140: A bloody battle at Baihua Peak, and the secrets of the heavens are revealed

On Hundred Flowers Peak, the flames of war raged. The Soul Hall's Four Heavenly Venerates and the Heavenly Nether Sect's Nether Bone Old Monster, two Peak Five-Star Dou Zuns, joined forces. Their offensive was like a torrential storm, firmly suppressing Elder Heavenly Thunder Master and Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect. Heavenly Thunder Master's body flashed with lightning, and his Nine Heavens Lightning Prison continuously bombarded, yet he found it difficult to break through the Four Heavenly Venerates' abyss-like death qi defense. Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect's Hundred Flowers Dou Qi transformed into myriad forms, but it was repeatedly torn apart by Nether Bone Old Monster's sinister and bone-corroding Nether Ghost Claw, leaving several deep, bone-visible wounds on her body, and her aura became increasingly weak.

Xiao Chen, on the other hand, faced the pursuing Five Heavenly Venerable of the Soul Hall, Elder You Ming of the Heavenly Nether Sect, and the heavily injured but still ferocious Ice Fiend Heavenly Venerate! The combined might of these three powerhouses—two early Five-Star Dou Zuns and one Peak Four-Star Dou Zun—was enough to crush any Four-Star Dou Zun!

"Little bastard, where can you run this time?!" The Five Heavenly Venerable's face was ferocious. His Nether Ghost Claw ripped through the sky, carrying monstrous death qi, aiming directly for Xiao Chen's head! He hated Xiao Chen to the core; the humiliation at Soul Burial Mountain Range last time had to be repaid a hundredfold today!

"Nether Soul-Locking Chains!" Elder You Ming waved his withered claw, and countless black chains, entwined with resentful souls, snaked out from all directions like venomous serpents, wrapping around Xiao Chen and sealing all his escape routes!

"Profound Ice Absolute Domain, Seal!" The Ice Fiend Heavenly Venerate suppressed his injuries, formed hand seals, and a chilling ice qi permeated the air, freezing the space around Xiao Chen and drastically reducing his speed!

The three ultimate moves, executed with perfect coordination, aimed to utterly annihilate Xiao Chen here!

Facing this desperate situation, Xiao Chen's eyes were extremely cold, yet his heart was exceptionally calm. After breaking through to Four-Star Dou Zun, his control over power had reached a masterful level, and his Heavenly Realm Soul allowed him to perceive opportunities in advance!

"Star Immortal Body, activate!"

He let out a low roar, and a faint golden Power of Starlight membrane covered his entire body, resisting the freezing power of the Profound Ice Absolute Domain! At the same time, his figure twisted like a ghost, using Illusory Spirit Steps fused with spatial traversal, he narrowly, almost impossibly, dodged the fatal blow of the Nether Ghost Claw in the nick of time!

"Void Breaking Finger!"

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and the Power of Starlight and Heaven Opening Axe Intent condensed at his fingertips, transforming into several concentrated finger winds that precisely struck the energy nodes of the Nether Soul-Locking Chains!

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

Wherever the finger winds passed, the soul-locking chains snapped and dissipated instantly, like venomous snakes whose vital points had been crushed!

In a flash, Xiao Chen, with his exquisite movement technique and attacks, managed to resolve the three ultimate moves! Although the aftershocks caused his blood and qi to churn, he was completely unharmed!

"How is this possible?!" The Five Heavenly Venerable and the other two's pupils constricted, unable to believe it! The three of them combined forces, yet they couldn't do anything to a junior Four-Star Dou Zun?!

"This child must not be allowed to live!" Elder You Ming's killing intent surged in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with the Five Heavenly Venerable, and both simultaneously burned their essence blood, causing their aura to surge again!

"Netherworld Devours Heaven, Ten Thousand Souls Return as One!"

"Nine Nether Yellow Springs, Nether Bone Devours Heart!"

The two unleashed their strongest forbidden techniques! The death qi around the Five Heavenly Venerable transformed into a massive black hole that devoured light, frantically pulling at Xiao Chen's soul and Dou Qi! Elder You Ming, on the other hand, conjured a Nether Bone Demonic Sword, formed from countless white bones. The sword body was entwined with Nether Ghost Flames that corroded everything, and with a single thrust, it aimed directly for Xiao Chen's heart 脈!

The Ice Fiend Heavenly Venerate also pushed himself to the limit, spitting out a mouthful of his vital cold ice essence blood, which transformed into a ray of extreme cold that froze all things. It arrived later but reached its target first, intending to completely freeze Xiao Chen!

The three ultimate killing moves, their power had already surpassed the early Five-Star Dou Zun stage, directly approaching the middle stage! Space collapsed layer by layer, and the rocks, grass, and trees on Hundred Flowers Peak instantly turned into dust!

"Xiao Chen, be careful!" Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect, who was struggling to hold on in the distance, cried out in alarm. Elder Heavenly Thunder Master's eyes were bloodshot; he wanted to rescue Xiao Chen but was firmly entangled by the Four Heavenly Venerates and Nether Bone Old Monster!

Facing this inescapable deadly attack, Xiao Chen's eyes erupted with an unprecedented brilliant light! Not only did he not retreat, but he actively met it head-on! The star origin imprint on his brow frantically pulsed, and the dragon phoenix essence blood within his body completely burned! The majestic Dou Qi of a Peak Four-Star Dou Zun perfectly fused with his Heavenly Realm Soul Power!

"Excellent! I'll use you all to temper my Dao!"

"Stars as foundation, furnace as heart, dragon phoenix as guide, Heaven Opening as edge! Four methods unified, Chaos Heaven Opening Seal!"

He formed an incredibly profound hand seal! Within the seal, stars revolved, furnaces roared, dragon phoenixes circled, and axe intent soared into the sky! Four supreme artistic conceptions, at this moment, were forcibly fused by him, transforming into an ancient great seal that seemed capable of opening chaos and establishing the universe!

As the great seal appeared, heaven and earth lost their color! All energy fluctuations on Hundred Flowers Peak were instantly suppressed! The black hole that devoured everything, the demonic sword that corroded all things, and the ray that froze the heavens – in the face of the great seal's magnificent divine might, they seemed like ice and snow meeting the sun, their speed drastically reduced, and their power greatly diminished!

"What kind of Dou Technique is this?!" The Five Heavenly Venerable and the other two were horrified, their souls trembling!

"Suppress!"

Xiao Chen uttered a true word, and the Chaos Heaven Opening Seal slowly pressed down! There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a law-level crushing! The black hole twisted and annihilated, the demonic sword shattered inch by inch, and the ray of ice melted away! The Five Heavenly Venerable, Elder You Ming, and the Ice Fiend Heavenly Venerate were like being suppressed by an invisible giant mountain; they spewed blood, their bones shattered, their aura instantly weakened to the extreme, and they fell from the sky, their fates unknown!

One strike, severely wounding three Venerable Elders!

The entire scene was dead silent! Everyone was stunned by this shocking sight! A Four-Star Dou Zun, defying and defeating Five-Stars, and doing so against three opponents?! What kind of heaven-defying combat power was this?!

"Xiao Chen... he..." Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect's beautiful eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

"This child... already possesses the demeanor of an overlord!" Elder Heavenly Thunder Master took a deep breath, his eyes filled with shock and relief.

Even the Four Heavenly Venerates and Nether Bone Old Monster, who were in fierce combat, paused slightly, their gazes towards Xiao Chen filled with apprehension and killing intent!

Xiao Chen floated in mid-air, his face as pale as paper, his body swaying slightly. Forcibly fusing four artistic conceptions to unleash "Chaos Heaven Opening Seal" placed an immense burden on him; his Dou Qi and soul power were almost exhausted. But his eyes were incredibly bright; this battle had given him a qualitative leap in the fusion of his own Dao!

"Strike while he's down! Kill him!" The Four Heavenly Venerates roared, and their offensive with Nether Bone Old Monster intensified. They wanted to quickly deal with Heavenly Thunder Master and Sect Master of Flower Sect, then join forces to kill Xiao Chen!

Heavenly Thunder Master and Sect Master of Flower Sect also knew it was a critical moment. They gritted their teeth, burned their essence blood, and desperately resisted!

However, just as the battle was in a stalemate, another anomaly occurred!

Deep within Hundred Flowers Peak, behind that ancient tree, the vague phantom that had been lurking finally moved! The black and white chess piece in its hand suddenly lit up, transforming into a subtle causal thread that ignored spatial distance and silently connected to Xiao Chen!

"Hmm?!" Xiao Chen's soul suddenly trembled, and an inexplicable chill rose from the bottom of his heart! He felt as if an invisible hand had plucked his strings of fate! A terrifying feeling of being out of control and reduced to a chess piece enveloped his entire body!

"Who is it?!" He sharply turned his head, his Heavenly Realm Soul Power frantically sweeping towards the source of that strange fluctuation! However, it was empty there; only the ancient tree swayed in the wind, as if everything was an illusion.

But Xiao Chen was certain that it was not an illusion just now! A terrifying existence, far surpassing everyone present, was secretly observing and had tampered with him!

"Heavenly Secret Pavilion... It must be the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!" A storm raged in Xiao Chen's heart! Teacher Xuan Kongzi had once warned him to be careful of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Now, it seemed this mysterious organization had indeed intervened! And their methods were so bizarre and unpredictable!

This feeling of being schemed against made him extremely uneasy, as if an invisible net was slowly tightening.

Just then, at the edge of the sky, several incredibly powerful auras suddenly appeared! A brilliant star sword glow and a melodious sound wave force ripped through the sky, fiercely striking the rear of the Soul Hall and Heavenly Nether Sect's allied army!

"It's the reinforcements from Starfall Pavilion and Sound Valley!" Elder Heavenly Thunder Master's spirits lifted!

"Brother Feng Xian and the Heavenly Maiden of Sound Valley are here!" Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect also showed a joyful expression.

Feng Xian, the Young Master of Starfall Pavilion (who had already broken through to Nine-star Dou Zong), and Yin Ru Meng, the Heavenly Maiden of Sound Valley (Eight-star Dou Zong), arrived with reinforcements, instantly turning the tide of the battle! The allied army's rear fell into chaos!

"Damn it! Retreat!" Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the Four Heavenly Venerates gritted their teeth. They feigned an attack with Nether Bone Old Monster, swept up the heavily injured Five Heavenly Venerable and others, tore through space, and fled in a panic!

The Soul Hall Alliance's siege was finally repelled!

On Hundred Flowers Peak, the Flower Sect disciples, having survived the ordeal, let out thunderous cheers. Heavenly Thunder Master, Sect Master of Flower Sect, Feng Xian, Yin Ru Meng, and others gathered, all breathing a sigh of relief.

"Sect Master Sect Master of Flower Sect is too polite. We are all connected and should help each other as such." Heavenly Thunder Master waved his hand, his gaze falling on Xiao Chen, who was recuperating, filled with admiration. "The greatest hero this time is Xiao Chen! If not for him turning the tide, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Everyone looked at Xiao Chen with respect and complex emotions. After today's battle, Xiao Chen's name would surely shake the Central Plains once again!

However, Xiao Chen frowned tightly, without a trace of joy. He touched his brow, where a faint, almost imperceptible trace of a causal line seemed to linger. The shadow of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion hung over his head like the Sword of Damocles.

"Heavenly Secret Pavilion... what exactly do you want to do?" Xiao Chen looked into the void, his eyes deep. He knew that the open struggle with the Soul Hall might be brutal, but the hidden struggle with the Heavenly Secret Pavilion would likely be even more treacherous and unpredictable.

The Battle of Hundred Flowers Peak temporarily concluded. But a greater storm was already brewing in the shadows. And Xiao Chen, this rapidly rising young overlord, had already become the most crucial chess piece in the eye of the storm...