Revealing Her True Face

As the smoke and dust slowly dispersed, that graceful figure remained breathtakingly beautiful in the dim light.

Amid the howling wind, her waist-length hair danced behind her, three thousand silken strands fluttering in the breeze.

Then he saw that flawless profile, perfect beyond reproach. In the northern lands there was a beauty; one glance could topple a city, a second could topple a kingdom.

Yet the only thing that remained unchanged from when she wore the Bamboo Hat was those beautiful autumn-water eyes, as though they reflected a sea of stars.

Only now, they were no longer concealed.

It was no exaggeration to say that Xiao Yan was utterly captivated.

He had long formed his own guesses about Miss Wan's true appearance.

...After all, her voice was so pleasant that her looks could hardly have been poor.

But all his past guesses and fantasies paled before that fleeting glimpse today. It was as though everything before his eyes had been branded deeply into his mind, never to be forgotten.

"Miss Wan..."

"Hide properly and stop moving around."

Feeling the toxic tide and gale that made one's body and mind profoundly uncomfortable, Yao Wan shook her head gently, paying no attention to Xiao Yan's gaze.

"It's fine. I'll resolve this soon."

"You have nowhere left to retreat. Hand over the Poison Flame, and I can spare your lives."

Since they had already torn off all pretenses, You Li naturally had no concern for dignity. Still, he could tell that even with two peak Dou Emperors joining forces, taking her down would be no easy matter.

Thus, he could not help but speak up to stop her.

"Heh, spare our lives?"

Yao Wan sneered. "I'm afraid that once I hand over the Poison Flame, they'll be sharpening their blades for us instead. If you want to deceive someone, at least come up with a smarter excuse."

"If you refuse to hand it over, we can simply wear you down here. After all, you have dead weight with you. No matter what, you won't be able to escape."

"Besides, as a mere Dou Wang, how long can you endure the corrosion of the Poison Flame?"

You Li seemed certain of victory, his voice brimming with confidence.

Heavenly Flames were inherently dangerous, and the Nether Poison Flame was even more so. Not only did it possess terrifying destructive power, but it also carried horrific poison. Touch it, and death was certain.

Even if Yao Wan could ignore it for a while and barely suppress it, how long could she maintain that state?

Xie Shan and Wu Ya remained on high alert. Unlike You Li, who never stopped talking, the two of them had truly fought Yao Wan before and naturally understood what she was capable of.

Even though she was merely a five-star Dou Wang, an entire major realm below them, it did nothing to lessen the enormous threat she posed.

Therefore, neither of them had any intention of negotiating with Yao Wan.

They had driven a young Dou Wang capable of challenging above her rank into a desperate corner. Were they supposed to wait for You Li to reach an agreement with her, then let her leave alive?

Don't be ridiculous.

If she left today, some terrifying super faction would probably send one or two experts tomorrow to raze their sects to the ground.

Not to mention how terrifying her own talent was. Once she advanced to Dou Emperor, they would be the ones fleeing in panic.

Thus, Xie Shan and Wu Ya shared only one thought.

Kill her. They could not leave behind future trouble!

Yet as she looked at the irrepressible killing intent on Xie Shan and Wu Ya's faces, then at You Li's appearance of having victory firmly in hand, Yao Wan found it strangely amusing.

"How laughable... Do you really think you've got me cornered?"

Yao Wan raised her head slightly. The poison-laced wind swept through the three thousand strands of hair behind her, making her narrow those beautiful eyes unconsciously.

"Hm?"

Soul swords formed into an array, and an intricate formation pattern appeared beneath Yao Wan's feet.

You Li sensed that something was wrong. "Not good! This is a soul-level formation! Retreat at once!!!"

Following You Li's furious roar, Xie Shan and Wu Ya immediately reacted and rapidly retreated.

"Heh, trying to run?"

The corners of Yao Wan's lips curled slightly, and that faint smile eclipsed all charm.

"You can't escape."

As Yao Wan spread the sword array with her spiritual sense, it swiftly expanded beneath the feet of the three retreating men. Countless soul swords sprouted like thorns, piercing through their bodies and pinning them in midair, leaving them unable to move.

"What is this?!"

"She's only a Dou Wang. Could she have already touched upon space...? No, impossible. That's absolutely impossible!"

"It's her soul... Such Soul Power..."

You Li realized it in alarm, but by the time he understood, escape was no longer possible.

Because it had never been any ordinary technique.

At its core, it was simply Soul Power piercing through their souls. If their souls could not move, then naturally their bodies could no longer make any movements either.

"Void-Piercing Purple Light."

As her soft words fell, an exceedingly faint violet gleam slowly lit within her autumn-water eyes. Then, with a sharp hiss, it pierced through space and appeared before You Li and the others. In their horror, they hurriedly gathered their Dou Qi to defend themselves.

In Xiao Yan's eyes, it was a pure violet ray, flashing past in an instant.

Then came a surging torrent of light as dazzling as the sun.

The violet beam crashed down upon the Dou Qi barriers gathered by the three men with overwhelming force. Yet before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a faint puff sounded quietly, followed by a crisp cracking noise.

You Li's eyes widened at once, unable to believe it.

The Dou Qi defenses they had painstakingly formed were as flimsy as paper beneath that violet light, utterly incapable of resisting it!

Then, the violet light swallowed the three figures whole.

Not even their screams could be heard.

Only after the violet glow faded and the Soul Sword Array withdrew did two battered figures fly backward through the rising smoke and dust.

They were Xie Shan and Wu Ya.

Both spat out mouthfuls of blood, no longer possessing any of their previous arrogance.

As for You Li, who had been spouting such bold words moments ago, he had been killed outright by Yao Wan's Void-Piercing Purple Light. Not even his bones remained; not a trace of ash was left behind.

Xie Shan and Wu Ya were naturally unwilling to accept this, but Yao Wan had long been waiting for them to attack again. Nine soul swords flew toward them before they could move.

"Cough, cough, cough! Damn it! You win! Brother Wu Ya, retreat!"

Facing the incoming soul swords once more, Xie Shan had completely lost the bearing of a peak Dou Emperor. At this moment, even slightly stirring the Dou Qi within his body made his insides feel as though they were burning, worse than death itself.

Wu Ya was naturally in no better condition.

Still, whether he could leave was another matter entirely.

"...Leave? When did I ever say I would let the two of you go?"

Yao Wan was clearly standing there, yet the voice Xie Shan and Wu Ya heard came from above their heads, like a heavenly sound piercing their ears. Even two peak Dou Emperors nearly failed to withstand it. They could only desperately cover their ears with both hands, but blood still seeped from them, slowly trickling between their fingers.

"Spare—spare us!"