Seeing that Huo Zhi was safe and sound, the taut string in Xiao Yan's heart finally relaxed. Though the devouring power he had used in his haste had been tyrannical, he had controlled it with perfect precision, completely removing the sinister method lurking deep within her mind without causing any additional damage to Huo Zhi's soul.
But after Xiao Yan let out a long breath, his soul power detected something amiss. There was someone else—and they were right behind him!
"Not good!" Alarm bells blared in Xiao Yan's mind as he turned around almost instinctively.
The sight before him made Xiao Yan's pupils contract sharply, and his expression instantly darkened.
Feng Qiu, the late-stage Half-Saint energy entity who had been diligently standing guard for them dozens of meters away, was now being tightly gripped by the throat with one hand. Feng Qiu's body, condensed from pure energy, hung helplessly in midair without the slightest ability to resist. The formidable aura of a late-stage Half-Saint surrounding him was forcibly suppressed by an even more tyrannical power, leaving him unable to struggle effectively. Clearly, the other party's attack had not only been swift as lightning, but they also understood the nature of energy entities perfectly, instantly cutting off every possibility of resistance from Feng Qiu.
Gu Hua wore an openly provocative smile. He gripped Feng Qiu by the neck, yet his gaze remained fixed firmly on Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan, what a small world!" Gu Hua's voice carried his usual condescending tone. "I never expected to run into you again in the depths of the Heavenly Tomb... What surprises me even more is that you actually have the ability to make a third-level Half-Saint energy entity work for you?"
"Tsk, tsk. Judging from this fellow's energy aura, he doesn't seem to be