Chapter 553

"Xiao Yan, what should we do now?" Seeing this scene, Yun Yun's beautiful eyes were filled with gravity and concern.

She didn't care much about the Bodhi Heart—if Xiao Yan didn't need it, she might not have even brought the Hua Sect's experts here.

Xiao Yan had no good plan for the moment; five half-Sages blocked their path, plus this strange Bodhi Ancient Tree—anyone with eyes could see something was off.

Gu Qingyang's face was grim; five half-Sage powerhouses—this lineup could only be described as terrifying. Even though Xiao Yan was powerful enough to have killed the Nine-Turn Dou Zun Sky Scorpion Elder, that Sky Scorpion Elder probably couldn't even withstand a single palm from a half-Sage—he and Xun Er and the others likely stood little chance.

Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, glancing at the glowing spot within the Bodhi Ancient Tree—the Bodhi Heart was right before his eyes; to give it up so easily would surely leave him with deep regret.

"Xiao Yan, I think we should let them handle some of the half-Sage tree slaves, then deal with the rest after we break through this barrier," Cai Lin said, meeting Xiao Yan's gaze and gesturing toward the others, her voice low.

Xiao Yan nodded in agreement; having them fight all five tree slaves was impossible, and even if he could force his way through, wouldn't that just let Soul Jade and the others reap the benefits?

"Everyone, since none of you intend to leave, I doubt anyone can handle all five half-Sage tree slaves alone. Our group will take one each, and you others may divide the rest among yourselves," Xiao Yan said after a moment's thought, turning his head slightly toward the crowd.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Soul Jade and Jiu Feng exchanged glances; Jiu Feng's Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan had the most members—nearly twenty Dou Zuns—while the Soul Sovereign, though fewer in number, had the strongest overall strength, and there were four other secluded factions, two of which were vassal families tied to the Yan Clan and Lei Clan.

Although the Yan Clan and Lei Clan hadn't sent their own clan members, they had sent vassal families connected to them—whose strength was no less formidable.

As the saying goes, men die for wealth, birds for food; though those Dou Zongs just killed by the beast tide seemed foolish, these ones were just as foolish.

Facing the half-Sage tree slaves, they had not a single thought of fleeing—even knowing the Bodhi Ancient Tree could kill half-Sages, their greed still overpowered their reason.

Of course, it wasn't all greed—every faction here was no simple matter; each possessed a space Jade Slip of a half-Sage, with backup plans, and even Xiao Yan and his group had escape methods.

It was precisely because of these escape methods that their courage grew bolder!

"Fine! My Soul Sovereign will take charge of our own ancestral half-Sage," Soul Jade was the first to agree—the Bodhi Heart was as good as the position of Clan Leader to him; how could he possibly let it slip away?

"My Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan can take one as well."

The other factions all nodded firmly, selecting their targets.

"Nalan Yanran, you and Hai Lao are weaker—don't join the battle. Stay alert to the Bodhi Ancient Tree; if it makes any move, immediately shatter your Spiritual Soul space Jade Slip," Xiao Yan whispered to everyone.

Upon hearing this, Nalan Yanran, though reluctant, could only nod; at this moment, she had no reason to oppose Xiao Yan's decision—best to focus on vigilance and escape routes.

Instantly, the aura surged; Xiao Yan's eyes sharpened, and at the exact same moment, everyone locked onto their chosen half-Sage tree slave and launched their assault—waves of Dou Qi surged like heavenly retribution.

Xiao Yan unfurled his Ancient Phoenix Wings, moving at top speed; his right fist condensed a Different Flame, and with a hum, his Golden Immortal Body erupted—he instantly became a golden giant nine zhang and nine chi tall, roaring in a deep voice: "Golden Immortal Fist!"

Eight Extremes Collapse wept—it was still abandoned! Now that Xiao Yan had perfected his Golden Immortal Body, he could use its accompanying Dou Technique.

The Different Flame wrapped his fist; the massive fist, like a small mountain peak, slammed toward the half-Sage on the far right.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! The fist wind howled; Xiao Yan hadn't even activated his Clan Mark with Heavenly Flame Three Mysteries Transformation—yet the power of this punch made space tremble uncontrollably, its strength astonishing.

Facing Xiao Yan's punch, the tree slave, dead for countless years, suddenly opened its eyes and roared—every single Dou Qi beam fired by Xiao Yixian and the others shattered completely.

Facing Xiao Yan's mountain-like fist, the half-Sage simply punched back—no technique, no Dou Qi manipulation, just the most basic, ordinary punch.

BOOM!! Fist met fist; Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!! The Golden Immortal Fist formed by his body shattered inch by inch; an unimaginably terrifying force surged through his entire body from the point of impact.

Fist against fist—this half-Sage's simplest punch was utterly beyond Xiao Yan's match!

BOOM! The earth shook, space cracked—the power of a half-Sage was nothing like the Nine-Turn Dou Zun Sky Scorpion Elder; they were not even on the same level!

Merging after reaching Nine-Turn was extremely difficult, requiring vast amounts of time to become a half-Dou Sage.

This punch made Xiao Yan fully understand—the gap between Sage and Zun was truly heaven and earth!

"Brother Xiao Yan, I'll help you," Xun Er stepped beside Xiao Yan, her Nine-Turn Dou Zun cultivation realm exploding into the air.

Xiao Yan whispered: "Don't push yourself too hard."

Xun Er nodded subtly; she understood perfectly—though the half-Sage tree slave was strong, she could defeat it alone if she gave everything—but expending too much Dou Qi would put her at a disadvantage when competing for the Bodhi Heart.

Xun Er formed a hand seal, then pointed a finger—the Indifferent Finger descended from the heavens, radiating an aura that annihilated all things.

Gu Qingyang and the others didn't stand idle—they too unleashed the Heaven Tier Low Grade Indifferent Finger; at this level, Heaven Tier Low Grade Dou Techniques were no longer rare.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! One after another Heaven Tier Dou Technique was unleashed; heavenly forces swirled like vortices into the techniques, all slamming into the half-Sage tree slaves.

Soul Jade and the others also unleashed their full strength—this moment revealed the stark gap between the Dou Emperor Families and the other clans.

Though the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan had many members, they possessed few Heaven Tier techniques; only Jiu Feng's beast technique could harm the half-Sage tree slave—the other Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Elders all transformed into their true forms to attack.

But a single counterattack from the half-Sage tree slave wounded them severely; had they not possessed the Demon Phoenix Bell, a special defensive beast technique, they would have already been slaughtered en masse.

"Hit its head!"

Xiao Yan shouted; instantly, the Dragon Phoenix Ancient Armor wrapped his body. After a brief exchange, he sensed these half-Sage tree slaves contained no Dou Qi at all—but within their heads lay a strange seed, rooted and sprouting inside their skulls, controlling their bodies.

"Ha!" Xiao Yan flared his Ancient Phoenix Wings, appearing behind the half-Sage tree slave, then brought down his Heavy Black Ruler with full force onto the tree slave's crown.

CLANG! The rebound numbed his hands—but the strike had some effect; the half-Sage tree slave's skull cracked slightly from Xiao Yan's blow.

ROAR! The half-Sage tree slave erupted in fury, spinning to strike with a palm; Xiao Yan's mind flickered—his back Ancient Phoenix Wings wrapped around his body; the newly formed Different Flame, fused from Myriad Beast Spirit Flame, Wind Fury Dragon Flame, and Nine Dragon Thunder Flame, ignited instantly—a magnificent, peerless bird-shaped shadow of wind, thunder, and flame appeared, shielding Xiao Yan.

BOOM! CLANG! The Gu Huang Bell Shield emitted a resonant shockwave; the sonic impact made the half-Sage tree slave grimace in agony, for the sound waves pierced through its body and struck directly at the seed within its skull.

Seeing Xiao Yan's Ancient Phoenix Wings were stronger than her own, Jiu Feng's eyes gleamed with covetousness.

"That Heaven Tier Dou Technique has reached the bloodline power of the ancient Heaven Phoenix royal clan!"

In the instant Jiu Feng was distracted, the half-Sage puppet assigned to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan suddenly appeared before her, fingers curled into claws, lashing out as if to rip out her heart and lungs—to kill her.

Sensing the danger, Jiu Feng's colorful pupils blazed with blinding radiance; the next second, a Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Elder mysteriously appeared before her, blocking the strike.

"Young Clan Leader!" The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Elder never imagined Jiu Feng had manipulated him—using him as a shield!

"Elder Huang Yi, rest assured—I will bury you with honor. Your death won't be in vain," Jiu Feng said.

PUFF! Beneath the half-Sage's claw, this Seven-Star Dou Zun Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan Elder was reduced to a mist of blood, his Magic Core and Spiritual Soul obliterated—no corpse, no remains!

Xiao Yan naturally noticed Jiu Feng watching him; he shook his head, gaining new insight into Jiu Feng's ruthlessness. Then he glanced at Feng Qing'er, forgotten beside them—poor little phoenix, her return to the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan would surely be miserable.

BOOM!

In the sky, the Seven-Colored Heavenly Thunder converged into a single torrent, crashing down upon the half-Sage tree slave—that was Cai Lin's attack.

At once, across the space before the Bodhi Ancient Tree, five battlegrounds erupted into ferocious combat—especially the clash between the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan and the four secluded families, which could be described as brutal.

"All together!" Xiao Yan shouted through telepathy—he had just used the Emperor Seal Technique, combining five seals into the Ancient Emperor Seal, carving a deep fissure into the back of the half-Sage tree slave's skull, though he himself was blasted backward, spitting blood from the counterpunch.

Hearing Xiao Yan's shout, everyone nodded and unleashed their strongest techniques.

Almost in perfect unison, every single one struck at the exact same moment—terrible attacks, all aimed precisely at the half-Sage tree slave's head; faced with such overwhelming assault, the half-Sage tree slave shuddered violently—then, its skull, already riddled with cracks from Xiao Yan's blows, exploded like a dropped watermelon with a loud BANG.

In the instant the seed in the half-Sage tree slave's mind was extinguished, the headless tree slave ceased movement, its body cracking with a series of cracking sounds, then dissolving into a shower of white ash visible to all eyes.

This nameless half-Sage warrior vanished forever, leaving not a single trace.

Xiao Yan exhaled slowly, wiping the cold sweat from his brow, then glanced at the situation on his side: everyone except Xun Er, the strongest among them, bore wounds; even Gu Qingyang and himself had suffered internal injuries from their earlier clash with the half-Sage puppet.

"These half-Sage tree slaves are truly terrifying—real half-Sages must be even more dreadful."

Xiao Yan flicked his finger, and a string of Pills flew out from his storage ring, hovering before them all.

"Rest first—I'll guard you," Xiao Yan said in a low voice.

No one objected to Xiao Yan's words; all swallowed their Pills and immediately sat cross-legged, seizing every moment to enter Cultivation. In this perilous place, they must keep their Battle Qi constantly full to ensure their survival.

"Brother Xiao Yan, should we intervene?" Xun Er walked beside Xiao Yan, her beautiful eyes fixed on the other battle zones, speaking softly.

The battle zones here were all going poorly—even the group led by Soul Jade had lost one Soul Sovereign warrior, whose heart had been shattered by the half-Sage puppet.

Though their overall strength was inferior to Xiao Yan's group, the half-Sage tree slave also appeared unable to last much longer.

As for the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan and the other two battlefields, the fighting was far more brutal: the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan had already lost three Elders, with half wounded, yet the half-Sage tree slave bore a massive wound as well.

But compared to them, the final two battlefields were even more horrific: four hastily assembled teams, each with formidable strength but zero coordination, had already lost several Dou Zun-tier warriors to the half-Sage puppet—by far the deadliest of all.

And once these tree slaves locked onto an enemy, they fought to the death—escape was nearly impossible.

"No. Just focus on ourselves. The Bodhi Ancient Tree is no ordinary thing—hurry and recover some Battle Qi."

Xiao Yan's gaze flickered slightly, then he shook his head. Now was no time for mercy—these were all rivals.

If not for fear of provoking the half-Sage tree slave's hostility, Xiao Yan would have already struck from ambush!

There is only one Bodhi Heart!

Soon, the Soul Sovereign eliminated the half-Sage tree slave after sacrificing one Triple-Transformation Dou Zun and wounding two others; they glanced at Xiao Yan, knowing they must hurry to recover.

Then came Jiu Feng's Heavenly Demon Phoenix Clan, who barely killed the half-Sage tree slave after losing three Elders and wounding most of the rest.

After resting for a while, Xiao Yan looked toward the last two battlefields—they still hadn't prevailed. Though the half-Sage tree slave was covered in wounds, it seemed they might not win.

Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged a glance, then struck together, both using the Emperor Seal Technique to ambush—Boom—the half-Sage tree slave's head exploded, and they immediately turned and rushed toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

Almost simultaneously, Cai Lin and Xiao Yixian and the others, having already planned it, also surged toward the Bodhi Ancient Tree.

(End of Chapter)