"Actor" (41k)

Grand Elder Yun Leng drew a deep breath and took a cloud-white flute from his Storage Ring. As he circulated his Dou Qi, a stream of air poured into the Cloud Flute, and a strange, piercing note slowly drifted from it.

The faint flute notes lingered over the summit of Misty Cloud Mountain, carrying far into the distance without fading. The expressions of several elders who heard them changed dramatically.

Deep within Misty Cloud Mountain, a vast, majestic aura enveloped the entire Misty Cloud Sect like a giant dragon awakening from the Ancient Era.

A white figure suddenly emerged from the depths of the Misty Cloud Sect. Stepping through the air as leisurely as if strolling through a courtyard, he headed toward the source of the flute notes—the summit of Misty Cloud Mountain.

Every time his foot fell, ripples spread through the empty air. Before those ripples faded, he had already appeared a hundred meters away. It was an extraordinarily mysterious sight.

Moments later, the figure arrived at the summit. His indifferent gaze swept across it, but when he saw Liu Yu, a hint of surprise appeared. Even with his strength as a Dou Zong, he could not see through this youth?

In the distant sky, five figures concealed their auras and silently watched everything unfold.

Jia Xingtian looked composed, but a flicker of shock passed through the depths of his eyes. This old fellow really was still alive—and he had even broken through to Dou Zong.

Although surprised, Jia Xingtian was not particularly apprehensive. After all, the Imperial Family had now allied with the Snake-People Tribe. A Dou Zong who seemed to have only recently broken through posed no great threat to them.

Silently sensing the four concealed auras beside him, Jia Xingtian still found it unbelievable. Four Dou Zong experts! This was a terrifying force capable of easily annihilating the Jia Ma Empire!

Even though this surely had something to do with Elder Liu, Jia Xingtian was still shaken by the Snake-People Tribe's formidable reserves of strength. At the same time, he felt immensely grateful for his decision. Thank goodness he had agreed to the alliance. Otherwise...

Liu Yu was also studying Yun Yun's teacher. He wore an extremely plain white robe that fluttered in the breeze, giving him an ethereal, otherworldly air.

His long hair was snow-white, yet his face bore none of the wrinkles expected of an old man. Instead, it resembled a piece of warm jade emitting a faint glow.

After glancing at Yun Yun, Yun Shan turned toward Grand Elder Yun Leng and said evenly, "Yun Leng, give me an explanation. You know I once said not to disturb my secluded cultivation unless something truly important happened."

"Former Sect Master, I summoned you because Elder Liu had a way to help you break through to Dou Zong. But I never imagined..." Yun Leng hurriedly explained, delighted that the former sect master had successfully reached Dou Zong.

"Elder Liu?" Yun Shan could not help looking at Liu Yu, a trace of confusion crossing his face.

Sensing that her teacher had already reached Dou Zong, Yun Yun felt a weight lift from her heart. She picked up the conversation and gave him a general account of Liu Yu's identity and the current situation.

"A Grade Six Alchemist... Grand Elder of the Mittel Family and the Alchemist Guild... ruler of the Snake-People Tribe... an alliance..." Yun Shan murmured. Although his expression remained calm, considerable waves surged through his heart. He had never imagined that the outside world would change so drastically during his years in seclusion.

"So, Elder Liu. You truly are a gifted young man. With you looking after Yun'er, I can rest easy."

Yun Shan looked at Liu Yu and spoke quite warmly. No one knew his disciple better than he did.

She had brought Liu Yu before him, and between her expression when mentioning him and the way she was practically pressed against him now, how could Yun Shan fail to recognize their relationship? Naturally, he was pleased that his disciple had found someone worthy to spend her life with.

"Former Sect Master Yun, Yun'er is the woman I love. I will cherish and protect her for the rest of my life. Please rest assured," Liu Yu replied solemnly and earnestly. Warmth immediately filled Yun Yun's heart, and she gazed at him with eyes as gentle as water, brimming with affection.

"But I came here today because there is something I wish to discuss with you regarding your breakthrough to Dou Zong. For instance, the Hall of Souls!" Liu Yu changed the subject, looking straight at Yun Shan.

The moment Yun Shan heard him say "Hall of Souls," his expression abruptly changed. He stared fixedly at Liu Yu and asked gravely, "You know about the Hall of Souls?!"

"The Hall of Souls? A force notorious throughout the continent. Naturally, I know a little about them. Their people have always enjoyed 'helping' others, secretly tampering with their souls so they can harvest them later." Liu Yu spoke with a smile, his expression inscrutable.

Yun Shan's expression shifted uncertainly. He did not entirely believe Liu Yu, yet part of him did. The way Protector Wu had appeared, with black mist churning around him and that chilling laughter, hardly made him seem like a good person.

"Former Sect Master Yun, I know you think that even if the Hall of Souls has a scheme, your current Dou Zong strength and home-ground advantage will let you keep everything under control. But wouldn't Protector Wu have anticipated all that? When he helped you break through, he probably placed a restriction on you already. When the time comes, your life and death will no longer be yours to decide."

Liu Yu's calm tone made Yun Shan's heart sink, especially since Liu Yu actually knew that man's identity!

"You know Protector Wu?" Yun Shan asked gravely.

"Naturally. As an Earth-Grade Protector of the Hall of Souls, Protector Wu is notorious for his cruelty. I once witnessed it myself. A Dou Zong expert he harmed had his soul forcibly extracted without the slightest ability to resist. Remember, that was a Dou Zong expert. His soul should have possessed some fighting strength, yet in the end..."

Liu Yu sighed softly and raised his hand a little. A green flame carrying an aura of destruction danced on his fingertip, while a trace of relief at having survived a calamity appeared in his beautiful eyes.

He then continued, "Alas, Protector Wu naturally discovered me back then too. He wanted to kill me to silence me. If I hadn't had a movement Dou Technique and powerful Heavenly Flames protecting me, I would probably have fallen victim to him as well! Although I escaped his clutches, I saw him chase me all the way to the Jia Ma Empire. Later, I received word that he seemed to have come to the Misty Cloud Sect..." (Protector Wu: ...)

Watching Liu Yu's vivid, expressive performance, Yun Shan believed most of his story. He could describe Protector Wu's identity in detail and truly possessed powerful Heavenly Flames. Presumably, what he said was true.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, on unlocking the new achievement 'Actor.' Your reward has been delivered to System Space. Please check it yourself."

Just then, a mechanical voice suddenly rang out in Liu Yu's mind.

This time, Liu Yu felt little surprise. After all, the system was simply acknowledging his acting skills.

"Former Sect Master Yun, why not examine your Sea of Consciousness? But immerse yourself slowly and inspect it carefully, lest you alert Protector Wu."

Liu Yu added another hefty dose of fuel to the fire. This was also based on some of his own guesses. After Xiao Yan had beaten Yun Shan half to death, Protector Wu had extracted and devoured Yun Shan's soul with remarkable ease. Without some secret tampering beforehand, how could a Dou Zong's soul possibly be devoured without putting up any resistance?

Devouring a soul was no trivial matter, especially the soul of someone who had just died, when their consciousness was at its most unwilling and their resentment at its deepest. For it to be swallowed so easily, it must have been tampered with.

Having already largely believed Liu Yu, Yun Shan tried following his instructions.

A short while later, Yun Shan's expression abruptly darkened. That bastard Protector Wu really had tampered with him!

That strange power rooted in his soul had almost become one with it. He was certain that before he broke through to Dou Zong, his soul had contained no such power!

Taking a deep breath, Yun Shan, who now completely believed Liu Yu's words, looked at him gravely and asked, "Does Elder Liu have a good solution?"

"Former Sect Master Yun, since I came to find you, naturally, I already have a foolproof plan. Besides, Protector Wu and I have a blood feud that cannot coexist beneath the same sky!" At the mention of Protector Wu, Liu Yu's voice instantly turned icy, and a chilling murderous intent flashed through his crimson eyes.

The highest realm of acting was becoming "one with the role"—even falsehood became truth! (Protector Wu: ?!)

Hearing Liu Yu's words, Yun Shan's heavy heart relaxed considerably. "And what might this foolproof plan be?"

"Elders, Elder Jia, you may come out now!"

As Liu Yu's words fell, five figures with unfathomable auras suddenly appeared on the summit of Misty Cloud Mountain!

"Dou Zong! Jia Xingtian!" Yun Shan blurted out. Five Dou Zong experts?! Even that old fellow Jia Xingtian had successfully broken through to Dou Zong!

"Yun Shan, what's with that expression? If an undying old fossil like you can reach Dou Zong, why can't I?" Jia Xingtian teased with a smile as he looked at Yun Shan's shocked face.

Yun Shan fell silent, feeling rather bitter. His own breakthrough to Dou Zong had concealed a deadly disaster, while this old fellow...

Unlike Yun Leng, whose face had gone blank with shock, Yun Yun remained composed. Clearly, she had known these Dou Zong experts existed. What truly worried her was the Hall of Souls and Protector Wu. Even Liu Yu, who seemed so mysterious to her, had nearly fallen victim to him, while her teacher's situation was even less reassuring, with Protector Wu's hidden tampering still inside him.

"These four are the Four Great Elders of my Snake-People Tribe, and I'm sure you know Elder Jia, Former Sect Master Yun. Six Dou Zong experts, plus me, who possesses a means of countering Protector Wu's methods—if you can summon him, he won't escape even if he sprouts wings! I also have a way to resolve the abnormality in your soul, but we shouldn't beat the grass and startle the snake just yet."

Liu Yu looked utterly confident, as though Protector Wu were already a dead man walking.

"Unfortunately, Protector Wu left me no way to contact him. But after helping me reach Dou Zong, he generally visited once every six months to urge me to expand my influence. He should be coming to see me sometime in the next few days," Yun Shan said gravely as he looked at Liu Yu.

"In that case, the elders, Elder Jia, and I will stay at your sect for now. When Protector Wu comes to find you, we'll be able to come to your aid immediately," Liu Yu said.

Yun Shan nodded and thanked him. "Thank you for this, Elder Liu. Otherwise..."

"Haha, what are you saying, Former Sect Master Yun? Anyone has the right to slay those from the Hall of Souls. Besides, Protector Wu and I have a life-and-death feud!" Liu Yu chuckled.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liu Yu, the four elders, and Elder Jia left the summit under Grand Elder Yun Leng's guidance. Since Yun Yun had not seen her teacher for so long, she stayed behind for the time being.

Along the way, Jia Xingtian could not help asking Liu Yu, "Is the Hall of Souls really that terrifying?"

"You could call it the strongest force openly known on the continent. Its tentacles reach every corner, and its methods are cruel. It specializes in collecting souls, especially those of alchemists. To gather enough souls, its people will even do everything possible to provoke wars between major factions. Their approach to Former Sect Master Yun this time was presumably intended to use the Misty Cloud Sect's strength to stir up conflict, so they could reap the fisherman's rewards!"

Liu Yu gave only a general account of the Hall of Souls' strength. There was no need to delve any deeper.

Jia Xingtian fell silent but asked no further questions. Sometimes, knowing too much only brought needless worries. What he wanted was simple: to preserve the Imperial Family's foundations...

The four elders felt the same. They had no desire to investigate why Liu Yu knew so much. In their eyes, he had always been a mysterious existence. Heavenly Flames stored in his dantian, cultivating Qi from birth, formidable Alchemy... There were far too many unbelievable things about him!

Sometimes, they even suspected that Liu Yu was not human at all, but belonged to some unknown, powerful race, or was a special being born of heaven and earth. His Alchemy and other skills might all have come from inherited memories...

In the end, however, they stopped dwelling on it. They knew only that Liu Yu now belonged to the Snake-People Tribe and was their queen's consort!

Meanwhile, Grand Elder Yun Leng, who was leading the way, was secretly astonished. He was shocked by the Hall of Souls' strength and curious about Liu Yu's true identity.

He did not believe the Snake-People Tribe could produce someone like this. Leaving aside the fact that Liu Yu's appearance bore no resemblance to the Snake-People, his extraordinary strength and powerful alchemy were simply beyond what the tribe could nurture!

On a moonlit night, Liu Yu surveyed an elegant room. It was not luxurious, but its simple style felt very comfortable. It did indeed seem like Yun Yun's taste.

Grand Elder Yun Leng had deliberately brought him to Yun Yun's room and even kindly pointed that fact out. His somewhat "lecherous" smile left Liu Yu unsure whether to laugh or cry. Yun Leng really was an amusing fellow!

Then Liu Yu checked the reward for his new achievement.

Blood Thunder Sky Wings: Possess unrivaled speed beneath the heavens. When used at full power, they enable spatial jumps, with the distance determined by the user's strength. They can also release blood-colored lightning equal in power to the user's strength.

Liu Yu silently commanded, Claim. A sudden flash of blood-colored light appeared behind him, and three pairs of crimson wings covered in strange patterns and runes gradually emerged. As they unfurled, the six enormous wings slowly filled the entire room.

Six Wings? Liu Yu felt like a six-winged blood angel. His first impression of the Blood Thunder Sky Wings was that they were huge and incredibly cool!

Moreover, the six wings felt as though they had grown from his own body. Manifesting them did not consume his Dou Qi. With their enhancement, he felt as though he had become the ruler of all wind-element energy between heaven and earth!

However, releasing blood lightning and performing spatial jumps would probably consume Dou Qi.

At a thought, the six wings behind him vanished. Using his soul perception, Liu Yu could sense that a blood-colored, six-winged tattoo had appeared on his back. If he wanted, he could conceal it, but he thought it looked quite good this way.

As for testing the Blood Thunder Sky Wings' abilities, Liu Yu planned to do that later. There was no hurry.

Just then, a sound suddenly came from outside the room. Unless something unexpected had happened, Yun Yun had returned.

Thanks to Peaceful Years, Forever Eighteen, Former Disciple, Reader20230228174754120, Reader20221217233620114, and Reader20200330123141779 for the monthly votes.