Staring at the young face, warm with a gentle smile, Moon Mei felt a slight sense of astonishment. For some reason, she always found this face familiar, yet couldn't quite recall if she had actually seen it before. "Are you from the Jamara Empire?" Moon Mei asked, her eyes scanning the young man in the black robe, a touch of caution in her tone. With a slight hesitation, she accepted the pill. For a brief moment, Moon Mei struggled within herself, then bit down firmly on her silver teeth, swallowing it whole. As the pill entered her body, a warm medicinal energy immediately spread throughout her limbs and bones, driving away much of the weakness that had plagued her. Feeling the transformation within, she finally felt at ease. She looked up at the black-robed young man and offered him a gentle, friendly smile. "Thank you. I'm Moon Mei, from the Serpent Clan." Seeing the once-resolute, fierce female serpent who had initially clung to her resolve to drag her back as a male servant now displaying such a soft and kind smile, Xiao Yan found himself slightly amused. He then turned his gaze toward the two middle-aged men, whose expressions had been unusually stern since his arrival. "Be careful—these two are strong members of the Golden Crane Sect of the Luoyan Empire. Both are at the Battle King level; don't underestimate them." With the power of the elixir, Yue Mei had regained a little strength. Her serpentine tail flicked, her body straightened, and her cold serpent eyes fixed upon the two across from her. "The Golden Crane Sect?" Her brow slightly arched, and Xiao Yan nodded silently. "Friend, the road splits ahead—each of us follows our own path. I urge you not to interfere. Otherwise, you might find yourself losing not just your own life, but even your very existence." The middle-aged man with a gloomy expression locked his gaze steadily on Xiao Yan, speaking slowly. Now that Xiao Yan had officially ascended to the Duke of the Realm rank, these two could not perceive his true strength. Yet, the way Xiao Yan had defused their joint attack earlier clearly demonstrated that he was no mere novice—thus, a subtle sense of caution had taken root in their minds, and they had not yet moved to strike. Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan smiled, his stance before Yue Mei remaining unchanged. Though he said nothing, his actions clearly conveyed his intentions to the two powerful members of the Golden Crane Sect. "Hehe, you people from the Kamara Empire truly are quite enthusiastic—I genuinely admire that. But since you've insisted on getting involved, well, that's just bad luck for you!" The middle-aged man, who introduced himself as Jin Zheng, shook his head with a cold, frosty expression spreading across his eyes, then turned to his companion and said firmly, "Let's strike together and eliminate them!" The companion nodded with a sardonic smile. With their combined strength, they were considered regional powerhouses even within the Luoyan Empire. Over the course of their recent battles against Kamara, they had, by sheer fortune, encountered only a few notable opponents—aside from a few renowned champions from the Yan Alliance—so they had begun to view Kamara with a certain sense of underestimation. As soon as they spoke, brilliant golden light surged forth from their bodies, swirling fiercely around them, leaving deep, scar-like grooves on the ground. Moon Mei, standing behind Xiao Yan, felt her cheeks slightly flush upon observing the two fighters' actions. Though she could already sense that the young man before her was likely strong, it would surely be a considerable risk for him to face two well-coordinated Dou Wang-level warriors. "I'll intercept one of them momentarily," she said, biting her silver teeth slightly and speaking firmly to Xiao Yan. "If you manage to defeat the other, go ahead and strike as much as you like—after all, I can only hold my ground for a relatively short time." Jin Zheng chuckled, grasped his palm, and a weapon of somewhat unusual shape appeared in his hands. It resembled a golden ring, yet its edges were studded with sharp, sharp spines, each glowing with a faint purple hue—clearly laced with a potent toxin. After drawing this weapon, his companion also produced an identical one. "Be careful," said Yue Mei, her face slightly pale as she observed the two weapons. "This is the exclusive weapon of Jin Yan Sect—the Yan Ling Ring. It's both agile and deadly, and when combined with their martial techniques, its power becomes even greater." With a sly, calculating smile, Jin Zheng glanced at his companion and gave him a signal. Instantly, the two of them diverged—one launched a fierce assault toward Xiao Yan, while the other swiftly moved to strike at Yue Mei, who stood behind him. Xiao Yan gazed steadily at the two figures swiftly approaching, his expression calm and undisturbed. Though merely Dou Wangs, even before he had ascended to Dou Huang, he could have easily defeated them—let alone now? Yue Mei observed the Dou Wang from Jin Yan Sect approaching from the side, her expression instantly cooling. She clenched her palm, and a sharp, long sword appeared in her grasp. As she prepared to move, her snowy-white wrist was suddenly grasped by another hand. Startled by the sudden hold, Yue Mei was momentarily stunned—before Xiao Yan pulled her close beside him. She looked up, just in time to catch a cold, composed smile flicker across the young man's face. Jin Zheng and the other two members exchanged a cold, frosty smile at Xiao Yan's protective gesture, then suddenly accelerated their pace. With the Yanling Ring in their hands, the golden light radiated off the rings, casting an impressive, chilling glow. "Fire Ring Burst!" Just as the two figures were about to surge into a distance of one zhang around Xiao Yan, the latter moved his lips and suddenly emitted a cold voice. With the cold command, a circular ring of emerald-green flame erupted instantly at Xiao Yan's center, spreading out like lightning. Within a single blink, it struck the bodies of Jin Zheng and the other man with powerful force, sending a loud explosion resonating across the plain. Plush! The impact of the flame ring caused the two charging figures to stiffen, then recoil in a most awkward manner, flying backward until they came to rest on the ground, leaving a trail of over ten meters. They gasped, spitting out blood, and looked up in sheer astonishment at the smiling young man in black robes. They could never have imagined that with just a single strike, they would suffer such a devastating defeat. Their eyes widened, intersecting across the distance as if they had just realized something profound. Instantly, cold sweat beaded on their foreheads, and their voices, hoarse with disbelief, carried a hint of incredulity: "A Grand Emperor-level powerhouse?" As they uttered these four words, a deep sense of absurdity surged within them. The young man before them appeared no older than twenty. If he were merely a Grand Master-level strength, they might have been able to accept it with some difficulty. But to claim he was a Grand Emperor-level powerhouse—how astonishing! Despite the turmoil swirling within their minds, the overwhelming energy radiating from that fiery ring was undeniably a feat only a Grand Emperor-level warrior could command. Hah! Hah! Just as Yue Mei was stunned, two deep, resonant sounds suddenly echoed. When she lifted her head, she saw Jin Zheng and the other two figures scattering wildly, fleeing in all directions. "Chase them! Don't let them get away!" Yue Mei urged, only to find, as soon as her words fell, that Xiao Yan had vanished completely from her sight. "This speed..." She wiped a cold sweat from her forehead. Her heart raced. Fortunately, he was a top-tier warrior from the Jima Empire; otherwise, with such speed, only the Queen herself might have matched him. As Yue Mei wiped her brow, two figures plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground. Looking down, she saw the two Jin Yan Sect warriors who had just been fleeing—now clearly lifeless. "Indeed, he's moving quite swiftly..." Xiao Yan's figure also flashed down from the sky, casually kicking the body before him, and spoke with calm indifference. Staring intently at the two who had split their retreats only to end up in this manner, Yue Mei glanced again at Xiao Yan, who was now walking steadily and composedly. Her brow grew damp with cold sweat—this man's strength was absolutely beyond the peak-level Emperor-tier warriors of the In Flame Alliance! "I wonder if I may ask your name?" After a few internal thoughts, Yue Mei finally asked cautiously. Seeing her careful demeanor, Xiao Yan couldn't help but smile, a touch of amusement playing at the corner of his lips. "Liaison Commander Yue Mei, haven't you forgotten the young, rather clumsy suitor who, during the desert season, accidentally caught a glimpse of you bathing and was then chased all the way for a thousand miles?" Upon hearing this, Yue Mei suddenly recalled the scene from that desert season, and as she gazed upon the face that seemed so familiar, her alluring serpent-like eyes widened in surprise. Is it you?!