"It seems you could use some help."
The crisp, sudden voice made everyone present freeze for a moment. Many looked on in alarm at the handsome young man who had appeared out of nowhere, their brows tightly furrowed.
"Who is this guy? One of Xiao Yan's allies?"
Not far off, Jia Xingtian's eyes flickered with deep apprehension. He instinctively turned toward Hai Bodong, seeking confirmation.
But with just a glance, he could see Hai Bodong was just as baffled, his brows knitted tightly together. Clearly, he too did not recognize the sudden appearance of this newcomer.
In that instant, Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock mirrored in each other's eyes.
Who exactly was this Xiao Yan?
On the plaza, Xiao Yan, who had been preparing to flee, paused slightly at the sound from behind. Turning back, he saw a handsome young man smiling lightly at him. The youth's stunning, almost otherworldly beauty made Xiao Yan momentarily dazed, but he quickly regained his composure.
Realizing it wasn't Hai Bodong, Xiao Yan instinctively edged away, wary. Even though this stranger had helped him, for some reason, Xiao Yan couldn't shake the sense of danger emanating from him.
"Hmph, yet another helper. Capture them all!"
Yun Leng snorted coldly, a trace of delight flashing through his eyes. With this interference, he could further cement Xiao Yan's guilt.
Waving his hand, three of the eldest white-robed elders on the stone platform trembled slightly before shifting into a triangular formation, completely blocking Xiao Yan and the handsome youth's escape routes.
"Careful, they're Dou Kings!"
High above, Xiao Yan warned the handsome youth, his expression shifting under the oppressive aura the three exuded as the wings of Battle Qi on their backs fluttered slowly.
The handsome young man lifted his gaze briefly, then simply smiled lightly, utterly unbothered.
His carefree demeanor stunned even the Misty Cloud Sect members who had moved to attack. A surge of anger immediately rose in their hearts, their terrifying Battle Qi flaring into dazzling arcs as they struck toward Xiao Yan and the young man.
"Whoosh."
Just then, another figure shot across the air — a woman clad in the same azure robes as the young man. Wings of Battle Qi spread behind her as she glanced indifferently at the Misty Cloud Sect's attacks. A long sword materialized in her right hand, and with a single graceful stroke—
A brilliant sword light burst forth, instantly cleaving through the powerful attacks from the three Dou Kings.
With a flicker, the woman appeared before Xiao Yan. Her wings flared once more, and she shielded him behind her.
"Senior Brother, calm down! Senior Sister will be here soon!"
The woman spoke lightly to the handsome youth while subtly keeping Xiao Yan shielded, separating him from the young man.
"Hmm, another helper!"
Atop a distant treetop, Jia Xingtian and the others were momentarily stunned. The woman's aura was clearly at the Dou Emperor level — something that couldn't be faked.
Both Jia Xingtian and Fa Ma turned to Hai Bodong, who looked even more bewildered than before. He had no clue where Xiao Yan had found such powerful reinforcements.
Could Xiao Yan have foreseen all this and prepared help in advance?
"Junior Sister, how could you say that? Am I really that kind of person?"
The handsome youth chuckled softly, a twinkle of starlight flickering in his eyes.
The woman tensed as if facing a great enemy, nodding seriously without the slightest sign of backing down.
Before leaving, their Senior Sister had given her strict instructions—no matter what, she must complete her task.
Protect Xiao Yan at all costs!
Meanwhile, Xiao Yan, safely shielded behind her, stared in utter confusion at the pair before him.
Who were these people? Weren't they supposed to be Senior Brother and Junior Sister? Then what was this strange atmosphere between them?
He had no idea what was going on anymore.
Their conversation wasn't hidden by voice transmission, so the crowd clearly heard the terms "Senior Brother" and "Junior Sister," leaving everyone dumbfounded.
These two were from the same sect?!
The woman had just demonstrated Dou Emperor strength — and although the young man hadn't revealed his power, there was no doubt he was at least a Dou Emperor too.
Two Dou Emperors from a single sect — even Misty Cloud Sect couldn't boast such a thing!
"Heh, looks like Yun Leng kicked an iron plate this time," Jia Xingtian remarked with some schadenfreude, glancing at Xiao Yan and then at Yun Leng, whose expression had turned extremely sour.
"Finally, some stability."
Hai Bodong slowly suppressed the turmoil of his Battle Qi and stood down, his sharp eyes studying Xiao Yan ever more deeply, finding him increasingly unfathomable.
Now, many among the crowd shifted their focus to Yun Leng, waiting to see what choice he would make.
To offend two Dou Emperors over Xiao Yan? Unthinkable.
"You two don't seem to be people of the Jia Ma Empire. This is an internal affair of our Empire. I ask you not to interfere!"
Yun Leng's voice quivered with reluctance as he stepped forward, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes while addressing the two newcomers.
The entire plaza fell silent in surprise.
Jia Xingtian's eyes flared with fury as he glared at Yun Leng, wishing he could smack him dead on the spot.
The two new Dou Emperors were obviously outsiders; no sect within the Jia Ma Empire could possibly field two such experts.
Jia Xingtian had deliberately avoided mentioning this to keep from getting dragged into the conflict, but Yun Leng just had to expose it publicly, framing the issue as "foreign interference" in internal Empire matters — clearly hoping that if the two refused to back down, the entire Empire would be forced to join Misty Cloud Sect's side.
If foreign enemies pressured Misty Cloud Sect, the Empire's royal family and nobles would have no choice but to band together — lips and teeth, one dependent on the other.
"This damned old bastard!"
Fa Ma's face darkened further, his hatred for Yun Leng reaching a new peak.
Now, Jia Xingtian and the others could only hope the two newcomers would ignore Yun Leng's provocation; otherwise, Xiao Yan's situation would become extremely dangerous.
"Senior, be careful, he's trying to..."
Xiao Yan caught on to Yun Leng's hidden ploy and hurriedly tried to warn the young man — but before he could finish, the handsome youth casually reached out and stopped him.
"No need."
The handsome youth turned leisurely toward Yun Leng. His gaze fell lightly on the old man's face — and then, with a casual flick of his hand—
Slap!
The crisp sound echoed across the plaza as Yun Leng was sent flying like a rag doll.
"Pu!"
A mouthful of blood sprayed from Yun Leng's mouth as he slammed hard into the plaza's central monument, deep cracks spider-webbing outward.
The Misty Cloud Sect plaza fell dead silent.
No one had expected the handsome youth to act so decisively.
All eyes stared at him in horror.
The youth waved his hand again, looking lazily at the remaining Misty Cloud Sect members.
With a slight curl of his fingers, he beckoned.
"I'm not targeting anyone in particular," he said lightly.
"I just want to say—every single one of you from Misty Cloud Sect is trash."
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