Battle Through the Heavens: Xiao Yan, who was kidnapped to another world

"You can condense Dou Qi into matter, you're also a Dou Ling, right?" Although they only exchanged one move, Nalan Yanran was able to judge Xiao Yan's approximate level of strength. "I suppose you know the power of this weapon, aren't you going to use it?"

"I told you, there will be a time when we need it," Xiao Yan said calmly.

The powerful fighting spirit surged through her meridians like a river. Nalan Yanran raised her beautiful eyes slightly, paused briefly, and then lightly touched the ground with her toes, transforming into a streak of light and launching the first attack on Xiao Yan.

In a flash, Xiao Yan entered her attack range. With a flick of her sword, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, she thrust her sharp, wind-breaking sword energy towards Xiao Yan's chest with cunning and ruthless intent.

After dodging about ten attacks, Xiao Yan used the Xuan Heavy Ruler. His body swayed slightly as he avoided Nalan Yanran's fierce attacks, and he began planning the next part of the "battle": "I'll fight for about a hundred moves to make the Xuan Heavy Ruler 'explode,' then use my Dou Qi weapon..."

"Thousand Winds!"

Nalan Yanran was not surprised at all that Xiao Yan had dodged her attack. With a light movement of her jade palm, several spiraling sword energies formed at her fingertips. With a soft shout, the sword energies burst forth, intertwining with each other and transforming into a thin green thread that shot towards Xiao Yan with a sharp whooshing sound.

'When Nalan Yanran can't hold on any longer and uses a secret technique to unleash a different kind of fire,' Xiao Yan planned everything. 'After flicking a wisp of flame from his fingertip to completely extinguish the blue lines,' he would feign using the Flame-Splitting Wave Ruler when she unleashed her strongest attack, and then it would all be over.'

Faced with Nalan Yanran's relentless attacks following closely behind Qian Fenggang, Xiao Yan paused for a moment, creating an opening to place himself in Nalan Yanran's continuous barrage.

Outside the secret gate of the Cloud Mist Sect, a man sat quietly, with a strange black mist floating around him.

After Xiao Yan fell into Nalan Yanran's attack, a faint smile appeared on the old man's face. However, the smile had barely appeared for a moment when a strange voice rang out from within the black mist—

"What, do you think your grand-disciple has a sure win?"

"Both are Dou Ling, yet the arrogant young man from the Xiao family managed to withstand Yanran's fighting technique head-on," the old man sighed softly. Compared to the one in the black mist, nothing he had to be proud of. "Wasn't Yanran's victory easily within her grasp?"

"Hehehe, if it's really just an ordinary battle of spirits, that little guy is probably going to lose," a strange laugh came from the black mist. "But what if I told you that kid's soul power... is much stronger than the combined soul power of all the current experts in the Yunlan Sect?"

In an instant, the old man's expression froze. It wasn't until Xiao Yan forced Nalan Yanran back and took down the huge black ruler from behind that the old man slowly came back to his senses.

"Could it be... that Xiao family boy's soul power has reached the late stage of the mortal realm?" The old man said with some difficulty, looking at Xiao Yan who had completely reversed the situation with Nalan Yanran after taking off his weapon.

"Hey, Yunshan, you've learned quite a bit lately, haven't you?" A sinister laugh echoed from within the black mist, staring at the somewhat stiff old man. "However, he's still a native of the Northwest Continent. That kid's soul power has reached the Spirit Realm, hehehe..."

"Spiritual Realm... Protector Wu, I wonder what this Spiritual Realm represents..." After all, he had been away from Zhongzhou for too long, and even the old sect master of Yunlan Sect no longer knew the meaning of the soul in the Spiritual Realm. Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, Yunshan asked cautiously.

"Let me put it this way," upon hearing Yunshan's question, "Protector Wu in the black mist thought for a moment, "As long as this kid becomes a high-level Dou Zong, he could become an eighth-grade alchemist at any time."

I don't need to explain what an eighth-grade alchemist is, right?

"Yes, there's no need for you to explain further, Protector Wu." Yunshan chuckled dryly. He didn't know the meaning of the soul, but he understood what an eighth-grade alchemist was.

'Good luck...'

Protector Wu, watching Xiao Yan fight Nalan Yanran in the center of the plaza, a greedy glint in his eyes, 'I never expected such a gifted person to exist in such a remote and godforsaken place. Once I obtain his soul… I'll probably be able to become a Heavenly Protector too, right?'

Among the Soul Palace Protectors in the Northwest Continent, his strength was not the weakest. He was just unlucky enough to be assigned to the vicinity of the Jia Ma Empire. It was a waste of his talents for a Earth-level Protector to be in charge of such a weak empire. Therefore, he initially only supported Yun Shan, and planned to wipe out all the strongmen of the entire empire in one fell swoop.

Then, some time ago, he suddenly saw several instances of sixth-grade pills being refined in the Jia Ma Empire. In order to find out who had refined those sixth-grade pills, he came to the Yunlan Sect and woke up Yunshan, who was in seclusion.

He initially thought he would only be able to collect a few sixth-grade alchemists' souls at most, but the moment he saw Xiao Yan ascend the mountain, he changed his target.

A sixth-grade alchemist? What kind of trash is that? Can they even compare to a Spirit Realm soul? Can they even compare to a Spirit Realm soul equivalent to an eighth-grade alchemist?!

Most importantly, this kid comes from a useless family in the Jia Ma Empire. In other words, the strongest person around him is at most a Dou Huang, and a Dou Huang is nothing but a piece of cake in front of Protector Wu! And this kid himself is a laughable Dou Ling!

"Yunshan, after his match with your grand-disciple is over, find some excuse to keep him here for a while," Wu Protector's greed became more and more obvious as he looked at Xiao Yan, who was using a Dou Qi weapon in the arena. "If he gets away... hehehe, you know what I mean."

Upon hearing this, Yunshan pondered for a moment: "Can't we wait until he leaves before making our move?"

"What? Now you care about the image of your Yunlan Sect? When you recovered from the brink of death, why didn't you care about the image of the Yunlan Sect?" Protector Wu chuckled. "Of course, you can wait until he leaves before making your move, but I can't control what happens to you afterward."

After a long silence, Yunshan finally nodded.

Chapter 200 Life and Death, Each According to Fate?

On the vast bluestone plaza, powerful battle aura and sharp sword energy burst forth continuously, leaving terrifying cracks in the surrounding hard floor.

Everyone held their breath, their eyes following the flickering figures. The increasingly intense battle had many people on the edge of their seats.

Even the elders of the Yunlan Sect had to admit that, at least in terms of the destructive power of Dou Qi, Xiao Yan was far superior to Nalan Yanran. At least so far in their battle, Xiao Yan had been subtly in control of Nalan Yanran. In fact, after seeing that several of Nalan Yanran's Yunlan Sect's Xuan-rank Dou Techniques were blocked by Xiao Yan with ease, the elders' expressions turned extremely ugly.

Given Nalan Yanran's proficiency with these fighting techniques, even the elders who had not yet reached the Dou Wang level could not have blocked them so easily, yet that Xiao family boy so casually accepted every move!

clang!

With a crisp sound of swords clashing, Nalan Yanran's Dou Qi longsword and Xiao Yan's Dou Qi giant ruler both broke in half. After a moment's hesitation, both of them touched the ground with their toes and quickly retreated dozens of meters.

As the two slowly stopped their backward movement, the Yunlan Sect disciples around them finally saw their current situation clearly—

Xiao Yan's expression remained the same as at the beginning, so indifferent that they suspected he didn't take the Yunlan Sect seriously. However, Xiao Yan had no injuries, only some tears in his robes. Clearly, he hadn't suffered any setbacks in the nearly hour-long battle.

Compared to Xiao Yan, Nalan Yanran was much more out of sorts. Her once neat moon-white robe was now extremely disheveled, with burn marks in many places, and her breathing was extremely rapid.

Comparing the two now, it's easy to see that Xiao Yan had the upper hand in their previous encounter.

After the two appeared, the whispers that had been in the square disappeared again. Everyone was infected by the confrontational atmosphere between the two and dared not break the silence.

A gentle breeze swept across the square, and a few withered leaves swirled and drifted between the two people.

After a long silence, Nalan Yanran finally made her move first. She glanced at the still calm young man in black robes opposite her with some complicated feelings, then raised her jade hand to remove the ribbon that bound her long black hair. She shook her head slightly, and her long black hair cascaded down like moonlight.

"Are we going to use that thing?" After a moment of stunned silence, Yun Leng on the stone platform looked at Nalan Yanran's sudden action and muttered to himself, "She's quite decisive. At least her battle qi isn't completely depleted right now, so even if she uses that move, she still has the strength to fight."

"It seems the competition is coming to an end," an elder remarked. "However, the fact that this young man from the Xiao family could push Yanran to this point shows he's quite capable."

“Indeed, although this kid is a disciple of a sixth-grade alchemist, he is still just an alchemist. It’s already quite good that he has achieved this much.” Another elder in white robes nodded repeatedly.

On the stone platform, several elders began to discuss, as if they were not the ones who were shocked when they saw Nalan Yanran in such a disheveled state.

'If this brat from the Xiao family dies at Yanran's hands, then there's no need to find any other reason to keep him temporarily in the Yunlan Sect, right?' Yun Leng narrowed his eyes and calmly looked at Xiao Yan in the arena.

About half an hour ago, Yun Shan, the former sect leader of Yunlan Sect who had become a Dou Zong, suddenly sent him a telepathic message, telling him that after the competition between Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan ended, he should find any excuse to leave Xiao Yan in Yunlan Sect, and preferably take him to the place outside the secret realm where he was living in seclusion.

Yun Leng naturally agreed to the old sect leader's request without question, but he also felt a deep-seated disgust for Xiao Yan, who did not respect the Yunlan Sect and even completely disregarded his authority. At this moment, he desperately hoped that Xiao Yan would die directly under Nalan Yanran's attack.

In the arena, with her long black hair cascading down, Nalan Yanran slowly closed her eyes. A moment later, she suddenly opened them, and her long black hair suddenly moved without any wind, dancing in the air. As her hair danced, her body, without the aid of propulsion or the effect of wings, began to float up.

As Nalan Yanran slowly rose into the air, the energy around her surged like boiling water, with rings of pale blue ripples spreading out from her body.

Feeling the gradually increasing Dou Qi level within Nalan Yanran's body, Xiao Yan, who had been somewhat distracted after imprinting the Yunlan Sect's formation, finally snapped back to reality—

Nalan Yanran has used her secret technique, which means the final moment to decide the outcome has arrived. Although he can guarantee that his "Flame Dividing Wave Ruler" will not cause any harm to Nalan Yanran, it is hard to say whether Nalan Yanran's own fighting skills will hurt her.

As the battle qi within her body reached a new peak, a cyan battle qi longsword re-condensed in Nalan Yanran's hand. Then, the longsword trembled slightly, and the sunlight in the sky suddenly converged towards the longsword. In just an instant, the longsword shone brightly, its dazzling light resembling a second sun in the sky.

"Xiao Yan, let's settle this with one move."

Xiao Yan couldn't see the expression on Nalan Yanran's face, which was backlit, but from the heaviness in her words, he could guess that Nalan Yanran was filled with endless resentment.

We've finally waited until now...

With a soft exhale, Xiao Yan's Xuan Heavy Ruler, which had been "broken" in the previous battle, reappeared in his right hand. At the same time, his left hand suddenly stretched out, and after a slight sound, azure flames suddenly appeared under the gaze of everyone present.

"This is……"

When the blue flames appeared, the ordinary Yunlan Sect disciples didn't feel anything, but the elders and the powerful figures in the high trees widened their eyes in surprise.

"Strange Fire?" Fa Ma suddenly turned around and looked at Hai Bodong to the side.

"Its color is bluish, and its shape resembles a blue lotus..." Gu He, who had just arrived, murmured upon seeing the flames Xiao Yan displayed, "The Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame, ranked nineteenth on the Strange Flame Ranking?"

Although he didn't know why Fama was looking at Haibodong, Guhe followed Fama's gaze.

Other powerful individuals who heard the words "different fire" followed suit. In an instant, apart from Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan who were gathering their strength, the most eye-catching person in the square became Hai Bodong among the onlookers.

"Why are you looking at me?" Hai Bodong said irritably after a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth. "I have met Xiao Yan, but given my status, do you think Mr. Yao Yan and Mr. Yan Xiao would just casually tell me that Xiao Yan has a different kind of fire?"

"Too……"

Someone in the crowd muttered something, and when Hai Bodong looked over with a fierce expression, all he saw was the back of the heads of the crowd, who were completely unaware of what was going on.

"However, if we include this Azure Lotus Earth Core Flame..." Gu He chuckled and looked at Xiao Yan in the arena, muttering, "Senior Yao Yan and his three disciples all possess strange flames?"

For a moment, Gu He felt a pang of sorrow. He could accept spending decades to become a sixth-grade alchemist; after all, he knew the Northwest Continent was resource-scarce, and becoming a sixth-grade alchemist was already an unexpected stroke of luck. But the strange fire…

For decades, there had been no news of any strange fire. But he managed to sense the aura of a strange fire in the Tagor Desert. He even found seven-colored scales in the place where the aura of the strange fire was present, confirming who had taken the strange fire. However, not only did he fail to obtain the strange fire from that person, but it was also snatched away in front of him. What was even more outrageous was that in order to save his life from the snake people, he gave away countless pills.

'Alas, strange fire, strange fire, when will I finally obtain my own strange fire?'

While Gu He was secretly grieving, the energy of the longsword in Nalan Yanran's hand had reached its limit in the sky. Even though she was now a one-star Dou Ling, she still found it difficult to control that enormous energy.

Nalan Yanran finally stopped suppressing her emotions. Her pretty face became solemn. With a clear shout, the already dazzling sunlight on the longsword intensified once more. For a moment, the intense light on the sword even overshadowed the blazing sun in the sky!

"The Ultimate Wind: The Radiance of the Setting Sun!"

A sharp shout rang out from the sky, followed by a terrifying surge of energy. Sharp sword energy shot out from the sky, overwhelming Xiao Yan. Under the pressure of the sharp sword energy, the hard floor actually cracked, with fissures extending all the way to the end of the square.

Sensing the terrifying sword energy in the sky, the Yunlan Sect disciples hurriedly formed a battle formation, and streams of battle energy rose from their bodies. The formation that Xiao Yan had recently imprinted was immediately activated, and an energy shield capable of covering the entire area was instantly formed.

'Is this considered the first phase?' Even now, Xiao Yan was still distracted by the actions of the Yunlan Sect disciples. 'If the first phase is about defense, then the rest will likely be about encirclement, right?'

As the sword energy descended from the sky like a blazing sun, Xiao Yan leisurely raised his left hand and gently stroked the already crimson Xuanzhong Ruler. Only after the crimson color above had completely turned into blue flames did he finally raise his head.

Watching the setting sun, Xiao Yan's lips curled into a smile. Then, he suddenly swung the giant ruler in his hand upwards—

"Flame Divides and Devours Waves!"

The azure crescent moon's light, like an arrow released from a bow, suddenly detached itself from the giant ruler and hurtled towards the second blazing sun in the sky.

As this beam of light shot out, the energy of heaven and earth surged violently, rushing straight towards Nalan Yanran. In that instant, everyone understood one thing—

Xiao Yan is currently unleashing a Level 1 Battle Technique!

"boom!"

A tremendous roar resounded throughout the entire Yunlan Mountain at that moment!

A fierce wind howled past, and the energy shockwave that erupted in the sky was like a celestial fire descending, sweeping towards the square!

The energy shockwaves first struck the defensive shields set up by some Yunlan Sect disciples. Although they were fortunate enough to block all the shockwaves by using the formation, the massive consumption of battle qi in an instant caused many disciples to turn pale instantly.

"That's true. After all, he's Master Yao's disciple. It's normal for him to possess Earth-rank fighting techniques," Fa Ma muttered to himself as he withstood the aftershocks of the exploding intertwined sunlight and crescent moon. "I just didn't expect..."

"I never expected that a mere Dou Ling kid could master a Di-rank Dou Technique so skillfully, and still possess such great power." Jia Xingtian, who was also resisting the aftershocks, nodded slightly and sighed.

"I just don't know who will come out on top in the end." Although he already knew the conclusion, Hai Bodong still nodded in a supportive manner.

"I never thought that we old guys would have such a day," Jia Xingtian sighed helplessly. "They're just two kids who have just advanced to the Dou Ling level. We can't even tell who will win in a battle between these kids."

“After all, one side is the young sect master of Yunlan Sect, and the other side is the disciple of Elder Yao,” Fa Ma chuckled. “Let’s just wait for the final result together.”

Above the plaza, the energy shockwaves obscured everyone's vision, and even Gu He's soul power could not penetrate them at all. It was as if these terrifying energy shockwaves were enveloped by someone's soul power, deliberately preventing anyone from probing what was inside.

The only one capable of doing this, and with every reason to do so, is naturally Xiao Yan.

At the very center of the energy shockwave, Xiao Yan casually blocked all the impact. He then looked strangely at Nalan Yanran, who was falling from above. Although he already knew that Nalan Yanran didn't have much fighting spirit left when she used her secret technique, he really didn't expect that this girl would actually use all her fighting spirit for victory, and didn't even leave behind the fighting spirit to support her descent.