Xiao Yan looked at Hei Yan floating in the air before him and could not help but sigh inwardly.
This guy had taken a Dou Di expert's full-force attack for the sake of becoming an emperor, and he had actually succeeded.
Although that was mainly because the Mysterious Nether Soul-Devouring Palm had failed in its final execution, it was still enough to shock anyone.
Hei Yan had intercepted a Dou Di with the strength of a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, and he had succeeded, though he had been severely injured as a result.
It was truly inconceivable, but the facts were undeniable.
Thus, Xiao Yan had not been unprepared when he flashed away with Yuan Qing and stopped a mere ten zhang from his previous position.
He had deliberately set out to draw Old Ghost Yan Mo's attention, and this relatively open patch of ground had also been the safest place Xiao Yan could pick out at that moment.
On the one hand, he had been thinking of his own safety; on the other, he had wanted to draw Old Ghost Yan Mo over and create a good opportunity for Hei Yan.
And sure enough, the moment Xiao Yan moved, Old Ghost Yan Mo hurried after him, intent on killing him there.
Hei Yan had been able to seize his chance precisely because Old Ghost Yan Mo's mind was unsteady. His figure melded into the void, and in the blink of an eye, he completely sealed off the space around Old Ghost Yan Mo. Only then, with extreme difficulty, did he break apart the seal formed by his hands.
Fortunately, Old Ghost Yan Mo's earth-shaking move had ultimately failed because of Hei Yan. It would probably not be an exaggeration to call him heaven-defying.
In fact, Xiao Yan and Hei Yan had agreed on all of this beforehand. Though time had been short, a conversation between experts hardly needed that much time.
Hei Yan had told Xiao Yan quite plainly that he would block the attack for him.
Hei Yan had already seen that even someone as strong as Xiao Yan had instantly shown an exceedingly grave expression upon seeing Old Ghost Yan Mo's attack.
Of course, Hei Yan would never make a losing deal. In return for helping Xiao Yan block the attack, he wanted Xiao Yan to help him break through the barrier between Dou Sheng and Dou Di and become a Dou Di expert.
Of course, if Xiao Yan had been unwilling, he could naturally have forced himself to take the full force of the attack.
But the consequence would have been that Xiao Yan had to reveal all his trump cards, and even then, he might not have been able to block the attack completely.
Besides, Xiao Yan still had the jade bottle containing Yuan Qing's Soul Origin tucked inside his robes. Without the Storage Ring to isolate it, who knew whether Yuan Qing had already awakened and was quietly waiting there for Xiao Yan to deal with Old Ghost Yan Mo?
Then he could deliver a crushing final blow and let the fisherman reap the benefits. Xiao Yan would truly have met a tragic end, becoming the first Dou Di expert in the history of the Dou Qi Continent to be killed by a severely wounded soul. At that point, his name would truly go down through the ages.
Ordinary people would have fled in terror at the mere sight of a Dou Di expert making a move, yet Hei Yan had gone out of his way to stop one.
And it had been a Dou Di expert's full-force attack at that. Yet even under those circumstances, he had not died and still had a breath left in him. Xiao Yan had been left at a loss for a long while, able only to give a sorrowful sigh. Why did he not have such good fortune?
Even if Hei Yan's true form was Nihility Devouring Flame, capable of devouring everything under heaven and earth, and even if he was heaven's favored child, sheltered by the firmament, this was still a little too outrageous. That had been a Dou Di expert's full-force attack, yet he had forcibly broken it just like that. Even Xiao Yan had to admire Hei Yan's courage now, and he even felt a trace of jealousy.
After giving Hei Yan a medicinal pill to treat his injuries, Xiao Yan took him into his body, just as he had Huo Yi.
After all, Hei Yan's injuries were far too severe. He could not possibly recover without some time, and the worst of the damage he had suffered this time was to his Soul Origin.
Fortunately, Hei Yan's soul power had long since advanced to the Emperor Realm, and Xiao Yan had already healed some of his physical injuries.
For now, all he could do was wait quietly for Hei Yan to recover.
Xiao Yan first sat in meditation to recover for a while, then took a palm-sized jade bottle from his sleeve.
Before setting it on the ground in front of him, he examined it briefly. With a thought, an immensely powerful surge of soul power poured wildly from between his brows.
The soul power gathered above Xiao Yan's head into an enormous fist, faintly radiating a vast, surging presence that made the surrounding space warp and tremble incessantly.
With a piercing sonic boom, the enormous soul fist condensed from Xiao Yan's soul power shot toward the jade bottle containing Yuan Qing's Soul Origin. It left a broad vacuum in the air and, trailing an intensely fierce wind, smashed straight down at the bottle holding Yuan Qing.
If the punch landed, the slumbering Yuan Qing would surely be destroyed along with the jade bottle, without a trace of his presence remaining.
"Bang!"
With a soft, muffled pop like a balloon bursting, the enormous soul fist suddenly exploded when it was only an inch or so from the jade bottle. Invisible ripples spread like waves on water, making the bottle standing on the ground rock back and forth.
At last, it fell to the ground with a muffled sound. Xiao Yan remained seated, slowly closing his eyes without even looking at the fallen jade bottle containing Yuan Qing's Soul Origin. Expressionless, he circulated the Flame Mantra within his body and began to cultivate.
While Xiao Yan was immersed in cultivation outside, Yuan Qing's Soul Origin, which looked as though it had been condensed an unknown number of times, was trembling violently all over inside the jade bottle.
Just now, Yuan Qing had looked through the jade bottle at Xiao Yan's seemingly tall and imposing figure.
At last, his eyes met Xiao Yan's, as though he wanted to see straight through him.
But in the next moment, Xiao Yan's previously vacant gaze had suddenly changed. An incomparably sharp sword beam shot from his eyes and severed Yuan Qing's probing gaze.
At that moment, Yuan Qing had clearly sensed a powerful pressure from Xiao Yan, like that of an ancient dragon.
The pressure had been so strong that Yuan Qing felt he could barely breathe before it suddenly dispersed.
Yuan Qing's face was now filled with utter terror. His features, once as solid as an ordinary person's, were deathly pale.
If his violently shaking body had not shown that he was a living person, anyone who saw him would probably have taken him for a corpse at first glance.
Old Ghost Yan Mo's eyes were filled with deep terror, and Xiao Yan's move just now had left him feeling exhausted all over.
He understood that Xiao Yan's attack had merely been a test and that he had not truly intended to kill him.
But judging from the energy fluctuations Yuan Qing had sensed in that attack, if it had landed, he would not have had the slightest chance of surviving, even if he had given it everything he had.
Thus, Yuan Qing understood all the more that it had probably been more of a threat than a test!
Yuan Qing looked through the jade bottle once more at Xiao Yan, who was cultivating cross-legged outside, his thoughts racing.
From what Xiao Yan had said earlier, he could guess that Xiao Yan was probably a junior disciple who had just come out of some great hidden faction to gain experience.
At such a young age, he possessed such extraordinary strength, and there were also Xiao Yan's ruthless, hardline methods, his steadfast character, and the mysterious faction behind him.
With all of that combined, so long as nothing unexpected happened, Xiao Yan would definitely become a peerless expert whose name shook the continent. Even if he did not reach that level, he would surely become a mighty expert renowned throughout a region.
If Yuan Qing could establish a good relationship with someone like that in advance, it would be of enormous benefit to the growth of his own strength in the future. But judging by how things stood, it seemed Xiao Yan had long since seen through the little scheme he had been calculating earlier.
It was already fortunate that Xiao Yan had not killed him, so how could he still think about dealing with him? Besides, Xiao Yan had saved his life earlier.
Thus, after thinking it over for a long while, Yuan Qing finally emerged cautiously from the palm-sized jade bottle.
Once Yuan Qing came out, his body, which had been solid inside the jade bottle, became illusory again.
He paid it no mind, however, standing to one side with an attentive gaze as he watched Xiao Yan, who was still cultivating.
As Xiao Yan continued cultivating, his Dou Qi space, which had been somewhat depleted after his recent advancement, finally began to fill again. Pure Dou Qi was constantly condensed and compressed within his body, then purified and refined by the Heavenly Flames before finally returning to the Dou Qi space at the center of his vortex. At last, Xiao Yan opened his clear eyes. A blazing light flashed in them, then vanished into the void.
Yuan Qing watched Xiao Yan rise with an eager smile. His illusory figure cupped its hands slightly, and he bowed to Xiao Yan. "Many thanks for saving my life today, fellow Daoist Xiao Yan. I was disrespectful earlier and offended you greatly. I hope you won't take it to heart." Before Xiao Yan could react, Yuan Qing hurried on, "I also have a scroll containing a fairly good Dou Technique here. It is the technique that made my name, and judging by its effect, I can say without the slightest reservation that even on the entire continent, there may not be many Dou Techniques with the same effect. So I hope that, for its sake, you will no longer be angry, fellow Daoist Xiao Yan. If you are dissatisfied with this Dou Technique, then I swear here today that I will find one that satisfies you. I wonder if you are satisfied with my apology, fellow Daoist Xiao Yan?" A proud look suddenly appeared on Yuan Qing's face when he spoke of the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art, but it was replaced in an instant by a careful, deferential expression when he looked at Xiao Yan again. He held out the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art, which he had prepared long ago, with both hands, as though afraid of provoking Xiao Yan into killing him in a rage. Yet Xiao Yan could also sense a trace of ingratiation in Yuan Qing's deferential manner. Seeing this, Xiao Yan nodded inwardly. Yuan Qing knew when to hold on and when to let go, when to bend and when to stand firm; right was right and wrong was wrong, and he had taken the initiative to apologize for his earlier conduct. He seemed worthy of forgiveness, and there was surely a faction behind him that might perhaps be able to help Xiao Yan. Thus, Xiao Yan had already forgiven him in his heart, but his later words left Xiao Yan slightly taken aback.
Uh, does this old man really think I'm a junior who came out of some great faction to gain experience...? After Yuan Qing finished speaking, Xiao Yan looked calm on the surface, but inwardly he grumbled. He did not even reach out to take the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art Yuan Qing offered him, making Yuan Qing's face twitch.
When Xiao Yan came to his senses, he forced down the urge to laugh and reached out expressionlessly. He quickly put the Nine Revolutions Avatar Art he had been longing for together with the things in the space he had opened up.
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