When the three villains in the main hall heard the voice, they exclaimed in surprise, "It's Boss Li!"

First of the Seven Villains, Li Juetian, had appeared. 

A middle-aged man emanating a thick killing intent was approaching the Skeleton Gang coldly. His entire person was akin to an exceptional sword. His murderous intent was incredibly sharp, and with each step he took, thick killing intent churned around him, filling his surroundings with desolation.

He was tall and slim, and he was dressed in a crude outfit. When he walked, it was as though his feet weren't touching the ground. He wore a bamboo hat, and a sword hung on his back. He had the typical look of an assassin.

He was the strongest of the Seven Villains and was known to be cold-hearted. In truth, only the other members of the Seven Villains were aware of how loyal he was toward his people. In fact, the Seven Villains had mostly been able to survive for this long thanks to Li Juetian. His mere existence served as a deterrent for many organizations to try anything against the villains.

Scarlet Flame Monarch appeared before Li Juetian with a raging flame around him and said, "If you want to save them, you have to get through me."

"Watch out, Scarlet Flame. This person is most likely Li Juetian, head of the Seven Villains. He is probably a Heaven Battling Realm cultivator," reminded Xiang Shaoyun.

"Seven Villains? Never heard of them," said Scarlet Flame Monarch indifferently.

He was once one of the strongest Heaven Battling Realm experts in existence. Although his strength had deteriorated greatly, he was still able to display a third of his original strength. That much strength was enough to give him a lot of confidence.

Li Juetian looked at him coldly and said, "Defeat you. Release them."

"Sure. It has been 10,000 years since this old man got any exercise. Today, you will serve as my warmup," replied Scarlet Flame Monarch unyieldingly.

The two flew high into the sky and began a battle between Heaven Battling Realm cultivators.

In a certain courtyard, Tuoba Wan'er said to Old Urchin, "Grandpa Urchin, please help holy son-in-law's man."

"That old fellow is very strong. He doesn't need my help," said Old Urchin.

"Is he really that strong?" asked Tuoba Wan'er.

"Yes. If he is at his peak condition, not even I will be his match," replied Old Urchin solemnly.

"That's good to hear," said Tuoba Wan'er.

The three villains in the headquarters saw a hope to leave, but they still didn't dare to move rashly. They weren't stupid enough to believe that these people would be pushovers the moment their Heaven Battling Realm expert was tied up with something. After all, the toad and the turtle were observing them at all times. The moment they tried anything, they would be faced with an intense barrage of attacks.

Xiang Shaoyun and his people waited silently for the battle's result. He hoped that Scarlet Flame Monarch could capture Li Juetian as well. If that happened, they would have two Heaven Battling Realm experts at their side, and they would have greater confidence in retaking the Ziling Sect.

"Devouring Ghost, do you think Scarlet Flame can win?" asked Xiang Shaoyun.

"Although second brother has only recovered 30 percent of his strength, with his combat prowess, he won't have much problem against this opponent," said Devouring Ghost confidently. "However, it might be somewhat hard to capture that person alive. I can feel that he is quite strong as well. He is at least a second-stage or a third-stage Heaven Battling Realm cultivator."

"The head of the Seven Villains is indeed not someone to be underestimated," said Xiang Shaoyun with a sigh. He took out a jade case and handed it to Devouring Ghost. "Devouring Ghost, I have a saint soul fruit here. Use it now. After you're done digesting it, we'll set off to take my revenge."

At Lonesoul Island, he had obtained three saint soul fruits in total. One of them would be reserved for himself. Now that Devouring Ghost had gotten one as well, one could see just how important he was to Xiang Shaoyun.

Devouring Ghost used to be strong, but after getting a new body, it wouldn't be easy for him to regain his former strength. But with this saint soul fruit, he could strengthen his soul. And if he could reforge his soul foundation, he would be able to grow rapidly.

Unsurprisingly, Devouring Ghost roared with laughter and said, "Thank you, young master. I will definitely digest it as quickly as possible. With this, it will shorten the time I need to reach the Heaven Battling Realm by dozens or even a hundred years."

He then entered seclusion without wasting any time. After all, Scarlet Flame Monarch was not the sole Heaven Battling Realm expert by Xiang Shaoyun's side. There was also Old Urchin around.

High in the sky, a world-shaking battle was ongoing between Scarlet Flame Monarch and Li Juetian. The battle strength they were displaying was unimaginably terrifying.

Like a raging meteor, Scarlet Flame Monarch rammed into his opponent over and over again. It was as though he could break apart even a star. The sea of flame covering the sky seemed absolutely unstoppable. He was old, but he was still vigorous. And if he could recover his full strength, he would probably be more than 10 times stronger than now.

On the other hand, Li Juetian was not to be underestimated either. His Sky Severing Slash seemed capable of cutting through everything, and his sword energy seemed unstoppable. Boundless killing intent surrounded him, one that would plant fear in the heart of all onlookers.

Two energies collided repeatedly, and loud explosions rumbled on and on. Scarlet Flame Monarch's flame was able to suppress Li Juetian's sword energy, but that was not enough because Li Juetian's endurance was too high. He resisted the flame and did not suffer much harm. Rather, Scarlet Flame Monarch was the one who started feeling exhaustion.

The 10,000 years of torture had affected him greatly. It was hard for him to sustain himself in a prolonged battle. Li Juetian had evidently noticed that, so he had been keeping his patience. He continued dragging the fight on and was in no rush to end it.

Scarlet Flame Monarch could see what Li Juetian was trying to do. His battle experience was incredibly rich, and it allowed him to react instantly. Instead of wasting any more time, he unleashed his trump card.

Flame Star Chained Explosions!

He then clawed repeatedly at the empty air. His palms were akin to the universe, sending numerous flaming stars flying out. The stars proceeded to surround Li Juetian before erupting.

Li Juetian might be decently strong, but his face finally fell when he witnessed Scarlet Flame Monarch's merciless attack. He could feel that he wouldn't be able to contend against such strength, but escaping wasn't an option either. He could only face it head on.

Severing the heaven!

Severing the earth!

Severing the human!

Three Severing Slash!

Dense killing intent exploded from Li Juetian's body. He swung his sword repeatedly, and each swing created massive sword energy that wreaked havoc in the sky. He was displaying a strength comparable to a fourth-stage Heaven Battling Realm cultivator. In truth, he was only an early third-stage Heaven Battling Realm cultivator. It was now obvious that he also possessed the ability to punch above his weight.

The sky itself seemed to be on the verge of breaking apart from their intense collisions. Ultimately, Li Juetian was sent flying and coughing blood. However, Scarlet Flame Monarch was also so exhausted he could no longer press on with more attacks.