Chapter 128: Nalan Jie: Anxious! Anxious! Anxious!
The hall fell into silence. A hint of puzzlement flickered in Nalan Yanran's eyes.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something familiar about Xiao Yuan's movement technique. Yet no matter how hard she thought, she couldn't place why it looked familiar.
Beside her, Nalan Su was more concerned that Mu Zhan might have died in their Nalan Estate. He quickly walked over—not to check on Mu Zhan's condition, but rather to glance at Xiao Yuan. After a moment of hesitation, he asked:
"Young friend, about this matter…"
Seeing even Nalan Su addressing Xiao Yuan so politely, the surrounding guests grew even more curious about him.
This incredibly handsome white-robed young man not only had overwhelming strength, but also enjoyed the respect of the Nalan family. He had even made such aggressive statements earlier. Clearly, his background had to be extraordinary!
After all, even the royal family of the Jia Ma Empire or the Misty Cloud Sect wouldn't allow their young masters to casually claim that even the Mu Clan—one of the empire's three major families—couldn't protect their elite disciples.
From this, it seemed very likely that this white-robed youth hailed from a mysterious power outside the empire.
Considering the current Alchemist Assembly drawing elites from all over, attracting someone like Xiao Yuan wasn't entirely unthinkable.
"He's not dead. But this man seriously ruined my mood. I'll take my leave now. If the Mu Clan has any complaints, Uncle Nalan, they can come to the Xiao Estate and take it up with me. Of course, I hope whoever comes won't be another brainless idiot who offends others. The three major families of the imperial capital may be strong—but I, Xiao Yuan, am not to be trifled with!"
With a wave of his hand, Xiao Yuan spoke disinterestedly, then took the initiative to pull the already-understanding Ya Fei to his side and left without another word.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan also didn't bother lingering at the Nalan Estate. After a brief farewell to the little princess, he followed behind his brother and sister-in-law.
This blunt and dismissive behavior left Nalan Su both surprised and concerned. He didn't think Xiao Yuan's words were empty boasts. Which meant… Xiao Yuan really had the power to challenge one of the empire's three great clans?
Even if the relationship was close, the Mittel Clan wouldn't oppose the Mu Clan just because Xiao Yuan was engaged to Ya Fei.
So if Xiao Yuan truly dared to offend the Mu Clan, he must have at least a Dou Wang supporting him… Wait—that mysterious master of his! There were rumors his teacher had strength at the Dou Huang level!
Suddenly recalling the elder in the icy blue robe who had arrived with Xiao Yuan at the Nalan Estate, cold sweat broke out on Nalan Su's back.
That punk from the Mu Clan had kicked an iron wall.
A Dou Huang-level expert was not someone you could provoke lightly! Even Dou Ling-level experts were enough to make the three great families hesitate—such power usually came from great sects or incredible talent, and if they ever advanced to Dou Wang, they'd become one of the top ten experts in the empire.
Better to make friends than enemies.
Seeing Xiao Yuan clearly in a foul mood, Nalan Su didn't try to stop him and could only watch as the three left.
Nalan Jie's expression, however, turned quite ugly. He had just hoped Mu Zhan wouldn't stir up trouble—yet now the boy had pissed off Xiao Yuan. And right in the Nalan Estate where Xiao Yuan had been a guest!
From afar, Mittel Tengshan's face also turned grim. Yet inwardly, he was very satisfied. Xiao Yuan wasn't the type to cause drama or speak recklessly. For him to react this strongly and say such pointed words in public—this was clearly a declaration.
It was a statement to everyone: Ya Fei held great importance in his heart. Don't even think about harassing her—not even verbally.
He was even willing to confront one of the empire's three great clans because of her. He didn't care if he embarrassed the Nalan family.
To Mittel Tengshan, this was a positive sign.
As for whether it would bring trouble to the Mittel Clan, Tengshan didn't care much.
With Elder Hai now backing the clan, and given how much he admired Xiao Yuan—practically to the point of reverence—Tengshan would support Xiao Yuan with everything at his disposal.
Moreover, Xiao Yuan had been very clear. If the Mu Clan had a problem, they could go directly to him at the Xiao Estate. That meant he was taking full responsibility.
Clearly, he was confident in handling things himself.
This made Tengshan even more curious—
Where exactly did Xiao Yuan's confidence come from?
Still, given the current situation, he had to take some action.
But before he could approach the frozen Mu Zhan, he suddenly turned his head toward the northwest of the capital. There, two terrifying auras exploded into the sky.
One of the auras even felt vaguely familiar to him.
"A Dou Huang?"
Nalan Jie flashed into view beside Tengshan, his eyes filled with seriousness.
"Let's go take a look!"
Tengshan, deeply concerned for Hai Bodong's safety, immediately spread his Dou Qi wings and shot off like a streak of light.
Nalan Jie followed, flaring his Dou Qi and forming wings as he soared after him.
Nalan Yanran and the others were shocked. A Dou Huang! That was the strongest kind of expert in the Jia Ma Empire. And now they were fighting in the capital?
They had to go see!
Witnessing a battle between Dou Huang experts wasn't something that happened often. If they could gain insight from it, it would greatly benefit their own cultivation.
So Nalan Yanran, Nalan Su, Liu Ling, the little princess, and others all used their own means to follow the source of the aura.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yuan and his group had just reached the estate gate and paused.
"Brother, that feels like Elder Hai's aura!" Xiao Yan said with a frown.
"Yes, that's him. And the other aura is also quite powerful."
Xiao Yuan nodded, staring in the direction of the explosion, lost in thought.
It looked like Elder Hai was fighting the royal family's guardian, Jia Xingtian!
In the capital, only that old monster could force Hai Bodong to go all-out like this.
"Elder Hai? Someone's actually fighting him? Could it be…" Ya Fei furrowed her brow, quickly piecing together a logical guess.
"Brother, should we go see?"
"Ya Fei, do you want to watch?" Xiao Yuan turned to her with a smile.
"Ah? I'm only at Dou Zhe level. By the time I get there, the fight might be over already…"
Ya Fei hesitated, a bit resigned.
"Hehe, no problem. I'll take you."
Seeing she was interested, Xiao Yuan chuckled, nodded to Xiao Yan, then wrapped his arm around Ya Fei. With a light tap of his foot, he leapt into the air, his violet-black wings unfolding as he soared upward.
Xiao Yan sighed, then sprang onto a nearby rooftop to follow. There was no need to rely on Yao Lao's power for travel—and besides, it wouldn't be right to be a third wheel.
"That's… Dou Qi wings?"
Ya Fei was stunned speechless once they were airborne.
Seeing her slightly parted red lips in shock, Xiao Yuan couldn't resist planting a kiss on them before flapping his wings and flying toward the battle. He laughed and explained:
"You overestimate me, Ya Fei. I'm not at the Dou Wang level yet. This is just a flying Dou Technique."
Even so, it was much faster than running on the ground. They quickly overtook the others and soared ahead.
Below, Nalan Yanran, highly sensitive to energy shifts, noticed the anomaly above. She widened her eyes in disbelief.
Was Xiao Yuan actually a Dou Wang?
Nalan Su was also stunned.
The little princess and Liu Ling looked as though they had seen a ghost.
Xiao Yuan looked about their age—or even younger—yet he had already reached the Dou Wang level? How were they supposed to compete with that?
Whoosh!
Just then, a green blur streaked past with incredible speed.
"That looked like Xiao Yan, didn't it?" the princess blinked in confusion, then sighed, "These brothers are both monsters!"
"A flying Dou Technique? Even the Mittel Clan hasn't managed to get one of those in years! I can't believe you got your hands on one. Looks like you've had your fair share of opportunities, Xiao Yuan."
Ya Fei smiled and leaned into his arms.
"Hehe, yes, I've been lucky."
Xiao Yuan chuckled but didn't mention Xiao Yi Xian. He simply gave Ya Fei a brief overview of how he acquired the flying technique.
With Xiao Yuan pushing his Purple Cloud Wings to full power, they soared forward swiftly. Before long, he spotted two figures flying ahead on Dou Qi wings.
"Huh?" In mid-air, Nalan Jie suddenly slowed, turned his head, and looked in surprise. "Xiao Yuan? He has Dou Qi wings too?"
Tengshan was also surprised. He glanced back.
"That seems to be a flying Dou Technique," Tengshan said, his sharp eyes immediately recognizing it.
"A flying Dou Technique? That rare? How did he get one? Wait—he has a Dou Huang-level teacher, right? You're close to him. Any insider info?"
Nalan Jie asked curiously.
Tengshan's expression turned a little odd. He actually knew—but telling Nalan Jie might just make the old man die of envy.
"Master Nalan, Elder Tengshan, if you keep dawdling like this, the fight'll be over by the time you arrive!"
Xiao Yuan laughed cheerfully as he caught up to them.
The two elders looked at each other and immediately sped up their flight.
Xiao Yuan followed closely.
The Purple Cloud Wings were made from the rank 5 magical beast, Blackflame Purplecloud Eagle—said to have traces of ancient phoenix blood. Its flight speed was top-tier. The elder who crafted it had spent three years and gathered several friends just to capture the beast.
With his full power, the speed of the Purple Cloud Wings was more than satisfactory. Plus, since Tengshan and Nalan Jie weren't known for speed, Xiao Yuan actually kept up with them, leaving them both quite astonished.
Of course, it helped that Xiao Yuan had five Qi Reservoirs, giving him unmatched endurance. A regular Da Dou Shi wouldn't dare burn so much Dou Qi just to fly.
Still, this didn't mean flying techniques were superior to Dou Qi wings. The latter scaled with strength, while the former was capped by the materials used.
Even if Xiao Yuan reached Dou Ling, he'd only be able to fully unleash the Purple Cloud Wings' power. Surpassing a Dou Huang's speed? Unlikely. But with his Wind Trace Mirage movement technique, the two could complement each other.
Soon, the three of them reached the edge of the battle zone and hovered above a royal garden, gazing seriously at two glowing figures below.
One glow was earthy yellow, the other ice blue. Within the light, two figures clashed—both with Dou Huang-level auras. Energy ripples blasted outward, even reaching the outskirts where the trio hovered. The pressure was intense.
Xiao Yuan shifted slightly, moving Ya Fei behind him and shielding her with Dou Qi to protect her from the shockwaves.
"That seems to be Hai Lao's aura, doesn't it?"
Tengshan hadn't seen Hai Bodong fight in decades, so he didn't immediately recognize it. But now that they were closer, he turned to Xiao Yuan and asked, having trained in the same technique as Hai Lao.
"Yes, it's definitely him," Xiao Yuan nodded firmly.
"Hm? You two know one of the Dou Huang fighters?"
Nalan Jie looked at the two in surprise.
(END CHAPTER)
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