Nalan Yanran Seeks to Break Off the Engagement

Little Doctor Fairy stood amidst the crowd, her eyes already red and swollen from weeping.

Her delicate face was filled with deep emotion and admiration; she felt that the story of the Ruthless Empress was truly earth-shattering and magnificent.

Biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, she mused to herself, "Such a brilliant and talented figure is truly peerless in this world, worthy of all reverence!"

However, as her gaze shifted back to Xiao Fan on the stage, a subtle, imperceptible sense of attachment quietly welled up from the depths of her eyes.

Her heart fluttered like a startled fawn, thumping wildly against her chest: "Xiao Fan is truly amazing to know such stories..."

[Ding! Little Doctor Fairy's trust is absolute; obtained 500 bragging points!]

Night fell, draping over the earth like a shroud of black silk.

Moonlight poured down like water, spilling softly and tranquilly over every inch of the Xiao Clan Back Mountain.

Xiao Fan arrived at the Xiao Clan Back Mountain alone, his silhouette appearing exceptionally tall and solitary under the moonlight.

He moved his hands in a rhythmic dance, chanting incantations as he began to lay out a formation.

Following his movements, a grand array covering the entire Xiao Clan slowly activated.

The array was extremely discreet; the moment it manifested, it submerged deep underground.

The effects of this formation were extraordinary. Not only could it accelerate the gathering and influx of heaven and earth energy, providing a denser environment for the Xiao Clan disciples to cultivate in and thereby greatly increasing their speed, but it also possessed powerful defensive capabilities, capable of repelling attacks from a Dou Huang to safeguard the Xiao Clan.

Xiao Fan mused to himself that the Xiao Clan had raised him for over a decade; now that he had achieved success, it was only natural for him to contribute to his family.

As the saying goes, "When one person attains the Dao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven." When he eventually ascended to become an Emperor, the Xiao Clan would surely rise to prominence and flourish alongside him.

"Next, it is time to cultivate in peace and steadily improve my strength."

Xiao Fan muttered to himself.

"System..."

[Name]: Xiao Fan

[Realm]: Peak Nine-Star Dou Huang (32,000/100,000)

[Cultivation Method]: Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art (Minor Success: 130,000/1,000,000)

[Skills]: Nine Secrets - Group (Entry: 3,200/100,000), Thousand Flame Sword Aura (Mastery), Great Wind Hand Seal (Mastery), Explosive Step (Mastery), Extreme Wind: Meteor Kill (Mastery), etc.

[Points]: 6,900

Xiao Fan looked at the system panel; he was still over sixty thousand experience points away from the pinnacle of the Dou Huang stage.

At least the Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art had reached minor success, saving him a massive amount of experience.

During the day, while recounting the story of the Ruthless Empress, he had been moved by his own words. Perhaps favored by some mysterious power, he had triggered a Great Dao phenomenon, which directly pushed his Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art to minor success, leaving him secretly delighted.

Previously, his Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art had only been at the entry stage, where he had merely grasped the basic circulation routes and principles of the technique.

It was like opening a door and beginning to guide power to circulate through his body according to the methods of the "Heaven-Swallowing Demonic Art." Although he could absorb the origin energy of others for his own use, the efficiency was low, and his control over the power at that stage was not precise.

Now, it was different. At the minor success stage, he could circulate the technique more skillfully and efficiently to devour the origin energy of others, allowing for a stronger performance even in the heat of battle.

Furthermore, he could better convert and fuse the devoured power, which was of greater help in stabilizing and elevating his realm.

"Time to focus on growth..."

Xiao Fan took a deep breath and sat cross-legged atop the back mountain as heaven and earth energy swept down, appearing like the Milky Way falling from the ninth heaven.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Xiao Clan Back Mountain, Xiao Yan seemed to vaguely sense something.

He was astonished to discover that the speed at which he absorbed heaven and earth Dou Qi had noticeably increased.

It felt as if the surrounding energy was actively gathering toward him, leaving him both excited and puzzled.

Could it be that his peerless talent was finally manifesting?

Yao Chen stood to the side, watching Xiao Yan, who was carrying a giant boulder and training diligently, with a look of gratification, and spoke deliberately.

"You have now reached the fifth stage of Dou Zhi Qi. With only three months left until the family assessment, Xiao Yanzi, do you have the confidence to break through to the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi?"

His voice carried a hint of expectation and testing.

Xiao Yan raised his head, a confident smile appearing on his face.

The image of the six-star Dou Zhe maidservant who had been by Xiao Fan's side involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

A surge of intense fighting spirit welled up in his heart.

Even that maidservant, who looked to be the same age as him, was already a six-star Dou Zhe; he had to work hard too!

"Teacher, I will not only break through to the ninth stage of Dou Zhi Qi, I will break through to become a Dou Zhe!"

Xiao Yan's voice was firm and powerful.

"Not bad, not bad. Truly worthy of being my beloved disciple..."

Yao Chen was very pleased, then looked up at the sky.

An ordinary person might not feel it, but with his Heavenly Realm soul, he could clearly perceive that the heaven and earth energy was continuously pouring into the entire Xiao Clan.

"This feeling... it's just like a formation."

A formation... hiss...

One had to know that such things as formations were only possessed by major powers.

Take the Pill Tower, for instance. As the holy land for alchemists on the continent, Yao Lao, who had once spent some time there, knew it very well.

The Pill Tower's protective formation was formidable, an ancient and powerful defensive array capable of repelling foreign invaders; its complex patterns and potent energy restrictions could block even experts at the Dou Zun level.

Beyond that, only the Eight Ancient Clans possessed such things, owing to their numerous legacies.

Their family territories were protected by powerful defensive formations that could not only conceal their locations but also withstand attacks from formidable enemies.

And now, this Xiao Clan also had a formation.

"This Xiao Clan is not simple..."

Could it have been done by that person?

Inexplicably, Yao Lao thought of that youth who also possessed a Heavenly Realm soul, yet whose cultivation level remained impossible to discern.

Meanwhile, deep within the Misty Cloud Sect.

Nalan Yanran stood quietly by the window, dressed in magnificent and noble attire.

She gazed at the distant sky, her beautiful face as delicate and cold as a plum blossom blooming in the dead of winter.

She had secretly made a decision: she would personally go to Wutan City to annul the engagement!

Nalan Yanran pondered to herself.

In the future, she was to inherit her master's position as Sect Leader and become the helm of the Misty Cloud Sect, bearing the weight of the entire sect's rise and fall.

The former genius of the Xiao Clan had already fallen; he was simply unworthy of her.

Moreover, he might even become a burden on her path forward, dragging her and the sect down in return.

She would never allow such a situation to happen.

"I'm sorry..."

Nalan Yanran whispered to herself, yet there was not a hint of apology in her tone, only a sense of resolve and decisiveness.

Furthermore, in her view, this was merely a trivial matter that required no reporting to her master.

As for the timing of the annulment, she had already decided: three months from now.

It happened to coincide with her upcoming breakthrough in cultivation, making everything fall perfectly into place.