"Master, what are you saying? How can you utter such shameless words?"
Yun Yun's face turned ghastly pale; she had never expected the master she always respected to say something so shameless. He hadn't spoken like this when Xu Ran was around.
The Sect Master she revered was groveling and apologizing to Xiao Yan on his knees, which was quite ironic.
Back when Xu Ran and she were together, Yun Shan also had shown a groveling side, but at that time it was directed towards Xu Ran. Seeing the Sect Master approve of her chosen beloved had given her a secret joy that she didn't think much of it.
But now, she hadn't expected him to act so craven in front of Xiao Yan.
Is this really my Sect Master?
Yun Yun didn't know what to say, only feeling extremely uncomfortable.
"Hmph. Your status today was given to you by me. If I hadn't passed on those Fighting Techniques and Martial Skills to you, you wouldn't be where you are today. Now, it's time for you to repay your master," he said coldly.
"And Nalan Yan Ran, you are Yun'er's disciple, and my grand-disciple as well; it's now time for you to exert yourself for the Yunlan Sect," Yun Shan said coldly. He had understood the way things were going; to continue standing there silently might lead to Xiao Yan killing him easily, which would be tragic. If he could save his life and curry favor with Xiao Yan, why not?
As for his reputation—
He could just follow Xiao Yan and leave the Jia Ma Empire.
Wasn't Xiao Yan previously disgraced? And now, wasn't he turning the tide, wielding immense power?
As long as one could become stronger, going to other places, who would know what he did before?
If he could gain favor, losing the Yunlan Sect was irrelevant.
"Yun Shan, you are despicable!!!"
Nalan Yan Ran trembled with anger; she didn't have the same respect for him as Yun Yun did. Seeing him kneel before Xiao Yan filled her with contempt. And now, seeing him considering giving her to Xiao Yan made her feel he was even more shameless.
This person, who was the Patriarch of the Yunlan Sect and former Sect Master, was utterly disgusting.
How could she possibly follow the words of such an old man? If there was one person in this world whose orders she would follow unconditionally, it was Xu Ran. Even if Xu Ran commanded her to die right there, she would be willing. As for everyone else, even Yun Yun, they couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do.
"When you rejected the marriage with Lord Xiao Yan, I was already dissatisfied. I was in seclusion at that time and unaware of your matters, otherwise, I definitely would have intervened to stop you," Yun Shan said, causing the people of Yunlan Sect to curse inwardly.
Truly, according to Yun Shan's character, he most likely wouldn't have stopped it but would have directly ordered the Yunlan Sect to formally annul the marriage. Although it was true that Yun Shan was in seclusion at that time, his mouth was still his own, and he could say whatever he pleased.
But obviously, everyone sneered at Yun Shan's words.
Especially the upper echelons of Yunlan Sect, who cursed Yun Shan in their hearts. After today, Yun Shan would be a disgrace to the Yunlan Sect, and no one would acknowledge him as their Patriarch.
Back then, in front of Xu Ran, even Yun Shan was bowing and scraping, his fawning attitude even more pronounced than that of the Elders. Now that Xiao Yan's strength was formidable, Yun Shan wanted to curry favor with Xiao Yan again.
Currying favor is one thing, when facing the powerful, who wouldn't bend the knee. But this doesn't mean there is no bottom line. Yun Shan was obviously a man without a bottom line. Initially, he promised Yun'er and Nalan Yanran to Xu Ran, but now he wanted to offer them to Xiao Yan.
Even if Yun Shan was shameless, how could Yun'er and Nalan Yanran accept such fickleness?
They had already pledged their hearts, and even if they felt nothing for Xu Ran, it was impossible to accept such a ludicrous request, especially now that their feelings for Xu Ran ran deep.
"Master, do you really think so? Have you forgotten the kindness Xu Ran showed to you and our Yunlan Sect?" Yun'er looked at Yun Shan with despair. Once, Xu Ran had spoken ill of her master, but since she had grown up in the Yunlan Sect and considered it her home, how could she allow Xu Ran to disrespect her master? Moreover, even if her master had improper intentions, as long as no accidents occurred, with Xu Ran around, he wouldn't show any ill will.
She hadn't expected that in less than a year, her master would change like this.
Perhaps she had just never seen this side of him before.
"Hmph, what of it? Only by doing this can we preserve our sect; I am doing this for the good of the sect," Yun Shan snapped, visibly afraid as he saw the disappointment in Yun'er's eyes, fearful that she might not listen to him anymore.
His current wealth and status depended solely on Yun'er and Nalan Yanran.
Initially, he believed that Xu Ran could bring him glory and wealth, but it turned out that Xu Ran brought only disaster.
Yun Shan completely forgot how his strength had rapidly increased with Xu Ran's help, from merely entering the Douzong rank to breaking through to a Three-Star Dou Zong, all thanks to Xu Ran's assistance.
"Heh."
Yun'er let out a weak, disdainful snort, her heart utterly cold towards Yun Shan.
Even if Yun Shan was indeed her mentor, she refused to acknowledge herself as a disciple of such a shameless person. Now, he still wanted to sacrifice her and Yan Ran for glory and wealth. It wouldn't be that easy.
"Yun Shan, where else in the world is there someone as shameless as you? Claiming it's for the sake of the sect—none of us wants to live in such humiliation. I think it's for your own life, isn't it?"
"To think that the exalted Sect Master of the Yunlan Sect would stoop to groveling to Xiao Yan, truly losing the face of our sect's founding ancestors."
Several of the Yunlan Sect's Elders couldn't hold back any longer and lashed out at Yun Shan angrily.
They knew all too well how great Xu Ran's help had been to the Yunlan Sect. What Xu Ran had given to the Yunlan Sect could enable it to grow into a force not any weaker than any of the powerful sects on the Northwest Continent. But what was Yun Shan doing now?
"Hmph, you're courting death!"
Already somewhat annoyed, Yun Shan was now driven into a rage by the Elders' words. His hands turned into palms, striking out several blows, and these rather powerful Elders were caught off guard, gravely injured and hanging by a thread.
"Xiao Yan, are you satisfied with this?" Yun Shan looked up expectantly at Xiao Yan, who stood aloft with a terrifying aura. Ever since getting Xu Ran's help and having the chance to break through to Dou Zun, his dormant ambition had flared up. He had once been content with barely managing to hold the rank of Douzong and wishing to retire comfortably in the Yunlan Sect, but things were different now—he aspired for more.
When he intended to rely on Xu Ran, but now he could only turn to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan's current strength was so great, and he was backed by a superpower. If he could join the force behind Xiao Yan, wouldn't he too be able to dominate the Continent? To achieve this goal, he needed to make Xiao Yan satisfied and earn his trust in one fell swoop.