"Pah, that's just too disgusting!"
From a distance, Zi Yan looked at the series of actions taken by the Elder and scrunched her face in disgust.
In an attempt to avoid watching such a revolting scene any longer, she shifted her hand seals once again.
The projected dragon shadow she had released grew even more powerful, causing everyone present to feel their hearts tremble with unease.
"Croak!"
At that moment, a deafening croak erupted from the transformed mouth of the Soul Demon Elder. Energy from the heavens and earth rapidly gathered into his now-mutated mouth.
The Elder no longer cared about the harmful effects of the demonic fire energy saturating the space. In the blink of an eye, a sticky blood sphere materialized in his mouth.
"Boom!"
As soon as the sticky blood sphere formed, it shot out like a bullet in front of everyone's eyes, colliding violently with the purple-gold dragon that had been speeding towards it!
"Bang!"
At the moment of impact, an intense burst of blood-red light spread out, casting a dark crimson hue over the sky above the magma sea.
"Pfft!"
After the explosion, a figure shot out from the center of the blood light. It was none other than Elder Hun Mo, whose body was now shattered and incomplete.
Much of his flesh was gone, leaving behind a pitiful skeletal figure.
"Elder Mo!"
Seeing the Elder's mangled form flying through the air, Hun Miesheng's heart was filled with terror. Hun Mo had been their strongest backup for this operation.
If the Elder had been killed in a single blow, they wouldn't stand a chance- not only would they fail to kill Gu Fei, but they also wouldn't be able to hold on to the demonic flame.
Having promised only to strike once, Zi Yan refrained from further action after that blow. Hun Miesheng rushed to the Elder's mutilated body, from which a fragmented soul floated out.
A once-mighty five-star Dou Saint, now reduced to nothing but a lingering soul.
"This young woman is too powerful. No one in this entire demonic flame space can match her!"
"Indeed, even Hun Mo couldn't withstand a single strike. There's no way we can hold out either..."
"It seems that the demonic flame will inevitably fall into the hands of the Gu Clan this time…"
After a short period of recovery, the other ancient clan's Dou Saint elders had regained their strength. Yet none of them entertained the idea of competing for the demonic flame any longer.
"The torch is passed to the next generation."
Xiao Chen observed the scene with a tinge of emotion. The power that the Elder had displayed was beyond his ability to contend with.
This meant that if Zi Yan wanted to kill him, it would be all too easy. Gu Fei's safety was no longer his concern.
"You should be the one to safeguard the demonic flame's essence…"
Hun Feng, standing next to Hun Miesheng, handed the black pillar of light back to him with a somber expression. The demonic flame's essence had become a hot potato- whoever held it would die sooner.
"Young clan leader, perhaps we should surrender the demonic flame's essence in exchange for mercy?"
Another member of their group suggested pleading for their lives, knowing they stood no chance against Zi Yan.
Meanwhile, elder Hun Ji was still lying on a large boulder, and no one dared to approach and rescue her.
"Brother Gu Fei…"
Zi Yan casually finished off Hun Ji with a single strike and returned to Gu Fei's side.
Gu Fei didn't seem to care about the eyes of the others around him and opened his arms to embrace Zi Yan.
Their intimate gesture made Xun'er, standing nearby, quite envious.
"Young Master, with Miss Zi Yan's help, the demonic flame's essence is practically within reach!"
A moment later, Gu Nanhai stepped forward, speaking softly to Gu Fei.
When Gu Fei and the others turned their gazes toward Hun Miesheng's group, their hearts pounded with fear. Even Hun Miesheng, holding the black pillar of light, found his hands trembling slightly.
The two tasks they had set out to accomplish here were now impossible.
"Sigh… If the young clan leader hadn't come today, perhaps we could have fought to the bitter end! But considering your safety, we will hand over the demonic flame's essence."
Hun Miesheng let out a long sigh.
Hun Feng immediately understood that his words were simply an excuse to cover his fear of death.
"You are as brave as always, I'm sure of that!"
"Given that the Gu Clan has too many powerful allies today, even if we fail in this mission, the clan won't blame us!" Hun Feng nodded in agreement.
"Young Master Gu Fei, let's end this here. We'll give you the demonic flame's essence!"
Having made his decision, Hun Miesheng shot the black pillar of light towards Gu Fei.
"Hehe, you can hold onto that for now."
Gu Fei waved it off, sending the black pillar of light back toward Hun Miesheng.
"What does he mean by this?"
Seeing that Gu Fei had refused the demonic flame's essence, Hun Miesheng's face turned grim. Did this mean that Gu Fei intended to kill them all?
"Hehe, young friend Gu Fei, you truly live up to the title of a Gu Clan prodigy. It seems you've already seen the real problem!"
At that moment, an ancient voice echoed across the space.
As the voice rang out, the space itself began to ripple even more violently.
Then, a large green ox slowly stepped into the space, its low bellowing reverberating through the air.
"Who is that?"
Everyone's eyes instantly turned toward the green ox- or more precisely, the person sitting on its back.
When they finally saw him clearly, they were stunned. The elder they had expected wasn't there.
Instead, atop the ox sat a small figure dressed in plain, rough clothing, with bright eyes and a young, innocent face. Remarkably, he appeared to be only around ten years old!
"The ancestor of the Pill Tower?"
Hun Miesheng instinctively blurted out as he looked at the young boy atop the green ox.
"Hehe, the Xiao Clan is a resilient one. Xiao Chen, it's quite remarkable that you've managed to survive all this time."
The green ox's rider smiled as he approached Xiao Chen. Despite his youthful appearance, his status was so ancient that even Xiao Chen, who had lived for thousands of years, was considered a peer.
"You are… the one from the Pill Tower back in the day."
Xiao Chen's gaze locked onto the boy, and though the rider's appearance had drastically changed, his aura was unmistakably familiar.
The green ox rider smiled, the expression of innocence on his youthful face betraying the deep wisdom of someone who had witnessed countless lifetimes.
"Ancestor!"
"Greetings, Ancestor!"
The Pill Tower's members, present in the demonic flame space, immediately bowed in reverence before the young boy.
"Stand up, this is no time for pleasantries…"
The green ox rider waved his hand, and with a simple gesture, the black pillar of light in front of Hun Miesheng flew into his hand. Muttering to himself, he said, "The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, ranked third on the Heavenly Flame Ranking, no less. It pretended to be sealed just now, watching as we fought amongst ourselves."
"All the while, you intended to reap the benefits from our strife… You hid yourself well, but you can't escape my notice. Come out now!"