Atop of a rugged mountain, cliffs bloomed with vibrant flowers, and towering pines vied for splendor. Amid swirling mists, a stone gate flickered faintly at the mountainside. Two figures stood respectfully on the platform before it.
"Yun Leng, still no trace of the one bearing the Heavenly Flame?" a voice, calm yet commanding, emanated from the stone gate.
At the words, the white-robed elder in plain attire, Yun Leng, hurriedly bowed. "Old Sect Master, I've dispatched numerous agents to monitor the entire Jia Ma Empire. But since that person's brief appearance in Salt City, there's been no further sign."
"Moreover, Yun Lan Sect's recent activities have drawn the attention of the royal family's old monster, who's been probing our intentions."
"The royal family… Jia Xing Tian, hm?" The voice from the gate mused, then continued tonelessly, "Ignore that old man. Let him probe. Your primary task is to find that person. Understood?"
"Yes! I'll do my utmost!" Yun Leng replied respectfully. "Also, we recently received reports of intense fire-attribute fluctuations in the Tagore Desert, possibly a Heavenly Flame. However, that's snake tribe territory, and with Queen Medusa likely ascended to Dou Zong, our people dare not venture deep to investigate."
"Snake tribe! Queen Medusa!" The voice within the gate seemed to frown, wary. "Gu He, didn't you and Yun'er encounter that person in the Tagore Desert last time?"
"Indeed, Old Sect Master," Gu He, ever the refined scholar, replied with a bow. "Last time, I asked the Sect Master for aid. She went ahead to intercept him. By the time I arrived, he'd just left. The Sect Master forbade pursuit, hinting at some connection with him. She didn't act, letting him go."
Gu He found the incident odd. He hadn't found Yan Shi or Feng Li, but later, they claimed the flame-bearer was a Dou Zong who'd clashed with the newly ascended Medusa and emerged unscathed. Initially, Gu He abandoned hopes of seizing the flame, knowing such a foe was beyond him.
Yet subsequent events left him bewildered.
The long-secluded Old Sect Master summoned him, inquiring meticulously about the encounter, especially the bone-white Heavenly Flame. Soon after, Cloud Mist Sect underwent drastic changes: the Sect Master was sidelined, and Great Elder Yun Leng took charge.
"Yun Leng, is Yun'er still refusing to reveal that person's identity?" the voice asked after a pause, tinged with anger.
"Old Sect Master, the Sect Master says she's told all she knows but doesn't know his identity," Yun Leng said, bowing with a wry smile.
"Nonsense! She doesn't know his identity? Surely she remembers his appearance, age, features?"
"She says… she forgot."
"Utter rubbish! A Dou Huang with perfect recall, forgetting? That girl's grown too bold!" The voice roared, unleashing a surge of oppressive might that made the two outside falter.
"Last time, I had you temporarily assume the Sect Master's role and wield authority. She didn't react at all? Does she truly not care for the position?"
"She said she's content now, unburdened, free to guide the Young Sect Master, relaxed and at ease," Yun Leng replied.
Gu He glanced at Yun Leng, frowning. This old fox is anything but honest, speaking truth but sowing discord with every word.
"Heh, splendid, splendid!" The voice dripped with fury, sneering, "What a fine disciple I've raised!"
"Gu He!"
"Here, Old Sect Master!" Gu He stepped forward, bowing.
"There's no need to trouble yourself so much," Gu He said smoothly, his tone respectful yet conciliatory. "The Sect Master has always been this way—aloof, unconcerned with worldly matters. Since the trail of the Heavenly Flame has gone cold, I'll search for it myself. No need to strain your bond with her over this."
"Haha, Gu He, you're commendable!" Yun Shan laughed. "Your contributions to Yun Lan Sect haven't gone unnoticed. Rest assured, we'll secure that Heavenly Flame for you."
"Old Sect Master…" Gu He's eyes shimmered with gratitude, touched by Yun Shan's resolve. But thinking of that graceful figure haunting his dreams, he hesitated. "But the Sect Master…"
"No need to concern yourself with her. I have plans," Yun Shan cut in. "I've long known your feelings for Yun'er. I indulged her whims before, but she's grown defiant, ignoring even my words. It's time someone reined her in."
"Old Sect Master!" Gu He trembled, eyes blazing with excitement, barely containing himself. In that moment, flames and alchemy paled compared to this prospect.
"Enough. Leave us. I have matters to discuss with Yun Leng," Yun Shan said, halting abruptly, leaving Gu He tantalized yet not daring to press, lest he overstep. Reluctantly, he departed
"Tch, Master Gu He, ever the hopeless romantic," Yun Leng thought, watching Gu He's dazed retreat. Old Sect Master's tactics are masterful.
"Yun Leng, tell Yun'er if she persists in her stubbornness, she can prepare to be a dutiful wife and mother," Yun Shan said coldly. "She loves leisure? I'll give her all the leisure she wants!"
Yun Leng started, astonished. "Old Sect Master, you're… fulfilling Gu He's wish?"
It seemed off. Yun Shan had always dangled Yun'er to keep Gu He, a sixth-tier alchemist, devoted to the sect without letting him win her. Why the change?
"That depends on my dear disciple's choice," Yun Shan said coolly. "Don't think Gu He's a fool. If not for his devotion to Yun'er, would a young sixth-tier alchemist linger in the Jia Ma Empire? Many covet his talent. He's rejected other factions' offers, but his ambiguous stance pressures our sect. I indulged Yun'er too long, thinking she could delay if unwilling. But if she remains obstinate, she'll serve Cloud Mist Sect another way—binding Gu He to us permanently."
"Now go. Find that person swiftly. No slacking."
"Yes!" Yun Leng bowed.
After he left, the misty mountainside fell silent.
In the stone gate's chamber, a figure in plain white robes sat cross-legged. After a pause, he murmured, "Yun'er, don't blame your master's ruthlessness…"
"That man set a deadline. If we don't find this person in time, with his methods…" A shadowy, mist-wreathed figure flashed in Yun Shan's mind, his eyes flickering with deep wariness.
"The Soul Hall… what kind of force is it, that even a mere protector wields Dou Zong strength?"
Yun Shan extended a hand, once wrinkled but now youthful and fair. With a gentle clench, space quivered, ripples spreading outward.
"Is this the Dou Zong realm? Truly sublime!"
A strange black glint flashed in his eyes, a smile curling his lips.
His breakthrough had seemed impossible, his lifespan nearing its end. Then, a mysterious black-mist figure appeared at his seclusion, offering a deal: serve the Soul Hall, and they'd help him reach Dou Zong, extending his life.
Gripped by a growing fear of death, he'd seized the chance without hesitation.
"Heh… haha!" His laughter grew, tinged with madness, echoing in the chamber.
"For the sect, no sacrifice is too great. I will fulfill our ancestors' dreams, restoring Yun Lan Sect's greatness, starting with me, Yun Shan!"
As Yun Shan laughed, in a refined courtyard within the sect, a pair of clear, beautiful eyes gazed worriedly toward the stone chamber.
"Teacher, what are you thinking? Will you truly push Yun Lan Sect against all factions?"
A woman in a teal gown sat at a stone table, her figure graceful and poised. Her long hair, styled in an elegant phoenix bun, cascaded past her slender waist, exuding noble dignity.
Propping her chin, her delicate brows furrowed, heavy with unspoken concerns.
The sect's recent atmosphere was unrecognizable. Under Yun Leng's actions, it operated without restraint, losing its former sanctity as a cultivation haven.
"Teacher…" A crisp voice interrupted Yun Yun's thoughts.
Turning, she saw the courtyard gate open, and a woman in a white skirt entered.
"Yanran, you're grown now. Can't you act with more composure? Always so impulsive!" Yun Yun chided softly from the table.
"Oh, come on!" Nalan Yanran linked arms with Yun Yun, pouting playfully. "No matter how old I get, I'm still a kid to you, Teacher!"
"Heh, you silly girl! You've been gone so long—focus on cultivating now," Yun Yun said fondly, patting her head. "Your duel with that Xiao boy is approaching."
"Don't worry, Teacher! I won't lose to him!" Nalan Yanran said with a confident smile.
"Don't be careless. I've heard your fiancé has regained his talent. If you lose, don't come crying," Yun Yun said, patting her shoulder seriously.
"I, Nalan Yanran, will never lose!" she declared, clenching her fists.
Sigh. Yun Yun sighed, exasperated. "You're so stubborn. Three years ago, just because of your grandfather's word, you dragged Ge Ye to the Xiao clan to break off the engagement!"
"I wasn't wrong! My fate is mine to decide. Is that a mistake, Teacher?" Nalan Yanran said, aggrieved, recalling the family fallout.
Yun Yun looked at the childish girl, exasperated but patient. "Breaking the engagement wasn't wrong, but storming over like that wasn't the way. Making a spectacle humiliated them. Did you consider your grandfather's feelings? There were better ways to part amicably, but your actions sparked gossip. People might say the Nalan family is arrogant, snobbish, untrustworthy. Reputation is hard-earned, but easily lost. The Xiao clan lost face, but your family lost honor—a lose-lose."
"I… I…" Nalan Yanran faltered, mumbling, "Teacher, why didn't you tell me this when I came back from breaking it off?"
"You were stubborn as an ox, fighting with your family, running to me in tears, saying I was all you had. If I'd scolded you then, you'd have felt the world abandoned you," Yun Yun said, tapping her forehead. "Besides, it was done, and you'd made a bet. I planned to talk later, but sect duties piled up. Now that I'm free, I'm telling you now."
Seeing Nalan Yanran's flickering eyes, Yun Yun patted her head. "After the duel, win or lose, apologize to him. It'll be a proper end to your connection."
"Hmph! I'm not apologizing to that guy!" Nalan Yanran recalled the furious boy from three years ago, shouting about rivers east and west. After a moment's struggle, she turned away.
Sigh. "Do as you wish," Yun Yun said, waving a hand, suddenly weary. Thinking of her own predicament and Yun Leng's recent message from her teacher, her eyes dimmed with helplessness and sorrow.
Speaking of connections, her thoughts drifted to the youth she'd met in the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The boy with the Heavenly Flame in the desert said he'd gone to Jia Nan Academy. I wonder how he's doing… Will we meet again?
Part of her longed to see him, yet she was relieved he hadn't joined Yun Lan Sect. With his domineering nature, Yun Leng's words, he'd likely have cleaved Gu He in two.
"A-Niu…" Yun Yun gazed at the sky, as if seeing that face—sometimes stern, sometimes smiling, sometimes commanding.
While Yun Yun reminisced, the youth in question sat cross-legged in a secret chamber, his demeanor serene, radiating a steady, colorless glow. His aura was solid, no longer unsteady.
A faint dragon shadow danced vividly within the glow.
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