Three-Year Pact

Chapter 28

The vast plaza was silent, and time slipped quietly by amid the stillness.

High in the sky, the enormous sun slowly climbed to its peak, warm sunlight pouring down and spreading across the entire mountaintop.

At a certain moment, a series of footsteps suddenly sounded softly from beneath the bluestone steps outside the plaza, causing the unified atmosphere within the plaza to shift ever so slightly.

All the Misty Cloud Sect disciples in the arena opened their eyes, their gazes fixed on the bluestone steps. Those footsteps were coming from there.

Nalan Yanran gradually opened her bright eyes atop the stone platform as well, her gaze settling on that spot. For some reason, her heart, which had been calm until then, suddenly beat erratically a few times.

The footsteps drew nearer and louder, until even the dozen or so white-robed old men on the stone platform opened their eyes and looked toward the same place.

Far up in the sky, sunlight suddenly shone down through the cover of drifting clouds, landing precisely at the final step of the stone staircase.

There, a group of four figures finally slowly appeared before countless gazes.

An old man in a Green Robe stood at the front. He was tall and straight, over six feet in height.

Behind him was a slightly shorter young man in black robes, carrying an enormous black ruler on his back.

Behind them were two women. One was a woman in her twenties, dressed in a green skirt with a thin veil over her face. The other was a young girl. Though she was frightened by the thousands of eyes fixed upon them, she forced herself to remain calm, her little face filled with determination.

Under the watchful eyes of nearly a thousand people in the plaza, the black-robed young man carrying the enormous ruler lifted his foot and climbed the final step.

The young man swept his gaze across the vast plaza without joy or sorrow before finally stopping on the beautiful woman atop the stone platform, who was likewise looking at him with bright eyes.

He lifted his foot, then set it down. He took three such steps forward, and only his low footsteps echoed through the silent plaza.

After the third step, the young man raised his head, stared at the woman, and spoke calmly.

"Xiao Family, Xiao Yan!"

Countless Misty Cloud Sect disciples looked toward the black-robed young man on the steps, each with different emotions in their eyes.

They were no strangers to this young man named Xiao Yan. His relationship with Nalan Yanran had made him a frequent topic of conversation among many Misty Cloud Sect disciples.

Of course, whenever his name was mentioned, most people spoke of him with faint disdain and mockery.

A descendant of a minor clan wanting to marry Nalan Yanran, whose status in the Misty Cloud Sect was as noble as a princess's, was nothing short of overestimating himself in their eyes. Especially after the Three-Year Pact spread throughout the sect, those mocking voices had grown even louder.

"Nalan Family, Nalan Yanran..."

Nalan Yanran slowly rose to her feet, her delicate figure standing tall like a proud snow lotus. Her bright eyes were fixed on Xiao Yan, and her voice was as calm as his.

The leaders of the various factions watching from the sidelines began whispering among themselves at the sight.

Where the three Dou Emperors were seated, Hai Bodong lightly rubbed his palms together, seemingly lost in thought, while Jia Xing Tian and Fa Ma spoke softly beside him.

"You are Xiao Yan of the Xiao Family?" The white-robed old man seated in the center raised his eyes toward Xiao Yan and spoke slowly after a long while.

"I am the Misty Cloud Sect's First Elder, Yun Leng." Before Xiao Yan could respond, the old man continued on his own.

"The sect leader has yet to return today, so I will preside over this Three-Year Pact. This match is meant for sparring, so stop at the point..."

"Life and death shall be left to fate." A soft voice suddenly rang out, cutting Yun Leng off.

Thoughts flickered through Nalan Yanran's dark eyes, but in the end, she spoke softly. "As you wish."

Hearing that answer, Yun Leng frowned slightly. Still, he trusted Nalan Yanran and said,

"Young man, leave room for mercy in all things. But since you insist on such terms, then so be it. Life and death shall be left to fate."

A faint curve rose at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth. Leave room for mercy? Back then, Nalan Yanran had not thought that way. She had driven things to such extremes. If Old Master Xiao had not awakened, the Xiao Family would have...

"Go. See what this so-called Misty Cloud Sect genius is really made of."

After saying this to Xiao Yan, Xiao Lin directly led Lü Man and Qing Lin to one side of the plaza, facing the Misty Cloud Sect members.

"That should be Xiao Lin, Old Master Xiao of the Xiao Family. He and Nalan Jie were sworn brothers back then. He vanished fifteen years ago, and rumors said he had died. Who would have thought he was still alive..."

"The Xiao Family and the Nalan Family were once joined by marriage, but now they have completely fallen out. Nalan Jie is suffering from poison and is barely alive, while the man who was supposed to be dead is walking around full of life. How interesting."

Seeing the three of them, the spectators found it amusing, though they were also suspicious. Despite being leaders of major factions, they could not see through the cultivation levels of those three.

Even among the three Dou Emperors, Fa Ma and Jia Xing Tian repeatedly showed surprise. Jia Xing Tian in particular was the Old Ancestor of the Jia Ma Imperial Family and had lived for so long that his eyesight was naturally sharp.

"I can't even see through Xiao Lin's strength. And that woman behind him... I keep feeling that she seems vaguely familiar..."

Still, those people were only mildly surprised by Xiao Lin's appearance. In the end, they turned their attention back to the plaza.

Because today's protagonists were Nalan Yanran, the young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect and heir to the Nalan Family, one of the Jia Ma Empire's Three Great Clans.

And Xiao Yan, the former useless young master of the Xiao Family from Wutan City on the border of the Jia Ma Empire.

Three years of cultivation, that kneel in the Xiao Family hall, the tempering of the Green Lotus Core Flame—everything had borne fruit and created the Xiao Yan of today.

Facing Nalan Yanran, the lofty young sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, Xiao Yan flipped his right hand and gripped the handle of the enormous black ruler. Powerful Dou Qi burst forth without restraint. There was no need for restraint!

Xiao Yan raised the Black Heavy Ruler, and his body suddenly turned into a Dark Shadow as he charged fiercely at Nalan Yanran.

The Black Heavy Ruler skimmed close to the ground, carving a long trail of sparks and deep marks into the bluestone along its path.

Nalan Yanran calmly watched the Dark Shadow rushing straight at her. Her cultivation technique belonged to the Wind Attribute, so speed and nimble movement techniques were what she excelled at most.

When that figure reached her, Nalan Yanran lightly tapped the ground with her toes, her body crossing past Xiao Yan. At the same time, she slashed with the longsword in her hand. Amid the surging sword aura, several tiny Wind Blades shot out first, slicing toward Xiao Yan's neck.

Clang! Clang!

Several crisp sounds rang from the enormous black Black Heavy Ruler as Xiao Yan directly raised it and swung, knocking away and blocking those tiny Wind Blades.

Nalan Yanran's beautiful eyes remained calm. If Xiao Yan could not even block this, it would be utterly laughable for him to dare stand before her.

Nalan Yanran flicked the longsword in her hand, drawing a perfect sword flower as Dou Qi emerged and flowed along the blade.

Wind Spirit Fractal Sword!

The Mysterious Tier Mid-grade Dou Technique was wielded by Nalan Yanran with effortless mastery. With one thrust, five sword blades seemed to appear in a blur, impossible to distinguish as real or fake—or perhaps every one of them was real!

After only one year of cultivation, Nalan Yanran had achieved what other disciples needed years to accomplish. There was no doubt that she was a top-tier genius; otherwise, the Misty Cloud Sect would not have favored her so highly.

When she used this Dou Technique, even the dozen or so white-clothed elders seated at the very top nodded repeatedly, acknowledging Nalan Yanran's skill.

Yet opposite her, Xiao Yan's eyes were deep. Faced with Nalan Yanran's sword at such close range, his heart was like an ancient well, utterly undisturbed.

"Good!"