The moment Li An burst through the surface, the entire Medicine King Valley had already been reduced to scorched earth.
Amidst the billowing flames, the crumbling ruins of the sect's main hall were violently overturned by a terrifying surge of pressure. Li An hovered in mid-air, his demonic shadow-wings unfurled, his violet-gold pupils looking down upon the frantic cultivators scurrying like ants below. The aura within his body was roiling like boiling water; with every step he took, a cluster of eerie violet fire erupted in the void a dire omen of the destruction to come as his meridians groaned under the weight of the Ancestor's stolen millennium of cultivation.
However, just as he was prepared to unleash his long-accumulated violence and raze this sinful place to the ground, the wild winds and raging fires came to an uncanny standstill.
It was a sudden, jarring silence, as if the "sound" of this space had been forcibly stripped away by an invisible set of hands.
Li An's gaze turned cold as he snapped his head toward the entrance of the valley.
On the distant horizon, a streak of pure, untainted azure light pierced through the thick smoke. At first, it was merely a fine line, but in the blink of an eye, it spanned across the sky. Accompanying that azure light was not a scorching heatwave, but a soul-piercing chill, reminiscent of the perennial snow atop Mount Kunlun.
A figure stepped through the void, his pace as steady as if he were strolling through his own tranquil courtyard.
The man was clad in a pristine white robe woven from moonlight, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, the silver cloud patterns embroidered upon them shimmering with a holy radiance under the firelight. He did not intentionally release any pressure, yet the rampaging Fire Drake, upon touching the aura within a hundred yards of him, let out a fearful whimper and abruptly suppressed its flames, hovering hesitantly in the air.
"Enough of this."
The man's voice was clear and cold, like jade falling into a frozen pool, echoing distinctly above the wailing ruins.
Li An's narrow eyes squeezed shut slightly as his snowy tiger ears twitched alertly. He could feel it the aura emanating from this stranger was terrifyingly immense. It was a pure sword-intent that stood at the very pinnacle of the cultivation world, the polar opposite of the foul, frenzied demonic qi currently within him, yet it struck a predestined resonance deep within his soul.
The azure light faded, and the man came to a halt ten paces away from Li An in the void.
He was breathtakingly handsome, with deep-set brows and a pair of phoenix eyes that had originally been filled with ten thousand years of unmelting frost. His gaze initially swept over the sea of blood below with the indifference of a judge, but the moment his eyes landed on Li An, his stable sword-intent suffered a violent, sudden tremor.
He saw Li An's blood-stained yet stubborn face; he saw those snowy tiger ears trembling slightly in the wind, guarded and alert.
Ye Shuying's fingers tightened around his sword. In that instant, the frost in his eyes thawed, replaced by a burning radiance that could only be described as "recovering a long-lost treasure."
"Who are you?" Li An licked the blood from his lips, flashing a nearly numb, mocking smile. "Another old fossil invited by this valley?"
"Ye Shuying. My name is Ye Shuying."
He uttered those five words softly, as if afraid that a louder voice might shatter the youth before him. With a slight motion of his right hand, a crystal-clear longsword appeared in his palm, but he did not point it at Li An; instead, he let it hang by his side.
"I have nothing to do with the Medicine King Valley." Ye Shuying took half a step forward, his tone carrying a trace of tenderness and sincerity he hadn't even noticed himself. "I originally came here today to suppress this monstrous massacre, but the moment I saw you... I changed my mind."
He looked directly into Li An's eyes, his voice dropping an octave. "The power within you has spiraled out of control. It is a grafted, sinister energy that is searing your meridians and devouring your mind. Every breath you take is agony, isn't it?"
Li An froze for a second, then broke into a fit of erratic, wicked laughter as if he had heard an absurd joke. His silver hair danced wildly in the wind, and the bloody butterfly markings at the corners of his eyes pulsed violently.
"Agony? The Immortal Lord calls this absolute power 'agony'?" Li An snapped his fingers open, violet fire leaping in his palm. "I just drained their Ancestor dry I've never felt better!"
"Your hands are shaking." Ye Shuying calmly exposed his bravado, the worry in his eyes deepening. "Come with me. No one in this world can withstand the collision of such demonic blood except for me. I can protect your spiritual root; I can ease your pain."
"Come with you? Immortal Lord, you must be joking." Li An's gaze turned ruthless, the nerves he had kept taut through the pain finally snapping. "You want to take me away? Then let's see if your life is tough enough to handle it!"
Li An suddenly spread his wings, his form turning into a violet-red blur as his claws tore through space, lunging directly for Ye Shuying's throat.
Facing this desperate strike, Ye Shuying did not retreat, nor did he even swing his sword. He merely let out a faint, imperceptible sigh, his eyes filled with an irrepressible indulgence and helplessness.
"Still so stubborn... No matter. We have all the time in the world."
He tapped his finger lightly, and ten thousand green lotuses instantly bloomed in the void, neutralizing the violent demonic qi with a gentle yet firm strength. Li An slammed into the lotus formation, but instead of wounding his opponent, he was instantly enveloped by a refreshing, cool aura.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Ye Shuying closed the distance, whispering into Li An's ear as the cold scent of sandalwood instantly masked the heavy stench of blood:
"Since you don't believe me, then I shall first... clean up this place for you."
As Ye Shuying spoke, the air in the valley seemed to wash clean in an instant.
Enveloped by that cool, sharp scent of sandalwood, Li An found himself paralyzed in mid-air. It wasn't the rigidity of being tied down, but a strange, physical numbness as if an impossibly "pure" force was manually overriding his frantic demonic blood. The butterfly markings at the corners of his eyes twitched, trying to fight the chill seeping into his veins, but the energy was unnervingly gentle, like a hand steadying a trembling child.
"Let go..." Li An growled, his jaw tight. His violet-gold eyes were still clouded with a feral, lingering heat.
Ye Shuying didn't look offended. He simply stepped back, giving Li An enough space to feel like he wasn't being cornered. His gaze drifted over Li An's snowy tiger ears which were still pinned back in warning and the ice in his eyes softened into something closer to a calm, deep pool.
"Alright. I won't touch you," Ye Shuying said, his voice low and steady, carrying a natural authority. "Li An, just watch."
Then, the crystal sword at his side--- Han Xiao finally moved.
There was no gore, no theatrical display of violence. Ye Shuying made a single, effortless sweep of his hand. A massive ripple of azure light expanded from them like a stone dropped in a still pond, covering thousands of yards.
The surviving elders, who had been crawling through the ruins and prepping a desperate counterattack, didn't even have time to scream. The moment the blue light touched them, they simply ceased to be. They dissolved into the air like dust hit by a clean breeze, leaving nothing behind but a lingering glow. It was a terrifying level of power, executed with a clinical, almost beautiful precision.
"ROAR—!!!"
The Fire Drake, sensing the shift in the atmosphere, let out a panicked howl. Its massive body contorted in the sky, but under Ye Shuying's steady, unblinking stare, its resolve crumbled. The beast didn't fight back; it simply gave up. It plummeted from the clouds, crashing into the rubble at Li An's feet with a heavy, humiliating thud.
"The creature is wild, but there's a spark of something ancient in its blood. It would be a waste to kill it now."
Ye Shuying looked at the dragon shivering in the dirt as if he were looking at a stray dog. He turned back to Li An, his expression softening.
"If you want it, I can help you break it. It'll give you a way to get around without having to lift a finger yourself."
The Fire Drake seemed to get the message. Its eyes, once full of fire and hate, were now wide with the desperate need to survive. It crawled forward, its massive frame shrinking and folding in on itself under the weight of Ye Shuying's presence. Within seconds, the hundred-foot monster had compressed into a small, dark-red snake about six feet long, its scales shimmering like polished agate.
The little drake tucked its wings tight and pressed its head into the ash, baring its throat to Li An in a silent, whimpering plea for mercy.
It was a Submission Covenant. Total surrender.
Li An looked down at the dragon—a world-burning nightmare turned into a fawning pet—and then at the man standing before him, whose hair wasn't even out of place.
"It's yours now," Ye Shuying said with a faint smile. He wasn't pushing, wasn't demanding. "It only takes a drop of blood, Li An. Once you have it, it can never turn on you."
Li An let out a sharp, cold breath. He hated the "noble" posturing of the big sects, but he was running on empty, and he knew it. He flicked his wrist, sending a single drop of violet-red blood onto the little dragon's forehead.
The moment the blood touched, the dragon turned into a streak of red light, coiling around Li An's left wrist like a living, dark-red bracelet.
"That's that, then," Ye Shuying said, clasping his hands behind his back. He stayed where he was, waiting for Li An to make the call. "Medicine King Valley is nothing but smoke now. Your body is holding on by a thread; if you stay here, you're just bait. Coming with me?"
He didn't say you have to. He didn't act like he owned the situation. It was that calm, open-ended invitation that made Li An feel like he was punching a cloud. It was frustratingly hard to argue with.
Li An took a long breath, feeling the bone-deep exhaustion finally start to win. He looked at Ye Shuying and forced a jagged, dangerous smirk. "Fine, Immortal Lord. If you're offering the ride, I'm taking it. But don't get comfortable. The second I get bored, I'm gone."
For a split second, something dark and possessive flashed in Ye Shuying's eyes something deep and hungry but it was gone before it could take shape. His face remained a mask of cool composure.
"Fair enough. Stay as long as you like."