Encirclement

Seeing this, the man in red raised an eyebrow, turned around, and looked at the people behind him.

He raised his hand and gently pressed it down, signaling everyone to calm down. The slight frivolity in his smile had mostly vanished, and he said in a deep voice:

"No loud noise is allowed in front of the True Lord's gate. We'll all go to the Great Void for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure transformed into a streak of crimson Li Fire, like a phoenix spreading its wings, piercing the sky. A lazy laugh drifted out from within the flames, unhurried and deliberate, just enough to resonate throughout the entire Great Void:

"The telepathic communication is quite discreet. It's a shame they're being so cautious; are they waiting for reinforcements?"

He paused, his smile widening rather than diminishing in his phoenix eyes, and as crimson flames surged within him, his voice held an undisguised arrogance:

"Very well. I'll take as many as you bring. After all, the abbot of Qixia Temple is currently in seclusion, and Li Chaoxue and the other two are busy with matters concerning the Purple-Blue Secret Realm. How could they possibly spare any time?"

He paused, then said:

"As for Zilin and Ying Qi, they are both only at the Divine Ability of the Purple Mansion. Although Upper Spirit Treasure, what is the point of them coming here?"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xiu paused almost imperceptibly, then resumed his normal movements and sped off towards Great Void without looking back.

Ten figures behind them also activated their escape lights in unison, their colorful lights shooting into the sky and leaving ten long trails in the mortal world as they relentlessly pursued them.

Great Void within the void, several streaks of light followed one after another, like shooting stars chasing the moon.

Yang Xiu stood at the forefront, his golden robes fluttering in the wind. The Profound Qi mark between his brows slowly rotated, and the golden bell at his waist jingled without wind, its clear sound reverberating through the Great Void. Ripples of grayish-purple spread from his body, gradually flattening and suppressing the chaotic spiritual energy within a radius of several miles. Wherever the ripples passed, the turbulent currents surging in the Great Void were as if caressed by an invisible hand, gradually returning to silence.

Behind them, Mo Li and Xuan Yan stood to the left and right, forming a triangular formation. Behind Mo Li, the invisible phantom of the Dao Palace appeared and disappeared, with four beams of yellow light hanging down from the four corners of the palace, suppressing the spiritual energy where the three of them were located, making it as undisturbed as a boulder in a raging torrent.

The Heavenly Chaos energy around Xuan Yan surged like a tide, with starlight flickering uncertainly, like a chaotic net that could burst open at any moment. Within the mesh of that net, gray-purple light flowed through, echoing Yang Xiu's Profound Qi, yet possessing its own unique rhythm of order within chaos.

The three local Nanzhao Purple Mansion were scattered in the outer circle, each activating their spiritual energy. The Subterranean Water energy spread out like an undercurrent close to the ground, the Dui Metal energy condensed into thin blades that hung in all directions, and the Balmy Wind energy transformed into invisible wind blades that roamed around the field, sealing off all four directions completely.

Opposite them, a man in red stood with his hands behind his back, and eleven people spread out in a fan shape.

His crimson robe billowed in the wind, Li Fire Blaze surged from his body like a tide, turning half of the Great Void crimson. The Li Fire was neither scorching nor fierce, but it carried an extremely ancient aura, like the first spark of civilization, quietly burning in the Great Void.

The two closest to the man in red were a tall, thin man in white on the left. His aura of Geng Metal was sharp and piercing, his features were indifferent, and his lips were thin as paper. Standing there, he was like a sword yet to be drawn; though his Sword Intent was concealed, his sharpness was already evident.

On the right is a short, plump middle-aged woman in a yellow-green robe. She has a kind face and a smile in her eyes, but deep within that smile lies an inexplicable, bookish Yin Qi, like the dust accumulated over the years in an old library. It seems harmless, but it can make people feel suffocated.

The man in red's gaze lingered on Yang Xiu for a moment, then swept over Mo Li and Xuan Yan, finally settling on Yang Xiu's face. His phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, and a leisurely smile played on his lips.

"It seems you held back in the mortal world, but now that you've entered the Great Void, it's time to get serious, isn't it?"

Yang Xiu remained silent, but simply removed the golden bell from his waist and held it in his palm.

The golden bell trembled slightly in his palm, and a gray-purple Profound Qi spread out like a thin mist. Within the mist, lightning, fire, and the light of the Wu Earth flickered and shimmered, a sign of "Calamity Befalls Fate" bringing forth all kinds of calamities. Within the mist, the lightning flickered like a snake's tongue, the firelight shone like a dim star, Bing Fire the light of the Wu Earth surged like churning sand. The three forces of calamity intertwined in the gray-purple mist, yet each remained in its place, like three lurking ferocious beasts, waiting only for a command.

Seeing this, the man in red was not afraid at all; instead, he burst into laughter. His laughter was clear and unrestrained, echoing through the Great Void and causing the surrounding spiritual energy to tremble.

"Very well! What a fine ' Calamity Befalls Fate '! I'd like to see just how much this person favored by the Fruition Position is really worth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure suddenly exploded, transforming into Li Fire full of crimson flames that swept towards Yang Xiu! The sea of fire was overwhelming, and wherever it passed, the Great Void like a red-hot iron plate, the spiritual energy was twisted inch by inch, and even the light was steamed and distorted.

Yang Xiu Hand Seals with his left hand, a golden bell hung high, and the gray-purple Profound Qi surged like a raging sea. A gray-purple lightning bolt came from the depths of the Great Void and struck the center of the sea of fire.

"Boom!"

Thunder and fire collided, and crimson and grayish-purple ripples of spiritual energy exploded in the Great Void, visible to the naked eye. The ripples spread out like a boulder falling into water, stirring the Great Void within a radius of several miles into a turbulent, boiling state.

The sea of fire was momentarily dispersed by the lightning, but the crimson flames that filled the sky only shrank slightly before surging again, converging on Yang Xiu from all directions.

Wherever the Li Fire, the Great Void was like a red-hot iron plate, its spiritual energy twisted and contorted inch by inch.

Yang Xiu retreated rapidly, the golden bell vibrating repeatedly, and a second and third bolt of lightning struck down in succession. Each bolt of lightning that struck the sea of fire exploded into a ball of grayish-purple electric light, briefly tearing apart and forcing back the surrounding crimson flames.

But the Li Fire as the sea, and when the lightning struck, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, stirring up towering waves of fire before falling silent again.

Within the sea of fire, the crimson flames seemed endless. For every part that was shattered, ten more would rise from all directions to make up for it, burning ever brighter and ever closer.

Is that all you've got?

The voice of the man in red came from the sea of fire, carrying a lazy, mocking tone. The next moment, the sea of fire suddenly receded, reforming into a human form. His crimson robe was spotless, his phoenix eyes held an even deeper smile, and flames surged around him, as if he were wearing a brocade robe woven from Li Fire.

"The one who Li Fire, upholding Fire Virtue, is the fire of civilization. How could a few bolts of lightning strike the abode of the Red Emperor?"

He raised his hand, his five fingers slightly spread, and a ball of crimson flame slowly rose from his palm, like a small red sun.

The flames were neither scorching nor fierce, yet they emitted an extremely ancient and pure aura as they burned.

The Divine Ability powers of "Recounting the Sight of the Sun!

Upon seeing this, Yang Xiu's expression changed.

The flame rose from the red-clad man's palm and drifted slowly toward Yang Xiu.

It flew extremely slowly, but with every inch it advanced, the surrounding Great Void was gradually burned and stripped away by an invisible "gentle fire." That "gentle fire" did not burn the physical body or scorch Law Power; it burned the "connection" —Yang Xiu's connection with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

He clearly felt that he was being separated from the spiritual energy flowing in the Great Void by an invisible membrane, inch by inch. With each inch he advanced, the membrane thickened; with each thickening, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that he could mobilize decreased.

Yang Xiu dared not take the attack head-on. He swayed, enveloped in a deep gray-purple Profound Qi, and retreated several miles.

But the flame, like a persistent carbuncle, followed him at a steady pace, neither too fast nor too slow, neither too far nor too far, like a shadow.

Almost at the same moment, the man in white and the short, plump woman moved.

The man in white leaped forward, transforming into a sharp white streak, rushing straight towards Mo Li. He pushed out with both palms, and invisible sound waves rippled out from his palms, pure white in color, like the clang of metal on metal, cutting fine white marks into the Great Void wherever they passed.

The white marks, like knives cutting glass, crisscrossed and shattered the Great Void; this was none other than the "Resounding White Sound" Divine Ability the Dui Metal Technique!

The illusory image of the Dao Palace behind Mo Li suddenly solidified, and the four corners of the Dao Palace shone brightly with yellow light, forcefully blocking the incoming white streak sound waves outside the palace walls.

However, the "Resounding White Sound" was all-pervasive, like hundreds of fine blades cutting at the same time. Shallow white marks were cut into the surface of the Dao Palace phantom. Although it did not break through the defense, it made Mo Li's expression change slightly.

The short, stout woman slowly approached Xuan Yan, her yellow-green aura surging around her. She neither attacked nor defended, but simply spread out slowly in the Great Void. Wherever her aura passed, spiritual energy seeped into her like water into sand, disappearing inch by inch. This was none other than the Bamboo-Bookcase Wood technique's Divine Ability, "Hidden Scripture Pavilion"!

Xuan Yan felt the Heavenly Chaos being "hidden" away bit by bit by the yellow-green energy, as if being turned page by page by an invisible hand, one page less with each turn, without a sound or trace.

At the same time, eight Purple Mansion Demon Cultivator behind them simultaneously activated their escape lights and surrounded the three local Purple Mansion cultivators from Nanzhao. The three were only at the Purple Mansion Early Stage cultivation, and now they were surrounded by eight Purple Mansion, including two at the Purple Mansion Middle Stage Purple Mansion Second Divine Ability and third Divine Ability. They were immediately in grave danger.

Various auras intertwined like a net, and the three barely managed to hold on with all their might. One of them was struck on the shoulder by a beam of emerald green demonic light, let out a muffled groan, and was forced back violently. A deep scorch mark, revealing bone, appeared on his left arm, from which blood gushed.

Yang Xiu's gaze sharpened.

With a tremor of the golden bell in his left hand, the gray-purple Profound Qi surged like a raging sea, and a gray-purple bolt of lightning, summoned from the depths of the Great Void, struck directly at the relentlessly pursuing "Recounting the Sight of the Sun".

The lightning struck the crimson flame, exploding into a shower of gray-purple fragments that forced the "gentle fire" back several feet.

Taking advantage of this brief moment of opening, Yang Xiu suddenly turned around and shouted at Mo Li and Xuan Yan in a low voice:

Go help them! I'll handle things here!

Upon hearing this, Mo Li paused, turned to look at Yang Xiu, and frowned.

"But you're all alone..."

"I can handle them." Yang Xiu interrupted him, his voice quick yet steady. "Leave these three to me. You all go and hold off the eight behind them on the outside, don't let them form a defensive formation. Zilin and Ying Qi should be here soon, just keep them occupied!"

Xuan Yan gave Yang Xiu a deep look, but ultimately said nothing more. He simply nodded heavily, turned around, and with the Heavenly Chaos carrying starlight, rushed towards the battle group behind him.

Mo Li gritted his teeth, stomped his foot, and the illusory image of the Dao Palace behind him retracted, transforming into a steady yellow light, and rushed towards the outer perimeter, closely following Xuan Yan.

The three-person encirclement was thus broken.