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At Xiao Meng's request, the people from the Black-Corner Region attacked the black mist where Protector Wu was located from a distance.
"You're courting death!" Protector Wu roared. A scarlet color appeared in his eyes beneath the black mist, making him look exceptionally terrifying.
Although these attacks didn't injure him, they did cause some impact, more or less.
Protector Wu's offensive slowed, giving Venerable Yao a moment to catch his breath.
The overwhelming black mist suddenly fluctuated violently, as if boiling. Then it rapidly contracted, shrinking smaller and smaller, revealing a figure completely shrouded in dark black armor.
The black armor was covered in strange patterns, appearing ferocious and terrifying. These patterns formed various portraits, which were precisely the Yunlan Sect Elders whose souls Protector Wu had seized. On the chest of the armor, Yun Shan's face was lifelike, seemingly still bearing an expression of pain.
Around the face, there was a worm with twelve rings.
A colder, more terrifying aura than before rose, enveloping the entire Snake-People Race Holy City. The originally clear sky also darkened, and gusts of cold wind blew.
Xiao Meng gritted her teeth; such a scene made her feel exceptionally powerless. But just then, she suddenly felt a surge of power within her body.
The Amons in the air gathered towards her, converging within her body, causing her aura to rise steadily, quickly reaching the peak of Dou Emperor.
The people of the Black-Corner Region, Jia Xingtian, and Fa Ma looked at her in astonishment… What kind of secret technique was this? It was even more outrageous than Xiao Yan's power boost?
Silver-white flames coiled around Xiao Meng, appearing incredibly powerful.
Protector Wu also noticed her movements, his expression slightly sinking. The silver flames made him feel particularly troublesome, and he felt a hint of greed, but he suppressed it.
Although this slippery fellow's combat strength wasn't very high, he was harder to catch than Venerable Yao, and his current state couldn't be maintained for long.
Protector Wu condensed black mist in his hand, forming a black sphere. He threw it, aiming at the people of the Black-Corner Region.
An extreme sense of crisis emerged in the hearts of Gold and Silver Elders and the others; they almost simultaneously scattered and fled.
After dispersing them, Protector Wu charged towards Venerable Yao. Xiao Meng's palm pierced through space, reaching for his back.
A face on Protector Wu's armor seemed to come alive, appearing out of thin air, forming a skull in the air that bit down on Xiao Meng's palm.
Xiao Meng quickly retracted her hand, leaving a silver flame in its place.
The flame ignited from the skull's mouth, instantly incinerating it into nothingness.
A black mist spread out, a massive darkness seemingly intent on covering the sky. Protector Wu launched a fierce assault on Venerable Yao.
Although Venerable Yao was only a soul body, he hadn't lost his combat awareness as a Dou Venerate in his lifetime. He fought steadily, trying his best to stall for time.
Xiao Meng continuously harassed him from the side, causing Protector Wu to be distracted from time to time. As time passed, he felt his power slowly declining, and he grew anxious.
He suddenly noticed Xiao Yan, who was in a weakened state after defeating Yun Shan, and let out a sinister laugh: "Jie jie…"
Dozens of chains suddenly extended from his back, shooting towards Venerable Yao and Xiao Meng. Neither dared to be careless and instinctively pulled away.
"There's still a soft persimmon over here." Protector Wu charged towards Xiao Yan, a chain shooting out rapidly.
Xiao Yan watched the approaching chain, a hint of unwillingness in his eyes. His body was too heavy to move, and Qing Meng, having endured the explosion of the Buddha Fury Fire Lotus at close range, couldn't emerge for a while.
He could only watch helplessly as the dark, lethally menacing chain drew closer.
Silver flames exploded in front of Xiao Yan. Xiao Meng's figure emerged from the flames. She had used all her strength to jump here at the critical moment using Space Fire, only having enough time to hold her scythe horizontally in front of her.
The chain broke the scythe and, without losing momentum, pierced through her body. Xiao Meng grabbed the chain with her hand, struggling to prevent it from moving forward.
She hadn't sensed the Worm of Spirit in Protector Wu's body… This guy was really going for the kill!
The chain only stopped when her palm was rubbed raw and bloody.
At this moment, she suddenly understood why Amon had told her to come. She turned her head and gave Xiao Yan a smile:
"Young Master Xiao Yan, take care…"
Xiao Yan's mind went blank. Looking at Xiao Meng's body pierced by the chain, looking at her bloody face, distorted by pain yet still smiling at him, his heart felt as if it too had been pierced by a chain, throbbing with pain.
"Kekeke… An unexpected surprise! Taking you back will bring a higher reward from that Lord than taking Venerable Yao back." Protector Wu seemed extremely pleased; Xiao Meng was his most desired target.
The chain circled around and bound Xiao Meng, carrying her delicate, powerless body upwards into the sky.
"Xiao Meng!" Xiao Yan screamed hoarsely, struggling to reach for her, but his body still wouldn't obey. His outstretched right hand only touched the bloodied fingertips of Xiao Meng's weakly hanging left hand before he helplessly lost the chance to hold her.
He watched desperately as Xiao Meng was dragged away by the chain, the clanking of the chain growing fainter and fainter, until she was finally swallowed by the black mist that once again enveloped Protector Wu.
"Kekeke… With my prey in hand, this Protector shall take his leave." Protector Wu said with a laugh.
"Stay here!" Venerable Yao noticed Protector Wu's power waning and immediately tried to stop him.
However, Protector Wu counterattacked, striking Xiao Yan with a surge of energy.
Venerable Yao's expression changed, and he could only turn back to block.
Protector Wu had already transformed into a black cloud and was speeding away into the distance. Venerable Yao hesitated for two seconds and did not pursue. He wasn't confident he could keep Protector Wu, and he was worried about the weakened Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Meng…" Xiao Yan stared blankly in the direction Protector Wu had departed, his mind a complete blank.
"Sigh…" Venerable Yao sighed and comforted him: "Cheer up, Protector Wu didn't directly kill her soul body and take it away; he captured her alive… Perhaps there's still hope."
Though he said this, Venerable Yao himself knew how slim that hope was. Saving someone from the Soul Hall, a place filled with experts and unfathomable depths, was almost as difficult as ascending to heaven.
A flicker of spirit returned to Xiao Yan's eyes. He stumbled to his feet from the ground. The people of the Black-Corner Region had already gathered around, their gazes somewhat evasive. After Protector Wu's final attack dispersed them, they had been watching from afar, none daring to approach.
He took a deep breath, calmed himself, and tried his best not to vent his anger on them. It was already somewhat unexpected that the people of the Black-Corner Region, after dealing with the Soul Envoys, would listen to Xiao Meng's instructions to harass Protector Wu.
Gold and Silver Elders apologized sincerely: "We're sorry, Mr. Xiao Yan, we forgot to guard you earlier; that was our dereliction of duty."
Protector Wu's attack on Xiao Yan wasn't strong, it was just unexpected. If Gold and Silver Elders had been nearby, they could have blocked it.
Xiao Yan said in a slightly hoarse voice: "No need to apologize, I saw all of your help, and I will never go back on my promises."
Hearing his statement, Gold and Silver Elders, Fan Lao, Ban Lao, Yin Gu Lao, Su Mei, and Tie Wu all breathed a sigh of relief.
Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma walked over. The latter bowed to Venerable Yao, who smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. The former looked at Xiao Yan with a hint of deference and asked: "Young friend Xiao Yan, what are your plans now?"
What he really wanted to ask about was the Yunlan Sect. Although the Yunlan Sect had lost many Elders due to Protector Wu's actions, its strength remained.
Yun Shan did not only rely on Protector Wu to increase his strength; when he expanded the Yunlan Sect's influence, he also acquired many resources, which strengthened the Yunlan Sect as a whole. There were also many Elders who had no connection with the Soul Hall.
In the Jia Ma Empire, it was still a dominant force that could contend with the imperial family.
Xiao Yan shook his head: "I will no longer interfere with the matters of the Jia Ma Empire."
He had composed himself, returning to his usual state, but anyone with discerning eyes could tell how suppressed he was feeling inside.
Jia Xingtian nodded and didn't ask further. He decided to unite with the Alchemist Guild in the future to curb the Yunlan Sect's development, but even if they gained the upper hand, they couldn't suppress them too harshly.
Just then, a figure stood on the city wall and shouted loudly: "Everyone, look at me! I have something important to announce."
The voice, magnified by Dou Qi, spread to every corner.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice; it was Yun Meng.
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. He understood that Yun Meng was almost Yun Shan's proxy; many things that even Yun Yun didn't know were handled by him.
"I announce that the Yunlan Sect is hereby disbanded!"
These words caused an uproar. Yun Yun, who had just put away Yun Shan's corpse, widened her eyes and suddenly turned around, looking at Yun Meng with an expression of disbelief.
She quickly flew to Yun Meng's side and demanded: "Yun Meng, what do you mean by this?"
The remaining Elders of the Yunlan Sect also gathered around, looking at Yun Yun and Yun Meng, waiting for an explanation from both of them.
Yun Meng said with a slightly heavy tone: "This was Master's last wish. From the day Protector Wu came knocking, he foresaw today's situation."
Saying that, he threw a space ring to Yun Yun: "Inside is a letter from Master. He doesn't want you to be bound by the Yunlan Sect, nor does he want you to resent Xiao Yan because of this… He wants you to live well."
Yun Yun's soul power entered the space ring, and she found that the space inside was extremely vast. All sorts of Yunlan Sect classics, ancestral tablets, and items of significant commemorative value were inside. And above everything else, there was a very conspicuous black wooden box, sealed with Yun Shan's personal seal.
Yun Meng continued: "It's all here, except for the Sheng Si Men (Gate of Life and Death) which simply couldn't be taken away… If you have the chance in the future, Senior Sister, you can consider rebuilding the Yunlan Sect."
Yun Yun quickly took out the box and found two letters inside. After reading them carefully, her eyes immediately turned red.
Of the two letters, one contained Yun Meng's earlier statement about disbanding the Yunlan Sect as a dying wish, and the other was a personal instruction to her, urging her to live well and pursue her own happiness.
She suppressed the grief in her heart, looked at the Yunlan Sect Elders, and spoke with difficulty: "It's true, it's Master's handwriting."
Upon hearing this, these Yunlan Sect Elders were first astonished, then looked at Yun Yun with a hint of expectation.
The last Sect Master's dying wish, whether to obey it or not, still depended on the current Sect Master. Besides their vested interests, they also had a strong sense of belonging to the Yunlan Sect and didn't want to see it disband just like that.
Yun Yun's hand gripping the letter turned pale. She closed her eyes, pondered for a long time, and then slowly opened them: "I have decided to follow Master's last wish… From now on, the Yunlan Sect is disbanded."
"No, Sect Master!" an Elder pleaded.
After speaking, Yun Yun became resolute: "This is Master's last wish. My decision is made."
Another Elder wanted to persuade her, but Yun Meng stepped forward, slightly shielding Yun Yun behind him, and said:
"Elders, there's no need to persuade further. This is Master's will, and Senior Sister's will… Moreover, even if the Yunlan Sect continues to exist, it won't be able to hold onto its current foundation, and it might even decline to be worse than before.
"We made many enemies during our previous development. With Master's death, all of this will backfire.
"Rather than being tied down to this small place, the Jia Ma Empire, it's better to let Senior Sister go out and see the world. Perhaps one day, a more prosperous Yunlan Sect will appear on this continent."
The Yunlan Sect disbanded. The vast Sect vanished in a single day, which was truly lamentable.
"Senior Sister, where will you go from now on?" Yun Meng asked with a smile: "Master hoped you would follow Xiao Yan."
Yun Yun's face showed a complex expression, and she shook her head, saying:
"I don't know how to face him for now. Let me calm down for a while. Besides, Yanran is still in the Sheng Si Men (Gate of Life and Death). I'll wait for her to come out… I can't let her come out and find that the Sect is gone and Master can't be found… She would cry."
By the end, Yun Yun forced out a faint smile.
Yun Meng smiled and waved his hand: "Then goodbye. I still have things to do."
Yun Yun spread her Dou Qi wings and flew into the sky, glancing at Xiao Yan from afar before flapping her wings and departing.
Xiao Yan opened his mouth, but the words died on his lips, turning into a long sigh.
He looked at Jia Xingtian: "Since the Yunlan Sect has disbanded, I hope that past grievances will no longer be pursued. Also, could I trouble you to designate the Yunlan Sect's Sect grounds as a protected restricted area? I will provide compensation."
Jia Xingtian's smile was evident, and he said sincerely: "Whatever young friend Xiao Yan wishes."
If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, he would have burst into laughter. A great enemy had suddenly disbanded itself like this.
Fa Ma sighed softly, his expression slightly complex: "Sigh, Yun Shan…"
Setting aside the period of the Yunlan Sect's expansion later on, Yun Shan's relationship with them in the past wasn't too bad. The few of them were both rivals and friends who could drink together.
Xiao Yan suddenly noticed Yun Meng slowly walking towards them from a distance.
The others noticed Xiao Yan's gaze and also looked towards him.
Jia Xingtian raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled by the actions of Yun Shan's young disciple.
"Mr. Xiao Yan, I have something to discuss with you. Can we talk privately?" Yun Meng asked gently.
Xiao Yan glanced at him and nodded: "Okay."
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