"Nalan Yanran still lacks combat experience. Choosing to stop at such a moment—the blue light doesn't affect her much, and she could have pressed her advantage."
Xiao Jietian shook his head as he watched Nalan Yanran's actions.
Suddenly, a black shadow rapidly shot out from within the blue light, attacking Nalan Yanran.
Nalan Yanran's expression changed, and she quickly dodged away. An attack fiercely struck the spot where she had just been standing.
The black shadow then continuously and rapidly assaulted Nalan Yanran, her face filled with solemnity and shock.
The black shadow raised its head, revealing Xiao Yan's indifferent face. Temporarily freed from the suppression of the Black Heavy Ruler, Xiao Yan was like a fierce beast unleashed from its cage.
The two fought again. Due to Nalan Yanran's momentary lapse, Xiao Yan landed an "Eight Extremities Collapse" on her back.
Amid the exclamations of the Cloud Mist Sect disciples, Nalan Yanran was sent flying backward.
When she was still about half a meter from the ground, she strangely floated, then with a light wave of her jade hand, flipped in mid-air and gracefully landed on the hard bluestone slab.
A powerful aura erupted from the now stable Nalan Yanran.
Sounds of awe and envy also came from within the arena.
"I never expected Nalan Yanran's cultivation to have already broken through to the Great Dou Master stage, and not just recently. Such astonishing talent."
Xiao Yan looked at Nalan Yanran, whose aura was now fixed at the Two-Star Great Dou Master realm, and let out a soft sigh of relief.
He cracked his neck, then heavily plunged the retrieved Black Heavy Ruler into the ground. Green flames continuously emerged from his body, forming a green Dou Qi armor.
"Dou Qi armor? Is he also a Great Dou Master?"
Gasps echoed through the arena.
Xiao Yan breaking through to Great Dou Master was undoubtedly even harder for people to accept. The former had the backing of a major power, with all sorts of elixirs, medicinal herbs, and resources, while the latter was completely self-made, relying entirely on himself.
Yun Ling, who was in the arena, saw Xiao Yan's strength. His aged hands clenched tightly, and remembering how Xiao Yan had interrupted him earlier and the enmity with the Cloud Mist Sect, the thought that this youth must not be allowed to live had already sprouted in his heart.
Nalan Yanran initiated the attack first, flying toward Xiao Yan's chest to stab him.
"Good, come on."
Xiao Yan roared, his eyes filled with surging battle intent. He had been worried she would kite him with her agility, but now that she was closing in, it was exactly what he wanted.
I'm best at close combat.
He dodged Nalan Yanran's sword tip with a sidestep, while also gathering Dou Qi in his hand to strike at Nalan Yanran.
Nalan Yanran retracted her longsword to block, then unleashed five spiraling sword auras. Xiao Yan used his Heavenly Flames and Dou Qi armor to defend.
Nalan Yanran also realized that Xiao Yan was better suited for close combat and wanted to create distance, but Xiao Yan would not let her have her way.
His hands, arms, elbows, legs, head, and every other part of his body became terrifying killing weapons, giving her no chance to get away from him.
As their battle intensified, fierce energy explosions constantly resounded across the square from the clash of their Dou Qi.
The two transformed into two streaks of light, continuously clashing. Nalan Yanran, who was not adept at close combat, gradually fell into a disadvantage.
Nalan Yanran finally took one of Xiao Yan's attacks head-on, her body rapidly retreating.
"Xiao Yan, let's decide this in one move."
Nalan Yanran, her robes slightly disheveled and battered, spoke to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan's clothes and body also bore many sword marks from a distance.
"As you wish."
Nalan Yanran's body began to float upward, without the aid of any propelling force or wings.
Her longsword pointed diagonally at Xiao Yan in the air. The longsword trembled, and the sunlight from the sky continuously converged toward it.
The light intensified, a dazzling radiance, like a second sun in the sky.
Xiao Yan also summoned the Green Lotus Core Flame and once again swallowed a pill. A purple flame emerged from his mouth.
With green flames in his left hand and purple flames in his right, Xiao Yan's two hands gradually drew closer, and the two-colored flames in his hands continuously began to merge.
Their gazes met, and if nothing unexpected happened, something unexpected did happen.
Looking at each other's movements and techniques, their expressions froze, and they looked at each other in mutual shock.
"Yan Xiao?"
"Lan Na?"
The two muttered each other's names a few times, realizing the crucial point.
Nalan Yanran's expression constantly changed, at times surprised, at times complex, as she bit her red lips tightly.
The only peer of the opposite sex who had gone through life and death with her, whom she admired and respected for so many years, was actually the young man she had regarded as a good-for-nothing and whose dignity she had trampled years ago.
Xiao Yan's face was also very grim. He thought back to those days in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, that gentle and resolute woman who had shared life and death with him, never leaving his side, and who was also the 'white moonlight' in his heart, for whom he held considerable affection.
She was actually the so-called fiancée who had once trampled his dignity.
Both their minds were as muddled as paste.
Just as the two were stunned, the power they had been accumulating in their hands was complete. A fierce sword qi, as if descending from the sky, overwhelmingly shot toward Xiao Yan.
The palm-sized purplish-green Fire Lotus in Xiao Yan's hand also instantly left his palm, trailing a long tail, like a meteor heading toward the sword light.
Snapping back to reality, the two instinctively tried to grab the sword light and the Fire Lotus. However, with their current strength, unleashing these two attacks was already extremely difficult, so how could they possibly retract them?
Both sides could only watch helplessly as their attacks flew toward each other's attacks.
"No…"
The two almost simultaneously cried out. Everyone thought it was a shout of uncertainty, overlooking the slight hint of sadness within.
The sword light and the Fire Lotus collided rapidly, like a cosmic impact, emitting a thunderous roar that made people's hearts tremble with fear.
At the point of impact, even the ethereal air was blurred and distorted by the powerful energy collision.
Energy ripples continuously spread out, crashing against the energy shield formed by the Cloud Mist Sect disciples. Some weaker disciples, unable to withstand it, spat out a mouthful of blood.
Yun Yun's figure shot out from her seat, reaching out to channel Dou Qi into the energy shield. Subsequently, a purple Dou Qi also shot onto the shield from behind her.
Under the enhancement of Yun Yun's Dou Qi and the purple energy, the energy shield instantly became impenetrable.
Yun Yun turned to give Little Doctor Immortal a grateful look.
Little Doctor Immortal smiled and gently nodded.
Good sisters, for a lifetime—no, for a lifetime. If you're in trouble, I'll definitely help.
Above the sky, where vision was obscured by the blinding light of the explosion, Nalan Yanran, who was constantly dodging the waves of energy shockwaves, was hit by an energy impact after dodging a dozen or so due to exhaustion and immediately spat blood as she flew backward.
A second wave of energy also surged toward her pale face.
Because Xiao Yan's strength, with Xiao Jietian's help, had advanced further to Two-Star Great Dou Master this time, the power unleashed was naturally even greater.
Yun Yun, who was maintaining the energy shield in the distance, anxiously flapped her wings to rush over.
Nalan Yanran no longer had any reserve strength to resist and could only watch helplessly as the energy impact struck her. What appeared in her mind was not bidding farewell to loved ones, but rather scenes from the Magical Beast Mountain Range and the past few days.
After an energy explosion sounded.
Nalan Yanran, who had closed her eyes awaiting death, felt herself being embraced by a pair of hands as her body fell.