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**
Xiao Yan slowly stood up and said indifferently, "From this moment on, there will be no ties between me, Xiao Yan, and Nalan Yanran. If we meet again in the future, we shall be nothing more than strangers."
Beautiful eyes shimmered with complex emotions as they fixed upon the indifferent face of the young man. Nalan Yanran slowly closed her eyes, finally unable to hold on any longer, and fainted on the spot.
At that moment, the entire arena fell into a deep silence.
Everyone's gaze paused on Xiao Yan, their faces filled with disbelief.
The so-called "trash" from three years ago had now defeated the meticulously nurtured heir of Yun Lan Sect.
An eighteen-year-old Da Dou Shi!
And, a peak Tier 4 alchemist!
All of this felt like a dream, something too fantastical to be real.
Even the legendary founder of Yun Lan Sect, that once peerless genius, had only just reached the rank of Da Dou Shi at this age.
What was even more astonishing was that Xiao Yan was also a peak Tier 4 alchemist.
"Sigh~"
Atop the giant tree, Nalan Jie's face turned much gloomier at this moment. His once upright body now slightly hunched, and he let out a long sigh.
There was a bitterness in that sigh that was almost impossible to dispel.
A single wrong decision had ruined everything. Not only had he lost a son-in-law so outstanding that anyone would be envious, but even his dignity had been utterly trampled. Truly, he had lost both the bride and the army.
...
Xiao Yan let out a long breath and looked up at the blazing sun hanging high in the sky. His heart was filled with a multitude of emotions.
In his eyes, a trace of exhaustion could be seen.
For the sake of this so-called Three-Year Agreement, he had left his clan and left behind the adorable girl—like a green lotus—that tugged at his heartstrings.
Now that the Three-Year Agreement was finally over, it felt as if both his body and soul had been relieved of an unbearable burden that had pressed down on him for so long.
"It's finally over..."
With a soft sigh, Xiao Yan slowly turned around and walked toward Wei Yang.
Suddenly, from the void above, a white silhouette fluttered down slowly, like a weightless snowflake drifting in the wind, falling gently toward Xiao Yan.
Hmm?
Xiao Yan raised his hand and caught the descending object. When he glanced at it, his body suddenly stiffened slightly.
That white silhouette was actually a neatly folded piece of white paper. Perhaps due to being folded countless times, the edges of the paper were already worn and slightly torn.
Xiao Yan was very familiar with this paper.
Because back then, in the main hall of the Xiao clan, it was this very piece of paper upon which he had humiliatingly written the letter of severance.
He slowly unfolded the paper, and slightly immature handwriting leaped out from the surface. At the bottom, a dark red handprint stained with blood, glaring and striking under the sunlight.
Staring at the divorce letter, Xiao Yan remained silent for a long while before lightly shaking his head. He glanced at the unconscious Nalan Yanran, and with a gentle pulse of Dou Qi in his palm—
Shhh—
The letter of severance instantly crumbled into dust, scattering in the wind.
"Nalan Yanran, from now on, you have nothing to do with me or the Xiao Clan. You are free. Congratulations," Xiao Yan said with a faint smile, his gentle voice echoing through the quiet plaza.
"Everyone, the show is over. Time to go home."
Xiao Yan raised his head and gave a slight smile toward the people on the giant tree, then turned and walked toward the observation platform where Wei Yang and the other two had already stood up.
Sunlight poured from the sky, and Xiao Yan's figure and steps seemed far more relaxed than when he had first arrived.
He walked up to Wei Yang and the others and smiled. "Let's go."
"Mm." Wei Yang flicked his sleeve and took the lead.
The four of them, under the countless gazes of the crowd, slowly made their way out of the plaza.
The elders of Yun Lan Sect watched Wei Yang's departing figure and couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief in their hearts.
Finally, this god of calamity had been sent away.
As they approached the edge of the plaza—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three figures descended from the sky, landing beside Wei Yang and his group.
It was Hai Bodong, Fa Ma, and Jia Xingtian.
The group exchanged smiles and greetings, then continued walking down the mountain together.
Just then—
"Hmm?"
Wei Yang suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look toward the depths of Cloud Mist Mountain.
"What's wrong?" The others noticed and curiously turned to follow his gaze, their expressions full of doubt.
Before long—
From deep within Cloud Mist Mountain, an immense and majestic aura erupted, like an ancient dragon awakening from slumber. It spread outward with unstoppable might, crashing down upon everything with overwhelming pressure.
And at the moment this terrifying aura awakened, on a cliff deep in the Yun Lan Sect's back mountain, a graceful and elegant woman dressed in a moon-white gown stood quietly, gazing toward the source of the aura. On her ethereal and otherworldly face, a stunning smile of joy emerged.
"Teacher... has awakened!"
…
In the blink of an eye, that vast and overwhelming pressure engulfed all of Cloud Mist Mountain.
The powerful aura spread out from the mountain's depths and eventually blanketed the entire plaza.
At once, every disciple of the Yun Lan Sect in the plaza couldn't help but feel deep reverence. They dropped to their knees, facing the direction from which the aura had emanated.
Even Yun Leng and the other elders of the Yun Lan Sect, though they didn't kneel, all bowed respectfully.
At the same time, their hearts surged with excitement.
"The old Sect Master… has finally come out of seclusion!"
At last, they had regained their confidence.
Because judging from this aura, it clearly far exceeded the boundaries of a Dou Huang!
That meant—the old Sect Master had already broken through and reached the level of Dou Zong!
"I can't believe that old guy is not only alive but..." Hai Bodong's expression changed dramatically as he muttered in shock.
His voice carried an uncontrollable sense of astonishment—and envy.
"That's Yun Shan, the previous Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect?" Xiao Yan's expression turned serious.
"Mm," Jia Xingtian nodded, his face darkening. He said in a low voice, "Judging from that aura, he really has broken past the Dou Huang bottleneck and stepped into the Dou Zong realm."
"Didn't expect… he really succeeded," Fa Ma also sighed.
Wei Yang clasped his hands behind his back, a faint smile curling on his lips. "So Yun Shan has come out too? Interesting."
"A Dou Zong powerhouse, huh?" Xiao Yan clicked his tongue but showed no concern.
He no longer had any ties to the Yun Lan Sect, and even if he did—he wouldn't be afraid.
It was just a Dou Zong. It's not like he hadn't seen one before.
Just a few days ago, one had died outside the imperial capital.
Likewise, Hai Bodong, Fa Ma, and Jia Xingtian showed no signs of worry. After all, they stood with Wei Yang.
Still, they felt a bit bitter in their hearts.
Who would've thought that an old acquaintance would now leave them so far behind?
"Let's go." Wei Yang shook his head, turned around, and stepped off the plaza, his feet falling on the stone steps leading down the mountain.
He had no interest in sticking around to watch Yun Shan show off.
Behind him, Xian'er and Qing Lin followed. After watching such a good show today, they were completely satisfied.
"Eh? Just leaving like that?" Hai Bodong blinked, watching the departing backs of Wei Yang and the others.
"What else would we do?" Xiao Yan shrugged and also walked off.
"If you want to stay behind and watch Yun Shan bask in his moment of glory, be my guest," Jia Xingtian snorted and strode away.
"I've got no interest in that," Fa Ma shook his head and followed as well.
"Eh, you're right. Who has the patience to watch that old guy?" Hai Bodong smacked his forehead and quickly caught up.
Yun Shan: …
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