Chapter 173: A Call of "Sister-in-law" Stalks the Continent
On the outskirts of the Tagor Desert, nestled in a mountain range.
Inside a cave, atop a boulder, a pale youth slowly regained his rosy complexion. After a few trembling eyes, he slowly opened them, a look of confusion on his face.
"Are you awake?" an old man's faint laughter echoed in the youth's ears.
Xiao Yan raised his head slightly, glancing at Yao Lao, who stood smiling beside him. His eyes gradually cleared.
"Teacher, did your technique evolve successfully?"
Thinking back to the agony before his coma, a flicker of fear crossed Xiao Yan's eyes. He'd thought he'd die then, but he'd never expected to wake up again.
"Hehe. Feel it for yourself, and you'll know!" Yao Lao said with a smile, rather than telling him directly.
Seeing Yao Lao's expression, Xiao Yan knew there was nothing wrong, and relieved, he nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and looked inward.
After a moment, Xiao Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath, suppressing his intense excitement.
The cyan Dou Qi flowing through his body was clearly incomparable to the previous purple Dou Qi. The vortex within his body had expanded more than tenfold compared to before.
With a somersault, Xiao Yan leaped up from the boulder. With a thought, a cyan Dou Qi gauze robe appeared in the blink of an eye. A cyan flame danced on the garment, and the air distorted slightly.
"Haha, Teacher, I did it! I did it!" Xiao Yan's face lit up with ecstasy, his laughter echoing through the cave.
"Yes!" Yao Lao looked at the excited Xiao Yan, nodded, and said with a smile, "Congratulations! You've successfully proved that this Burning Art can absorb Heavenly Flame to evolve!"
"In other words, from this moment on, its potential is limitless, and as its practitioner, your potential is naturally limitless too!"
Yao Lao's words lingered in Xiao Yan's ears, infusing him with even greater joy. Finally, he was no longer the despised loser of the Xiao family.
"Alright! Enough about the technique! Now, come with me out to meet someone!" Yao Lao waved his hand, and the surrounding soul power dissipated.
"Meet someone?" Xiao Yan's composure slowly returned. He looked at Yao Lao in confusion. Seeing he showed no interest in explaining, he shook his head and followed him out.
As he walked, Xiao Yan stroked his chin. After a moment's contemplation, he softly asked, "Teacher, do you think I can surpass Brother Bai in the future?"
Yao Lao smiled slightly, surprised that his disciple's first thought wasn't Nalan Yanran, but that kid Xiao Bai. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Theoretically, as long as I have the Heavenly Flame, surpassing that kid shouldn't be a problem!"
"Hehe. Very good. When I grow up, I'll definitely beat that guy to pieces!" Xiao Yan shook his fist, his eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.
Before he could finish, Yao Lao covered his mouth, silencing him.
"Hmm, what's with the dry wood?"
Xiao Yan was looking at Yao Lao, who looked slightly nervous, in confusion when he suddenly felt a powerful pressure descending upon him. A chill ran from his feet to his head, and he shuddered.
"Tell me, who are you going to kill?" A cold voice came faintly from outside the cave.
"Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing. Xiao Bai and this kid grew up together and have a good relationship. I was just joking!" Yao Lao waved his hand, dispelling the pressure. He winked at Xiao Yan and laughed.
Xiao Yan's shocked expression finally relaxed, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly looked at Yao Lao, wanting to know what was going on.
"Don't talk nonsense, Xiao Yanzi!" Yao Lao whispered in a low voice.
"Teacher, you know, I was just joking!" Xiao Yan scratched his head in confusion: "What is this..."
"Queen Medusa!" Yao Lao patted his shoulder and said: "Let's go! Go out and meet her, don't be rude! The fact that you were able to overcome the difficulties in the evolution of the Burning Art this time is also thanks to her having the Ice Spirit Cold Spring in her hand. Otherwise, when the Heavenly Flame broke out, I was left with only the Heavenly Flame on me, and I don't know what to do!"
"Queen Medusa!"
Xiao Yan swallowed his saliva. No wonder her tone was so cold just now. It turned out to be because of Brother Bai!
He had been in the Tagor Desert for quite some time. How could he not have heard of Queen Medusa's reputation? She was the kind that could stop a child from crying at night.
"This sister-in-law seems to have a bad temper. I have to be careful later," Xiao Yan thought silently.
Arriving at the summit of the mountain, Xiao Yan finally met the renowned Queen Medusa. Seeing the figure in a golden and crimson brocade robe standing at the edge of the cliff with her hands behind her back, his eyes flickered. He hurried forward, clasping his fists in a salute, and said, "Xiao Yan, greetings to my sister-in-law!"
Medusa was startled, then clenched her hands behind her back. The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up slightly. She glanced at Xiao Yan, who was not far away, and said calmly, "I have nothing to do with him! Don't address me carelessly!"
"...!" Xiao Yan.
"...!" Yao Lao. "It's okay?" You must be kidding!
"What was that pressure from before?" Xiao Yan rolled his eyes.
"What was that attack on me earlier?" Yao Lao also rolled his eyes, thinking, "Just hold back a bit, you can't even hold that smile!"
"Alright! Since everything's fine, I'll be leaving!" Medusa waved her hand. As she spoke, ripples rippled through the air around her, and her figure slowly dissipated.
"Thank you, sister-in-law. Take care!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up at the sight of this spatial force, and he shouted enthusiastically.
"Shut up! I've already told you, I have nothing to do with him!" A slightly embarrassed and annoyed voice echoed across the mountains.
Then, Xiao Yan and Yao Lao saw a streak of golden light flash by, hovering in front of Xiao Yan.
"Take this token. If you encounter any trouble in this Tagor Desert, just show it, and the Serpent People will not give you any trouble!"
"Hehe. Thank you, sister-in-law, you're so generous!" Hearing the last bit of cheeriness in the voice, Xiao Yan chuckled, hurriedly put the token away, and waved his hand at the air with a flattering smile.
"Little Yanzi, when you go out in the future, don't even call yourself your master's apprentice. It's embarrassing!" Yao Lao said fiercely, facepalming.
"Teacher, this is a powerful Dou Zong. How many people would love to have a relationship with her? Why not seize the opportunity!"
"That Nalan Yanran, isn't it because she has the support of the Yunlan Sect that she can act so arrogantly in front of my Xiao family?"
Xiao Yan took the token in his hand, looked up and down, and said with a smile: "So, for me, the more such backers, the better!"
"Haha... your idea is not bad! But it's better to find that kid Xiao Bai, who is more reliable, and let that guy pick up some female Dou Zun and Dou Sheng. Then you can walk sideways on the continent with just calling her sister-in-law!" Yao Lao stroked his beard and said teasingly.
"Huh!" Xiao Yan's eyes lit up, he put the token in his hand into the storage ring, and ran to Yao Lao: "Teacher, explain in detail, explain in detail!"
"Explain in detail!" Seeing that he was serious, Yao Lao couldn't help but knock on his head, and said unhappily: "Practicing well is the right way, relying on your own cultivation is the most real, the others can only be used as means, but not as the end, understand?"
"Of course I know that practice is important." Xiao Yan touched his aching forehead and muttered: "I just got promoted to a five-star Dou Shi!"
"Five-star Dou Shi is amazing! Think about the three-year agreement, there are only more than three months left, and Nalan Yanran will not stand still and wait for you!"
"Nalan Yanran…!" Xiao Yan's face sank, he clenched his fists, and said with high morale: "Teacher, tell me! What should we do next?"
Yao Lao smiled inwardly with satisfaction. This move had truly hit Xiao Yan's sore spot. The mere mention of that name instantly gave the young man a surge of energy, as he'd promised.
He was half-hoping that the three-year agreement could be extended for another three years. If that were the case, his cultivation progress would surely skyrocket.
"Very good, next," Yao Lao began, his brows furrowing slightly as his gaze suddenly shifted in one direction.
"What's wrong, Master?" Xiao Yan was about to listen carefully to Yao Lao's training plan when, perplexed by his sudden expression, he asked.
"Someone's coming! A Dou Huang, and that Gu He!" Yao Lao's eyes flickered, and he continued, "Master, I'll take over your body. Get rid of them first!"
"Damn! This guy really knows how to choose his time. He didn't come when Sister Medusa was here, but now he's here!" Xiao Yan retorted with a look of resentment.
Yao Lao, like a puff of green smoke, drifted into Xiao Yan's body. Instantly, a pair of deep white wings appeared behind him. With a kick of his legs, he soared into the sky.
"Oh no! He's trying to escape!" Ten miles from Xiao Yan's mountain range, two streaks of light streaked through the air, and a middle-aged man's voice rang out.
"No problem! I'll catch up and stop him first, and you follow!" an elegant voice echoed.
"Yes! Thank you for your help! You go ahead. I'll meet up with Yan Shi and the others, and then I'll come to help you!" The middle-aged man looked at the black-robed figure in front of him, a glint of admiration in his eyes.
The black-robed figure said nothing, but nodded faintly. Suddenly, a fierce sound of breaking through the air was heard, and a green light shot out hundreds of meters away.
"Teacher, hurry! That guy behind us is so fast! He's catching up!" Xiao Yan hurriedly shouted, sensing that Yao Lao's speed seemed to be neither fast nor slow.
Yao Lao ignored Xiao Yan's urging. Now, with a strange look in his eyes, he slowly spoke: "Little Yanzi, you may really be able to travel the continent with just your sister-in-law!"
Previously, he had only felt a faint familiarity with the Dou Huang aura behind him, but he hadn't thought much of it. But now, as they drew closer, the feeling became clearer and clearer.
Isn't this the same female Dou Huang who had been so reluctant to leave Xiao Bai in the Monster Mountain Range?
He hadn't expected Gu He to invite her. This world is truly small; you could find that boy's confidante anywhere.
She's quite like me back in the day!
"Teacher, it's no time to joke!" Xiao Yan said grumpily, watching the black-robed figure approaching from behind.
Having spent some time with him, he'd vaguely understood that, for some reason, his teacher couldn't reveal his whereabouts. Therefore, unless his life was in danger, he'd rarely shown his true colors.
Right now, he simply wanted to shake the person off, rather than risking exposure by prompting his teacher to take action.
"Haha. Are you kidding? You'll find out later!" Yao Lao had no intention of expending his soul energy to accelerate. If she could catch up, so be it!
Xiao Yan felt frustrated, but he simply let it go. Whatever happened, it wasn't him who was going to make the move.
"Damn Gu He, just wait!" he muttered, cursing the culprit inwardly.
Sharp sonic booms echoed throughout the desert. A stream of azure and azure light, one in front and one behind, grew closer and closer.
"Wind Whirlwall!"
A faint, soft voice suddenly echoed. Wind surged around Xiao Yan, and a solid wall of gusts of wind formed dozens of meters around him.
"Teacher, be careful!"
Xiao Yan's eyes widened, a few drops of sweat falling.
Gazing at the wall, countless wind blades loomed, their thin blades gleaming with cold light. Anyone who accidentally bumped into them would be instantly sliced into pieces.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. This woman is quite ruthless!" Yao Lao controlled Xiao Yan's body, moving from motion to stillness, without a trace of human interaction, still in mid-air.
"Heavenly Flame?" The woman's elegant, surprised voice emanated from the black robe.
Xiao Yan felt helpless, utterly helpless.
The teacher suddenly retreated, running back into the ring without a word.
"Teacher!"
"Teacher?"
"Damn it! Old man! Come out now! This guy's a Dou Huang! What do you want me to do?"
"Why you?" The woman in the black robe finally came to her senses.
"Me?" Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief when the Dou Huang didn't immediately attack him, then pointed at himself in surprise.
"Hmm!" The black-robed figure nodded slightly, her voice filled with surprise, and asked cautiously, "Is he here too?"
"Him?" Xiao Yan stared at the black-robed figure, bewildered, wondering who this "him" was.
"The Amethyst Winged Lion King from the Monster Mountain Range!" The black-robed figure finally realized what was happening, so happy that she forgot she hadn't revealed her face.
"You're...you're the Dou Huang who was with Brother Bai, uh...Niu, in the Monster Mountain Range?!" Remembering the cyan energy wings behind the figure, Xiao Yan exclaimed in surprise, secretly wiping a cold sweat from his forehead.
"Luckily, fortunately! I didn't reveal Brother Bai's identity!"
"Bai Niu? Is his last name Bai?" the black-robed figure whispered.
"Ugh!" Xiao Yan was speechless for a moment. If he said the wrong thing again, and ruined Brother Bai's plan, he might even be skinned alive.
"Are you here to steal my Heavenly Flame?" Xiao Yan asked solemnly, remembering the important matter.
This female Dou Huang was different from Medusa; she had come at Gu He's invitation.
"If it were anyone else, I'd indeed come to steal the Heavenly Flame, but since you're his brother, I naturally won't attack you!" The black-robed woman shook her head.
"Brother Bai is awesome!" Xiao Yan exclaimed inwardly.
No wonder the old man had gone invisible; it turned out he knew this woman's identity and knew she was not a danger.
"What about Gu He?"
"I don't have much of an obligation to him!" the black-robed figure interrupted, speaking calmly. She knew Gu He's motives.
She was also torn about whether or not he could obtain the Heavenly Flame. If Gu He obtained it, his alchemy skills would surely advance, which would be a boon for the Yunlan Sect.
But for her, it wasn't so much a boon. Her teacher had always been well aware of Gu He's intentions.
If Gu He's alchemy skills improve further, she might become a bargaining chip for the teacher to win him over.
This is not what she wants to see!
Book Recommendations:
1: Douluo: Time And Space Disorder
2: Douluo: All Wishing System
3: Douluo: Martial Soul Jian Mu
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(End of this chapter)