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**
"Brother Xiao, I'll be borrowing your head for a bit!"
Hearing the icy countdown from Old Mu Gu, Song Qing and the others could no longer bear the pressure.
They turned and shouted toward Xiao Yan. The moment the words left their mouths, their figures vanished in a flash, each unleashing their Dou Techniques as they charged straight at Xiao Yan.
"I knew it! You bunch of cowardly fools can't be trusted!"
Seeing over a dozen Dou Zong attacking him, Xiao Yan's expression instantly darkened as he growled. As soon as his voice fell, an overwhelming pressure burst from his body, making everyone around feel their hearts tremble.
He had been prepared for this. In an instant, his legs were enveloped by Dou Qi, and his figure turned into a dark blur, disappearing from the encirclement in the blink of an eye.
"You've broken through to Eight-Star Dou Zong!"
Sensing Xiao Yan's strength was higher than expected, Song Qing's face twisted in horror as he screamed. Hearing that, Xiao Yan sneered, "I'm not an idiot. Why would I ever show my full strength in front of you all?"
Still, inwardly he couldn't help but think how close it had been. If he hadn't successfully broken through to Eight-Star Dou Zong a few days ago inside the Pill Realm, he might have actually lost against these people with only Seven-Star Dou Zong strength.
"This bastard... don't let me catch you later, or I'll flay you alive."
Xiao Yan's gaze swept toward the black-robed man watching from above with folded arms, anger boiling within his chest.
But despite his rage, he knew clearly—he had to take out Song Qing and the others before that black-robed man joined the fight. Otherwise, if he ended up surrounded by both sides, his odds of victory would plummet even further.
Thinking this, his figure flickered again as he lunged toward the weakest of the Dou Zong present.
"Not good! Everyone, stop holding back! Go all out—take Xiao Yan down first, or none of us are getting out of here alive!"
Seeing Xiao Yan attack, Song Qing roared in panic.
The others weren't stupid either. Realizing that Xiao Yan was trying to defeat them one by one, they immediately unleashed their own strongest methods, trying to kill him in one decisive strike.
"Damn it! With all these tricks at your disposal, couldn't you have gone after that black-robed guy with me instead of turning on each other like fools!"
Watching as over a dozen seventh-tier alchemists activated powerful Dou Techniques, even Xiao Yan felt a chill on his scalp as he cursed angrily. Although he sounded disdainful, he couldn't deny that these people were a serious headache to deal with.
"Heh, we're not idiots. Between a Dou Zong and a Dou Zun, we know which one's easier to handle!"
Song Qing sneered with killing intent as he continued leading the dozen alchemists in a frenzied assault, not giving Xiao Yan a single moment to breathe.
"Damn it, if this keeps up, I'll die here for sure."
Under the combined assault of over ten Dou Zong, Xiao Yan was quickly forced into a disadvantage.
Though he had plenty of high-tier Dou Techniques and pills to temporarily boost his strength, these alchemists were mostly descendants of the Pill Tower's upper ranks. Their Dou Techniques and methods were in no way inferior to his.
Aside from his Heavenly Flames, which gave him some suppression against their fire-attribute attacks, he had no advantage at all. If it weren't for their lack of combat experience, he might have already fallen.
Gritting his teeth, Xiao Yan's expression turned cold, "Since you've all decided to go against me, don't blame me for being merciless!"
"Fallen Heart Flame, Sea Heart Flame, Fire Mountain Rock Flame—come forth!"
As his voice fell, he waved his hand, summoning all his Heavenly Flames.
"Skyfire Three Mysterious Change—First Change!"
"Second Change!"
"Third Change!"
Forming seals with his hands, his aura skyrocketed. In a blink, his strength surged from Eight-Star Dou Zong straight to the peak of Nine-Star Dou Zong. Then, he felt it—the barrier that separated a Dou Zong from a Dou Zun.
Pushed by the power of the three Heavenly Flames, he broke through that barrier in one go, stepping directly into the Dou Zun realm!
"So having a rich girlfriend really pays off. When I was an Eight-Star Dou Zong, my Skyfire Three Mysterious Change only had one stage, and it barely pushed me to half-step Dou Zun."
Far away, just beyond the Soul Barrier cast by Old Mu Gu, Lin Feng sat cross-legged, sensing the situation within. Envy flickered in his tone. He recalled his battle against the Second Elder of the Qing Mu Mansion back in the Western Wasteland Desert.
He too had been an Eight-Star Dou Zong then, but since his Skyfire Three Mysterious Change only had one stage, even with Fallen Heart Flame, Green Lotus Core Flame, and Wind and Thunder Fury Flame combined, his strength had only risen to half-step Dou Zun.
Thinking of the Heavenly Flames, Lin Feng's eyes narrowed, "Because of the fusion of his Heavenly Flames, I can't tell which new one Xiao Yan absorbed while I was in seclusion.
But judging from the boost in power from his Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, it should be one ranked between sixteenth and eighteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking."
He paused briefly, then added, "Judging by the color, the sixteenth-ranked Flaming Cloud Water Flame and eighteenth-ranked Wind and Thunder Fury Flame can be ruled out."
With a glint in his eye, Lin Feng concluded, "That means it must be the seventeenth-ranked Fire Mountain Rock Flame."
Having identified the flame, he closed his eyes again, continuing to sense the situation beyond the Soul Barrier.
Although he wasn't confident in sneaking through Old Mu Gu's barrier undetected, with his late Spirit Realm soul strength, he could still sense what was happening inside without alerting anyone.
"So this is the power of a Dou Zun..."
Within the barrier, after his surge in strength stabilized, Xiao Yan clenched his fists tightly, excitement gleaming in his eyes. Then, looking at the Dou Zong charging toward him, he flicked his sleeve. A wave of invisible spatial power rippled outward.
In the next instant, several of the attackers were frozen midair by the oppressive spatial force. Then, Xiao Yan clenched his hand into a fist. The space around those people abruptly compressed.
Boom!
A horrifying pressure crushed them on the spot, turning the alchemists into nothing but a cloud of blood and flesh. The sudden, brutal scene sent terror through the survivors. Their faces were pale, filled with fear and disbelief.
"Everyone be careful! That bastard's using a power-boosting secret art!"
"Let's run for it! He's too damn freakish!"
One after another, panicked shouts broke out among the surviving alchemists. In an instant, their formation fell into chaos.
"So this is the strength of a Dou Zun... how freakishly strong."
At that moment, Xiao Yan looked down at his own hands, a broad smile of exhilaration spreading across his face. At this moment, he finally felt the true terror of a Dou Zun powerhouse!
"Don't be afraid! We've got pills that can boost our strength too!"
As he marveled at his own skyrocketing power, Song Qing quickly recovered from his shock and realized that they were all alchemists — none of them lacked pills. He immediately shouted, "That's right! Everyone, hurry and take your pills to increase your strength!"
Hearing that, the terrified alchemists finally snapped back to their senses and began reminding each other in panic.
In an instant, the group of alchemists scrambled frantically, pulling pills from their storage rings and swallowing them in a hurry. However, as a veteran of countless battles, how could Xiao Yan possibly just watch and let them take their pills to power up?
With a flick of his hand, the space around those alchemists twisted once again. But this time, the alchemists, having regained their composure, each unleashed their own defensive techniques to resist the crushing force of space.
As a result, Xiao Yan and Song Qing's group fell back into another deadlock. While the others were locked in a desperate life-and-death struggle, Old Mu Gu stood off to the side, secretly pleased with his decision.
"Good thing I had the foresight to make them fight each other. If I had to personally deal with Xiao Yan, it would've been troublesome."
Watching the increasingly chaotic battlefield, Mu Gu's lips curled into a smug smile.
Although Xiao Yan had broken through to the Dou Zun realm using the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, which made him an incredibly difficult opponent, a secret technique was still just that — a secret technique.
No matter how powerful, it always came with a time limit. He refused to believe Xiao Yan could maintain Skyfire Three Mysterious Change indefinitely!
"Damn it! Forget it, I'm done risking my life here. I'd rather give up the competition!"
After fighting for some time, several alchemists on Song Qing's side finally broke down. As soon as one of them shouted, he quickly pulled out a spatial stone from his storage ring and crushed it.
"Whoosh~"
In the next instant, the space around him rippled violently, and he was instantly teleported out of the Pill Realm. Seeing that, the others immediately followed suit, crushing their own spatial stones one after another, choosing to flee for their lives.
"Don't run! We still have a chance to win! The Pill Gathering is held only once every thirty years! If you run now, you'll have to wait another thirty years!" Song Qing shouted desperately.
However, no matter how loud he yelled, those people only wanted to escape. They completely ignored him.
"Useless trash!"
Off to the side, Old Mu Gu cursed loudly the moment he saw the others pulling out spatial stones.
At that instant, he could deeply understand the frustration Song Qing once felt back in the Ten Thousand Medicinal Mountain Range. But as soon as he was about to summon his subordinates to stop them from fleeing, he suddenly thought of something — and decided against it.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, seeing everyone start to panic and flee, couldn't be bothered to stop them either. Because of Lin Feng's existence, Xiao Yan's physique hadn't undergone the same baptism of heavenly treasures as in the original timeline.
Although under Yao Chen's guidance he had trained to strengthen his body, compared to the original, there was still a noticeable gap. Now that he had used the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change to its third form, his body was enduring an unbearable level of pressure at every moment.
All Xiao Yan wanted now was to end this battle quickly and rush toward the exit of the Pill Realm. If he dragged it out any longer, his body might sustain severe, irreparable damage!
With that thought, his gaze shifted toward Old Mu Gu.
At the same time, Song Qing stood off to the side, sweat dripping down his forehead, his heart filled with turmoil. He had joined this Pill Gathering to win the championship, to impress Cao Ying, and to seize the chance to win her heart.
As the disciple of one of the Pill Tower's Grand Elders, if he couldn't even make a name for himself at the Pill Gathering, it would be an utter embarrassment — not only to himself but also to his teacher.
But now, with death staring him in the face, fear began to take over. Part of him wanted to do what the others had done — crush the spatial stone and run for his life. But if he did that, all his efforts would be for nothing. Worse, he'd be humiliated in front of all of Central Plains.
"Damn it! Between women and reputation, I'll choose life! If I fail this time, I'll just try again next time!"
After struggling with himself for a while, Song Qing glanced at Xiao Yan and the black-robed Dou Zun, both watching each other cautiously, and quietly took a spatial stone from his ring, preparing to escape.
"Hm?"
His movement didn't escape the notice of either Mu Gu or Xiao Yan, both possessing Dou Zun strength and powerful soul senses.
However, Xiao Yan, anxious to get out of the Pill Realm as soon as possible, didn't care. But when Mu Gu noticed Song Qing's attempt to flee, a cold smile curved across his lips.
He thought to himself, "I've been away from the Pill Tower for too long, and most of my information is outdated. But this brat — as the Grand Elder's disciple — must know a lot about the Pill Tower's current situation. I can't let him escape."
With that thought, Mu Gu suddenly waved his hand, and a surge of pitch-black flames burst forth, forming four flaming spears that shot straight toward Xiao Yan!
Facing the attack of a Three-Star Dou Zun, Xiao Yan didn't dare to be careless. He quickly drew his heavy black ruler and raised it high.
"Flame Splitting Tsunami!"
With his cold voice echoing across the sky, he swung the ruler with all his strength.
In an instant, a massive yellow crescent of flame, nearly a hundred meters wide, slashed out, colliding with the four black spears. However, just as the explosion rang out, Old Mu Gu took advantage of the distraction — and struck!
A jet-black flaming spear tore through the air, directly piercing the unguarded Song Qing between the brows.
Boom!
His head exploded instantly, red and white matter bursting into the air like a gruesome mist. Song Qing's body, now headless, plummeted toward the ground like a bird with broken wings.
Clatter!
At the same time, Old Mu Gu flicked his wrist, and several black chains shot out, piercing through Song Qing's body and dragging out a faintly glowing soul.
"Help me..."
As his soul was yanked free, Song Qing let out a desperate cry to Xiao Yan for help. After all, aside from the black-robed Dou Zun, only Xiao Yan was left who could possibly save him. But before he could even finish his plea, his soul was pulled right into Mu Gu's grasp.
Mu Gu clenched Song Qing's soul by the head and produced a soul pouch, stuffing the struggling soul inside.
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