"Nalan Yanran, let's fight with all we've got!"
All eyes turned to Xiao Yan, whose black-and-white Fighting Energy Armor was particularly striking.
"If I remember correctly, he's only seventeen this year. A Dou Grand Master at seventeen—his talent is even more terrifying than Chen Mo's!" Jia Xingtian had thought his worldview couldn't be further shaken after Chen Mo, but Xiao Yan's appearance once again made him feel like a frog at the bottom of a well.
"It's downright horrifying," Fa Ma muttered in astonishment. While Chen Mo and Nalan Yanran had the backing of the Yunlan Sect for their cultivation, Xiao Yan, a seemingly backgroundless kid, had not only caught up to them but surpassed them.
The elders and Yun Yun, however, showed no change in expression. Aside from a slight surprise at the Strange Fire, everything else was within their expectations.
"This so-called three-year agreement is getting more and more intriguing."
Everyone's thoughts were complex.
"Sigh!"
Human emotions are complicated. Nalan Jie had gradually forgotten about the marriage agreement with the Xiao family due to Chen Mo's rise and Nalan Yanran's closeness to him. But the strength Xiao Yan displayed today rekindled those buried thoughts.
"Let's fight!"
Nalan Yanran's expression was grave. She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on her sword, and a surge of Azure Dou Qi erupted from her body, covering her entirely. In an instant, the Dou Qi dissipated, leaving behind a delicate, azure Fighting Energy Armor that clung to her graceful figure.
This time, Nalan Yanran took the initiative to attack. One after another, sharp sword qi shot out from her blade, tearing through the air toward Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan, holding the Mystic Heavy Ruler, felt an endless surge of energy within him. Without dodging, he swung the ruler a few times, dispersing the sharp sword qi.
"Nalan Yanran, you know this kind of trick won't work on me. Let's settle this in one move!"
Xiao Yan's true target wasn't Nalan Yanran, so he didn't have time to waste on her.
Xiao Yan slightly raised his eyes, lifting the Mystic Heavy Ruler above his head. A vast amount of heaven and earth energy poured into the ruler like a tidal wave, and the surrounding air became turbulent.
The astonishing aura caused the faces of those around to change.
"That's an Earth Rank Dou Skill!" Jia Xingtian exclaimed in shock. The entire Jia Ma Empire didn't possess an Earth Rank Dou Skill, yet here they were, witnessing one in the hands of a junior.
Among the elders on the high platform, a few had a glint of fervor in their eyes, and a voice in their hearts grew louder: they absolutely couldn't let him leave.
On the battlefield, Nalan Yanran sighed and slowly closed her eyes. Moments later, her body began to float upward without any external force or wings.
As her body ascended, the heaven and earth energy around her began to split from Xiao Yan's side, flowing into Nalan Yanran's body. The air around her rippled in concentric circles.
"That girl is a bit strange. She's actually able to steal heaven and earth energy from you," Yao Lao's low voice reached Xiao Yan's ears.
"If that's the case, then let's add some spice to this move!" Xiao Yan coldly shouted, and a black-and-white flame surged from his hands into the ruler.
"Flame Partition Wave Engulfing Ruler!"
"Pinnacle of Wind, Sunset Radiance!"
On Nalan Yanran's side, the momentum had been fully accumulated. Her long sword was tilted, pointing at Xiao Yan below, and the sword's radiance surged like a blazing sun.
"It's time to decide the winner!"
Yun Yun murmured softly as two violent bursts of celestial energy collided.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed across the summit of Cloud Mist Mountain.
After the explosion, the energy collision, which erupted like a volcanic eruption, formed a shockwave that swept towards the two combatants and the plaza behind them.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
One after another, energy shields condensed around the disciples. However, when the shockwave hit, the shields couldn't withstand even a moment before shattering into pieces.
"Pfft!"
After the energy shields broke, the shockwave struck everyone like a mountain pressing down, turning their faces pale and causing blood to gush from their mouths.
"Form the array!" Yun Yun descended swiftly, condensing an energy wall in front of everyone.
"Yes!" Hearing the sect master's command, nearly a thousand Yunlan Sect disciples responded in unison. In an instant, bursts of Dou Qi of various colors surged from their bodies, converging above them to form an indestructible energy array that blocked the devastating shockwave.
Many powerful figures watched the terrifying energy shockwave with calm expressions, as it couldn't harm them.
But to ensure their hairstyles remained intact, they still condensed energy shields for protection.
The sturdy plaza began to tremble under the impact of the shockwave, with cracks slowly appearing and spreading outward.
Xiao Yan looked down, frowned, and with a sudden movement, a pair of purple wings about a meter long shot out from his back. His body rapidly ascended to a certain height, evading the shockwave.
"Impressive! This kid has quite a few treasures, even a Flight Dou Skill," Jia Xingtian remarked, his eyes gleaming with envy.
"Even if he wins today, I doubt he'll be able to leave Yunlan Sect," Fa Ma whispered.
Jia Xingtian was startled but then realized that if it were the royal family in this situation, regardless of the outcome, they would never let Xiao Yan go.
On the battlefield, Nalan Yanran wasn't as fortunate. Her body swayed like a lone boat on the sea, struggling to dodge the shockwave.
Xiao Yan looked down at Nalan Yanran, who was having a hard time evading, and said solemnly, "Nalan Yanran, this battle is mine to win!"
The purple clouds behind him slightly contracted, and his entire body shot down like a spear, with surging Dou Qi covering his palm as he struck her back.
Nalan Yanran felt a sweet taste in her throat, and a stream of blood slid down the corner of her mouth. Gazing at the figure so close to her, she murmured, "Xiao Yan, do you know? Even if I could start over, I would still go to Wutan City."
"My life can only be decided by myself."
After saying this, Nalan Yanran closed her eyes, falling like a blood-stained feather.
"I never said you were wrong for breaking off the engagement, but you chose the wrong way to do it," Xiao Yan said indifferently. Then, with a sudden movement, he landed before Nalan Yanran.
Yun Yun caught Nalan Yanran just before she hit the ground.
Xiao Yan raised his head, his calm gaze sweeping across the room. He then took out a piece of white paper that had been folded several times from his pocket and, with a burst of energy, threw it in front of Nalan Yanran. His voice rang out clearly, "From this day forward, Xiao Yan of the Xiao family and Nalan Yanran of the Nalan family shall have no further ties."
"Next, it's time to settle another matter!" Xiao Yan turned his head, looking towards Chen Mo on the high platform, and said in a deep voice, "Chen Mo, come down here and face your death!"