Looking at the beautiful figure below, a trace of astonishment appeared in Gu Yao's cold eyes.
"Xun'er really is the most perfect!"
At the end of his gaze stood a young woman dressed in a light cyan dress. Her three thousand strands of black hair were casually tied up, cascading down past her slender waist. Her ethereal and otherworldly beauty was so breathtaking that even the surrounding world seemed to lose its luster.
Such a woman, blessed by the heavens and endowed with extraordinary beauty and intelligence, would be a dazzling star wherever she went.
Gu Yao took a step forward. His figure blurred before instantly disappearing into the air.
In the next moment, he was already standing straight before Xun'er, quietly gazing at her.
"Xun'er, it's time to return to the clan!"
Gu Yao had always been cold and aloof, but at this moment, his tone was exceptionally gentle.
The instant his voice fell, a series of sounds tore through the air.
Dozens of black figures descended from the sky, landing directly before Xun'er.
Gu Zhen and Ling Quan stood on either side, respectfully cupping their fists toward Xun'er.
"Black Annihilation Army Deputy Commanders, Gu Zhen and Ling Quan, pay our respects to the young lady. We have come under the orders of the Clan Ancestor to respectfully escort the young lady back to the clan!"
"Respectfully escort the young lady back to the clan!"
Dozens of Black Annihilation Army soldiers radiating powerful auras shouted in unison.
Their immense voices merged into one, sweeping outward like a thunderclap.
Such an astonishing display immediately attracted the attention of everyone in Jia Nan Academy.
"Isn't that Junior Sister Xun'er?"
"Those black-clad people. They're so powerful. Every single one of them is at least a Dou King. Especially those people in front. Am I seeing this correctly? They're bowing before Junior Sister Xun'er. Just what kind of identity does she have?"
"Xiao Yan really is something to be envied."
"Tsk, tsk. Who would have thought? Not only did we get to see the legendary Seventh-Grade Pill and Pill lightning today, but we also get to witness such an astonishing display!"
The discussions of the crowd naturally reached the ears of Xun'er and the three men led by Gu Yao.
A trace of satisfaction flashed through Gu Zhen's eyes.
This effect could be considered exactly as he had expected.
His deliberate preparations for this scene had not been in vain, nor had it been pointless to wait until the thunderclouds dispersed before deliberately bringing everyone over as though they had only just discovered the presence of Young Lady Xun'er.
How could the Black Annihilation Army's grand display when welcoming the Imperial Daughter of the Gu Clan be overshadowed by something as trivial as a bout of pill lightning?
Moreover looking at Gu Xun'er, a meaningful look flashed through Gu Zhen's respectful eyes.
He thought inwardly, "Young Lady, you should understand why I arranged for everyone to do this. Please don't create any more complications."
"Are you trying to eliminate the possibility of me continuing to stay here?"
Gu Xun'er thought to herself.
Once such a grand display and such formal etiquette had been revealed, her presence had already attracted far too much attention.
It was now impossible for her to continue staying in Jia Nan Academy.
Rather than confronting her directly, they had concealed their sharpness beneath gentleness.
This way of handling matters.
Gu Xun'er slightly raised her brows.
Her gaze passed over Gu Yao and landed on Gu Zhen, catching the meaningful look in his eyes.
She thought inwardly, "Just as the rumors described. He is steady and composed in character, cautious in his actions, yet still capable of adapting when necessary."
Meanwhile, Gu Yao and Ling Quan keenly caught the repeated mention of the name "Xiao Yan" from the surrounding discussions.
Their expressions immediately darkened.
"Damnable ant."
A sharp glint flashed through Gu Yao's eyes.
His spiritual perception spread outward as he attempted to locate Xiao Yan.
From the fragments of conversation he had just overheard from the academy's students, the relationship between Xun'er and that boy from a fallen clan was deeper than he had imagined.
If that was the case, then some matters needed to be dealt with.
Seeing this, Gu Xun'er's expression immediately tightened.
She hurriedly said, "I was just thinking the same thing. Let's depart and return immediately!"
"Xun'er, there's no need to hurry. I still have some matters to take care of. Xiao Yan... he's over there, isn't he?"
Gu Yao slightly raised his eyes toward the direction of Pan Gate.
"Wait for me for a moment. I'll go deal with something."
Hearing this, Gu Xun'er's expression immediately changed.
Concern had caused her to lose her composure, and she instinctively shouted in a low voice, "Gu Yao, what are you trying to do? Don't act recklessly!"
Seeing Xun'er's reaction, the icy chill in Gu Yao's eyes became even more intense.
"Xiao Yan, hmph..."
Without saying another word, Gu Yao tapped his foot against the ground.
His figure instantly transformed into an icy-blue streak of light and shot toward the direction of Pan Gate.
Gu Xun'er hurriedly spread her golden flame wings and chased after Gu Yao.
"Wait! Don't be impulsive!"
Gu Zhen extended a hand, but it was already too late to stop him.
A trace of helplessness flashed through his eyes as he muttered, "Gu Yao is far too headstrong. Hopefully, he won't take things too far..."
After sighing, he and Ling Quan hurriedly followed.
"Damn it."
Seeing this, Su Qian's expression immediately changed.
He hurriedly prepared to head toward Pan Gate.
Gu Yao had made no attempt whatsoever to conceal his hostility toward Xiao Yan. It was difficult to guarantee that he would not make a move.
And directly attacking a student of Jia Nan Academy was undoubtedly a provocation against the academy.
If this matter were allowed to continue, how could the academy maintain its standing in the future?
At this moment, a clear voice reached Su Qian's ears.
"Great Elder, there's no need to worry. Leave the matter between the Gu Clan and Xiao Yan to me. I'll trouble you to handle things here."
A deep rumble of thunder sounded.
Lin Yuan's figure simultaneously vanished from the stone platform.
Inner Academy, Pan Gate
Xiao Yan took firm strides toward the direction of the central square.
After hearing the tremendous voices of the Black Annihilation Army, Xiao Yan had still decided to go over there.
Some of the pressure should not always be borne by Xun'er alone.
Even though his strength was still insufficient, what he needed to face should still be faced proactively.
"Little Yan, be careful."
Yao Lao's voice suddenly sounded in Xiao Yan's heart.
"Get the puppet ready. Someone filled with hostility is charging straight toward you."
Hearing this, Xiao Yan's heart immediately tightened.
Without any hesitation, he hurriedly connected his mind to the puppet inside his Storage Ring.
In the next instant, a figure surrounded by chilling cold appeared abruptly within Xiao Yan's line of sight.
The figure flashed repeatedly and, in the blink of an eye, appeared ten meters in front of Xiao Yan.
An incomparably icy aura surged toward him.
Under this strange coldness, Xiao Yan discovered that even the Dou Qi within his body was beginning to show signs of freezing.
With a thought, the Wind Fury Dragon Flame surged forth, desperately resisting the terrifying cold.
Xiao Yan looked toward the hostile newcomer.
"Who are you?"
His expression was as heavy as still water as he asked in a deep voice.
"There is no point in telling you, because you're about to die."
Gu Yao looked indifferently at Xiao Yan as though he were looking at an ant.
"Someone like you should never have appeared in Xun'er's glorious life."
"Disappear, ant from a fallen clan. If you have anyone to blame, blame yourself for overstepping your bounds."
As his voice fell, a strand of icy Dou Qi shot from his fingertip.
Carrying a fierce gust of force, it streaked toward Xiao Yan's throat.
Although it was merely a casual strike, it was absolutely not something Xiao Yan, who was only a Five-Star Dou Spirit, could resist.
Without some special means, Xiao Yan would have died on the spot.
However, Xiao Yan merely flicked his finger.
A silver-and-copper puppet flashed out and blocked him.
It immediately threw a punch.
The fierce force of its fist shattered the sharp strand of Dou Qi, while the remaining force continued toward Gu Yao.
Gu Yao raised his brows slightly.
With a casual wave of his sleeve, he effortlessly dispersed the fierce force of the punch.
Xiao Yan stared coldly at Gu Yao.
This man was not joking.
That previous strike had genuinely been intended to take his life.
Thinking of this, he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart and cautiously watched his opponent.
Gu Yao's gaze swept over Xun'er, who was flying toward them.
He coldly looked at the demon puppet and Xiao Yan.
"Puppet, Heavenly Flame, you certainly have quite a few interesting things on you."
"However, these external objects cannot save your life Die!"
Before his voice had even fallen, Gu Yao's figure vanished from Xiao Yan's sight like a ghost.
The instant his figure disappeared, a chill surged into Xiao Yan's heart.
His soul perception was exceptionally powerful among those of the same rank, yet he could not sense anything at all.
In the next instant, under Gu Xun'er's horrified gaze, a claw surrounded by chilling cold suddenly emerged from the void behind Xiao Yan.
Carrying a sharp force as cold as a blade, it ruthlessly reached for Xiao Yan's neck.
Judging from the terrifying force contained within that claw, if it struck, it could completely tear Xiao Yan's neck apart.
In that brief instant, Xiao Yan no longer had enough time to summon the demon puppet to rescue him.
As the "pilot," his reaction speed was currently the greatest weakness between him and the demon puppet.
Just as Xiao Yan appeared destined to die, a deep rumble of thunder suddenly sounded.
A figure dressed in green appeared beside Xiao Yan.
A palm wreathed in green flames cleverly seized the icy claw.
A wave of energy ripples erupted from the point where the two collided.
The force of the collision sent Xiao Yan flying backward toward Gu Xun'er.
While in midair, Xiao Yan hurriedly circulated the Fire Wind Step, dispersing the force acting upon his body before landing lightly dozens of meters away from the point of collision.
His body instinctively assumed a defensive stance as he stared solemnly at the two figures who had clashed.
Lin Yuan and Gu Yao.
Inside the Bone Flame Ring, Yao Lao let out a sigh of relief and dispersed the power he had gathered in his hand.
If Lin Yuan had arrived even a moment later, he would have personally intervened to save Xiao Yan.
On the other side, Gu Xun'er finally reunited with Xiao Yan.
Her golden flame wings fluttered once, and she lightly landed in front of Xiao Yan.
She extended her right arm to block him behind her, intending to protect him.
Gu Xun'er's familiar and natural movements caused the corners of Gu Zhen and Ling Quan's eyes to twitch.
Damn it.
The young lady really had feelings for this boy from a fallen clan.
Immediately afterward, everyone's gazes turned toward Lin Yuan and Gu Yao, who were currently facing one another.
"You came to visit Jia Nan Academy, yet you acted without restraint and attacked one of our students."
Lin Yuan calmly looked at Gu Yao.
"Friend from the Gu Clan, you certainly have impressive courage, but your manners leave something to be desired."
As his voice fell, a surge of Green Lotus Core Flame erupted from within his body.
The green flames wrapped around his arm and swept toward Gu Yao.
"Manners? Those are merely a crown prepared for the strong."
Gu Yao's eyes flashed with a trace of eagerness.
"Are you strong enough to deserve them?"
As he spoke, majestic Dou Qi roared out from within his body.
It transformed into an icy coldness that seemed capable of freezing one's very bones, winding upward along his arm as though it intended to freeze both Lin Yuan and the green flames along with him.
"Bang!"
Blazing heat and extreme cold, two completely opposite forces, swept outward in fierce waves.
The two figures were simultaneously blasted backward from the point of collision.
A flash of silver light appeared across Lin Yuan's body, and his figure instantly appeared in front of Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er.
Gu Yao stepped into the air. A circle of spatial ripples spread around him as his figure, like a ghost, landed in front of Gu Zhen and Ling Quan.
"Your movement technique is pretty good, but you still have plenty of room for improvement when it comes to controlling cold energy."
Lin Yuan chuckled lightly. Green flames surged, instantly evaporating the moisture in his palm.
"So, how about it? Do I qualify as a strong one now?"
Gu Yao's eyes narrowed slightly.
His palm was bright red, and the burning sensation made his expression even colder.
In that brief exchange, he had actually been at a disadvantage.
"Deputy Commander Gu Yao was actually injured?"
Ling Quan stared at Gu Yao's hand held behind his back, waves of shock surging through his heart.
Gu Yao was a renowned young powerhouse within the clan, one of the geniuses second only to the number-one prodigy, Gu Qingyang.
"The power of a Heavenly Flame truly is formidable."
Gu Zhen stared solemnly at Lin Yuan.
Looking at Lin Yuan's back, Xiao Yan cupped his fists and said in a deep voice, "Brother Lin, thank you for protecting me just now."
Lin Yuan did not turn around. He merely waved his hand casually and said indifferently, "It's nothing. There's no need to thank me. Since you're a student of Jia Nan Academy, then at least within this academy, we won't allow others to attack you."
Hearing this, a trace of warmth and guilt flashed through Xiao Yan's eyes.
However, he quickly suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart and looked fiercely toward Gu Yao, the man who had just tried to take his life.
"Tell me, who are you?" Xiao Yan asked seriously once again.
There was no need to ask about the reason behind his attack anymore.
However, the hatred of bullying the weak and casually attempting to take someone's life could not simply end without consequence.
Even though his strength was far inferior at present, there would eventually come a day when he would repay this hatred, just as he would settle things with Nalan Yanran.
Gu Yao shifted his gaze away from Lin Yuan and looked at the anger in Xiao Yan's eyes before sneering disdainfully.
The anger and hatred of a weakling were not worth mentioning.
"Survive today, and you'll earn the right to know."
Gu Yao's indifferent voice rang out as an extremely cold aura surged from within his body.
Seeing this, Xun'er could only shout sternly at Gu Yao, "Gu Yao, you're attacking the young clan leader of the Xiao Clan. Are you trying to destroy the alliance between our two clans? Can you really bear the consequences?"
For the first time, she realized just how important strength truly was.
Seeing Xun'er protecting Xiao Yan, Gu Yao's anger grew even stronger.
He said coldly, "I'm merely killing an ant that has overstepped its bounds. I can bear the consequences…"
With that, his gaze shifted toward Lin Yuan and Xiao Yan behind him.
Even if this man were to fight him while simultaneously protecting a Dou Spirit, it would be impossible.
Seeing that Gu Yao still refused to give up on attacking Xiao Yan, Gu Xun'er laughed coldly out of anger.
"Gu Yao, you dare ignore the alliance between our two clans in front of me. Then I would like to see whether you dare act so recklessly in front of my father!"
As she spoke, she took a purple jade slip from her Storage Ring.
Extremely profound spatial fluctuations radiated from the jade slip.
This jade slip, together with the various measures Gu Yuan had placed upon her, was what gave Gu Xun'er the confidence to live outside the Ancient Clan's territory for a long period without a high-level guardian.
"A Spatial Jade Slip? Could it be the Clan Leader's?"
Gu Zhen's expression immediately changed drastically.
He hurriedly said, "Young Lady, please don't act rashly. The Clan Leader has countless matters to attend to. You absolutely mustn't disturb him over such a trivial matter."
However, Gu Xun'er remained unmoved.
She merely stared coldly at Gu Yao.
Gu Zhen looked at his young lady's determined expression, then at Gu Yao's murderous gaze, and a heavy sense of helplessness rose in his heart.
After pondering for a moment, his figure flashed and he stepped in front of Xiao Yan.
Looking at Gu Yao, Gu Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Gu Yao, stop this nonsense. The alliance between our two clans is as firm as a rock and must not be treated lightly. If you attack Young Clan Leader Xiao Yan again, I will have no choice but to stand against you."
Hearing this, Gu Yao remained silent for a moment.
He took a deep look at Gu Xun'er and the jade slip before slowly withdrawing the extreme cold aura spreading from his body.
Only then did Gu Xun'er breathe a sigh of relief and put away the purple Spatial Jade Slip in her hand.
At the same time, everyone present, including Lin Yuan, could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Judging from Gu Xun'er's appearance just now, she really might have used that Spatial Jade Slip.
They had almost summoned Gu Yuan, the peak powerhouse of the continent, to this place.
"This girl…"
Lin Yuan secretly shook his head, thinking inwardly, "A jade slip capable of summoning a peak Nine-Star Dou Saint. That trump card is indeed outrageous, but it is also understandable. Fortunately, those dangerous thoughts haven't been put into action yet…"
"Out of consideration for Xun'er, I'll spare your life today."
Gu Yao looked expressionlessly at Xiao Yan and warned, "But remember, you and Xun'er belong to different worlds. Don't harbor any delusions."
However, Gu Yao's words failed to stir even the slightest emotional fluctuation in Xiao Yan.
He simply asked the same question for the third time.
"Tell me, who are you?"
His voice contained an astonishing firmness.
It was a determination forged from countless complicated emotions intertwined together.
Hearing this, Gu Yao slightly raised his brows and gave Xiao Yan a playful glance.
"Since you survived today, I'll tell you. Remember this well. I am Gu Yao, Deputy Commander of the Black Annihilation Army of the Gu Clan."
"However, no matter how deeply you remember my name, I doubt we'll have any further interaction after today."
"After all, you and the Xiao Clan, which has fallen to such a state, no longer possess the qualifications to associate with people like us."
His indifferent words were filled with extreme contempt.
Gu Yao knew something about the Xiao Clan's circumstances as well.
The clan had now completely declined, and its strongest member was this very Dou Spirit standing before him, someone whom Gu Yao could kill with a casual strike.
How could the Xiao Clan still possess the glory it once had?
To Gu Yao, the existence of people like them was practically a stain that should never have appeared upon Xiao Xuan, the peerless powerhouse revered by countless geniuses of the ancient clans.
Hand over the Ancient Jade and then quickly fade into complete obscurity.
That was the most suitable fate for the Xiao Clan.
Sensing Gu Yao's disdain toward the Xiao Clan, Xiao Yan did not say anything more.
He merely stared firmly at Gu Yao before seriously replying, "Gu Yao, today's matter isn't over. Within ten years, I will come find you and repay today's humiliation!"
"If you have the courage and strength to do so, then come find me in the Eastern Region of the Central Plains."
Gu Yao did not care in the slightest.
To those possessing Dou Emperor bloodlines, the Dou Ancestor and Dou Venerable realms were when their true potential began to emerge.
The next ten years would be his true golden period.
The difference in strength between the two would only grow larger.
The fierce confrontation finally came to an end, and the surroundings fell into a brief silence.
Then…
"Clap!"
A crisp sound suddenly attracted everyone's attention.
Everyone instinctively turned toward the person who had clapped.
Lin Yuan.
"It seems that the matter between the Gu Clan and the Xiao Clan has been settled."
Lin Yuan lightly clapped his hands and chuckled.
However, his eyes and voice were both ice-cold.
"Then next, it's time to discuss the matter between Gu Yao and my Jia Nan Academy."
----
For additional chapter's
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu