However, the Netherworld Lock's properties do not lie in direct confrontation.
The moment it made contact with his fist, it snaked upwards like a nimble snake, winding its way up his arm and quickly wrapping around his shoulder.
The cold white flames flowing across the surface of the chains instantly frosted over his shoulder, and the biting chill seeped into his body along his shoulder blade.
What's truly shocking is Xiao Yan's direct confrontation with the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor.
When the Soul Emperor saw the Netherworld Lock binding his arm, he simply didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he used the powerful physique he had gained after being possessed by the Vajra Ape Martial Soul Possession to leap high into the air.
As he leaped into the air, he shattered seven or eight slabs of bluestone, sending fragments flying in all directions. His massive body traced an arc in mid-air, his fists clenched together, like a giant hammer falling from the sky, slamming down fiercely towards Xiao Yan's location.
" Eight Extremes Collapse!"
Facing the attack from the opponent after their Martial Soul Possession, Xiao Yan smiled slightly.
The Soul Power within his body converged wildly towards his right hand. The muscles on his right arm bulged slightly under the infusion of Soul Power, and the joints at his elbow made a faint cracking sound.
He didn't use any Soul Skill; he simply concentrated his Soul Power on his right elbow using the hidden force of the Eight Extremes Collapse technique, and then met the attack head-on.
"Bang!"
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xiao Yan's body collided violently with the opponent's massive form after Martial Soul Possession in mid-air.
When the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor clenched his fists and slammed them down, the shadow of his fists enveloped Xiao Yan completely. The difference in size between the two was so great that it was despairing.
On one side was the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor, nearly eight feet tall with muscles like steel, and on the other side was a young man in black of average build.
But this disproportionate collision produced a result that left everyone speechless.
An invisible surge of Soul Power emanated from the point of their battle, the shockwave causing the old locust tree in the courtyard to shake violently, its leaves falling like a torrential rain.
The bluestone slabs on the ground cracked radially from the two people, with the cracks extending to the base of the courtyard wall.
In this exchange, the two sides were evenly matched. Xiao Yan, with pure physical strength, directly withstood the full force of the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor's Martial Soul Possession.
This terrifying scene left everyone stunned in place.
He didn't even use any Soul Skill, just pure physical strength combined with some kind of energy manipulation method they had never seen before.
The Vajra Ape Soul Emperor's Martial Soul Possession is recognized as one of the strongest Martial Soul of its level.
Xiao Yan withstood the attack with his bare body without retreating an inch.
"Don't just stand there."
Seeing the stunned crowd, Xiao Yan shook his head slightly and offered a reminder.
His tone still carried a hint of amusement, as if he were sparring with a friend rather than facing a life-or-death battle.
But at the same time, the Netherworld Lock he controlled ruthlessly completed its final operation.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor was unsteady due to the Eight Extremes Collapse, the Netherworld Lock that was originally wrapped around his arm spread rapidly downwards like a serpent, climbing up his legs.
The chains wrapped around his knees, bound his ankles, and tightly bound his legs together.
The biting coldness seeped into his legs, and the extreme cold power of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame seeped into his meridians through his pores, causing the flow of his Soul Power to become increasingly sluggish.
The Vajra Ape Soul Emperor's originally powerful Soul Power, as vast as a river, slowed down by at least 30% under the erosion of extreme cold, becoming like a frozen river.
He struggled to break free, but his legs were already numb from the cold, and he had almost lost all feeling below the knees.
Seeing Xiao Yan's terrifying strength, fighting three Soul Master alone, including a Soul Emperor, and gaining the upper hand in just a few breaths.
He deflected the full-force attacks of two Soul King, withstood a direct blow from Soul Emperor, and even used those strange, Cold Fire chains to completely lock the Soul Emperor's legs.
His combined attack formation was completely dismantled with ease. Such strength had far exceeded their expectations.
The three exchanged a glance, each seeing a resolute determination in the other's eyes.
The Vajra Ape Soul Emperor let out a low roar, pounding his chest with both fists, producing a dull sound like beating a drum, and the dark golden light around his body suddenly surged.
He was prepared to forcefully break free from the restraints Xiao Yan had placed on him, even if it meant damaging his meridians.
With such a powerful opponent coming to their doorstep, they knew that a battle to the death was inevitable.
Even if it costs me my life, I must buy time for others to evacuate.
From the day he joined the Dark Hall, he was prepared to die.
Just as they were about to risk their lives to attack Xiao Yan, Xiao Yan reached out and stopped them.
The Netherworld Lock Entanglement the three receded like a tide, the chains loosening from the Soul Emperor's legs, withdrawing from the Soul King's side, and returning to his palm.
It transformed into three thin, cold white flames, leaped twice, and then disappeared into his palm.
Seeing that Xiao Yan had given up his attack, all three of them looked surprised.
They simply couldn't understand how this stranger, whose strength completely overwhelmed them, could have such a decisive advantage.
They could have easily taken advantage of the situation to knock them all down or even kill them, but they stopped at the last moment.
What is he thinking? This doesn't make any sense in combat.
The Vajra Ape Soul Emperor's legs were still trembling slightly, and the extreme cold of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame had not completely dissipated from his body, but his expression changed from resolute to bewildered.
He looked down at his empty legs; the chains that Entanglement him were indeed gone.
As a Power Attack System Battle Soul Emperor, his combat intuition told him that if this person wanted to kill them, he wouldn't need to go to such lengths.
He had the ability to end the battle within ten breaths, yet he deliberately refrained from killing him.
What exactly is he trying to do?
The commotion from the battle in the courtyard had already alerted everyone inside the house.
Several figures emerged from the room, some filing out through the main entrance of the main house, each dressed in combat-ready attire.
The Soul Ring on everyone's bodies have lit up.
Including the three people who were already in the courtyard, a total of more than ten Soul Master surrounded the entire courtyard.
Some stood on the courtyard wall, some squatted on the branches of the old locust tree, some blocked the direction of the courtyard gate, and some blocked all possible escape routes.
Pairs of eyes filled with hostility and murderous intent were fixed on the young figure in black robes in the center of the courtyard, each person's gaze as fierce as a wild beast guarding its prey.
At the leader's command, these dozen or so Soul Master would launch a simultaneous attack, tearing the intruder to shreds.
"What happened?"
But at that moment, a clear, cold voice rang out from inside the house.
The voice wasn't loud, and the tone was as calm as water, yet it was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil, instantly cooling the tense atmosphere in the courtyard.
All eyes turned in that instant towards the direction from which the sound came.
Xiao Yan's body trembled slightly upon hearing the voice.
He quickly turned his head and looked over the rubble and fallen trees scattered across the courtyard, past the figures of the Dark Hall members who were on high alert, and his gaze landed directly on the door of the main house.
The next moment, a familiar, slender figure walked out of the house.
She wore a dark purple, tight-fitting outfit that perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.
Her long, jet-black hair was still simply tied back, with a few stray strands falling from her ears.
She walked out at a leisurely pace, her brows slightly furrowed, clearly disturbed by the commotion in the courtyard.
Moonlight streamed down from above the courtyard wall, falling precisely on her cool, exquisitely beautiful face, which was as delicate as an ice sculpture, clearly illuminating the slight annoyance in her eyes that seemed disturbed.
"Your Highness, this person does not recognize the secret command."
Upon arriving, he immediately inquired about your whereabouts. My subordinate assumed he was someone being pursued by the Spirit Hall, which is why he took action.
The Vajra Ape Soul Emperor was the first to regain his senses and reported to Zhu Zhuqing with his hands clasped.
His voice still carried a hint of tension from earlier, and the numbness in his legs hadn't completely subsided, causing him to involuntarily lean slightly to the side while giving his report.
He deliberately emphasized the phrases "unfamiliar with the secret order" and "investigating the trail," intending to show that they were not initiating the battle without authorization, but rather controlling the suspicious target in accordance with the Dark Hall's security regulations.
But at this moment, Zhu Zhuqing's attention was not on them at all.
In fact, she hadn't heard a single word from the moment the Vajra Ape Soul Emperor uttered his first sentence.
The moment she stepped out of the room and saw Xiao Yan standing in the courtyard, she stopped in her tracks.
He stopped abruptly at the threshold without any warning.
The moonlight fell on her face, revealing her expression clearly.
First came shock, then disbelief.
Zhu Zhuqing blinked, thinking she was hallucinating after being disturbed during her cultivation.
Then her lips parted slightly, but no sound came out, as if all the words were stuck in her throat at that moment.
Finally, the expression on her face was instantly replaced by surprise.
The surprise came too fast and too hard, like magma that had been suppressed for too long finally finding a way to vent in the crater, completely shattering the cold defenses on her usually aloof face.
Her eyes reddened at a visible speed.
But the next moment, she proudly suppressed it, leaving only a forced composure on her face.
"It's... it's you back..."
Zhu Zhuqing's voice trembled slightly, without her even realizing it.
The voice was hoarse and soft, as if afraid that speaking it aloud would shatter a beautiful dream.
Then she took a step, neither leaping nor running, but simply walking step by step toward the young man in black in the courtyard.
"I'm back."
Xiao Yan's voice carried a barely perceptible sob, but he concealed it well beneath his calm tone.
A smile appeared on his face as he watched Zhu Zhuqing walk towards him step by step, his eyes revealing a tenderness that had never changed.