Word Count: 2,880 Words
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Xiao Yan stared in shock at the woman leading the group. Yun Yun had naturally noticed him as well; a ripple passed through her gentle, water-like eyes as their gazes met across the distance.
She appeared unchanged from their last meeting. Flower petals drifted from the spatial channel while wind swirled around her, setting her graceful figure swaying. Her beauty remained as radiant as flowers and soft as moonlight, her mature charm undisguised.
The moment their eyes met, tenderness and a unique sentiment flickered in her gaze. It was a look that held reminiscence, concern, and greeting all at once.
Yun Yun remained as captivating as ever. Her beauty carried no gaudiness, only an inherent noble elegance. Xiao Yan momentarily forgot the ancient ruin had even opened. Her soft, water-like temperament only enhanced her beauty, deepening her already considerable charm.
She had always been this way. When that tenderness surfaced, people felt naturally at ease around her.
Yun Yun cast a helpless glance at Nalan Yanran beside her, clearly recognizing her disciple's little scheme.
Only when Yun Yun looked toward Nalan Yanran did Xiao Yan finally register the latter's presence. Oh. So you're here too.
"Hmph, so that's how it is. This is your little lover. No wonder you master and disciple suddenly claimed you wanted to compete for a Tian Class Dou Technique." A woman in Flower Sect robes flicked her gaze toward Xiao Yan, then curled a cold smile at Yun Yun. Her expression plainly conveyed that she had long since seen through what she considered Yun Yun's innocent act.
"But it doesn't matter who he is. He won't be a match for my man." Though this woman possessed only 4-star Dou Venerate strength, two Flower Sect elders stood behind her, both at the 5-star stage. The Flower Sect truly deserved its reputation as one of the two major sects; its strength was not weak.
Xiao Yan's brow furrowed. Yun Yun had clearly encountered some trouble.
He intended to step forward and ask what was happening, but Nalan Yanran was already walking toward him while Yun Yun and the Flower Sect party swept toward the great hall.
Hai Bodong and the others also sensed something amiss. Yun Yun was the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect. How had she ended up with the Flower Sect? Moreover, she hadn't appeared for a long time; only occasional messages had come back through Nalan Yanran.
"Do you have a moment to talk?" Nalan Yanran asked as she landed before Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan nodded. After informing Little Fairy Doctor and the others, he flew aside with Nalan Yanran. He had many questions himself.
"What's going on? Why are you with the Flower Sect?" he asked, frowning.
That woman, once the Jia Ma Empire's most noble figure and the first with whom he had shared such intimate, ambiguous moments, had always held considerable weight in his heart.
Nalan Yanran wore light green robes rather than the silver-moon long robe of the Misty Cloud Sect's Little Sect Leader. The attire outlined her graceful curves in a striking way.
At his question, her pretty face showed an expression caught between laughter and tears, mixed with helplessness. "I knew you'd probably come to this ancient ruin, so I took it upon myself to claim we needed a Tian Class Dou Technique and asked Master to accompany me."
"That's not important. Get to the point," Xiao Yan waved dismissively.
Nalan Yanran felt slightly miffed and shot him a glare, but continued anyway. "Remember what I told you at the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool? By chance, Master found a strange, injured old woman in a cave within the Flower Sect's territory and spent years treating her wounds and bringing her food."
Xiao Yan's expression turned odd. This sort of thing wouldn't even happen on Earth, yet it occurred on the Dou Qi Continent.
Bringing food and healing a stranger... only Yun Yun would think of such a thing. How bored and kindhearted must someone be to do that?
He nodded for her to continue.
"We later learned the eccentric old woman was called Granny Hua. Master felt she didn't have long to live and was all alone, so for years she searched for medicinal pills to treat her and cared for her. But eventually, the strange-tempered old woman reached the end of her life and passed away." Nalan Yanran sighed. Having stayed by Yun Yun's side, she had naturally known this eccentric Granny Hua as well.
"And then?"
"Then..." Nalan Yanran's expression grew strange. "Before dying, Granny Hua used the Flower Sect's supreme Secret Method, 'Grafting Flowers onto Trees,' to transfer her entire lifetime's cultivation at peak 9-star Dou Venerate to Master. She also gave her a jade tablet and told her to become the Flower Sect's leader..."
"Ah???!"
Xiao Yan stood dumbstruck, his mouth gaping wide enough to fit a duck egg as his eyes bulged.
What an outrageous twist!
Nalan Yanran covered her mouth and giggled at his comical expression before continuing. "Very bizarre, right? But... it happened..."
"I just..." Xiao Yan found himself at a loss for words. This was even more outrageous than him joining the Hall of Souls!
All he could think was: Incredible.
In all his years wandering the continent, he had never encountered a peerless expert transferring their entire life's cultivation at death's door.
Moreover, Dou Qi normally couldn't be forcefully infused, yet the Flower Sect possessed a Secret Method for exactly that.
After a moment's reflection, however, Xiao Yan felt no envy. Among everyone he knew, only Yun Yun could have received such fortune.
Because only she possessed true kindness. From their first meeting, her gentleness and goodness had astonished him.
When the Misty Cloud Sect suffered a catastrophe and many disciples died, she, a Dou Emperor expert, had gone door to door apologizing to the families, blaming herself as Sect Leader for failing to protect them.
Xiao Yan couldn't understand it. He had always believed that for cultivators, life and death were matters of fate, while wealth and glory lay in heaven's hands. Besides, it hadn't been something she could have prevented.
Yet she had done that 'foolish' thing anyway. And here she was again—probably the only person on the entire Dou Qi Continent who would act so selflessly.
It was precisely this kindness that had moved that eccentric old woman, granting Yun Yun this benevolent affinity.
"Do kind people ultimately receive their reward?" Xiao Yan couldn't help sighing. This couldn't be called a fortuitous opportunity, but rather a benevolent affinity. This was something he could never obtain regardless of effort.
Yun Yun hadn't simply been lucky. She was destined to receive such benevolence. As long as she remained true to herself, encountering it was merely a matter of time.
Nalan Yanran nodded in response. Her master was truly special. Her kindness and gentleness were qualities she could never hope to emulate.
"Master was, of course, helpless in the face of such a sudden turn. After giving Granny Hua a proper burial, she brought the jade tablet to the Flower Sect, intending to return it. After all, Master is the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect; she can't also be the Flower Sect's Sect Leader," Nalan Yanran said with a sigh. "Things were fine at first, but who would have thought the current Flower Sect Leader, Hua Jin—that woman who was mocking Master just now—would insist that Granny Hua's Dou Qi belonged to the Flower Sect and try to force Master to transfer it all to her."
Anger flashed across Nalan Yanran's delicate features. The woman's audacity clearly infuriated her.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. This had crossed his bottom line as well.
"How could Master possibly refine such an enormous amount of Dou Qi in a short time?" Nalan Yanran gave a bitter laugh. "Now that the seal has merged with Master's body, extracting it would endanger her life. That vicious woman clearly wants Master dead."
"Fortunately, it seems Granny Hua made arrangements before she died, so many elders stand on Master's side. That woman didn't dare snatch it by force, but instead proposed a wager; she wants a competition with Master."
"A competition would normally be fair, but the Flower Sect has a peculiar rule: a man and a woman can face enemies together. That woman can fight alongside someone called Yaohua Liangjun, a 6-star Dou Venerate," Nalan Yanran smiled wryly.
"Fighting together?" Xiao Yan frowned. A 4-star Dou Venerate teaming up with a 6-star was indeed excessive bullying.
Something struck him as odd. 'Isn't the Flower Sect supposed to be all-female? Why do they have Dou Qi transfer techniques and mixed-gender pair battles? This sounds suspiciously like those dual cultivation sects from the novels...'
But he dismissed the thought. It's probably just a coincidence.
"Since it's a male-female pairing, has your master found someone?" He cut Nalan Yanran a glance, fishing for a bit of 'news.'
Nalan Yanran was no child; how could she not know what little thoughts were running through his mind? Looking somewhat glum, she replied, "How could she? Master was always tending to Granny Hua. When would she have found time to meet men?"
"Grandmaster Gu He did pursue Master once, but..." Nalan Yanran gave Xiao Yan a strange look that said everything.
You drove the man away.
"Ahem." Xiao Yan rubbed his nose awkwardly. "As fellow Yan Alliance members, we should naturally help each other against enemies. Don't worry, just leave it to me."
His embarrassment, combined with the subtle joy upon hearing no man stood at Yun Yun's side, made Nalan Yanran's emotions tangle further. Envy mixed with frustration.
After all, the person before her was the man she had a secret crush on.
"How long until the appointed time?" Xiao Yan asked.
"About three or four months. And don't you dare cut it close again. If you can come, come early!" Nalan Yanran knew his bad habit all too well.
Xiao Yan was momentarily speechless. "Fine, fine. Once this ancient ruin business is settled, I'll head straight to the Flower Sect and wait there. Satisfied?"
He then looked her up and down. "How are you only a 6-star Dou Ancestor? Even slower than Old Hai."
The past two years had clearly been lean ones for Nalan Yanran. Aside from the great opportunity at the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool, she likely hadn't encountered much else.
Yun Yun was indeed a wonderful woman, but her teaching methods would starve a disciple to death.
"Forget it. I'll lend you a hand for Uncle Nalan's sake. Stick with us for now and see if you can grab something good."
"I... I don't need your help! I can manage on my own." Nalan Yanran turned her head away in a huff, but the corners of her mouth curled in a barely noticeable smile, her heart fluttering like a startled deer.
Venerable Tian Huo and the others naturally had no objections to Nalan Yanran following them. She was a Yan Alliance member, after all. If they knew this master-disciple pair had already extended the Yan Alliance's influence all the way to the Flower Sect, their expressions would be quite something.
Hai Bodong stood tall with his chest out and looked at Nalan Yanran with calm eyes. "Nalan girl, hmm... 6-star Dou Ancestor isn't bad at all. Put in a bit more effort, and you might just surpass this old man."
By now, the Bone Mountain Range had emptied completely, transformed from a sea of beasts and men to eerie silence. Everyone had headed for the great hall.
Xiao Yan let his Heavenly State Spiritual Strength sweep across the flame passage before them. This first defensive barrier created by a Dou Saint drew no joy or anger from his eyes as he said indifferently, "Boring."
With a casual flick of his finger, a dense white flame shot forward. The instant the Bone Chilling Flame touched the corridor's flames, a crisp crack sounded. The entire passage froze solid.
Flames and formation alike were completely immobilized. A true passage hidden beneath the corridor revealed itself before Xiao Yan and his companions.
With his current strength, this first barrier posed no challenge whatsoever.
Those blocked outside stared slack-jawed as Xiao Yan used raw power and the Bone Chilling Flame to force the passage open.
"Who is that?!"
"You don't recognize Xiao Yan of the Yan Alliance? Are you from another world?"
Nalan Yanran stood equally shocked beside him. She knew his strength had increased, but she never imagined it had reached such heights!
Only two years had passed since they had parted at the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool. How had his strength soared so dramatically!
With nothing obstructing their path, the Little Lion King charged through like a hot knife through butter. Traps proved equally meaningless; any they encountered were instantly frozen by Xiao Yan's Bone Chilling Flame.
Xiao Yan's group, which had originally been far behind, suddenly overtook everyone!
Without flames and traps hindering them, they crossed the great hall's passage in less than a minute at the Little Lion King's speed and arrived at a spacious plaza.
The plaza already held numerous early arrivals. Most were from the group that had rushed in the fastest, including the Heaven Demon Phoenix Tribe, the Wind Lightning Pavilion, the Nine Serene Deep Ground Python Tribe, and Yun Yun's Flower Sect group.
Xiao Yan saw the look of relief on Yun Yun's face and shook his head. Still worrying about others at a time like this? You should worry more about yourself.
I'm a 5-star Dou Venerate, and you're only a 1-star!
He knew this wasn't the time to speak with Yun Yun. He had other matters to address first.
The moment he set foot in the plaza, his gaze fixed on its far end. There stood an extremely heavy stone door. Before the door, ten spear-straight bodies stood unchanging, as they had for millennia. These bodies gleamed with brilliant silver skin, their vacant eyes and expressionless faces lending them the appearance of ancient corpses.
"Those puppets resemble yours somewhat," Little Fairy Doctor said softly beside him.
"They aren't Sky Demon Puppets. Though both are puppets, the crafting methods differ," Xiao Yan replied, his eyes narrowing as a smile touched his lips. "Perhaps this Saint Zhao Hua's ruin contains a higher-level puppet-crafting Secret Method."
He had been wanting to upgrade Xing Tian. It seemed this Mysterious Yellow Flame was a bit useful after all!
"Beyond that stone door lies the true ruin," Little Fairy Doctor said, gazing at the massive barrier.
"Mm, but the stone door is tightly shut, and there are faint spatial fluctuations on it. It clearly can't be opened by brute force. The method to open it most likely lies with these ten puppets." Xiao Yan nodded slightly and swept his gaze around. Most people were also fixing their gazes on the puppets, clearly having reached the same conclusion.
Soon, a wandering cultivator with 1-star Dou Venerate strength grew impatient.
"Mere puppets at the peak Dou Ancestor level think they can stop this old man?" Silver light danced beneath his feet as he stepped forward. With a single palm strike, he knocked back three puppets and smiled smugly.
The gap between peak Dou Ancestor and Dou Venerate clearly wasn't something numbers alone could bridge.
"This old fool is about to suffer," Xiao Yan said with a knowing smile.
No sooner had he spoken than silver light erupted from the puppets. A silver formation appeared, connecting all ten silver-white constructs head to tail. Strange energy accumulated through the formation and concentrated on the lead puppet.
A resonant hum filled the air. Golden light suddenly blazed forth as the lead puppet transformed before their eyes, evolving from a silver Earth Demon Puppet into a golden Sky Demon Puppet. Its strength instantly soared to 2-star Dou Venerate!
A thunderous boom shook the air. Caught completely off guard, the old cultivator faced a punch that created a sonic boom, cracking space itself. Though experienced, he hastily retreated to dissipate the force but still spat blood and staggered back violently.
Only after the cultivator had completely left the plaza did the formation on the puppets slowly fade, and everything returned to its original state.
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, revealing a covetous look. The ten puppets themselves were nothing special. He could craft such things given time. But the formation on the puppets had genuinely piqued his curiosity.
Thunder erupted beneath his feet as he stepped on empty space. His speed resembled lightning itself as he instantly appeared before the puppets.
Venerable Lei's eyes flashed coldly at the sight of the Three Thousand Lightning Movement. The two sides had long since abandoned all pretense of civility. The Wind Lightning Pavilion was even planning to relocate to the Beast Region because of the Yan Alliance. How could Venerable Lei not despise Xiao Yan?
The puppet formation activated once more with a resonant hum. The golden puppet stomped the ground and appeared instantly before Xiao Yan, its golden fist crashing down with overwhelming force.
Xiao Yan's expression remained as placid as an ancient well. He slowly raised his hand, fingers spread wide, and caught the punch single-handedly.
"5-star Dou Venerate?!!!"