As Han Feng's desperate calls for help went unanswered, despair gradually filled his eyes.
He stood tall and proud, glancing at the surrounding crowd. He had already given up on surviving, but his pride refused to let him die in such a pathetic manner.
"Han Feng, when you trespassed into my academy, did you ever imagine you would die here?"
Su Qian looked at him with a cold smile, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"The winner is king, the loser is a bandit. If you didn't have the help of that mysterious force, what could your academy possibly do to me?"
Han Feng stared directly at Su Qian, his tone laced with mockery.
"But that is the reality. You have already lost, and only death awaits you now."
Su Qian was momentarily rendered speechless by Han Feng's words. Without the help of Boundless Heaven Hall, he truly wouldn't have been able to deal with Han Feng—unless the two hidden powers within the academy stepped in.
"You must be from Boundless Heaven Hall, right?" Han Feng looked at Xiao Jietian and the others, his voice low but certain. "In the entire Black-Corner Region, I know roughly who belongs to every faction. Even the rarely seen Heavenly Serpent Mansion—I know them quite well."
"But your Boundless Heaven Hall appeared out of nowhere. I still haven't been able to uncover your true background."
"That's right. We are from Boundless Heaven Hall," Xiao Jietian replied calmly. He didn't deny it. In fact, this was a good opportunity to spread the name of Boundless Heaven Hall and plant a seed in the minds of the Inner Academy students.
"We came because you were the one who first harbored ill intentions toward my Boundless Heaven Hall."
Xiao Jietian didn't hold back, directly pinning the blame on Han Feng.
"So that's how it is… no wonder."
Han Feng thought of Earth Demon Old Ghost, who had never appeared. He guessed the old ghost had likely met a tragic end.
Just then, a thick black mist suddenly erupted, spreading rapidly outward.
"Save me!!"
Han Feng's eyes burst with a strong desire to live as he cried out desperately.
"Hehehe, how pathetic. Saving you doesn't interest me, but I am very interested in your soul and your Heavenly Flame."
"Since you're going to die anyway, why not offer yourself to me?"
Xiao Jietian looked at the black mist and made no move. He even signaled the others not to act yet, wanting to watch this internal struggle play out.
Black chains suddenly appeared in front of Han Feng.
The chains pierced straight through his body, leaving him in disbelief.
Han Feng stared at the chains embedded in his flesh. He tried to speak, but blood gushed from his mouth uncontrollably.
The chains quickly withdrew, pulling out a transparent soul body. Inside the soul, a cluster of blue flame flickered.
The surrounding students stood on tiptoes, craning their necks to see through the black mist. Some even activated special pupil Dou Techniques, their eyes shining brightly.
Han Yue stared anxiously at the mist-covered battlefield and started walking toward it.
Xiao Yu quickly grabbed her hand to stop her.
"Xiao Yu, let go of me. I want to go there. Even if I die, I want to die in front of Xiao Jietian. Dying with him… I will have no regrets."
Han Yue's Dou Qi surged, shaking off Xiao Yu's hand as she hurried toward where Xiao Jietian had been standing.
She had only taken a few steps when a slender figure in green appeared beside her, directly restraining her.
"With your strength, you shouldn't go. He is perfectly safe inside. There is no threat."
The voice was clear and cold, yet carried a trace of gentleness.
Han Yue looked up and saw a delicate, beautiful face with an air of nobility.
At that moment, inside the mist, Protector Xuan retracted the chains and held Han Feng's soul body in his hand.
"You dog! I curse you to die a terrible death!"
Han Feng's soul continued to curse furiously.
Protector Xuan ignored the ranting and stuffed the soul into a soul-containing bag, preparing to flee.
"Hehehe, thank you for your contribution to me."
Protector Xuan was already imagining the generous rewards he would receive from the Hall of Souls once he delivered Han Feng's soul and Heavenly Flame.
He turned to leave, confident in his movement technique and stealth arts. Unless a Dou Zun intervened, no one could stop him completely.
Even against an Eight-Star Dou Zong, he could escape with heavy injuries. The cost was high, but the gains far outweighed the risk.
Just as he was about to escape, there was a loud bang as he collided with solid space.
"Damn it, what's going on?"
Protector Xuan reached out and tapped the space in front of him, producing a clear knocking sound.
"Hehehe, don't you like saying 'hehehe'? Keep 'hehehe'-ing then," Xiao Jietian raised his head, his eyes seemingly piercing through layers of space to see the slightly flustered Protector Xuan.
"Brat, you're courting death!"
Enraged, Protector Xuan shot chains straight toward Xiao Jietian.
However, all the chains struck the space in front of him, sparking uselessly.
Before he could attack again, a giant purple palm appeared and squeezed toward him. Thick poisonous gas and a light purple flame swirled around the palm.
"You dare to attack him? Die!"
Little Fairy Doctor's emotionless voice echoed through the air.
"Is this… a Dou Zun?! Damn it, how could a Dou Zun appear in this desolate Northwest Continent?!"
"Netherworld Soul Absorption!!"
Souls flew out of his bag and were devoured by him—including Han Feng's soul.
As Han Feng was turned into nourishment, he laughed wildly: "Protector Xuan, you dog! I didn't expect you to die so soon either! Good, good, hahaha!"
Han Feng was completely absorbed, his power feeding back into Protector Xuan. Thus, the Medicine Emperor of a generation finally met his end.
His life had been intertwined with the Hall of Souls—from collaborating with them to kill his master, to being monitored by them, and now dying at their hands. His entire life had come full circle.
Protector Xuan's strength surged rapidly, skyrocketing from a Four-Star Dou Zong all the way to Eight-Star Dou Zong.
He used the chains wrapped around his body to resist the giant hand, but it had no effect at all.
It was like a small stone falling into the ocean—completely insignificant.
"Annihilate!"
The giant hand closed tighter. Protector Xuan's soul body was directly crushed into points of light that dissipated into the sky.
The giant purple palm gradually turned into purple mist and vanished.
Xiao Jietian flicked his finger. The Crimson Emperor Burning Heaven Holy Flame burned fiercely within the space created by Little Fairy Doctor.
"Ahhh!!"
A tragic scream echoed inside the sealed space.
A tiny wisp of soul power churned desperately within a cluster of bright red flames. Protector Xuan's remaining soul kept cursing: "I've never seen such a scoundrel. Even after killing me, he still burns the space. You might as well just give me a full funeral service!"
After Protector Xuan's death, the black mist gradually dissipated, revealing Xiao Jietian and the others, and a deep blue appeared, and Xiao Jietian opened his mouth and devoured it.
The Gold and Silver Elders, who had been lying on the ground, tried to sneak away while everyone's attention was on Protector Xuan.
However, Old Mo, who had been watching them the entire time, finished them off instantly. They were sliced into pieces by metallic Dou Qi, then ground into powder and scattered to the wind.
Su Qian watched as the battle finally ended and the academy was saved. Although the fight had seemed intense, the academy had suffered almost no damage.
The destruction caused by this battle was far less than what a Heavenly Flame eruption would have caused.
Su Qian thought of Han Feng's endless trump cards. Without the help of Boundless Heaven Hall, his academy might have already become a river of blood.
Especially the woman who had made the final move—he had felt the taste of death from her. If she had attacked him, he would have been gone in an instant.
…The scene shifted, returning to Xiao Yan as he followed the Fallen Heart Flame into the underground world.