At the summit of Cloud Mist Mountain, on the jade plaza of the Yunlan Sect.
Clang!
As a crisp clash of metal rang out, the eyes of the Yunlan Sect members instantly widened. They stared in disbelief at the strange azure longsword that had flown out.
That sword was especially familiar to the Yunlan Sect members, particularly elders like Gu He. It was none other than Sect Master Yun Yun's personal sword.
"Could it be that the Sect Master lost too?"
A disciple muttered, his gaze turning somewhat dazed. In their hearts, Sect Master Yun Yun was as noble and unattainable as a goddess. Had she actually been defeated by that unfamiliar expert whose true appearance had yet to be revealed?
"Impossible! How could the Sect Master lose? She must have gone easy on him and deliberately thrown out her sword! Yes, that has to be it. The Sect Master is a Dou Emperor, while that man is only a Dou King. The Sect Master is kindhearted, so she deliberately went easy on him!"
As soon as that disciple finished speaking, another Yunlan Sect disciple immediately refuted him. He then came up with a reason to convince himself and even emphasized it, as though trying to make himself believe it.
His words immediately drew agreement from quite a few Yunlan Sect disciples. Clearly, none of them believed that their Sect Master Yun Yun, a Dou Emperor, could lose to a mere Dou King.
Unlike the Yunlan Sect disciples, however, the expressions of the sect's elders and deacons changed slightly. Though they could not see the battle within the dust, they could sense that neither man's aura had changed much.
In other words, from their perception, that mysterious man had not been injured, nor was his aura even unstable. Yet Yun Yun had lost her personal sword. The outcome was naturally obvious.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Just then, several sounds of rushing wind rang out. Gu He and the others looked up to see Jia Xingtian, Fa Ma, and the rest arriving at the summit of Cloud Mist Mountain. Yun Leng, who had been helped to his feet, looked even gloomier.
Having someone attack the sect gates was already humiliating enough. Now, the other powers of the Jia Ma Empire had learned of it as well. The Yunlan Sect had completely lost face.
Jia Xingtian, who had just arrived, swept his gaze across the jade plaza below. Seeing the battle marks around the clouds of dust, his eyes narrowed. Yun Yun was nowhere to be seen.
The next moment, Jia Xingtian's gaze settled on Yun Leng. Upon sensing the chaotic aura within Yun Leng's body, the shock in his eyes deepened.
Not much time had passed from when he sensed that aura to when he arrived here. Yet in such a short span, Yun Leng, a veteran Dou King, had already been defeated. Since Yun Yun was nowhere outside, she had most likely already exchanged blows with that man.
That meant the mysterious man must have defeated Yun Leng even faster—perhaps in a single encounter, with just one move.
Jia Xingtian was not the only one to notice this. Fa Ma, Nalan Jie, and the others had clearly realized it as well. Fa Ma remained calm enough. As a high-level Dou Emperor and a fifth-tier alchemist, he had the confidence to do so.
Nalan Jie, Mu Chen, and Mittel Tengshan, however, all looked slightly troubled. They did not mind having one more Dou King expert, especially one who was also a high-level alchemist. In fact, they would welcome it.
Generally speaking, alchemists were not particularly strong in combat. Most needed powerful experts to handle certain matters for them, such as searching for medicinal ingredients. It would also be easier for them to request pills in the future, since they had enough strength to back themselves up.
But if it was a Dou King stronger than them, that would not be ideal. Everyone preferred gaining another friend over having another great figure looming over their heads.
Within the dust, Yun Yun stared blankly at the handsome man standing before her with his spear lowered, her expression complicated.
During their exchange, the pressure he exerted had been too great, so Yun Yun's attention had remained fixed on that spear. Only now did she notice that this astonishingly young man was so handsome that even Yun Yun, a beauty herself, felt inferior by comparison.
His silver hair crown rose high above his head. His stern profile, those imposing eyes, and the mysterious silver eye-mark between his brows all seemed to proclaim four words—divine might like a prison!
Then there was his tall, straight figure. Beneath that broad, heavy silver armor, his slender yet powerful waist could vaguely be seen. Even Yun Yun, as a woman, envied him immensely.
What kind of man was this? He possessed both the majesty of a god and a beauty so breathtaking that one forgot his gender.
A beauty! An unparalleled beauty! Because when she looked upon this man, the first and only word that arose in her mind was beauty—flawless, perfect beauty!
Taking a deep breath, Yun Yun drove the distracting thoughts from her mind and spoke softly.
"May I ask why you have come to our sect today?"
"Yang Chen never bullies the weak with strength, so I came."
Yang Chen glanced faintly from the corner of his eye. Yun Yun could not see outside, but he had cultivated an ocular secret art and had naturally noticed the additional arrivals. Even without looking, Yang Chen could sense them through his soul power.
"Bullying the weak with strength?"
Yun Yun's slender brows furrowed lightly. A faint melancholy seemed to rise as the beauty frowned, making one unable to help feeling pity for her. Yet the man standing before her was Yang Chen, impartial as iron, and he was completely unmoved.
The next moment, Yun Yun seemed to realize something. She raised her head in astonishment and looked at Yang Chen.
"Yanran? Are you Xiao Yan? No, no, the age is wrong. Then, have you come to stand up for Xiao Yan?"
Before Yang Chen could respond, Yun Yun could not help sighing. She spoke apologetically.
"Regarding Yanran, I can apologize to you, the Xiao Family, and Xiao Yan. This matter was indeed my fault. How do you intend to handle it? Do you want Yanran to marry Xiao Yan?"
As Yun Yun spoke, she could not help frowning. In truth, she also disliked this sort of marriage arrangement imposed by one's family. Otherwise, she would not have softened her heart and agreed when Nalan Yanran had pleaded with her.
It was not a question of whether Xiao Yan was worthy of her—that was another matter entirely. Yun Yun, who had scarcely experienced the affairs of the world, simply believed that marriage should be between two people who loved each other. She only hoped that her disciple could be happy and carefree, then devote herself to cultivation.
Light flashed around Yang Chen's body, and the silver armor vanished. The three-pointed, double-edged spear in his hand transformed once more into a black folding fan, which he held lightly.
"It seems you have misunderstood, Miss. Yang Chen did not come here to decide this marriage. It is a matter between the two of them, and they should naturally decide it themselves."
"Yang Chen came here only to tell you and your sect this: my nephew is not someone just anyone can bully!"
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