"How is that possible!"
The next second, Zi Qi couldn't help but let out a gasp. Even for an ordinary Yuan Zun expert, her Heart-Devouring Poison would be quite troublesome, let alone the fact that this person could withstand her unexpected attack, which even destroyed the poisonous fang made from her own blood and bones. How could this not shock her?
Unfortunately, she underestimated the power of the Heavenly Flames, and even more so, she underestimated Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength.
With Xiao Yan's current Spiritual Strength, although slightly inferior to Tier Eight Alchemist, there are only a handful of Tier Seven Alchemist who can rival him. How could he possibly be compared to a mere seventh-tier mid-level Soul Power magical beast? Moreover...
Withdrawing the flames, Xiao Yan raised his icy gaze and swept it over the group again. Then, with a wave of his hands, the sound of wind breaking echoed, and two giant rulers, one black and one white, quickly appeared in his hands. With a slight tremor of his wrist, a burst of Heavenly Flames spread across them once more.
Seeing this, the four people opposite them naturally dared not underestimate them anymore. The fact that their opponent could still handle the situation so easily despite their combined efforts meant that his combat strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Nine-Star Yuan Zong. Moreover, he also possessed Heavenly Flames. Ordinary methods would probably not be enough to defeat him.
Now they're in a bind, and judging from the other side's attitude, this matter is clearly not going to end well. It seems that only one of them can survive!
" Zi Qi, look what you've done! Now you can't shake off this trouble even if you want to."
Upon thinking of this, Niu Kui's face twitched involuntarily. He glanced at the witch not far away and sent a curse through telepathy.
Upon hearing this, the latter's face immediately turned ashen. He gritted his teeth, glared hatefully at Xiao Yan opposite him, and then transmitted his voice again:
"Brother Niu Kui, why are you going to such lengths? How could I have imagined that this man's Heavenly Flames could just happen to counteract my Heart-Devouring Poison? Didn't you see it yourself? Even the Blood Bone Fang that I forged from my own spine was destroyed by him. My killing intent towards this man is no less than yours, Brother Niu Kui's!"
"Hmph, what's the use of just talking nonsense? The five of us combined couldn't even defeat this person just now, and now with just the four of us, we might even end up here dead."
Niu Kui sneered disdainfully, his words carrying a hint of escape. Upon hearing these words, Zi Qi's brows furrowed, her heart filled with rage, and a murderous intent flashed in her eyes as she stared at Niu Kui.
"Damn it!"
Zi Qi couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Niu Kui's intention was clearly to force her to use all her trump cards. If the stalemate continued, the old Niu might actually back down. He hadn't shown the Fragrance-Nurturing Pill in his hand, so he had nothing to fear. However, the Fragrance-Nurturing Pill that she had previously stored in her Storage Ring had been clearly seen by the other party. If she had to choose one person to fight, the other party might choose her. Once it became a one-on-one fight, Zi Qi didn't think she could last more than a few rounds against a Nine-Star Yuan Zong Sect master.
After a rapid internal struggle, the witch, her face grim, transmitted her voice to Niu Kui again:
"Brother Niu Kui, you can rest assured. Although I was careless and suffered some injuries earlier, as long as the two of them are here, we still have a good chance of winning!"
Zi Qi glanced at the two people gathered not far away, a cold smile in her eyes as she gestured to Niu Kui, then whispered:
"Later, Brother Niu Kui, you just need to hold that guy off for me, and let these two charge ahead..."
Upon hearing Zi Qi message, Niu Kui's previously suspicious face suddenly showed shock. He then stared at the demoness in disbelief and said in a deep voice:
"Really? I know perfectly well that you don't have the bloodline of some ancient race, so how do you know such a secret technique!"
"Hehe, Brother Niu Kui, why are you so surprised? I only obtained this by chance. Now that it concerns life and death, I certainly wouldn't joke about it. So, Brother Niu Kui, would you be willing to help?"
Zi Qi smiled, seemingly very confident in her words, while Niu Kui hesitated for a moment before asking in a deep voice:
"You wouldn't be thinking of making a move on me again, would you?"
"Hehe, Brother Niu Kui, you're joking. Once I unleash my secret technique, it cannot be interrupted. I'm counting on you to hold that person off for a moment. Surely I wouldn't be so foolish as to leave two useless people to fend off a Nine-Star Yuan Zong, would I?"
As if she had already anticipated Niu Kui's question, Zi Qi answered without hesitation. After a moment's thought, Niu Kui nodded hesitantly, then continued:
"I can cooperate with you, but besides this thief's Storage Ring, if there are any extra Fragrance-Nurturing Pill, I want half; if not, make up the difference with something of equal value."
Upon hearing this, Zi Qi took a deep breath, glanced at Niu Kui, and nodded. In her heart, she cursed angrily. Only then did the two of them turn their gazes back to Xiao Yan opposite them.
The conversation between the two lasted only a moment, and Xiao Yan naturally did not notice anything. At this moment, he was focusing his attention on the other two Four-Star Yuan Zong.
Judging from the witch's earlier actions, these people don't seem to be familiar with each other's teamwork. Therefore, they can be dealt with one by one without much effort.
A thought arose in Xiao Yan's mind, and a cold glint gathered in his eyes. With a shift in his steps, his figure vanished in an instant, appearing behind the burly man with the sickle arm in a flash. He raised the giant ruler in his hand high, and a blazing rainbow light surged from it, carrying a soaring momentum as he slashed heavily down at the man's back.
The sudden appearance of killing intent caused the burly man to cry out in alarm. Without time to prepare, he could only frantically unleash the Origin Qi within his body, while simultaneously rapidly condensing the Power of the Great Dao on his back. With the support of the Origin Qi, it instantly transformed into a giant shield made of countless thorns.
At the same time, Zi Qi and Niu Kui exchanged a glance with frowns. The former transmitted a message to Niu Kui, then twisted her body and flew dozens of feet into the air. Her slender fingers drew a bloody mark on her chest, and with a light flick of her finger, she extracted two drops of essence blood. Then, a gray light flashed in her eyes and disappeared into them. She flicked her hands and began to perform some kind of secret technique.
Seeing this, Niu Kui felt slightly relieved. He then turned his gaze to the two people who were being repeatedly attacked by Xiao Yan's two giant rulers and were already showing signs of being outmatched. He snorted disdainfully, twisted his hand to put away the bull-headed staff, then clenched his fists. With a thought, his body rapidly expanded, and even his limbs and face changed rapidly, transforming in the blink of an eye into a bull-headed giant several meters tall.
"Moo!"
With a low growl, he angrily pounded his fists several times in the air in front of him, and the invisible, fierce energy rushed straight towards Xiao Yan. The latter was not afraid. While suppressing the two people in front of him with one hand, he threw out the giant ruler in his other hand and blocked the oncoming gusts of wind.
" The Great Dao Technique: Golden Radiance Heavenly Strike!"
As the gust of wind broke through, Niu Kui's massive figure appeared right in front of Xiao Yan. With a roar, dazzling golden light gathered wildly from all directions onto his fists, carrying an unparalleled force, and blasted straight towards Xiao Yan's head.
The latter kicked the burly man with the beast claws in front of him back, his figure suddenly stopped in mid-air, and fierce Origin Qi in his palm gathered wildly like a wave. Then he met Niu Kui's attack head-on with a heavy palm.
" Mountain and River Seal!"
"Boom!"
An astonishing energy surge erupted instantly, but at the point of collision, it was Niu Kui was the first to retreat!
His mountain-like body was uncontrollably pushed back a hundred feet. He slammed his hands together in the air, pouring out his Origin Qi, and only then was he able to stabilize himself. When he looked up at Xiao Yan opposite him, the latter had already turned around and forcefully clamped the huge scythe arm that was trying to sneak up on him in his hand!
Upon seeing this, Niu Kui's beastly eyes suddenly shrank. The other party had the strength to deal with the person who attacked from behind while repelling him. The strength of the Nine-Star Yuan Zong was truly terrifying!
Before the other man could swing his other scythe, Xiao Yan struck with lightning speed. His hand, enveloped in flames, moved like a fiery blade, lightly slicing across the man's arm. The burly man let out a painful scream, and his scythe swung down even more fiercely, as if he would rather lose an arm than let the man before him die.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan snorted coldly, his fiery palm slashing fiercely across the burly man's chest. Although the man dodged most of the attack, the ferocity of the Heavenly Flames still scorched his chest bright red. Then, instead of retreating, Xiao Yan advanced, actually plunging his fiery palm deep into the burly man's chest. As for the massive scythe arm, it was swallowed up by a strange, pitch-black barrier just before it was about to strike Xiao Yan.
"Laugh!"
With a bloodcurdling scream, Xiao Yan yanked his hand outward from the burly man's chest, tearing off his entire arm and half of his body. Blood splattered everywhere, and the man's face turned deathly pale. The powerful aura of Four-Star Yuan Zong was now barely perceptible.
Having lost Xiao Yan's control, the burly man's mangled body fell uncontrollably into the forest below. Xiao Yan ignored it and turned his gaze to another direction, then frowned slightly.
Suddenly, several thin, grayish-black threads were found inserted into the back of the beast-clawed giant's head. His body was convulsing violently and uncontrollably, and he was emitting muffled roars as if resisting some force. Xiao Yan looked at the other end of the threads and saw that it was held in the hand of the demoness Zi Qi.
"Whoosh..."
As Xiao Yan frowned and watched, several more thin threads shot out rapidly, quickly piercing the back of the half-dead, burly man's head. However, compared to the former, this guy was only under the control of the threads for a few breaths before flying back into the air. Judging from his powerless, drooping appearance, he must have been controlled by the witch.
"Among the monster races, there are indeed some methods used to control their subordinates, but most of them are merely means to maintain loyalty. I never expected you to use them in this way."
After a quick assessment, Xiao Yan recognized the method the demoness was using. This secret technique targeting magical beasts could likely forcibly control those with lower cultivation levels. Once someone's Magic Core was controlled, it was as if a bomb had been planted inside their body. If the caster intended to, they could probably make the beast self-destruct in an instant.
Even for someone like Xiao Yan, the self-destruction of a powerful Yuan Zong expert is something he cannot easily withstand, let alone the fact that there are two more of them at the moment.
"Hehe, I didn't expect you to have heard of the secret techniques of my demon beast race. Then why not take this opportunity to test the power of Four-Star Yuan Zong's self-destruction!"
As Zi Qi finished speaking, her expression suddenly turned ferocious. She controlled the thin threads that were pulling the mangled body, and hurled it towards Xiao Yan. At the same time, the Magic Core within the mangled body was also brought under control, and a terrifying energy suddenly began to expand rapidly within the body.
Upon seeing this, Niu Kui's expression changed drastically. He almost instinctively fled in the direction behind him, cursing the witch for not informing him at all, clearly intending to kill them all!
However, Xiao Yan remained calm and composed. Looking at the rapidly approaching remains, he flicked his finger, and a black light suddenly burst out, appearing in front of the remains in the blink of an eye. A dragon claw smashed the remains' face, grabbed the expanding Magic Core in the brain, and then, to Zi Qi's horrified gaze, forcefully suppressed the expanding Magic Core back down!
After a dozen or so breaths, the Northern King severed the thin thread attached to the Magic Core, and then bowed and presented a Magic Core emitting a faint energy glow to Xiao Yan.
"I was hoping to avoid it if possible, but I didn't expect I'd still have to rely on you."
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile. Although he had now advanced to the Peak Yuan Zong, facing five Yuan Zong experts at the same time, without using his trump cards, was indeed a formidable opponent!
"Kill them all. I also sense an aura of a Yuan Zun not far from here. There's no point in dragging this out any longer."
Xiao Yan spoke calmly, as if he were giving a trivial instruction, but to Niu Kui and the other man opposite him, it made their faces turn pale instantly.
With their keen eyesight, it was not difficult for them to see that the human in front of them had summoned a puppet, and the puppet's strength had actually reached the Yuan Zun Realm. Moreover... they could also faintly feel a terrifying sense of pressure from the bloodline emanating from the puppet!
"This..."
A look of panic finally appeared in Niu Kui's eyes. A puppet at the Yuan Zun level—such combat power! The energy contained in the person in front of him was in no way inferior to the three great demonic beasts in this secret realm. How could they, mere Origin Sect Yuan Zong, possibly provoke such an existence?
Right now, besides secretly resenting that Zi Qi, all he could do was try to find a way to escape as soon as possible!
Niu Kui's massive body spun around, instantly reverting to his previous human form. He forced a smile, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Xiao Yan, who was standing not far away, and said humbly:
"Sir, I apologize for what happened earlier. I was truly bewitched by this vixen and acted rashly..."
" Niu Kui! At a time like this, do you think you can escape disaster?"
Before Niu Kui could finish speaking, Zi Qi suddenly burst into angry curses. She hadn't expected this beast to be so cowardly, so heartless as to throw her out as a scapegoat. But Niu Kui didn't care about any of that; he merely glanced at Zi Qi out of the corner of his eye before continuing with a fawning smile:
"Sir, you've come to the Pill Gathering for the Fragrance-Nurturing Pill, naturally. But you may not know this, but all the Fragrance-Nurturing Pill we've obtained through our joint efforts came from this vixen. I'm sure you witnessed her acquiring it; she was truly ruthless. If my strength weren't limited, I would never have chosen to associate with her!"
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze to Zi Qi with great interest. Knowing that further words would be of no use, the latter could only exert all her strength to control the thin thread in her hand. At the same time, she opened her mouth and spat out another drop of blood essence, which dissolved into the thin thread in her hand. Instantly, the struggling big man calmed down in the blink of an eye.
"Bang!"
However, just as the burly man's body calmed down, a giant ruler engulfed in raging flames shot out from nowhere and slammed into his body. Immediately afterward, the Northern King struck again, easily removing a Magic Core.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Niu Kui quickly covered himself with a golden aura, which, under the bright sunlight, strangely transformed into an invisible form, and fled rapidly towards the distant mountains. As for Zi Qi, after the connection of the secret technique was forcibly severed, her aura was much weaker. Seeing Niu Kui's escape, she could only grit her teeth and curse angrily.
Xiao Yan ignored this, simply putting away the Magic Core in front of him. The Northern King then chased after the fleeing Niu Kui, while he turned his chilling gaze to the bewitching woman Zi Qi, his eyes filled with growing killing intent.
This woman's methods are indeed extremely ruthless. If it weren't for the Northern King's protection, he would have suffered quite a bit today. He absolutely cannot let this woman leave!
With a thought arising in his mind, Xiao Yan immediately raised his hands, and the familiar hand seals between his ten fingers were rapidly formed, one after another, layer upon layer. The vast Origin Qi in his body gathered above his head like a cascading river. In just a moment, it condensed into a mysterious and huge energy hand seal. At the same time, a terrifying aura that soared to the sky also spread outward from it.
This seal is none other than the seventh seal among the Eight Emperor Seal Techniques, the Heaven Flipping Seal!
Since joining the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan has been preoccupied with many matters and has rarely focused his attention on cultivating the Eight Emperor Seal Techniques. As a result, his comprehension of the seventh seal has been slow. Fortunately, the illusion he used in the Pill Sea Illusion Realm Xiao Yan opened up this bottleneck for him, saving him a lot of effort. Now, when he uses it, everything is as natural as water flowing into a channel.
Seeing this scene, a deep sense of solemnity finally appeared on Zi Qi's pale face. After a long while, she finally let out a bitter laugh of resentment.
Even if she were to fight back with all her might against a full-force attack from Peak Yuan Zong, given her current condition, she would likely have little chance of survival.