laughter rang clearly in his ears.

"You're courting death!"

Ninth Heavenly Venerate was so enraged that he flew into a furious rage. Killing intent surged in his heart, and his palm attacks became increasingly fierce! The vast Dou Qi within him, as boundless as the sea, circulated like a raging flood before pouring frantically from his meridians!

Wherever his palm wind passed, space shattered. Savage pitch-black spatial cracks, like the gaping jaws of demons, continuously swallowed everything around them!

"Hmph! You're losing your temper already?"

Ninth Heavenly Venerate's suddenly sharpened offensive also caught Xiao Yao's attention. A cold smile appeared on his handsome face. After unleashing Heaven Burning Martial Arts, the natural suppression Immortal Family Mana held over Soul Hall's dark Cultivation Methods, combined with the Innate Dao Body's extraordinary sensitivity to space, had boosted him so greatly that he no longer needed to fear Ninth Heavenly Venerate at all!

He glanced once more at the golden barrier, which was already on the verge of collapse, and knew he could not drag this out any longer.

"Let me show you what real power is!"

As Xiao Yao evaded, his hands formed that profound seal once more!

"Imperial Seal Art!"

Ninth Heavenly Venerate's pupils contracted!

"That move again! You can actually use the four seals of the Ancient Clan's Imperial Seal Art?! Could it be that the Ancient Clan is supporting your Xiao Family from behind?!"

"No!" He quickly rejected his own guess. "Although your hand seals resemble them, the intent contained within them is grander and more domineering than what I saw Ancient Clan experts use back then! Their power is also stronger!"

"Could it be... could it be that this boy improved the Imperial Seal Art himself?!"

The moment this thought arose, he immediately extinguished it!

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! How could some brat improve an Earth Tier High-Level Fighting Skill? There must be someone even stronger supporting him from behind!"

Having figured this out, a vicious glint flashed through Ninth Heavenly Venerate's eyes!

"Boy! I don't care who stands behind you! Today, you will definitely die! Even if Xiao Xuan came back to life, he could not stop the rise of our Soul Hall!"

Hearing him mention Xiao Xuan's name, genuine, chilling killing intent flashed through Xiao Yao's eyes!

"You're worthy of speaking my ancestor's name?"

"If my ancestor were here, forget a mere Old Ninth like you—even if your Soul Hall's Hall Master came in person, would he dare utter a single word of defiance?!"

Before his words had even faded, their clash completely entered its most intense stage!

"Kid, take my final attack! Earth Tier High-Level Fighting Skill—Soul Burst Heavenly Star!"

Ninth Heavenly Venerate roared, pouring all his Dou Qi and soul power into his palms. An enormous pitch-black energy sphere made up of countless twisted soul faces rapidly began to form!

It seemed as though all the light between heaven and earth had been swallowed into it!

On the other side, Xiao Yao's face was equally solemn!

"Carefree Seal... it's time to let you truly appear in this world!"

His hands formed an unprecedentedly profound seal, gathering all his energy and filled with harmonious, unrestrained Dao resonance!

The energy of half the Jia Ma Empire instantly turned violent!