Leaving the Yun Lan Sect

"Since that is the case, I'll have to trouble the Second Elder to act. Please do not be angry, Second Elder. Continue staying in the Yun Lan Sect." Yun Shan's billowing robes settled, his long hair ceased fluttering, and his entire imposing aura withdrew.

"No need. My principles do not align with those of the Yun Lan Sect. Staying would only add to our troubles. Better to part ways and forget each other in this vast world." Zhang Tian cupped his hands and declined Yun Shan's proposal, then walked out of the Yun Lan Sect's main hall beneath the gazes of the two.

Only Yun Yun and the grim-faced Yun Shan remained, staring at Zhang Tian's departing back.

After returning to his small courtyard, Zhang Tian packed up his things and left behind a bottle of Fifth Rank Void Spirit Root Purple Liquid in his room.

After thinking for a moment, he took out a sheet of paper and began writing on it in bold, sweeping strokes.

"Young Sect Master, I am leaving the Yun Lan Sect. I fear I will not be able to fulfill my promise to teach you. Consider this bottle of Fifth Rank Void Spirit Root Purple Liquid my compensation to you." After finishing, Zhang Tian rolled up the paper. After another moment's thought, he took out a jade box and placed both the medicine bottle and the letter inside.

"The commotion from breaking through to Dou Zong will be too great. I really should leave the Yun Lan Sect." Zhang Tian looked toward the Yun Lan Sect's mountaintop, which had nearly been flattened by half last time, and nodded. That way, he would not ruin the place again when he broke through.

Xiao Yan would break through within the next few days as well, and Zhang Tian intended to return early to protect him.

The Yun Lan Sect's Life and Death Gate could no longer be borrowed, but Zhang Tian had two Heavenly Flames in his possession, plus the one in Yao Lao's hands. He also knew the locations of all sorts of resources and treasures. Did he really believe he could not raise a Xiao Yan?

"Wait." Zhang Tian, who had just been about to leave the room, stopped.

Why did I agree to train Nalan Yanran in the first place? He stroked his chin and thought for a while.

It seems Yun Yun agreed to lend the Life and Death Gate to Xiao Yan, so I agreed, right?

Damn, didn't that mean he had gotten the short end of the stick?

A piece of Symbiotic Amethyst Source, raising Nalan Yanran from a Six Star Dou Zhe to nearly breaking through to Dou Shi, a Fifth Rank pill, and he had even nearly found her an Earth Rank Cultivation Method.

Zhang Tian looked at the jade bottle on the table, his gaze flickering. Should I... take the pill back?

Though it was useless to Zhang Tian and he had no need for it, that old Yao Lao was stingy as hell. The pills he gave out every month were limited. If Zhang Tian wanted one, he had to trade at least three portions of medicinal ingredients for a single pill.

"Huh? A little fellow is coming over." Zhang Tian let out a soft sound as his Soul Power detected a servant disciple hurrying over.

"Damn it, I'm late. I need to clean properly for the Second Elder." The boy looked about fourteen. His clothes were old and covered in patches, yet his face retained a trace of childish innocence and spirit.

At that moment, he was frowning in frustration as he repeatedly wiped the table with a rag, then prepared to take a broom and clean the room.

Damn it, didn't Yun Yun say female disciples had always cleaned my room? That Yun Yun is really shameless. Zhang Tian was somewhat speechless. Yun Yun truly was...

What he did not know was that since Zhang Tian had specifically requested female disciples to clean for him, Yun Yun, being a woman herself, could never possibly send female disciples over.

"Huh? What's this?" While Zhang Tian was feeling vexed, the handsome child seemed to notice the jade box on the table. Opening it, he found a bottle of pills.

He looked around and, seeing no one nearby, actually swallowed it directly.

"Damn!" It was the first time in his life Zhang Tian had seen such a fierce move. A One Star Dou Zhe actually dared to swallow a Fifth Rank pill. The word nearly slipped from his mouth and exposed him.

"This brat is actually fine?" After waiting for a long time without seeing any sign of the child exploding apart, Zhang Tian was puzzled.

"Did that old Yao Lao give me expired pills?" Forget it. Seeing that the child was all right, Zhang Tian could not be bothered to think further. He spread his Dou Qi wings and flew toward the Monster Mountain Range.

After swallowing the pill, the child noticed the note pressed beneath it in the jade box. The moment he opened it and read it, his little face turned deathly pale.

"I'm done for... This was the pill the Second Elder left for Senior Sister Nalan."

In an unseen corner of Yunlan Mountain, Yun Yun stood there in a daze. Today, she wore a bright yellow robe, and her starry eyes fixed unwaveringly on Zhang Tian's departing figure.

Her lotus steps shifted as she paced back and forth, filled with conflict. Only after Zhang Tian's figure had completely disappeared, and a long time had passed, did she stop. Raising her delicate face, she let out a soft breath, like an orchid in the shadows.

"He's gone..."

Yun Shan sat cross-legged beneath a nearby tree, his expression incomparably grim and his heart filled with fury.

"Damn it, damn it, truly damn it! He actually just left like that." Yun Shan watched Zhang Tian's distant figure, rage burning within him. He suppressed his Dou Qi with all his strength so it would not affect the surroundings too greatly, though it still churned around him.

"That ungrateful brat... He reached Nine-Star Dou Huang at such a young age... No, either we keep him, or we eliminate him." A trace of killing intent surfaced in Yun Shan's eyes. Zhang Tian was from the Gama Empire and had now left the Yun Lan Sect. If the Yun Lan Sect wished to conquer the Gama Empire and become its rulers in the future, Zhang Tian would inevitably intervene.

It was like a millionaire trying to acquire a small village, only to find that the world's richest man lived there. Would he dare refuse to yield?

"Forget it. We'll see after taking down the Chuyun Empire." Yun Shan's aura leaked out as he shook his head. His jade-like face revealed neither joy nor anger, while his eyes remained fixed on the foot of Yunlan Mountain.

This would be a good chance to see just how strong Zhang Tian was. The Chuyun Empire was no easy bone to chew.

Although several Dou Emperors there were much younger than Jia Xing Tian, and their cultivation was only around the Three or Four Star Dou Emperor level—

Setting aside those wandering lone experts, the Chuyun Empire alone had four terrifying peak Dou Emperor experts loyal to its imperial family.

"Yun Shan showed killing intent toward me just now? Just because I wanted to leave the Yun Lan Sect?" As Zhang Tian flew through the air, he suddenly felt as though blades were pressing against his back. As his Soul Power grew stronger and stronger, he had begun to vaguely sense certain things.

Though it was still far inferior to Yao Lao's Soul Power, which was like a detection radar, he could barely sense those within a certain range who harbored ill will toward him.

He shook his head. Yun Shan was merely a low-level Dou Zong and did not even qualify to be taken seriously by him. Compared to Yun Shan, the people from Soul Hall lurking in the shadows were far more deserving of his cautious vigilance. Unfortunately, Yun Shan did not realize this.

I hope that old man doesn't seek his own death.

With that thought, Zhang Tian flew even faster, shooting into the thick clouds overhead like a streak of light.

Three days later, in the inner region of the Monster Mountain Range.

Other than Dou King-level magical beasts, there were no other levels of magical beasts in this inner region. The weakest magical beasts here were all third tier, possessing strength equivalent to human Great Dou Shi. In the past, if a beast tide erupted from the Monster Mountain Range, even Wu Tan City might not have been able to withstand it.

Yet now, the place seemed quiet—strangely quiet. Every Dou King-level magical beast possessed intelligence. Upon sensing the presence of a life-threatening danger, they naturally hid in their lairs and did not dare emerge.

"All right, we're ready to begin." Yao Lao withdrew the Soul Power he had sent out. At that moment, his body was solid, his eyes shone brightly, and he seemed full of vigor. It was difficult to imagine that he was a soul body that had already died.

Over the past few days, Xiao Yan had cleared out all the Dou Ling Rank magical beasts here, while the Dou King-level magical beasts had been intimidated by Yao Lao.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Accompanied by gusts of wind, Zhang Tian landed steadily in an open space not far away.

"I nearly came too late. Are we starting?"

Faced with Zhang Tian's eager question, Yao Lao smiled, and there was even a faint trace of pride in that smile.

"Under my guidance, Xiao Yan has improved very well. There will absolutely be no problem with his breakthrough now." Stroking his beard, Yao Lao looked at Xiao Yan, who sat cross-legged nearby, his eyes showing a rare hint of gratification.

Zhang Tian nodded and walked toward Xiao Yan.

Indeed, Yao Lao had been the one teaching Xiao Yan all along. Although he had been thoroughly shown up, Zhang Tian did not care.

Xiao Yan sat cross-legged on the ground, circulating the Flame Mantra and continuously absorbing the surrounding energy at a steady pace.

He wore fitted black clothes, with the Mysterious Heavy Ruler placed across his knees to suppress his Dou Qi. His eyes were tightly shut, and he was completely unaware of Zhang Tian's arrival.

A black cloak lay discarded nearby.

"Why is there a cloak here? Did you two go murder and set fires?" Zhang Tian asked curiously.

Yao Lao rolled his eyes.

"Can't you speak properly? Of course not. We merely went to the auction house to buy something."

"Oh? What could require you to hide your identities to buy it?" Zhang Tian grew even more curious. After all, the Xiao Family now dominated Wu Tan City, and Xiao Yan was at the height of his power.

"A treasure that even Dou Kings would covet." Yao Lao gave a mysterious smile.

"We wore cloaks not because we were doing anything shameful, but because we did not want others to know it had fallen into our hands. After all, safety comes first."

"Once this thing is in our hands, trouble will be unavoidable." Yao Lao added meaningfully.

"What could be so precious that it appeared at the Mittel Auction House?" Though he did not say it outright, Zhang Tian's expression showed a hint of disbelief.

"One-fifth of a Bodhi Heart." Seeing Zhang Tian's dumbfounded look, Yao Lao could not help revealing a trace of disdain. Someone who had never seen the world was someone who had never seen the world, yet he was always angering this old man.

Even if I, Yao, threw the Bodhi Heart away, tossed it outside, jumped off the Monster Mountain Range, and stomped on it twice, I still wouldn't let you see the Bodhi Heart.

What Yao Lao did not know was that Zhang Tian was not dumbfounded because he did not recognize a Bodhi Heart, but because he could not understand how something so precious had appeared at the Mittel Auction House.

"Could it be fake?" Zhang Tian blurted out instinctively.