"Master, I'll be leaving the mountain today. I'll have to trouble you to look after the sect for me."
Yun Zimo bowed outside Yun Shan's courtyard.
"Please tell Senior Sister not to worry when she comes out of seclusion. I'll be back on the mountain in a month or two at most, half a year at the latest."
"Creak~"
At the very moment Yun Zimo disappeared into the back mountain, the courtyard gate creaked open. A few silver strands at Yun Shan's forehead stirred in the breeze. What he disliked most was parting...
"Your talent far surpasses mine and Yun'er's. Among all the previous sect leaders, only Ancestor Potian was your superior. So a mere Dou Huang is not what we expect of you. Go, carve out a path to Dou Huang that belongs to you, and find your true sword way!"
Yun Shan murmured softly. This young disciple of his always managed to surprise him...
"Half a year... I wonder if that will be enough time..."
Feeling the barrier to Dou Zong growing ever looser, Yun Shan sighed quietly. He had spent his whole life fretting over reaching Dou Zong. Now that he'd let go of that burden, he was finally seeing hope...
"Cloud-Chasing Moon-Stepping? Senior Brother Yun Yun even gave Little Yanzi his life-saving Dou Technique?"
The moment Zi Mo entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, he spotted Xiao Yan moving with ethereal, windlike steps as a Fourth-Order Magical Beast chased him. Recognizing the Dou Technique he was using at a glance, Zi Mo was taken aback.
"He's a Dou Shi already. Not bad."
It hadn't been long since they parted, yet Xiao Yan had already advanced from Eight-Star Dou Zhe to Dou Shi. Wasn't that a little too fast?
Yun Zimo thought of the resources he'd provided, as well as Xiao Yan's medicine-manual, living map, radar detector, stand-in fighter, and master—all rolled into one: Yao Lao. Then he nodded, finding it only natural.
"Little Yanzi, hurry up and grow stronger!"
If they wanted to escape their fated destruction, the Misty Cloud Sect would inevitably have to fight the Soul Hall to the bitter end. Without Xiao Yan, that lightning rod of a man, the Misty Cloud Sect's destruction was all but certain. That was why Yun Zimo desperately hoped Xiao Yan would grow stronger quickly. Otherwise, a mere Soul Hall Protector could wipe out the Misty Cloud Sect's ancestral legacy for good.
"Eh? He found that little valley too?"
Following Xiao Yan's movements in secret all the way, Yun Zimo realized that even without Xiao Yi Xian guiding him, Xiao Yan had still found the Hundred Flower Valley, the place with the richest natural energy in the area.
"Sir, you've been following me for quite a while. Won't you come out and show yourself?"
After entering the valley, Xiao Yan suddenly stopped. His voice rang out, cold as ice, as an aura no weaker than a Dou Emperor slowly spread around him.
With layers of mist shrouding him, Yun Zimo stepped out on the wind. His disguised voice was hoarse and sinister.
"Heh heh heh..."
"Bam!"
Xiao Yan instantly flashed in front of Yun Zimo and drove a fist forward. Pale flames danced across his knuckles. Even though Yun Zimo had been prepared, Xiao Yan shattered his Dou Qi armor, sending him crashing into the mountainside and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Damn that mouth of mine! Why did I have to..."
Struggling to his feet, Yun Zimo gained a clearer understanding of Yao Lao's current strength. Dou Zong might be a challenge, but dealing with a Dou Wang like him was a piece of cake!
Besides, Yao Lao must have already figured out it was him. Otherwise, that punch would have done more than just make him cough up blood!
"Big Brother Yun Li!"
Xiao Yan hurriedly dug Zi Mo out of the hole in the mountainside. By then, he'd regained control of his body and realized that the man was Yun Zimo.
"How did you just unleash fighting strength on the level of a Dou Emperor?"
Yun Zimo's voice brimmed with resentment.
"Ah, ha... It was a safeguard Master left me. It lets me wield the strength of a Dou Emperor for a short time!"
Xiao Yan answered vaguely, trying to laugh it off.
"Master? Since when? You never mentioned him the last time we met."
Yun Zimo pretended to be puzzled.
"Back when I was in Wutan City. Master was traveling around and happened to pass through. He saw that I had some talent, so he took me as his disciple."
"I see. Then why didn't he take you traveling with him? Why leave you all alone in the Magical Beast Mountain Range? From what I can see, he's only..."
"Master, calm down! Calm down!"
While Yun Zimo kept chattering away, Xiao Yan called out to Yao Lao in a quiet voice, afraid his temper would flare.
"It's nothing."
To Xiao Yan's surprise, Yao Lao was perfectly calm.
"You can't blame someone for not knowing. I'm not angry at all..."
Xiao Yan swallowed nervously. Seeing that Yun Zimo was about to offer even more "kind" words, he quickly cut in.
"Big Brother Yun, Master has treated me very well. Without his guidance, my strength couldn't have improved by leaps and bounds."
Xiao Yan gently defended Yao Lao. He knew his own situation best. As for why he didn't explain Yao Lao's existence to Yun Zimo, Yao Lao had said that the circumstances surrounding his death were far too serious. Until Xiao Yan had truly grown strong, the fewer people who knew he existed, the better!
"All right, all right. You need to balance work and rest while cultivating. Just don't damage your foundation."
Yun Zimo knew when to stop. If he really angered Yao Lao, he might not die today, but he'd certainly lose a layer of skin...
"What? You're going east, through the Tagor Desert?"
When he heard that Yun Zimo planned to travel east from the Jia Ma Empire, challenging the Dou Huangs of the surrounding empires along the way until he reached the Black-Corner Region, Xiao Yan wasn't the only one surprised. Even Yao Lao, who'd been secretly keeping an eye on them, felt a little admiration.
Yun Zimo took out several rare, priceless treasures and pushed them in front of Xiao Yan. Before he could refuse, Yun Zimo spoke.
"Don't rush to refuse. After today, we may not meet again until the Three-Year Agreement. You're a genius, but this continent is littered with geniuses who died before their time. I don't want the next news I hear about you to be news of your death."
Yun Zimo paused.
"Besides, this is an investment. Someday, you might repay me a hundred or even a thousand times over, right?"
Yun Zimo made no secret of the fact that this was an exchange of favors. But Xiao Yan knew that was just an excuse. Just as Yun Zimo had said, on this Dou Qi Continent, where strength reigned supreme, there was never any shortage of fallen geniuses...
"Xiao Yan, next time we meet, don't let yourself get chased around anymore!"
Yun Zimo's laughter echoed across the sky. Xiao Yan's face darkened, but he smiled helplessly and tightened his grip on the Storage Ring.
"Master, double the intensity of my training!"
"What? Did he get under your skin?"
"Yeah. Big Brother Yun works so hard, and he trusts me so much. I can't let him down again."
"Ha! Then we'll double it again! Once you've mastered the Dou Techniques you have, you can't neglect your alchemy training either. In a few months, you'll head down the mountain and take the alchemist qualification exam!"
"When you've mastered all that, I'll teach you another Dou Technique."
"A Dou Technique? What rank?"
"It won't be any lower than Eight Extremities Collapse!"
"Let's see... Should I head southeast, through Ghost-Suppressing Pass, and leave the country?"
Yun Zimo studied the map, unsure where to go first. The Black-Corner Region lay southeast of the Jia Ma Empire. Heading east through the Tagor Desert and across the Snake-Person Tribe's territory would bring him to several countries comparable in size to the Jia Ma Empire. Heading south through Ghost-Suppressing Pass and then crossing several small countries would take him to the Black Domain Great Plains.
Yun Zimo suddenly couldn't decide, so he fished out a gold coin and flipped it into the air.
"Heads, south. Tails, east!"
"Slap!"
The coin landed neatly in Yun Zimo's palm. The reverse, stamped with the Jia Ma Empire's flag, stared up at him.
"East?"
Yun Zimo didn't hesitate any longer. His Dou Qi wings spread behind him, and he shot straight for the Tagor Desert on the eastern border!
"The Snake-Person Tribe... They seem to have quite a few Dou Huangs over there..."
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