Backer Yun Leng

"I never expected the Misty Cloud Sect to really have an ancestor—and one who controlled the four great powers."

Within the Soul Hall branch in the northwestern continent, Hall Master Wang Ba's eyes turned cold and sharp. After receiving this astonishing news, he immediately found himself unable to sit still.

The Soul Hall's longstanding principle was to incite the various factions to fight openly and covertly. Once both sides had suffered heavy losses, the Soul Hall would offer them corresponding benefits and turn them into its lackeys.

But the speed at which the Misty Cloud Sect had risen was enough to make people draw back. It had completely exceeded the Soul Hall's control. If this continued, how could the Soul Hall secretly manipulate the entire northwest?

"Hall Master, I think we should act." Vice Hall Master Zhou, seated below Wang Ba, cupped his fists and offered a plan. "Although the Misty Cloud Sect's rise has been ferocious, its foundation is unstable. We can use the strategy of driving the tiger to swallow the wolf and incite the other northwestern factions to attack this newly established Misty Cloud Empire."

"Old Zhou, your insight is indeed profound. This plan is feasible." Wang Ba approved of Vice Hall Master Zhou's scheme.

Since they had failed to find any trace of the Tou She Ancient God Jade in the Xiao Clan, they might as well set their sights on the Misty Cloud Sect first.

They would let the Heavenly Snake Mansion take the lead and test how many trump cards the other side possessed!

After an entire day, Xiao Yi Xian had done nothing but vomit. After the Devil Fruit had been strengthened by the system, it had become even more disgusting to eat. Strangely enough, however, the Calamity Poison Body within her had been suppressed by some inexplicable force. Moreover, although the poison in her body had grown even stronger, she could control it completely.

"Girl, stay here and slowly comprehend this power. I still have other matters to deal with."

Ye Qianqian left the main hall, called over old man Yun Shan to accompany her, and flew together with him toward the territory of the former Mu Lan Empire.

The day before yesterday, she had heard the system say that Mo Youyou, who could wield the Xuanyuan Sword, possessed a special bloodline—and it was even the bloodline of a Dou Emperor. Yet this bloodline did not come from Mo Tianming, which meant that it was connected to her mother, Murong Wan.

It seemed that this mother and daughter pair had extraordinary backgrounds. It would be best if she could recruit them for her own use.

During this flight through the air, Ye Qianqian experienced for the first time what it meant to travel a thousand miles in an instant.

After mastering the Dou Venerable realm, her flying speed was nearly fast enough to chase the wind and moon. Yun Shan behind her unleashed all his Dou Sect power, yet still could not catch up to Ye Qianqian. He could only secretly marvel at the ancestor's extraordinary strength.

Soon, the two arrived above the capital of the Mu Lan Empire, where they witnessed a shocking scene below.

Murong Wan and Mo Youyou were locked together in a short iron cage less than a meter high. They lowered their heads like dogs, their eyes dull and lifeless.

It turned out that Mo Tianming could not withstand the blow of losing the throne and had vented all his anger on this mother-and-daughter pair.

Just then, two guards each carried a dog bowl and placed it before Murong Wan and Mo Youyou. The bowls were filled with spoiled food. Then quite a few palace maids passed by, casually throwing several eggs into the cage. The eggs smashed against the mother and daughter, covering them in a stench. Murong Wan tightly embraced her sobbing daughter, her eyes filled with killing intent.

"Imperial Father, why are you treating me like this? Didn't you love Youyou very much?" Mo Youyou could not face this reality and began crying out loudly, her voice heart-wrenching.

She truly found it impossible to imagine that the fatherly love she had long awaited had only just arrived before transforming into a demon's gift.

"Shut up!"

At that moment, Mo Tianming, his head wrapped in white cloth and a wine bottle in hand, staggered over drunkenly. After taking a huge gulp, he smashed the bottle to pieces.

"It's all because of you! You little bastard, this is all your fault! You caused me to lose the throne! I truly regret it! Why did I place all my hopes in you? Heaven is unjust! Why was the Imperial Ancestor's treasured sword forged by the Yun Lan Ancestor? Ahhh!"

Mo Tianming beat his chest and threw a drunken fit, cursing Mo Youyou harshly.

Now that the Xuanyuan Sword had been destroyed, the mother and daughter had lost their value. On top of that, Mo Tianming had placed all the blame on others, resulting in the scene before them.

"Mo Tianming, do you have no shame?" Murong Wan shouted coldly. Gripping the iron bars of the cage with both hands, she said, "I must have been blind back then to be deceived by a beast like you. If you're angry, you can go vent it on the Misty Cloud Sect. What kind of man bullies two women?"

"Shut up!" Mo Tianming's eyes bulged with fury. He staggered to the cage and kicked it several times. A blast of Dou Qi directly shook blood from Murong Wan's mouth.

Murong Wan threw her head back and laughed, mocking him coldly. "You won't let me speak? Then I'll speak anyway. You useless man, the Mu Lan Empire was annexed because you deserved it. A heartless dog like you losing the throne is already letting you off easy. Youyou is your daughter, yet you treat her like this. You don't deserve to be a father, much less an emperor. When Youyou obtained that Xuanyuan Sword, I should have let her kill you herself—kill you, you ungrateful bastard!"

"I'll kill you!" Enraged beyond reason, Mo Tianming flicked his Storage Ring. A long sword flashed coldly into his hand, and he thrust it straight toward Murong Wan inside the cage.

"Mother!" Seeing that Murong Wan was about to die beneath the sword, Mo Youyou let out a loud, anguished cry.

"Crack!"

At that moment, a blast of Dou Qi suddenly descended from the sky and slammed into Mo Tianming. The long sword in his hand snapped into five pieces and clattered to the ground.

The sudden turn of events frightened Mo Tianming into trembling all over. He fell heavily onto his rear, while the jade crown on his head shattered and his hair came tumbling down.

After a long while, his legs trembling, he looked around. Seeing that no one had appeared, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Who are you? I am Prince Mo Fan of the Misty Cloud Empire, backed by the Misty Cloud Sect. Do not bring disaster upon yourself!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Ye Qianqian and Yun Shan descended from the sky. Seeing Mo Tianming's miserable appearance, smiles rose on their faces.

Ye Qianqian smiled. "Prince Mo Fan? I believe I just heard you call yourself 'this emperor.' Could it be that you still want to resist the Misty Cloud Empire and reclaim Mu Lan?"

"The Yun Lan Ancestor?" The moment Mo Tianming saw who had arrived, he collapsed to the ground. He repeatedly kowtowed to Ye Qianqian. "Ancestor, spare me! This junior was only spouting nonsense while drunk. Please forgive me this once!"

"Spouting nonsense while drunk? Hmph. I've only heard that wine makes people speak the truth." Ye Qianqian suddenly felt playful and smiled. "I also heard you say that you wanted to kill me. Was that true?"

"No, no, no! This junior never said that!" Mo Tianming hurriedly waved his hands. He had not said those exact words just now!

"Ancestor, I heard it too." Seeing the amusement in Ye Qianqian's eyes, Yun Shan quickly chimed in with a smile.

"This junior truly never said it! Ancestor, spare me!" Mo Tianming frantically kowtowed again, nearly splitting his skull open.

Ye Qianqian waved her small hand, and the cage imprisoning Murong Wan and her daughter suddenly fell apart.

"This girl is called Mo Youyou, right? I think her talent is excellent. She can enter my sect and become my disciple." She pointed at the mother and daughter. "So it isn't impossible for me to spare your life—but they must plead for you."

Old man Yun Shan was dumbfounded. What had the ancestor just said? If that girl became her disciple, then according to seniority, wouldn't she become his grandmaster's wife?

Seeing Murong Wan and Mo Youyou escape, Mo Tianming was filled with even greater regret. He had never imagined that this mother and daughter still had value. He hurriedly crawled and rolled to Murong Wan's side and began repenting.

"Wan Er, your husband knows he was wrong. Youyou, Father was confused for a moment—I know I was wrong. You two, quickly plead with the Yun Lan Ancestor for me. We're family, aren't we?"

"I no longer have a father." Mo Youyou's eyes were filled with coldness. The innocent heart she had once possessed had long since vanished without a trace. After enduring this ordeal, she seemed to have matured considerably. She turned and left with her mother, ignoring Mo Tianming's wails and curses behind them.

"Yun Shan, you handle this. I just finished eating, and I'm afraid I'll lose my appetite." Ye Qianqian covered her eyes with one hand and quickly left.

The corner of Yun Shan's mouth twitched. He had just finished dinner too! Disgusted, he reached out toward the kneeling, kowtowing Mo Tianming from a distance. With a crack, a massive hand of energy crushed Mo Tianming into minced flesh, blood spraying everywhere.

"Finally home."

After several days of travel, Xiao Yan finally returned to Wutan City. A feeling of homesickness mixed with nervous anticipation welled up within him.

The four great joys of life were supposed to be one's wedding night, passing the imperial examination, returning home in glory, and meeting an old friend in a foreign land. Xiao Yan could now be considered to have returned home in glory.

He was now a Da Dou Shi. He had been secretly imagining how the Xiao Clan members would react if he told them about his strength.

"Hey, kid, stop standing there like an idiot. Hurry up and walk for this queen."

Behind him, a curvaceous, beautiful red-haired mature woman shoved Xiao Yan hard.

It turned out that on the way home, Queen Medusa had suddenly awakened. Xiao Yan had coaxed and deceived her by promising to refine the Spirit Merging Pill for her, and only then had she let him off.

Annoyed, Xiao Yan brought Queen Medusa with him and headed toward the Xiao Clan.

The moment he entered the city, an old man hurried over and blocked Xiao Yan's path.

"Master Xiao Yan, you've finally returned!"

An old man leaning on a cane and covered in injuries began wailing loudly.

"You are?" Xiao Yan felt puzzled. How had he never seen this old man before?

The old man said, "Master Xiao Yan, I'm a stableman of the Xiao Clan. Our Xiao Clan has suffered a calamity!"

Xiao Yan's heart jolted, and he hurried toward the Xiao Clan residence. Yet the Xiao Clan's territory had been reduced to ruins. The once-beautiful buildings had been erased from the ground, and not a single Xiao Clan member could be seen.

"What happened? What exactly happened? Who did this?" Xiao Yan's eyes nearly split with rage. He grabbed the old man by the collar with both hands and questioned him loudly.

The old man covered his face and wept. "It was the Misty Cloud Sect and the Heavenly Snake Mansion. They took away quite a few members of the Xiao Clan, and the Clan Leader was captured too. The Misty Cloud Sect was led by an elder named Yun Leng. It seems they were searching for something—perhaps a jade slip."

"A jade slip?" Xiao Yan immediately thought of something. He flicked his Storage Ring, and a jade slip appeared in his hand. He had secretly taken it from the Xiao Clan's treasure vault when he left. He had thought it was unusual and brought it along on a whim. Could this be what the other side wanted?

"Yes, that's the thing. Let me see it!"

When the old man saw the item, his eyes filled with excitement. Just as he reached out to snatch it, he noticed Queen Medusa's murderous gaze from the side. After coughing several times, he pulled out a map and pointed to it.

"In any case, Master Xiao Yan, you must leave Wutan City quickly. The Misty Cloud Sect is currently hunting for you everywhere. I suggest you hide here. The Xiao Clan members are all there now, waiting for you to take charge!"

How could Xiao Yan heed the old man's words at this moment? Fury and hatred filled his heart, causing him to lose all reason.

"Misty Cloud Sect, Heavenly Snake Mansion, Yun Leng—I will never forgive you!" The Purple Cloud Wings spread behind him. His body shot straight into the sky and flew toward the Misty Cloud Sect.

Seeing that Xiao Yan had not listened to him and had instead flown into the distance, the old man immediately grew angry. "What a shallow-minded brat. It seems the plan has changed."

"You really are a member of the Xiao Clan?"

Queen Medusa looked toward the old man. A trace of amusement flashed through her expression. This little trick might have fooled that fool Xiao Yan, but it would not fool her.

The Misty Cloud Sect had only just completed the unification of the four nations. Every place was short of manpower, and everyone was terribly busy. How could they have time to cause trouble for the Xiao Clan? Besides, the Heavenly Snake Mansion was ten thousand miles away. Why would it suddenly come to Wutan City?

"Heh heh heh... Her Majesty the Queen truly has discerning eyes." The old man threw away his cane. Black Dou Qi wrapped around his entire body. He was actually a Dou Emperor expert. At the same time, ten more Dou Emperors emerged from the Xiao Clan's ruins, all cloaked in black Dou Qi.

They had been ordered to wait here for Xiao Yan's return. If not for the unexpected appearance of Queen Medusa beside Xiao Yan, they would probably have completed their mission by now.

"As expected of the Soul Hall—sinister and despicable." Medusa let out a mocking laugh, raised her chin proudly, and chased after Xiao Yan along his flight path.