The Otherworldly Demons Descend, the Thirteen Hall Masters

By the Yao Clan's Spirit Spring Lake, the evening breeze brushed Xiao Yan's cheeks with the fragrance of medicinal herbs. He rolled the Otherworldly Demon Scale between his fingertips, repeatedly washing the runes deep within it with his soul power, trying to uncover more secrets about the spatial rifts. The Demon Marks writhed like living things. Whenever the aura of the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame drew close, they contracted violently, as though afraid of something.

"Brother Xiao Yan, the Sixth Elder sent word. The Soul Hall has gathered thirty Dou Zun experts, and they'll arrive at the Ye Family Ancestral Grounds in three days." Yao Qing Lin approached with a cup of spirit tea, her emerald skirt gleaming softly in the moonlight. "Also, Liu Changkong of the Pill Tower replied. He said he would bring the Heaven-Burning Pavilion's elites to support us. It seems he wants to make amends for his earlier mistake."

Xiao Yan accepted the tea and looked toward the full moon reflected on the lake. "Liu Changkong may not sincerely want to help. He's probably afraid the Ye Family's collusion with the Otherworldly Demons will implicate the Pill Tower. Still, we need all the help we can get right now. More strength is always welcome." He put the Otherworldly Demon Scale into his Storage Ring. "The runes on this scale contain spatial laws. I suspect the Ye Family isn't merely trying to open a rift. They're also preparing some kind of resurrection ritual."

Yao Qing Lin's delicate brows drew together. "A resurrection ritual? Are they trying to revive some powerful figure among the Otherworldly Demons?" Xiao Yan nodded. "Very likely. Look at how these runes are arranged. They're extremely similar to the Rebirth Array described in ancient records, only far more sinister. If I'm right, they're probably trying to revive a high-ranking member of the Otherworldly Demon Hall."

Before he finished speaking, enormous waves suddenly rose from the lake. The once-tranquil spirit spring churned like boiling water, bubbling with black foam. Dense demonic qi surged from the lakebed, instantly staining the bright moonlight dark purple. The Yao Clan's alarms erupted, shrill horns echoing through the valleys.

"What's happening?" Yao Qing Lin's expression changed sharply, and the sword at her waist flashed from its sheath. Xiao Yan had already spread his Azure Luan Wings and taken to the sky, his soul power sweeping outward like a tide-countless pitch-black rifts were tearing through space all around the Yao Clan's territory. Demonic hands covered in tendrils reached from them, dragging screaming Yao Clan disciples into the darkness.

"The Otherworldly Demons have attacked ahead of schedule!" Xiao Yan roared, unleashing the Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame. The golden Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame spread like a prairie fire, instantly burning the demonic hands near the spirit spring to ashes. Yet more rifts kept appearing. From one emerged an Otherworldly Demon General clad in bone armor, its single scarlet eye radiating the aura of a Peak Dou Zong.

"Hehehe, little human brat, that flame of yours is rather interesting." The Otherworldly Demon General swung its bone saber at Xiao Yan, drawing a skyful of demonic qi into the strike. Xiao Yan dared not hesitate. He swept his Heavy Sword across, weaving four-colored flames into a shield and taking the crushing blow head-on. Boom! The shock wave overturned the medicinal fields beside the lake, and countless rare herbs rapidly withered under the demonic qi's corrosion.

"Brother Xiao Yan, be careful!" Yao Qing Lin's voice trembled with tears. After killing three low-level Otherworldly Demons, her sword was already riddled with tiny notches from demonic corrosion. The Yao Clan disciples fought desperately, but before the sudden demonic tide, their defensive lines were visibly collapsing.

Killing intent surged in Xiao Yan's eyes as he unleashed his full aura at the peak of Four-Star Dou Emperor. "Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame: Flame Prison!" Four-colored flames formed a vast cage in midair, trapping the Otherworldly Demon General inside. Like maggots clinging to bone, the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame burrowed through the gaps in its armor. Wherever the golden fire passed, black demonic qi turned to wisps of smoke.

"Aaaah!" The Otherworldly Demon General screamed, its massive body rapidly melting in the flames. Xiao Yan seized the opening and pierced its heart with his Heavy Sword. A walnut-sized Magic Core Crystal flew out. Just then, his soul perception caught a familiar aura-spatial fluctuations of the same origin as the Otherworldly Demon Scale from the Ye Family's secret chamber were coming from the northwest.

"Qing Lin, take everyone back to the Yao Clan's forbidden grounds!" Xiao Yan tossed her the Magic Core Crystal. "An ancient medicinal array protects that place. It can hold off the Otherworldly Demons for now. I'll investigate the northwest. The source of the rifts may be there!" Yao Qing Lin nodded through her tears, raised her sword, and shouted, "All Yao Clan disciples, heed my command! Retreat with me to the forbidden grounds!"

Xiao Yan spread his Azure Luan Wings and streaked northwest in a flash of gold and red. The scenes along the way were horrifying. Once-flourishing medicinal fields had become scorched earth shrouded in demonic qi, the Yao Clan's towers collapsed under the Otherworldly Demons' attacks, and the air reeked of blood and decay.

Half an hour later, he found the source of the spatial fluctuations in a valley. Thirteen black altars shone simultaneously in the clearing at its center. Runes identical to those on the Otherworldly Demon Scale covered their surroundings. Countless captured Yao Clan disciples were bound to the altars, their souls forcibly drawn out by the runes and poured into thirteen stone statues at the center.

The statues were hideous and uncanny, each a hundred feet tall, wearing a different style of demonic armor and holding a distinct weapon. The leftmost statue wielded a massive axe with the words "First Hall" carved into its blade. The others stood in sequence, ending with the scythe-bearing statue on the far right, marked "Thirteenth Hall."

"The Thirteenth Hall Masters of the Otherworldly Demon Hall!" Xiao Yan drew a sharp breath. The terrifying beings described in ancient records were truly about to be resurrected. He could sense that as more souls poured into them, eerie green light had begun glowing in their eye sockets, and blood faintly flowed beneath their stone skin.

Beside the altars, Ye Gucheng held the Otherworldly Demon Scale and chanted under his breath. His black robe was soaked red with blood, and a crazed smile twisted his face. "Xiao Yan, you're just in time! Witnessing the Thirteenth Hall Masters' resurrection with your own eyes will make your death worthwhile!" The Ye Family disciples behind him all wore vacant expressions. Demonic qi had clearly corroded their minds.

"Ye Gucheng, you've gone mad!" Xiao Yan roared. The Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame became a fiery dragon and charged toward the nearest altar. The instant the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame touched its runes, the golden fire triggered a violent explosion. Like ignited gunpowder, the runes burned with sharp crackles.

"It's useless!" Ye Gucheng laughed wildly and pressed the Otherworldly Demon Scale onto the central altar. "Once the Thirteenth Hall Masters' resurrection ritual begins, nothing can stop it! When they descend upon the Central Plains, this entire continent will become a paradise for Otherworldly Demons. All you so-called geniuses will become their nourishment!"

As his words fell, the leftmost statue, the First Hall Master, suddenly opened his eyes. Eerie green flames danced in his eye sockets as he slowly raised his massive axe and cleaved toward Xiao Yan. A pitch-black arc of axe energy cut through the air like a spatial rift. Wherever it passed, the valley's rocky walls vanished without a sound.

Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. He immediately summoned the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor. Black armor covered his entire body, its runes flaring just in time to block the axe energy. Even so, the tremendous force hurled him backward into a rock wall, and he spat out blood-this newly resurrected hall master had already reached Peak Dou Zun!

"Hehehe, after ten thousand years of slumber, I finally taste flesh and blood again." The First Hall Master rolled his stone neck. With every movement, countless black tendrils emerged from its cracks. "Little brat, your soul smells delicious. Let me savor it properly."

Just then, the other twelve statues opened their eyes one after another. Thirteen overwhelmingly powerful auras erupted at once, twisting space throughout the valley and severely disrupting even Xiao Yan's soul perception. He could sense that their strength varied. Even the weakest, the Thirteenth Hall Master, had a mid-stage Dou Zun aura, while the Seventh Hall Master at the center faintly approached the Half-Saint level!

"We're in serious trouble." Xiao Yan tightened his grip on his Heavy Sword, rapidly weighing his options. Alone, he would struggle even to protect himself, let alone stop the resurrection ritual. He had to find a way to destroy the altars, or at least delay their complete resurrection until the Soul Hall and the other factions arrived.

His gaze fell on the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame. In the earlier explosion, the golden fire seemed to have a special suppressive effect on the altar runes. "Perhaps I can try this." Xiao Yan drew a deep breath, raised his soul power to Peak Dou Zong, and separated the Yellow Mystic Flame from the Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame, forming a pure golden fireball in his palm.

"Mysterious Yellow Purification!" he shouted in a low voice, throwing the golden fireball at the central altar. Rather than exploding upon contact with the runes, it dissolved into countless golden streaks that rapidly spread along their lines. Wherever they passed, the black runes faded, and the extracted soul energy began flowing backward.

"No!" Ye Gucheng's expression changed drastically, but he was already too late to stop it. The golden streaks spread like a virus. All thirteen altars dimmed at once, and the resurrecting hall masters roared in fury as fine cracks appeared in their stone skin.

"Human brat, you have truly enraged me!" The Seventh Hall Master's voice thundered, his Half-Saint aura instantly locking onto Xiao Yan. A pitch-black spear appeared out of thin air and thrust forward with the force to tear heaven and earth apart. Before Xiao Yan could even react, the spear energy struck him. The Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor's runes dimmed instantly, and he flew out of the valley like a kite with its string cut.

In the final moment before his consciousness faded, he saw countless streaks of light appear on the distant horizon-the Soul Hall's Dou Zun experts had finally arrived.

When Xiao Yan awoke, he found himself lying on a jade bed in the Yao Clan's forbidden grounds. Yao Qing Lin was cleaning his wounds with spirit spring water, her eyes full of worry. Roars echoed from outside; the battle was clearly still raging. "Brother Xiao Yan, you're finally awake!" Yao Qing Lin cried with joy. "The Soul Hall's Sixth Elder brought his men and stopped the Otherworldly Demon hall masters, but they're too strong. Our defenses can barely hold!"

Xiao Yan struggled to sit up, waves of agony coursing through his chest. Although the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor had blocked the fatal strike, the Half-Saint pressure had still gravely injured his internal organs. "How many of the Thirteenth Hall Masters have resurrected?" he asked hoarsely. Yao Qing Lin handed him a healing pill. "The masters of the First Hall through the Fifth Hall have fully resurrected. The remaining eight statues move sluggishly, but they already possess Dou Zun strength."

She pointed toward the crystal sphere outside the forbidden grounds, which displayed the battlefield in real time. The Sixth Elder's black robe snapped in the wind as his Dou Sheng-level soul power formed a massive black net, barely trapping the Fifth Hall Master. The thirty Soul Hall Dou Zun experts had split into thirteen groups, each fighting a hall master, but the overwhelming difference in strength was steadily driving them back.

More frightening still, the Thirteenth Hall Masters kept absorbing demonic qi from the world around them, their auras slowly strengthening. Every swing of the Seventh Hall Master's spear claimed a Dou Zun expert's life. Wherever its pitch-black energy passed, space continually collapsed.

"We have to stop them from absorbing demonic qi." Resolve flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes as he recalled the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame's purifying effect on the runes. "Qing Lin, prepare enough Mind-Concentrating Grass and Dragon-Blood Flowers for me. I'll refine a batch of Purification Pills. They might suppress the demonic qi temporarily." Yao Qing Lin nodded at once. "I'll get them ready!"

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, circulating his dou qi to heal his injuries while considering a plan. The Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame could purify demonic qi, but his cultivation was only at the peak of Four-Star Dou Emperor. Against the Half-Saint Seventh Hall Master, he had no chance of approaching the altars. He had to find the Thirteenth Hall Masters' weakness, or... discover the connection between them.

"A connection!" Xiao Yan's eyes snapped open. He remembered that all thirteen altars had shone simultaneously, meaning the hall masters' resurrection ritual involved some kind of symbiotic relationship. If he could break that bond, he might weaken them. And the key to severing it was most likely the Otherworldly Demon Scale on the central altar!

Just then, the Sixth Elder's slightly weary voice came from outside the forbidden grounds. "Young friend Xiao Yan, if you're awake, please join us at the front. We have a bold plan that requires your Yellow Mystic Flame." Xiao Yan's heart stirred, and he immediately rose. "Qing Lin, once the pills are ready, send someone to bring them to the front immediately!"

At the edge of the battlefield, Xiao Yan was stunned by the sight before him. The once-beautiful valley had become scorched earth. Only twenty-one of the thirty Dou Zun experts remained, all injured. The Sixth Elder's black robe was riddled with holes; he had clearly expended tremendous strength fighting the Seventh Hall Master. The Thirteenth Hall Masters stood in a circle, chanting an incantation. The runes beneath their feet formed an enormous demonic array that endlessly absorbed the world's spiritual energy and converted it into demonic qi.

"Young friend Xiao Yan, look at the demonic array beneath their feet." The Sixth Elder pointed to the ground. "That is the Thirteen Soul-Sealing Formation. Through it, the Thirteenth Hall Masters share their power, making them difficult to defeat individually. But that also means destroying its core will weaken all of them at once." Xiao Yan followed his gesture. At the formation's center lay the Otherworldly Demon Scale!

"That scale is the formation's core?" Xiao Yan asked. The Sixth Elder nodded. "Exactly. But the Seventh Hall Master has been guarding it. Several of our charges have failed. Your Yellow Mystic Flame can purify demonic qi, so perhaps you can approach the core without being affected by the formation." Resolve flashed in his eyes. "I'll launch a feint with the remaining Dou Zun experts to draw their attention. Take that chance to infiltrate the core and purify the scale with your flame. Can you do it?"

Xiao Yan looked at the Soul Hall Dou Zun experts fighting through blood, then thought of the Yao Clan disciples awaiting rescue in the forbidden grounds. He nodded firmly. "Leave it to me."

"Good!" The Sixth Elder raised his soul staff. "All Soul Hall disciples, heed my command! Prepare for the final charge!" Twenty-one Dou Zun experts unleashed their auras together, colorful dou qi soaring into the sky like a rainbow. The Sixth Elder even burned his soul power, his Dou Sheng aura surging to temporarily suppress the Seventh Hall Master's Half-Saint pressure.

"Foolish humans, you still dare to fight like cornered beasts!" The Seventh Hall Master sneered. All thirteen hall masters turned and attacked the charging Dou Zun experts. Pitch-black energy waves rained down. The Dou Zun experts unleashed defensive Dou Techniques, but two still died on the spot.

As the battle reached its fiercest point, Xiao Yan spread his Azure Luan Wings and compressed his dou qi to its limit. Like a stalking leopard, he silently circled to the side of the demonic formation. He swallowed three healing pills and gathered the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame in his palm, deliberately dimming its golden brilliance to a faint glow.

"Now!" Sensing his position, the Sixth Elder suddenly intensified his attacks. His soul staff became an enormous black dragon that entangled the Seventh Hall Master's spear. Xiao Yan seized the opening and shot toward the formation's core like an arrow loosed from a bow. The Yellow Mystic Flame enveloped the airflow from his Azure Luan Wings, leaving the demonic formation's alarms untriggered.

"Human brat, you're courting death!" The First Hall Master spotted him first and brought his massive axe down with a whistling strike. Xiao Yan was ready. He swept his Heavy Sword across, coating its blade with the Yellow Mystic Flame, and blocked the axe head-on. Golden fire collided with black demonic qi in a sizzling hiss, burning a notch into the axe blade.

While the First Hall Master froze in surprise, Xiao Yan reached the formation's core. Without hesitation, he pressed the mysterious yellow flame in his palm against the Otherworldly Demon Scale. Sss! The scale gave an ear-piercing hiss as its black surface visibly turned gold. All thirteen hall masters screamed in pain. Demonic qi receded from their bodies like a tide, and their stone skin began peeling away.

"No!" The Seventh Hall Master roared, breaking free of the Sixth Elder and thrusting his spear at Xiao Yan with a destructive aura. Xiao Yan felt the violent wind behind him but did not retreat. Instead, he poured even more dou qi into the Yellow Mystic Flame. The Demon Marks on the scale melted like snow beneath the sun, and the Thirteen Soul-Sealing Formation visibly dimmed.

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Yao Qing Lin's voice suddenly rang out. At some point, she had rushed to the front. She thrust her sword toward the Seventh Hall Master's back, trying to buy Xiao Yan time. But the gap between her strength and a Half-Saint's was too great. Before her sword could reach him, it was knocked away, and she flew backward like a kite with its string cut.

"Qing Lin!" Xiao Yan's eyes nearly split with fury. His Yellow Mystic Flame erupted, completely purifying the Otherworldly Demon Scale. At the same time, he turned and lunged toward Yao Qing Lin, shielding her from the Seventh Hall Master's spear with his body. Shhk! The spear pierced his shoulder, and blood instantly stained the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor red.

"Seize this chance!" Xiao Yan shouted with the last of his strength. Grief flashed in the Sixth Elder's eyes as he unleashed his full Dou Sheng aura. "Soul Hall disciples, follow me! Slay these Otherworldly Demons!" Without the demonic formation's support, the thirteen hall masters' strength plummeted, and even the Seventh Hall Master's aura fell back to Peak Dou Zun. Twenty Dou Zun experts charged like tigers among sheep, swiftly killing the weakest, the Thirteenth Hall Master.

As more of his companions fell, fear flashed in the Seventh Hall Master's eyes. He turned into a streak of black light and fled into the distance. The other hall masters followed suit, disappearing beyond the horizon in the blink of an eye. The Sixth Elder did not pursue them. Instead, he hurried to Xiao Yan's side. Looking at the wound in his shoulder, his eyes filled with guilt. "Young friend, you..."

Xiao Yan waved a hand and coughed up blood. "Don't worry about me... They won't get far... The Thirteen Soul-Sealing Formation is broken. Their strength... won't recover anytime soon..." He looked at Yao Qing Lin and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw she had merely fainted. "The urgent task is... clearing out the remaining Otherworldly Demons... and reinforcing the spatial rifts..."

The Sixth Elder nodded firmly and immediately ordered the Soul Hall disciples to clear the battlefield. Leaning against a rock wall, Xiao Yan watched the Yao Clan disciples cheering and leaping with joy, a faint smile touching his lips. The agony in his shoulder slowly dragged him into unconsciousness. Before he blacked out, however, he sensed the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame in his palm growing hotter and hotter-perhaps this flame from deep within the earth was the key to fighting the Otherworldly Demons' corruption.

When moonlight once again bathed the Yao Clan's territory, the survivors began clearing the ruins. News of Xiao Yan's deeds soon spread throughout the Central Plains. People reverently called him the "Purifier," and word that the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame could counter the Otherworldly Demons spread with it. Yet everyone knew this was only the beginning. The twelve escaped hall masters were like twelve ticking bombs, ready at any moment to unleash another storm of blood.

In a secret chamber within the Yao Clan's forbidden grounds, Xiao Yan's aura gradually steadied. The Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame within him—Chapter 42: The Otherworldly Demons Descend, the Thirteenth Hall Masters (continued)

The Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame slowly circulated through his body like a golden river, washing the lingering demonic qi from his meridians. Whenever it passed the wound in his shoulder, a tingling itch spread through the flesh. The savage spear wound was visibly healing, and even the dimmed runes on the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor began glowing faintly again.

This flame's purification power can actually nourish the armor? Xiao Yan's heart stirred, and he tried channeling more Yellow Mystic Flame into it. On the black armor plates, the fine runes began slowly writhing like seeds that had drunk their fill of sweet spring water. A faint golden halo formed across the armor—a sign that its defensive power was advancing.

Soft footsteps sounded outside the chamber. Yao Qing Lin entered with a steaming bowl of medicine, her eyes still slightly red and swollen. "Brother Xiao Yan, this healing medicine was brewed from millennium snow lotus and dragon-blood vine. The Sixth Elder said it would help your internal injuries." She set it beside the jade bed, then looked at his healing wound with wonder. "The Yellow Mystic Flame really is miraculous. It can even swiftly heal a spear wound inflicted by a Half-Saint."

Xiao Yan took the medicine and drank it in one gulp. Warmth slid down his throat, instantly stirring the dou qi in his dantian. "It was thanks to your communication talisman. Otherwise, the Soul Hall might not have arrived in time." Yao Qing Lin shook her head, her cheeks reddening. "I was too reckless. I nearly ruined everything." She took a crystalline Jade Slip from her Storage Ring. "These are the Yao Clan's ancient records about the Otherworldly Demon Hall. They say each of the Thirteenth Hall Masters has a life-bound demonic weapon. Destroy that weapon, and their strength will plunge."

Xiao Yan took the Jade Slip and examined it carefully. It recorded that the First Hall Master's massive axe was named Earth-Splitting and could cleave through space; the Seventh Hall Master's spear was named Soul-Devourer and could consume souls; the Thirteenth Hall Master's scythe was named Soul-Reaping and specialized in severing living souls... Every demonic weapon corresponded to its hall master's source power. No wonder the Seventh Hall Master's spear had pierced the Mystic Treasure Bodyguard Armor so easily.

"Unfortunately, these records don't mention the weapons' weaknesses." Xiao Yan frowned slightly and returned the Jade Slip to Yao Qing Lin. "Still, at least we know where their vital weakness lies. Once I recover, I'll track down the escaped hall masters." Yao Qing Lin hurriedly said, "The Sixth Elder has already sent the Soul Hall's shadow guards to investigate. Their concealment techniques are unrivaled. We should hear something soon."

As they spoke, the chamber's defensive formation suddenly lit up. Yao Qing Lin took out her Communication Jade Talisman, and her expression changed slightly after reading it. "It's a message from the Sixth Elder. They've found the Third Hall Master. He's fighting the shadow guards in the Black Wind Mountain Range. The elder wants us to reinforce them immediately!" Xiao Yan rose at once. Although his shoulder still stung, he could move without much difficulty. "There's no time to lose. Let's go!"

The Black Wind Mountain Range lay a thousand li from the Yao Clan's territory. The two used their movement techniques and traveled day and night. The sights along the way were even more miserable than those in the Yao Clan's lands. Once-bustling towns stood empty, white bones littered the streets, and the demonic qi in the air lingered even in daylight. Occasionally, they spotted scattered survivors hiding among the ruins, their eyes hollow and their bodies marked by varying degrees of demonic corrosion.

"Can these people still be saved?" Yao Qing Lin asked in a choked voice, looking at a child whose skin was covered in Demon Marks. Xiao Yan took out a Purification Pill, refined it with Yellow Mystic Flame, and fed it to the child. "The Yellow Mystic Flame's purification power can suppress demonic qi, but removing it completely will require long-term treatment." Golden medicinal energy spread through the child's body. Sure enough, the Demon Marks on his skin faded somewhat, and a glimmer of life returned to his vacant eyes.

"We need to move faster." Xiao Yan handed the remaining Purification Pills to the accompanying Yao Clan disciples. "Stay here and help the survivors. Qing Lin and I will reinforce the Sixth Elder." The disciples nodded firmly and began searching the ruins for survivors. Xiao Yan and Yao Qing Lin became two streaks of light, flying into the depths of the Black Wind Mountain Range.

The closer they came to the mountain range's heart, the denser the demonic qi grew. When they arrived, a brutal battle unfolded before them. The Sixth Elder's black robe was drenched in blood, and the black net formed from his Dou Sheng-level soul power had grown thin; he was clearly exhausted. The Third Hall Master wielded a gigantic bone hammer. Every swing carried the force to shatter mountains and split stone, driving the Sixth Elder steadily backward. Ten shadow guards lay on the ground, their fate unknown.

"The Third Hall Master's life-bound weapon is the Mountain-Suppressing Hammer! It amplifies his strength!" Joy flashed in the Sixth Elder's eyes when he saw Xiao Yan. "His hammer techniques are unmatched in ferocity, but slow. Attack from the flanks!" Xiao Yan nodded and unleashed the Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame. Golden Yellow Mystic Flame intertwined with green, red, and blue flames, forming a fiery dragon that lunged at the Third Hall Master's back.

"You again, little brat!" the Third Hall Master roared, turning and smashing his hammer into the fiery dragon. Boom! Flame collided with bone, only to be forcibly scattered. Xiao Yan seized the chance to spread his Azure Luan Wings and circle to the Third Hall Master's side. His Heavy Sword swept out, Yellow Mystic Flame gathering at its tip as he thrust toward the wrist holding the hammer—there was a tiny crack in the stone skin, clearly an old wound from the earlier battle.

"Despicable!" The Third Hall Master had not expected Xiao Yan to spot his weakness. He hastily swung his hammer back to block. Clang! Heavy Sword met bone hammer, numbing Xiao Yan's arm with the impact. Yet the Yellow Mystic Flame spread along the hammer's handle. Wherever the golden flames passed, the Demon Marks on the weapon caught fire.

"Aaaah!" The Third Hall Master screamed in agony. Demonic qi receded from the Mountain-Suppressing Hammer like a tide, revealing the white bone beneath its black surface. The Sixth Elder seized the opening. His soul staff became a streak of black light and pierced the Third Hall Master's chest. The stone body crashed down and shattered, leaving only a dim magic core and the bone hammer, now stripped of demonic qi.

"We finally dealt with one." Panting heavily, the Sixth Elder took a pill from his robe and swallowed it. "Unfortunately, he destroyed the spiritual veins beneath half the mountain range. The demonic qi here will be hard to disperse even within ten years." Xiao Yan frowned at the withered forests around them. "If we purify the spiritual veins, perhaps we can speed up its dispersal."

He tried channeling Yellow Mystic Flame into the earth. Golden flames burrowed through the soil like roots. Wherever they passed, black demonic qi ignited, and the soil gradually regained its normal color. But the Black Wind Mountain Range's spiritual veins were severely damaged. His strength alone could never purify them completely.

"That could work!" A sharp gleam flashed in the Sixth Elder's eyes. "I'll immediately contact the major Central Plains factions and have them send alchemists and formation masters. With your Yellow Mystic Flame as the catalyst, we can establish a Myriad Spirits Purification Array. If we purify the spiritual veins beneath the great mountain ranges, we can cut off the Otherworldly Demons' energy supply!" Xiao Yan nodded. "Good idea! But before that, we must find the other hall masters. We can't let them keep destroying the spiritual veins."

Just then, Yao Qing Lin suddenly pointed at the sky. "Look!" An enormous golden curtain of light had appeared above the Black Wind Mountain Range, countless runes faintly flowing within it. Similar curtains then lit up throughout the Central Plains, enveloping the entire continent.

"It's the Pill Tower's Nine Heavens Barrier!" Surprise flashed in the Sixth Elder's eyes. "Liu Changkong was actually willing to use the Pill Tower's supreme treasure! This barrier can temporarily halt the spread of demonic qi, but it won't last long." Xiao Yan's heart stirred. "That means the Pill Tower has realized how serious this is. Perhaps we can join forces with them against the Otherworldly Demons."

The Sixth Elder nodded. "I'll contact Liu Changkong now. Return to the Yao Clan and keep refining Purification Pills to help more survivors." He turned into a streak of light and flew toward the Pill Tower. Xiao Yan and Yao Qing Lin began laying a purification array in the Black Wind Mountain Range, planting golden Yellow Mystic Flame in the earth like seeds while awaiting support from the other factions.

Three days later, experts from the major Central Plains factions began arriving. Liu Changkong brought twenty alchemists from the Pill Tower. They controlled their heavenly flames in concert with Xiao Yan's Yellow Mystic Flame to establish the first Myriad Spirits Purification Array in the Black Wind Mountain Range. When it activated, golden light soared into the sky, the earth trembled faintly, and tender green shoots sprouted in the withered forests.

"It worked!" Liu Changkong watched with excitement in his eyes. "Young friend Xiao Yan, I was wrong before. Please accept my apology." Xiao Yan waved a hand. "We're at a crucial moment in the fight against the Otherworldly Demons. There's no need to dwell on old grievances." Liu Changkong nodded firmly and took out a Pill Tower Token. "With this token, you can draw on all the Pill Tower's medicinal resources. Devote yourself fully to refining Purification Pills."

Over the next month, a sweeping purification campaign spread across the Central Plains Continent. Xiao Yan's Yellow Mystic Flame became the core of the purification arrays. He led the alchemists through the great mountain ranges, establishing arrays to purify the polluted spiritual veins. The Yao Clan treated survivors afflicted by demonic qi, the Pill Tower supplied medicinal materials, and the Soul Hall joined the other factions in hunting the escaped Otherworldly Demon hall masters.

During this process, Xiao Yan's strength also improved rapidly. As the Heaven-Burning Pill's effects gradually emerged, combined with the energy gained from continually purifying demonic qi, his dou qi cultivation smoothly advanced to Five-Star Dou Emperor. After purifying vast amounts of demonic qi, the Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame grew even purer. Tiny runes could even be seen flowing within its golden flames.

Yet the peace did not last long. Just as the Myriad Spirits Purification Arrays covered more than half the Central Plains, startling news arrived. The twelve escaped hall masters had gathered in the Frozen Wasteland at the continent's far northern edge, where they were building an enormous altar, apparently preparing some greater conspiracy.

"They must be trying to resurrect an even stronger Otherworldly Demon!" At the Central Plains Factions Conference, the Sixth Elder announced the shadow guards' report. "According to ancient records, the master of the Otherworldly Demon Hall is sealed beneath the Frozen Wasteland-a true Dou Sheng-level Otherworldly Demon!" The gathering erupted. A Dou Sheng-level Otherworldly Demon could easily destroy the entire Central Plains!

"We have to stop them!" Liu Changkong stood, resolve flashing in his eyes. "The Pill Tower will send all its Dou Zun experts to support the Soul Hall's assault on the Frozen Wasteland!" The leaders of the other factions voiced their support. Faced with a common threat, the once-mutually suspicious Central Plains factions finally united.

Xiao Yan watched the impassioned gathering, a trace of gravity in his eyes. He could sense that a battle deciding the Central Plains' fate was approaching. The Mysterious Yellow Earth-Core Flame in his palm seemed to sense the distant threat as well, growing ever hotter-this flame from deep within the earth would shine its brightest in the decisive battle on the Frozen Wasteland.

On the night before departure, Xiao Yan stood alone beside the Yao Clan's Spirit Spring Lake, watching the full moon reflected in the water. The Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame slowly revolved in his hand, the golden Yellow Mystic Flame taking the dominant position and radiating warm, powerful Purification Power. He knew tomorrow's battle would be extraordinarily difficult, but he had no choice—for the innocents afflicted by demonic qi, for the companions beside him, and for the entire Central Plains Continent, he had to win.

"Brother Xiao Yan, are you ready?" Yao Qing Lin's voice came from behind him. She held a newly refined green dress embroidered in gold thread with the Yao Clan's protective runes. "This is the battle robe I prepared for you. It can amplify your soul power." Xiao Yan accepted it. Its smooth warmth brushed his fingertips, and a warm current welled up in his heart.

"I'm ready." He turned, putting away the Four-Symbol Heaven-Burning Flame, determination shining in his eyes. "Tomorrow, we'll end this disaster once and for all." Yao Qing Lin nodded firmly and stood beside him at the lakeshore, gazing toward the Frozen Wasteland. Moonlight fell over them, as though draping these companions bound for battle in silver armor.

The decisive battle on the Frozen Wasteland was about to begin. And in that great battle, the Otherworldly Demon Hall's ultimate secret would finally be laid bare.