Breaking Through

"Brother Xiao Yan, have you finished cultivating?"

Xiao Yan had just emerged from his cultivation state when he heard Xun Er's uniquely gentle voice. Opening his eyes and seeing Xiao Xun'er smiling sweetly at him, his heart stirred. Seeing that they were in the courtyard outside his room and there was practically no one around, he seized the chance to pull the nearby Xiao Xun'er into his arms and laughed. "What is it? Is Xun Er worried about me?"

Xiao Xun'er was startled at first. Then, feeling the warmth radiating from Xiao Yan's arm, her flawless face flushed so deeply it seemed ready to overflow. After a futile struggle, she shyly buried her entire face in Xiao Yan's chest.

Xun Er carried an elegant, refreshing fragrance that was exceptionally pleasant, leaving Xiao Yan utterly entranced. At the same time, the soft sensation of Xiao Xun'er's delicate body against his made his heart tremble for no reason.

Although Xiao Yan was not particularly experienced in matters between men and women, he was still an eighteen-year-old youth full of vigor. Looking at Xun Er, who had come to his courtyard, he deliberately teased, "You little girl, what are you plotting by coming to my courtyard?"

"Then I won't come see you next time..." Xiao Xun'er muttered softly.

Hearing that, Xiao Yan smiled. Ever since he had reunited with Xun Er, he had either been diligently cultivating, or that little girl Zi Yan had been nearby. They had not had many chances to be alone.

Seeing Xun Er's alluring appearance, Xiao Yan could not resist reaching out to lift her smooth chin. With a chuckle, he gently kissed Xiao Xun'er in his arms.

Although Xiao Xun'er struggled and said, "Brother Xiao Yan, you can't..." her voice grew softer and softer. Xiao Yan could not hear the last few words at all, though even if he had, he would not have stopped.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, their lips met, and the cool touch made Xiao Yan sigh inwardly. But before he could savor it properly, a powerful aura appeared out of nowhere beside them. Given their cultivation, the two immediately rose and looked toward the source of the energy.

Before Xiao Yan could sense where the aura had come from, a purple pillar of light formed entirely from energy shot into the sky not far away. Both of them were startled.

Xiao Yan looked at the soaring purple pillar, within which lurked the aura of a ferocious beast that made his heart quiver merely from sensing it. The pillar was coming from Zi Yan's room next door.

Xiao Yan was delighted. "Judging from this aura, Zi Yan must have broken through to the Dou Emperor realm."

After the auction ended that day, Zi Yan had taken away the five drops of essence blood. Xiao Yan had originally wanted to see if he could keep one or two drops, but when he saw the unprecedented solemnity on Zi Yan's face, he gave up before the words even left his mouth.

After returning to the Heavenly Snake Mansion, Zi Yan had immediately shut herself in her room for secluded cultivation. Over the past month, her aura had steadily risen, but there had been no sign of her emerging. Xiao Yan had already prepared to enter the Ten Thousand Beasts Assembly without her this time.

He had not expected Zi Yan to be so good at "choosing her timing," breaking through and emerging precisely now.

As the pillar of light rose, people from the Heavenly Snake Mansion constantly flew into the air to look in this direction. The pillar was simply too conspicuous.

After Yang Yue appeared and saw what was happening, he immediately gestured to the others in the air that there was nothing to worry about.

Yet in that brief moment, more than thirty members of the Heavenly Snake Mansion had taken to the air. Xiao Yan could not help sighing again. As a major force dominating a region, the Heavenly Snake Mansion's strength was far beyond that of an ordinary empire or the Black-Corner Region.

Yang Yue came to Xiao Yan's side and looked at the energy pillar. "Your friend is no simple person either. That ferocious beast aura has even caused some changes in the Dou Qi within my body."

Xiao Yan smiled. He had personally experienced Zi Yan's strength, but because of the Transformation Grass, none of them knew what her true form was. They only knew it had to be an exceptionally powerful ferocious beast.

The pillar erupting from Zi Yan's room gradually began to contract, while the aura of a Dou Emperor expert slowly emerged from within. Xiao Yan could feel that it was still continuously rising: one-star Dou Emperor, two-star Dou Emperor, three-star Dou Emperor, four-star Dou Emperor!

Only upon reaching the four-star Dou Emperor realm did the aura begin to stabilize. Satisfaction showed in Xiao Yan's eyes. He had handed all the essence blood he had bought at great expense to Zi Yan in one go, and it seemed she had indeed benefited greatly this time.

Boom!

A tremendous force suddenly erupted from Zi Yan's room. Her room was instantly blasted into fragments, most of which scattered across the ground. Though this was merely a branch of the Heavenly Snake Mansion, the building materials were still extremely sturdy. Yet this costly house had now been utterly reduced to nothing. Even Qing Lin's and Xiao Yan's adjoining rooms had suffered as well.

A tall purple figure emerged from the ruins. On closer inspection, Xiao Yan saw that the girl was nearly 1.9 meters tall, even several inches taller than him, with long purple hair cascading down her back. Most shocking of all was the swelling fullness before her chest, which nearly burst through the scant clothing on her body.

Seeing Xiao Yan and the other two nearby, the girl cast them a flirtatious, ambiguous glance. But before Xiao Yan could ask anything, purple light began to glow around her body. Then her figure slowly shrank, changing from 1.9 meters into a petite, delicate form. That exquisitely sculpted childlike face belonged to none other than the long-secluded Zi Yan.

Seeing her body return to its original state, Zi Yan gritted her teeth resentfully. "Damn it, why did I change back again?"

Xiao Yan and Xun Er exchanged smiles as they looked at Zi Yan. They had just been shocked by her transformation, only for her to change back almost immediately.

Xiao Yan walked over to Zi Yan and said, "Well? Did the essence blood I bought for you at the cost of my entire fortune do anything?"

Zi Yan helplessly held her forehead. "I don't know what happened. I didn't expect that even after breaking through to the Dou Emperor realm, I still couldn't return to my normal size."

However, the gloom on Zi Yan's face vanished almost immediately. Instead, she grinned and raised her slightly short arm. "Xiao Yan, Xun Er, I'll protect you two at the Ten Thousand Beasts Assembly this time!"

Xiao Yan could not help smiling. Zi Yan had now advanced to the four-star Dou Emperor realm, and with her terrifying physical strength and the fearsome body of a magical beast, her true combat strength was likely no weaker than that of the many prodigies participating in the Ten Thousand Beasts Assembly.

"Xiao Yan, how about we have a fight?" Zi Yan suddenly asked with malicious intent.

A trace of curiosity appeared in Xiao Yan's eyes, but before he could speak, another aura spread out from within the Heavenly Snake Mansion.

Yang Yue raised a brow in that direction and said, "It looks like today really is lively."