Chapter 719: Reappearance of Nalan Yanran
A clear sword whistle resounded across the sky. Immediately, a rainbow sword glow flashed from the mountain behind the Misty Cloud Sect. Within a couple of breaths, it appeared in the sky above this messy open ground.
The rainbow glow scattered, revealing the human figure within it. She was wearing a black dress. Her smooth, black hair gently flowed down her shoulders, pa.s.sing over her pretty waist and gathering near her backside. Her female eyebrows appeared like a picture while her skin was like icy snow. Her pretty face was somewhat skinny but it coincidentally formed a perfect contour that caused people to involuntarily let out praise within their heart. What a pretty girl…
The woman who had suddenly appeared was also startled because of the mess in the open ground. Her gaze immediately turned to Yun Yun in the sky who was looking at her with a startled look. That pretty face which seemed to be broken with a blow immediately revealed a heart moving smile. A clear voice that was filled with pleasure sounded from the sky.
"Teacher…"
"Yanran… you… you have really broken through the Gate of Life and Death?" Yun Yun greatly rejoiced as she looked at the lady who was a little more matured compared to a few years ago. Hearing the way that Yun Yun was addressed, the lady who had appeared was surprisingly the one who had an inextricable relations.h.i.+p with Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran!
The Dou Qi wings on Nalan Yanran back were flapped slightly as she swiftly rushed to Yun Yun side. Her gaze looked all around her before she pressed her eyebrows together and inquired, "Teacher, what has happened to the Misty Cloud Sect?"
The smile on Yun Yun"s pretty face was withdrawn slightly when she heard this. Her voice was somewhat grieved as she said, "Yanran… the Misty Cloud Sect, might be finished…"
Nalan Yanran"s lovely body trembled. She also seemed to have sensed that something was not right. Her gaze swiftly swept across the open ground in detail and her eyes immediately shrank as they paused over Yun Shan and those Elders who had lost their lives on the open ground. Shock drifted into her eyes. She immediately clenched her silver teeth and hissed, "This… who did this?"
Nalan Yanran"s eyes turned toward the sky while her mouth spoke these words. She suddenly stiffened as she faced that somewhat familiar black-robed figure. Her gaze carried some disbelief as it slowly s.h.i.+fted upward before finally stopping on the face that was covered with traces of blood.
"You… you are Xiao Yan? Why are you here?" Although that face was covered by fresh blood, Nalan Yanran still managed to recognize it immediately. She let out an involuntary cry upon doing so.
"It is unexpected that you have also reached this stage after having not seen you for a couple of years…" Xiao Yan was also somewhat surprised as he studied Nalan Yanran. He could sense that the latter"s strength was also at the peak of the Dou w.a.n.g cla.s.s at this moment. Moreover, looking at the trend of the fluctuations of her aura, it actually had traces of being able to breakthrough to the Dou Huang cla.s.s anytime. He could not help but feel shocked at this. He had trained bitterly for three years and had help from swallowing the "Fallen Heart Flame" in order to reach this stage. It was unexpected that this woman…
"Although the Dou Qi in her body may be powerful, it does not truly belong to her. From the looks of it, she seems to have inherited some strength. Only when she has truly refined this strength will she be able to control it perfectly. From the looks of it, this should be a kind of inheritance of the Misty Cloud Sect. Her luck is indeed quite good." Yao Lao by the side slowly spoke. Given his sharp eyes, he was naturally able to see the situation within Nalan Yanran"s body at a glance.
Xiao Yan only sighed in relief when he heard Yao Lao say this. No matter how he grew, he still possessed the desire to compete with this lady who had nearly become his wife.
"You are the one who is responsible for what happened to the Misty Cloud Sect?" Nalan Yanran slowly recovered from her shock. She immediately seemed to have understood something as her delicate hand pointed below and spoke furiously, "Xiao Yan, you can come and look for me if you have a problem. Why must you find trouble with the Misty Cloud Sect? Those matters back then have long been resolved. It is unexpected that you have actually not forgotten about them. Are you still considered a man?"
"This has nothing to do with you. There is no need to take the blame for everything. You don"t have that qualification nor that ability…" Xiao Yan"s voice was indifferent as he glanced at the furious Nalan Yanran, "The Misty Cloud Sect has caused my father to go missing, my big brother to become a cripple, and even nearly killed every single member of my Xiao clan. Given this blood feud, do you expect me to act like a saint and generously forget such acts? If a man were to act like this, what difference would he be from a coward?"
Nalan Yanran"s pretty face changed slightly when she heard Xiao Yan"s ice-cold voice that was void of any feeling. She spoke in a deep voice, "You are speaking nonsense. Given the position of our Misty Cloud Sect in the Jia Ma Empire, how is it possible for us to do those things to the Xiao clan?"
"Your teacher is just beside you. Why don"t you open your mouth and ask? That way, you will know just what kind of things the n.o.ble Misty Cloud Sect that you speak off has done during these few years." Xiao Yan mockingly shook his head as he replied.
Nalan Yanran"s gaze turned to Yun Yun by her side when she heard this. The latter, however, s.h.i.+fted her gaze away from Nalan Yanran"s somewhat pale pretty face. She clenched her silver teeth and hissed, "I have also been put under house arrest during these few years. Those matters… are all things done by your grand-teacher in his muddiness."
Nalan Yanran"s head immediately felt giddy when she heard these words of admittance by Yun Yun. Just what had happened to the Misty Cloud Sect during these few years? Given the extraordinary position of the Misty Cloud Sect, how could they commit these kinds of rude and unreasonable bandit-like acts?
"Earlier, your grand-teacher was defeated by Xiao Yan"s hands. However, in the end, his spirit was forcefully s.n.a.t.c.hed away by this demon. The spirits of a couple of other Elders were also swallowed by it!" A fury once again surged onto Yun Yun"s pretty face when she spoke about this. She turned her head and faced Protector Wu, who was wearing that strange dark-black armor. He was suspended in the sky and spoke furiously.
Although Nalan Yanran"s heart was once again shocked when she heard Yun Yun mention that Yun Shan was defeated by Xiao Yan, her gaze quickly turned toward Protector Wu in the sky. Her eyes narrowed and her pretty face slowly became solemn. She could vaguely sense that this mysterious fellow had an extremely frightening strength.
"Teacher, what exactly happened?"
"I will explain to you after everything is over. Now, we must take revenge for those Elders whose spirits have been swallowed first!" Yun Yun waved her hand. Her pretty face swiftly became chilly as her gaze swept over the white-colored fog that had had surged out from the Misty Cloud Sect disciples below. She turned her head and spoke in a deep voice to Nalan Yanran, "Yanran, help me control the formation!"
"Yes!"
Although Nalan Yanran was somewhat helpless at meeting such an unexpected turn of events upon leaving her retreat, she chose to immediately follow Yun Yun"s words.
Yun Yun did not delay any longer when she saw Nalan Yanran nod. Her hand seal changed and the countless amounts of white-colored energy fog spreading below swiftly floated up. Finally, they gathered beside her like a sea of clouds.
Yun Yun waved her delicate hand while being in the middle of the sea of clouds. The only three elders that remained also rushed up and immediately appeared within the sea of clouds. Their hands waved and the white-colored cloud swiftly fluctuated, bringing about a powerful energy ripple.
"Covering Sun Cloud Formation!"
The cool cry was emitted from Yun Yun"s mouth. Immediately, the sea of clouds fluctuate and agglomerated into a large energy sword, over a hundred feet in size and covered with mysterious cloud lines. The enormous sword trembled slightly and the powerful energy contained in it shook the air until it fluctuated slightly.
"Demon, go and die!"
Yun Yun"s hand ruthlessly struck the sword hilt and the enormous sword immediately rushed toward Protector Wu in the sky.
"Tsk tsk, you want to deal with this protector with such a broken formation? You really overestimate your own strength!" Protector Wu shook his head with disdain when he saw the enormous sword that was shot over while carrying a sharp sword aura. He immediately let out a dark, cold smile before waving his sleeves. A strange black-colored fog rushed out from his sleeve before covering the enormous sword within it.
The black-colored fog seemed to contain an extremely corrosive ability. The moment the black fog made contact with the enormous cloud sword, it swiftly corroded all of the enormous energy that was contained in the latter. Under this unusual corrosion of the black fog, Yun Yun lost her relations.h.i.+p with the enormous sword. Hence, she could only watch as the enormous cloud-colored sword swiftly became fainter before completely disappearing.
The powerful attack that gathered all the strength of the experts from the Misty Cloud Sect did not actually have the slightest effect on the current Protector Wu!
Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran"s expressions changed slightly when the attack was completely useless. The strength of Protector Wu had far exceeded their expectations.
"Dammit!" Yun Yun viciously clenched her silver teeth but was unwilling to give up. Her hand seal moved and the sea of clouds once again fluctuated suddenly.
"An irritating fly!" Protector Wu"s face also sank when he saw Yun Yun attacked once again. The repeated attacks of the former had caused him to become a little irritated. He immediately let out a low, dark, cold cry. An unusual dark, majestic energy suddenly surged out of his body. Immediately, it formed an enormous black-colored hand, over a hundred feet in size, within the air. Finally, it smashed violently down toward the position where the sea of clouds was located.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!…" The sound appeared one after another.
The black-colored energy handprint was extremely fast. In merely the blink of an eye, it appeared above the head of Yun Yun and the others in front of their shocked eyes. It immediately smashed down angrily. The frightening energy that erupted at that instant caused the Dou Qi that the Misty Cloud Sect"s disciples agglomerated to be shaken until it cracked apart.
Grug! Grug!… the sound was deafening.
Those Misty Cloud Sect disciples below were also implicated when the sea of clouds broke. Immediately, most of the people below displayed pale faces as they involuntarily spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Yun Yun, Nalan Yanran, and the other figures in the sky swiftly withdrew. They only stabilized themselves a moment later. All of their faces were extremely ugly. It was unexpected that this fellow was actually so strong. Their combined strength was unable to even last one exchange with the other party!
"Today, the heavens really do want to eliminate our Misty Cloud Sect…" Yun Yun"s bright eyes were filled with defeat as a bitterness seeped out from the corner of their mouths.
Nalan Yanran by the side also clenched her teeth tightly. Meeting an enemy that she could not contend with the moment she left her retreat was quite a big blow to her.
The Protector Wu"s target was clearly not the remains of the Misty Cloud Sect. Hence, he slowly turned his gaze toward Xiao Yan and Yao Lao after pus.h.i.+ng back Yun Yun"s group. He revealed a dark, cold smile. His voice was filled with a dense killing intent that resounded across the sky.
"Tsk tsk, today, none of you will escape. I want the spirit and I also want the people from the Xiao clan!"
Yao Lao Fighting Protector Wu
Xiao Yan"s and Yao Lao"s expressions changed slightly when they saw Protector Wu turned his eyes and change his target to the two of them. Earlier, he came to a draw with Yao Lao. However, now that he had swallowed the spirits of Yun Shan and the couple of Misty Cloud Sect"s Elders, his strength had soared. With this increase of strength, Yao Lao would definitely have difficulty contending with him. Given Xiao Yan"s current seriously injured condition, it was impossible for him to last even one exchange with Protector Wu. Hence, if he forcefully tried to fight, not only would he be unable to give the slightest support to Yao Lao but would also cause Yao Lao to have to divert his attention to protect him.
"Fight with him!" Xiao Yan clenched his left hand tightly and grit his teeth viciously. He had already come to a decision in his heart. If this fellow really wanted to harm Yao Lao, he would cause this person to feel terrible even if he had to risk his life.
Yao Lao slowly grabbed Xiao Yan"s hand just as this thought lingered in the latter"s heart. He smiled and spoke faintly, "Leave him to me. You should go over to Hai Bodong"s side."
Xiao Yan was startled. He turned his head and looked at Yao Lao"s face which contained a slight smile. He clenched his teeth and spoke softly, "Teacher, you…"
"Relax, even though his strength has soared greatly, it will not be easy for him to kill me." Yao Lao smiled and shook his head. He did not wait for Xiao Yan"s reply as he suddenly struck a palm on Xiao Yan"s shoulders. A gentle force erupted before pus.h.i.+ng him to Hai Bodong"s position.
"This protector has said that neither of the two of you will escape today." Protector Wu laughed coldly as he looked at Xiao Yan who was being protected by Hai Bodong"s group. Those crimson eyes under the black cloak shot toward the indifferent face of Yao Lao as he spoke sinisterly, "Yao Chen, do you think that you are still a match for me given my current strength?"
"I"m afraid that if you don"t pay something, it is really impossible for you to get my old spirit…" Yao Lao flicked his finger and a cl.u.s.ter of dense white flames surfaced from his palm. They immediately curled up. The hot temperature caused the s.p.a.ce to feel a little distorted.
"This protector has already paid the price…" The crimson eyes under the black cloak darkened slightly as Protector Wu replied in a dense cold voice, "Hence, it is time for you to hand over your spirit!"
Yao Lao"s heart sank as he sensed the dark, cold gaze that was filled with killing intent under the black cloak. It was indeed as he had expected. There was indeed an extremely great sequelae when this fellow forcefully swallowed the spirit of an expert like Yun Shan…
Yao Lao did not continue to say any nonsense after his heart slightly sank. Powerful Spiritual Strength surged out in all directions. Although it was extremely difficult to witness it with his naked eyes, he was able to clearly sense the frightening pressure that had spread over the sky.
"Tsk tsk are you planning to go all out? However, it is too late now!" Protector Wu merely laughed strangely when he saw the actions of Yao Lao. He immediately waved his sleeves and a strange black fog swiftly surged out of his body. Finally, it agglomerated into a deep-black cloud layer. It was difficult for even the sunlight from the sky to diffuse into it. After a moment, the color of the sky above the Misty Cloud Sect had become dark.
Protector Wu had blotted out the sun the moment he attacked. This caused quite a number of experts to be greatly shocked. This strength… was really too terrifying.
The black clouds lingered. Protector Wu appeared to become invisible as his trace was strangely lost. In an instant, the entire sky had become extremely quiet. This kind of unusual environment caused one"s pores to open wide was something that even an elite Dou Huang would feel uneasy about.
An unusual dark wind quietly drifted past. Yao Lao, whose entire body was wrapped by that dense white flame, suddenly shrank his eyes. He immediately turned around and ruthlessly threw a punch toward the empty s.p.a.ce behind him.
When the fist moved, the powerful Spiritual Strength that was spread all over his body also moved with it. His shriveled fist appeared to have carried the fluctuation of this s.p.a.ce as it contained an incomparably powerful wind and smashed forward violently.
"Bang!"
A black figure strangely surfaced where his fist had been launched. Both fists collided and a substance-like ripple force spread out in all directions. Finally, it brought about thunder-like roars.
Chi! Chi!
Both fists crossed each other and two human figures once again strangely vanished in front of a countless number of gazes. When they next appeared a moment later, they were over a hundred meters away. In that instant, thunder rolled in the sky as the human figures flashed. Each time a human figure appeared, the hearts of a countless number of people below felt chilled and frightened because of the extremely powerful thunder-like explosions that erupted.
Black clouds rolled in the sky and some force would occasionally cause them to ripple. Only then did a crack line appear in the thick black clouds, allowing a thread of sunlight to scatter into the place. However, despite it being sunlight, it caused everyone to feel that there was no heat at this very moment.
From a treetop, Xiao Yan looked at the sky where the shocking thunder sound kept being emitted. His expression was quite ugly. Although he was currently in a seriously injured state, he was still able to sense the battle situation in the sky more clearly than other people because of his outstanding Spiritual Perception.
Yao Lao"s strength was indeed strong. Even though he was in a spiritual state, he was still able to borrow the strength of the "Bone Chilling Flame" to fight with Protector Wu after the latter had used his Secret Technique. However, he had clearly fallen into a disadvantage during the attack. From the looks of the situation, Yao Lao would definitely be defeated if this were to continue a little longer.
Xiao Yan was unclear about the actual fighting strength of an elite Dou Zong. Hence, he was unable to identify how many Dou Zong stars Protector Wu reached after using the Secret Technique. However, according to his estimation, it was likely that Protector Wu was above six stars. After all, the current Yun Shan was already an elite two to three star Dou Zong. Yao Lao"s strength was clearly a little greater. However, the current Protector Wu was able to suppress Yao Lao in this manner. It was not considered surprising that he possessed such strength.
"Xiao Yan, what do we do?" Hai Bodong knit his brows and stared at the sky. He could vaguely sense that Yao Lao"s situation was a little bad but he did not have any sure-fire way to understand the situation. Although his current strength was near the peak of the Dou Huang cla.s.s, he still did not have much ability to intervene in a battle between the Dou Zong cla.s.s.
Xiao Yan"s face was gloomy, but he was unable to come up with a solution. Things would be fine if he was currently not seriously injured. By using the "Angry Buddha Lotus Flame" that was merged from three "Heavenly Flame" again, he would at the very least be able to hurt Protector Wu a little even if he could not kill him. At that time, this would provide some help to Yao Lao. However… with his seriously injured body, he could forget about using an "Angry Buddha Lotus Flame" formed from three "Heavenly Flames". He did not even possess the ability to protect himself.
"Let"s wait and see first…" Xiao Yan"s voice was dark and solemn as he spoke. After which, he ceased speaking. His gaze stared into the sky as his heart became ruthless. If it really came to that point, he would intervene even if he really did have to stake this life of his!
Hai Bodong could only quietly sigh when he saw Xiao Yan acting in this manner. He lifted his head and observed the battle under the black clouds. His fist was tightly clenched. Given his relations.h.i.+p with Xiao Yan, it was naturally difficult for him to just watch Yao Lao be captured. Hence, when it really came to that time, he could only stake this set of old bones and give it a try.
Lightning flashed in the sky. Another crack line was formed in the black cloud due to the frightening ripple force. A thread of sunlight dispersed down. Two figures coincidentally interected abruptly under that pillar of light. A low, deep, stern cry sounded and the two people rushed forward like two cannon b.a.l.l.s before violently colliding under the pillar.
"Bang!"
A loud thunderclap resounded over the sky. The ears of a countless number of people were shaken until they felt a piercing pain. Some fresh blood actually seeped out of the ears of some of the people who were inferior in strength. The sonic strength that the frightening intersection of these two people created was not inferior to the damage that Xiao Yan"s "Lion Tiger Gold Shattering Roar" created at its maximum strength.
The loud sound rang and the two human figures suddenly flew back. A slight soft, low, m.u.f.fled groan was emitted and it accurately fell into Xiao Yan"s ears. The latter"s heart immediately sank. Yao Lao was injured!
Following this fierce collision, the black clouds that spread over the sky had become much thinner. Sunlight seeped through the thin black clouds and scattered in, expelling some of the darkness on the open ground.
"Tsk tsk, you are indeed worthy of being the Yao zun-zhe that is renown throughout the continent. You are still such a hard nut even at this stage. However, how long can you maintain this kind of battle for?" The black shadow was suspended in the sky. After which, Protector Wu looked at the increasingly illusory Yao Lao and laughed in a sinister manner.
"The old me also does not believe that you can continue in this condition of yours." Yao Lao spoke with an expressionless face. Although the condition within his body was extremely terrible, he did not reveal even the slightest sign of it.
The red glint under the black cloak flickered. A moment later, Protector Wu suddenly laughed out in a dark, dense manner, "I am also quite stupid. Instead of capturing that softie that I can easily capture, I have come to look for you, a person with thorns. Since you treat that little fellow so well, would you not surrender if this protector were to capture him?"
Protector Wu sinister laughter had just sounded when his body flashed without waiting for Yao Lao to respond. He drew through the air and rushed toward the spot where Xiao Yan was located.
"Despicable!" Yao Lao"s expression instantly changed when he saw Protector Wu"s actions. He let out an angry cry and did not care about the intense rippling of Spiritual Strength with his body. His figure turned into a vague shadow as he hurriedly rushed over.
Protector Wu"s speed was so quick that it was somewhat frightening. His body had already appeared at a spot not far from Xiao Yan when his voice had just sounded earlier. In two breaths, he was already in close proximity!
The expressions of Hai Bodong and the others changed when they saw Protector Wu suddenly rus.h.i.+ng over. Due to the latter"s strength, Nalan Su, Mu Zhen, and the other expert Dou w.a.n.gs all withdrew in fear. Only Hai Bodong, Jia Xing Tian, and a few others felt a little better.
Hai Bodong and the others were startled by the sudden change of Protector Wu"s attacking target. However, Hai Bodong reacted a moment later. He clenched his teeth and moved his body, appearing in front of Xiao Yan. Behind him, Jia Xing Tian and the other experts hesitated for a moment before the few others except Old Yin Gu and the other two experts from the Black Corner Region all clenched their teeth and charged forward.
"You overestimate your abilities. Get lost!"
The black figure rushed and arrived. Protector Wu let out a dark and cold cry when he saw Hai Bodong and the others blocking in front of him. He immediately waved his sleeves and the unusual black fog immediately rushed out. It transformed into an enormous hand that violently slammed toward Hai Bodong and the others. Although the few people hurriedly join hands to receive the enemy, they were sent flying after a mere exchange in the face of the enormous gap.
Protector Wu let out an unusual smile after sending Hai Bodong and the other experts flying with a blow. His body flashed and appeared in front of Xiao Yan.
"Brat, obediently call those things from your Xiao clan out. This protector can still let you die in a simple and direct manner!" A shriveled bone-like face was revealed under the black cloak. At a glance, it was somewhat frightening. A pair of ghost-like claws suddenly extended out while one"s voice left his mouth before immediately grabbing toward Xiao Yan who was unable to resist.
The ghost claw was swiftly enlarged in Xiao Yan"s eyes. He clenched his teeth intently and the little remaining Dou Qi within his body swiftly flowed, maneuvering the Glazed Lotus Core Flame in a desperate attempt to counterattack!
Given Xiao Yan"s current strength, everyone clearly understood what the final outcome was while he tried to contend against Protector Wu. Hence, everyone present could only open their eyes and wait for the next moment where Xiao Yan fell into Protector Wu"s hands.
The ghost claw rushed through the empty air and instantly reached Xiao Yan"s throat. However, just as it was about to contract, the s.p.a.ce suddenly fluctuated. A white-jade-like long hand immediately flashed out. The jade fingers curled and formed an unusual arc. With a flick of a finger, a frightening wind shot out and violently struck Protector Wu"s hand claw. The frightening force that was contained in it actually shocked Protector Wu until his body trembled slightly.
Using the moment when Protector Wu"s body trembled, the hand directly grabbed Xiao Yan"s robe before rus.h.i.+ng back.
"Who is it? You actually dare to intervene in the matters of our "Hall of Souls"!" Protector Wu"s expression instantly turned gloomy when his attack was blocked. He raised his head and looked at the beautiful, bewitching beauty.
The bewitching woman glanced at Protector Wu indifferently. Those words that slowly left her mouth were the same as back then.
"His life is mine…"