Chapter 293: Xiao Yan's Death
Xiao Ning's hand plunged into Xiao Yan's chest, the black-red devouring Dou Qi greedily extracting everything from Xiao Yan's body, turning it into nutrients to nourish his growth. His Dou Qi, which had just broken through, began to surge again at an astonishing rate, rapidly expanding the Dou Qi whirlpool within him, heading towards the Dou Shi level.
"Xiao Yan, don't blame me. You brought this upon yourself by coming to the back mountain and seeing all of this... It's all your fault!" While absorbing Xiao Yan's Dou Qi and life force, Xiao Ning mumbled to himself, seemingly trying to find an excuse, needing it to suppress the fear deep inside him.
It was his first time killing someone, and the first person he had killed was Xiao Yan. Naturally, his heart was filled with fear, with reluctance, and even compassion... But for his own future, he had to do it.
Master was right. What if Xiao Yan revealed everything? What would he do then?
He couldn't trust his future to Xiao Yan, hoping that Xiao Yan would keep his secret!
Because if he lost that gamble, he would lose everything.
Would others be tempted if they knew about this technique? Even Xiao Yan himself—would he desire it? Would he seek to take it for himself in the future?
As his Dou Qi increased, the black-red glow in Xiao Ning's eyes grew stronger, drowning out the last trace of hesitation. At the same time, the speed at which he absorbed increased with his power, and Xiao Yan's once strong body began to shrivel. The light in his eyes faded as his life force drained away, marking the countdown to his death.
At this moment, Xiao Yan could clearly feel his Dou Qi flowing towards Xiao Ning's body. As the Dou Qi whirlpool collapsed, indescribable pain wracked his entire body. The agony of having everything forcibly drained from him was almost maddening. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as Xiao Ning devoured him, step by step, walking towards his death.
Despair, unwillingness, confusion, anger… all surged in his heart.
Xiao Yan didn't understand why Xiao Ning had turned into this. Where did he get this magic technique to devour others' Dou Qi? Even attacking him like this—did he have no humanity left? He was his cousin, his close friend!
His beloved friend!
"I can't die! If I die, he will definitely harm my father and the others! He's gone mad!" Xiao Yan's heart filled with intense unwillingness, and he began to struggle desperately, trying to resist Xiao Ning's devouring. But under the influence of the Heavenly Fire, his resistance was futile. It couldn't even shake Xiao Ning in the slightest.
In just half an hour, Xiao Yan's body had turned into a dried-up corpse. The light in his eyes had vanished, leaving them dull. Everything within him had been consumed by Xiao Ning, leaving no life force.
"Ha~" Xiao Ning slowly withdrew his hand, letting out a long breath. The Dou Qi surging within him was now dozens of times stronger. Feeling the rapidly growing power, any shred of guilt he had for Xiao Yan disappeared. He let out a low, sinister laugh: "So this is the Dou Shi level? It's certainly much stronger than the Dou Zhe level, hehe!"
As his Dou Qi rapidly circulated, a layer of black-red Dou Qi robes appeared on his body, making his aura even more eerie and sinister, unlike any normal person.
"Now, who dares to look down on me?!" Xiao Ning coldly sneered to himself. At this moment, he couldn't even feel the limits of his body. If he had enough resources to devour, he was confident he could reach the Dou Wang or even Dou Huang level in a single day!
But unfortunately, that level of power wasn't something he could provoke yet.
But one day, they would all tremble beneath his feet.
"It's time to go~" The old voice echoed in Xiao Ning's mind.
Xiao Ning nodded, retracting his aura. He then looked down at Xiao Yan's dried-up corpse, frowning slightly. He didn't take anything from Xiao Yan's body but bent down, picked it up with one hand, and walked to a nearby cliff, tossing it straight down.
He coldly watched the dried-up corpse fall into the abyss before turning to leave.
On the quiet mountain path, Xiao Ning's expression fluctuated between light and dark. He communicated with his master through sound transmission: "Master, how much energy do you have left?"
"Not much. I can deal with a Dou Shi, but anything higher will require effort... Don't rely on me to help you hunt strong opponents. If you want to become stronger, it all depends on you. I can only help you when your life is in danger. But if you treat me as your crutch, you won't go far!" The old voice sounded weak but firm.
"Master, help me one more time… There are many Dou Shi in Wutan City. Even if I just devour some, my strength should reach Great Dou Shi!" Xiao Ning greedily asked.
Once Pandora's box is opened, it's impossible to close.
After experiencing the thrill of rapid advancement, he had lost interest in cultivating on his own. The Heavenly Devouring Technique wasn't suited for slow cultivation; its path was straightforward—constantly devour the strong!
"You finally got it! But I suggest you don't act in Wutan City. Too many people have gone missing. It will certainly cause unnecessary trouble… Find another place!" The old voice reminded him, keeping in mind Yao Yan's warnings.
The Xiao family was being watched by the Gu Clan . Creating too much of a stir here was unwise.
"... Fine!" Xiao Ning thought for a moment before responding softly.
...
The next day, Yao Yan learned of Xiao Yan's death. He hadn't paid much attention to Xiao Ning's side but had given some instructions to the Heavenly Fire, letting it do as it pleased. He didn't expect it to be so capable. Just a few days, and it brought him a "big surprise."
Indeed, it was quick to corrupt. Just days later, Xiao Ning had already dared to kill his own cousin. That was ruthless.
"Master, are you perhaps interested in the kid named Xiao Yan?" Heavenly Fire sensed a change in Yao Yan's emotions and asked cautiously.
"Is the body destroyed?" Yao Yan thought for a moment before asking.
"Thrown off the cliff in the back mountain of the Xiao family... Do you think he could survive?" Heavenly Fire chuckled ominously, clearly thinking there was no way Xiao Yan could live after being drained into a dried corpse.
Could he survive?
Yao Yan was curious. He knew that "fated children" like Xiao Yan were hard to kill. According to some novels, they could always turn disaster into fortune. Even if they were reduced to ashes, they could crawl out of hell because the world had chosen them.
He hadn't killed Xiao Yan earlier, hoping to see if he could find a different path than in the original story.
But he didn't expect him to "die" so quickly!
"I'll go out for a while, I'll be back soon." Yao Yan looked at Yun Yun and said softly.
Yun Yun nodded slightly without asking further.
Yao Yan vanished into the forest and reappeared at the Xiao family's back mountain, near the cliff. He sent his Hun power into the abyss to search.
Soon, he found Xiao Yan's corpse, a ruined dried-up body, resting on a thick branch.
Stepping forward, Yao Yan appeared beside Xiao Yan's body. Looking at the lifeless corpse, he remained silent. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to die so easily, without even a sound. Had he not asked about it today, he wouldn't have known that Xiao Ning had devoured Xiao Yan.
Fate is unpredictable. With just a slight fluctuation, a life can change its course.
Since Yao Yan took away Elder Yao and the Burning Decision from the Xiao family, Xiao Yan was no longer the main character of this world… More precisely, ever since Yao Yan appeared, everyone's fate had changed, not just Xiao Yan's.
"Master? Do you care about him?" Heavenly Fire appeared beside Yao Yan, its black flame face showing some unease.
"I couldn't care less." Yao Yan smiled lightly, responding to Heavenly Fire's inquiry.
Yao Yan had never given Xiao Yan much thought. He hadn't killed him, but that was a small matter. Even now, the fate of Xiao Yan seemed unimportant.
He turned to the task at hand. "I'll take care of it. Prepare to move Xiao Ning from the Xiao family. This place can't be disturbed... Send him to the Black Corner Region. There, he can cultivate some seeds."
The Black Corner Region was full of unsavory people, perfect for cultivating the Heavenly Devouring Magic.
"Good~" Heavenly Fire agreed with a mischievous grin, then disappeared.
Yao Yan raised his hand and summoned the fusion heavenly flame to ignite Xiao Yan's body. He watched the corpse burn and gradually disappear, reflecting on the situation.
Perhaps there was no such thing as a fated child. There were only winners and losers.
But wasn't the world always like this?
Watching the body burn in the flames, Yao Yan vanished from the spot.
...
...
In the bamboo forest cabin.
Yun Yun watched as Yao Yan returned. She asked, "Is it done?"
Yao Yan's speed in handling things was quite fast. She hadn't even finished tidying up the things on the table, and he was already back, not even a full tea session had passed.
"It's nothing. Just an unexpected event. A person I knew died. I went to see him off," Yao Yan explained lightly. After a pause, he continued, "You should know him... Xiao Yan."
"Xiao Yan?" Yun Yun froze for a moment as the name rang a bell. Then she remembered it was the same person who had been rejected by Nalan Yanran a few days ago.
"How did he die?" Yun Yun asked, her gaze shifting slightly.
"It's related to me… When I was at the Xiao family, I passed on a technique to someone. That person mastered it, and some conflicts with Xiao Yan arose. In the end, I had him killed," Yao Yan said with a helpless smile. He hadn't wanted to kill Xiao Yan, but he had died so suddenly.
Yun Yun nodded slightly. Her expression didn't change much. To her, the death of someone unrelated was hard to care about, especially since she hadn't even met Xiao Yan. But seeing Yao Yan so concerned about the matter, she couldn't help but comfort him, "It has nothing to do with you. You just passed on the technique. What that person does in the future is out of your control. You're not his master."
The wicked Heavenly Fire... Yao Yan inwardly shrugged. As for Xiao Yan's death, all he could say was sorry.
He changed the topic, "Let's stop talking about this... I plan to leave tomorrow."
"… Oh." Yun Yun froze for a moment, then felt a pang of sadness. She replied softly, her hand subconsciously tightening into a fist. She wanted to stop him, but there seemed to be no reason to. After a while, she raised her head and said nonchalantly, "I'll see you off in the morning."
Looking at the man in front of her, she knew he didn't belong here. He had always been like this—quietly entering her world and leaving just as quietly, yet disrupting her life and her world.
Yao Yan stood up and, under Yun Yun's watch, walked slowly to her side, taking her cold hands in his. He smiled softly, "I'll come back."
"If you do… I might not be at Yun Lan Sect next time," Yun Yun said, feeling the warmth of his hand. After a moment, she turned her gaze away, giving a small huff to express her dissatisfaction. She wasn't the kind of woman Yao Yan could summon and dismiss at will.
"If that's the case… I'll wait here at Yun Lan Sect. I believe you'll return," Yao Yan said, gently squeezing her slightly cold hand.
"... You're one of a kind," Yun Yun said, her brows furrowing slightly. Her calm eyes reflected a hint of helplessness and playfulness.
She had thought about avoiding Yao Yan, but he was always so unreasonable, barging into her life without giving her a chance to escape. Just like when he left before… He seemed to always act like this, never asking if she was willing.
"If I don't take the initiative, do you expect you to?" Yao Yan reached out and pulled Yun Yun into his embrace, feeling her slender waist. He could clearly sense the softness and expansiveness in front of him.
Yun Yun hesitated, sighed inwardly, and finally gave in. There was no point in resisting, especially since he would leave tomorrow. Let him have his way for once.
Leaning against Yao Yan's chest, her mind was in turmoil. After a while, she softly asked, "When will you come back?"
Yao Yan paused, lost in thought. He wasn't sure how to answer. The next time he came back would probably be after breaking through to Dou Di. If he failed, this might be the last time they met.
He wasn't entirely confident in the final outcome, but having come this far, he could no longer turn back.
So, he gave no promises.
Not getting an answer, Yun Yun raised her head, meeting Yao Yan's hesitant gaze. She didn't ask again but instead wrapped her arms around his neck, raising her exquisite face. She shyly pressed her lips against his.
She suddenly didn't want the answer anymore, because she had already found it in her heart just now! (END CHAPTER)
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