Qing Lian Is Really Something

The night was clear and cold, with icy moonlight pouring down from the sky, illuminating the brightly lit mountain range and draping it in a mysterious veil.

Xiao Yuan sat cross-legged on a huge rock at the edge of the mountaintop. From here, he could overlook half of the mountain range. At the foot of the mountain, he could vaguely see many figures and flickering firelight.

Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, Xiao Yuan stretched.

His soul power covered the entire camp, so even the Soul Hall's unpredictable and elusive methods could not break in without alerting him.

"Our strength is still a bit weak; the Ancient Clan are not easy to conquer."

He sighed softly and rubbed his temples.

Now that the Ancient Ruins have been opened, the matter of Yao Lao restoring his physical body is just around the corner. In that case, it shouldn't be long before the Ancient Clan send out an invitation.

Among the Ancient Clan, there are many old and stubborn fools. Xiao Xuan, the Ancestor of the Xiao Clan, had made some agreements with them. But looking at the Xiao Clan's pathetic state in those years when they couldn't even afford Dou Huang expert, one can tell that some people in the Ancient Clan deserve a beating.

If he were stronger, he would throw all those old fogies into the Heavenly Tomb and let them have a word with his Ancestor Xiao Xuan. He would like to see what these old geezers would have to say when facing that brilliant Ancestor.

However, this is just wishful thinking. Although Xiao Yuan is confident that his current strength can suppress the younger generation of the Ancient Clan, when facing those old guys at the Dou Sheng level, he would probably only be able to resort to a blood sacrifice technique to kill the Dou Di, just like his master's wife Han Shanshan.

That's unnecessary. After all, the Douqi Continent is all about strength. Might makes right. If you're not strong enough and still want to cause trouble, you deserve to get beaten up.

"Right now, we can only hope that this Ancient Ruins will yield more resources."

Looking in the direction of the Ancient Ruins, Xiao Yuan's expression was somewhat melancholy.

"Laugh!"

While Xiao Yuan was in a daze, a faint sound of wind breaking suddenly rang out in the night sky. Although the sound was faint, it was still noticed by Xiao Yuan, whose perception was extremely sharp. He immediately turned his head and saw a dark figure swooping down from the night sky like an eagle in the night. With a clasp of its hands, a tent burst open with a hiss.

The tent burst open, revealing Zi Yan, who was fast asleep inside. However, Zi Yan's senses were not weak either. Just as the tent was torn open, she suddenly opened her eyes and was startled when she saw the black figure rushing towards her. She quickly retreated barefoot.

"Who are you, you scoundrel!"

Xiao Yuan was also startled, and then a look of anger surged in his eyes. He slammed his hand on the boulder beneath him and his figure flashed out like a roc, rushing towards the shadowy figure.

As he drew closer, Xiao Yuan noticed that the figure was rather petite, and the barely visible curves of her clothes revealed her true nature. On her face, she wore a somewhat ferocious ghost mask, making her appear exceptionally eerie.

The dark figure seemed not to hear Xiao Yuan's shout. Suddenly, a strange green light burst forth from beneath the ghost mask, and in a flash, it shone on Zi Yan's cheek as she retreated.

As soon as the light shone down, Zi Yan felt her vision blur and even her mind became somewhat hazy.

"Roar!"

In a moment of mental confusion, Zi Yan's cheeks, and a half-foot-long purple dragon emerged, which then coiled up and roared to the sky!

A powerful dragon's roar resounded, and the green light instantly collapsed.

"Uh, why isn't it a snake?"

Upon seeing the purple dragon on Zi Yan's cheek, the shadowy figure behind the ghost mask froze for a moment, then a soft, surprised voice rang out.

"Bang!"

As the shadowy figure hesitated, the three surrounding tents burst open, revealing Cai Lin, Heavenly Flame Venerable, and Xiong Zhan. They immediately saw the shadowy figure attacking Zi Yan, and their expressions changed slightly.

Upon seeing the familiar green light, Xiao Yuan immediately reached out and made a grasping motion in the air. Instantly, the soul power that had been spreading out gathered together, forming an indestructible soul prison.

Seeing this, the green light under the mask of the shadowy figure flashed again, and then a burly black figure suddenly appeared behind him in a strange way. Dark liquid spread over his fist, and then he threw a punch hard, but it only caused a faint ripple.

Immediately afterwards, Xiao Yuan's reprimanding voice rang out.

"You silly girl, you've tried to arrest the young master?"

Upon hearing this, the shadowy figure was taken aback. His gaze swept towards Xiao Yuan, and he froze on the spot. After a moment, he said in a trembling voice, "Young Master Xiao Yuan?"

"Besides me, who else is this good-looking?"

Xiao Yuan casually dispelled the Soul Prison, took a step forward, and arrived in front of the shadowy figure. He leaned closer and asked with a smile.

"It really is you, young master?"

The shadowy figure removed his mask, revealing a fair and delicate face that was both familiar and unfamiliar to Xiao Yuan, tinged with excitement.

With her emerald green eyes, delicate upturned nose, and slightly parted cherry lips, her adorable appearance was none other than Qing Lian, the little maid Xiao Yuan hadn't seen for many years! "If it weren't for me, someone else would have arrested you long ago!" Xiao Yuan shrugged, then reached out and gestured above Qing Lian's head, nodding slightly. "You've grown quite a bit taller. It seems you're doing well in the Heavenly Serpent Mansion. I was just thinking of when to come and visit you, and here we are."

"Young Master!"

Xiao Qing Lian suddenly threw herself into Xiao Yuan, hugging him tightly, just like many years ago, greedily inhaling the scent of those memories.

Young Master still smells so good, hehe!

That's what she thought to herself.

"Um?"

Xiao Yuan suddenly frowned, then ripped off Qing Lian's black robe, which he casually tore into dust, revealing her emerald green dress underneath. He patted her back, and an invisible spiritual power spread out, concealing Qing Lian's aura to the Dou Huang Realm, saying gently:

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid."

Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Then, several whooshing sounds rang out in the night sky, and several figures quickly flew over. When they passed by, they paused and their sharp eyes swept over Xiao Yuan and Qing Lian.

"There's traces of that person here. Should we take these two people back for questioning?"

The group paused, and one of the young men, with a fierce expression, twitched his nose and suddenly looked at Xiao Yuan with a menacing gaze, saying...

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan sized up the four people who had appeared. All four possessed extremely strong auras, with three of them reaching the Peak Dou Zong. The leader, on the other hand, had already stepped into the Dou Zun level, and a slightly cold aura swirled around him, making him someone not to be underestimated.

"A member of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan?"

His sweeping gaze suddenly stopped on the distinctive vertical pupils of these people. Xiao Yuan narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself.

"My friend, have you seen a person dressed in black robes pass by?"

The gray-robed elder leading the group glanced at Xiao Yuan, then immediately matched Xiao Yuan's face with the portrait he had received a few days earlier, recognizing that this man was the most formidable person in the area. He then cupped his hands and asked.

"Oh, it ran into the woods over there."

Xiao Yuan nodded calmly.

"Hehe, thank you!" Upon hearing this, the gray-robed elder cupped his hands again, then said to the people beside him, "Chase them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took the lead, his figure transforming into a black shadow as he sped away into the forest. Behind him, three burly men, their bodies radiating killing intent, quickly followed.

Soon, the group of four entered the mountains and forests and then stopped.

"The young woman in that kid's arms has the scent of the Emperor Python Heart-Corroding Poison on her. It must be her, there's no mistake!"

The old man in the gray robe said with a rather gloomy expression.

"Then why not arrest him and take him back?"

Upon hearing this, the fierce-looking young man rubbed his hands together, ready to go back.

"Fool! That guy killed three Dou Zun expert on his very first day here. How can we deal with such strength so easily? The most important thing right now is to go back to the clan and call for help."

The old man in the gray robe shouted sternly upon hearing this.

"Sigh, why didn't you just run away? We thought we could get away with it, but it seems we underestimated you."

A sigh rang out, and a slightly ethereal figure silently appeared in the sky.

"It's you!?"

The gray-robed old man looked up and saw that the person was none other than the infamous evil star. He felt a chill run down his spine and was about to circulate his Dou Qi when a light hand landed on his back.

With a hiss, a layer of pitch-black ice spread from his palm, freezing him into an ice sculpture almost instantly.

The three companions, all at the Peak Dou Zong, were horrified upon seeing this and turned to run away.

However, the extreme cold air appeared without warning, freezing them into ice sculptures as well.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible yet immense power surged forth, annihilating both their souls and bodies.

"Let's go."

In the sky, Xiao Yuan spoke in a slightly ethereal manner.

"Um."

Below, Xiao Yuan, dressed in white, Azure Lightning Flash beneath his feet before disappearing from the spot.

"Okay, all done."

After retracting his Soul Clone and Three Thousand Lightning Illusionary Body, Xiao Yuan smiled and said to Qing Lian, who was still clinging to him and refusing to let go.

"Is this the little maid named Qing Lian that Yun Yun mentioned?"

Cai Lin had already realized that her man had run into another old flame, and she asked with a cold snort.

"Yes, come to Qing Lian, let me introduce you. This lady is called Cai Lin, and she was also Medusa back then. The aura you sensed back then was hers."

Xiao Yuan introduced with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian glanced back and forth between Xiao Yuan and Cai Lin, immediately understanding their relationship. Somewhat reluctantly, she slipped out of Xiao Yuan and said respectfully, "Greetings, Cai Lin, Young Mistress."

Upon hearing this, Cai Lin almost choked on her own breath. What did she mean by "young mistress"?

"Tsk tsk, Young Master Xiao Yuan is really playing tricks."

Then, she looked at Xiao Yuan meaningfully and said...

"Sigh, this little girl hasn't quite grasped things yet!"

Xiao Yuan shook his head helplessly. He hadn't expected Qing Lian to be so capable.

"Alright, just call me sister. Calling me 'young mistress' makes me feel awkward. If you really call me that, you'll be exhausted. Who knows how many young mistresses this heartless woman has taken in?"

Cai Lin shook her head and said in a gentle tone.

Xiao Yuan had told her about Qing Lian's situation, and given that Qing Lian had been very humble from the moment they met, she couldn't possibly make things difficult for such a young girl.

"Yes, just call me by my name from now on. You're a Dou Zun expert now, so calling me 'Young Master' doesn't really suit your status."

Xiao Yuan smiled and gently patted Qing Lian's head, speaking softly.

"No, no. I'll still call you Young Master Xiao Yuan. I like it that way."

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian quickly shook her head, her small hands nervously twisting together. How could she possibly be the culprit who had caused such chaos among the Nine Netherworld Python Tribe?

"Oh well, whatever makes you happy,"

Xiao Yuan didn't force her to do anything; he just let the girl do whatever made her happy.

"Sister Qing Lian, aren't you supposed to be targeting the Nine Netherworld Python Tribe? Why are you suddenly setting your sights on Zi Yan?"

Cai Lin frowned slightly and said softly.

Xiao Yuan shook his head, glanced at Zi Yan who was rubbing her temples, and chuckled, "Perhaps this girl has mistaken Zi Yan for the Nine Nether Earth Python."

"Pah, who would be those stinky snakes... uh... except for Sister Cai Lin!" Zi Yan pouted, a serious look crossing her face. She said, "When that green light shone on me earlier, I felt like I was almost controlled. Fortunately, I had my bloodline protecting me. Otherwise, even if I wasn't completely controlled, I would have lost my ability to defend myself in a short time."

"That's a misunderstanding. I can see through the true form of magical beasts. At first, I thought you were also a member of the Nine Nether Earth Python, and your true form was somewhat different from theirs, very much like a member of the Nine Nether Earth Python royal family, which is why I attacked you."

Upon hearing this, Qing Lian quickly explained.

"How do I resemble those guys?"

Zi Yan was immediately annoyed upon hearing this, but seeing that Qing Lian looked genuinely apologetic, she didn't want to make things difficult for her, so she turned her head away angrily.

"Don't be angry, it's all a misunderstanding. Here, try this!"

Seeing this, Xiao Yuan smiled, then walked over and handed a bottle of pills to Zi Yan.

All I can say is that although her body is the size of a mature woman, Zi Yan's mind is still that of a gluttonous little girl.

Reaching out to take the pill, Zi Yan poured it into her mouth.

"Wow, this is really delicious!"

Soon, Zi Yan gave a thumbs-up with a satisfied look on her face, saying as she chewed.

"By the way, I just heard that you were poisoned?" Xiao Yuan held out his palm and said, "Give me your hand, let me see."

Qing Lian hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her slender jade arm and placed it in Xiao Yuan's palm. The latter's warm hand made her blush slightly.

Xiao Yuan, however, paid no attention to these things. With a thought, a wisp of his soul power entered Qing Lian's body through his palm. During this careful examination, he couldn't help but frown. He discovered that Qing Lian's body, and even her blood, was mixed with poison gas. This poison gas was cold and icy, as if it would freeze a person's blood. It was extremely insidious.

"Is this the Emperor Python Heart-Corroding Poison of the Nine Netherworld Python Clan?"

Xiao Yuan asked.

"Yes, it is said that this is one of the most rare poisons in the world, and it is said that there is no cure. I came to the Ancient Ruins this time to find an antidote."

Qing Lian nodded obediently.