Bai Lu hadn't expected that while she was reprimanding her younger brother, Yun Xiao would butt in again.

Feeling a bit annoyed, she was surprised when Bai Ao clapped his hands and said, "Great! These people all look down on you—you should prove them wrong!"

"Lil Ao!" Bai Lu was absolutely furious. What kind of fool was he?

"What, afraid to bet?" With Yun Xiao backing him, Bai Ao's courage grew.

Bai Lu, Gusu Yan, the Bloodvine Young Master and others looked at Yun Xiao with calm indifference.

Gusu Yan suddenly said, "Bound by the pledge, it's hard for us to break away. But the pledge alone doesn't fully distance us. Adding a wager gives us another angle."

"You really think he can win? That's an Anima Immortal," Bai Lu said seriously.

"Not really." Gusu Yan glanced helplessly at Bai Ao. "If he loses, Lil Ao will behave. If he wins, we'll have another excuse. We don't lose either way, do we?"

At these words, these young leaders of various Empyrean Emperor Sects fell silent.

They exchanged glances.

Bai Lu understood Gusu Yan's logic. Without looking at Bai Ao, she said directly to Yun Xiao, "Fine, we'll bet with you! If you can win, we'll be impressed!"

"Deal," Yun Xiao smiled.

Aside from Bai Lu, none had seen Yun Xiao in action; they only knew he was good at running.

Of course, his encounter with the Young Dragon Consort was a different matter—not worth counting.

Now that the wager was set, these 250 pledge-makers seemed more involved; their gazes turned scrutinizing.

These looks weren't swords, but they felt like a mountain pressing against his back.

In front of him, the gazes of the disciples from the Ancestral Land and Nine Yin Soul Sea were the real sharp blades!

All were mocking and harboring hatred toward Yun Xiao.

Swords ahead, mountains behind!

In between were the caring and worried eyes of Feng Yao and Wan Ji's seven daughters—the only warmth he felt.

Of course, Yun Xiao knew that the Three Divas were watching him.

Every decision he made resonated in their hearts.

Even more eyes were on him in the Million Starlight Palace!

▬ι══🪦✧⚰

Back in the MIllion Starlight Palace, the Ancestral Land and Nine Yin Soul Sea had replaced the Southern Divine Dragon Realm, becoming the main opponents against the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm.

This was something the spectators could never have imagined.

Who would've thought that two harmonious sides would turn against each other like this?

At the very least, those chiefly responsible—Empyrean Emperor Mu and the Great Dream Lord—both looked displeased.

Whispers swirled all around; among the powerhouses of the Heavenly Deity Alliance, who didn't know the intentions of those two sects?

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

The younger generation had acted too hastily, exposing everything. To be honest, it was quite embarrassing.

If not for Yun Xiao, this would have been a perfect alliance. The Ancestral Land could have seized the Extreme Yin Star and then shielded it against the Southern Divine Dragon Realm—who could have objected?

The Ice Cloud Valkyrie Queen, representing the Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, remained the focal point.

She exchanged a distant glance with the Great Dream Lord.

"Hypocrites are more disgusting than true villains," the Ice Cloud Valkyrie Queen thought. She suddenly let out a soft laugh and said calmly, "These youngsters are truly immature."

Empyrean Emperor Mu seized the opportunity and smiled warmly. "Indeed, it was meant to be a good thing. We shouldn't have drawn swords against each other."

"No, I meant your children are the ones being immature," the Ice Cloud Valkyrie Queen replied.

Empyrean Emperor Mu paused, momentarily taken aback.

"No need to say more." The Great Dream Lord cast a cold glance at the Ice Cloud Valkyrie Queen. "She knows in her heart that when the Harmony Divine Palace falls off a cliff, no one will save them. The more she speaks, the more it reveals her inner despair."

"Truly pathetic," Empyrean Emperor Mu shrugged.

In his eyes, whether it was the Three Divas, the Ice Cloud Valkyrie Queen herself, or the entire Extreme Yin Celestial Realm, they were loners in the Heavenly Deity Stellar River. Such forces didn't cultivate relationships; once they collapsed with no benefits to offer, who would really come to their aid?

Now, the impulsiveness of the younger generation only made them see reality more clearly.

There was nothing more to say.

"That celestial slave has some tricks up his sleeve. Is your son prepared...?" Empyrean Emperor Mu asked the Great Dream Lord.

The Great Dream Lord cut in immediately, "I've left him a few trump cards."

"Then we'll have a good show to watch," Empyrean Emperor Mu chuckled.

The Great Dream Lord smiled without another word.

In the Million Starlight Palace, countless eyes were once again fixed on Yun Xiao!

The storm of gazes gathering upon him grew ever larger.

Every moment brought new drama centered around him.

This made quite a few people weary of watching.

"When will this celestial slave stop showing off?"

"Probably soon. He's hit a wall with the Nine Yin Soul Sea. That force within the Heavenly Deity Alliance is known as the king of counterattacks, often pulling off unexpected reversals."

"Anima Immortals are truly monstrous!"

"Quiet, it's about to start...!"

For a moment, the crowd held its breath.

▬ι══🪦✧⚰

Outside the Extreme Yin Star, the 250 pledge-makers retreated into the Extreme Yin Star Barrier.

Feng Yao and Wan Ji's seven daughters stood atop the barrier at the closest point to the battlefield. Feng Yao set up her Heaven Devourer Bow, ready to shoot anyone who dared to cause trouble.

On the other side, Zu Wei led over 100 followers, coldly stepping back, leaving only Meng Huan alone on the battlefield!

And so, that ethereal and incomparably handsome young man in white stood facing him eye to eye.

Countless people couldn't help but exclaim, "That eunuch is truly handsome!"

This remark was both an insult and a compliment.

Yun Xiao didn't care about any of this. Whether he was a celestial slave or not, once he revealed his true abilities, everything would be settled. Why the rush? Plus, if the truth really were revealed, the Snow Lineage Diva might just have a mental breakdown.

"Such a lowly bastard—I've never seen one like you in my life," Meng Huan said, his cold eyes fixed on this ethereal-looking man. Perhaps a bit jealous, he felt the need to belittle him.

"Finished talking?" Yun Xiao hovered in the starry sky, calmly looking at his opponent. "If you're done, make your move."

"Why should I strike first?" Meng Huan sneered.

"Because I need to see what I'm dealing with," Yun Xiao replied.

Meng Huan was silent for a moment. "What a damn fool!"

He could no longer bear it! Above his head, the soul power of spirit vibrated. After nine vibrations, a horrifying scene unfolded.

Nine spirits manifested around him! Indeed, there were nine together!

Each manifested spirit was a white faceless figure, clad in white robes, emitting white smoke. Their bodies twisted and changed unpredictably, like nine humanoid white clouds.

Those faceless visages were utterly eerie and terrifying.

"Great Dream Yin Spirit!"

"It's truly the unmatched Nine Souls Talent of the ages!"

"Meng Huan is indeed the rare genius of the Nine Yin Soul Sea. With the Nine Souls manifesting, he has a real chance to become a Boundless Immortal!"

"Even if he doesn't reach boundlessnes, his Anima Immortal talent ranks among the highest in the entire Samsara Galaxy! His ability to slay opponents beyond his level is absolutely defying the heavens."

In terms of cultivation level, Meng Huan, being young, wasn't yet the top in the Grand Assembly Arena. But in terms of talent, he was among the elite.

His true stage to shine would be 10 or 20 years from now; this was just a stunning debut.

Even so, the young prodigy burst onto the scene, making elders from other sects envious.

The Great Dream Lord basked in the praises, a playful smile on her face.

Meng Huan was radiant with glory. This was truly a dreamlike life. He didn't keep the audience waiting.

Standing among the nine Great Dream Yin Spirits, his eyes—dark and stormy like the depths of the sea—locked onto Yun Xiao.

"Be my dog..." He sneered.

Under his command, the eerie and chilling Great Dream Yin Spirits moved in the Nine Palaces Formation, closing in on Yun Xiao from all directions.

In an instant, heaven and earth transformed.

"Nine Yin Dreamscape!"

A gasp rose from the crowd, fear struck by Meng Huan's technique.

The Great Dream Yin Spirits encircled Yun Xiao, weaving an illusionary realm together.

A dream descended upon him.

Before Yun Xiao's eyes, the vast Grand Assembly Arena morphed into an infernal abyss. Ghostly wails and howls echoed around him; countless vengeful souls shrieked, surging toward him like a tsunami. A deadly nightmare.

Among those spirits, a pair of extremely sinister eyes appeared, magnified a thousandfold, gazing down upon Yun Xiao with mockery and indifference.

In that moment, Yun Xiao was swallowed by the Nine Yin Dreamscape, as if his breath had ceased; he seemed lost in the nightmare, his soul adrift.

"This is the terror of an Anima Immortal—something a lowly bastard like you can't comprehend," Meng Huan laughed.

But then, a voice like a great bell echoed in his ears.

"In front of my Buddha's Treasure Spirit, you dare call yourself an Anima Immortal?"

Meng Huan was stunned, a chill running down his spine. He looked up to see the world around him filled with endless golden light. The infernal abyss and evil spirits evaporated, dying with wretched screams.

He stood upon an incomparably massive gold-and-black lotus, rotating slowly. Each petal was engraved densely with colossal patterns of dragons and elephants. The golden light emanating from these patterns incinerated everything, causing Meng Huan's magnified eyes to sting; tears and blood gushed forth.

"You are truly an Anima Immortal..." Meng Huan's heart trembled wildly.

Above the heavens, a pair of golden eyes—tens of thousands of times larger than ordinary eyes—gazed down upon him.

"Your move isn't bad; it's mine now," Yun Xiao said, golden lotuses blooming within his pupils.

"What!? Impossible!" Meng Huan's heart trembled.

He was pulled into Yun Xiao's Nine Yin Dreamscape by the Buddha's Treasure Spirit, screaming in heart-wrenching agony, struggling, suffering, and despairing.

"No, no!" Only Meng Huan and Yun Xiao knew how miserable, desperate, regretful, and terrified he was.

Time in the Nine Yin Dreamscape flowed differently; perhaps only a moment passed outside, but he might have wept and suffered for ten years within.

From the outside, this Anima Immortal duel seemed almost simplistic. First, Meng Huan manifested nine spirits, forming a domain that enveloped Yun Xiao.

Then, Yun Xiao countered with his own spirit, casting a similar golden domain over Meng Huan. The two were slightly different, but the principle seemed the same.

In the next instant, Meng Huan's whole body trembled, emitting a heartrending scream condensed from ten years of agony. Anyone who heard that sound felt their skin crawl, not knowing what horrors he had endured.

With that scream, the golden light dissipated. In the starry sky, Meng Huan's eyes were ashen, his face bearing endless fear and nightmares; like a lifeless husk, he died on the spot. Only his mother could truly understand how tragically he had perished.

This was the Nine Yin Dreamscape!

At that moment, the entire world stood still; no one could even blink. Everything had happened so quickly.

In the frozen world, the young man in white stepped forward, grabbed Meng Huan's neck, and brought his hollow eyes up to his own.

"Your Nine Souls Seed of Creation isn't bad," Yun Xiao said calmly. "It's mine now."

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