The Complex Nalan Yanran

Having advanced to the Dou Ling level and obtained the Heavenly Flame, the Green Lotus Core Flame, Xiao Yan's techniques had grown even more powerful with the flame's scorching temperature, nearly rivaling Earth Tier Dou Techniques.

As for the Cosmic Life-and-Death Way, even some Dou Wang experts would find it difficult to break through without an exceptionally offensive Dou Technique.

Sensing the enormous gap between them after advancing to Dou Ling, Xiao Yan raised a hand toward Nalan Yanran. "Flame-Blowing Palm!"

A massive amount of Dou Qi surged through his meridians as a powerful gust burst from his palm, sweeping toward Nalan Yanran like a gale scattering fallen leaves.

The terrifying wind erupted suddenly. Even Nalan Yanran, who cultivated wind-attributed Dou Qi, could not steady herself in time. Like a fragile flower swept away by a storm, she was blown into the air.

Countless people stared dumbfoundedly at the beautiful butterfly that seemed to have lost its wings. The Yunlan Sect's young sect mistress had been defeated so easily?

Within the raging wind, the pale green Dou Qi around Nalan Yanran suddenly surged, and the longsword in her hand let out a crisp hum.

An instant later, a slender suit of pale green Dou Qi Armor covered Nalan Yanran's graceful body.

Relying on the Dou Qi Armor, Nalan Yanran endured the gale and landed elegantly on the ground.

Her curvaceous figure was wrapped in close-fitting armor, lending Nalan Yanran a valiant beauty. Already the focus of the entire arena, she drew even more attention.

"Great Dou Master..." Xiao Yan raised his brows slightly. To reach the Great Dou Master level at such an age, Nalan Yanran's talent was undoubtedly among the finest in the Jia Ma Empire.

Nalan Yanran slowly pulled out the ribbon binding her long hair, then gave her head a slight shake. Her full head of black hair spilled down like moonlight, cascading over her fragrant shoulders to her slender waist.

Under the blazing sun, the sight of the woman undoing her hair ribbon and letting her hair fall, combined with her ethereal and lively temperament, made countless people already enamored with her hearts race even faster.

Nalan Yanran slowly raised her arm. The green light on her slender pale green longsword grew increasingly intense as she fixed her eyes on Xiao Yan.

"You are indeed powerful, but I now represent the Yunlan Sect. For its reputation, I will not hold back in the slightest."

Faced with Nalan Yanran, who spoke first as the Yunlan Sect, then as the Nalan Clan, and finally returned to her identity as the Yunlan Sect, Xiao Yan did not know what to say.

Perhaps if Nalan Yanran were not only Yun Yun's direct disciple but also Yun Yun's biological daughter, her life would have been much simpler and happier.

Using a formidable Dou Technique, Nalan Yanran began to rise into the air without the aid of any jump or wings.

As Nalan Yanran's figure slowly ascended, the energy around her stirred violently like boiling water. Rings of solid pale green ripples continuously spread from her body.

Gripping the constantly trembling longsword tightly with both hands, Nalan Yanran gave a crisp cry. "Wind's Extreme: Setting Sun Radiance!"

The dazzling light on the longsword surged again. For a moment, its brilliant radiance eclipsed even the sun in the sky.

As her cry fell, terrifying energy fluctuations erupted. Sharp sword Qi scattered in every direction, and under that pressure, even the hard stone floor split open with cracks that stretched all the way to the edge of the plaza.

Sensing the terror of the sword Qi in the sky, the Yunlan disciples hurriedly joined hands and condensed a huge energy barrier that covered nearly half the plaza, protecting themselves.

As he watched that powerful sword Qi, green light burst from Xiao Yan's body, and scorching green flames connected heaven and earth.

The terrifying green fire and the familiar figure immediately made many people think of Yan Xiao. Realizing that Yan Xiao and Xiao Yan were actually the same person, they were utterly dumbfounded.

Even Nalan Yanran, who had just unleashed that terrifying Dou Technique, was stunned. She had never expected the two men who had stirred her heart in her life to be the same person!

Momentarily distracted, Nalan Yanran wanted to withdraw the beam of light sword shooting downward. However, with only the strength of a Great Dou Master, using this technique was already a struggle for her. She simply could not control it as freely as her own arm.

Her pretty face turned slightly pale, and Nalan Yanran's thoughts were in utter turmoil.

Looking at the terrifying light sword that seemed capable of splitting heaven and earth, Xiao Yan shouted, "Heaven-Earth Yin-Yang Flow."

The green flames around him surged wildly. Under their extreme concentration, they nearly became solid, refined jade, blocking the path of the descending light sword.

"Boom!"

At that instant, a massive roar echoed throughout all of Yunlan Mountain!

After the thunderous blast, countless people stared in shock at the tangible flames that had actually blocked the mighty light sword. That thing had looked so fragile, yet it had stopped it!

Sharp sword Qi continuously poured outward from Xiao Yan as its center. For a time, even the illusory air around them became blurred and distorted amid the crisscrossing sword Qi.

Although Nalan Yanran was only a Great Dou Master, her high-level Dou Technique was enough to threaten a Dou Ling expert.

Dou Techniques existed precisely to allow one to unleash power beyond one's own realm. The higher the tier of the Dou Technique, the more so.

As long as a Dou Technique was of sufficiently high grade, it could allow someone to fight above their level.

Facing an attack from such a high-level Dou Technique for the first time, Xiao Yan pushed the Heaven-Earth Yin-Yang Flow, which could divert the force of an attack into heaven and earth, to its utmost limit.

While the air was affected, the hard plaza also trembled continuously beneath the fierce energy impact. Cracks emerged one after another, spreading outward without end.

When all sound finally ceased, Nalan Yanran drifted down to the ground and stared in shock at Xiao Yan, who had not moved from his spot yet had neutralized her full-strength attack.

"It's over." Xiao Yan moved, appearing beside Nalan Yanran in the blink of an eye. Green light flashed, and a longsword instantly condensed in his hand.

Seeing Xiao Yan use Dou Qi Materialization, the entire arena fell silent.

After all, such a method could only be used by Dou Ling experts, yet Xiao Yan was only eighteen this year...

An eighteen-year-old Dou Ling expert had appeared for the first time in the Jia Ma Empire. No wonder he had so decisively cast aside the Yunlan Sect's young sect mistress.

With his formidable strength revealed, the contempt, mockery, and curses from before all turned into praise and admiration.

Just then, a white shadow slowly drifted down before Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan casually caught the white shadow. His eyes glanced at it, but his body suddenly stiffened slightly.

The white shadow was merely a sheet of white paper folded with extreme neatness. Perhaps because it had been folded countless times, its edges had already become worn, with tiny tears and holes.

Xiao Yan was very familiar with that sheet of paper.

Because it was the letter of repudiation he had hastily written when he had been desperate to see Medicine Elder recover his strength.

Xiao Yan stared at the letter of repudiation for a long while before gently shaking his head. Looking at the despondent Nalan Yanran, his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

Was there truly any way to properly resolve the marriage agreement arranged by their elders?