Break Off the Engagement

In the Jia Ma Empire, countless giant trees towered over the Magical Beast Forest, reaching straight into the clouds. Clusters of bushes could be seen everywhere, swaying from time to time as if Magical Beasts were lurking in the darkness, ready to launch a sudden attack and catch people off guard.

A month passed, and Huo Xuan and the other two had already arrived near the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range contained a fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map. It was a contingency left behind by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint to deal with the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. Once all four fragments of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map were gathered, they could summon the remnant soul left behind by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint.

Huo Xuan still needed to rely on the remnant soul left behind by the Purifying Lotus Demon Saint to erase the intelligence of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame. That way, the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame would be easier for Huo Xuan to refine.

In the original story, Little Fairy Doctor discovered that Mountain Cave while gathering herbs on the outskirts of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. After spending several days, Huo Xuan finally found it through his powerful soul perception.

Walking through the quiet, dark Mountain Cave, a faint chill lingered around him. In the silent passage, only the soft sound of his own footsteps could be heard.

After entering the Mountain Cave, Huo Xuan arrived in a Stone Chamber. The Stone Chamber looked rather plain and spacious. Moonstones used for illumination were embedded in the walls. In the center stood a seat, and a skeleton sat upon it. Its sunken skull had fallen against its ghastly white thigh bone. In the quiet atmosphere, the sight looked rather eerie.

In front of the seat stood a fairly wide and long Stone Platform. Three locked stone boxes were arranged neatly on it. In addition, quite a few glittering gold coins and other precious treasures had been piled in three corners of the Stone Chamber. There were probably no fewer than several hundred thousand gold coins.

In the final corner, a small flower bed had been built out of soil. All kinds of flowers and plants grew within it, giving off a strange fragrance.

Huo Xuan walked up to the skeleton and placed the fragment of the Purifying Lotus Demon Flame map hidden in its bony arm into his Storage Ring. He then opened the three stone boxes.

The stone boxes contained a High-Level Xuan Rank Dou Technique, Mad Lion's Roar; a Flight Fighting Skill, Eagle Wings; and a Seven-Colored Poison Scripture that recorded how to prepare poisons.

Huo Xuan tossed Mad Lion's Roar, Eagle Wings, the gold coins, and several high-grade medicinal herbs into his Storage Ring. He naturally did not care for these things, but he would be staying at the Xiao Family for some time, so they could serve as his lodging fee.

As for the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, he did not use poison, so keeping it would be useless. After thinking it over, Huo Xuan directly destroyed the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

Now, it was time to go to the Xiao Family...

Xiao Yan, we are about to meet. Don't disappoint me...

Huo Xuan had decided long ago how he would deal with Xiao Yan. He had no intention of leaving Xiao Yan alive, but killing him so early would be rather dull.

In his previous life, when Huo Xuan first read Doupo Continent, he had admired Xiao Yan, the protagonist. But after growing up and reading it again carefully, he realized that Xiao Yan was nothing but scum.

That fellow was a transmigrator. Adding together his previous and current lives, he was at least in his thirties. Yet this man in his thirties had snuck into Xun Er's room in the middle of the night, secretly molested her under the pretext of nurturing her Meridians. Most laughably, Xun Er had fallen in love with him because of it.

Xiao Yan had even spied on Xiao Yu while she was bathing. An adult spying on a little girl while she bathed—Huo Xuan despised him from the bottom of his heart for doing such a thing.

When Medusa was pregnant, he was nowhere to be found. When she gave birth, he was nowhere to be found either. Medusa silently gave birth to Xiao Yan's child alone, and at that time, Xiao Yan had not even given her a proper status. Huo Xuan had even wondered whether Xiao Yan would have married her if Medusa had not given birth to his child.

Moreover, Xiao Yan especially liked flirting ambiguously with other beautiful women without accepting any of them. That was another reason Huo Xuan hated him. If he was not going to accept them, why flirt with them? Xiao Yan's actions caused many women to remain alone for the rest of their lives. Huo Xuan summed it up in one sentence: When beauties from Doupo Continent met Xiao Yan, one encounter with him ruined them for life.

Now that he had come to this world, he would first experience what it felt like to torment Xiao Yan. Afterward, it would not be too late to kill him.

Huo Xuan gazed silently in the direction of Wutan City and thought, "With me in this life, Xiao Yan, prepare yourself to endure a tragic second half of your life."

After leaving the Magical Beast Mountain Range, Huo Xuan and the other two arrived in Wutan City. The city could not be called especially desolate, but it was far from prosperous.

"The once-arrogant Xiao Clan has actually fallen to the point of surviving in a tiny place like this." Yan Ya looked at the surroundings of Wutan City. Compared with the Central Plains, they were worlds apart.

"The Xiao Clan has become a thing of the past forever. Yan Ya, remember that you are a member of the Flame Clan. Instead of reminiscing about the Xiao Clan's former glory, you might as well devote that energy to the Flame Clan."

"Your subordinate understands. The Young Clan Leader is right."

At that moment, the Xiao Family of Wutan City was putting on a grand show to break off an engagement.

"Miss Nalan, for the sake of Old Master Nalan, let me offer you a few words of advice. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—never bully the poor youth!" Xiao Yan's sonorous, cold words made Nalan Yanran's delicate body tremble slightly.

"Good! What a fine line—never bully the poor youth! My son, Xiao Zhan, is truly extraordinary!" From the seat of honor, Xiao Zhan's eyes lit up. He slammed both palms onto the table, splashing tea everywhere.

After saying that, he ignored Nalan Yanran's icy face, abruptly turned around, strode to the table, and began writing furiously.

The ink fell, and the brush stopped!

Xiao Yan pulled the dagger from the table with his right hand. The sharp blade suddenly slashed a bloody cut across his left palm. His bloodstained hand left a glaring crimson mark on the white paper.

Gently picking up the contract, Xiao Yan let out a cold laugh. As he passed in front of Nalan Yanran, he slammed the contract heavily onto the table.

"Don't think that I, Xiao Yan, care much about you, this so-called genius wife. This contract is not an agreement to break off the engagement. It is a letter of repudiation declaring that I, the Young Master, am expelling you from the Xiao Family! From this day onward, you, Nalan Yanran, have no connection whatsoever with my Xiao Family!"

"Hahaha! What a wonderfully entertaining show!" A sudden burst of laughter made everyone in the hall turn toward the sound. A young man walked in from outside.

The youth wore a black robe and had an exceptionally handsome appearance. His pair of deep, pitch-black eyes occasionally flashed with brilliance. A burning flame mark sat on his forehead, looking almost like a real flame and giving off a scorching sensation.

"Who are you?" Nalan Yanran asked.

"You don't need to know who I am. I was entrusted by your master to help you break off this engagement." Huo Xuan spoke with an indifferent expression.

"You know... my master?" Nalan Yanran asked suspiciously.

Who was her master? She was Yun Yun, the Sect Master of the Yun Lan Sect, a woman of exalted status. Huo Xuan was merely a suspicious stranger whose origins were unknown. Nalan Yanran could never connect her master with such a person.

"Do you think I have any reason to lie to you?"

Hearing this, Nalan Yanran fell silent. She still retained some doubt about Huo Xuan's words, but since he claimed to have come to help her, she would see what he was capable of.

Huo Xuan slowly turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan. "You just said that your marriage was arranged by your elders, and that without the elders speaking, no one had the right to dissolve it. Otherwise, it would be blasphemy against the deceased elders. That's what you said, right?"

Xiao Yan looked at the youth before him in confusion, but still nodded lightly.

"Good. Since that is the case, I would like to ask you something. If no one has the right to dissolve the engagement without the elders speaking, then what does that letter of repudiation mean? Are you personally trying to blaspheme the deceased elders of your Xiao Family?"

Huo Xuan's words suddenly turned sharp. His cold gaze swept across the faces of the Xiao Family's elders. Everyone's expression began to twitch uncontrollably.

Huo Xuan looked toward Nalan Yanran and said, "Miss Yan Ran, everyone has told you since childhood that Xiao Yan would be your future husband. But before this, had you ever even met him? What did he look like? How tall was he? How much did he weigh? What hobbies did he have? What sort of temperament did he possess? Do you know?"

Nalan Yanran shook her head and said, "I had never seen him before. I knew nothing about him."

"Just because of a promise made by the elders, you are supposed to marry someone you do not even know and spend the rest of your life with him. Isn't that absurd?"

Huo Xuan continued speaking to Nalan Yanran, "Miss Yan Ran, you just said that you knew nothing about Xiao Yan. I know everything about him. Would you like to hear it?"

"Oh? Let's hear it." Huo Xuan's words aroused Nalan Yanran's intense interest.

"Xiao Yan has been lecherous since childhood. He once spied on his female cousin while she was bathing and even molested her. As a result, she hunted him for half a year, and the incident became known throughout Wutan City."

"Xiao Yan, I never imagined you were such a lecher. Sect Master Xiao, I, Nalan Yanran, will definitely break off this engagement today!" After hearing Huo Xuan's words, Nalan Yanran's expression changed as she spoke to Xiao Zhan.

At that moment, the Xiao Family's youths looked toward Xiao Yan, who stood in the center like the focus of attention, their eyes filled with obvious mockery and contempt.

Xiao Yan, the center of everyone's attention, listened to the disdainful laughter and pointing voices coming from all around him. Those sounds stabbed into his heart like countless sharp thorns, making his breathing quicken slightly.

Seeing this, Ge Ye also shouted coldly at Xiao Yan without the slightest courtesy, "Today, you must break off this engagement. How could the Young Sect Master of my Yun Lan Sect marry a man of such corrupt character?"

"Xiao Yan, be obedient and break off the engagement. You're only a good-for-nothing now, so obediently break it off." Huo Xuan deliberately emphasized the words "good-for-nothing."

"I... really want to kill you!" Xiao Yan glared coldly at Huo Xuan. His fists clenched tightly, and furious flames burned in his dark eyes. As his teeth trembled, words brimming with killing intent slipped out.

His anger caused Xiao Yan to lose his reason for once, and he actually revealed killing intent toward Huo Xuan.

"Bang!"

Huo Xuan struck out with one palm, hitting Xiao Yan in the chest.

"Pfft!"

A large mouthful of blood sprayed out, and Xiao Yan's body fell to the ground.

"I hate people threatening me to my face. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill you? You truly don't know how to appreciate kindness! You want to kill me? Do you have the ability?"

"Brother Xiao Yan!" Seeing Xiao Yan sent flying, Gu Xun'er, who had been sitting in a chair, immediately turned pale with fright. She had never imagined that this mysterious stranger would actually attack Xiao Yan.

Gu Xun'er quickly pulled Xiao Yan into her arms. When she realized that he was still breathing, she let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly took some healing pills from her Storage Ring and fed them to Xiao Yan.

"Fool!" From the seat of honor, Xiao Zhan roared furiously. Pale green Dou Qi gradually covered his body, finally gathering faintly around his face into the illusory head of a lion, as if he had been possessed by a mad lion.

"Clan Leader Xiao, your son spoke rudely. I merely taught him a lesson. If you want to avenge your son, then feel free to make your move."

After saying this, Huo Xuan's figure became as elusive as a ghost. He instantly appeared before Xiao Zhan, then grabbed Xiao Zhan by the throat with one hand. Before Xiao Zhan could react, Huo Xuan casually threw him into the wall nearby.

"Boom!"

Xiao Zhan slammed heavily into the wall. Several cracks immediately spread slowly outward from the point of impact. Blood spurted from his mouth, and he collapsed to the ground, his life or death unknown.

"The Clan Leader was actually defeated! This fellow is far too powerful!"

"That good-for-nothing Xiao Yan has brought a huge disaster upon the Xiao Family this time!"

"Exactly. That good-for-nothing Xiao Yan is really good at causing trouble!"

"That's right! It's one thing if he wants to die, but why does he have to drag us down with him?"

All kinds of mockery and curses aimed at Xiao Yan immediately rang out through the hall.

At this moment, an old man came before Huo Xuan and said pleadingly, "Young Master, I am the Great Elder of the Xiao Family. This matter was indeed our Xiao Family's fault. We agree to break off the engagement. We humbly ask that you spare the Xiao Family."

Huo Xuan ignored the Great Elder. He glanced at Xiao Yan, who was still unconscious, and said, "I know Xiao Yan will definitely refuse to accept this, so I propose that Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran enter into a Three-Year Agreement. Three years from now, Xiao Yan will go to the Yun Lan Sect and challenge Nalan Yanran. If Xiao Yan loses, he will accept the engagement being broken off. If Nalan Yanran loses, she will apologize to Xiao Yan and make amends. How about it?"

"I have no objections. Three years from now, I will wait for him at the Yun Lan Sect." Nalan Yanran spoke indifferently.

Huo Xuan then said to the Great Elder, "Please tell Xiao Yan after he wakes up to come to the Yun Lan Sect in three years and challenge Nalan Yanran."