Mulan Valley Elder

The woman in the plain dress truly could not understand what had made the Mulan Empire suddenly become so proactive, to the point that they were not even afraid of offending the powerful experts of neighboring empires.

"Sect Leader Yun, since that mysterious expert's aura has already vanished from this border, there will be no result even if we continue investigating. It is time to return," the old man in hemp robes said calmly.

"Very well."

The woman in the plain dress nodded.

Having sensed a powerful aura in this region that seemed to surpass that of a Dou Emperor, the two had hurried over in pursuit.

They had assumed it was an expert from the recently active Mulan Empire, but before they could figure anything out, the aura had disappeared.

The two then spread their Dou Qi wings and flew into the distance.

What they did not know was that if they had traveled a little farther ahead, they would have discovered the severely wounded Dan King lying in the small town...

Two hours earlier.

"This should be the Jia Ma Empire."

A voice emerged from the void. Then, space slowly warped, and Xie Tianxiao, dressed in black robes, appeared above a small town on the border of the Jia Ma Empire.

Although his former self had frequented the Northwest Region, he had spent much of that time cultivating in seclusion or fighting over the resources of ancient ruins. As for what empires existed in the Northwest Region, his former self knew very little.

Thus, relying on his former self's vague impression of the Jia Ma Empire's location, Xie Tianxiao had made his way here through trial and error. After entering several wrong empires, he had finally found a border town of the Jia Ma Empire and arrived here.

"Eh, why is there an aura at the peak of the Dou Emperor realm?"

The moment Xie Tianxiao arrived at the town, he sensed the aura of a peak Dou Emperor rapidly approaching from his direction. A trace of surprise appeared on his face.

What did a peak Dou Emperor represent? Among the ten strongest experts of the Jia Ma Empire, more than half were still merely Dou Kings. They had not even reached the Dou Emperor realm, much less the pinnacle of it.

"Could it be Jia Xing Tian?"

As far as Xie Tianxiao knew, aside from Jia Xing Tian of the imperial family and Yun Shan, the former sect leader of the Misty Cloud Sect who was in closed-door cultivation, no one else had reached this realm.

"No, why is there also a faint Dou King aura mixed in with it?" A look of surprise surfaced on Xie Tianxiao's face.

Whoosh!

A sharp sound tore through the air. A figure wearing a green robe, embroidered with the image of a black bear, flew over from afar.

A bloodthirsty red glint flashed in his eyes, while a pair of enormous blue wings formed from Dou Qi spread behind his back.

The figure was also carrying an unconscious middle-aged man clad in luxurious white robes.

However, those luxurious white robes were already tattered beyond recognition. The man himself looked utterly miserable, covered in wounds from head to toe.

"Strange. Wasn't it enough to just find that thing? Why did that lord also tell me to bring back some of the empire's high-tier alchemists?"

The figure muttered to himself as he flew.

"What is that?"

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as he looked toward Xie Tianxiao, who was not far ahead.

The figure's pupils abruptly shrank, and a look of shock and wariness appeared on his face.

"A Dou Zong expert!"

Although Xie Tianxiao's aura was extremely faint, the sight of him standing on empty air was unmistakable.

The sharp gleam radiating from his eyes also sent a chill through the figure's heart, causing fear to rise within him.

Seeing the figure standing there in a daze, Xie Tianxiao took a step forward with his right foot and instantly appeared before him. He said calmly, "You are not from the Jia Ma Empire, are you?"

Xie Tianxiao remembered that Jia Xing Tian of the Jia Ma Empire cultivated earth-attributed Dou Qi, not blue-attributed Dou Qi.

Moreover, the other party was carrying a severely injured middle-aged man, which struck him as rather strange.

The indifferent voice rang beside the figure's ears. Its tone was calm and utterly without fluctuation, as though Xie Tianxiao had merely asked a casual question.

The figure trembled slightly, then immediately regained his composure. "My lord, I am Lie Xiong, the Third Elder of Mulan Valley in the Mulan Empire."

"May I ask why you have blocked my path, my lord? Has Lie Xiong offended you in some way?"

He had no choice. Although the Three Elders of Mulan had recently, with that lord's help, successfully learned the Three Beasts Savage Art, a three-man combined technique capable of contending with a Dou Zong...

...he was alone now. How could he possibly stand against a Dou Zong expert? He could only lower his head.

"You have not offended me."

"I was merely curious who the Dou Emperor appearing at the border of the Jia Ma Empire was. I did not expect you to be from Mulan Valley."

As he listened to Lie Xiong, Xie Tianxiao spoke calmly on the surface, but inwardly he came to a realization. So he is one of the Three Elders of Mulan.

He remembered that in the original story, the three of them seemed to have mastered a secret technique capable of rivaling a Dou Zong. During their assault on the Jia Ma Empire, they had held back the Medusa Queen of that time.

After hearing Xie Tianxiao's words, Lie Xiong breathed a sigh of relief and asked respectfully, "My lord has also heard of Mulan Valley? Then may I ask whether you have any other instructions? If not, I shall take my leave first."

Since the other party had heard of Mulan Valley's reputation, Lie Xiong believed he must also be a Dou Zong from the Northwest Region, and his strength should not be too overwhelming.

Therefore, Lie Xiong did not wish to linger here any longer and requested permission to leave.

Xie Tianxiao nodded slightly. After pondering for a moment, he pointed at the unconscious middle-aged man in Lie Xiong's hand. "Who is this middle-aged man?"

"This..."

Lie Xiong hesitated. That lord had instructed them not to reveal anything he had ordered while outside, or everyone in Mulan Valley would be buried alongside them.

Yet now that the other party was asking about this man, Lie Xiong did not know how to answer.

"I do not have time to waste here with you."

Xie Tianxiao snorted coldly. A terrifying pressure spread from his body, causing the entire sky around them to tremble violently.

At once, Lie Xiong felt the bones throughout his body crackle. His blood and Qi churned within him, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"He... he is Gu He, a sixth-tier alchemist of the Jia Ma Empire, known as the Dan King."

"I am only responsible for bringing him back. I do not know why either, my lord!"

Sweat covered Lie Xiong's face as he spoke in a trembling voice.

He had thought Xie Tianxiao had merely stepped into the Dou Zong realm, but he had not expected him to possess such terrifying strength. A mere trace of his pressure was enough to leave Lie Xiong unable to breathe.

In Lie Xiong's view, Xie Tianxiao's strength was absolutely no weaker than that lord's. He might even be stronger!

"Oh? Dan King Gu He!"

Xie Tianxiao raised a brow, then withdrew his pressure. Looking at the unconscious middle-aged man, he pondered inwardly. So this is Yun Yun's simp? Or should I call him devoted? He is actually kind of handsome.

But alas, the falling flower may yearn, yet the flowing water feels nothing.

If she has no interest in you, why be a simp? The only one who gets hurt is yourself.

The Three Elders of Mulan did not have names in the original story, so I could only make one up. I also moved up the time when Mulan Valley learned the Three Beasts Savage Art.