Beneath the gentle moonlight, as soft as water, Xiao Fan and Yun Yun's lips met as if by some strange twist of fate.
In an instant, Yun Yun's fair face flushed crimson, like a cloud dyed by the evening glow.
The blushing hue spread all the way to her ears, and even her slender neck was tinged with a captivating rose color.
"You..."
Her voice trembled, filled with anger and a trace of panic that quietly crept in.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Fan looked at her teasingly, and before he could say another word,
Yun Yun broke free from his embrace like a startled hare.
She darted backward, leaving only a faint afterimage in the air.
In the blink of an eye, she was already dozens of meters away.
Bathed in moonlight, her figure looked so flustered, her clothes fluttering in the wind.
Yun Yun stared at Xiao Fan in shock. He looked so calm, as if he hadn't just kissed her!
Wait, when I moved closer, couldn't you at least have tried to dodge?
How strange. Whenever the disciples of her sect saw her, they always looked like pure-hearted young men who wanted to stare but were too shy, then awkwardly glanced away with flushed faces.
She'd thought Xiao Fan was the same. In her imagination, when she'd moved closer, he should have turned his head to avoid impropriety.
Who could've guessed he wouldn't dodge at all?!
Watching her flustered retreat, Xiao Fan's lips curved into an amused smile.
He thought to himself, This is hilarious. Did you think that after two lifetimes, I'd still be some bashful boy who'd never even touched a woman's hand?
Xiao Fan parted his lips and moved them slightly, but no one except Yun Yun could hear a thing.
"Sect Master Yun, you wouldn't want anything to happen to the Misty Cloud Sect, would you?"
His Dou Qi transmission slipped precisely into Yun Yun's ear like a fine thread.
Yes, it was a little trick he'd invented.
At the sound of his voice, Yun Yun's beautiful eyes widened, brimming with shock and indignation.
She was still immersed in the embarrassment and anger brought on by that sudden intimate gesture, not yet having recovered.
But when Yun Yun heard his words, her chest heaved and her breathing quickened.
That despicable man! He actually dares to threaten me!
"I'm leaving. Let's consider this matter settled. I hope Sect Master Yun is more sincere when you apologize next time."
His calm voice sounded in Yun Yun's ear once more. Then Xiao Fan turned and left with the rather sulky Xiao Yi Xian.
Watching the two walk farther and farther away until they vanished from sight, Yun Yun stood rooted to the spot, her face filled with helplessness.
It was the deep helplessness of the weak when faced with the strong.
She bit her lip, her pearly teeth leaving faint marks, as she tried to suppress the turmoil within. There was also a trace of indignation in her heart.
That indignation burned inside her like a flame, leaving her restless and vexed.
At the same time, an inexplicable feeling filled her heart, making her emotions even more complicated.
"Master..."
Nalan Yanran's timid voice broke Yun Yun's long silence and interrupted her tangled thoughts.
She had seen what happened, too. Just thinking of her beloved master being treated like that by the young man...
Nalan Yanran felt even worse.
"Yanran, you... sigh..."
Yun Yun looked at Nalan Yanran. The reproach that had been on the tip of her tongue died when she saw how miserable and disheveled she looked.
Her gaze was full of helplessness and concern, and she shook her head gently.
"Let's go back..."
With a helpless sigh, she said nothing more.
"Mm..." Nalan Yanran replied, her voice full of exhaustion and dejection.
She lowered her head, not daring to meet Yun Yun's eyes.
Yun Yun glanced at the young man who had fainted and at Ge Ye, who was barely clinging to life, and couldn't help sighing again.
She hurriedly crouched down, took out a pill, and fed it to Ge Ye to treat his injuries.
While treating him, she realized that even if Ge Ye survived by some stroke of luck, his life would be ruined.
His Dou Qi cultivation would likely vanish completely, leaving him a mere ordinary man without a trace of Dou Qi.
And for Ge Ye, who had relied on his Dou Qi cultivation to throw his weight around all his life, that might hurt even more than being killed...
By the time they returned to the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yi Xian finally spoke.
There was a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Brother Xiao Fan, so you like mature women..."
As she spoke, she pouted slightly.
A trace of displeasure and jealousy showed in her eyes, like a kitten acting coy.
Xiao Fan smiled and reached out to pat her head.
"Of course I like you more..."
"Hmph... Just you wait. In a couple of years, I'll have grown up too!"
Xiao Yi Xian huffed. She quickened her pace and nimbly dodged Xiao Fan's "claws," her voice ringing out in a sulk.
Her little face wore a stubborn, defiant expression.
Seeing her playful, adorable look, Xiao Fan couldn't help smiling. He felt that this lively Xiao Yi Xian was much more interesting.
Before, Xiao Yi Xian had always felt that her Woeful Poison Body might erupt at any moment and that her life could end at any time, so she hadn't been cheerful deep down.
But now, things were finally moving in a better direction.
He shook his head lightly, then opened the system.
Seeing that his Bragging Points had reached exactly one hundred thousand, Xiao Fan's eyes flashed with excitement.
"System, buy the Nine Character Secret..."
[Beep! Purchase successful!]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained the Secret of Travel!]
[System discount ended]
The mechanical voice rang in Xiao Fan's mind. His lips curved upward in a satisfied smile.
The Secret of Travel had been created by Heavenly Venerable Xiaoyao, one of the nine great Heavenly Venerables of the Mythical Era.
This secret art was known as the ultimate technique of movement. It granted its user the fastest speed in the world.
Once fully mastered, its wielder could leap above the nine heavens and descend beneath the nine netherworlds. Even if innate formations or ten-sided killing arrays blocked the way, the Secret of Travel could still let its wielder pass through as if no one stood in the way.
It could also cross space in an instant, allowing short-distance spatial travel, like shrinking the ground to a few inches.
In battle, someone with the Secret of Travel could easily evade their enemies' attacks by relying on their speed.
Whether facing a single powerful foe or caught in a group battle, the Secret of Travel could prove immensely useful.
Against a formidable opponent, the user could take them by surprise by circling behind them to attack.
In a group battle, the user could dart about so quickly that enemies couldn't lock on, and could also break out of encirclement with ease.
If the Secret of Travel were cultivated to its utmost limits, it could even alter the passage of time and restore youth.
"And besides..."
Xiao Fan thought to himself, With the Secret of Travel, I'll be able to roam the Dou Qi Continent with even greater freedom.
The Dou Qi Continent was vast and boundless. It was divided into countless regions and dotted with many kingdoms.
A kingdom like the Jia Ma Empire was only an insignificant corner of the continent.
The empires were far apart, with vast, uninhabited regions or dangerous territories such as the Magical Beast Mountain Range lying between them.
There was also the Central Plains, a core region where the continent's most powerful forces and countless formidable experts gathered.
The long, distant journey from a remote land like the Jia Ma Empire to the Central Plains showed just how vast the Dou Qi Continent was.
A Dou Zong had only comprehended a trace of the Law of Space. Only a Dou Zun could tear space apart and travel rapidly from place to place.
Now that he had obtained this Nine Character Secret, he could do many things he'd wanted to do before.
For example... seize Heavenly Flames... and replenish his Dao body...
Xiao Fan closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he had already reached the entry level of the Secret of Travel.
Though he'd only just begun to master it, his speed had already become astonishingly fast—unimaginably faster than before!
Whoosh!
Xiao Fan vanished from Wutan City in an instant, leaving behind only a blurred afterimage...