"Boom!"
The moment those chilling, unidentified words rang out again, the entire hall was instantly filled with four unparalleled, terrifying pressures. Surging waves of battle Dou Qi swept through the hall, causing it to tremble.
"What did you say!"
Four startled shouts rang out simultaneously, shaking the entire hall. A thunderous boom echoed throughout the hall, chilling everyone to the bone.
"Hehehehe... It seems you haven't forgotten that thing after all... The Heavenly Severing Steps, the signature technique of the Venerable Heavenly Severing Master, one of the keys to opening the Heavenly Severing Ancient Tomb. Only in this way can you have a chance to obtain the Venerable Heavenly Severing's legacy..."
A sinister laugh echoed softly. Facing these four renowned supreme experts, the speaker showed little fear. On the contrary, it was the four people present who were more wary of him.
Do you know where that family is now?
One of the four asked in a slightly doubtful tone.
The four forces have been searching for that family for countless years, but to this day they still have no news. They don't believe in this ghostly thing that is hiding in the dark corner and dares not show itself.
"Hehe, I don't know."
The simple and clear words enraged the old man known as the Sect Master Wu. His invisible aura surged wildly, and the stone chair beneath him was instantly crushed into a pile of rubble.
"Hmph! You devil, you're making a fool of the four of us!"
With a sharp shout, the old man slammed his palm into the void beside him. Instantly, an invisible spatial fluctuation spread out rapidly, carrying a terrifying power capable of crushing everything, sweeping in all directions.
The spatial fluctuations dissipated automatically as they approached the other three people, and at the same time, a mysterious aura finally emanated from somewhere in the darkness.
"Hmph! Get out here right now!"
The moment that aura was emitted, the old man suddenly stretched out his hand, his five fingers spread wide, and a powerful suction force surged from his palm. Instantly, the space where the aura had just been emitted was torn apart by the frenzied suction force.
At the same time, a dark shadow swiftly swept across the void, and a sinister laugh echoed once more.
"Hehehehe... Sect Master Wu Wu's temper is truly fiery. Although I don't know where that family is now, as for the Heavenly Severing Steps... hehehehe..."
Upon hearing this, the four elders' eyes narrowed simultaneously. They exchanged glances, and the Sect Master Wu slowly withdrew his outward-released Dou Qi, concealing his presence and saying no more.
At this moment, another old man slowly spoke, his tone and attitude much better than the previous two.
"Hehe, Palace Master, since things have come to this point, in my opinion, there's no need for you to beat around the bush any longer. Normally, you and we keep to ourselves, so why have you summoned us here? Surely it wasn't just to say these things to us!"
"Hehehehe... As expected, Sword Sovereign knows how to handle people, compared to Sect Master Wu..."
"Enough with the nonsense. You bunch of inhuman freaks never suffer losses. Now, tell us the exact location of the Heavenly Severing Steps, and what are your conditions?"
Before the ghostly figure could finish speaking, the second old man who had spoken earlier interrupted him.
The four elders present were clearly quite familiar with this guy who called himself the temple master, so they spoke with the attitude of making a deal right from the start.
Hehehehehe...
The eerie laughter, like that of a ghost, rang out again. In the only space in front of the four people that was illuminated, a cloud of black mist instantly flew past. The four people remained unmoved on the surface, but inwardly they were secretly chilled.
"Since the sect leaders are all in a hurry, then I will not waste any more words. You only need to know that the Heavenly Severing Steps is possessed by a boy named Xiao Yan, who is using the alias Yan Xiao Yan. He is currently traveling to the Ancient Wilderness City, a place that is essential for his journey to the Western Region. I do not need to elaborate on who is in charge there!"
"Hmph! Since you know there's someone there, why waste your breath talking to us? He's in the Wilderness; not only us, but even your Ghost Hall wouldn't dare do anything to him!"
The four had barely memorized Xiao Yan's name when they first heard it when the dark figure's next words caused their expressions to change drastically. They hadn't expected that Xiao Yan would be in the Ancient Wilderness City so perfectly.
Although they were in the Western Region, the power of the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion still made them wary. That kind of power, like the Ghost Hall behind the black figure in front of them, was inconspicuous and unassuming, but anyone who knew about it, regardless of their strength, would understand that its terror was unimaginable!
Therefore, they avoided the behemoth that was the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion as much as possible. Since Xiao Yan was within the Cloud-Hidden Pavilion's sphere of influence, they naturally dared not make a move against him easily.
"Hehehehe... I knew Sect Master Wu Child Flame, why is he angry again? According to my information, that kid has been heading towards the Ancient Wilderness City ever since he appeared in the Southern Region. It's highly likely that he's planning to come to the Western Region. I believe he'll arrive Western Region soon, and then you just need to wait and see..."
Faced with the angry shout of the Sect Master Wu, the dark figure chuckled mockingly and then revealed the information he knew. Only then did the four people in front of him feel relieved, and they kept murmuring Xiao Yan's name in their hearts.
" Xiao Yan... Yan Xiao... Xiao Yan... Yan Xiao!"
"You're handing him over to us, but who knows how much stronger he is compared to us?"
Suddenly, the Sword Sovereign narrowed his eyes and asked a crucial question.
If the Xiao Yan they were facing was of similar strength to them, then even with four supreme experts present, they would still find it difficult to kill him. Therefore, they had to first understand the strength of their opponent.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated!
"Hehehe, don't worry. That kid only broke through to the Three-Star Half-Emperor level about half a year ago. With your strength, do you really think you'd be afraid of him?"
Hearing the words of the Sword Sovereign, the shadowy figure was not surprised and sneered.
Upon hearing this, the four frowned. A mere Three-Star Half-Emperor was being asked to take action? Wasn't this a waste of their talents and giving that kid named Xiao Yan far too much credit?
Something unusual must be going on!
The same thought crossed the minds of all four of them, and faced with this ghostly figure, they had to be extremely careful.
"Since Xiao Yan is only a Three-Star Half-Emperor, why don't you take action yourselves? His strength is not even worthy of being ranked at the bottom among you."
At this moment, the third old man finally spoke, his voice rippled like a water curtain as he spoke.
"Heh heh... Master Chen also knows that we can't reveal our whereabouts when we do many things. Without permission from above, we can't kill people in the city without authorization. After all, although our Ghost Hall is strong, there are quite a few people watching us..."
"Using someone else to do the dirty work."
The old man, referred to as Master Chen, said in a deep voice.
"You can say that, but I believe this is simply a business deal between you and me. Since we're business people, there's no need to ask too many questions. If the water is too clear... there will be no fish!"
The four men narrowed their eyes, pondered for a moment, and then fell silent.
From within the black mist, a pair of sinister eyes, gleaming with an eerie light, swept over the four people present. After a long while, the shadowy figure chuckled sinisterly again:
"Hehehehe... Enough with the nonsense. When you see him, you needn't hold back. As long as you keep him alive, you can take the Heavenly Severing Steps as you please..."
The eerie atmosphere was broken once again, and the group breathed a sigh of relief.
This time, however, the Sect Master Wu's eyes darted around, and a cruel, ruthless smile appeared on his lips as he said:
"Hahaha, I really don't understand. How could a kid of that caliber possibly provoke you? He's truly doomed!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of perfectly timed laughter echoed through the hall.