The sudden appearance of a figure in the arena immediately drew the attention of everyone present. In particular, when they saw the handsome face of the man in black robes, they couldn't help but show surprise. The guy who blocked Qin Xu's attack was actually just such a young man!
When Qin Xu and Cai'er saw Xiao Yan, both of them showed expressions of surprise and delight.
"Master!"
A look of wild joy appeared on Cai'er's pale face, and crystal tears welled up in her eyes. With a scream, she rushed towards Xiao Yan.
"Snort!"
However, just as Cai'er was about to move, Qin Xu pulled her back. After a cold sneer, his gaze turned to Xiao Yan, and a cruel killing intent and a cold smile immediately appeared in his eyes.
"Who do we have here? It's you! You were lucky enough to escape from my grasp back then, how dare you come back now? And you've even taken on a disciple, huh? Hahaha..."
"Now that you, master and disciple, have met again, why don't you both stay here?"
Ignoring Qin Xu, Xiao Yan first turned to give Zhu Qiang a pill, then turned his gaze to Cai'er, a warm smile appearing on his indifferent face, and slowly said:
"Don't be afraid, Cai'er, your master is here to pick you up."
"Hmph, what utterly arrogant!"
With a gloomy expression, Qin Xu let out a cold snort. Immediately afterward, he released Cai'er and his figure flashed. In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Xiao Yan and slammed his palm down heavily on the latter's head!
Seeing this, a chilling glint flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. Without the slightest fear on his face, he clenched his right fist, the veins on his arm bulging, and a fierce force rapidly gathered in his entire arm. The surging energy also emerged on the surface of his fist. Then, he swung his arm up and punched Qin Xu's palm hard!
"You're asking for it!"
With a grin, Qin Xu's internal Origin Qi surged, and the energy contained in his palm became even more formidable. Then, he clashed fiercely with Xiao Yan's fist, which was coming straight at him.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Xiao Yan stood motionless, his immense power erupting from the point where his fists and palms collided. The terrifying force caused Qin Xu's expression to change drastically in an instant, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinpoints as shock surged from the depths of his heart!
The moment their fists collided, the power Qin Xu had gathered in his palm lasted only two breaths before being shattered by Xiao Yan's powerful attack. The remaining power rushed into Qin Xu's body without stopping, and his body was immediately thrown backward uncontrollably. He managed to stabilize himself a hundred feet away, and the wildly surging destructive power within him was also suppressed with difficulty. Even so, it was clear that Qin Xu's face had turned slightly paler after just one exchange.
"How is this possible... Your cultivation level... Middle Origin Transformation Realm... How is this possible! Just a few years ago, you were clearly a Seven-Star Dou Di, how could you have improved your cultivation to such a level in such a short period of time!"
Qin Xu stared wide-eyed, disbelief evident in his eyes. In just a few years, Xiao Yan had leaped from Seven-Star Dou Di to the Middle Origin Transformation Realm expert—an almost impossible feat. Yet, the overwhelming combat power Xiao Yan displayed, and the aura he sensed during their clash, all undeniably told him that this black-robed youth, whom he hadn't seen in just a few years, had truly become a Middle Origin Transformation Realm expert!
Such a powerful individual would be considered a pinnacle figure even within the entire Northern Wasteland!
When Qin Xu's words reached the ears of the onlookers, everyone's expression changed instantly. They stared at Xiao Yan in the arena with shocked looks. It was hard to imagine that this guy, who looked much younger than most of the people present, was actually a Middle Origin Transformation Realm expert. It was truly unbelievable!
However, Xiao Yan didn't waste any words with him. His body trembled, and a vast amount of Origin Qi surged out from within him. Then, he stomped heavily on the void with his foot, and his figure suddenly shot forward. In the blink of an eye, he had already arrived in front of Qin Xu, and swung his fist, smashing it heavily down on the latter's head!
"Damn it! Why didn't that guy tell me this kid's cultivation speed was this fast? If I had known this would happen, I should have kept him here no matter what!"
He cursed inwardly, feeling the fierce wind rushing towards him. Qin Xu's eye muscles twitched involuntarily, and he grinned. A sharp killing intent surged in his heart, and with a thought, the Origin Qi in his body immediately began to circulate rapidly along his meridians.
"Damn brat, so what if you're in the Middle Origin Transformation Realm? Before someone in the Late Origin Transformation Realm, even Late Origin Transformation Realm has no choice but to bow down and submit!"
With a roar, Qin Xu immediately twisted his body, dodging Xiao Yan's punch while simultaneously delivering a powerful whip kick aimed at Xiao Yan's head.
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
The whooshing sound of air being torn apart rang in Xiao Yan's ears, and the fierce wind scraped against his face like blades, causing him great pain. Xiao Yan's expression remained unchanged, and with a slight twist of his body, he easily dodged Qin Xu's attack in an extremely strange posture. Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yan closed in again, using his own body as a weapon to smash into Qin Xu.
The sudden close proximity caused Qin Xu's expression to change slightly. As he crossed his arms to block in front of him, Xiao Yan's body slammed into him heavily. The enormous impact sent Qin Xu flying. Immediately after regaining his footing, Qin Xu's hands quickly formed a series of intricate hand seals. Surging energy rapidly condensed in front of him, instantly transforming into a giant energy handprint. With a powerful push forward, the energy handprint shot towards Xiao Yan.
"Hmph, the Wasteland-Spanning Finger!"
Not to be outdone, Xiao Yan rapidly condensed his surging Origin Qi above his head, transforming it into a giant fiery finger that collided violently with the oncoming giant energy handprint. Then, amidst a deafening explosion, both dissipated.
Upon seeing this scene, Qin Xu couldn't help but frown. The combat power displayed by Xiao Yan surprised him. As Middle Origin Transformation Realm expert, Xiao Yan's combat power was in no way inferior to his own, a Late Origin Transformation Realm expert. In fact, Xiao Yan even seemed to have a slight advantage over him, which was hard to believe.
If Xiao Yan's ability to raise his cultivation to the Middle Origin Transformation Realm in just a few years is a testament to his terrifying talent for cultivation, then his combat power is perhaps a bit too exaggerated.
After some thought, Qin Xu realized that with Xiao Yan's current combat strength, he could no longer defeat him easily. In fact, if he were to make a mistake, Xiao Yan could defeat him in one blow, and all his efforts today would be in vain.
"Hmph, Protector Huan, if you keep just standing there watching, this duck that's practically in your mouth might fly away today. You don't want this guy to escape from your sight again, do you?"
After a moment's thought, Qin Xu suddenly turned his gaze to the location of the main hall, and at the same time, a slightly dissatisfied voice came out.
The moment Qin Xu uttered those words, Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly, and his gaze met that of everyone present. Then, from the depths of the hall, a strange laugh rang out.
"Hehehehe... The Palace Master is absolutely right. This time, we can't afford to miss this opportunity again..."
After the eerie laughter rang out, a wisp of dark mist drifted out from the depths of the hall, revealing itself to everyone present. At the same time, Xiao Yan's expression immediately turned gloomy.
" Ghost Hall!"