However, the instant Xue Ling made a move, Chen Hutian appeared to block her path.

"Move," Xue Ling said flatly, her gaze fixed on Chen Hutian. A chilling killing intent was contained within her bell-like voice, making Chen Hutian shudder and involuntarily retreat a few steps.

Xue Ling was stronger than Chen Hutian, so in a contest of auras, he was naturally no match for her. However, Chen Hutian was a Spirit Emperor Powerhouse all the same. It wouldn’t be so easy for Xue Ling to get past him. ’Below, the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array is already active, and I know its power all too well,’ he thought. ’It’s more than enough to kill a Spirit Marquis Tier Martial Artist. I just have to stop Xue Ling. Once that kid dies, our business here is finished. I’m sure she’ll leave then!’

"Once the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array is active, it won’t stop until it has annihilated the enemies trapped within," Chen Hutian said with a smile. "So, that kid is a dead man. Why take such a great risk for someone who’s about to die anyway?"

"I said, move!" Xue Ling was in no mood to listen to Chen Hutian’s nonsense. She snapped, and her Spirit Emperor Level aura, no longer suppressed, instantly erupted from her body.

"Not a chance!" Feeling Xue Ling’s aura, Chen Hutian’s expression grew grim as he shot back coldly.

"Then you can die!" Xue Ling’s eyes narrowed. The next moment, she lunged toward Chen Hutian. ’Initially, I hadn’t planned on fighting. I was just going to stall Chen Hutian and let Shen Haoran handle the rest himself,’ she thought. ’But Haoran is in mortal danger now, and he still holds my life in his hands. I have to save him.’

As Xue Ling lunged at him, Chen Hutian’s expression changed, and he quickly retreated. ’My strength is no match for hers. In a direct fight, I’m probably not her opponent. All I can do now is tie her down. As long as I can stall until that kid is dead, the rest will be easy!’

With this in mind, Chen Hutian shot backward whenever Xue Ling attacked and pressed forward to block her whenever she tried to disengage. He perfectly executed the tactic of retreating when the enemy advanced and harassing when they fell back.

In mid-air, the two Spirit Emperor Powerhouses began their battle. Meanwhile, inside the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array, Shen Haoran and his two companions clashed head-on with the nine Yin Qi Dragons!

On the ground, Luo Xiaowen intercepted one Yin Qi Dragon, and Changmao took on two. Shen Haoran blocked the remaining six all by himself.

Each of these Yin Qi Dragons possessed strength approaching that of a Tier Five Spirit Aspect. Furthermore, bolstered by the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array and the ambient Yin Qi of Jueyang Valley, they were like tireless, inexhaustible fighting machines—incredibly difficult to handle.

In the air, Shen Haoran was locked in a fierce battle with the six Yin Qi Dragons. A pair of massive Black Flame wings beat continuously behind him. His body was enveloped in a solid suit of armor formed from pitch-black flames. His Qilin Arm, glowing with crimson patterns, radiated a searing heat. He looked like a veritable War God.

"Heaven-Breaking Kill!" Shen Haoran bellowed. His Qilin Arm, carrying a terrifying gale, smashed into the head of a Yin Qi Dragon. Searing flames, mixed with a power that seemed to hail from Primordial Chaos, erupted forth. With a deafening BOOM, the Yin Qi Dragon’s head shattered, scattering into countless wisps of Yin Qi!

But in the next instant, something strange occurred. The scattered wisps of Yin Qi seemed to answer some summons and re-formed in the blink of an eye. Then, they came howling toward Shen Haoran again. At the same time, the other five Yin Qi Dragons swept their long tails, lashing at him with a vicious wind.

Seeing this, Shen Haoran had no choice but to quickly cross his arms to block. A moment later, he was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing into the ground below and kicking up a shower of shattered rock!

"Dammit!" A moment later, Shen Haoran burst back out of the dust cloud. His aura was now in disarray, and his flame armor was dented. Encased within, Shen Haoran’s face was pale, and a trickle of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. He looked to be in a wretched state.

’The tenacity of these Yin Qi Dragons is beyond my expectations,’ Shen Haoran thought. ’Even with Heaven-Dominating Tribulation activated, it’s still hard to destroy them. This Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array is truly difficult to handle!’

Shen Haoran then glanced over at Luo Xiaowen and Changmao. Both of them were being completely suppressed. It looked like their defeat was only a matter of time.

"Hmph. Kid, I’d advise you to stop struggling. It’s useless! Just lie down and die!" In the distance, Elder Qian laughed heartily upon seeing their miserable state.

Shen Haoran shot Elder Qian a cool glance but paid him no mind. ’The most urgent task now is to break this Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array. Otherwise, the three of us really might be worn down to death by these nine Yin Qi Dragons.’

At this thought, Shen Haoran’s mind began to race as he searched for the Array Dao within his Alchemy Inheritance.

The Alchemy Inheritance contained records of the Six Alchemy Paths. Among them, the Alchemy Dao and the Artifact Refining Dao emphasized hands-on practice, which couldn’t be mastered in a short time. The Puppet Dao was more obscure, and he couldn’t even scratch its surface on short notice. As for the Daos of Yin and Yang and Reincarnation, they were even more ethereal; those two paths had been lost since the Ancient Era, so they were out of the question. However, the Array Dao section contained detailed records on the subtleties of various arrays. Shen Haoran didn’t need to study it systematically; he just had to find the information on the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array!

Soon enough, Shen Haoran found all the information on the Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array and began to read through it rapidly.

The Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array was created by a legendary figure. Born with the fate of Nine Yin, she spent years researching in a land of extreme Yin Qi to achieve a personal breakthrough, ultimately creating this array. When its power is pushed to the limit, the Yin Qi it produces is said to be comparable to that of Netherworld Hell. Its might is unimaginable...

The opening section detailed the array’s origins, followed by a general introduction. However, Shen Haoran didn’t have time to waste on that. He skipped past the tedious descriptions and went straight to the method for breaking it.

The Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array can sustain itself indefinitely because its core can absorb the ambient Yin Qi between heaven and earth. To break the array, there are only two methods. One is to completely sever its connection to the world’s Yin Qi. The array will then lose its Energy source and naturally dissipate. The second method is to destroy the array core. The Nine Yin Soul-devouring Array will collapse, and the array will be broken. However, destroying the core is risky. There is a high probability of suffering a backlash from the Yin Qi and being turned into one of the Living Dead. Weigh the options carefully. Future generations, proceed with caution...