Word Count: 2,685 Words
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The other Flower Sect elders shThe other Flower Sect elders shared the old woman's fury. The Flower Sect had always remained aloof from worldly struggles, and during Hua Jin's tenure as acting Sect Leader, she had worked diligently to strengthen ties with the Profound Sky Sect. That gradual easing of relations had inevitably lowered their guard.
Earlier, when Yun Yun's group encountered the Profound Sky Sect, she had deliberately avoided them, not wanting to drag Xiao Yan into trouble. That choice had cost them the chance to reunite with him. She had never imagined the Profound Sky Sect would trail them all the way, strike from the shadows, and cause an elder's death.
"Fellow Elders, now isn't the time to dwell on this. The Profound Sky Sect is pursuing us relentlessly with clear intent to leave none of us alive. If we can't even escape this calamity, how will we ever speak of taking revenge?"
Yun Yun sighed softly and shook her head. She had completely adapted to her role as the Flower Sect's leader. Her words now carried the calm authority of someone in command. Combined with how she had, with Xiao Yan's medicinal aid, fully absorbed Granny Hua's Dou Qi, her cultivation had reached the 9-star Dou Venerate stage, making her the strongest member of their group.
Originally, the Flower Sect team had boasted two 9-star Dou Venerates including herself and felt no fear of the Profound Sky Sect. But the ambush had gravely injured their other peak expert, while the Profound Sky Sect still fielded two uninjured 9-star Dou Venerates. Under such circumstances, they were naturally no longer a match.
"Careful!" Yun Yun suddenly warned.
"Hehehe, Sect Leader Yun Yun, why keep up this futile resistance? Besides, having our Deputy Sect Leader take a liking to you is your good fortune." A shrill, mocking laugh rode a fierce gust of wind that swept toward them. The crude taunt made Yun Yun's expression turn cold with killing intent.
An elderly man flashed into view to block their path. At the same time, urgent wind-breaking sounds rose behind Yun Yun's group. More than ten figures streaked forward through the air and landed on an open patch of ground behind the fleeing Flower Sect members, completely sealing off their escape.
"Hehe, Sect Leader Yun Yun, this Deputy Sect Leader told you—there would be no escape."
The figures stepped out from their formation one by one. At their head stood a middle-aged man with unnaturally pale skin, dressed in luxurious purple brocade robes. He smiled as he brazenly let his gaze roam up and down Yun Yun's body, his tongue slipping out to wet his lips.
Such exquisite beauty was truly rare. If he could claim her as his exclusive plaything, how many people would die of envy?
"Liu Cang, are you trying to provoke war between the Flower Sect and the Profound Sky Sect?" Yun Yun's beautiful face held a chill as she spoke, killing intent flashing faintly in her eyes.
"I'd actually rather avoid that. Some of those old monsters in the Flower Sect who've been in seclusion are quite troublesome to deal with. Hehe, but it doesn't matter. We'll kill the rest, imprison you in our Profound Sky Sect, and they'll never know what happened." The middle-aged man, Liu Cang, smiled as he spoke, his tone light and careless.
"Hehe, Deputy Sect Leader, we should act quickly before complications arise. The Ancient Wasteland Region teems with ferocious beasts, and countless other factions are operating here. If we're discovered, it could create unnecessary trouble." The man behind Liu Cang holding a purple fan urged him onward. His features revealed him as none other than Yaohua Liangjun.
"I hear from Yaohua that you have a beautiful disciple who now leads the Misty Cloud Sect. Master and disciple serving one husband together… now that would be a tale for the ages." Liu Cang's eyes glinted with wicked desire. For someone of his status, ordinary women were never in short supply, but women of such elevated standing were another matter entirely.
Both Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran now commanded their own sects with transcendent status, naturally attracting countless covetous gazes toward this master-disciple pair.
"Save your fairy tales for the underworld." A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind them. Black flames burned through space as a man and woman stepped out from a passage of dark fire.
Yun Yun's heart trembled slightly despite herself when she saw the black-robed man appear. She sighed inwardly.
He had come after all.
"Master, are you hurt?" Nalan Yanran clutched the Psychic White Fox as swirling winds carried her instantly to Yun Yun's side.
Though she now served as the Misty Cloud Sect's leader, in Yun Yun's presence she remained that little girl who had once clung to her master and acted spoiled.
"Yanran…" Yun Yun's gaze softened with affection as she gently stroked Nalan Yanran's hair, though her expression turned slightly unnatural when her eyes slid toward Xiao Yan.
The sight of master and disciple standing together was so stunning it seemed to bring spring to the desolate Ancient Wasteland Region. Even Liu Cang was momentarily stupefied, his eyes going glassy as saliva pooled at the corners of his mouth. He completely ignored Xiao Yan's existence.
"Excellent, excellent! Such a beautiful master-disciple pair—I, Liu Cang, am determined to have you both!" His lust-clouded mind and eyes failed to notice that Yaohua Liangjun beside him had gone deathly pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
He had once harbored similar thoughts. In the end, he had been thoroughly defeated. If Hua Jin hadn't been acting Sect Leader at the time, he would have died at the Flower Sect's hands.
Fuck! How do I run into him even here?!
Yaohua Liangjun wanted to curse the heavens. The Ancient Wasteland Region's primordial aura severely suppressed Spiritual Strength, and the region itself was vast beyond measure. How could they possibly bump into each other here of all places?!
Xiao Yan gave Yun Yun a quick glance. After their eyes met, he smiled. "You two haven't seen each other in quite some time. Catch up while I handle these annoying flies."
Yun Yun started to step forward to help, but in the next instant, Xiao Yan erupted with the terrifying aura of a Two-Change Dou Venerate.
"Two-Change Dou Venerate!!"
Liu Cang finally snapped out of his daze when he sensed the overwhelming power surging from Xiao Yan's body. Though he held the title of Profound Sky Sect Deputy Sect Leader, his position relied more on political maneuvering than actual strength. His cultivation had only reached peak Dou Venerate; he hadn't even completed the First Change.
Yaohua Liangjun's effeminate features turned deathly white, his expression so stiff it was almost comical. How long had it been since they last met? How had Xiao Yan already reached Two-Change Dou Venerate?!
Even being unreasonable should have limits!
The whoosh of rising flames filled the air as bone-white fire materialized in Xiao Yan's palm. The moment this pale Heavenly Flame appeared, the temperature across the entire area plummeted.
Heavenly Flame Dou Technique—Ten Thousand Bones Ice Wrath!
The Bone Chilling Flame merged into Xiao Yan's palm. Without hesitation, he slammed his hand against the ground!
Dou Qi roared through his meridians. For an instant, even the surrounding natural energy seemed to freeze. With a deafening crash, frost swept across the earth, through the surrounding space, and over the distant mountain ranges in the blink of an eye. The world itself appeared locked in ice, rendering even spatial tears impossible for escape.
From the ice-covered ground, skeletons carved entirely from solid frost began crawling forth. The dense ice encasing their bones was harder than forged steel. Deep white flames flickered in their hollow eye sockets.
The assault didn't stop at ground level. White phantoms emerged directly from the void, their bodies radiating bone-chilling cold as though the sky itself had been engulfed by these eerie ice spirits.
Hiss hiss hiss!!
The ice phantoms shrieked before diving toward the Profound Sky Sect members.
"What the hell are these things?!"
"Get away!"
Yaohua Liangjun and the others recoiled in horror, each unleashing Dou Techniques to strike at the ice phantoms. One by one, the spirits shattered under their blows. But in the next instant, the shards transformed into icy mist that swiftly re-coalesced, forming phantoms identical to the originals before immediately drilling into the Profound Sky Sect members' bodies.
The moment the frost invaded their systems, everyone felt their Dou Qi freeze solid within them—locked down and unable to circulate, as if their power had been completely sealed!
Not only their Dou Qi, but their blood and flesh froze as well. Their bodies stiffened. The Profound Sky Sect members' faces turned deathly pale as they exhaled clouds of icy vapor, frost creeping slowly across their skin.
Countless ice skeletons seized the opportunity. With crackling sounds, they clamped onto the cultivators' legs. More and more skeletons crawled out from underground, swarming over their bodies as if to drag the Profound Sky Sect members down into the underworld itself. The scene was nightmarish and utterly horrifying.
"What is this—"
"Help me! Save me!!"
"Quick, take pills and get out of here!"
The Profound Sky Sect's remaining 9-star Dou Venerate elder shouted desperately and immediately swallowed a tier 8 pill. Warm medicinal power flowed through his body, finally easing the bone-deep cold by a small margin.
Xiao Yan flicked his fingers with a slight smile and murmured, "Explode."
The ice skeletons clinging to the Profound Sky Sect members suddenly raised their heads in unison. Deep white flames blazed in their hollow eye sockets as their jawbones began chattering rapidly. The instant Xiao Yan's soft word fell, the bone-white flames detonated.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
Terrifying bone-white flames erupted in a devastating blast, instantly engulfing every Profound Sky Sect member in a sea of pale fire.
When the inferno finally subsided, a massive iceberg dominated the landscape, within which all of the Profound Sky Sect members were frozen solid. Through the crystal-clear ice, their final expressions of raw terror were perfectly preserved.
Meow!
Mao Wu emerged from the void and opened his mouth to swallow the entire iceberg into the Nihility Space.
Xiao Yan had learned from bitter experience. The Angry Buddha Lotus Flame was far too wasteful. He needed techniques that could eliminate enemies while preserving their soul bodies, and the Bone Chilling Flame's Dou Techniques were perfect for this purpose.
This Bone Chilling Flame was Venerable Yao's inherited Heavenly Flame. Though it only ranked eleventh, it had provided invaluable assistance when Xiao Yan was still weak: supplying Heavenly Flame energy to raise the Flame Mantra's level and helping him resist the Gold Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame when he was young.
It had truly been one of Xiao Yan's greatest benefactors along his path.
"The entire Profound Sky Sect team… they're all dead!" Every Flower Sect elder stared in complete shock. Those very people who had been hunting them just moments before, including two peak 9-star Dou Venerates among them, had all been annihilated in a single move!
They hadn't even had the chance to flee!
"Even a Two-Change Dou Venerate shouldn't possess such terrifying power!"
"I heard that half a month ago, Grandmaster Xiao Yan killed Tian He Zi, who had Nine-Change Dou Venerate strength. I thought it was an exaggeration, or that he'd received help. I never imagined…"
Many of these elders had witnessed Yun Yun become Sect Leader and naturally recognized Xiao Yan. The main issue was that a year ago, he had still been a 6-star Dou Venerate. How could he blink and suddenly reach Two-Change?!
No one would believe someone could advance five full ranks in a single year!
Of course, while others counted a year, for Xiao Yan it had already been nearly four.
Such overwhelming strength naturally inspired fear. To the Flower Sect elders, Xiao Yan now resembled a demon summoning spirits from the underworld, filling them with a chilling sense of dread.
In Yun Yun's eyes, however, Xiao Yan wasn't frightening at all. He simply enjoyed putting on a show.
Xiao Yan turned back to see both Nalan Yanran and Yun Yun rolling their eyes at his display, as if to say, 'Alright, we get it—you're amazing.'
"Hehe, seems I cut your reunion a bit short." Xiao Yan chuckled, then produced several medicinal pills and handed them to the injured Flower Sect elders. His skill at winning hearts and minds was truly well-practiced.
Yun Yun sighed inwardly as she glanced down at Nalan Yanran, then back at Xiao Yan. She had deliberately tried to avoid him, yet in the end, avoidance had proven impossible.
Only after Xiao Yan had instantly dealt with those foolish Profound Sky Sect cultivators did Cai Lin and the others walk over from the distance.
For such trash, Xiao Yan alone was more than enough.
Cai Lin couldn't help shooting Xiao Yan a cold look when she saw Yun Yun. Back when this man had founded the Yan Alliance and tried to rope in her Snake-People Tribe, she had already seen the little schemes turning in his heart.
Still, she said nothing. With their souls linked, she naturally knew about Xiao Yan's experiences with Yun Yun in the Magic Beast Mountain Range—the ripples and warmth that had nearly unfolded inside that cave. For a sixteen-year-old boy, how could such moments ever be forgotten?
If she were in Xiao Yan's place, she wouldn't be able to forget either.
Yun Yun noticed Cai Lin's arrival and merely nodded politely from a distance. Though both women were among the four founding leaders of the Yan Alliance, each possessed her own pride and naturally would not take the initiative to offer a warm face to a cold backside.
For a moment, the atmosphere turned strangely silent and awkward.
Hai Bodong and Venerable Tian Huo exchanged meaningful glances, communicating via Spiritual Strength while struggling to keep straight faces.
"What happens if that Gu Clan girl shows up next?"
"Then we'll have the complete set."
"Hahahaha, Xiao-Yan-Zi, oh Xiao-Yan-Zi, this Shura Field is far more challenging than cultivation!"
These two old fellows had weathered far more storms than Xiao Yan had years to his name. They had long understood that someone with his exceptional talent and warm-hearted nature would inevitably find himself entangled in endless romantic complications.
The palpable tension in the air made Xiao Yan break into a cold sweat. Inwardly, he was crying out for help!
His desperate gaze turned to Little Fairy Doctor, but she merely gave him a sideways look before deliberately turning her head away, offering no assistance whatsoever. Xiao Yan had never imagined that even the usually gentle and kind Little Fairy Doctor would abandon him at such a critical moment!
Fortunately, someone finally stepped in to 'rescue' him.
The Flower Sect's 9-star Dou Venerate elder, having benefited from his medicinal pills, naturally felt obliged to give Xiao Yan some face. She smiled warmly and said, "Ahem… Hehe, many thanks to Grandmaster Xiao Yan for your timely rescue. Without your intervention, we truly wouldn't have known how to escape this predicament."
Xiao Yan immediately grasped the offered lifeline!
"Hehe, Elder, you're far too polite. The Flower Sect and Yan Alliance maintain close cooperative ties. Mutual assistance is only natural. Moreover, although Yun Yun no longer serves as the Misty Cloud Sect's leader, she remains an old friend who once showed me great kindness. How could I possibly stand by and do nothing? That would make me ungrateful and disloyal."
His words were absolutely flawless, instantly dissipating the awkward atmosphere.
If anyone thought his actions inappropriate, wouldn't they, in effect, be accusing him of ingratitude?!
"May I ask, Elder, how long has your group been in the Ancient Wasteland Region?"
"Nearly five days now, but without a definitive route, our progress has been quite slow. Along the way, we attracted a pack of extremely powerful ferocious beasts, and then the Profound Sky Sect launched their treacherous ambush, which led to Elder Qing Hua's tragic death. Sigh." The elder's voice carried undisguised sorrow.