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After Gu Yuan dissipated his aura, Xiao Yan completely calmed down and only then noticed Gu Yuan's choice of words just now: the Nine-Star Dou Saint's wrath. He was a Nine-Star Dou Saint, and in the current era where Dou Emperors had become elusive legends, this was the pinnacle of the Dou Qi Continent!
Uh... that meant the goal of beating him up was almost impossible to achieve. No wonder Xun Er's expression was a bit odd when she proposed that condition. No wonder Gu Yuan would say that if he could achieve that, nothing else mattered, and he would even be willing to offer the entire Gu Clan as a dowry...
This was something only a Dou Emperor could accomplish, right?
While Xiao Yan was lost in thought, Gu Yuan's soul power surged forth. Under the pressure of his Emperor Realm soul, Ape Lord was suppressed and couldn't move for a time.
However, very quickly, its expression turned ferocious, its face flushed red, and it displayed a tyrannical intent.
It did not succumb to Gu Yuan's terrifying might; it was resisting, resisting this supreme being against whom it had almost no chance of winning.
Gu Yuan's face showed surprise.
He gradually reined in his aura. The moment the aura was withdrawn, Ape Lord, almost without hesitation, swung its staff downwards towards him.
Xiao Yan felt as if he saw an unyielding, never-surrendering will in its body, as if he saw the spirit of never giving up, never yielding, and always adhering to oneself in fighting against Heaven, against Earth, and against people.
His heart trembled, and he suddenly understood why Ape Lord regarded him as a disciple... During his time cultivating in the Monster Mountain Range, he had just shed the label of a good-for-nothing and left Wu Tan City, with only one goal in mind: to surpass Nalan Yanran.
At that time, he gritted his teeth and stiffened his spine; that trace of unyielding will supported him, allowing him to get through the most difficult and arduous days.
Perhaps it was that spirit of not giving up and not admitting defeat that resonated with Ape Lord, who was then nearing its end.
This was also the first time he had seen Ape Lord truly make a move...
Xiao Yan was surprised to find that Ape Lord was subtly on the verge of breaking through to the seventh rank. This strike carried the force of Qian Jun, smashing down like Mount Tai pressing down.
However, its target was Gu Yuan, a Dou Saint.
To Ape Lord's full-power strike, he merely smiled and raised his hand. In an instant, the space around Ape Lord solidified, and it was frozen in mid-air, unable to move at all.
Gu Yuan ignored Ape Lord, who was confined in mid-air, and turned to look at Xiao Yan:
"There are no such strange Worms of Spirit in its body either. It seems the monocle and that type of Worm of Spirit do not necessarily have a connection."
Xiao Yan had four suspects. Besides Yao Chen, who had already been confirmed, Qing Meng, Zhou Mingrui, and Ape Lord all wore monocles, but none of them had Worms of Spirit in their bodies, leading Gu Yuan to this conclusion.
Of course, there were no Worms of Spirit in Qing Meng's body; it was a Heavenly Flame, and after Parasite, the Worm of Spirit also transformed into the form of a Heavenly Flame.
There were no Worms of Spirit in Zhou Mingrui's body because he himself was a transformed Worm of Spirit.
Ape Lord, on the other hand, had used the Combined Dragon Secret Technique in advance, allowing the Worm of Spirit to completely fuse with its bloodline, which had returned to its ancestral state to a certain extent, so it naturally couldn't be detected.
"I see..." After Gu Yuan reached this conclusion, Xiao Yan, instead, felt relieved.
If such a Worm of Spirit had indeed been found in Ape Lord's body, he wouldn't have known what to do.
As Yao Chen reminded him, if he rashly exterminated the Worm of Spirit in Ape Lord's body, it would very likely mean killing the current Ape Lord.
Gu Yuan smiled, looked at Xun Er, and said gently, "Say your goodbyes. We should go."
Xun Er pursed her lips, looked at Xiao Yan, and then, suddenly disregarding Gu Yuan who was watching nearby, rushed forward and gave him a hug, lightly kissing him on the lips like a dragonfly touching water, then released her arms:
"I'll wait for you, wait for you to come to the Gu Clan treading on colorful auspicious clouds, like a peerless hero... Wait for you to defeat my father and then take me away in front of the entire clan!"
What could Xiao Yan say at such a moment? Even with Gu Yuan watching nearby, even knowing his Nine-Star Dou Saint cultivation, even though he himself was still just a small Dou Spirit, he couldn't back down, he couldn't say no!
He nodded heavily, his expression serious, and responded loudly in a solemn tone:
"Xun Er, I will! I will go to the Gu Clan and prove with my strength that I am worthy of you, proving that your judgment is not wrong!"
Xun Er showed a bright smile and said to Gu Yuan, "Father, let's go back."
Gu Yuan looked at Xiao Yan with deep eyes.
Although the latter's scalp tingled, he still held his head high and chest out, looking back without showing any weakness.
Gu Yuan smiled: "Not bad, at least courageous! I await your challenge."
Space cracked open, and the figures of Gu Yuan and Xun Er disappeared into the dark rift, which shimmered with various flowing lights.
After a while, Xiao Yan's expression suddenly collapsed...
"Nine... Nine-Star Dou Saint? Can I really win?"
"Haha, where did your imposing aura go just now? Your challenges are truly one after another... From Nalan Yanran at the beginning, to Yun Shan later, and before the Yun Shan matter is even resolved, you directly challenged the Gu Clan's Patriarch... Even if your ancestor Xiao Xuan were reborn, he probably wouldn't be confident of winning this battle," Yao Chen teased.
"Sigh, who told Xun Er to say all that... A man can't say no at a time like this!" Xiao Yan drooped his head.
"Who was that person?" Ape Lord's restraint had been lifted at some unknown point. It stared into the void, anger burning in its eyes.
Xiao Yan immediately soothed it, saying, "Apologies, Ape Lord, we meant no harm. We just suspected the existence of a strange creature, so we asked him to perform a check."
Ape Lord's gaze was sharp, its usual amiability gone, its face filled with ferocity and rebelliousness:
"I know. If he had ill intent, I would already be a dead monkey... But... I refuse to accept this! What just happened was too humiliating. I will return it, and I will trample him underfoot!
"So, Xiao Yan, tell me, who was that scoundrel?"
Xiao Yan felt a bit awkward. This incident was caused by his suspicions, and he felt apologetic towards Ape Lord, who had suffered for no reason.
He also didn't want Ape Lord to impulsively face an opponent with almost no hope of victory, so he said:
"Ape Lord, as you just saw, I've promised to defeat him, and I'm also half your disciple, so leave it to me... I will beat him up for both of us."
Ape Lord's expression gradually softened, and it instructed, "Make sure to hit his face!"
"Alright, I'll focus on hitting his face!" Xiao Yan promised.
Ape Lord suddenly frowned, its expression looking a bit unhappy.
Xiao Yan quickly said, "Is there anything else Ape Lord is dissatisfied with?"
Ape Lord sighed disappointedly: "Why only half a disciple...?"
Xiao Yan couldn't answer. In his heart, there was always only one master, and that was Yao Chen.
Before he could utter an apology, Ape Lord continued, "Alas, not getting that girl was a pity... a pity... Many children, many blessings..."
Xiao Yan's forehead twitched.
...
In a city near Peace Town, three figures clad in black robes, with black mist swirling around them, stood on the city wall, gazing towards the direction of Jia Nan Academy in the distance.
The aura of the figure in the middle was slightly inferior to the two beside it, but from their positioning, it subtly seemed to be the leader.
This figure suddenly let out a strange laugh:
"Hehehe... Fallen Heart Flame, this Protector has arrived..."
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