"If that's all you've got, this won't be over anytime soon!"
Xiao Yan gripped the Heavy Profound Ruler, suddenly picked up speed, and charged toward Nalan Yanran. He swung the ruler down at her without the slightest courtesy.
Nalan Yanran immediately raised her sword to block. Its blade bent under the blow, showing just how much force Xiao Yan had put behind the Heavy Profound Ruler.
Clang~~~~~~~~
Suddenly.
The green Dou Qi on the sword in Nalan Yanran's hand surged, and its power increased along with it.
"Wind Spirit Splitting Sword!"
As she unleashed the Dou Technique, several sword images appeared before Xiao Yan. Each one carried tangible force, forcing him to retreat and fend them off.
Seeing Nalan Yanran use that Dou Technique, the Misty Cloud Sect disciples present broke into discussion.
"I never thought Senior Sister Nalan had already cultivated the Profound-tier Middle-grade Dou Technique, Wind Spirit Splitting Sword, to this level."
"Five sword images! I heard Senior Sister Nalan's only been training for a year. I've practiced for two years, and I can only make four."
"Senior Sister Nalan's trying to end this quickly!"
Xiao Yan planted the Heavy Profound Ruler in the ground and gave a slight shudder, shaking off the force weighing on him. "As expected of the Misty Cloud Sect's young mistress. You don't hesitate to use a Dou Technique like that."
Whoosh!
Xiao Yan sped up again. This time, things were a little different. While they were both in midair, Nalan Yanran expected the Heavy Profound Ruler to come crashing down, but Xiao Yan released it instead, sending it flying straight at her.
Seeing this,
Nalan Yanran had no choice but to dodge the Heavy Profound Ruler. And at that very moment—
"Explosive Step!"
Dou Qi burst beneath Xiao Yan's feet, and he appeared before Nalan Yanran in an instant.
He threw a punch.
"Eight Extremities Collapse!"
Boom!!
In the blink of an eye,
Nalan Yanran was sent flying into the air like a kite with its string cut, her delicate form drifting like petals torn from a flower in a gale.
At this sight,
the Misty Cloud Sect disciples gaped in shock.
"Senior Sister Nalan lost?"
No matter how shocked the disciples were, the elders on the stone platform remained calm and composed, as if this didn't mean much at all.
"That boy has some skill."
"Indeed. He managed to make Yanran use her full strength. You could call him a genius."
In the square,
Nalan Yanran landed safely on the ground and looked at Xiao Yan with her beautiful eyes. "These past three years, you really have surprised me."
"No matter what, you're no longer that good-for-nothing young master of the Xiao Family."
Xiao Yan had little to say in response. Sensing the pale-green energy rising within Nalan Yanran, he said, "Are you finally going to show your true strength?"
"I don't want to say any more about what happened back then."
The aura surrounding Nalan Yanran grew stronger and stronger. "But today, I represent the Misty Cloud Sect. For the sake of the sect's reputation, I won't hold back anymore!"
The full aura of a Da Dou Shi emerged from Nalan Yanran.
Seeing this,
Xiao Yan stopped hiding his own strength.
"Then let's fight, Nalan Yanran!"
Xiao Yan's aura also rose to the level of a Da Dou Shi!
At this,
the crowd stared in disbelief.
"A Da Dou Shi?"
"Good heavens, he reached this level in just three years?"
Nalan Yanran's strength as a Da Dou Shi might not have surprised everyone much, but Xiao Yan was another matter. Everyone present knew that three years ago, he wasn't even a Dou Zhe.
Seeing Xiao Yan's strength,
a complicated look appeared in Nalan Yanran's eyes. She hadn't expected that the good-for-nothing young master from back then would have caught up with her.
"Xiao Yan, let's fight!"
This time, Nalan Yanran held nothing back.
She rose into the air.
The energy in her sword grew stronger and stronger. The blade even began to tremble, as if it wanted to tear itself from her grasp. She endured the strain of wielding such immense energy, and the light along the sword grew ever more dazzling.
As it surged, the light on Nalan Yanran's sword became brighter than the sun.
"Wind Extremity: Sunset Flare!"
At that moment,
a powerful sword aura burst from the sword in Nalan Yanran's hand. Even the paving stones beneath her feet exploded, as the overwhelming force swept toward Xiao Yan.
Facing such a powerful attack,
Xiao Yan remained calm. He planted the Heavy Profound Ruler in the ground and looked up at the incoming attack.
"It's time to end this!"
Xiao Yan took out a Purple Fire Pill and tossed it into his mouth. In the eyes of the others, his movement instantly made a familiar figure seem to overlap with him.
Pop!
Xiao Yan parted his lips slightly, and purple flames fell into his palm.
Seeing the purple flames,
Fa Ma's expression changed. "Is he Yan Xiao?"
Jia Xingtian also looked surprised. The same movement, the same purple flames, and about the same height and age...
Hiss!!
Xiao Yan's movements weren't over yet.
A blue flame appeared in his other hand. As soon as it did, everyone knew for certain:
This guy
was Yan Xiao.
"Yan Xiao... Xiao Yan?"
"Isn't that just the name turned around?"
"Good heavens, you call this a good-for-nothing?"
"At his age, he's a Da Dou Shi and can refine fourth-grade pills. You call that a good-for-nothing?"
Xiao Yan didn't care what the others thought.
Looking at the two flames in his hands, he slowly brought them together. The moment the purple flame touched the Green Lotus Core Flame, immense energy burst forth. Hai Bodong's eyelid twitched at the sight, and his body almost instinctively moved to retreat. But when he saw that it was only the purple flame, he finally managed to hold back.
"The aftereffects are pretty bad!" Hai Bodong had to admit that Xiao Yan's flame fusion had scared him badly.
"What's he trying to do?"
"Fuse two kinds of flames? How does this guy dare?!"
In the distance,
Gu He stared at the blue flame in Xiao Yan's hand. "Could it be him?"
Gu He couldn't help giving a bitter smile.
His lineup back then had been incredibly powerful. He'd originally thought the Heavenly Flame had been taken by Queen Medusa, but now it seemed it had actually been this kid.
As his gaze swept around,
he happened to spot Shen Shihuang drinking wine.
Gu He shuddered all over.
"What's he doing here?"
Back then, he'd known full well that Shen Shihuang was at the Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor level. That one blow had almost killed him.
"Could that be the aura of a Dou Zong?"
Gu He was a sixth-grade alchemist, so his soul power was naturally strong. As soon as he sensed the power hidden within Shen Shihuang, his eyes narrowed. At that moment, Shen Shihuang smiled at him.
Gu He: "...!"
At that moment,
a voice sounded in Shen Shihuang's mind.
"Sign-in complete. Sign-in reward: Sect-Breaking Pill!"
The Sect-Breaking Pill.
It had a certain chance of helping a Peak Nine-Star Dou Emperor break through to Dou Zong.
For a Dou Huang expert, the value of this Sect-Breaking Pill was undeniably immense.
"The Sect-Breaking Pill?"
Shen Shihuang smiled with satisfaction. "With this, perhaps the Snake-People Tribe can gain another Dou Zong expert."
After all,
the Snake-People Tribe's queen had become his woman. He was on his own, so helping his woman's tribe was only right.
"It's over."
Watching Xiao Yan's small Buddha Fury Fire Lotus take shape, Shen Shihuang began to look forward to how the Misty Cloud Sect would react.
Boom!!
The Fire Lotus exploded, and there was no doubt about it: Nalan Yanran had lost.
Just as Xiao Yan was about to leave,
a sudden change occurred.