A Great Battle Is Imminent

Hun Qing was the first to release his perception, but to his surprise, it was deflected by a faint layer of energy, let alone Gu You. Clearly, this situation was completely beyond the expectations of both men; the strength of the person before them far surpassed their own.

"Apologies, we are from the Soul Hall in the Central Plains. This is the Second Heavenly Venerate, Gu You, and I am the Deputy Hall Master of the Soul Hall, Hun Qing. Please forgive our rude intrusion."

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, Hun Qing was someone who knew when to yield. There was no need to lose his life in a place like this, and he hoped the other party would be wary of the consequences. After all, it was impossible for the other party not to have heard of the Soul Hall. Since no rash moves had been made today, there was still room for negotiation.

"This is getting interesting..."

With a playful smile, Zhang Nian looked at the two men cupping their fists in salute. He had no intention of letting them off so easily. How could he just let them go after they had merely come to announce their affiliation?

He knew all too well that if he didn't display a bit of his strength now, there would likely be an endless stream of experts from the Soul Hall and the Soul Clan coming to harass him. It would be better to hurt them once and for all, making them fearful.

Setting aside whether what he held was the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, even if it were, if you wanted to snatch it and failed, getting a couple of slaps to the face was only natural.

He immediately spread his palm, and the milky-white Nanming Li Fire revealed its ferocious aura. As the full power of the flame was released, the faint wisp of Nihility Devouring Flame within Hun Qing's body began to tremble, as if it had encountered something truly terrifying.

This...

This subtle change made Hun Qing panic. He had begged for a long time to obtain that wisp of Nihility Devouring Flame from his clan. It had never feared any ordinary Heavenly Flame, yet now it showed such signs of defeat, which indirectly proved the extraordinary nature of the flame before him.

"I hope you can show some leniency. I promise that the two of us will never appear here again, how about that?"

A Dou Sheng expert's word is as good as gold. Hun Qing's phrasing was quite clever; the two of them indeed would not return. Perhaps realizing the loophole in his own words, Hun Qing added, "Sir, I guarantee that the Soul Hall will no longer harbor any fantasies regarding your flame."

Hearing this, Zhang Nian smiled slightly and said, "Oh? Is that so? The Soul Hall won't harbor any fantasies, but what about the Soul Clan?"

This sentence was laced with coldness. As the words fell, both men felt an indistinct killing intent locking onto them. Their expressions changed drastically; the other party knew the background of the Soul Hall and naturally would not let the matter rest. Now, their only chance of survival was to join forces!

"Hmph! Such arrogance! Since you know of the Soul Clan, you still dare to make a move? Do you really think that just because you have reached the Dou Sheng level, you can do whatever you want? If my Soul Clan wants to erase you, it would be nothing more than a flick of the wrist!"

Hun Qing initiated the attack. Battles between Dou Sheng experts change in an instant. Gu You, who was only at the Ban Sheng level, was terrified, knowing full well that the gap between him and the other party was like heaven and earth. Regretful, he saw Hun Qing already charging forward and unleashed his own power without reservation:

"Fight to the death! I am only a hair's breadth away from the Dou Sheng level myself!"

As his voice fell, the two gaunt, skeleton-like figures charged over, carrying an eerie aura. Facing their pincer attack, Zhang Nian was naturally unfazed.

Black energy surged violently. Gu You roared toward the sky like a demon descended upon the world. Clanging sounds echoed as countless pitch-black chains emerged from the black mist, accompanied by shrill screams, sweeping toward Zhang Nian in an overwhelming display of force that looked exceptionally terrifying.

"Clowns."

The flames of the Nanming Li Fire could easily incinerate these chains into nothingness; these tricks were only meant to scare those who had never seen the world.

The milky-white flame moved like a swimming dragon, winding downward. Wherever the flame passed, the pitch-black chains vanished completely. Gu You, no longer possessing his previous ferocity, stared blankly at the sky, the fear in his heart growing even deeper.

"Phantom Soul Blade Slash! Fission!"

Gu You's attack had pinned Zhang Nian down for a moment. In that split second, Hun Qing condensed his Dou Qi, and the pitch-black slashes that erupted from his body transformed into thousands of shadows, rushing toward Zhang Nian.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

The sound of air being torn was incessant. Looking closely, each slash carried a wisp of black flame.

"Hmm? Nihility Devouring Flame?" A slight frown appeared on his brow as he recognized the origin of the flame.

Golden wings sprouted from his back, his figure turned illusory, and then he vanished right before their eyes.

"How is this possible!"

"What kind of Dou Skill is this??"

Logically, battles between Dou Sheng experts were decided by the power of their Dou Skills. The reason the two were stunned was that Zhang Nian's figure was completely untraceable, or rather, he had vanished into thin air, yet they hadn't felt the slightest spatial fluctuation in that moment.

Hun Qing looked around nervously, and Gu You on the ground did the same. This battle was truly stifling. Both of them were veterans of countless fights, yet facing Zhang Nian, they felt the suppression of being toyed with like children.

"Whoosh!"

A white speck of light flashed and vanished. Gu You seemed to have sensed something, but by the time he reacted, it was too late. The Nanming Li Fire entered his body directly. In that instant, a soul-tearing burning sensation surged into his heart. Gu You wanted to resist, condensing the Dou Qi in his body to force the flame out.

But he had thought too much; this was no ordinary Heavenly Flame. If one were to truly count it, the Nanming Li Fire was a Divine Flame, a flame of legend.

Seeing Gu You's condition, Hun Qing realized the reality of the situation: this flame was undoubtedly the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame. Through the battle just now, he had also noticed a clue—the other party didn't seem to have any intention of killing them, having only toyed with them using superior movement techniques.

He stopped attacking and continued, "Sir, do you really intend to stand against my Soul Clan?"

Zhang Nian paused. In fact, he had originally intended to leave them both here, but after some thought, it would be better to inject the Nanming Li Fire into their bodies. He would effectively be controlling them. If he let them go and they brought more people from the Soul Clan, he could simply guide the Nanming Li Fire to burn them to death. If they were willing to cooperate, the flame was quite obedient and sensible.

He immediately executed Soaring Nine Heavens, repeating his old trick, and appeared behind Hun Qing once more. However, the man was a Dou Sheng expert after all; in that instant, black flames erupted from his body, attempting to resist the intrusion of the Nanming Li Fire. Unfortunately, the two were simply not on the same level.

The moment the two flames touched, the Nihility Devouring Flame showed its bold nature, but as the black flames expanded, they were purified into air and vanished completely.

And the Nanming Li Fire successfully entered his body...