Protecting Yun Yun

Xiao Yan had just rushed out of the stone cave, his feet stepping onto the scorching yellow sand. Before the residual heat of the Heavenly Flames had even faded, a piercing clash of battle stopped him in his tracks. The clang of colliding weapons, the roar of erupting Dou Qi, mixed with the distinctive hissing roars of the snake people, intertwined in the silent desert night, exploding like thunder among the nearby dunes. He instinctively lowered his body like a leopard poised to strike and swiftly ducked behind a massive wind-eroded rock covered in weathered cracks. By the clear moonlight overhead, he narrowed his eyes at the center of the battlefield—who else could that figure in snow-white robes be but Yun Yun? Though drenched in blood and with her hair in disarray, she still carried an aloof, cold elegance.

Yun Yun had long lost the calm grace she possessed at the Misty Cloud Sect. The sword in her hand, Flowing Cloud, which had once accompanied her across countless battles and cut down innumerable strong enemies, was covered in dense, tiny chips along its blade, as though it had been repeatedly ground by sandpaper. Its once jade-white body was now stained with dark red, dried blood. The bloodstains intertwined with the sword's cold gleam, giving off an air of tragic brutality. Her elegant white dress had been torn in many places, with a large section even missing from its hem. Three claw marks, deep enough to see bone, ran across her exposed calf. They had been left by the knife-sharp claws of snake people warriors. Black snake venom crept slowly upward from the wounds like vines, winding around her meridians and casting an unnatural bluish-black tint over her once fair cheeks. Even her lips had lost their color, bearing the pallor of one near death.

There were no fewer than five snake people experts besieging her. At their head stood a Snake Man General built like a small mountain. His upper body was humanoid, his muscles knotted, and his dark green skin was covered in fine scales. A ring of sharp bone spurs encircled his neck, every spur glinting coldly. His lower body, however, was a thick serpent tail covered in deep green scales, like tempered steel with a metallic sheen. Every sweep of it sent the yellow sand half a foot into the air and carved deep tracks into the ground. He gripped a massive snake-shaped battle axe, its handle as thick as an adult's arm and made from rare thousand-year ironwood found in the desert. Its blade curved like a serpent's tongue, its edge incomparably sharp. Dense green Dou Qi, almost condensed into substance, coiled around it, mixed with a faint poisonous mist. Every swing carried howling wind, like a violent gale sweeping through, forcing Yun Yun to continuously retreat. The Dou Qi churned up the sand beneath her feet into small columns, like deadly whirlpools spinning around her.

The other four snake people warriors wielded long spears. Their shafts were made of a desert hardwood as tough as iron, while sharpened beast-bone spearheads were set into their tips. The points flickered with a dim blue poisonous glow; one look was enough to tell that they carried a lethal toxin. They encircled her in a fan formation, their movements ghostlike as they stepped through strange footwork and relentlessly stabbed at Yun Yun's limbs, throat, and other vital points. Their coordination was flawless, like a tightening net of death that compressed her room to evade until she could only maneuver within a tiny area.

"Sect Master Yun Yun, if you know what's good for you, surrender!" The Snake Man General bared his teeth in a cold grin, revealing two rows of sharp fangs. Saliva dripped from them onto the yellow sand, leaving dark small pits. "You trespassed into the sacred territory of our Snake People Tribe and even dared stop us from hunting down traitors. Today, you will taste what it means to have snake venom eat into your bones. You will learn the consequences of offending our Snake People Tribe!" Before the words fell, his serpent tail lashed violently, sweeping up sand and gravel that shot toward Yun Yun's face like a barrage of concealed weapons. Tiny Poison Needles were mixed among them; clearly, he had prepared this in advance.

Yun Yun gritted her teeth, forcefully enduring the waves of dizziness caused by the snake venom. Her head buzzed as though a heavy hammer were striking it over and over, and even her line of sight began to blur. Yet she still held on and swung her sword. Flowing Cloud traced a graceful yet fierce arc through the air, its sword wind splitting apart every incoming grain of sand. At the same time, she mobilized the remaining Dou Qi within her body and formed a pale blue Dou Qi Barrier before herself. "Your Snake People Tribe has seized passing human cultivators without cause and even slaughtered innocents, treating human lives as worthless. As the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect, how can I stand by and do nothing?" Her voice carried a tremor she could not conceal, yet it remained resolute beyond question. Still, the hand gripping her sword had begun to tremble slightly beyond her control. The muscles in her arm were taut from excessive strain, veins bulging, while more than half of her Dou Qi had already been depleted. Fine cracks covered the pale blue Dou Qi Barrier, like a flickering candle in the wind, ready to go out at any moment.

Seeing this, the Snake Man General's eyes flashed with viciousness, like a hunting viper locking onto its prey. His tone was full of cruelty. "Refusing a toast only to drink a forfeit! Go! Cripple her limbs, but leave her alive. Make her watch how we deal with those human traitors, then let her slowly die in agony!" The four snake people warriors immediately intensified their attack. Their spears shot out like venomous snakes flicking their tongues, slicing through the air with sharp whooshes as they simultaneously thrust at Yun Yun's limbs. The blue gleam at their spearpoints was especially glaring beneath the moonlight.

Yun Yun hurriedly twisted aside to evade, her body bending lightly like willow branches in the wind. Relying on her years of battle experience, she narrowly avoided three spears. However, the constantly eroding snake venom slowed her movements by half a beat, and the final spear sliced open her shoulder. With a hiss, blood instantly dyed her white robes red. A piercing pain shot through the wound, and the black snake venom spread from it toward her heart even faster, making her body stiffen at once.

At that moment, the Snake Man General seized the opening created by Yun Yun's injury. Ecstasy flashed in his eyes as he gripped the snake-shaped battle axe with both hands and poured all his Dou Qi into it without reservation. The green light on the axe blade grew increasingly dense, even forming a massive axe phantom three meters long. Carrying a world-destroying aura, it hung above Yun Yun's head like dark clouds, making the surrounding air turn stagnant. "Die!" His roar shook the night sky. The nearby sand and gravel jumped violently, as though even the earth were trembling and the entire desert shuddered before this strike.

Yun Yun's expression drastically changed, and her pupils suddenly contracted as despair surged within her. The Dou Qi in her body was nearly exhausted, while the snake venom constantly eroded her nerves. Her limbs felt as heavy as lead, leaving her no time at all to form a new defense. She could only instinctively raise Flowing Cloud, trying to barely block the attack, but she clearly knew it was futile—with her current state, this chipped sword likely could not even withstand the impact of the axe phantom, much less block the Snake Man General's Full Power Attack. Despair washed over her like a tide. She closed her eyes, and in her mind flashed the smiling faces of Misty Cloud Sect disciples, her first encounter with Xiao Yan in the cave, and the responsibilities she bore as the Sect Master of the Misty Cloud Sect. Her heart was full of unwillingness, yet she was powerless to change anything.

Behind the wind-eroded rock, Xiao Yan saw everything clearly. It felt as though an invisible hand had clenched his heart, nearly stopping it from beating. He wanted to rush out and help, but he deeply knew that with his current strength at Peak Dou Wang, facing the Snake Man General's Full Power Attack, which rivaled an early Dou Huang, would be nothing more than moths flying into a flame. Not only would he fail to save Yun Yun, he would get himself killed as well. But how could he stand by and watch Yun Yun perish? That snow-white figure had extended a hand to him when he had been at his lowest. Now she was about to fall before his eyes—how could he endure that? Sweat poured from his body in his desperation. His nails dug into his palms hard enough to draw blood, which dripped from his fingertips onto the yellow sand and instantly evaporated.

"Little Yanzi, don't panic!" At the critical moment, Elder Yao's voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind. Its decisive certainty was like a light in the darkness, dispelling the despair in Xiao Yan's heart. "Quickly relax your mind and relinquish control of your body. Let me take over for the moment! If we are any later, it will truly be too late!" Xiao Yan did not hesitate in the slightest. He knew this was his only chance. He immediately let down all his defenses and completely handed control of his body to Elder Yao, with only one thought in his heart: I must save Yun Yun!

The next second, earth-shattering changes occurred in Xiao Yan's gaze. The youthfulness and impatience that had belonged to the young man faded away, replaced by the calmness and majesty of someone weathered by a thousand years. His eyes seemed to contain stars and seas, yet also held an indifference that saw through all worldly matters, as though nothing in the world could move him. The aura around him instantly expanded. A terrifying pressure far beyond a Dou Wang, even surpassing an ordinary Dou Huang, spread out like a tsunami. The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and even the howling wind and sand halted in midair. The entire desert sank into an eerie silence. His body flickered, and like a ghost, he left no trace beneath his feet as he instantly appeared before Yun Yun. His movement was as fast as teleportation. Even the Snake Man General could not see his path; he only felt his vision blur before a figure seemed to appear out of thin air, blocking Yun Yun.

Yun Yun opened her eyes and saw Xiao Yan standing before her. Her eyes were filled with shock and confusion. She did not understand why he had rushed out. Did he not know the power of that attack? Yet before she could speak, she felt the terrifying pressure emanating from Xiao Yan's body. It far surpassed anything she understood, making even her feel instinctive awe, and the words at her lips were swallowed back down.

Facing the massive axe phantom overhead, powerful enough to split mountains and crack rocks, Xiao Yan, possessed by Elder Yao, showed no panic whatsoever. He did not even furrow his brow, as though the fatal attack were merely insignificant dust. He slowly raised his right hand, gathering a dense mass of Golden Dou Qi in his palm. It shone as brilliantly as the sun, yet carried a gentle and vast power, as though it contained the purest energy between heaven and earth. He seemingly slowly patted toward the axe phantom, calm and unhurried, as though merely brushing dust from his clothes, yet the gesture carried an indescribable majesty.

When the Golden Dou Qi collided with the green axe phantom, there was no earth-shaking explosion as expected. Instead, it was strangely quiet. The green axe phantom, powerful enough to split a giant boulder in two and make the earth tremble, melted rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, like ice and snow beneath the blazing sun. Before the Golden Dou Qi, the green Dou Qi was like fragile foam, shattering at the slightest touch without even room to resist. The Golden Dou Qi surged through the axe phantom with unstoppable force and swept toward the Snake Man General. It moved so quickly that he had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as it came at him.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" The Snake Man General was full of disbelief. His eyes widened like bronze bells, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit a fist, his face full of terror and incredulity. "You are only a brat! How can you possess such terrifying power? This must be an illusion!" He tried to pull back his battle axe to block, only to find that his body seemed restrained by an invisible power. He could not move at all and could only watch helplessly as the Golden Dou Qi descended upon him.

The Golden Dou Qi fiercely smashed onto his chest. With a puff, he spat out a mouthful of blood. It traced a dark red arc through the air like a blood-red ribbon before he heavily smashed onto the sand dozens of meters away, kicking up waves of sand several meters high and staining the surrounding yellow sand red. He struggled to rise, only to find that the Dou Qi inside him seemed completely depleted and could not be mobilized in the slightest. The scales on his chest had shattered into countless fragments, exposing a mangled wound of flesh and blood beneath, where even broken ribs could be seen. He had clearly suffered a fatal injury. Even moving a single finger was extremely difficult, and he could only lie on the ground and groan in pain.

The four snake people warriors nearby were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Their spears froze in midair as though they had been immobilized, their faces full of terror and bewilderment. They had never seen such horrifying power. A single blow had defeated the commander they considered invincible. It was completely beyond their comprehension, to the point that they began wondering if they were dreaming. Xiao Yan, possessed by Elder Yao, slowly turned around and swept his cold gaze across them. His eyes were like an abyss ten thousand fathoms deep, carrying bone-chilling cold, as though they could see through their souls and fill them with fear from the depths of their hearts. The four snake people warriors felt their entire bodies stiffen, as if they had fallen into an ice cellar. Even breathing became difficult. Their legs trembled uncontrollably, and their teeth chattered.

"Get lost." The low shout exploded beside their ears like thunder. It was not loud, yet it carried powerful Soul Pressure that struck their minds like a heavy hammer, making their heads buzz and their consciousness blur. The four snake people warriors were terrified out of their wits. How could they dare remain? They scrambled toward their injured commander, with one person supporting each arm, and dragged him in panic toward the depths of the Snake People Tribe. They did not even bother to retrieve the spears and battle axe dropped on the ground. They only wished they had two more legs so they could run faster.

With the crisis resolved, Elder Yao's Soul Power slowly receded like a tide. Xiao Yan's eyes gradually returned to their usual clarity, though his face was somewhat pale from the massive consumption of Soul Power caused by Elder Yao's forced possession. His steps staggered slightly, and he nearly fell down. He turned toward Yun Yun behind him and found her clutching her shoulder wound. Her body trembled slightly, her face pale as paper, and her breathing was as rapid as though she had run a hundred miles. She had clearly reached her limit and could collapse at any moment. "Sect Master Yun Yun, how are you?" Xiao Yan hurriedly stepped forward and carefully supported her swaying body, afraid of hurting her wound. His voice was full of concern.

Yun Yun raised her head and stared blankly at Xiao Yan, her eyes full of shock, doubt, and a faint, nearly imperceptible confusion. She could clearly sense that in that moment, the figure standing before her had still looked like Xiao Yan, but the aura erupting from him far surpassed the strength someone his age should possess. It was even several times stronger than her own as a Dou Huang. That pressure seemed to come from the legendary Dou Zong Experts, making even her feel inferior. "Just now... was it you who saved me?" she asked hesitantly, her voice somewhat hoarse. "But your aura... how did it suddenly become so strong? Who exactly are you?"

Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. He knew this matter was difficult to explain—and could not be explained. Elder Yao's existence was his greatest secret and could not be casually revealed to others, so he could only answer vaguely, "It is a long story. I will tell you when there is a chance later. Do not worry about that now. You are seriously injured and poisoned by snake venom. It will be dangerous if you do not receive treatment soon." As he spoke, he took a small Jade Bottle from his Storage Ring. It contained Detoxifying Healing Pills carefully refined by Elder Yao. These pills could not only rapidly eliminate toxins from the body, but also repair damaged meridians. They were supreme medicinal pills for healing and detoxification, treasures rare even across the entire Dou Qi Continent. He poured out one pill and held it before Yun Yun. A faint fragrance drifted from it, refreshing the mind upon inhalation. "Take this quickly. It can neutralize the snake venom and help you recover some Dou Qi."

Yun Yun looked at the pill in Xiao Yan's hand. It was pale gold all over, with faint spiritual energy wreathed around its surface. One whiff was enough to tell it was a top-grade pill, and her heart filled with surprise. She had not expected Xiao Yan to possess such a precious medicine. She did not hesitate. Taking the pill, she tipped back her head and swallowed it. The pill melted as soon as it entered her mouth. A gentle, rich medicinal power quickly spread throughout her body, flowing through her limbs and body like a warm current. The dizziness caused by the snake venom immediately eased by more than half, and the pain in her shoulder wound lessened considerably. The depleted Dou Qi within her also began to slowly recover, restoring her strength. She exhaled a long sigh of relief. A trace of color gradually returned to her face as she looked at Xiao Yan with gratitude filling her eyes. "Thank you, Xiao Yan. If you had not appeared in time, I truly might have perished in this desert today. I, Yun Yun, will remember this favor."

Xiao Yan shook his head and smiled. "It was nothing. You helped me before as well, so we are even. Besides, drawing a sword to help when seeing injustice on the road is what one should do. You need not take it to heart." He paused, then asked curiously, "By the way, why are you here? How did you end up fighting the Snake People Tribe? As far as I remember, the Misty Cloud Sect and the Snake People Tribe may not get along, but there should not be such deep hatred between you."

Yun Yun sighed. A complicated look flickered through her eyes, and her tone carried some helplessness. "Gu He asked me to help him find something. I did not expect that as soon as I entered the Snake People Tribe's territory, I would see them hunting down Gu He. Though Gu He and I compete with each other, we are both human cultivators. I truly could not stand by and watch, so I intervened. That was how I ended up fighting them. I simply did not expect the Snake People Tribe to send so many experts this time, and for every one of them to attack without mercy. If not for you..." As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the bulging sack Xiao Yan held tightly in his arms. Something inside it could vaguely be seen wriggling slightly, and curiosity flashed in her eyes. "What is in your arms? It looks quite precious for you to hold it so tightly."

Xiao Yan's heart stirred as he remembered the Seven-Colored Sky Swallowing Python in the sack—the Medusa who had just failed her advancement. His heart immediately tightened. He hurriedly hid the sack behind his back and answered vaguely, "Nothing. Just some ore I found in the stone cave. It is not valuable, but it is of some use to me. We should leave this place first. The Snake People Tribe might soon bring more people, and that would be troublesome. I also do not know how Gu He is doing." He knew Medusa's identity was far too special. If it were exposed, it would inevitably cause even greater trouble. Not only would it bring the Snake People Tribe's frenzied hunt down upon him, it might also place himself in danger. He could only conceal it for now.

Yun Yun was extremely intelligent and naturally saw that Xiao Yan was hiding something. However, she also knew that everyone had their own secrets. Since Xiao Yan did not wish to speak, it was not her place to press him. She nodded. "All right. Let us leave this desert first and find a safe place to settle down. Then we can think of a way to contact Gu He." Xiao Yan supported Yun Yun as they carefully avoided the rubble and bloodstains on the ground, walking away from the Snake People Tribe. Moonlight stretched their shadows long, leaving a trail of footprints of varying depths across the desert. The footprints were soon covered by windblown yellow sand, as though no one had ever passed there.

Behind them, urgent horn calls and chaotic footsteps sounded from the direction of the Snake People Tribe. Clearly, the snake people warriors had discovered their companions' tragic sight and begun gathering people to search everywhere. But Xiao Yan and Yun Yun had already vanished into the night, like shadows merging with darkness as they headed toward the edge of the desert. The night wind brushed past, carrying the dry scent unique to the desert as it stirred Yun Yun's hair and Xiao Yan's robes. Their figures beneath the moonlight seemed especially solitary, yet they also carried the calm of the aftermath of disaster. A fierce battle caused by an accident had come to an end, while a new adventure quietly began with this unexpected encounter.