Beneath the azure sky, several fiery clouds spread across the heavens, dyeing the lake below blood-red. Sky and earth became one color; if one stood within it, it would be impossible to tell where the sky ended and the ground began.
Suddenly, space rippled violently. More and more waves appeared on the lake, growing stronger by the moment. Shortly afterward, a gigantic pitch-black spatial gate materialized strangely. Rows of neatly arranged figures stepped out from it. They wore armor, manifested Dou Qi wings, formed two lines, and hovered in the sky.
Then, several dozen more figures emerged from the black spatial gate. At their head stood a white-haired old man. Behind him followed young people of varying ages. Among them was one particularly incongruous child who appeared to be only six years old. The child was engrossed in licking the lollipop in his hand.
The white-haired old man waved his hand, and everyone behind him slowly descended onto the grass by the lake. Only then did he say, "All right. Go your separate ways and assume your respective posts."
"Yes, Elder!"
The young figures scattered in every direction. In the end, only the six-year-old child remained.
The Hun Clan elder looked down at the child dressed in light-blue clothes and said calmly, "Young Master Hun Han, according to the rules, I can only escort you this far."
Hun Han nodded slightly.
The Hun Clan elder looked at Hun Han and waved his hand. A scroll floated before Hun Han.
Hun Han opened it curiously and found that it was an extremely detailed map. Several crosses had been marked on it.
The Hun Clan elder explained, "This is a map of the Central Plains. It marks several unimportant strongholds of our Hun Clan. My abilities are limited, so I can only help you this much. If I help you too much, it will arouse the suspicions of others. I hope you understand."
Hun Han stored the map in his storage ring. Its contents were indeed extremely detailed. He could fully understand what the Hun Clan elder meant.
Within the Hun Clan, open and secret struggles had long formed seven or eight factions around Hun Tiandi's children. If the elder before him showed Hun Han special care, it would inevitably catch the attention of those with ulterior motives and bring unnecessary trouble upon the elder.
Hun Han politely bowed to the old man and thanked him. "I, Hun Han, will remember today's kindness. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will repay it tenfold."
The Hun Clan elder looked at Hun Han approvingly. Compared to Hun Tiandi's other outstanding children, Hun Han possessed his own unique charm. It was simply that Hun Tiandi did not like Hun Han at all! Otherwise...
The Hun Clan elder sighed softly, then stepped back into the black spatial gate and vanished.
"Haha, I'm finally out!"
Hun Han drew in great breaths and could not help letting out a long cry. Before his eyes lay a lush primeval forest. Butterflies danced over the grass by the lake, and birds occasionally flew past. Everywhere brimmed with life. It was something the oppressive independent space of the Hun Clan could never offer Hun Han.
Hun Han looked around and asked softly, "Aunt Qin, are you there?"
As soon as Hun Han spoke, there was no movement around him. He then took out the Black Sword he had obtained from the Hun Clan's Library Pavilion and asked, "Can you tell where this sword came from?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the space ten meters away from Hun Han trembled. Qin Lan, dressed in a fitted black outfit that perfectly outlined her curvaceous figure, walked out from there, as if she had been there all along.
A Dou Zun expert!
This was Hun Han's latest understanding of Qin Lan. Her ability to create a Space Lock at least proved that she possessed the cultivation of a Dou Zun.
Qin Lan looked at the Black Sword in Hun Han's hand and asked, "Young Master, where did you get this sword?"
Hun Han replied, "The Hun Clan's Library Pavilion. It was casually tossed into a corner!"
Qin Lan was stunned. "Casually tossed into a corner?"
Hun Han nodded. "Yes."
Qin Lan said, "With my experience, I cannot identify this item's origin. Any Magic Tool above the Earth tier will shine with flowing light. Some Magic Tools even develop intelligence and can choose their own masters."
Hun Han asked, "Then how do I determine whether it has chosen me as its master?"
Qin Lan replied, "The method is simple. Communicate with the sword spirit within it. If you can communicate with the sword spirit and gain its recognition, then it has acknowledged you as its master."
"Oh!"
Upon hearing that, Hun Han sat cross-legged and stroked the sword with both hands, preparing to communicate with the sword spirit inside.
However, Qin Lan's expression suddenly changed. Space rippled, like an invisible arrow shot through the air, its point aimed directly at Hun Han.
Sparks burst in the air as a black, star-shaped hidden weapon was blocked by the two short daggers that suddenly appeared in Qin Lan's hands. It fell one meter away from Hun Han.
"An assassin!"
Hun Han's expression changed. He rose to his feet and gripped the Black Sword tightly.
"Go!"
Qin Lan cried out urgently, shielding Hun Han behind her as she retreated in one direction.
"Hehehe! My master was right. This little fellow truly has an expert secretly protecting him!"
A hoarse laugh came from the sky in one direction. Five black-robed figures stood there, their entire bodies shrouded beneath black robes. They stood upon empty air, indicating that they were at least Dou Zong realm experts.
"Five?"
Qin Lan's expression turned grim as she shouted, "Who are you? Do you know that he is Hun Tiandi's thirteenth son?"
"Hehehe!"
One of the black-robed figures sneered. "We know. And to tell you the truth, the one we came to kill is the Thirteenth Young Master!"
"The Thirteenth Young Master?"
Qin Lan noticed his wording and said solemnly, "You are from the Hun Clan?"
The five black-robed figures were slightly startled. Then one of them shouted, "Stop wasting words with her. She is only a Half-Saint. Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, follow me and hold her down."
"Got it, Third Brother!"
At the command, the black-robed men stepped forward, intending to surround Qin Lan and Hun Han.
"Young Master, take this and leave quickly. Go to the Pill Tower. Once Aunt Qin deals with them, I'll come find you!" Qin Lan shoved a fiery-red token into Hun Han's arms, her expression extremely grave.
"Aunt Qin, actually, we..."
"Young Master, go!"
Before Hun Han could finish, Qin Lan shouted at him anxiously.
"Aunt Qin, I mean, we can actually safely..."
Before Hun Han could finish speaking, Qin Lan gently pushed him with her palm. In the blink of an eye, a wisp of spatial power carried Hun Han tens of thousands of meters away.
"Hehehe, Qin Lan, do you think you can save him like that?" one black-robed man sneered.
"What do you mean?" Qin Lan frowned slightly, as though she had overlooked something.
"Hehehe, let me tell you the truth. The people sent for this assassination are not just us!" the leading black-robed man said smugly.
"What?"
Qin Lan's beautiful eyes widened, and her expression changed drastically. The Hun Clan disciples who had just left flashed through her mind.
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