Cloud Mist Sect's rear mountain, summit.
Mist drifted like waves, making the place seem like a paradise on earth.
On a grassy clearing at the mountaintop, a girl dressed in a pale moon-white robe was practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of a tall, gentle woman in a green ruqun-style dress.
This graceful woman in green was none other than Yun Yun, current Vice Sect Master of the Cloud Mist Sect. At this moment, her sword strikes were slow yet sharp, filled with grace and deadly precision.
With each tremble of the green longsword in her hand, dazzling verdant light radiated out in waves.
Yun Yun shouted sternly,
"Peak of the Wind—Falling Sun Radiance!"
In an instant, a blinding green sun seemed to manifest above her head—brilliant and terrifying. With a light wave of her sword, she pushed this sun toward the mist ahead.
Suddenly, the clouds surrounding the summit scattered, and sunlight pierced through, illuminating the entire peak of Cloud Mist Mountain.
BOOM!
A nearby mountaintop exploded from the residual force, scattering debris in all directions.
Moments later, the mist returned, and the blinding sunlight was once again shrouded.
"Yanran, did you see clearly?" Yun Yun sheathed her sword and turned to the girl behind her with a gentle smile.
"Master, that move is so hard… Even a sword genius would need two or three years to learn it, right? How long did it take you to master it?" asked Nalan Yanran, her delicate face filled with curiosity.
"When I learned it, I didn't have a Purple Spirit Crystal to help—I took two full years."
Yun Yun smiled warmly and looked fondly at her student. "With the crystal assisting you, you might not even need that long to master Falling Sun Radiance. But you're still young. Learning it too early might not be a good thing."
"Master, I'm already thirteen! That's not young!" Nalan Yanran pouted.
Yun Yun chuckled without replying. Her thoughts suddenly drifted to a certain face. Considering his comprehension of swordsmanship… she wondered how long he would take to learn that technique.
Just then, a maid came rushing up the mountain. Upon seeing Yun Yun and Nalan Yanran, she bowed respectfully and said:
"Vice Sect Master, Elder Nalan collapsed after hearing of the Empire's defeat and the land-ceding treaty. The poison in his body has completely erupted, and he's currently in a coma."
"What?!"
Yun Yun's expression changed instantly.
Nalan Yanran's body trembled, nearly collapsing from dizziness. Looking up at Yun Yun, she said, "Master, I need to go see Grandpa!"
Yun Yun nodded solemnly, "I'll go with you."
Wutan City
Xiao Clan Meeting Hall
All the senior members of the Xiao Clan were seated. Their eyes were fixed on a middle-aged man dressed like a mercenary.
When Xiao Zhan arrived, the Grand Elder said,
"Now that the Clan Head is here, go ahead and speak."
The mercenary clasped his fists toward Xiao Zhan and said,
"Clan Head Xiao, I am Iron Furnace, from the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Some time ago, the Snake-People Tribe launched a large-scale siege on Desert City. I barely escaped their encirclement, but Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, the two commanders, didn't make it out…"
"Commander Xiao Ding always treated me well. This news weighed heavily on me, but I decided to cross the entire Jia Ma Empire to bring it to you myself."
"W-What…?"
Upon hearing this terrible news, Xiao Zhan's eyes rolled back and he fainted on the spot.
"Clan Head!"
"Patriarch!"
Chaos immediately erupted in the meeting hall.
"Go inform Young Master Xiao Yan!"
Back Mountain of the Xiao Clan
High on a cliff wall, Xiao Yan was seated cross-legged. As he had done for days now, he had just consumed one of the pills left behind by Xun'er in her storage ring and began to refine it.
Forming strange hand seals in front of him, his breathing grew steady and rhythmic, creating a perfect circulation.
As his Dou Qi circulated, faint white energy entered his body through his nose and mouth, nourishing his bones and meridians.
Yet once again, all the Dou Qi he absorbed vanished without a trace before he could refine it.
"Damn it!"
Xiao Yan exploded in frustration, jumping to his feet and furiously kicking the grass beneath him.
"Am I really doomed to become a complete waste?!"
After venting, he dropped to his knees on the ground, clenching his teeth.
Suddenly, a strange, elderly chuckle rang in his ears:
"Heh heh… Little brat, looks like you need help."
"Who's there?!"
Xiao Yan sprang to his feet, his sharp gaze scanning the area—but he saw no one.
"Heh, stop looking. I'm on your finger."
Just as he thought he was hallucinating, a wisp of mist drifted from his ring and condensed into a transparent, elderly figure before him.
Xiao Yan's pupils contracted. Pointing a trembling finger at the apparition, he demanded,
"W-What are you?!"
"You almost confused me for a moment, kid."
The old phantom circled around Xiao Yan and chuckled,
"Let me introduce myself. I'm an alchemist—you can call me Yao Lao."
"So the reason all my Dou Qi has been vanishing over the past six months… was because of you?!"
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed, and a moment later, his expression darkened with fury.
Yao Lao admitted it freely, chuckling,
"True. But what allowed me to emerge from the ring wasn't your Dou Qi—it was that so-called Dou Zhe Pill you took, and all those recent pills you've been swallowing."
"You bastard!"
Usually calm and composed, Xiao Yan was now utterly enraged, leaping around like a madman, his face twisted with anger.
"Now, now—calm down, little one. Want to grow stronger? I can help you," Yao Lao said cheerfully, not the least bit offended.
"Young Master Xiao Yan!"
A voice rang out from down the mountain.
"We'll talk later."
Yao Lao grinned, then vanished back into the ring.
Moments later, a middle-aged man came rushing up the mountain.
"Bad news, Young Master Xiao Yan! Your two older brothers were killed by the Snake-People Tribe. The Clan Head… collapsed from the shock!"
"WHAT?!"
Xiao Yan's face turned pale as he bolted down the mountain.
Imperial Capital
Inside the Mittel Clan Estate
"They've surrendered?"
After hearing Ya Fei's report, Chen Mo calmly stored the newly refined Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill and Three-Mark Purity Pill into a jade bottle and placed it in his storage ring. He then said,
"Took longer than I expected."
"Longer?" Ya Fei was surprised.
"Given the current strength of the Jia Ma Empire, their number of high-level experts can't even compare to the Snake-People. The other side has eleven Dou Wangs, one Dou Zong, and one Dou Huang. Their overall strength is far superior."
Chen Mo put away the alchemy cauldron and sat in a nearby chair.
"With that kind of power, they still dragged the war on for over four months. Clearly, Queen Medusa was trying to minimize casualties."
"Then why start the war in the first place?" Ya Fei asked, confused.
"Do you even know… what burdens she's carrying?"
****
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