A clear, resonant sword cry echoed across the heavens, and then, within mere breaths, a rainbow-like sword flash surged forth from the rear mountains of Yunlan Sect, materializing above the once-chaotic plaza. As the glow faded, a figure emerged—dressed in a deep indigo robe, her three thousand strands of dark green hair flowing smoothly over her shoulders, cascading down her broad waist to just above her graceful hips. Her brows were finely drawn, her skin as pure as snow, and though slightly slender, her delicate features formed a perfect, harmonious contour, earning an unspoken admiration from onlookers—what a beautiful girl indeed. Gazing at the woman, who now seemed more mature than she had a few years ago, Yun Yun was overjoyed. Upon hearing her name, it became clear that this woman was Lan Yanran—the one deeply connected to Xiao Yan! The dual aura wings behind her gently fluttered, and Lan Yanran swiftly moved to stand beside Yun Yun, her gaze sweeping the surroundings before furrowing her brows slightly. "Master," she asked, "what has happened at Yunlan Sect?" Upon hearing this, Yun Yun's warm smile softened slightly, and she clenched her jade hands tightly, her voice now tinged with sorrow. "Yanran... Yunlan Sect... I fear it's all over." Lan Yanran's body trembled slightly, sensing the gravity of the situation. Her eyes quickly scanned the plaza, and then suddenly narrowed as they settled on the towering mountain of clouds and the elderly sect elders who had lost all life in their bodies. A wave of shock washed over her, and she bit down hard on her silver teeth, gasping, "Who... who could have done this?" As Lan Yanran spoke, her gaze shifted toward the sky. Then, suddenly, she went rigid, her eyes slowly rising with a touch of disbelief, finally settling on the face streaked with blood. "You... you're Xiao Yan?! How is it that you're here?" Though the face was obscured by blood, Lan Yanran instantly recognized him, and could not help but exclaim. "It's surprising after all these years, you've reached this level too..." Xiao Yan stared at Nalan Yan, slightly astonished. He could sense that the latter now stood at the pinnacle of the Battle King rank, and from the subtle fluctuations in her aura, there was even a clear indication that she might soon ascend to Battle Emperor status. This indeed made him marvel—having devoted three years of rigorous cultivation, and even with the aid of the fallen heart flame, he had only just reached this point. How remarkable for this woman... "Though her internal qi is robust, it doesn't truly belong to her; rather, it seems as though she has inherited certain powers. Only once she fully integrates and refines these forces will she be able to command them perfectly. This must be a tradition from Yunlan Sect—she's certainly fortunate." By the side, the elderly pharmacist shook his head slowly, speaking with his seasoned insight clearly revealing the subtle nuances within Nalan Yan's body. Hearing the old doctor's words, Xiao Yan finally exhaled, relieved. No matter how much he had grown, he still harbored a quiet sense of rivalry toward the woman who once nearly became his wife. "Indeed, it's your doing with Yunlan Sect?" Slowly regaining composure from her astonishment, Nalan Yanran seemed to grasp the point, her slender finger pointing downward, and exclaimed angrily, "Xiao Yan, if you have something to say, come straight to me. Why go to the trouble of creating trouble with Yunlan Sect? Those matters from years ago have long since been settled—yet you still haven't forgotten them? Are you still a man?" "It has nothing to do with you. You don't need to take it all on yourself. You lack both the qualification and the ability..." Glancing at Nalan Yanran's furious expression, Xiao Yan spoke with a calm, detached tone. "Yunlan Sect caused my father to vanish, left my elder brother paralyzed, and even nearly wiped out my entire family—leaving not a single relative behind. Such deep wounds of blood and honor—do you expect me to treat them as if I were a saint, forgiving everything and forgetting them entirely? If Hearing Xiao Yan's cold, emotionless voice, Nalan Yan's delicate features subtly changed, and she spoke firmly, "Nonsense! With our Yunlan Sect's standing in the Jima Empire, how could we possibly treat the Xiao family in such a manner?" "Your teacher is right beside you—why don't you ask him? Only then would you truly know what noble deeds your Yunlan Sect has actually accomplished in recent years," Xiao Yan scoffed, shaking his head. Upon hearing this, Nalan Yan quickly turned her gaze toward Yun Yun beside her, who, in turn, turned pale and shifted her eyes away, gritting her teeth and gasping, "I've been confined here for years—those things... were all due to my senior teacher's momentary oversight." Hearing Yun Yun's indirect admission, Nalan Yan felt a sudden dizziness. What had truly happened to the Yunlan Sect in these years? Given its lofty status, how could it have resorted to such crude, bandit-like actions? "Your former master had already been defeated by Xiao Yan, yet ultimately, this demon forcibly extracted his soul—along with the souls of several senior elders, who were completely consumed!" As she spoke, Yun Yun's delicate face flared with renewed anger, and she turned sharply to the guardian floating in the sky, clad in an eerie black armor, angrily addressing him. Although Yun Yun's statement that Yunshan had been defeated by Xiao Yan left Nalan Yanran deeply stunned, her gaze soon shifted to the mysterious figure in the sky. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her expression gradually grew serious—she could clearly sense that this enigmatic figure possessed an extraordinarily formidable power. "Master, what exactly happened?" "I'll tell you all about it later. For now, I must first avenge the senior elders whose souls have been devoured by this demon!" "Yun Yun waved her hand, then her expression quickly turned cold. She glanced at the white mist rising from the bodies of the Yunlan Sect disciples, then turned to Nalan Yanran and said solemnly, 'Yanran, take charge of the array!' 'Yes!' Though just upon regaining consciousness, she had encountered this unexpected turn of events and had been somewhat at a loss, she immediately chose to follow Yun Yun's instructions. Seeing Nalan Yanran nod, Yun Yun didn't hesitate. With a gesture of her hand, the countless white energy mists spreading below swiftly rose and coalesced around her, forming a sea of clouds. As she stood within this sea of clouds, she extended her slender hand, and the remaining three senior elders of the Yunlan Sect swiftly moved upward, appearing within the cloud sea. With a sweeping motion of their palms, the white mist rippled vigorously, sending out powerful waves of energy. 'Clouds veiling the sun array!' "A cold voice issued from Yun Yun's lips, and immediately the cloud sea rippled, coalescing into a colossal energy sword several dozen paces long. Intricate, mysterious cloud patterns adorned the sword's surface. As the sword trembled slightly, the immense energy within it caused the space around it to ripple. "Demon, meet your end!" With a firm grip, the jade hand struck hard against the hilt, propelling the sword straight toward the sky-bound Wu protector. "Hah! With just this broken array, you expect to defeat me? You're utterly out of your depth!" The Wu protector, unimpressed by the sword's fierce blade, shook his head disdainfully before offering a cold smile. With a swift motion of his sleeve, an eerie black mist surged forth from within, completely enveloping the great sword. The black mist seemed to possess an exceptionally strong corrosive power. Upon making contact with the cloud-colored great sword, it swiftly eroded and dissipated the vast energy contained within it. Under the relentless assault of this strange black vapor, Yun Yun lost her connection to the sword and could only watch helplessly as it gradually faded, eventually vanishing entirely. The powerful strike that had凝聚d the strength of numerous elite warriors from Yunlan Sect proved utterly ineffective against the current Wu Protector! The attack fell completely flat, and Yun Yun, along with Nalan Yanran and the others, exchanged slightly concerned glances. The Wu Protector's strength far exceeded their expectations. "Damn it!" Yun Yun gritted her teeth in frustration, refusing to give up. With a swift gesture of her hand seal, the sea of clouds surged once more. "Like a bothersome fly! Upon seeing Yun Yun launch another attack, the Wu Protector's expression darkened. Having intervened so repeatedly, Yun Yun had indeed begun to wear on him. With a cold, low command, an exceptionally dark and powerful energy surged suddenly from within him, coalescing in the heavens into a massive black hand stretching over ten zhang in width. This colossal hand then slammed down squarely toward the direction of the cloud sea. "Crack!" The black energy palm struck with remarkable speed, appearing at the heads of Yun Yun and his companions within the span of a single blink, then crashing down with tremendous force. The surge of energy unleashed instantly shattered the cloud sea, which had been held together by the condensed qi of the Yunlan Sect disciples. A sharp sound of tearing followed—when the cloud sea broke, the disciples below were also affected, most of them turning pale and spitting out blood involuntarily. Yun Yun and others swiftly retreated through the sky, only stabilizing after a moment, their faces pale with dismay—never having expected such formidable strength from this opponent, who easily outmatched even their combined efforts. "Today, it truly seems the heavens have forsaken our Yunlan Sect..." A bitter taste lingered at the corner of her mouth, her eyes filled with a sense of defeat.