The Mysterious Dou Emperor

Wu Protector spoke that name and stared fixedly at the sky.

Following Wu Protector's gaze, Xiao Yan finally noticed a small patch of blood-red clouds in the sky. It would have been difficult to spot if one were not deliberately looking for it.

A powerful expert flying through the sky! A Dou King? Or a Dou Emperor!?

But whichever it was, Xiao Yan knew that Wu Protector, merely an eight-star Dou Spirit, could not withstand it!

"I have no desire to run into that old bastard Hu Gan. Better wait until I have his granddaughter, then discuss terms with him."

Fan Lao within the blood cloud had no intention of showing himself. Instead, a blood-red giant hand formed from Dou Qi silently extended from the clouds. It seemed to grow with the wind, becoming larger and larger as it grabbed straight at them!

A casual attack from a Dou Emperor actually carried the feeling of blotting out the sky and sun. It was absolutely not something Wu Protector, at the Dou Spirit stage, could resist!

But just as Wu Protector desperately gathered his Dou Qi and Xiao Yan was astonished by the suffocating pressure, the blood-red giant hand was abruptly severed down the middle!

The blood cloud immediately swelled and churned violently. Fan Lao's voice came from within it again, but its former calm confidence had turned into shock and fury:

"Who are you? Why are you interfering with my affairs!"

"You are not from Canaan Academy. Are you truly going to oppose me?"

"Good, good, good! It seems Your Excellency looks down on me. Then let me show you what I can do..."

It seemed someone had begun fighting Fan Lao!

The people below were all at a loss over this sudden change. The three from the Blood Sect were uncertain and alarmed, while Xiao Yan's group was also curious about who had come to help them.

Wu Protector quickly regained his senses and signaled Xiao Yan's group to keep running back. No matter who the newcomer was, they finally had a chance to escape!

"Elder Luo! Elder Han! Stop them!"

Seeing Xiao Yan's group about to flee, the Blood Sect's young sect master shouted angrily. Though the two elders he commanded had already wanted to retreat, their sect master was right above them, so they could only charge over once more.

Naturally, Wu Protector would not allow the two to catch up to Xiao Yan's group. He could not defeat a Dou Emperor, but these two posed no threat to him. The three began fighting, and only by joining forces could the two elders barely hold on against Wu Protector.

Watching Xiao Yan's group get farther away, the young sect master's expression became increasingly savage. He actually avoided the battlefield between Wu Protector and the two elders and attacked Xiao Yan's trio instead. Wu Protector saw this clearly, yet did not move to stop him.

Xiao Yan had been watching the battlefield. Seeing that Wu Protector had not put much effort into stopping the young sect master, he could only have Wu Hao take Hu Jia and leave first while he went to exchange blows with that fellow.

Xiao Yan was not afraid of this man, even though the other side held an advantage in rank. Since Wu Protector had deliberately let him come over, he was presumably trying to temper Xiao Yan. Then Xiao Yan must have the strength to fight him.

Seeing Xiao Yan dare to attack him head-on, the young sect master sneered after seeing Xiao Yan's cultivation. Though he had seen the corpses of those two Blood Sect disciples, he believed he was definitely not comparable to them.

The young sect master circulated his Dou Qi, and bloody light glowed from his hands like viscous blood as he swung at Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan naturally reacted quickly. With his previous experience fighting Tall Wei, he used the Dou Technique that most directly countered the Blood Sect, Flame Sky Cleave.

One dared not be careless, while the other wanted a swift battle so he could capture Hu Jia. Thus, without any probing, both immediately unleashed their strongest methods.

After that exchange, Xiao Yan felt pressure in a real battle for the first time. Dou Qi exploded, and the opposing force drove him back several steps before he managed to steady himself.

Xiao Yan hurriedly assumed a fighting stance again. From that blow, he could tell that the other side was indeed stronger than him, but he was not without a chance. Xiao Yan thought:

This time, I'll buy Wu Hao some time!

The young sect master was in far better shape than Xiao Yan; he had merely been stopped in his tracks. Yet his expression was terribly gloomy, clearly not expecting Xiao Yan to withstand that blow.

"Damn it! If the Mystic Tier Dou Technique my father gave me, Bone-Transforming Blood Fiend Palm, had been mastered, how could I fail to take down this brat!"

Even if he lacked a high-tier Dou Technique, even if the opponent's attribute restrained his own, Xiao Yan had only just entered the Dou Master level. The Blood Sect's young sect master was nearly a full rank above him, yet he had only gained a slight upper hand. It was truly unexpected.

Then Xiao Yan, already prepared for a hard fight, stared in astonishment as his opponent no longer intended to attack.

"Brat, you've ruined the Blood Sect's plans time and again! I, Fan Ling, will remember you. Don't let me catch you in the Black-Corner Region!"

The young sect master who called himself Fan Ling glared viciously at Xiao Yan, then turned around and headed back without looking back.

He was no fool. Charging over rashly had merely been an attempt. Given enough time, defeating Xiao Yan would not have been a problem, but Wu Hao clearly would not give him that much time...

Moreover, Fan Ling understood his father well. If he could defeat that mysterious person, he would never have remained so quiet. There had not been the slightest sound from that battlefield. Most likely...

As expected, Fan Ling had guessed correctly. Not long after he retreated, the red cloud enveloping Fan Lao and the mysterious person finally exploded, revealing the two to everyone:

Fan Lao should have been dressed in magnificent and extraordinary attire, but now he was covered in blood, his hair disheveled, and looked utterly bedraggled. The other person, however, was tall and thin, with even his face concealed beneath a black robe. At a glance, he looked like nothing more than a passerby, without the slightest sign of having been in battle.

The difference in strength was obvious!

Fan Lao panted heavily and glared viciously at the black-robed person, but there was already uncertainty and alarm in his eyes. Their fight had lasted no more than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, yet the other party had forced him into repeated danger. Fan Lao had already begun to think of retreating.

After Fan Lao stopped, that person ceased attacking as well, merely continuing to stare at him steadily. Fan Lao knew the other party was waiting for him to leave.

"Hmph! Fan admits that his skills are inferior. Farewell!"

Fan Lao spun around and transformed into a blood cloud, sweeping up Fan Ling and the two elders from the ground before swiftly vanishing from sight. Throughout the entire process, the mysterious person merely watched him without moving.

Wu Protector did not stop them either. Though he loved battle and bore the nickname Mad Wu, he was not truly mad.

Since that mysterious expert had not insisted on keeping Fan Lao, there was no need for him to kill anyone and provoke that old ghost. Getting the three youngsters back safely was what mattered.

He immediately cupped his fists toward the mysterious person. "Canaan Academy will remember Senior's great kindness. May I ask..."

Before he could finish, that person vanished from the spot. Wu Protector knew that the person truly did not wish to leave a name behind...

After Fan Ling left, Xiao Yan departed with Wu Hao. He was truly powerless to help with the battle over there. He was no match even for Fan Ling, the weakest among them. It was better to protect Wu Hao here from some passing stranger's ambush. That would be a truly unjust death!

As for Fan Ling's threat about remembering him, Xiao Yan did not care in the slightest. Fan Ling had not even seen his face just now. Besides, when they met again, whether Fan Ling could still suppress him as he had today was another matter entirely!

At that moment, Wu Protector finally caught up with the three of them.

"Wu Protector, it's great that you're alright. What happened to the Blood Sect and the person who helped us?"

"The Blood Sect retreated. That expert left without telling me his identity."

When Xiao Yan's group finally saw Peace Town, everyone let out a long breath of relief. When they had left the day before yesterday, they had thought it was merely a simple trial. Who could have expected to encounter a Dou Emperor-level expert!

"Hurry back to the academy and treat Hu Jia's injuries. I wonder whether Headmaster Hu and the others have discovered..."

Xiao Yan's words abruptly stopped, because the moment they entered Peace Town, he saw dozens of assembled Enforcement Squad members. He also spotted Hu Gan and Fire Elder among the crowd.

Seeing people enter from outside town, everyone turned to look and happened to see Wu Protector leading two people over.

A flash of joy appeared in Fire Elder's eyes when he saw Xiao Yan return, but when he shifted his gaze back to Wu Protector, there was an added trace of resentment. He walked over to Wu Protector and began grumbling in a low voice:

"Wu, you've got some nerve! You dared keep this from the academy?! Do you know what a huge mess you've caused!"

Seeing Wu Protector act as though he could not be bothered with him, Fire Elder's anger was provoked even further. "Those two are back, but do you know Hu Jia ran into the Black-Corner Region by herself? This matter, you..."

"Fire Elder, Hu Jia is right here!"

Wu Protector's words cut Fire Elder off and startled everyone present awake, including Hu Gan, who had been sitting on the ground and had not even noticed Wu Protector's group. He hurriedly spoke up:

"What?! Where is Hu Jia?"

Wu Protector casually pointed at the black sack on Wu Hao's back, indicating that she was inside.

Everyone fell silent, as though they all understood something. Hu Gan's entire body began trembling, and he rose to his feet before shakily making his way toward Wu Hao.

Seeing that the atmosphere seemed rather wrong, Xiao Yan suddenly realized something and hurriedly explained:

"No, no, no! There's another reason for the sack. Hu Jia is perfectly fine!"

"(⊙o⊙) What?!"

Xiao Yan hurriedly stepped forward, untied the sack, and pushed Hu Jia's exposed head, finally waking the culprit responsible for causing such a huge scene.

Hu Jia woke up on Wu Hao's back and opened her eyes to find a circle of people surrounding her. Once her eyes focused, she saw her grandfather standing not far away, staring straight at her.

Hu Jia hurriedly climbed down from Wu Hao's back and limped over to Hu Gan. In a voice no longer as loud as before, she said:

"Grandpa, I'm sorry..."

The trouble she had caused this time was truly serious. After experiencing such danger and nearly failing to return, Hu Jia was also afraid that her grandfather would truly punish her.

But Hu Gan was in no mood to think about such things. Even if he had intended to lecture Hu Jia, the moment he saw her covered in injuries and barely able to walk, all that remained was heartache.

The old man slowly bent down and gently pulled his granddaughter into his embrace, stroking her little head as tears welled up in his clouded eyes.

"It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back..."

Hu Jia froze for a moment in his embrace, but within that warm hug, she finally began sobbing softly. Her cries gradually grew louder, until she could no longer hold them back and burst into loud wails...

Seeing that Hu Jia had suffered some injuries but returned safely, the people present finally shook off their previous silence, and the atmosphere gradually became lively again.

At last, there was a good outcome here, and Fire Elder was relieved. But when he looked at Wu Protector again, he remembered what had happened earlier. Though he had originally decided not to criticize Wu Protector, he brought up the matter again:

"Don't think saving Hu Jia means your merits and faults cancel out. You acted without authorization..."

"Fire Elder misunderstands. Hu Jia was rescued by Xiao Yan and Wu Hao."

Fire Elder, interrupted once more just as he was about to continue, stared wide-eyed. The surrounding crowd fell silent again as well.

Wu Protector had successfully inflicted group silence once again.

"What! (#｀ﾟд´)ﾉ"