The man in black had a hoarse, deep voice, making it impossible for Xiao Yan to guess his identity.
However, Xiao Yan didn't waste any words at this moment. He flashed forward and attacked directly.
The Bone Spirit Cold Flame Martial Soul emerged and instantly covered his entire body.
" Cold Fire? Condensed Soul Stab!"
Xiao Yan's spirit Soul Ring flickered, and pale ice crystals appeared behind him.
Xiao Yan unleashed a palm strike, sending out streaks of ice crystals with a fierce attack, aimed directly at the man in black.
However, the man in black showed no panic in the face of Xiao Yan's attack.
With a cold snort, he swung out his right dragon claw, blue lightning appearing on it.
The pale ice crystals that Xiao Yan emitted were instantly annihilated under the dragon's claw.
The shockwaves from their battle, as the pale ice crystals shattered, and the scorching air currents spread outwards under the blows of the man in black.
The already dilapidated gun-piercing structure collapsed instantly.
The moment Xiao Yan unleashed the Soul Spike, he lunged forward.
The Gu Ling dragon covered his arm and instantly threw a punch at the man in black.
The man in black seemed to have anticipated Xiao Yan's attack.
After shattering the pale ice crystals, it stood still, its dragon claws thrusting straight at Xiao Yan.
" Eight Extremes Collapse!"
When the pale ice crystals were easily annihilated by the opponent, Xiao Yan realized that the black-clad man in front of him was probably quite strong.
Therefore, as the Heavenly Flames Martial Soul covered his fist, he used the Dou Technique Eight Extremes Collapse.
"Bang!"
The dragon claw collided with the flame-covered fist in mid-air.
Xiao Yan and the man in black were evenly matched.
The surging Soul Power spread in all directions during their battle.
While the two were fighting, Zhu Zhuqing rushed towards the civilians who were lying on the ground.
The plan is to save people first.
As soon as Xiao Yan and the man in black clashed, Xiao Yan felt a surge of power emanating from the man's dragon claws.
A strange light flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes.
This person's strength has probably reached the Soul Emperor Realm.
After all, Xiao Yan's physical abilities were already extremely strong.
The fact that the opponent showed no signs of strain during the exchange can only mean that their skill level is quite high.
"Hidden power, explode!"
As Xiao Yan and the man in black locked in a stalemate of Soul Power, both were forced to retreat.
But just as he sensed that Xiao Yan was about to unleash the hidden power of the Eight Extremes Collapse within the opponent's body once again.
Only then did they realize with alarm that the other party had already taken precautions.
Before the darkness sent into the opponent's body could cause any harm, surging Soul Power had already completely suppressed it.
How is that possible?
The hidden force of the Eight Extremes Collapse is not a particularly profound thing, but the man in black in front of him seemed to have expected it.
This greatly surprised Xiao Yan.
Then I thought back to how the other person addressed me when we first met.
This suggests that the two had probably already met.
Xiao Yan's gaze fell on the man in black, scrutinizing him closely, but he couldn't sense any familiarity with him.
" Xiao Yan, you're shocked, aren't you?"
The man in black noticed the look of surprise on Xiao Yan's face.
His tone was tinged with amusement.
"I'll make you regret this."
The man in black grinned maliciously at Xiao Yan, his crimson eyes beneath his cloak glancing at Zhu Zhuqing, who was already rushing towards the civilians.
" Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Xin!"
Xiao Yan naturally sensed the movements of the man in black.
The moment he spoke, the man in black had already turned around.
Lightning bolts appeared on the dragon's claw, which then swung out towards Zhu Zhuqing's location.
A streak of azure lightning flashed past.
"Call out!"
Faced with the attack, Xiao Yan instinctively rushed towards Zhu Zhuqing.
" Cold Fire Soul Armor!"
At the same time, the Bone Chilling Cold Fire also formed a solid wall of ice between Zhu Zhuqing and the man in black.
"Boom!"
A violent burst of lightning exploded in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
As the scattered, violent lightning dissipated, Xiao Yan immediately looked at Zhu Zhuqing.
Although Zhu Zhuqing looked somewhat disheveled at this moment, it was only because of the dust stirred up by the lightning explosion.
I myself was not seriously injured.
But when Xiao Yan looked at the man in black again, the man had already vanished without a trace.
" Zhu Zhuqing, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Zhu Zhuqing shook her head, but when she looked down at the three civilians on the ground, a hint of resentment appeared in her eyes.
Xiao Yan looked down and saw that the three people on the ground had completely lost their breath.
The man whose head had been held down by the man in black was now exuding an aura of evil.
Beneath the skin, scales gradually emerged, piercing the arm.
"This thing..."
Xiao Yan's gaze fell on the scales that had appeared on the commoner's body, and he instantly thought of the black-clad man's dragon claw right arm.
Adding to this the eerie aura emanating from the corpse, and the news I overheard today about the recent disappearances of fellow travelers and civilians.
A bold idea instantly popped into Xiao Yan's mind.
"Could this person be the source of the recent civilian disappearances?"
Xiao Yan spoke with some surprise, then squatted down to examine the civilian corpse covered in evil energy.
Zhu Zhuqing's gaze fell on the commoners, her expression gradually darkening. She then spoke to Xiao Yan:
"It seems the other side is using these civilians for some kind of experiment."
Xiao Yan nodded, immediately understanding.
"So, it seems their dragon claw-like right arm is in a similar situation."
Xiao Yan frowned, staring at the spot where the man in black had disappeared, his eyes flashing with cold light.
"Moreover, this person probably has a grudge against me."
Xiao Yan pondered and guessed the identity of the newcomer.
He hasn't completely broken ties with the Spirit Hall yet, so even if Bibi Dong wanted to take action against him, the Soul Master she would likely send wouldn't be of this caliber.
Only two suspects remained in Xiao Yan's mind.
One is Dai Mubai, who is a prince of the Star Luo Empire.
Their whereabouts are currently unknown, but they certainly still wield considerable influence.
Moreover, since he crippled half of Dai Mubai's body back then, the other party might have used that as an opportunity to start cultivating again.
The other person was Yu Xiaogang.
Similar to Dai Mubai, Yu Xiaogang had half of his body severed by Zhu Zhuqing and has been missing since the finals.
Given that he has not shown his face for so long, and considering his relationship with Bibi Dong, it is likely that he has already gained Bibi Dong's support.
However, this place is too far from Spirit City, and Xiao Yan's most suspected person is still Dai Mubai.
Meanwhile, in a hidden underground chamber in the west of Star Luo City.
The man in black staggered into the secret room and ripped off his cloak.
His face, covered in blue markings, was revealed, though it looked somewhat ferocious at the moment.
His eyes had also turned completely crimson.
However, it was still possible to tell that the other party was Yu Xiaogang.
Yu Xiaogang was panting heavily, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
As the cloak was removed, Yu Xiaogang's right arm was completely exposed.
A deep blue dragon claw extended from his shoulder, replacing his previously crippled right arm.
At this moment, Yu Xiaogang was panting heavily, kneeling on the ground, his bloodshot eyes filled with hatred and resentment.
"Damn it... damn it!"
Yu Xiaogang's dragon claw slammed into the wall, leaving deep claw marks.
Although he only had a brief exchange with Xiao Yan, he was keenly aware that he was still no match for Xiao Yan.
That's why he attacked the three civilians and Zhu Zhuqing in that instant to escape.
After all, he knew Xiao Yan's Soul Skill very well.
If Xiao Yan were to make a serious move, a Control System Soul King unleashing his full power would be in danger.
Add to that Zhu Zhuqing was slightly taken aback.
He wasn't confident he could escape unscathed.
" Xiao Yan, one day, I will definitely, definitely cut open your body!"
After catching his breath, Yu Xiaogang walked into the depths of the secret chamber.
There were more than ten huge glass jars on display.
Each jar was filled with a strange green liquid, in which twisted corpses were submerged.