Chapter 181: A Dangerous Thing

Xiao Yan furrowed his brows tightly. The white light that had just emanated from Nalan Yanran might have seemed like the effect of a medicinal pill, Secret Technique, or something similar in the eyes of others. However, with his powerful Spiritual Strength enhancing his perception, he noticed something distinctly different about it.

'Gate of Life and Death, Gate of Life and Death... life and death. Could there really be such coincidences in this world? This seems too far-fetched.' Xiao Yan felt as if a stampede of alpacas was galloping through his mind at this moment. If it truly was such a coincidence, he would regret the choice he made three years ago to the point of his intestines turning green.

In no time, the injuries on Nalan Yanran's body healed completely at an astonishing speed that shocked even Xiao Yan.

"If you think you can defeat me by trading injuries, then your defeat is inevitable," Nalan Yanran raised her head to look at Xiao Yan hovering in the air and said with a serious look in her eyes.

Xiao Yan's brows knitted as he asked, "That power of yours, did you obtain it from the Gate of Life and Death?"

As if she had anticipated his interest in this power, Nalan Yanran smiled and replied, "Want to know? Defeat me, and I'll tell you."

Xiao Yan's expression instantly changed, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Provoking my fighting spirit is a very dangerous thing to do."

"Then let life and death be dictated by the heavens."

The moment her voice fell, powerful Dou Qi and sharp sword energies burst forth from the massive bluestone square, leaving behind clear, deep gashes on the surrounding solid stone slabs.

Everyone held their breath, their gazes following the two indistinct figures as they flickered and shifted. The increasingly intense and heated battle made many people's hearts leap into their throats as they watched the fierce combat unfold.

No one present could predict how the battle would develop.

Those who had originally thought Xiao Yan would win were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected that Nalan Yanran had actually obtained Yun Po Tian's inheritance from the Gate of Life and Death!

Those who believed that such a Nalan Yanran would surely win were also stunned. They hadn't imagined that an alchemist like Xiao Yan could be so powerful, utilizing the Heavenly Flame and Spiritual Strength to such an exquisite degree that Nalan Yanran's wind-attribute attacks were repeatedly thwarted.

In their view, an alchemist like Xiao Yan should have been defeated with a single blow. However, he actually possessed terrifying physical strength. Relying on extremely fierce close-combat abilities and the aerial superiority granted by his Eagle Wings, his offensive even showed signs of suppressing Nalan Yanran. This left those Misty Cloud Sect disciples who originally thought victory was in the bag utterly speechless.

The attacks between the two in the arena grew increasingly fierce and perilous. Xiao Yan, who had initially intended to just toy with Nalan Yanran, began to get serious, and his attacks became more and more lethal.

When Nalan Yanran unleashed several Xuan Class Dou Techniques in succession, yet they were all countered by Xiao Yan using his Heavenly Flame, the faces of the Misty Cloud Sect elders sitting on the stone platform finally began to show unease.

The Dou Techniques Nalan Yanran had employed belonged to the advanced and difficult-to-cultivate types within the Misty Cloud Sect, and their power was not small either.

With Nalan Yanran's strength, even if her opponent was a high-star Dou Spirit, it shouldn't have been possible to block these Dou Techniques so effortlessly.

"Yanran has obtained the inheritance of a Dou Venerate, yet she is actually falling into a disadvantage!" Yun Leng was utterly shocked in his heart.

Yun Po Tian was the founder of the Misty Cloud Sect and an elite Dou Venerate! Yun Leng believed that with the inheritance of a Dou Venerate, the Misty Cloud Sect would surely unify the entire North-Western Region, perhaps even march into the Central Plains to become a top faction. He even thought Nalan Yanran had the potential to become a Dou Venerate herself!

Yet now, she was locked in a stalemate with Xiao Yan!

The two figures flashing and interweaving clashed once more before retreating. Accompanied by the sound of energy explosions, both were blasted back over a dozen meters.

When the dust settled, the figures of Xiao Yan and Nalan Yanran finally appeared clearly in everyone's sight. The crowd was stunned upon seeing their appearances.

Xiao Yan's luxurious robe was now tattered and in shreds. Crisscrossing sword wounds marked his body, and many of the deep gashes had already scabbed over. Evidently, he was not completely dominant in the previous near-frenzied close combat against Nalan Yanran's sword techniques.

On the other hand, Nalan Yanran was also in a slightly disheveled state. Her originally neat moon-white robe now had many scorched areas. Quite a few spots on her body had been burned until the skin split and flesh was exposed. On her lower abdomen, a distinct flame-fist imprint was clearly visible. Even her tied-up hair had been singed a little.

Xiao Yan had shown no mercy whatsoever, having unleashed his full firepower!

Nalan Yanran's eyes sharpened. She tore off a piece of cloth from the hem of her robe with a ripping sound and retied her loose hair into a single ponytail.

"Nalan Yanran is about to use her ultimate move!" Hai Bodong's brows furrowed as he noticed the change in her aura.

In the center of the square, Nalan Yanran suddenly opened her eyes. Her robe began to flutter despite the absence of wind, and as her black hair danced, the wind-attribute energy around her body began to surge like boiling water.

The Misty Cloud Sect was situated above the clouds, where wind-attribute energy was naturally the most abundant. Circles of pale cyan, substantial ripples continuously spread out from her body.

The black longsword slowly rose, pointing at Xiao Yan in the sky. The sword trembled slightly, and suddenly, the sunlight in the sky converged toward the blade. In just an instant, the longsword's light intensified dramatically, becoming a dazzling radiance that resembled a second sun.

"Xiao Yan, let's decide the victor."

Xiao Yan merely smiled faintly and said, "Let's see what you've got then."

He knew that Nalan Yanran was about to use a Di Class Dou Technique when he saw the surrounding world energy surging wildly. Jia Xing Tian and Hai Bodong had told him that the Misty Cloud Sect possessed a powerful ultimate move called the 'Wind's Peak Sword Technique.' It was a genuine Di Class Dou Technique and the reason why all the surrounding empires feared the Misty Cloud Sect.

However, Xiao Yan was not afraid. While others didn't possess Di Class Dou Techniques, he did.

"Wind's Peak: Dazzling Sunset!"

With a clear shout, the terrifying energy fluctuations finally erupted. A sharp sword energy shot toward Xiao Yan, and under the pressure of that sharp sword energy, even the solid ground cracked, forming fissures that extended to the end of the square.

"Heavens! Yanran has actually cultivated Dazzling Sunset to minor mastery!" Ge Ye exclaimed in shock as he watched from the sidelines

"Then let me show you something as well."

"Flame Splitting Tsunami!"

The Heavy Xuan Ruler suddenly pointed toward Nalan Yanran, whose aura was as sharp as a sword. As Xiao Yan's clear voice rang out, the world energy within the arena instantly became extremely turbulent. A terrifying fire-attribute energy that caused even the expressions of the elders in the judges' seats and elite Dou Emperors like Yun Yun to change drastically erupted at this moment.

"He's stirring the world's energy! Is this a Di Class Dou Technique?!!"

"Moreover, these fluctuations seem even more advanced than Dazzling Sunset!!"

Wind's Peak had two forms. The first form, Dazzling Sunset, could barely be considered Di Class and wasn't even ranked as a low Di Class Dou Technique. The second form, Killer Meteorite, was the true Di Class Dou Technique. So naturally, Dazzling Sunset was no match for Flame Splitting Tsunami.