The vast square of the Yunlan Sect was still shrouded in lingering smoke.
Nalan Jie's face twisted with remorse as his fist slammed hard into a nearby tree trunk. His knuckles bled, yet he barely felt the pain.
"Master Liu must've drawn Queen Medusa away so I wouldn't be caught in their battle...!" he growled through clenched teeth. "Old fool that I am—I've only brought shame upon him!"
Not far away, Yun Yun's expression was equally grim. Liu Xi had been invited by the Yunlan Sect as an honored guest, yet now he was fighting to shield them from disaster. The weight of guilt pressed upon her heart like lead.
She tightened her grip on her sword hilt, biting her silver teeth as her eyes locked coldly on Xiao Yan. There was no longer any room for words.
Raising her pure white sword, Yun Yun slowly took a stance.
A low whistling sound began to echo through the air. Threads of wind gathered around her sword, coiling and spinning until a razor-sharp vortex formed around the blade. The energy it released made even the air shiver—it was sharp enough to cut through heaven itself.
Feeling the suffocating killing intent prickling against his skin, Xiao Yan finally snapped out of his daze. Queen Medusa had flown off to chase Liu Xi, leaving him behind. The chill that coursed through his body was like a bucket of cold water dumped over a burning head—enough to steady his mind a little.
The crimson hue faded slightly from his eyes. Reckless as he was, he wasn't completely stupid. Without Queen Medusa, taking on the Yunlan Sect alone was pure suicide.
He sensed the terrifying energy gathering in Yun Yun's sword and clenched his teeth, crossing the Heavy Xuan Ruler before him. Ghostly white flames wrapped around the ruler, and frost began to spread through the air as the surrounding Dou Qi condensed into a vast frozen domain.
"Wind's Peak—Dazzling Sunset!"
Yun Yun's voice rang out cold and sharp. Her sword shone with blinding light, flooding the heavens with pure white radiance.
Then, in a flash, all that light condensed into a single point—a blade of divine brilliance that pierced the air, streaking straight toward Xiao Yan.
"Flame Splitting Tsunami!"
Xiao Yan roared, swinging his ruler with both hands. A beam of white flame surged out like a tidal wave. Though his heart already wavered with retreat, his eyes remained defiant.
The two forces met.
For an instant, there was silence—then the heavens exploded.
A deafening blast tore through the sky. The collision of their Di Class Dou Techniques, driven by Dou Huang-level strength, unleashed destruction that could rival a Dou Zong's might. Even the space around them cracked like shattered glass.
When the storm of smoke and fire cleared, a weakened sword light pierced through the haze, streaking toward Xiao Yan.
His pupils shrank. He barely managed to lift his Heavy Xuan Ruler in defense before the sword beam struck.
Boom!
The impact hurled him downward. His back smashed into the stone ground, cracking it open as a spray of blood burst from his lips. A long, deep groove stretched across the plaza where he'd skidded to a stop, his back torn and bleeding.
When the energy finally dissipated, Xiao Yan clung to his ruler and forced himself to stand. His face was pale as paper, his breath ragged and shallow. His body was ruined—held upright only by Yao Chen's spiritual power acting as invisible bones to support him.
"Teacher... help me..." he rasped, his voice trembling with exhaustion.
Yao Chen's aged voice sighed faintly in his mind.
"Xiao Yan, let this pain carve itself into your memory. Never act on rage again. Endure—for your aid is about to arrive."
Even as the words echoed, Yun Yun raised her sword again, determined to finish it. Her entire aura condensed into a single point as she prepared to strike.
But before she could act, a hoarse, mocking laugh drifted from the sky above.
"Hahaha... so this is the famed Yunlan Sect? Gathering the strength of your entire sect just to crush a youth not yet twenty? How proud your ancestor Yun Po Tian must be, watching you tarnish the sect's glory so thoroughly."
The air above them shimmered—and from within it, a black-robed figure slowly emerged, laughter rolling across the heavens.
A ripple of shock spread through the Yunlan Sect disciples.
'Another one?!'
Yun Yun's eyes narrowed sharply. The aura emanating from the stranger was no weaker than Queen Medusa's—it was another peak Dou Huang!
Her sword raised slightly, her voice like frost. "Who are you? How dare you insult our Yunlan Sect and its forebears? Speak your purpose—or I swear upon the name of the Yunlan Sect, you'll not leave these mountains alive!"
The black-robed figure chuckled, lifting his head. Beneath the hood was a dark, weathered face twisted into a grin.
"Old man Ling Ying," he said proudly. "And the Yunlan Sect? Hah! Maybe you're worth something here in the Jia Ma Empire, but on the continent at large, you're not even a second-rate power. Frogs at the bottom of a well—what do you know of the heavens above?"
Yun Yun's face turned ice-cold, her chest rising and falling with suppressed fury. To insult her sect's founder was one thing—but to insult the entire sect in front of her disciples?
"So that's your purpose then," she said quietly. "You came here seeking death."
Ling Ying only laughed. His gaze dropped to the bloodied figure of Xiao Yan below and narrowed slightly.
"I was sent to take this kid away," he said with a snort. "And trust me, it's for your own good. If Xiao Yan dies in your Yunlan Sect, the consequences will erase your name from the continent."
Even Yun Yun's graceful demeanor couldn't contain her outrage now. Her chest heaved as she took a deep breath, eyes flashing with killing intent.
"How... shameless can one man be?"
Her sword spun in her hand, gleaming like flowing moonlight. "No more words. The honor of the Yunlan Sect cannot be defiled. Disciples of Yunlan Sect—prepare for battle!"
"Yes!"
A thunderous chorus echoed across the mountains. Elders, deacons, and disciples united in a single cry, their combined Dou Qi surging to the heavens.
---
Meanwhile, several kilometers north of the Yunlan Mountains...
Two streaks of light—one purple, one blue—clashed furiously in the sky.
With the power of the Fallen Heart Flame fueling him, Liu Xi had gained the upper hand. He dodged a lashing serpent tail with ease, his body flickering forward in a blur.
His fist slammed hard into Queen Medusa's abdomen.
Her slender waist twisted impossibly, absorbing some of the blow—but the invisible flames clinging to his strike began to burn her from within.
Her alabaster skin flushed crimson as steam rose from her body. The sound of sizzling filled the air.
She clenched her teeth, eyes wide in shock and anger. "What kind of flame—!"
Her jade hand struck his chest, unleashing a wave of seven-colored poison that corroded even the air.
Liu Xi's body stiffened, but the invisible flames devoured the toxin in an instant.
The serpent queen hissed in frustration, her tail whipping around him and constricting tightly. The air whooshed out of his lungs as he struggled, spinning through the sky in a dizzying whirl.
Snarling, Liu Xi grabbed hold of the tail and twisted with all his might. Power from the Fallen Heart Flame surged through every muscle in his body.
After several crushing rotations, the tail loosened. Seizing the chance, he flung Queen Medusa downward, hurling her like a comet toward the mountains below.
Hovering above, Liu Xi's expression was cold and ruthless. His fingers wove rapidly through a series of intricate seals.
The very heavens began to tremble as energy converged into a glowing sigil pulsing with power.
As he pressed his palms downward, the sigil descended from the sky like a divine decree.
"Radiant Seal!"
The world shook.
(End of Chapter)
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