Above the vast plain, a surge of wind-attribute Dou Qi suddenly flashed across the sky.
The Dou Qi exhibited a translucent light blue hue, completely unlike any other Soul Power fluctuation on the Douluo Continent.
Almost in the blink of an eye, a streak of azure light appeared on the horizon.
The light was initially just a barely perceptible dot on the horizon, but it rapidly expanded at a visible speed, growing from a blue star into a streak of light that stretched across the sky.
Amidst the flowing light, the outline of a human figure could be vaguely seen, with a pair of enormous, exaggeratedly large, fiery wings unfolding behind him. The left wing was pure white like snow, while the right wing was lush and verdant.
The two flames trailed long streaks of light as they flew at high speed, like the tail feathers of a phoenix streaking across the sky.
It flashed across the sky, leaving a blinding white trail in mid-air.
It was a vacuum trail formed by the high-speed compression of air, gleaming a pale white under the sunlight.
The white mark stretched from the direction of Spirit City, spanning the entire plain, like a scar etched on the sky.
Under the intense wind pressure, a deep trench has been carved into the ground.
The ravine stretched from one end of the plain to the other, about half a zhang wide and several chi deep. The soil on both sides of the ravine was rolled out by the wind pressure, forming a continuous ridge.
The vegetation along the way was uprooted, the pebbles were crushed into dust, and even several boulders that were more than half a person tall were pushed and rolled dozens of feet away by the terrifying wind pressure.
A series of sonic booms rang out from all around.
Each sonic boom signified that Xiao Yan's speed had instantly broken through a certain limit.
The sonic booms, like rolling thunder in summer, echoed across the plains, startling birds and beasts within a radius of several miles into a frenzy of flight.
Several low-level Soul Beast that were resting in the grass on the plain were so frightened by the sonic boom that they collapsed to the ground, trembling, and did not even have the courage to run away.
Xiao Yan rushed as fast as he could, heading away from Martial Spirit City.
The power of the Venerable Feng within him was being consumed at an alarming rate.
After unleashing that earth-shattering sword strike, most of that power had already been released, leaving only about two or three tenths remaining in his body.
But even with only two or three tenths of that, his speed still reached an extremely terrifying level.
Each flap of its wings covered a distance of hundreds of feet, and the whole person was like a streak of blue lightning rushing through the sky.
He had only one thought in his mind.
Create distance.
The faster the better, the farther the better.
"Laugh!"
However, Xiao Yan had only been gone a short while when two more streaks of light came rushing after him.
The two streaks of light, one bright and one dark, one gold and one black, left two completely different trails in the sky.
The newcomers were none other than Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan and Ghost Douluo Gui Mei.
The two men stared at the blue figure that had almost shrunk to a dot, their eyes filled with anger.
Yue Guan's delicate face was now so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.
His Gui Mei figure flickered constantly as he flew at high speed, and the edges of the black mist churned much more violently than usual, showing that his inner rage was no less than Yue Guan's.
These two were Titled Douluo, elders of the Spirit Hall, figures revered wherever they went on the continent.
Now, however, he's been led by the nose for hundreds of miles by a Emperor Realm.
What frustrated them even more was that their injuries were still throbbing.
The wounds left by that cyan sword light when it pierced through their Martial Soul Avatar were far from healed.
But amidst their anger, a hint of barely concealed relief lingered in their eyes.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei exchanged a glance. Although neither of them spoke, they both understood the meaning behind that glance.
If Bibi Dong hadn't been there to block Xiao Yan's sword strike, and if the three of them hadn't joined forces to unleash their Martial Soul Avatar, and instead the two of them had faced it alone...
Yue Guan dared not think any further.
He clearly remembered how his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Shield shattered within three breaths when that cyan sword light struck.
Those three breaths were the longest three breaths he had ever experienced in his life.
Every breath felt like dancing on a knife's edge; every breath I could feel the breath of death brushing past my ears.
The feeling of Gui Mei is similar.
The wind-attribute Dou Qi's ability to counter his ghostly aura was almost like a natural enemy; its all-pervasive penetration rendered his once-proud defenses virtually useless.
Without His Holiness the Pope, given their combined strength, they would likely have perished under Xiao Yan's sword.
Two Titled Douluo died at the hands of a Soul Emperor.
Just thinking about this possibility sent a chill down Yue Guan's spine.
With this thought in mind, their killing intent towards the Soul Emperor grew even stronger.
But before that, what's more important is to obtain the secrets hidden within Xiao Yan.
No matter how strong the murderous intent, it must not cloud one's judgment.
Xiao Yan's life is more valuable than his death.
Yue Guan and Gui Mei followed behind Xiao Yan, speeding away into the distance.
The two deliberately maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
They wouldn't let Xiao Yan Xiao Yan their perception range completely, nor would they chase him too closely to the point of forcing him into a desperate situation.
They were waiting, waiting for the strange wind-attribute energy on Xiao Yan's body to completely dissipate.
At that time, a Soul Emperor would be like meat on a chopping board in front of them, at their mercy.
They could clearly sense that as they moved further away from Spirit City, the layer of wind-attribute power surrounding Xiao Yan was slowly dissipating.
The cyan vortex gradually weakened, from initially enveloping Xiao Yan completely, to becoming thinner and more transparent.
The wingspan of Xiao Yan's fiery wings was also slowly shrinking, from a terrifying width of nearly five zhang to about four zhang.
" His Holiness the Pope was right after all; the energy within him is probably only enough to support him in unleashing that one sword strike."
Yue Guan watched the gradually slowing blue figure ahead, his expression softened, and he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
He reached up and smoothed his wind-blown hair, his fingertips touching a thin, long wound on his forehead caused by the aftershocks of a sword strike, causing his lips to twitch slightly in pain.
The wound was caused by a fragment of wind-attribute sword energy; although it was not deep, it was extremely stubborn.
A wisp of wind-attribute Dou Qi clung to the edge of the wound, hindering the repair of Soul Power.
He, a Titled Douluo, was actually disfigured by a fragment of an attack; he had etched this humiliation into his heart.
"Um."
Gui Mei responded faintly, his voice hoarse and low.
However, the black mist surrounding his body had thickened considerably.
Gui Mei was always taciturn, but his thoughts were deeper than anyone else's.
He had been secretly observing Xiao Yan's speed changes, silently calculating in his mind when the energy within Xiao Yan's body would be completely exhausted.
Xiao Yan, who was ahead, naturally sensed the two Titled Douluo chasing after him from behind.
His soul perception became exceptionally sharp under the blessing of the Venerable Feng's primal power.
As Bibi Dong's trusted confidants, Xiao Yan was naturally familiar with Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
He had dealt with these two Titled Douluo when he was in the Spirit Hall.
Two Titled Douluo were chasing after a Soul Emperor like him. Xiao Yan didn't know whether it was an honor or a misfortune.
It's an honor that the Spirit Hall dispatched two Titled Douluo to hunt me down, which speaks volumes about my importance to them.
Unfortunately, these two old guys were both veteran Titled Douluo, and even though they were injured, their strength still far surpassed his.
"Laugh!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Xiao Yan continued to channel his Soul Power into the wings on his back.
The Twin Flame Wings, infused with Soul Power, once again burst forth with dazzling light.
His entire being resembled a streak of azure aurora, constantly whistling through the sky.
Xiao Yan had lost count of how far he had flown.
Starting from Spirit City, the journey traversed vast plains, crossed several winding rivers, and passed by villages and towns scattered across the plains.
Even so, Xiao Yan could still sense that Yue Guan and Gui Mei behind him were not far behind.
Those two auras were like maggots clinging to his bones, no matter how he changed direction or accelerated, they remained firmly locked onto him.
Sometimes he would deliberately take a long detour to see if the other party would take a shortcut to intercept him, but he found that Yue Guan and Gui Mei were not susceptible to this tactic at all.
After all, both of them were Titled Douluo.
While Yue Guan and Gui Mei aren't the fastest among Titled Douluo, Titled Douluo is still Titled Douluo, and their base speed is what it is.
Even though Xiao Yan temporarily created distance by relying on the power of the Venerable Feng's origin, this distance was far from enough for him to escape safely.
Titled Douluo has an extremely wide range of perception; his aura has already been locked onto by Yue Guan and Gui Mei.
Unless he can instantly disappear from their perception range, he cannot shake them off by flying alone.
Most of the Venerable Feng's Dou Qi that he relied on was poured out in that sword strike.
The dark blue stone that Venerable Feng had given him had shattered into powder after releasing the three-hundred-foot-long blue sword beam, leaving only a few tiny fragments clinging between his fingers.
The remaining wind-attribute power within him is now decaying at an irreversible rate.
The wingspan of the Twin Flame Wings on his back had shrunk from its peak of five zhang to just over three zhang.
Their speed has also slowed down by at least 30% compared to their peak, and that 30% is the distance that Yue Guan and Gui Mei are gradually closing.
"No, if this continues, we'll probably fall into their hands sooner or later."
Xiao Yan frowned as he sensed the two people chasing him from behind.
His brain was working at lightning speed.
A direct confrontation is impossible, given that they are both Titled Douluo.
Even if he was injured, he was still someone a level 65 Soul Emperor could not withstand head-on.
But if you keep flying like this, the result will be the same.
His Soul Power Venerable Feng will eventually be exhausted, and at that time he will have no room to resist.
Xiao Yan calmly analyzed the situation of both sides.
Gui Mei and Yue Guan are indeed injured. Yue Guan's Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul Avatar was shattered by his sword, and it is impossible for him to fully recover in a short time.
For Titled Douluo, having their Martial Soul Avatar destroyed is an immense blow.
The Gui Mei Gui Ying was torn open with countless gashes by the wind-attribute sword energy. Although not as severe as Yue Guan's, the damage was still considerable.
The two can only unleash limited power, probably only about 60% of their peak strength.
With his current Soul Bone Skill and Dou Technique, as well as the lingering Venerable Feng's Dou Qi, he was empowered.
If he seizes the opportunity, he might still be able to fight the two heavily injured men...