Battle with Qian Renxue

Night had fallen, and within a dense forest outside Heaven Dou City...

The night sky was cool as water, moonlight like silk. Filtering through the sparse branches, it cast mottled patches of light and shadow across the forest.

Yan had long since changed out of his daytime clothes. Now dressed in dark, fitted attire, he nearly blended into the surrounding darkness.

He leaned against an ancient tree that would take several people to encircle, his breathing calm and deep. He seemed like a lifeless stone, as though he had been waiting here for a long time.

Suddenly, a fallen leaf three feet above his head silently split in two, its cut smooth as a mirror.

Immediately afterward, a point of golden light, condensed to the extreme and carrying a pure, sacred aura, appeared without warning behind and to his side.

The golden light instantly swelled, transforming into an incomparably sharp golden sword gleam that seemed capable of cleaving through darkness. It tore through the air, silent yet swift as lightning, slashing toward Yan.

It carried no killing intent, yet its sharpness could not be ignored.

The instant that leaf split apart, every muscle in Yan's body had already tensed.

As the sword gleam reached him, he did not even turn his head. Yet his right arm, concealed beneath his dark sleeve, bent sharply backward at an angle that defied the limits of human joints, as if he had anticipated it all along.

His five fingers spread, and a flash of dark-red light flickered across his palm. Without dodging or evading, he reached straight for the golden sword gleam.

"Sizzle!"

The sword gleam struck his palm with a sharp sound like red-hot iron plunged into water.

The expected sight of his hand being severed did not appear. That golden sword gleam, capable of effortlessly cutting through refined iron, was firmly stopped by his seemingly ordinary hand.

Dark-red flames and golden holy light collided fiercely, producing a series of faint crackling explosions.

But the stalemate lasted only an instant before the dark-red glow in Yan's palm suddenly blazed brighter.

With an angry shout, he tightened his grip, and the golden sword gleam could no longer hold together.

A crisp shattering sound rang out. That condensed golden sword gleam was crushed inch by inch in his bare hand, turning into specks of golden light that scattered in the night wind.

Yan turned around, his dark-red eyes fixed in the direction the sword gleam had come from.

Under the moonlight, in a small clearing within the forest, a slender, upright figure had appeared at some point, standing silently.

The newcomer wore a golden court gown, seamless and seemingly woven from golden threads. Its design was ancient and elegant, with a high golden collar.

A light veil covered her face. Only her long hair, flowing with a faint golden sheen beneath the moonlight, draped over her shoulders and stirred gently in the night breeze.

She held no weapon. Her right index and middle fingers were simply pressed together, and a lingering halo of golden light still remained at their tips.

Her gaze was also fixed on Yan. The eyes visible through the veil were clear as an icy lake, tranquil and undisturbed, yet they carried an aloof scrutiny and faint surprise.

She was Qian Renxue, who had disguised herself as Xue Qinghe and infiltrated the Heaven Dou Empire—the person Yan had been waiting for in the forest.

"Such a powerful physique. You've grown stronger again."

Qian Renxue spoke in a clear voice with a distinctive cadence. "It seems you haven't wasted these past two years. Resak has trained a fine student."

"You flatter me. You're not weak either, but your rate of improvement has slowed."

Yan's voice was calm, without a trace of emotion.

He shook his right hand, which had just crushed the sword gleam. The skin of his palm was slightly red, with a faint white mark across it, but it returned to normal in the blink of an eye.

Though that attack had not used her full strength, it had still displayed Qian Renxue's exceptionally pure light attribute and impressive control over Soul Power.

Her strength had reached at least the level of a Soul Emperor, and her foundation was extremely solid.

"Do you remember what I told you? Being too distracted by worldly affairs wastes a Soul Master's talent."

"Hmph." Qian Renxue frowned slightly, memories of her several meetings with Yan over the past few years flashing through her mind.

Qian Renxue appreciated Yan's talent and had always wanted to recruit him. Unfortunately, Yan seemed utterly uninterested in her attempts to win him over.

Moreover, when she had openly revealed Spirit Hall's grand plan to infiltrate the Heaven Dou imperial family, she had not received the admiration from Yan that she had expected. Instead, she had only received one indifferent remark.

The very words Yan had just spoken—being too distracted by worldly affairs wastes a Soul Master's talent.

Why?

She was the inheritor of the god-level Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul, the most gifted Soul Master produced by the Qian Clan in generations.

She had become a Soul Emperor at the mere age of twenty. No matter where she went, she was a genius among geniuses, yet Yan's assessment of her was one of clear disappointment.

Qian Renxue had always possessed immense pride. Yan's gaze stung her, and a nameless fury rose within her heart. "Arrogant. Wait until your cultivation surpasses mine before you criticize me!"

As soon as her words fell, the aura around her abruptly changed.

She no longer deliberately restrained herself. A pure, vast light-attribute Soul Power carrying a faint pressure slowly rose around her.

Two yellow, two purple, and two black Soul Rings—the optimal configuration of six Soul Rings—slowly emerged, pulsing in the air and illuminating the surrounding woods.

The sacredness and nobility belonging to the Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul made even the surrounding darkness seem to retreat, despite her deliberate restraint.

An immense pressure, enough to suffocate an ordinary Soul King, radiated from Qian Renxue's body, making Yan's expression grow more serious.

"Please." Yan uttered only one word. Four Soul Rings rose beneath his feet as well—two purple and two black!

Not only did they exceed the normal age limits, but even his third Soul Ring had reached the terrifying ten-thousand-year level!

Even someone as composed as Qian Renxue could not stop a ripple from passing through her eyes when she saw the Soul Rings behind Yan.

With such a Soul Ring configuration, if she had not known Yan's background, she might even have thought he had already become an inheritor of a god.

Yet with talent like this, even a true inheritor of a god might not be more outstanding than Yan. This had almost surpassed the realm of so-called genius.

Without further words, Qian Renxue moved.

She raised one hand and pointed into the air. Her Fifth Soul Ring lit up.

"Fifth Soul Skill, Holy Sword!"

Blazing sacred fire erupted from Qian Renxue's hand, gradually taking the shape of a longsword.

Immediately afterward, the Angel Wings behind Qian Renxue flapped, and she charged toward Yan at tremendous speed.

While flying, Qian Renxue's first Soul Ring suddenly lit up.

"First Soul Skill, Angel Assault!"

Her other hand, the one not holding the sword, clenched into a fist and swung fiercely toward Yan.

A golden streak of light took the form of a small golden shield and shot toward Yan.

Yan threw a punch and shattered it directly.

The instant the small golden shield dispersed, Yan felt a portion of the Soul Power within his body suddenly vanish.

This was the Holy Purification Power inherent to Qian Renxue's Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul.

With the enhancement of this power, nearly every one of Qian Renxue's Soul Skills carried purification power, treating other Soul Masters' Soul Power as foreign energy and purifying it away.

Moreover, this purification power was especially effective against the Soul Power of Fallen Soul Masters. To Fallen Soul Masters, the purification power of the Six-Winged Angel was undoubtedly like a natural nemesis.