Shen Haoran frowned slightly as he watched Elder Qian abruptly halt his attack. A faint sense of crisis coiled in his heart. But upon closer inspection, he couldn’t find anything strange about Elder Qian himself.

However, when Elder Qian began to form a Hand Seal, Shen Haoran’s pupils suddenly constricted. Only then did he realize the sense of crisis wasn’t emanating from Elder Qian, but from the surrounding Jueyang Valley.

"Kid, today I’ll let you have a taste of my Hehuan Sect’s Sect Protection Array! To die by its hand can be considered your fortune!" Elder Qian snorted coldly. The Seal Technique in his hands moved faster and faster until only a stream of afterimages was visible.

As Elder Qian performed the Seal Technique, the entire space within Jueyang Valley began to tremble violently. Wisps of Yin Qi rose from the ground, and a dark mist gathered in mid-air, forming a massive Array. The moment this colossal Array appeared, the temperature in Jueyang Valley plummeted. The moisture in the air instantly froze, falling as tiny shards of ice.

"Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array!" Abruptly, Elder Qian completed the Seal Technique, clapping his hands together forcefully.

"ROAR..."

Following Elder Qian’s explosive shout, the massive Array covering Jueyang Valley erupted with a brilliant black light. The Yin Qi within the valley suddenly began to roil, crazily gathering toward the center of the Array. A moment later, nine pitch-black dragons formed from Yin Qi appeared before Shen Haoran.

With the appearance of these nine Yin Qi Dragons, an extremely powerful pressure bore down. The surrounding ruins couldn’t withstand this terrifying pressure and collapsed with a deafening CRASH. Shen Haoran had no choice but to circulate the Chaos Heaven-Dominating Technique within his body to resist it.

This Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array used Jueyang Valley as its Array Base, drawing upon the long-accumulated and ever-present Yin Qi as its Energy source. The creator of this Array was an absolute genius, perfectly utilizing the unique advantages of the location and circumstances, and as a result, its power was magnified several times over. Just looking at the nine endlessly circling Yin Qi Dragons, one could tell that if they were to attack, their might would be no weaker than the full-powered strike of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse.

"What’s going on?" The immense tremor shaking the space caused everyone engaged in battle to halt their attacks. They all looked toward where Elder Qian and Shen Haoran were.

"That’s... The Grand Elder is actually activating the Sect Protection Array! Is that kid really that strong? He actually forced the Grand Elder to use our Hehuan Sect’s ultimate trump card!" the Tier Three Spirit Aspect Elder fighting Murong Wanqing and Han Xu exclaimed in shock.

"I guess the Grand Elder wants to end this quickly. These people are no pushovers!" The Elder fighting Luo Xiaowen was panting heavily. The pressure Luo Xiaowen put on him was simply too great. If not for this interruption, he estimated he would have been defeated in less than ten moves.

"Fall back!" The Elders then signaled to each other and, with a tacit understanding, disengaged from their fights and retreated behind their Grand Elder. After all, the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array did not distinguish between friend or foe. Anyone within its range would be crushed to dust!

"Brother Haoran, what do we do?" At this point, Murong Wanqing and the others had also gathered by Shen Haoran’s side. She gazed up at the nine oppressive Yin Qi Dragons and asked in a low voice.

"I never expected the Hehuan Sect to be hiding such a high-level Array. It was an oversight in our intelligence!" Luo Xiaowen’s lovely brows furrowed. Their plan was on the verge of success, but then this accident occurred. ’This Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array has probably reached the Profound Tier High Level!’

Array Masters were considered a relatively niche profession on the Xingluo Continent. Generally, only Martial Artists who found it difficult to achieve greatness in Martial Arts would choose to delve into the study of Arrays.

An Array Master’s Cultivation didn’t actually require formidable strength. In battle, they only needed to set up and activate an Array. Even a Spirit Marquis Tier Martial Artist could kill a Spirit Aspect Tier Martial Artist this way. Therefore, although being an Array Master was a niche profession, much like Alchemists, no one dared to provoke them casually. If you were caught off guard by an Array someone set up on the road, you wouldn’t even know how you died.

But that was a topic for another time. Right now, Shen Haoran and his three companions were facing a Profound Tier High Tier Array. An Array of this Level, amplified by the Yin Qi of the surrounding Jueyang Valley, could even reach the power of an Earth Tier Array. Its might was no weaker than the attack of a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse!

"Wanqing, Han Xu, you two get out of here first. Head to the main hall and deal with the remaining disciples. Sister Xiaowen, Changmao, and I will handle this Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array!" Shen Haoran said grimly after a moment’s thought.

"Ah, Brother Haoran, it’s too dangerous for just the three of you! I want to stay and help!" Murong Wanqing said, reluctant.

"Wanqing, our strength really isn’t enough to fight this Array. We should listen to Brother Shen. Otherwise, we won’t be of any help here. We’ll just drag Brother Shen and Sister Xiaowen down. If that happens, none of us will make it out alive!" Han Xu tugged on Murong Wanqing’s arm, signaling for her to leave with him quickly.

Murong Wanqing hesitated for a moment, but she understood the gravity of the situation. She could only nod and follow Han Xu, hurrying toward the main hall. Soon, they were outside the attack range of the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array.

Seeing Murong Wanqing and Han Xu flee, Elder Qian had no intention of pursuing them. He snorted coldly and said, "Hmph. Don’t worry, not a single one will escape!" With that, Elder Qian thrust his hands downward. The nine Yin Qi Dragons in mid-air began to churn. The Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array had been activated!

Meanwhile, at a higher altitude, Chen Hutian and Xue Ling stood in a standoff. The two didn’t appear to be fighting, but the pressure from their Spirit Emperor Level auras was enough to warp the surrounding space, making it seem as if it could shatter at any moment.

Just as they faced off, the Yin Qi in Jueyang Valley below suddenly erupted, and the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array manifested.

When he saw the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array, Chen Hutian’s brow furrowed tightly. ’Using the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array to deal with a mere Spirit Marquis Tier Martial Artist... what the hell are those six Elders doing?’

Xue Ling, at his side, also felt a strong sense of crisis from the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array. Her lovely brows knitted together, and a flicker of worry crossed her eyes as she gazed down. ’Even I can sense the danger from this Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array. Wouldn’t Shen Haoran and the others be in even greater peril down there? If Shen Haoran dies, this stubborn ailment of mine will never be cured. My life is still in his hands!’

’He absolutely cannot be allowed to get hurt!’ Xue Ling thought to herself. She immediately gave up on Chen Hutian, and with a flash, her figure shot downward...