162: A miraculous escape from death, Long Yan lends a helping hand.

Carrying the unconscious Medusa, Li Ao walked through the dim, damp underground grottoes.

The surging new power within him, the cultivation of a Three-Star Dou Zun, made his senses sharper, but the heaviness in his heart had not diminished in the slightest.

He had to find a way out quickly, ascertain his current location, and figure out how to save Medusa.

The grotto passages were intricate and seemed endless.

Occasionally, he would encounter some cold, venomous insects dwelling in the darkness, but before they could even approach, they were deterred by the Nirvana aura naturally emanating from Li Ao's body, scattering in fright.

After walking for about half a day, a faint light and the sound of flowing water vaguely reached him from ahead.

Li Ao's spirits lifted, and he quickened his pace.

Passing through a narrow opening, the sight before him made him slightly pause.

The exit did not lead to the outside world, but rather to a massive underground karst cave.

Countless stalactites, emitting a soft white glow, hung from the cave's ceiling, illuminating the entire space.

In the center was a crystal-clear underground lake, its waters exuding a faint chill, forming a stark contrast to the intense heat of the Flame Abyss.

By the lake, some strange mosses and herbs, radiating a faint blue light, grew.

"Such pure yin-cold energy..." Li Ao could feel that the energy contained here would greatly benefit Medusa's injuries, which were biased towards a yin-cold Bloodline.

He carefully laid Medusa flat on a smooth boulder by the lake, checking her condition.

Her injuries were still severe, but the vitality remaining from the seed of living beings and the strong resilience of the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python Bloodline sustained her faint life force.

Li Ao took out the Fire Spirit Demonic Lotus he had obtained earlier, hesitating for a moment.

This item contained pure fire energy, which clashed with Medusa's attributes; using it directly might be counterproductive.

He pondered for a moment, his gaze falling upon a plant in the center of the lake, entirely ice-blue and shaped like an orchid.

That plant exuded an extremely pure yin-cold Qi, it was precisely an Eighth Grade Pill Spirit Medicine — the Profound Ice Spirit Orchid!

"With this orchid as the main ingredient, supplemented by other yin-attribute herbs, I might be able to refine a 'Profound Yin Pulse Guarding Pill' to first stabilize her heart pulse and Soul, then plan for the future."

Li Ao made up his mind.

After his promotion to Three-Star Dou Zun, his Soul Power had also greatly increased, making him qualified to refine Eighth Grade Pills.

He immediately took action, gathering the Profound Ice Spirit Orchid and several suitable auxiliary herbs from the lakeside.

Without a Medicine Cauldron, he used his Soul Power as a furnace and Nirvana Dou Qi as fire, directly beginning to refine in the Void Realm!

The grayish-white flames flickered, yet they emitted a chilling coldness and stillness that made one's heart palpitate.

This was his "Nirvana Cold Fire," simulated from the Nirvana Origin, which was even more effective for refining yin-cold Medicinal Pills.

One by one, the medicinal ingredients were cast into the flames under his precise Soul control, purified, fused, and condensed into Pills...

The entire process flowed smoothly, his control over fire and Soul had already reached the Grandmaster level.

After about an hour, three Pills the size of dragon eyes, entirely ice-blue, with seven Pill patterns encircling their surface, slowly formed, exuding a refreshing chill and medicinal fragrance.

An Eighth Grade Pill, the Profound Yin Pulse Guarding Pill, was complete!

Li Ao took one, carefully fed it into Medusa's mouth, and used Dou Qi to help it dissolve.

Upon entering her body, the pure yin-cold medicinal power rapidly spread, protecting her fragile heart pulse and damaged Soul.

Her pale cheeks finally regained a trace of color, and her breathing also stabilized considerably.

Li Ao breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the worry in his brows did not lessen.

This was only a temporary measure; to completely heal Medusa's Foundation injuries caused by burning her Bloodline and the trauma to her Soul, more precious heavenly Spirit Medicine or... the intervention of a Dou Saint powerhouse would be needed.

"I must leave here as soon as possible and return to the Ancient World or Starfall Pavilion."

Li Ao thought to himself.

He picked up Medusa, whose condition had stabilized slightly, and was about to search for other exits when he suddenly sensed a rush of footsteps and... a familiar Dragon Might? coming from a passage on the other side of the karst cave.

He immediately became vigilant, shielding Medusa behind him, his gaze sharply fixed on the passage entrance.

A moment later, several figures stumbled into the karst cave.

The one leading them was burly, covered in wounds, and his aura was weak; it was Gu Hua, a young disciple of the Ancient Clan who had previously followed Lei Gang to the Myriad Thunder Mountain Range!

The several Ancient Clan disciples following him were also all injured and in a sorry state.

"Gu Hua?" Li Ao recognized the person, his heart startled, "Why are you here? Where is Senior Lei Gang?"

Gu Hua, seeing Li Ao, first froze, then his face showed both wild joy and anxiety: "Elder Li Ao! This is great! Quick, quick, save Elder Lei Gang and Gu Zhen, Great Commander!"

He said urgently: "We followed Elder Lei Gang and encountered a Hun Clan ambush in the Myriad Thunder Mountain Range!

The one leading them was Soul Yan, one of the Hun Clan Four Demon Saints!

Elder Lei Gang, in order to cover our breakthrough, was besieged by Soul Yan and several Soul Clan Venerables, his life or death unknown!

The few of us desperately fled into a spatial rift and ended up here..."

The Hun Clan Four Demon Saints! Soul Yan! That was a terrifying existence at the high-level Dou Saint-Grade!

Li Ao's heart sank; he hadn't expected the Hun Clan's actions to be so swift, not only targeting Xiao Yan but also launching a thunderous strike against the Lei Clan team heading to the Myriad Thunder Mountain Range!

It seemed the Hun Clan was determined to prevent the Alliance from obtaining any Opportunity that could enhance their strength.

"It's not advisable to stay here long; the Hun Clan might still be searching for you."

Li Ao made a decisive move, "Let's leave here first."

He sensed the direction, chose a passage with relatively smooth energy flow, and quickly led Gu Hua and the others away.

However, just as they exited the karst cave and entered another, wider underground river channel, a cold, sinister laugh suddenly came from upstream:

"Tsk tsk, as expected, there are still some fish that slipped through the net.

Little brats of the Ancient Clan, and you... Li Ao! It's truly a case of searching high and low only to find it effortlessly!"

Before the words finished, several figures shrouded in black robes emerged from the shadows like ghosts, blocking their path ahead.

The leader, with a cold and vast aura, was surprisingly a Hun Clan powerhouse at the Peak Five-Star Dou Zun level!

Behind him, there were also four Hun Clan Dou Zuns whose strength ranged from One-Star to Three-Star!

Clearly, they were a Hun Clan pursuit team that had tracked Gu Hua and the others!

With powerful enemies ahead and unknown dangers behind, Li Ao's group instantly fell into a desperate situation!

Gu Hua and the others' faces turned pale; they had just escaped one danger only to fall into another!

Li Ao's eyes were icy cold to the extreme.

He handed the still unconscious Medusa to Gu Hua: "Protect her well."

He stepped forward, releasing his Three-Star Dou Zun aura without reservation.

The Nirvana Dou Qi, which had undergone Rebirth and contained the meaning of life and death Reincarnation, surged like a awakened Vicious Beast, engulfing the Hun Clan members with a Soul-freezing pressure!

"Five-Star Dou Zun? Perfect, I'll use you as a sacrifice!" Li Ao's voice was hoarse, filled with killing intent.

Xiao Yi Xian's revenge, Medusa's injuries, and the Hun Clan's repeated assassinations had long accumulated a towering rage in his heart!

The Hun Clan Five-Star Venerable felt the unusual and heart-palpitating power emanating from Li Ao, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was immediately replaced by ruthlessness: "Arrogant!

You're merely a Three-Star Dou Zun, yet you dare to boast! Form a Formation, take them down!"

The five Hun Clan Venerables instantly spread out, their vast Netherworld Dou Qi connecting to form a gigantic black skull, emitting a piercing shriek as it lunged towards Li Ao!

Under the Formation's enhancement, the power of this strike was already close to that of a Six-Star Dou Zun!

Facing this fierce attack, Li Ao neither dodged nor retreated, his eyes blazing with grayish-white light.

He formed hand seals, and a deeper understanding of the Nirvana Origin, gained after his Rebirth, surged into his mind.

"Nirvana... Reincarnation Seal!"

A more solidified grayish-white square Seal, with subtle life and death runes flowing on its surface, suddenly appeared!

This time, the square Seal was no longer simply dead silent; instead, within that extreme "annihilation," it faintly contained a trace of "life" flowing!

The Reincarnation Seal violently collided with the black skull!

"Buzz—!"

There was no violent explosion, only an erosion and disintegration at the rule level!

The skull, condensed from Netherworld Dou Qi, upon contact with the Reincarnation Seal, was as if thrown into the millstone of Reincarnation.

Its energy structure was forcibly dismantled, annihilated, and then transformed by that trace of "life" meaning into the most fundamental heaven and earth energy, feeding back into itself!

In just a few breaths, the combined Formation, whose power was close to a Six-Star Dou Zun, was actually ground down and transformed by Li Ao's single Reincarnation Seal!

The five Hun Clan Venerables were as if struck by a heavy blow, all spitting blood and retreating, their Formation instantly broken!

"How is this possible?!" The Five-Star Hun Venerable's eyes were filled with unbelievable terror!

What kind of strange power was this?! It could directly disintegrate and transform their attacks?!

Li Ao, seizing the advantage, moved like lightning, instantly appearing before the Five-Star Hun Venerable, his Nirvana Finger, imbued with the power of Reincarnation, pointed towards his glabella!

"No!!!" The Five-Star Hun Venerable let out a desperate roar, frantically urging all his Dou Qi to defend, but in the face of the Nirvana Reincarnation power that touched the Origin, all defenses were futile!

"Puff!"

The finger wind pierced his head, annihilating his Soul!

A Five-Star Dou Zun, fallen!

The remaining four Hun Venerables were scared out of their wits, turning to flee.

"Thinking of leaving now? Too late!" Li Ao's eyes were icy cold, and the Annihilation Domain suddenly expanded, enveloping the four of them!

The meaning of the Reincarnation Seal permeated, and the four Hun Venerables felt their Dou Qi and life force being forcibly stripped away and disintegrated, letting out shrill screams, finally turning into four dried corpses devoid of all traces of life!

The battle ended in a flash.

Gu Hua and the others stared dumbfounded at the scene before them, as if watching a killing god descended upon the world!

Four Dou Zuns, one at Peak Five-Star, were actually instantly killed by Li Ao with such overwhelming force?!

Could a Three-Star Dou Zun really do this?!

Li Ao slowly reined in his aura, his face slightly pale.

Continuously using powerful moves had taken a toll on him.

He walked up to Gu Hua, took the still unconscious Medusa, and said in a deep voice: "The smell of blood here will soon attract more trouble; we must leave immediately."

Gu Hua and the others then awoke as if from a dream, nodding repeatedly.

However, just as they were about to set off, the entire underground river channel suddenly vibrated violently!

A terrifying power, vastly stronger than that of the Five-Star Hun Venerable, carrying immense Dragon Might and scorching flame aura, suddenly swept down from the upstream of the river channel!

"Roar—!"

A deafening Dragon roar, tearing through the Void Realm, was filled with fury and anxiety!

Li Ao's expression drastically changed; this aura... was from a Void Ancient Dragon!

And it was extremely powerful!

Could it be... Zi Yan?!

How could she appear here? And with such intense rage?

The next moment, a petite figure enveloped in purple-gold Dragon flames, like a meteor, broke through the rock layers and descended into the river channel!

It was none other than the Void Ancient Dragon Emperor, Zi Yan!

Her small face was now covered in frost, her purple-gold Dragon eyes swept over the Hun Clan corpses on the ground, then looked at Li Ao and the unconscious Medusa on his back, finally her gaze fell upon the disheveled Gu Hua and the others, her voice as cold as ten thousand years of Profound Ice:

"Hun Clan bastards, how dare you harm my Dragon Clan's friends!

Li Ao, who forced you into such a situation?

Tell this King, and this King will tear their bones apart!"

The powerful Dragon Emperor's pressure permeated, making Gu Hua and the others almost prostrate themselves.

Li Ao looked at Zi Yan, who had appeared just in time, a warm current welling up in his heart, but more so, a sense of heaviness.

He took a deep breath and briefly recounted the encounter in the Flame Abyss and the ambush of Lei Gang's team.

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan's Dragon flames surged around her, laughing in extreme anger: "Good! Good, Hun Clan!

It seems they have forgotten the fear of being dominated by the Dragon Clan!

Li Ao, you come with this King!

We'll settle this score together!"

With Zi Yan, the powerful Dragon Emperor, as an ally, Li Ao felt a little relieved.

He nodded, his gaze directed upstream of the river channel, towards the direction from which the Dragon Might came.

"Let's go!"

This time, he would no longer fight alone.

Carrying the might of the Dragon Emperor and the power of Nirvana, he would return with thunderous momentum to that purgatory which made him lose his beloved, and exact a blood debt from the Hun Clan!