Yun Yun's icy voice was like ice that had remained unmelted for ten thousand years. Wrapped in the mountain-like, overwhelming pressure of a Dou Huang expert, it slammed toward the depths of Poison Barrier Valley like a heavy hammer. In an instant, the gray-green miasma filling the valley churned violently beneath that fierce force, like a swarm of startled snakes darting frantically through the gorge.
Xiao Yi Xian, seated cross-legged on a black rock, jolted as if struck by lightning. She hurriedly forced herself to interrupt the circulation of the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. The gray-white poison mist swirling around her rapidly withdrew into her body, like the tide ebbing away. She slowly lifted her head. The color drained from her already pale, delicate face, leaving it white as a sheet. The calm gray-white in her eyes was instantly swallowed by boundless terror, as if a dark abyss had opened up to engulf her.
A Dou Huang! That was the pressure of a true Dou Huang! It was like the sky collapsing and the earth splitting apart, making it almost impossible to breathe. Each breath felt as though she were swallowing cold blades. She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, trembling like a fallen leaf in the wind. Her body wanted to curl up and hide in the shadow of the black rock, as if that could shield her from the terror that clung to her like a shadow.
The Detoxification Spirit Bead on her chest glowed with a warm light, like a gentle guardian doing its utmost to soothe the poison power in her body, agitated by fear. Yet that chill from the depths of her soul clung to her like a bone-deep parasite; no matter what she did, she could not dispel it.
"Xiao Yan... Xiao Yan..." Her trembling lips mouthed the words soundlessly, her voice as faint as willow fluff scattered on the wind. Despair filled her clear eyes, like a dried-up lakebed devoid of life. The Misty Cloud Sect's people had finally caught up with her! And the one who had come was their sect master! What was she supposed to do? Xiao Yan was still recovering and was in no condition to face such a crisis...
Just then, a voice full of provocation and disdain broke the suffocating silence. "Level this place? Sect Master Yun, you certainly make a grand show of authority!"
A calm, unruffled voice suddenly rang out above Poison Barrier Valley, its steady strength like that of an anchoring pillar in the depths of the sea. It was not deafening like thunder, yet it carried a strange and powerful penetrating quality. Like a spring breeze sweeping across a frozen lake, it instantly dispelled the suffocating feeling caused by Yun Yun's Dou Huang pressure. Clear and resonant, it reached every corner of the valley, as if a tranquil melody had begun playing in the heart of every living thing.
In an instant, space rippled in fine waves, like a surface stirred by a gentle breeze. Xiao Zhan stepped out of thin air as if emerging from an illusory realm, then hovered steadily ten zhang in front of Yun Yun. He still wore that plain, unadorned blue robe, its hem fluttering lightly in the wind like a faint azure shadow among the mountains. His face was steadfast, its sharp features as if carved by knife and axe; his eyes were deep as an ancient well, utterly unruffled, as though they concealed endless wisdom and secrets. He released no earth-shaking aura, nor did he unleash a gale-like pressure. Yet simply standing there, he seemed to merge with heaven and earth, becoming the center of it all, silently dissolving the torrent of Dou Huang pressure pouring from Yun Yun.
The Seven-Colored Little Snake coiled around his wrist seemed startled by the tense, hair-trigger atmosphere and shifted its small, nimble body uneasily. Its pale purple eyes flashed with vigilance like two gleaming amethysts. It cautiously glanced at Yun Yun, then curled back up in silence, as if seeking a sense of safety.
"Xiao... Zhan?!" For the first time, Yun Yun's cool, exquisite face, as if carved from ice and snow, revealed undisguised shock. It was like a boulder suddenly thrown into a placid lake, sending ripples across the surface. She stared at the man who had appeared out of nowhere, her gaze a keen probe filled with doubt and scrutiny, trying to pierce his unfathomable calm and glimpse the secrets hidden deep within him.
Impossible! This couldn't be! She cried out inwardly, refusing to accept what was happening before her eyes, something that defied all reason.
The scene from her memory unfolded clearly. Not long ago, before the ancient, imposing gates of the Xiao Family in Wutan City, this man had been formidable enough to withstand Luo Bu's mountain-like Dou Ling pressure. But back then, his aura had nowhere near the unfathomable depths it possessed now. He had been more like a sword quietly sheathed: its edge not flaunted, yet its limits still faintly discernible, like a star in the night sky that, though not dazzling, could still be clearly seen.
But now?
The Xiao Zhan before her felt like a boundless, unfathomable starry sky. Its endless depths seemed to conceal every secret in the universe, making anyone who gazed upon it feel as insignificant as dust. Her proud Dou Huang-level soul perception reached out like a nimble tendril, cautiously touching the space within three feet of him—only to vanish without a trace, like an ox sinking into the sea. It wasn't blocked by a powerful Dou Qi barrier. Rather, it was as if he had already merged with the laws of heaven and earth, his entire being flawless and without the slightest opening. He was like an immovable mountain towering before her.
Dou Zong! The fact she desperately did not want to believe, yet could not deny, exploded through her mind like a peal of thunder. The once seemingly ordinary Xiao Family patriarch from Wutan City had, in such a short time, crossed the perilous chasm that countless experts could never overcome in their lifetimes and become a powerful being on the same level as her master, Yun Shan?! It was beyond anything she could imagine, like a boulder crashing into a calm lake and shattering the balance of everything she had believed.
"You... you've become a Dou Zong?" Yun Yun's voice trembled slightly, rough and disbelieving in a way she herself did not notice. Shock and confusion filled her eyes, as if she were questioning the injustice and miracles of the world. She simply could not understand how any of this had happened. It was beyond all her knowledge and imagination.
Xiao Zhan did not answer a question whose answer was already obvious. His gaze, cold as frost, slowly swept over Yun Yun, as though he were assessing an unreasonable, immature junior, his eyes conveying an innate authority and distance. At last, his gaze settled on Xiao Yi Xian, curled up at the bottom of the valley. At that moment, she was like a frightened little beast, her delicate body trembling, her eyes full of fear and helplessness. Xiao Zhan's brows knitted faintly, that subtle movement revealing his displeasure with the situation.
"Sect Master Yun, you've come with such a show of force and barged into a place where the Snake-People Tribe is recuperating without permission. That is already a breach of decorum. Worse, you used a Dou Huang's might to bully a junior who is gravely injured and powerless to defend herself." Xiao Zhan's voice remained as calm as still water, without the slightest ripple, yet every word struck Yun Yun's heart like a heavy hammer, making her shudder. "Is this how the Misty Cloud Sect has always conducted itself? Is this the responsibility and bearing expected of you, Yun Yun, as the head of a sect?"
"You!" Yun Yun was choked into silence by the merciless accusation that struck straight at her sore spot. Frost instantly covered her beautiful face, like a lake buried beneath winter snow, cold and hard. A blaze of anger at being slighted surged up in her heart, threatening to break free of her reason. Yet Xiao Zhan's unfathomable aura, deep as an abyss, bound the Dou Qi on the verge of erupting within her like an icy chain, keeping her from acting rashly.
She drew a deep breath, struggling to calm the turmoil in her heart and suppress the fury about to burst forth. After a moment, her voice regained its usual coolness, like a mountain spring—cold and resolute, yet carrying an unquestionable determination. "Xiao Zhan! Even if you've now attained the rank of Dou Zong, don't think you can shelter criminals! Xiao Yan killed Yun Sheng, an elder of my Misty Cloud Sect. That is an ironclad fact, beyond dispute! Blood must be paid for with blood; it is only right and proper! And this Woe Poison Body is the root of calamity in this world, like a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment. She must be taken back to Misty Cloud Mountain and sealed away, lest she bring disaster upon all living things and innocent people! If you hand those two over, I will take my people and leave at once. Not a single innocent person will be harmed!"
"Blood must be paid for with blood?" Xiao Zhan's lips curved into a frigid smile, like an ice blade formed in the depths of winter, its chill piercing to the bone. A cold gleam flashed in his eyes like lightning streaking across the night sky, illuminating the tense standoff. "Yun Sheng and Ge Ye were in cahoots. In the perilous Magical Beast Mountain Range, they openly ambushed my son, Xiao Yan! If my son hadn't been blessed with exceptional luck, he would have died long ago and become a lonely ghost in those desolate mountains! Yun Sheng was killed because he was inferior. He brought it upon himself and reaped what he sowed! Instead of pursuing Yun Sheng's crime of ambushing him, you, Sect Master Yun, have the gall to come demand this so-called blood debt from me? Hmph. The 'justice' upheld by the Misty Cloud Sect is truly an eye-opener!"
With that, his eyes sharpened, and he slowly took a step forward! It was just one step, yet it seemed to shatter the tranquility of heaven and earth!
BOOM—!!!
An invisible pressure, so heavy it could crush mountains, descended with a thunderous crash, like an ancient god who had slept for ten thousand years suddenly opening his eyes, bringing with him the power to destroy heaven and earth! This time, the pressure was no longer restrained or concealed. The boundless aura of a Dou Zong became a tangible ocean, instantly engulfing and utterly suppressing Yun Yun's Dou Huang-level pressure with an overwhelming force.
Crack! Crack!
The space beneath Yun Yun's feet seemed like fragile glass, unable to withstand the impact of that terrifying power. Fine but unmistakable cracking sounds rang out, as if space itself were groaning in pain. She grunted. Her moon-white robes stirred in the wind and snapped like a flag struggling against a gale. She felt as though she were caught in a fathomless ocean, with terrifying force surging in from every direction and crushing her body. The Dou Qi in her body instantly became sluggish, like a frozen river that could no longer flow freely.
She had no choice but to summon all her strength and circulate her Dou Qi, forming a tightly condensed barrier of azure wind around her body. Only then could she barely keep her unsteady form from toppling. Even so, her exquisite face was flushed red, as though seared by flames, and her eyes were filled with shock and disbelief!
The pressure of his aura alone had left her, a three-star Dou Huang, in such a sorry state, utterly humiliated! Was this the terrifying power possessed by a Dou Zong?!
"As for Xiao Yi Xian..." Xiao Zhan's gaze slowly turned toward the bottom of the valley. His deep eyes seemed to hold countless stars, and his voice carried unquestionable authority, as if declaring the laws of the world. "She is an honored guest of the Xiao Family and a dear friend of Yan'er. I, Xiao Zhan, will personally watch over her special constitution and protect her with all my strength. A calamity to all living things? Sect Master Yun, aren't you reaching a little too far and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"
"You...!" Yun Yun trembled with fury, her chest rising and falling like waves in the wind, her once-cool, beautiful face now filled with indignation. All her life, she had held a position of honor. When had anyone ever dared to openly defy and rebuke her so mercilessly? Worse, her opponent's mountain-like pressure had nearly left her unable to breathe! The pride of a Dou Huang expert and the dignity of a sect master had been trampled under Xiao Zhan's feet without mercy!
"Xiao Zhan! Are you really going to make an open enemy of the Misty Cloud Sect for the sake of those two wet-behind-the-ears youngsters?!" Yun Yun's voice had a sharp edge, like the cry of a night owl, but it was mostly bluster masking weakness. Faced with an unfathomable Dou Zong as deep as an abyss, the "Misty Cloud Sect" she invoked for support had lost much of its former, awe-inspiring power, like a tiger without its fangs.
"An enemy?" Hearing this, Xiao Zhan seemed to find it the most ridiculous thing in the world. He lifted the corners of his mouth and gently shook his head. His previously calm gaze suddenly turned sharp as a blade, like two streaks of lightning piercing the void and striking straight at the depths of Yun Yun's soul. "Yun Yun!"
Those two simple words rang beside Yun Yun's ears like divine thunder, making her eardrums ache and her mind tremble!
"Let alone you standing here today—even if your master, Yun Shan, came in person, if he dared to touch my son, Xiao Zhan, or anyone he had vowed to protect..." Xiao Zhan's voice abruptly rose like a tolling bell, filled with the domineering decisiveness of someone who looked down on all beings and swept across the world. It rolled like thunder through the sky, resounding over the entire oasis and sending countless birds scattering from the trees!
I, the sect master, would still kill him without hesitation!
At that final word, BOOM—!!!
The space around Xiao Zhan shook violently, as though an ancient beast were waking from its slumber. He did not truly make a move, yet a killing intent, condensed to the utmost and seemingly imbued with a supreme will like that of the Dragon Phoenix, swept forth like an invisible world-destroying sword capable of cleaving through anything. With the force of creation itself, it tore through the space before him. Crossing the ten zhang between them like lightning, the killing intent slashed fiercely at Yun Yun's mind, as if to shatter her soul completely!
"Pfft—!"
Yun Yun felt as if she had been struck in the chest by a hammer weighing ten thousand jun. Her azure wind barrier flickered violently, emitting a strained sizzling sound before shattering into countless motes of light and vanishing into the air. She abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood, which bloomed in the air like a blood-red rose, beautiful and blinding. Her body then flew backward dozens of zhang like a kite with its string cut, and only after a desperate struggle did she manage to steady herself.
By then, her face was as pale as paper, without a trace of color, and her aura was in complete disarray, like a candle sputtering in a gale, liable to go out at any moment. She stared at Xiao Zhan in boundless shock—a primal fear of an unknown and overwhelming power. Humiliation, the resentment of a Dou Huang expert and sect master whose dignity had been trampled beneath someone's feet. And... a terror that reached deep into her bones, the helplessness and despair rising from the depths of her soul when faced with absolute superiority!
A killing intent born of a single thought had wounded her, a three-star Dou Huang, in an instant, leaving her powerless to fight back!
The might of a Dou Zong was truly terrifying, like divine punishment. It inspired awe and made one afraid to look directly at it!
The entire oasis fell into a deathly silence, as if struck by a spell. It was so quiet they could hear the faint rustling of leaves in the breeze and the nervous thudding of one another's hearts. Every Snake-People Tribe warrior who had sensed the violent clash, every venerable elder, and even Xiao Yan, who had just rushed over in a panic, stood as if under a binding spell, staring up in stunned silence at the figure in the sky, as if a god or demon had descended.
That figure radiated a terrifying presence, like an immovable mountain or a boundless, unfathomable ocean. By comparison, the Misty Cloud Sect's sect master, driven back by that thought-born force and now spitting blood with a deathly pale face, seemed so frail and insignificant.
Dominance! A peerless dominance that could break through the shackles of heaven and earth and make all things submit! A fierce protectiveness pushed to the extreme, as resolute as a lioness shielding her cubs, allowing no one to harm those she cherished!
At that moment, Xiao Zhan had proclaimed to the entire world in the most direct and brutal way: his reverse scale was like a dragon's—touch it, and you died! No matter who the other party was or how exalted their status, no one could touch what he held dear!
Yun Yun clutched her aching chest, the pain like a sharp dagger stabbing straight into her heart. She looked up at the blue-robed figure hovering in the air, his gaze cold as ice, and felt a tempest rise within her. Anger burned in her chest like a raging flame; humiliation coiled around her heart like a cold venomous snake; shock overwhelmed her like a sudden storm, drowning her in fear; and there was also a feeling she herself refused to acknowledge... helplessness, an invisible net that ensnared her and left her unable to break free.
She understood that today's objective was no longer attainable. Trying to seize anyone by force in front of such a domineering, fiercely protective Dou Zong was no different from smashing an egg against a rock—suicidal folly!
"Fine... Well done, Xiao Zhan!" Yun Yun gritted her teeth and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, staining her fingertips red like rouge. Her voice was hoarse and cold, as if it had come from a frigid abyss. "I will remember what happened today! The Misty Cloud Sect will never forget it, either! The mountains are high and the waters are long; there will be plenty of time for us to meet again. We... will meet again!"
She gazed deeply into the depths of Poison Barrier Valley at the frail figure trembling like a leaf in the wind, as if she had a thousand things to say. Then she slowly shifted her gaze to the stone hall's entrance in the distance. There stood Xiao Yan, his face pale as paper, but his eyes burned with a stubborn fire, full of defiance. Finally, her gaze locked onto Xiao Zhan like a sharp sword, as if she wanted to engrave his image deep into her soul and never forget it.
Then she did not linger for even a moment. Azure Dou Qi burst from her like a surging tide, transforming into a brilliant streak of light that cut across the sky. Without turning back, she shot toward the edge of the oasis like lightning and vanished at the horizon in the blink of an eye. Her retreating figure looked disheveled, and there was something almost panicked about her escape, as if something terrifying were chasing her.
A crisis that could have turned the oasis upside down and overturned the world ended quietly with Yun Yun's retreat, cowed by Xiao Zhan's absolute, peerless martial might.
Xiao Zhan slowly reined in his earth-shaking aura, powerful enough to move mountains and rivers, and swept his gaze across the area below. Xiao Yi Xian sat collapsed on the rock, gasping for breath. Tears of relief streamed soundlessly down her face like beads from a broken string, soaking her clothes. Xiao Yan stood at the entrance of the stone hall, his clenched fists pale from the force with which he held them. His gaze on his father was full of unprecedented admiration and excitement, as if the man before him were an all-powerful god.
"Everyone, disperse and strengthen the guard." Xiao Zhan's calm voice, like a spring breeze passing over a lake yet imbued with unquestionable authority, instantly carried across the entire oasis. As soon as he had spoken, he flickered into existence beside Xiao Yan like a phantom.
"Father!" Xiao Yan cried, his face flushed with excitement and his voice trembling.
"It's all right now." Xiao Zhan gently patted his son's shoulder, his broad palm seeming to carry endless strength and warmth. Yet his gaze happened to fall on the black ring on Xiao Yan's left hand, and his eyes instantly deepened, like an unfathomable pool. "Yan'er, before Yun Yun arrived just now, did you sense anything?"
Xiao Yan froze for a moment. Then memories of the ring's unusual movements and his harrowing experience in the Ancient Altar surfaced in his mind like scenes from a film. He quickly steadied himself and told his father everything, leaving nothing out: how he had found the second Bronze Fragment, the strange sight of the ring absorbing the fragment, the information about the "Bronze Immortal Palace" fragment that had flashed through his mind like a meteor, and how Yao Lao's soul had been nourished by it. He deliberately left out the piercing pain he had endured when the torrent of information had nearly overwhelmed his soul.
"Bronze Immortal Palace..." Xiao Zhan repeated the words quietly, his brows drawing together as if bound by an invisible shackle. With a small turn of his hand, the second fragment he had obtained from Xiao Yan appeared in his palm, placed beside the one he had taken earlier. At the broken edges, the two fragments glimmered with an extremely faint halo, like fireflies. It was as though they were drawing toward each other and softly calling out, or perhaps recounting an ancient tale long sealed away.
"Father, what exactly are these fragments? They seem... able to restore Teacher's soul!" Xiao Yan asked urgently, his eyes shining with hope, as if it were the only lamp in the darkness, guiding him toward a way to save Yao Lao.
Xiao Zhan gazed at the two fragments in his palm, which radiated a mysterious aura. He could feel within them fragments of ancient laws that made even his heart tremble, as well as a vast, ocean-like power. He remained silent for a long time, as though searching for the answer in the river of time. At last, he carefully put the two fragments away and fixed his gaze on Xiao Yan, his expression as grave as a deep pool.
"This item is connected to far more than you or I can imagine. The 'Bronze Immortal Palace'... behind that name, there are likely secrets capable of shaking heaven and earth and leaving the world astounded. Until you possess sufficient strength, you must not seek out its traces again, and you must not reveal a single thing about it! Remember, holding a jade ring invites its own crime. There are always those in this world who will stop at nothing for treasures like this!"
He paused slightly, then continued in a measured voice, his words carrying a meaning that invited reflection. "As for Venerable Yao... being nourished by this item is a tremendous stroke of fortune for him. All you need to do is focus on your cultivation. When he awakens, everything will become clear and the truth will come to light."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded firmly, engraving his father's earnest words in his heart as though carving them there.
Just then, the Seven-Colored Little Snake in Xiao Zhan's arms suddenly grew restless again, as if it had sensed something terrifying. Its tiny body stiffened like a bowstring drawn taut, and its pale purple eyes stared fixedly in one direction across the desert. It let out sharp, urgent hisses. This time, the sound did not carry its usual yearning for treasure; instead, it brimmed with warning, as though desperately trying to alert them to something.
At the same time, an extremely subtle but chilling fluctuation of aura—one that even made Xiao Zhan's heart stir with unease—came intermittently from the direction the Seven-Colored Little Snake indicated, faint as ink dropped into clear water. This aura... Xiao Zhan's expression turned grave. He could never mistake it!
The Soul Hall! Protector Wu?! He still dared lurk nearby and spy on them, clinging to them like a ghost that would not leave?
A cold light blazed in Xiao Zhan's eyes like two sharp bolts of lightning. Killing intent spread like tangible frost, seeming to freeze the surrounding air.
"It seems some bugs, clinging like bone-deep parasites and refusing to leave... are due for a thorough cleaning!"
Before you continue