Word Count: 3,435 Words
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Elder Huo was about to offer another word of caution, but Miss Feng, dressed in her seven-colored long skirt, slowly raised her snow-white wrist and spoke softly, "Elder Huo, rest assured. I know my limits."
Elder Huo smiled and replied, "This old man naturally trusts Miss."
Fei Tian swallowed the words of persuasion he had been about to utter upon seeing her expression and hearing her tone. Saying too much would inevitably lead to mistakes, and it was indeed inappropriate for him to say more.
The woman in the colorful skirt gave a faint smile, though it carried a trace of undeniable coldness. Despite her polite words, her heart harbored that same coldness, even toward Fei Tian.
Her beautiful eyes swept over the crowd below before slowly closing.
For now, her only task was to wait for the energy tide to begin. Then, she would reach the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool at the fastest speed possible. Since the other three pavilions had sent their most talented young geniuses, she was determined to win this competition as well.
As for that Xiao Yan, the 3-star Dou Ancestor, it seemed he was only there to escort the Yan Alliance members up the mountain. Once the energy tide began, the Spiritual Strength of soul bodies would become unusable.
Many people doubted Xiao Yan's true strength, and she shared these doubts.
…
After waiting for a full day, the energy in this region finally began to surge with sudden intensity.
The vast mountain range, shrouded in swirling clouds and mist, seemed at this moment like an ancient beast on the verge of awakening. Deep, rumbling sounds echoed from high above the peaks, accompanied by an overwhelming wave of boundless energy.
A series of crashing noises resounded as the immense energy of the entire Heaven Eye Mountain Range churned violently. Eventually, it even produced sounds akin to ocean waves breaking against the shore. This strange phenomenon left even Xiao Yan somewhat astonished. Nature was truly full of wonders.
Xiao Yan could sense more clearly than most, with his exceptional Spiritual Strength, just how terrifying the energy within the five-colored tide truly was.
"Tsk tsk tsk, nature is indeed miraculous. This energy tide truly has the power to help someone achieve a breakthrough." Xiao Yan smiled. The emergence of the energy tide acted like the starting gunshot of a race. The dense sea of people instantly surged up the mountain like a swarm of bees.
Countless Dou Qi wings unfurled, and a variety of agility-type Dou Techniques burst forth. It was truly a case of 'crossing the sea in eight different ways, each showing their unique skills!'
Xiao Yan remained unhurried. His purpose here was to escort the Yan Alliance members up the mountain.
This teeming crowd naturally wasn't composed entirely of 9-star Dou Emperors. Xiao Yan even spotted individuals at the Dou King realm among them. Many were here to test their luck, hoping that a fortunate breakthrough into the pool might lay a foundation for their future advancement to the Dou Ancestor realm.
'Strange, I still haven't seen any Yan Alliance members. Could they have been driven back?' Xiao Yan scratched his head. Surely the Yan Alliance disciples hadn't been scared off by the Wind Lightning Pavilion? That would be too embarrassing!
Then, his eyes caught sight of Miss Feng as her giant crane spread its wings, taking the lead as it soared to the mountain's base. With a light smile, she turned her slender, willow-like waist and stepped lightly on the crane's head. Lightning flashed beneath her feet as she transformed into a streak of colorful light, shooting forward at a speed that surpassed many low-star Dou Ancestors!
The Three Thousand Lightning Movement truly lived up to its widespread fame. At the very least, its speed was undeniably impressive.
Miss Feng's swiftness drew waves of envy from the crowd below. Her colorful skirt fluttering in the wind made her appear almost like a celestial fairy.
Xiao Yan shrugged as his incredibly powerful Soul State Spiritual Strength surged from his body in an instant.
'Hm? This energy tide actually suppresses Spiritual Strength?' Xiao Yan was taken aback. No wonder the old man had warned that without a map, one would surely lose their way in the dense fog of this energy tide. It turned out the tide had a suppressing effect on Spiritual Strength.
Even with Xiao Yan's Spiritual Strength at the Soul State, more than half of it was dampened. Of course, even with just a fraction remaining, his sensory range remained very wide.
Xiao Yan had numerous methods to rush up the mountain. He could use his Bone Wings or summon Xing Tian. Ultimately, though, he opted against drawing too much attention. Instead, he relied on the Exploding Steps, a technique he hadn't used in ages, stepping on tree branches to charge straight for the summit.
Though the Exploding Steps given to him by Yun Yun were only Intermediate Xuan Class, effectiveness depended on the user. A series of explosive sounds rang out as Xiao Yan, with his hands clasped behind his back, shot forward like a rocket.
Miss Feng heard the explosive noises behind her and her delicate brows furrowed slightly. She turned her head, and in just two breaths, Xiao Yan had actually surpassed her, even though she was using the Three Thousand Lightning Movement!
The sudden appearance of this figure startled her momentarily. Her brows knit together, and with a grasp of her jade-like hand toward the figure ahead, a fierce suction force surged out with a sharp whoosh.
"Hm?" Xiao Yan swayed slightly. He merely smiled at Miss Feng's attempt to obstruct him, feeling as though he were looking at a naughty child. With a casual wave of his hand, a powerful gust of wind burst from his sleeve, and the two invisible forces collided in mid-air.
Turning around, Xiao Yan stood atop a large tree with a smile, gazing at the woman whose expression had grown somewhat cold.
"Damn, who is that guy? He actually got ahead of Miss Feng and entered the mountain range?"
"Haha, I knew it! With so many people, a dark horse was bound to show up. I just didn't expect it so soon."
"Wait, that's not right. That person seems to be a Dou Ancestor."
"A Dou Ancestor? Which old bastard is being so shameless?"
Xiao Yan felt a twinge of embarrassment upon hearing these words. After all, the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool was meant to be a battlefield for the Dou Emperor generation. For him, a Dou Ancestor, to intrude did seem somewhat improper.
"Ahem, I won't stop you from going up the mountain. I'm not here to compete for a spot," Xiao Yan said calmly, looking at Miss Feng from the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
Miss Feng's eyes turned icy at his words. As if I need you to let me pass?!
"Hmph!" With a cold snort, a sharp sound of something cutting through the air rang out. A colored silk ribbon, imbued with fierce wind energy, shot out from her sleeve.
Though the colored silk ribbon appeared to be made of fabric, it glinted faintly with a metallic sheen. It was clearly no ordinary item.
Xiao Yan shook his head slowly as he saw the ribbon darting toward him like a venomous snake. With a flick of his sleeve, a ball of black flame flew out.
Boom!
The black flame collided with the colored silk ribbon. The Earth Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame erupted with terrifying devouring power, transforming into a black line of fire that extended rapidly upward along the ribbon.
Miss Feng's face grew slightly colder as she saw her precious seven-colored silk ribbon being consumed by the flame, with the line of fire creeping closer. A powerful Dou Qi, alternating between cyan and silver as if fusing fierce wind and thunder, surged out along the ribbon, finally clashing violently with the fiery line.
Rip!
The two forces met, and the ribbon snapped in half. The Nihility Devouring Flame's Earth Seed Flame incinerated the severed portion into nothingness before slowly dissipating.
'Hm? Dual attributes?' Xiao Yan's eyes flickered with interest. He hadn't expected this noble woman in the seven-colored skirt to possess the rare physique of wind and lightning dual attributes.
Although every alchemist possessed dual attributes of fire and wood, the wood attribute was extremely weak. Xiao Yan's Dou Qi was predominantly fire-based, and aside from using a trace of wood-attributed Dou Qi for alchemy, he practically never used it.
This wind and lightning dual-attribute physique, however, was different. Her attributes were perfectly balanced—split evenly at fifty-fifty, neither more nor less.
Similar to unique dual-attribute Heavenly Flames like the Wind and Thunder Fury Flame, Bone Chilling Flame, and Sea Heart Flame, it combined two forces. When merged, they could unleash immense power.
The combination of two attributes could unleash even more powerful force, and she could also cultivate Dou Techniques of different attributes.
If Xiao Yan's observation was correct, Miss Feng had simultaneously cultivated Qi Methods of two distinct attributes. The resulting fusion of the two Dou Qi types created a far more potent wind-lightning combined Dou Qi.
Though this special physique wasn't as monstrous as Little Fairy Doctor's Woeful Poison Body or Qing Lin's Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils, its greatest advantage was the absence of side effects.
"That's a Heavenly Flame? You're Xiao Yan." Though she couldn't recognize the Nihility Devouring Flame's Earth Seed Flame, its fearsome power was unmistakably that of a Heavenly Flame. Moreover, the fact that Xiao Yan was an alchemist who wielded a Heavenly Flame was likely common knowledge within the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
The commotion between Xiao Yan and Miss Feng naturally drew a crowd of onlookers. Upon hearing her words, the surrounding people were stunned.
"That man is Xiao Yan!"
"Holy shit, he actually showed up!"
"I heard this Xiao Yan is a 7th-tier alchemist who possesses a Heavenly Flame. His alchemy talent is extraordinary!"
Astonished gazes fixed on the figure standing atop the tree. The name of Xiao Yan from the Yan Alliance had already become renowned throughout the Northern Region.
At that moment, three overwhelmingly powerful auras descended, locking onto Xiao Yan. He didn't even need to look to know they belonged to the two elders guarding Miss Feng and the Northern Pavilion Master, Fei Tian.
"Miss, are you alright?" the old woman asked urgently. She couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to the young lady before her. The faction backing Miss Feng could annihilate the Wind Lightning Pavilion with a mere wave of their hand.
Miss Feng waved her hand and said, "I'm fine."
"Two 6-star Dou Ancestors and one 8-star Dou Ancestor... What a hassle," Xiao Yan muttered to himself. If he used the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change, he should be able to raise his cultivation to an 8-star Dou Ancestor, but the Skyfire Three Mysterious Change was, after all, a Secret Technique and had side effects.
With Spiritual Strength suppressed here, it wasn't easy to use Soul Skills. If a real fight broke out, Xiao Yan feared he would have to battle for quite some time. If, by then, the Yan Alliance members couldn't secure spots in the top ten, wouldn't his trip have been in vain?
Xiao Yan shrugged, then leaped lightly backward from the treetop, dropping straight down and concealing his figure within the thick fog. He swiftly donned the Soul Robe to mask his aura completely.
After weighing his options, he decided against further conflict. With so many people around, if his identity tied to the Hall of Souls were exposed, he wouldn't even be able to participate in the Pill Gathering!
"He disappeared?!" Fei Tian frowned. In just an instant, Xiao Yan's aura had vanished without a trace.
"Miss, do you need us to accompany you up the mountain?" Elder Huo asked hurriedly.
"No need. This is fundamentally a battlefield for the younger generation. Focus on protecting the other disciples during their trials." Miss Feng waved her hand; she didn't want to rely on the power of her faction.
"But that Xiao Yan's strength is not weak." Elder Huo knew from the brief contact just now that this Xiao Yan was a genuine 3-star Dou Ancestor, not one propped up by medicinal pills.
"Hmph, once I advance to the Dou Ancestor realm, I will definitely kill him!" Miss Feng's eyes turned slightly cold. She had many techniques from her tribe that she hadn't yet used. A mere 3-star Dou Ancestor was nothing to her. Once she entered the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool and broke through to the Dou Ancestor realm, she would have nothing to fear!
With those words, the woman in the colorful skirt tapped the ground lightly with her toes. Her figure, graceful as a dancing butterfly, flashed away and swiftly vanished into the dense fog.
"What a shame they didn't fight. I wonder who would come out on top if they did." The surrounding crowd murmured, somewhat disappointed to see the two part ways without further conflict.
"Hey, that Xiao Yan has already reached the Dou Ancestor realm. If not for those three, Miss Feng might have been in danger today."
"Tsk, he's just leveraging his cultivation advantage. If Miss Feng enters the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool and breaks through to the Dou Ancestor realm, the outcome of a fight between them would still be uncertain."
"Hehe, they're avoiding a fight now to conserve their strength. The Heaven Eye Mountain Range is filled with powerful magical beasts, especially around the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool where they are densely packed. Without real skill, trying to break through the beast horde to reach the pool is tantamount to suicide. But once they reach their destination, a fierce battle between the Yan Alliance and the Wind Lightning Pavilion will be inevitable."
The whispers lingered briefly before the crowd dispersed in various directions. No one noticed a figure in a black robe, face concealed, making his signature nose-rubbing gesture.
"This little girl isn't very old, but her arrogance is something else. Her arrogance surpasses even that Nalan Yanran girl," Xiao Yan smiled helplessly. She'll kill me after advancing to Dou Ancestor? Isn't that the same as Nalan Yanran saying she would definitely defeat me after three years!
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly and disappeared into the dense fog.
…
Whether it was fate or some twisted destiny, in another part of the Heaven Eye Mountain Range, Nalan Yanran was indeed present!
"Sigh, if you persist in following me, don't blame my Cloud Slaying Black Sword for drinking blood." A clear and captivating female voice echoed through the mist. The voice was enchanting and beautiful, suggesting its owner must surely be a stunning beauty.
If Xiao Yan were here, he would instantly recognize it. Wasn't this Nalan Yanran?!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Three sharp sounds of rushing wind pierced through the dense fog. Immediately, three men clad in yellow robes appeared, each bearing an identical badge on their chest, indicating they belonged to the same faction.
All three were 4-star Dou Emperors with considerable strength.
"Hand over the Psychic White Fox! We're not above ruthlessly destroying a beautiful flower," one of them barked.
Nalan Yanran stood dressed in a light cyan gown that perfectly outlined her exquisite, well-proportioned figure. Her voluptuous curves were strikingly alluring. Her long, black hair was casually tied with a cyan ribbon, cascading down to her shapely buttocks. That youthful and beautiful face was no stranger. It was none other than Nalan Yanran, who had always clamored about challenging Xiao Yan.
Compared to a decade ago when she had sought to break off their engagement, the current Nalan Yanran had shed the proud, untamed immaturity of the Nalan Clan's young miss. Every gesture now radiated a captivating, mature charm. The once headstrong girl had truly blossomed into a beauty capable of toppling nations.
Her cold, piercing gaze, in particular, was as sharp as a honed blade.
Nalan Yanran cradled a small white fox in her arms. This little white fox had snow-white fur that was exceptionally soft and smooth. Her jade-like hand stroked its coat as the little fox emitted soft, contented whimpers.
It was understandable why such an adorable fox held a lethal charm for women.
"Hehehe, perhaps before destroying the flower, we could do a little something to 'cherish' it," one of the men said, licking his lips with a suggestive smirk.
Still stroking the fox, Nalan Yanran slowly lifted her gaze. A bone-chilling killing intent flashed in her eyes. The killing intent of a 7-star Dou Emperor was so sharp it made one's skin ache.
"Life and opportunities are granted only once," she stated, her voice as cold as ice.
"Hmph, so what if you're a 7-star Dou Emperor? The three of us are all 4-star Dou Emperors and disciples of the same sect. If we join forces, we don't fear even an 8-star Dou Emperor! Capturing a 7-star Dou Emperor won't be a challenge." One of the yellow-robed men stared at Nalan Yanran with burning desire, unable to resist licking his lips, a lewd glint in his eyes.
"The Ground Spirit Gate truly is a breeding ground for trash," Nalan Yanran said with a shake of her head. She placed the little white fox on her shoulder and drew the Cloud Slaying Black Sword from her storage ring.
The three men's expressions turned solemn upon seeing Nalan Yanran draw her sword. They had heard of the great name of Nalan Yanran, the Sword Goddess of the Yan Alliance, but that Psychic White Fox was very important.
"Spirit of the Earth, Earthen Fusion Technique!"
The three let out a sharp cry as deep yellow Dou Qi rapidly gathered in front of the middle one. The powerful Dou Qi, condensed from their combined strength, manifested as a joint Dou Technique. A huge yellow earth dragon rose from the ground, shooting straight toward Nalan Yanran. Along its path, a deep ravine appeared on the open ground, like a field plowed by an ox.
Nalan Yanran showed no trace of surprise at the earth dragon's appearance. Her black sword slid from its sheath, and instantly, the surrounding fog churned and boiled as the energy of the world rumbled!
"Wind's Peak: Killer Meteorite!"
Swoosh!
A sword light flashed, and time seemed to stop. With a whoosh, even the surrounding dense fog was cleaved open by this single sword strike, revealing a large expanse of space.
The eyes of the three from the Ground Spirit Gate widened, their mouths moving as if wanting to say something, but no sound emerged.
Cracking sounds emanated from the huge yellow earth dragon. In no time, the earth dragon was beheaded, crashing heavily to the ground with a loud boom, reverting to mere clumps of earth.
The last thing the three from the Ground Spirit Gate saw was their own bodies. They lost their lives before they even had time to process what was happening. With three 'pupu' sounds, pillars of blood spurted out, and a large pool of blood soon formed on the ground.
Nalan Yanran did not return the Cloud Slaying Black Sword to its sheath. The black sword hung downward, its tip pointing to the earth, in a stance ready to counterattack at any moment. Her sharp gaze fixed on a branch of a large tree not far away.
Although she possessed no special talent, her Spiritual Strength perception was naturally very sensitive. Even in this surging energy tide, it remained extremely acute, which was why she had discovered this special Psychic White Fox.
And she knew these three from the Ground Spirit Gate were actually acting under someone else's orders. It was just that these three had never expected to be beheaded by Nalan Yanran's single sword strike before they even had a chance to call for help.
A man dressed in dark yellow clothes, with a knife scar on his face, sat on a tree branch, leaning lazily against the trunk. Even after witnessing the terror of Nalan Yanran's sword strike, his gaze remained somewhat languid. He looked at Nalan Yanran and then said faintly, "Worthy of being the Yan Alliance's Sword Goddess. A very sharp sword strike. Among the people I know, your sword is second only to Tang Ying's."
Nalan Yanran glanced at the scar-faced man and said, her tone devoid of joy or sorrow, "Then your judgment is lacking."
If Xiao Yan were present, he would definitely exclaim, Are you really Nalan Yanran? You're not usually like this!