"You brat, are you looking to die?" Elder Qian stared at Shen Haoran, who was blocking his path. He let out a cold snort, his gaze turning sinister.

"Fine. Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish!" After speaking, Elder Qian ripped off his wedding robes. A powerful aura erupted from his body—an aura that had already reached the Peak of Tier Three Spirit Aspect, not far from Tier Four Spirit Aspect at all!

Sensing the aura emanating from Elder Qian, Shen Haoran felt his blood boil. The pressure from a cultivator at the Peak of Tier Three Spirit Aspect was palpable, but it also ignited the fighting spirit in his heart. ’Only by fighting the strong can I become stronger!’

SWOOSH!

After Elder Qian’s aura flared, Shen Haoran, rather than avoiding the brunt of it, took the initiative and charged forward, raising a massive fist and aiming a blow at the elder’s head.

"You’re overestimating yourself!" Elder Qian snorted coldly and thrust out a palm. It struck Shen Haoran’s fist with incredible speed. The next moment, a violent force erupted, sending Shen Haoran flying. He flipped several times in mid-air before steadying himself. ’An expert at the Peak of Tier Three Spirit Aspect... his strength truly can’t be underestimated! But that just makes it more of a challenge.’ Shen Haoran licked his lips, his eyes filled with a fanatical light. With a flash, he charged at Elder Qian once more.

Watching Shen Haoran charge at him again, Elder Qian could no longer suppress his killing intent. His figure flickered, and he shot forward to meet the attack. The two collided like a pair of falling meteorites. A massive, visible wave of Powerful Qi instantly spread outward. Under the terrifying shockwave, the surrounding buildings collapsed one after another, turning into piles of rubble.

The moment they clashed, they became locked in a frantic struggle. Both unleashed their attacks, aiming for each other’s vital points. Neither held anything back; they were both fighting to kill.

However, Elder Qian’s strength was a cut above Shen Haoran’s. His transitions between attacks were exceptionally fierce, and he soon gained the upper hand, starting to overwhelm Shen Haoran. Each punch was more powerful than the last, leaving Shen Haoran with no choice but to defend.

Although Elder Qian had suppressed Shen Haoran for the moment, he didn’t look happy about it. His brows remained tightly furrowed. ’From the start of the fight, I’ve been the one on the offensive, but his defensive retreats are so rhythmic. My attacks haven’t disrupted his tempo at all. In fact, I have a nagging feeling that he’s the one leading me by the nose!’

Moreover, every time he clashed with Shen Haoran, he felt an extremely uncomfortable aura seep into his body, forcing him to divert some of his concentration to suppress it.

Shen Haoran possessed the Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, an object of ultimate yang and hardness. In contrast, Elder Qian cultivated the Hehuan Sect’s supremely yin and wicked Dual Cultivation Technique. As a result, Elder Qian’s Spiritual Power was suffused with a sinister yin aura. When it encountered Shen Haoran’s Fire Spirit Black Obsidian, he was bound to suffer. So, while it seemed Elder Qian had the upper hand for now, it was hard to say how the battle would turn out.

BOOM! The two exchanged another punch, and the powerful recoil sent them both staggering back. They each retreated several dozen meters before coming to a stop.

Shen Haoran took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling blood and qi in his body before wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth. ’This Elder Qian is at the Peak of Tier Three Spirit Aspect. Without using my Heaven-Dominating Tribulation, this fight is definitely a struggle. After all, I’m only a Tier Five Spirit Marquis. The gap between us is massive.’

He glanced elsewhere. Not far away, Changmao was single-handedly tying up the three Tier One Spirit Aspects, preventing them from breaking away. However, Changmao was having a rough time of it. After all, all three were at the Spirit Aspect Stage, and their teamwork was flawless. If Changmao weren’t a Spiritual Thought Body, he might have already fallen to them. As it was, all he could do was keep them occupied and prevent them from reinforcing anyone else.

On the other side, Murong Wanqing and Han Xu paled in comparison to Changmao. Although one was the genius young lady of the Murong Family and the other possessed a mutated Extreme Attribute Physique, neither had undergone any systematic training. Their strength wasn’t quite up to par. Facing a Tier Three Spirit Aspect, they were constantly in perilous situations. Fortunately, they had decent chemistry and could manage to hold their opponent off for the time being.

When Shen Haoran’s gaze fell on Luo Xiaowen, however, he was stunned. Over there, Luo Xiaowen’s attacks were devastatingly sharp. Her tyrannical strength left the Tier Three Spirit Aspect elder with no way to fight back. From the looks of it, she would be able to defeat him in no time! Shen Haoran wasn’t surprised by this. As a strong contender for the position of future heir to the Celestial Martial Auction House, how could Luo Xiaowen possibly be weak? Furthermore, the Luo Family was one of the Imperial City’s Four Great Clans, with a foundation no weaker than the Murong Clan’s. It was only natural for her to perform this well.

Meanwhile, Elder Qian’s expression grew increasingly grim. He had noticed the same things Shen Haoran had. The elder fighting Luo Xiaowen was on the verge of collapse. If Luo Xiaowen were freed up to help the others, taking down the remaining elders would be child’s play. And here he was, being held up by this brat who was merely a Tier Five Spirit Marquis. On top of that, he had no idea what was happening with the disciples in front of the main hall. The current situation was extremely disadvantageous for the Hehuan Sect!

’It seems I have to kill this brat!’ Elder Qian’s gaze fell on Shen Haoran again. ’This entire plot against the Hehuan Sect seems to revolve around him. As long as I kill him, the sect’s crisis will be resolved!’

At this thought, Elder Qian took a deep breath, his expression growing solemn. ’From our fight so far, it’s clear this brat’s combat prowess far exceeds his apparent cultivation level. And with such a powerful master backing him, killing him won’t be easy.’

’It seems I have no choice but to use... that!’ Elder Qian’s heart hardened as he made his decision.

The ’that’ Elder Qian was referring to was an Array. It was an Ancient Array he had discovered in Jueyang Valley. After decades of research, he had finally learned how to activate it, and it now served as the Hehuan Sect’s Sect Protection Array. The Array’s power was terrifying; even an expert at the Spirit Emperor Level would have difficulty withstanding a single one of its strikes. However, activating this Sect Protection Array came at a price: his own lifespan! But now, to eliminate Shen Haoran, Elder Qian couldn’t afford to worry about that anymore...