The Three-Year Agreement Ends

Xiao Yan's simple, indifferent words drifted slowly across the vast square, causing the tense atmosphere permeating it to stir and waver slightly.

Hmph, the Xiao Family? The Xiao Family has long since ceased to exist. You probably don't know that yet, but don't worry—I'll soon send you to join them, Huo Xuan thought darkly as he stared at Xiao Yan.

"A Great Dou Shi? From the third stage of Dou Qi to Great Dou Shi in only three years—Xiao Yan's talent is actually this terrifying?" Huo Zhi was somewhat astonished after seeing through Xiao Yan's strength.

If given enough time, this Xiao Yan would definitely become a second Xiao Xuan within the Xiao Clan. That must be why Brother Huo Xuan wanted to kill him!

"Nalan Family, Nalan Yanran!"

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

Xiao Yan slowly gripped the hilt of the ruler, then abruptly drew it. The Mystic Heavy Ruler brought with it a gust of oppressive wind as it pointed diagonally at the ground. The fierce wind from its body swept up the dust on the floor, while Dou Qi coiled around Xiao Yan's body. He stared at Nalan Yanran. "Today, let us settle our past gratitude and grudges. The humiliation you brought upon my Xiao Family back then—today... please repay it..."

Nalan Yanran extended her jade-like hand. The emerald-green Storage Ring on her finger flashed, and a slender pale-green longsword appeared. The blade slanted beneath the sunlight, reflecting a chilling gleam.

Xiao Yan's grip around the ruler hilt tightened further and further. A moment later, he suddenly stepped forward. Several cracks spread from beneath his foot across the hard bluestone tiles.

Nalan Yanran tightly held her longsword. Small pale-green whirlwinds swirled around the blade, and within them, sharp wind blades stretched and flickered. Occasionally, they shot out and left shallow marks upon the hard bluestone tiles. The sword gradually rose, pointing from afar at Xiao Yan. Beneath the sunlight, its sharp edge glinted with an icy radiance.

As Dou Qi surged from the bodies of both combatants, the atmosphere across the vast square instantly solidified. Silence once more descended upon the surroundings, and every gaze focused on the two of them. Many wanted to know just how far that worthless youth from back then had come after three years of training.

In the square, Xiao Yan tightly gripped the ruler hilt, feeling its unceasing weight. He raised his eyes and gazed at the woman opposite him. Their eyes met in midair, and both their gazes were somewhat complicated.

Under the watchful eyes of countless spectators, Xiao Yan was the first to break the stalemate. He swung his heavy ruler, and his body abruptly transformed into a black shadow that charged fiercely toward Nalan Yanran.

"Fight, Nalan Yanran! It has been three years!" As the black shadow rushed forward, a low roar suppressed for three years could no longer be held back and burst from his throat.

Before everyone's eyes in the square, the black shadow was like an enraged Magical Beast. The Mystic Heavy Ruler, skimming close to the ground, carved a long trail of sparks and deep marks into the bluestone along its path.

Nalan Yanran watched the black shadow charging directly toward her. Just as Xiao Yan was about to enter within ten meters of her, she finally moved. Her toes lightly touched the ground, and her body drifted and flickered like a fallen leaf in a violent wind. In an instant, she crossed paths with the black figure rushing at her.

At the moment they crossed, Nalan Yanran's longsword naturally swept sideways. Borrowing the momentum of her movement technique, several tiny wind blades had already shot from the sword first, slicing toward Xiao Yan's neck.

His rapidly charging figure suddenly halted. The massive black ruler lifted slightly, and amid a series of clinks and tiny sparks, those wind blades completely dispersed without even managing to hinder Xiao Yan in the slightest.

After blocking the wind blades, Xiao Yan slightly raised his eyes. His indifferent gaze swept toward the graceful figure passing by him, and he swung his arm. The Mystic Heavy Ruler carried a fierce force as it smashed horizontally behind him. The oppressive force pressed Nalan Yanran's dress tightly against her skin, outlining her slender willow-like waist.

Sensing the whistling oppressive force behind her, Nalan Yanran's delicate brows lifted slightly, seemingly surprised by her opponent's sharp perception. The longsword in her hand stabbed out violently, leaving a green arc in the empty air. Its sharp tip seemed to pierce through the resistance of the air, and with a crisp clang, it struck directly against the heavy ruler sweeping toward her. As the two collided, the powerful force contained within the huge ruler bent the slender longsword into an alarmingly extreme arc, revealing just how terrifying the force within that black heavy ruler was.

Yet although the longsword bent into such a perilous curve, it never snapped. Just as the sword tip was about to touch Nalan Yanran's jade-like arm, she lightly stamped the ground. Green light suddenly surged from the sword, and the abruptly increased force sent the heavy ruler flying away with a boom. Borrowing the rebound from their collision, Nalan Yanran soared into the air. Her pretty face was solemn as the longsword in her hand suddenly trembled at high speed, then slowly began to move. Each time the sword moved even slightly, it left behind a sword-shaped afterimage that seemed almost solid.

The heavy ruler plunged into the ground. Xiao Yan raised his head and narrowed his eyes at the several energy afterimages gradually appearing in the air as Nalan Yanran's longsword moved. Relying on his outstanding perception, he could sense the powerful force contained within those afterimages.

Xiao Yan tightly gripped the hilt of the Mystic Heavy Ruler. His foot slowly turned half a circle upon the ground before stamping down heavily. An explosive burst of energy rang out beneath his foot, drawing the attention of the entire square.

With that explosion, Xiao Yan borrowed the rebound from the energy blast and shot fiercely toward Nalan Yanran in midair. Dou Qi surged violently, while strands of earth-yellow flame strangely wound around the Mystic Heavy Ruler.

Glancing at Xiao Yan shooting up from below, Nalan Yanran frowned slightly, but the movement of her longsword did not stop. She lightly stepped upon empty air, and pale-green Dou Qi erupted from beneath her feet. In an instant, it formed a vast number of sharp wind blades that slashed fiercely toward Xiao Yan.

Feeling the sound of wind blades tearing through the air above him, Xiao Yan raised his hand. After a brief pause, an overwhelming pushing force burst from his palm. Before the countless wind blades could reach him, they were blown apart by that force and dispersed with a boom.

"Wind Spirit Dividing Form Sword!"

As her cry fell, Nalan Yanran's longsword abruptly pointed toward Xiao Yan below. Her toes lightly tapped the air, and a faint breeze appeared beneath her feet. Borrowing the breeze, Nalan Yanran rapidly retreated, while the five illusory energy swords left behind in midair trembled slightly before shooting down at Xiao Yan one after another.

The energy swords tore through the void as though ripping open space itself. Pale-green arcs of energy split from their tips, and the five sword forms followed one another like a meteor descending from the sky.

Xiao Yan frowned slightly and casually struck out a burst of force from his palm. Borrowing its pushing force, his body rapidly retreated. The five energy swords grazed past his body, and their sharp gusts caused a stinging pain across his skin.

Since I can't dodge, then I'll take it head-on... As the thought fell, Xiao Yan's Dou Qi abruptly surged. The enormous energy released so suddenly left countless people below staring in shock.

Earth-yellow flames flared up. The heavy ruler swung, carrying a powerful force, and before the astonished eyes below, it smashed fiercely against the energy swords.

"Boom!"

As the two collided, a violent explosion of energy resounded in the air. The flourishing green light forced some people to close their eyes.

The green light in the sky gradually faded. A black figure suddenly shot toward Nalan Yanran, who stood on the ground, and the intense oppressive wind made people's eardrums ache.

Nalan Yanran glanced at the black shadow charging toward her with unstoppable momentum. Just as she was about to launch an attack, a chill suddenly rose across her skin. She sharply turned her head, only to find a black shadow appearing behind her like a ghost.

The black shadow raised his head, revealing Xiao Yan's indifferent face. At this moment, both his hands were clenched into fists, while the enormous black Mystic Heavy Ruler had disappeared. Borrowing the force of his half-turning body, his fist carried a terrifying gust of wind as it smashed fiercely toward Nalan Yanran's back. The punch actually produced a piercing sonic boom, demonstrating just how powerful this attack was.

"Eight Extremes Collapse!"

A low roar sounded within his heart, and the force contained within his fist surged once more. Before the horrified eyes of the surrounding Yun Lan Sect disciples, it struck solidly against Nalan Yanran's back.

The terrifying gust of force directly sent Nalan Yanran's delicate body flying into the air like a kite with its string cut, like a fragile flower swept away by a violent wind.

A vicious glint flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes. With a flick of his left hand, he summoned a wisp of earth-yellow flame. The moment it appeared, the surrounding temperature instantly rose to a terrifying level. Then Xiao Yan flipped his right hand, and a wisp of eerie white flame floated above his palm.

"Two Heavenly Flames?"

"Heavens, Xiao Yan actually possesses two Heavenly Flames!"

The people in the guest seats stared dumbfoundedly at Xiao Yan in the air.

"Two Heavenly Flames?" Huo Xuan sneered upon hearing that. That wisp of earth-yellow flame was naturally the Wind Fury Dragon Flame, ranked eighteenth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking. As for that eerie white flame, Huo Xuan knew very well that it was no Heavenly Flame at all. It was merely a Child Flame of the Bone Chilling Flame.

Xiao Yan held both hands level, then slowly brought them together. As though sensing their imminent collision, the two flames suddenly began to fluctuate violently. The flames leaped madly, and their scorching temperature rapidly rose.

Under Xiao Yan's practiced control, the two flames intertwined and fused together. After a while, they condensed into a yellow-and-white fire lotus.

"Fusing Heavenly Flames? He actually knows how to use Brother Huo Xuan's Dou Technique?" Seeing this, Huo Zhi could not help crying out in shock. She had personally witnessed the power of fused Heavenly Flames. Back then, Huo Xuan had nearly killed Lei Dong with this move. Although the Heavenly Flames in Xiao Yan's hands ranked lower, and one of them was not truly a Heavenly Flame at all, the power of their fusion would certainly not be weak.

Nor was Nalan Yanran willing to be outdone. Beneath the blazing sun, the woman untied her hair ribbon, and her dark hair cascaded down. Combined with her ethereal and agile aura, the moving sight made the hearts of countless people already infatuated with her beat even faster.

In the arena, as her dark hair spilled down, Nalan Yanran slowly closed her eyes. A moment later, she suddenly opened them. Her full head of dark hair began to move without wind, fluttering wildly, and as it danced, her body began to float upward without relying on any rebounding force or the aid of wings.

As Nalan Yanran slowly rose into the air, the energy around her body erupted like boiling water. Rings of tangible pale-green ripples continuously spread from within her.

Her longsword slowly lifted, finally pointing diagonally at Xiao Yan on the plaza below. At a certain moment, the sword trembled slightly, and the sunlight in the sky suddenly gathered toward its blade. In merely an instant, the sword's radiance surged, its blinding brilliance like a second sun in the heavens.

Xiao Yan took a deep breath. After a moment of silence, he suddenly flicked the fire lotus with his finger and murmured softly, "Go, Buddha's Angry Fire Lotus!"

"Wind's Extremity. Sunset Radiance!"

As her sharp cry fell, the terrifying energy fluctuations finally erupted. A fierce sword aura descended from the sky and collided with the Buddha's Angry Fire Lotus.

The instant the two energies met, a powerful shockwave shook the entire Yun Lan Sect. Immediately afterward, an incomparably violent gale swept wildly through the surroundings, centered on the point of explosion in the air. In an instant, the earth trembled and the mountains shook.

When everything finally calmed, the Yun Lan Sect plaza below, once paved with bluestone slabs, had ceased to exist.

There was no surprise in Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran's Three-Year Agreement—Nalan Yanran had lost!