At this moment, all the members of the Five Elements Sect were plunged into a deep despair.
Elder Yao was being relentlessly suppressed by the Third Heavenly Venerate. Each clash made his aura increasingly chaotic, and the blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth stained his white robes.
Xiao Yi Xian's body was surrounded by Calamity Poison Gas, but she was unable to break through the Yin Cold Dou Qi of Mo Yu, which was like a bone-deep infection. Instead, she was constantly eroded by it, and her face turned as pale as paper.
Under the ferocious onslaught of the Eight-Star Dou Venerate in the Qiu Di, Qing Lin, along with her several Magical Beasts, was like a small boat in a storm, barely able to hold on, with new wounds constantly appearing on her body, and defeat seemed imminent.
The battle situation at the lower and middle levels was even more appalling.
The low-level Dou Venerate of the Soul Hall were like tigers among sheep, reaping lives at will. Another deacon with the Dou Ancestor Cultivation was attacked by two Soul Hall Protector, and a Black Chains pierced through his dantian. His eyes quickly dimmed, and he fell from the sky.
On the plaza, the corpses of disciples were mixed with the wounded, blood stained the Blue Stone, and wails and roars intertwined, creating a hellish scene.
Just when everyone was shocked by their companion's tragic state and was tightly entangled by their opponents, the treacherous Old Ghost Xing Zhaixing seized this fleeting opportunity!
A cruel and gleeful grin spread across his face. On his single arm, sinister Black Qi condensed at an unprecedented speed, compressing into a black energy blade no more than a foot long, yet incredibly solid, its edges shimmering with tearing light!
This energy blade exuded an extremely dangerous aura, firmly locking onto Xiong Zhan, who was already powerless to resist and on the verge of death in the deep pit!
"Hehehe... Die for me!" Old Ghost Xing Zhaixing shrieked venomously, and swung his arm violently!
"Call out--!"
The black energy blade instantly Space-Rending, emitting a piercing shriek, like a scythe of death from the Netherworld, shooting towards Xiong Zhan's enormous head at a speed too fast for the naked eye to follow!
Wherever the energy blade passed, it left a faint black mark in the space itself. The destructive energy contained within it made Elder Yao and Xiao Yi Xian, who sensed this scene from afar, stare in disbelief!
All the Five Elements Sect disciples who witnessed this scene felt as if their hearts had been gripped by an invisible hand, stopping their beating. Despair, like the deepest darkness, swallowed their souls.
At this critical moment, a sudden change occurred!
"Buzz--!!!"
A gentle yet supremely majestic golden energy seeped out from the void above Xiong Zhan without warning! This golden light was not dazzling, but it carried an indescribable purity and vastness, as if it originated from an ancient sacred power.
It struck first, arriving faster than expected, with unparalleled precision, aimed at the potentially lethal black energy blade.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor any ripples from the energy impact.
Under the seemingly gentle golden light, the ruthless killing move of the Old Ghost Xing, which had gathered all his strength, was like ice and snow meeting boiling oil. With a soft "hiss," it instantly melted and disintegrated before everyone's incredulous eyes, turning into the most primordial Heaven and Earth Energy, easily erased! As if it had never existed!
This seemingly casual scene had a far more powerful impact than a fierce battle!
"What?!"
The Old Ghost Xing's face froze instantly, turning into extreme horror and bewilderment. He simply couldn't understand why his full-force attack had disappeared so mysteriously.
Immediately afterward, before anyone could recover from this sudden turn of events—
"Buzz!!!"
A Spatial Fluctuations far greater and more awe-inspiring than the previous golden energy suddenly rippled outwards from above the Five Elements Sect, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake!
This caused the sky above the Five Elements Sect, which was originally shrouded by the Soul Hall's dense black clouds, to be forcibly stirred by an invisible hand. The black clouds churned violently and trembled violently without warning!
Immediately, a terrifying aura, far more ancient, vast, and majestic than the Third Heavenly Venerate of Soul Hall, arose like Ancient Dragon had slumbered for millennia, carrying a savage and domineering will, and suddenly descended upon this ravaged world!
This aura was so powerful, so pure, so noble, that it seemed to transcend all living beings!
It directly shattered the chilling pressure and murderous atmosphere that the Soul Hall army had been gathering for so long. The pervasive Black Mist, as if encountering its nemesis, retreated and dissolved in the face of this aura.
The originally fierce and deafening battlefield came to a standstill under this absolute hierarchy! It was as if time itself slowed down at that moment.
Seeing this astonishing force, whether it was the Third Heavenly Venerate of Soul Hall who originally held an absolute advantage and were fiercely fighting Elder Yao, preparing to deliver the final blow; or the Ninth Heavenly Venerate Mo Yu, entangled with the Calamity Poison Gas and attempting to completely suppress Xiao Yi Xian; or the Eighth Heavenly Venerate Qiu Di, who was steadily suppressing Qing Lin and his numerous Magical Beasts with their overwhelming strength; or even the ordinary Venerable Elder of the Soul Hall who were wreaking havoc and creating endless bloodshed within the Five Elements Sect's camp...
Everyone in the Soul Hall involuntarily stopped what they were doing!
Their gazes, filled with astonishment, shock, fear, and disbelief, were all directed towards the source of the most intense Spatial Fluctuations!
The void rippled violently like water rippled after a stone was thrown in, and the space slowly opened up to the sides like a curtain, revealing the deep darkness behind it.
Immediately, two figures seemed to emerge from the ancient Space-Time River, taking a single step and clearly appearing in everyone's sight.
The leader was dressed in a robe that appeared simple but shimmered with a dark gold sheen, with faint dragon-shaped patterns moving across it.
His face was ancient and his exact age was hard to discern. His deep eyes, when they opened and closed, seemed to hold the sun, moon, and stars rising and falling, and contained endless wisdom and vicissitudes.
Upon his appearance, he didn't even deliberately release any aura; he simply stood there quietly. However, although his aura was restrained, it was like an invisible Black Hole, naturally attracting and suppressing all energy fluctuations around him.
A terrifying pressure emanating from the Life Origin and the level of the soul silently spread from his body, causing all the Dou Venerate present, including the strongest Third Heavenly Venerate Venerables, to feel an irresistible sense of trembling and oppression from the depths of their hearts!
It's an absolute gap in the Life Level, like an ant looking up at a dragon!
Another Half Sage! And far beyond the newly promoted Low-Tier Half Sage like the Third Heavenly Venerate Venerables!
Its aura is so refined and lingering, as if it breathes in harmony with heaven and earth; its momentum is so magnificent and unfathomable, like the starry sky!
This made it clear to anyone with a discerning eye that this was definitely an Intermediate Half Sage, or even more likely High-Tier Half Sage!
After the old man in the golden robe stepped out of the void and stabilized his figure, ripples spread through the space behind him once again, and a Big Man a body as strong as an iron tower followed closely behind, taking a step forward!
The burly Big Man appeared with a full beard, his tiger-like eyes gleaming like lightning, exuding a fierce aura with every glance. The energy fluctuations emanating from his body had reached the peak of the Eight-Star Dou Venerate level, solid and domineering, in no way weaker than the Eighth Heavenly Venerate Qiu Di of the Soul Hall!
These two were none other Elder Zhu Li and Hei Qing, who had rushed here from East Dragon Island Space-Tearing!
The two of them had come with a Child Flame.
Lin Ming had confidently promised to bring Zi Yan back to East Dragon Island within two or three months, but now the time has far exceeded expectations, and there is still no news. They can't even sense the Dragon Seal they planted!
This made them both anxious and angry, and they couldn't help but suspect that Lin Ming had done something to harm Zi Yan.
In their anxiety, they could no longer restrain themselves. They directly Space-Tearing with their overwhelming strength and, based on the barely perceptible Spatial Mark left by Hei Qing when he killed Bing He of Ice River Valley, arrived there first. Then, relying on their keen perception of residual energy, they found their way to the Five Elements Sect, which was not far away.
Their original plan was to find Lin Ming directly, get to the bottom of things, and thoroughly investigate Zi Yan's whereabouts.
However, to their utter surprise, upon traversing space and arriving above the Five Elements Sect, they were greeted by a scene of utter carnage—
The Soul Hall army is pressing in, its Killing intent; the Five Elements Sect Protecting Array has been broken, flames are raging within the sect, corpses lie strewn everywhere, disciples and elders have suffered heavy casualties, and it seems on the verge of being completely wiped out!
Zhu Li's deep, Star Sea- like gaze swept across the entire arena, taking in the hellish battlefield below. His ancient face showed a slight furrow in his brow.
With his keen eyesight, he immediately saw the vast disparity in strength between the two sides; the Five Elements Sect was at an absolute disadvantage, and defeat was imminent.
Although he was extremely angry at Lin Ming for deceiving them and causing them to lose contact, he absolutely could not sit idly by and watch the Five Elements Sect be destroyed by the Soul Hall before the situation became clear, especially since Zi Yan's whereabouts were unknown and she was clearly closely related to the Five Elements Sect and Lin Ming!
What if... Zhu Li. What if Zi Yan was alright, and that she and Lin Ming had just been delayed for some reason they didn't know about?
What if they're somewhere right now and will be back soon?
If Zi Yan were to find out afterward that the Ancient Void Dragon Clan, despite their capabilities, had stood by and watched her sect and companions, whom she cared so much about, die, given her deep dependence on Lin Ming and the feelings she might have developed for the Five Elements Sect, she would probably hate them to death. At that point, repairing the relationship would be extremely difficult.
In a flash, these thoughts raced through Zhu Li, and he made his decision.
Hei Qing, standing to the side, also stared wide-eyed at the horrific battle below, a scene resembling a meat grinder. Especially moved by the Five Elements Sect members' unwavering will to fight to the death, knowing they were outmatched, a surge of fervor welled up within him. He murmured, his voice muffled, "Elder Zhu Li, this..."
Zhu Li slightly raised her hand, and an invisible force made Hei Qing swallow back his words.
However, his eyes, which contained endless majesty and ancient wisdom, turned to the well-organized and chilling army of the Soul Hall below. Finally, his gaze, which seemed almost tangible, fixed precisely on the Third Heavenly Venerate at the head of the army.
A calm voice, yet like Nine Heavens Thunderclap, resounded deep within the souls of all the survivors, slowly emanating from Zhu Li's lips:
"When did the Soul Hall become so large-scaled, bullying a newly established sect?"