"I already said I would return on my own. Why did all of you have to come all this way?"
Xun'er's voice was cold—frost clinging to every syllable. Ling Quan and his entourage had interrupted her time with Tian Ge. That alone was enough to earn her displeasure.
Ling Quan smiled faintly, unperturbed. "The clan elders issued the order. We merely obey."
Then his gaze shifted to Xiao Jietian. His smile remained, but something flickered beneath it.
"You must be Young Master Xiao Jietian of the Xiao family." A pause. "The clan elders instructed that should we encounter any member of the Xiao family, we are to inquire about the key's whereabouts."
His tone was pleasant, almost conversational.
"Might I ask where the key is?"
Beside him, Xun'er tensed almost imperceptibly. Her gaze flickered to Xiao Jietian—then away, concealing her reaction.
Xiao Jietian's brow furrowed in genuine confusion.
"Key? What key?"
Ling Quan studied his expression. He truly doesn't know. Or perhaps the Xiao family's collapse has left him ignorant of its significance.
Either way, it mattered little.
Before he could press further, Xun'er's frosty voice cut through the air.
"I have spent years within the Xiao family and have never found this so-called key." Her tone was sharp, dismissive. "Do you truly believe you could simply arrive and succeed where I have not? Wishful thinking."
Ling Quan's smile didn't waver.
"It matters not. My primary mission is to escort Miss back to the clan." He stepped aside, gesturing respectfully toward the waiting beast. "The clan elders miss Miss Xun'er dearly."
Xiao Jietian's arm moved.
It wrapped around Xun'er's waist and pulled her firmly against him.
Ling Quan's expression darkened instantly.
Both Xiao Jietian and Xun'er felt the faint ripple of Dou Qi—suppressed, but present.
Neither acknowledged it.
Xiao Jietian buried his face in Xun'er's hair, inhaling deeply. Her scent. Her warmth.
His voice was a low murmur against her ear.
"Cultivate well in the Gu clan. I will come for you soon."
A pause.
"No one will stop me."
The words were soft. But beneath them lay an unshakable resolve—iron wrapped in silk.
Xun'er nodded slowly. Her heart, heavy with impending separation, now carried something else.
Hope.
Certainty.
"I will wait for you."
A pause.
Then, quieter—almost a whisper—her tone shifted. A hint of reproach, of mock severity.
"But while I'm away… restrain yourself. Otherwise, don't blame me if I ignore you."
Her voice softened further, barely audible.
"Once I reach Dou Sheng… we can…"
Xiao Jietian's fingers traced her waist. A mischievous smile curved his lips.
"Can… what?"
"Oh, Tian Ge!" She stomped on his foot—hard. Her cheeks flushed. "You're so naughty!"
She pushed away from him.
Golden wings unfurled behind her. With a single, graceful flap, her delicate figure rose into the air and landed steadily upon the back of a waiting beast.
The beast spread its wings.
Xun'er soared into the distant sky.
Behind her, the Black Annihilation Army followed in formation—a dark escort for their departing princess.
"Xun'er!"
His voice carried across the wind.
"Wait for me!"
From afar, her voice floated back—clear, unwavering, filled with faith.
"Tian Ge… Xun'er will wait for you. Forever!"
The echoes faded.
Xiao Jietian's gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon long after she had disappeared from sight.
Then he turned.
Ling Quan still stood there.
One eyebrow rose. His tone was casual, almost bored.
"What, Deputy Commander Ling Quan? Still here?"
Ling Quan's perpetual smile finally cracked.
His expression shifted—pleasantness stripped away, revealing something cold and hard beneath.
"There's no hurry."
His voice was no longer courteous. His eyes fixed on Xiao Jietian with undisguised hostility.
"With your current background and strength… you are unworthy of Miss."
Each word was deliberate. Cutting.
"Your Xiao family is now like a stray dog—your bloodline depleted, your glory crumbled. The true powerhouses of this continent are the only ones worthy of Miss. And you…"
"SLAP!"
The sound echoed across the mountain peak.
Ling Quan's body was sent flying, tumbling through the air before he managed to stabilize himself several metres away.
A vivid red handprint bloomed across his cheek.
Xiao Jietian shook out his hand.
"Watch your tongue." His voice was calm. Conversational. "If you don't know how to speak, I can teach you. Free of charge."
A pause.
"And whether I am worthy or not is not for you to decide. At the very least, in my eyes…"
His gaze swept over Ling Quan—dismissive, contemptuous.
"…You are no different from trash."
Ling Quan's face contorted.
Shock. Fury. Humiliation.
He, who had always been proud, who had never suffered such disgrace—wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
Fire-attributed Dou Qi erupted from his body. The aura of a Six-Star Dou Emperor surged outward like a tidal wave.
"With Miss protecting you, I won't kill you."
His voice was ice wrapped in flame.
"But I will give you a lesson you will never forget. You will learn to behave. I will become your nightmare."
Killing intent blazed in his eyes.
Xiao Jietian's lips curved.
"Oh? I'd very much like to see that."
Five Elements Thunder God Body—Activate.
His aura surged.
Four-Star Dou Emperor.
Five-Star.
Six-Star.
Seven-Star.
Ling Quan's expression froze.
Impossible.
The Xiao bloodline is depleted. Their clan has crumbled. How could someone of such talent emerge from their ruins?
This is impossible.
A four-coloured lightning halberd materialized in Xiao Jietian's grip. Terrifying arcs of electricity pulsed along its shaft, crackling with destructive energy.
His gaze fixed on Ling Quan—piercing, indifferent.
World Loses Colour.
The world shifted.
Colour drained. Sound muted. Movement slowed.
Ling Quan found himself trapped—his body sluggish, his thoughts sluggish, everything around him reduced to monochrome stillness.
What… what is this?!
He struggled frantically against the invisible restraints.
"Void Breaker!"
Xiao Jietian swung his halberd.
A crescent of energy—blinding, devastating—hurtled toward Ling Quan.
At the last possible moment, Ling Quan shattered the restraint. But too late.
The slash struck.
His hastily condensed defence shattered like glass. The crescent slammed into his chest, sending him hurtling backward.
He crashed to the ground, struggled to rise.
"…Impossible."
His voice was hoarse. Disbelieving.
"This… this is impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Far away, Xun'er felt it.
The surge of power. The clash of auras.
She recognized both.
Her brow furrowed slightly.