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**
"Jie jie~"
A strange cackling laugh echoed as black mist billowed outward.
In the blink of an eye, it drifted above the square and stopped not far from Wei Yang.
Then, the black mist began to condense, becoming even denser. It squirmed slightly, and from within, a sinister gaze seemed to peer out, locking onto Wei Yang through the veil of darkness.
A strange, gloomy atmosphere began to spread silently across the entire square.
Everyone present couldn't help but feel a chill creep into their hearts.
At that moment—
BOOM!
A thunderous blast rang out nearby, suddenly shattering the oppressive silence.
The crowd turned their heads—only to realize it came from Xiao Yan's side.
The battle had just ended.
Xiao Yan had defeated Gu He within ten moves.
Pfft—
With a mouthful of fresh blood spurting from his lips, Gu He's body plummeted like a bird with broken wings, falling powerlessly from the sky.
He crashed to the ground, landing heavily on the square, sprawled out in defeat.
Seeing this, Yun Shan's face darkened.
A Dou Huang fighting a Dou Wang, and he couldn't even last ten moves? Trash.
Gu He struggled to prop himself up, his face pale and lips stained with blood. His eyes carried a trace of despair.
He clearly understood just how terrifying Xiao Yan's final strike had been.
He had no chance of blocking it.
In fact, during that last moment, Gu He could feel that Xiao Yan had deliberately held back some of his strength—intentionally pulling his punch.
Otherwise, even if Gu He survived, he would've ended up seriously injured, possibly crippled.
One glance at Gu He's pale face was all the crowd gave him before their attention returned to the bizarre black mist.
For a moment, the entire scene fell into deathly silence.
Finally, the black mist spoke.
"Yun Shan, you're truly pathetic. You're in the same realm as him, yet you couldn't even take a single move."
The mist churned as a cold voice slowly emerged, mocking Yun Shan in front of everyone without mercy. "No wonder you couldn't break through to Dou Zong on your own—we had to spend so much just to help you get there."
Yun Shan's face twitched violently. His expression was extremely ugly, lips parting as if he wanted to respond—but in the end, he said nothing.
After today, his reputation would suffer a huge blow.
Just earlier, he had been ridiculing Gu He in his heart.
And now, karma came fast.
At least Gu He had lasted ten moves, even if it was Dou Huang versus Dou Wang.
But him?
Same realm. One move.
They were both equally humiliated—neither had the right to laugh at the other.
Yun Shan felt deeply dejected.
Am I really this useless...?
Swoosh!
Xiao Yan flapped his emerald wings and flew swiftly to Wei Yang's side. "Brother Wei."
Wei Yang slowly rose from his seat, eyes fixed on the dark mist as he said softly, "You needed ten moves just to deal with Gu He? That's a bit much."
"Uh... I couldn't just go all-out from the start and blast him in one move, right?" Xiao Yan muttered. "I've got to conserve energy too."
After all, he was only at the peak of Dou Wang. His Dou Qi was limited, and he couldn't just throw out powerful techniques recklessly.
Besides, Flame Mantra was currently only at Low-Level Earth Grade. While it could rival Mid-Level Earth Class cultivation techniques when combined with his Heavenly Flame, its recovery speed couldn't compare to what Wei Yang had back when he was a Dou Wang.
Ever since meeting Wei Yang, Xiao Yan had noticed one thing—he always liked to open with a big move, ending battles quickly.
Xiao Yan was honestly envious.
Other than the Lion Tiger Gold Shattering Roar, a High-Level Xuan Grade Dou Technique he used early on, every attack Wei Yang used afterward was at least High-Level Earth Grade.
Total power and style.
"Look, the real culprit has finally shown up." Wei Yang lifted his chin slightly, pointing at the black mist. "The one behind the extermination of your Xiao Clan."
"Mm." Xiao Yan nodded solemnly, his gaze locked onto the eerie mist, fists clenching tightly as a flash of cold light flickered in his eyes.
The Hall of Souls... had finally revealed itself!
The shadowy hand behind it all—now fully exposed.
"Like we discussed earlier—once you're done dealing with that Yun Shan trash, hurry up and help me. I have a faint sense that there are two other hidden presences watching us nearby," Wei Yang sent a voice transmission.
"Two?!" Xiao Yan's heart skipped a beat.
Did that mean the Hall of Souls had sent three Protectors this time?
That... was a serious problem.
Not far away, Gu He lay on the ground—alone and forgotten.
In a situation like this, no one cared anymore about a small fry like Gu He.
After spacing out for a while, the light finally returned to Gu He's eyes. He slowly got up and looked over at Xiao Yan out of the corner of his eye. With a bitter smile, he said, "You win."
Hearing Gu He's personal admission of defeat, the entire square fell silent again.
They could easily imagine just how devastating this defeat would be for Gu He.
"From today on, I will no longer interfere in your affairs with the Yun Lan Sect," Gu He said with a despondent smile.
Xiao Yan turned his head slightly to meet his gaze and gave a slight nod in response.
Then, Gu He shifted his eyes toward Yun Yun, who stood there all alone as well. His body trembled, and the exquisite red wedding robe he wore—specially made for the occasion—suddenly cracked inch by inch, before falling apart into countless fragments that fluttered to the ground.
"Yun Yun... I'm sorry. I was not good enough."
He looked at her with complex emotions in his eyes, his heart overwhelmed with a deep sense of powerlessness.
Once, Gu He believed that he was someone of significance in the Jia Ma Empire. He had his pride, his own dignity.
But only today did he truly realize—his so-called status as a Tier 6 alchemist... was a complete joke.
Without sufficient strength, connections and influence were worthless in the eyes of true powerhouses.
In the face of absolute strength, everything else was fragile—utterly insignificant.
Just like now, in this very moment, he was nothing more than an ant, not even qualified to speak—let alone influence the outcome of this battle.
What could he possibly use to fight for the one he loved?
For a man, that was perhaps the most painful realization of all.
Yun Yun fell silent as she looked at Gu He's dejected figure.
She knew Gu He was proud at his core. For him to fall into such a state... the blow must have been unimaginable.
Yet at this point, she didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke in a soft voice, "Are you alright?"
"I'll live." Gu He waved his hand dismissively.
Then he looked up at Yun Shan, who stood in the air, and cupped his hands respectfully. "Sect Master Yun Shan, today Gu He has lost. According to our agreement, I will no longer meddle in the matter between the two sides. As for this wedding, I ask you to dissolve it. Farewell."
With that, Gu He didn't wait for Yun Shan's reply—nor did he care about the other's gloomy, ugly expression. He turned around and walked off the mountain path without looking back, vanishing under the gaze of countless eyes.
Watching his solitary figure fade into the distance, some of the powerhouses who had been invited by Gu He exchanged glances and gave bitter laughs.
Since the man himself had already left, there was no point in them staying.
They all had decent relationships with Gu He. If he had asked for their help, they wouldn't have refused—they would've done their best.
But now that Gu He had accepted his defeat without complaint, naturally, they wouldn't try to intervene either.
More importantly, given the current situation, even if they did step forward, they'd only be throwing their lives away.
A battle at the Dou Zong level wasn't something they could interfere with.
Even Yun Shan had almost been defeated in a single move—what could they possibly do?
Now that Gu He had left, there was no reason for them to remain.
Though they were deeply curious about the terrifying battle that was about to erupt atop Yun Lan Mountain, none of them were fools.
If they got caught in the crossfire, they'd be reduced to ashes.
So, one after another, people began cupping their hands in farewell. Some didn't even bother to say goodbye and left in a hurry.
Wei Yang's brow suddenly twitched.
He had sensed that one of the hidden presences lurking in the shadows—one of the subtle auras—was rapidly moving away.
One of the Hall of Souls Protectors... was leaving?
He glanced in the direction the aura was moving—straight toward where Gu He had gone down the mountain.
Gu He's been marked by the Hall of Souls.
Wei Yang narrowed his eyes but wasn't surprised.
A Tier 6 Alchemist, with a late-stage Mortal Realm soul body—that was a highly coveted prize in the eyes of a Protector from the Hall of Souls.
What mattered even more—this Tier 6 Alchemist was only a low-level Dou Huang, alone, injured, and unprotected.
It was no different than a child carrying a gold bar through a busy market.
Wei Yang could only shake his head and sigh.
Gu He... was undoubtedly a tragic figure.
Being a simp was bad enough—and now, it looked like he might not even keep his life.
What did it matter if he was a Tier 6 Alchemist?
It was all empty status.
Only strength is the ultimate truth.
That was something Wei Yang had always understood.
Even though his soul talent far surpassed his physical cultivation potential, he had never allowed alchemy to become his focus. It was only ever a supportive tool to aid his cultivation.
He firmly believed one thing: connections and reputation were hollow.
Only true, personal strength—that which belonged solely to oneself—was the king's path.
And today, Gu He had become the perfect example of that truth.
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