The figure in cyan robes had a shapely figure. Although a veil covered her face, it was clear that the woman's appearance was probably not bad.
Lü Man slowly landed beside Xiao Yan, exuding the aura of a peak Dou Huang, which dissipated Yun Yun's aura. She said calmly,
"Today, your Yunlan Sect will not be able to keep this brat."
Yun Yun's face turned extremely ashen after hearing Lü Man's words. She gritted her teeth and said,
"Who are you two? This matter is a grudge of my Yunlan Sect. This Xiao Yan attempted to kill my disciple. You must give me an explanation!"
Xiao Yan said calmly,
"Just now, Nalan Yanran unleashed that powerful Dou Technique. Its power was terrifying. Wasn't she also trying to kill me here? How come she can kill me, but I can't?"
At this moment, the huge demonic beast also fell from the sky. When it landed, its massive body pressed several huge cracks into the ground, and a series of loud noises followed.
"Haha, the mere Yunlan Sect isn't worthy to know who we are. Today, with us here, I'll see how your Yunlan Sect makes Xiao Yan give you an explanation."
Bai Ya, also known as the Eight-Winged Black Serpent King, displayed a dehumanizing mockery on his ferocious face. His massive mouth opened and closed, emitting a deafening laugh. His aura surged, no less powerful than that of Green Barbarian beside him, clearly indicating that he was also a peak Dou Huang expert.
The two peak Dou Huang experts exuded terrifying auras, forming a pressure that subtly suppressed Yun Yun.
Feeling the pressure from the two peak Dou Huang experts, Yun Yun, with only the strength of a three-star Dou Huang, found it difficult to breathe, her face turning ashen.
Hearing the Eight-Winged Black Serpent King's disdain for the Yunlan Sect, Yun Yun's heart was filled with anger and a trace of helplessness.
She knew she absolutely couldn't act rashly at this moment. Currently, she only possessed the strength of a three-star Dou Huang. If she angered the two peak Dou Huang experts before her, she would surely bring the Yunlan Sect to utter ruin.
Nalan Yanran, seeing the sect leader Yun Yun's predicament, stepped out from behind her, looking at Xiao Yan with a complex expression. Her slightly hoarse voice carried an undisguised bitterness.
"Xiao Yan, you've won. According to the agreement from back then, if I had lost the competition, I, Nalan Yanran, should have become a slave…
However, for the sake of the sect's reputation, please forgive me for not being able to keep my promise. Anyway, the impression of me as unreasonable is already deeply ingrained in your mind, so let me be willful one more time.
Regarding the Xiao family's affairs back then, I did indeed do some things improperly. Please apologize to Uncle Xiao for me…"
As soon as Nalan Yanran finished speaking, she gritted her teeth, her jade hand flashing, and the sharp tip of her longsword slashed towards her slender, snow-white neck.
"Yanran!"
Yun Yun was immediately shocked. Her fighting spirit surged, and a burst of energy shot out. Just as the longsword, carrying a chilling aura, was about to touch Nalan Yanran's snow-white skin, Yun Yun's energy arrived in time.
"Clang!"
The energy struck the cyan longsword fiercely. Nalan Yanran's tightly clenched hand suddenly loosened due to the sudden force, and the longsword flew out, embedding itself heavily in the ground some distance away.
Seeing this, Yun Yun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly rushed forward to embrace Nalan Yanran.
"Yanran, why were you so foolish? Don't worry, you are Master's disciple. I will protect you today."
Seeing the master and disciple before him, both filled with grief and indignation, Xiao Yan felt a significant dissipation of the resentment that had lingered in his heart for three years. "I have no interest in taking you as a slave. You failed the three-year agreement, so this matter is settled. We will have no further dealings with each other."
Xiao Yan then turned and bowed slightly to Lü Man and Bai Ya, clasping his hands in thanks.
"Thank you both for today's matter. Now that it's settled, let's go."
Bai Ya laughed heartily.
"Xiao Yan, what are you being so polite about? Your personality suits me quite well, and you have a close relationship with Qing Lin. This little thing is nothing. Come on, get on, Xiao Yan, Lü Man."
Bai Ya bowed slightly, gesturing for the two to board.
The two nodded, leaped onto Bai Ya's back, and then Bai Ya's enormous wings flapped, creating a powerful gust of wind that swept across the plaza before he soared into the air and disappeared from the Yunlan Sect.
Watching the three figures gradually disappear into the distance, becoming a black dot, Nalan Yanran's expression was complex. What she had been pursuing was finally obtained, but for some reason, a huge emptiness filled her heart.
...
Xiao Yan sat on Bai Ya's back, feeling the powerful gusts of wind constantly assaulting him due to the incredible speed. The strong winds blew against his body, tempered by the strange fire, yet felt surprisingly gentle. Xiao Yan was in a
very good mood. With the end of the three-year agreement, the heavy weight on his heart had finally been lifted.
Thinking of the girl who had silently stood behind him during his most painful times, offering support and help, a tenderness involuntarily appeared on Xiao Yan's face.
Looking towards the Black Corner Region, he murmured,
"Thank you, Xun'er. Now I have fulfilled the three-year agreement, and I'm coming to find you. You must be missing me just as much right now. Wait for me! We'll see each other soon!"
Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with determination, his longing for the girl overflowing. He felt immense guilt for being away from her for two years, wishing he could immediately appear before her, embrace her tightly, and pour out his longing for her.
In these two years, Xiao Yan had also encountered numerous fortuitous events, and his strength had increased rapidly.
First, he obtained the Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, and after nearly dying, he barely managed to refine it, breaking through to the Great Dou Master realm. Later, upon returning to his mercenary group, he encountered Lü Man and Bai Ya, who wanted to take Qing Lin to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion.
Xiao Yan was immediately enraged, his strange flames surging, wanting to rescue Qing Lin. Unexpectedly, Lü Man easily injured Xiao Yan with a single palm strike.
Seeing this, Qing Lin became furious and threatened the two that if they didn't take Xiao Yan back to train him, she would commit suicide.
The two were initially helpless and had
no choice but to take Xiao Yan back to the Heavenly Serpent Mansion on the border of the Jia Ma Empire. After arriving at the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, Xiao Yan recovered from his injuries and began training in the nearby magical beast gathering area. However, he unexpectedly provoked a magical beast at the Dou Wang realm. While fleeing, he accidentally fell off a cliff.
After falling off the cliff, Xiao Yan explored and discovered a cave. Inside the cave was a corpse, with a spirit storage ring and a piece of parchment placed in front of it.
Xiao Yan stepped forward and picked up the storage ring, to his surprise discovering it contained the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire, ranked twenty-second on the Strange Fire Ranking.
He then picked up the storage ring again, finding some medicinal herbs, a sixth-tier alchemist's alchemy manual, and a secret technique called "Heavenly Fire Three Transformations."
Although it only contained the first level of cultivation, its use could instantly increase one's cultivation level by several minor realms. Xiao Yan was overjoyed after checking the storage ring, feeling almost euphoric.