Steward Meng clearly didn't want Xiao Yan to stay. Although they were from the same hometown, who could guarantee he wouldn't stab him in the back again?
Furthermore, according to intelligence he had received, many strange and powerful individuals had arrived in Jia Ma Holy City over the past two weeks.
These individuals were all above the Dou Huang level.
This made Steward Meng sense a sense of unease,
and further solidified his decision to remain secluded, waiting for Xiao Yan to reach the Yun Lan Sect before offering him a favor.
"Since that's the case, then I won't bother you. We'll meet again if we're lucky."
Xiao Yan stared at Steward Meng for a moment. Neither he nor the Medicine Emperor could determine the man's exact cultivation level.
This made Xiao Yan give up his plans to attack him. If he failed to defeat him with lightning speed
, it would surely attract other powerful individuals, easily allowing the other time travelers to reap the benefits.
Thus, with both sides wary of each other and neither daring to strike first, Xiao Yan left the Jia Ma Palace.
"This world is truly complex!"
"Fortunately, I, Meng De, am a cautious person, remaining behind the scenes, never appearing. Otherwise, I might have been targeted by other time travelers and met my end."
"Now, I'm only one step away from Dou Zun. By the time Xiao Yan arrives at the Yunlan Sect, I should have broken through that bottleneck."
"Then, even if there are other time travelers, I won't be afraid."
Steward Meng thought to himself as he watched Xiao Yan depart.
...
Yancheng.
Xiao Yan's sudden disappearance sent
the entire Mo Clan into a state of panic. They searched Yancheng utterly for him, finding no trace of him.
They only found a wooden puppet in a room with the word "Death" emblazoned on it.
Just as the Mo Clan was at their wit's end, Jia Xingtian and Yun Yun arrived in Yancheng.
Shortly thereafter, Hai Bodong and a shadow clone of Xiao Yan also arrived.
Due to system upgrades, communication through the system was impossible.
Xiao Yan's shadow clone had to personally call Hai Bodong.
"Old man Jia? Sect Master Yun Yun?"
Hai Bodong met Jia Xingtian and Yun Yun upon arriving in Yancheng.
Jia Xingtian was fine; they'd met once before, so Hai Bodong wasn't particularly surprised.
The main concern was Yun Yun's aura, surprisingly comparable to his own.
Could she also be a time traveler?
No, perhaps Brother Xiao had given her some kind of strength-boosting elixir?
Hai Bodong noticed Yun Yun's aura didn't match the original novel's, and his first thought was a time traveler. He
immediately turned and tried to run.
However, the moment he turned, he saw Xiao Yan's shadow clone, which prompted him to consider another possibility.
"Hai Bodong?"
"Why are you here?"
Jia Xingtian asked.
"Ice Emperor Hai Bodong?"
Yun Yun's beautiful eyes flickered at Jia Xingtian's words.
This man, worthy of being from the same generation as their teacher, possessed profound cultivation, perhaps not far from Dou Zong status.
"Haha, I'm here for the Mo Clan,"
Hai Bodong said with a chuckle, his demeanor nonchalant.
As long as these two weren't time travelers, he had nothing to fear.
Besides, with Brother Xiao's shadow clone still nearby, there wouldn't be any accidents.
"What a coincidence! Sect Master Yun and I are also here for the Mo Clan. Why don't we all go together?"
Jia Xingtian said.
Hai Bodong and Yun Yun had no objections. Their Dou Qi wings gently flapped as they flew downwards.
...
Jama Holy City.
After leaving the palace, Xiao Yan followed Gu He's memories and found the location of the Tianji Pavilion.
However, it was already deserted, uninhabited.
"Did they run away, or were they killed by other time travelers?"
Xiao Yan wondered as he stood outside.
Then, he headed towards the Mitel Auction House.
He remembered that he still owed Mitel Tengshan a Douling Pill.
After so long, if he didn't pay it back, he'd be a deadbeat.
Xiao Yan didn't encounter any accidents along the way.
On the contrary, because he wore the badge of a fourth-grade alchemist on his chest,
everyone around him looked at him with great respect.
Soon he arrived at the Miter Auction House and met a familiar yet unfamiliar person.
He actually saw himself walking out of the Mitel Auction House.
That's right, someone who looked remarkably like Xiao Yan had emerged from the auction house.
Dressed in a black robe and carrying a massive ruler, he resembled Xiao Yan even more than the real Xiao Yan.
"Sister Yafei, thank you so much for your help in finding the herbs. Xiao Yan is deeply grateful and will repay you in the future."
The person who resembled Xiao Yan even more than Xiao Yan was now smiling and thanking a charming woman.
"Brother Xiao Yan, you're welcome."
"If you need anything else, feel free to come to the Mitel Auction House,"
Yafei chuckled softly. Because Lin Dong had once lived with the Xiao family
, the Mitel Auction House had always maintained a good relationship with them.
Now, seeing 'Xiao Yan' in the Imperial Capital, Yafei offered him considerable assistance.
"Alright, I'll take my leave then,"
'Xiao Yan' said, turning and leaving.
Everything seemed perfectly normal. If the real Xiao Yan hadn't been watching, there would have been absolutely no problem at all.
"Could it be the puppet I released earlier?"
"No, that puppet is controlled by my soul mark and is currently on its way to Jiama Holy City."
"Then who is this person? Am I a copycat Xiao Yan?"
Xiao Yan was already beginning to question his life.
He had seen himself—could anything be more outrageous than this?
After a moment of wild thought, Xiao Yan decided to find Ya Fei to ask what was going on.
As he approached, Ya Fei noticed him.
The badge of a fourth-rank alchemist in particular caught her eye.
"Sir, are you here for the auction or to sell something?"
Ya Fei asked with a professional smile.
"Are you Ya Fei?"
"Daoist Lin Dong is my disciple,"
Xiao Yan said slowly. Ya Fei's pupils constricted.
Immediately, she ushered Xiao Yan into a private room and sent someone to inform the clan leader, Mitel Tengshan.
"May I know your name?"
Ya Fei blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Xiao Yan respectfully.
"I'm Chen Beixuan, an inner sect elder of the Dao Sect."
"Who was that person you were just talking to outside?"
Xiao Yan asked after announcing his name.
"Are you talking about Xiao Yan?"
"He's the third young master of the Xiao family in Wutan City. Lord Lin Dong once had some friendship with the Xiao family, and Xiao Yan's talent is also quite impressive. That's why we at the Mitel Auction House have always been very supportive of the Xiao family."
Ya Fei was slightly startled, then quickly explained.
Her words made Xiao Yan's eyelids twitch slightly. What a name!
The third young master of the Xiao family in Wutan City.
If he's the third young master of the Xiao family, then who am I?
Is I really Chen Beixuan?
Or Lin Dong? Or Li Feiyu?
"So it's the third young master of the Xiao family? What's he doing here?"
Xiao Yan asked, suppressing the urge to curse.
He'd always been the one impersonating others, but today, he'd been impersonated by some other scoundrel.
This guy impersonating me was completely unkind!
If he hadn't been so clueless about his true identity, he would have let him know why the flowers were so red.
"He said he wanted to refine some strength-boosting elixirs."
"Also, he asked me where I could find herbs to restore soul power."
"I told him the Nalan family had a plant called the Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva, and I also gave him a mask,"
Ya Fei said cautiously.
Could it be that this lord has a bad impression of the Xiao family?
If so, then the Mitel family's attitude towards the Xiao family would have to change.
Just as Xiao Yan was conversing with Ya Fei, Mitel Tengshan hurried over.
He had waited so long for that Douling Pill until it was cold.
Unexpectedly, someone from the Dao Sect would finally arrive in the Imperial Capital today.
Bang!
With a loud bang, the door to the private room flew open. Mitel Tengshan gave a slightly awkward smile.
"Um... I opened the door a little harder, please forgive me, sir."
"I wonder how young friend Lin Dong is doing these days?"
Mitel Tengshan hesitated for a moment, his gaze landing on Xiao Yan.
"Well, Dong'er is in seclusion cultivating."
"He said he received a favor from Clan Leader Tengshan in the past, but never found the time to personally express his gratitude. Therefore, he asked me, your teacher, to deliver the Dou Ling Dan to you,"
Xiao Yan said, pulling a jade bottle from his storage ring and tossing it to Mitel Tengshan.
"You're too polite, sir. Little friend Lin Dong and I hit
it off instantly, and it's a shame we met so late. Helping out with a small task is only natural. How dare I demand a reward for a favor?" Mitel Tengshan spoke pleasantly, but his hands were already eagerly opening the jade bottle.
Suddenly, a medicinal fragrance filled the air.
"This... there are actually five Dou Ling Dan pills?"
Mitel Tengshan's eyes lit up with excitement upon seeing the five pills in the bottle.
Although each person could only consume one Dou Ling Dan, the remaining ones could be used as favors, auctioned, or used to train other powerful individuals.
These past two years hadn't been in vain!
"Keep them!"
"It took so long to deliver the pills, the extra pills will be considered interest."
"Also, if you ever break through to Dou Huang, my Dao Sect can help you reach a few more stars."
Xiao Yan, observing his excitement, slowly spoke and made a promise.
"Thank you, sir. Is there anything else you need?"
"If there's anything the Mitel Family can do for you, please let me know."
Mitel Tengshan wouldn't be fooled by the Fourth-Rank Alchemist badge on Xiao Yan's chest.
To be the master of a prodigy like Lin Dong, even if his Alchemist rank was lower, his own strength was certainly no less than that of a Dou Huang.
"Indeed, there's something. I heard the Nalan Family possesses a Seven Illusions Green Spirit Saliva?"
Xiao Yan had already learned from Ya Fei that the person impersonating him would definitely go to the Nalan family.
Although he didn't know why he was impersonating him, and why he was doing what he did in the original novel,
he couldn't let him get away with it too easily, and certainly not let him tarnish his reputation.
"I understand what you mean, sir."
"However, Nalan Jie has been suffering from the branding poison for the past two days, and his life is worse than death."
"Negotiating with him now might be difficult."
Mitel Tengshan's face showed a hint of embarrassment.
"No need for you to negotiate. Just say I can relieve him of the branding poison, and the reward is the Seven Illusions Azure Spirit Saliva."
Xiao Yan said with a smile.
"If so, it's a piece of cake. Don't worry, sir."
Hearing this, Mitel Tengshan also smiled.
"By the way, if you have nothing to do for the time being, I can take you on a tour."
"In the past two weeks, many extraordinary people have visited Jia Ma Holy City."
"Among them is a storyteller whose stories are particularly fascinating, especially his tale of 'Martial Universe.' The protagonist in that book actually shares the same name as young friend Lin Dong. Isn't that a coincidence?"
Mitel Tengshan spoke, not noticing the sharp twitch at the corner of Xiao Yan's mouth.
There used to be a Tiandao Library, and inside it was a copy of 'Martial Universe.'
Now another storyteller has arrived. Did he read the books in the library, or is he a time traveler himself?
"A bunch of monsters!"
Xiao Yan thought to himself, then said to Mitel Tengshan, "I won't go. Clan Leader Tengshan, just arrange a place for me to stay."
After hearing so many inner voices, he suddenly couldn't hear them anymore, making him feel extremely insecure.
Better to wait until the system reawakens before meeting these time travelers!
"Okay, Yafei, you take care of this."
Mitel Tengshan handed the matter over to Yafei and ran out.
He had to get back to the story. The storyteller was getting to the exciting part, and he couldn't miss it.
...
Outside, in an inn.
A handsome man in his twenties, dressed in white as white as snow, was eloquently recounting the story of Martial Universe.
The path of cultivation is to steal yin and yang, seize destiny, transform into nirvana, control life and death, and control reincarnation. At the pinnacle of martial arts, he can shatter the heavens and shake the universe.
There is no fancy and dazzling Dou Qi here, only martial arts that have been developed to the peak.
This cultivation system is completely different from that of the Dou Qi Continent, and it instantly attracted everyone.
Especially when the young Lin Dong, avenging his father, fought against the villain Lin Langtian and trampled him under his feet, everyone gasped and called the young Lin Dong so terrifying.
"Lin Dong? Martial Universe?"
What the storyteller didn't know was that while he was talking, the fake Xiao Yan also came here and stared at him.
"Could this person be a time traveler as well?"
"No wonder my role-playing system allowed me to play Xiao Yan, follow Xiao Yan's path, and leave Xiao Yan with no way to go."
"It turns out that besides me, there are other time travelers in this world."
"If it weren't for the system's cleverness, I'd definitely be causing trouble everywhere, becoming a target like this foolish storyteller, and perhaps even being wiped out at random
one day." After discovering the secret of more than one time traveler, the fake Xiao Yan felt a wave of fear.
Fortunately, he had already followed Xiao Yan's path. If there were truly many time travelers in this world, besides those who wanted to kill him, there would surely be those who wanted to protect him.
This way, he wouldn't be fighting alone.
At that moment, he understood the system's good intentions.
At that moment, the young man in white slammed the gavel in his hand.
Snap!
"That's all for today. Tomorrow, we'll begin another chapter, the Hundred Dynasties War."
"Watch how Lin Dong, from a minor figure in a low-level dynasty, gradually defeats powerful enemies, defeating the geniuses of mid-level, high-level, and even super dynasties, rising above the Hundred Dynasties to join one of the eight super sects of the Eastern Xuan Territory!"
With that, the young man in white left his seat and headed upstairs.
"Are we still too late?"
Mitel Tengshan sighed with deep regret when he arrived and saw the show had already ended.
...
Unbeknownst to anyone, while the young man in white was narrating
, a dozen people in a private room were discussing the next plot line.
"I really didn't expect there were so many time travelers in this world."
"Indeed, at first I thought I was the only one besides Xiao Yan. It wasn't until I came to the Imperial Capital and met you, a bunch of cunning fellows, that I realized there were so many." "
We're both the same, so let's not criticize each other. If you weren't cunning, why didn't you go and confront Xiao Yan directly?"
"Confront him? Why would I have to? I'd wait for him to transform into strange fire and suppress the Soul Emperor, then take the fruits of victory. Wouldn't that be nice?"
"By the way, don't any of you want to cling to Xiao Yan's influence?
You're all just thinking about how to trick him?" Everyone chimed in. Although the discussion was heated, most people shared the same general approach.
That was to lie low in secret, wait until they had achieved success in their cultivation, then eliminate Xiao Yan and take the lead themselves.
Of course, this was only their previous thinking. Now that they knew there were over a billion time travelers, their minds had quietly changed.
"I have a suggestion. How about we all form a 'Flame Slaying Alliance'?"
At this moment, a young man with a crew cut chuckled.
"I don't quite agree. Xiao Yan isn't some wicked villain. After all, he's from the same hometown as us. Can't we be friends with him?"
the young man suggested, causing the silver-robed man beside him to frown slightly.
"Friends? Thunder God, you're kidding, aren't you?"
"Although Xiao Yan is a time traveler, he's not the same kind as us. Strictly speaking, to the Dou Qi Continent, people like us are outer demons, while Xiao Yan is the protagonist, the son of destiny, the protector of the world. Therefore, we are natural enemies."
"Indeed, have we endured all this time just to be Xiao Yan's thugs?" It was clear that
most people here did not approve of being friends with Xiao Yan.
Their reason for coming to the Holy City of Jiama this time was not only to witness the Doupo event and fulfill the three-year agreement,
but also to help Yunshan, the unworthy leader of the Yunlan Sect, kill Xiao Yan. Only in this way could they have room to shine.
"Actually, I think what Lei Shen said makes sense. Xiao Yan hasn't offended us. It's really not good for us to plot against him like this."
Beside Lei Shen, a woman in a black dress, brimming with dark energy, spoke softly.
She was also a traverser, and not a human, but a dark race from the south of the continent, known for their eccentricity and cruelty.
(End of this chapter)