Wen Canglan slowly withdrew his cultivation technique and gazed down at Yan Zhen, who lay sprawled on the ground. His voice turned icy as he spoke.
“You can’t even block a casual palm strike from me. You have no right to enter that small building. From now on, stay away from her—”
His words cut off abruptly as a crystalline cluster of purple flames plummeted from the sky, slamming down right in front of him.
Wen Canglan’s expression sharpened. He tapped his toe lightly and retreated several steps before fixing his gaze ahead. The incomparably beautiful Purple-Clothed Goddess landed gracefully, her eyes locked on him with chilling intensity.
“You’re going too far, Senior Brother Wen.” Zi Xunyi—or more precisely, her Divine Soul Incarnation—reprimanded him coldly. “Yan Zhen is only a Four-Star Mystic Master, while you’re a Nine Star Mystic General. Not only did you launch a sneak attack on him, but you forced him to take your strike head-on.”
A flicker of unease crossed Wen Canglan’s face, and he hurried to respond.
“Junior Sister Xunyi, hear me out. I was only—”
“I heard everything. I saw everything. There’s no need for explanations.” Zi Xunyi’s look pierced right through him. “And don’t call me by name. We’re not that close.”
“Xu—Junior Sister Zi Ji!”
“Aren’t you leaving? If the Great Elder finds out you came here and injured her newly accepted disciple, even you won’t walk away unscathed.”
With that, Zi Xunyi paid him no more mind. She turned and approached Yan Zhen, gracefully hiking up her skirt as she squatted beside him to examine his wounds.
A layer of crystallization now coated Yan Zhen’s chest, while jagged crystal shards had torn deep gashes across his arms. Blood poured freely from the injuries. His handsome face had gone deathly pale, and a trail of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, sparkling faintly with crystalline flecks.
The force of the Crystal Transformation Mystic Palm had clearly seeped deep into his body. Without swift treatment, his life hung in the balance.
To think Wen Canglan had struck with such ruthless intent—she’d actually believed him to be a gentleman!
“Yan Zhen, are you all right?”
Yan Zhen strained to peel back his bloodied lips, forcing out a pallid smile.
“It’s just a minor wound. No need to wor—cough!”
Before he could finish, Yan Zhen hacked up a massive mouthful of blood laced with shattered crystal granules. His aura faltered, his eyes rolled back, and he slipped into unconsciousness.
“Yan Zhen!”
Zi Xunyi jolted in alarm. She immediately channeled her mystic power, feeding it slowly into his body to neutralize the invading palm force.
“Wen Canglan, if anything happens to him, I won’t let you get away with it!”
Wen Canglan’s face drained of color. Aside from that one time he’d gotten too close and earned himself a palm strike that hurled him a dozen meters away, Zi Xunyi had always treated him with impeccable courtesy. She’d never spoken to him so harshly.
For Yan Zhen’s sake, she was berating him like this. He refused to believe the man had captured her heart so swiftly. The only explanation was that they already knew each other—likely just as friends, nothing more romantic.
—Damn it. I let impulse get the better of me!
He’d only come to check on things, but spotting Yan Zhen emerge from Zi Xunyi’s small building had set him off.
No man had ever set foot in the Cliffside Small Building before. Yan Zhen was probably the first. But if they were old acquaintances, it suddenly made perfect sense.
Regret gnawed at Wen Canglan.
“Wait, Zi Ji! I didn’t mean to hit him that hard. I’d heard he could beat top fighters on the General Star List, so I figured he was on par with a regular Mystic General. I only used half my strength—I never imagined he’d crumple so easily.”
Zi Xunyi shot back coldly.
“If you suppressed your cultivation to Four-Star Mystic Master level, I could turn you into a cripple with just ten percent of my power. Fifty percent goes without saying!”
“I—”
Wen Canglan tried to defend himself further, but a thunderous roar shattered the night sky. The sound carried a soul-piercing force that sent chills racing through the bones.
It was a dragon’s roar!
As the cry echoed, a brilliant pink glow erupted from the nearby Great Elder’s Small Building. It streaked toward them in a straight line, moving so swiftly that Wen Canglan could scarcely track its path. That speed belonged to the Mystic King Realm!
—A mentor, perhaps?
The thought had barely formed when the pink orb materialized right in front of him. Now he could make out the figure within: a loli with cherry-blossom hair and two cute little horns protruding from her forehead. Her tiny hands were balled into dainty fists as she swung one straight at him.
The attack looked utterly harmless—even adorable—but Wen Canglan sensed mortal peril. He crossed his arms in a flash, summoning three layers of crystalline shields to block her path.
Bang!
The barriers, sturdy enough to withstand a full blow from a Mystic King, shattered like cheap glass beneath that petite fist.
A torrent of savage force crashed into Wen Canglan’s arms. The crack of splintering bone rang out as the impact hurled him backward, smashing him brutally into a tree.
Long Ying landed with perfect poise. She furrowed her tiny brows and declared angrily.
“I won’t allow anyone to harm him. Absolutely not!”
There was an unyielding obsession in her tone.
Wen Canglan reeled in shock. He had never laid eyes on this little girl before, yet she wielded Mystic King Realm power.
As the pink-haired loli advanced toward him with murder in her eyes, Wen Canglan’s heart leaped into his throat. The searing agony in his arms was a constant reminder: he stood no chance against her.
But in that moment, several overwhelming auras surged skyward before converging on their location.
Mystic Kings and Mystic Lords alike—without question, the mentors and elders from the nearby residences.
They had sensed the clash of battle and rushed to investigate.
Long Ying sprang into the air, lunging once more at Wen Canglan with her little fist cocked.
“Mentors!”
Cold sweat poured down Wen Canglan’s back as he bellowed. Two Mystic King Realm mentors zipped to his side and threw up defenses to intercept her punch, only for her terrifying brute strength to blast them away into the woods.
—She’s this powerful?
Wen Canglan’s pupils contracted. He yelled again.
“Elder!”
No sooner had the word left his lips than a Mystic Lord Realm elder shifted into position. He summoned the Power of Heaven and Earth to erect a barrier, finally halting Long Ying’s advance.
“Little girl, who might you be? This old man doesn’t recall ever seeing you around.”
Frustrated at being blocked, Long Ying grew even angrier and strained to press the attack. But Zi Xunyi called out.
“Little Long Ying, come back here.”
—If this dragged on, the situation would spiral out of control.
Long Ying ignored her. Rage blazed in her eyes, her aura swelling massively. Mystic power around her faintly coalesced into the form of a colossal dragon. Only then did Yan Zhen’s frail voice break through.
“Long Ying… stop. Come back…”
Long Ying froze for an instant. She slowly dispersed her draconic presence and whirled around without hesitation, landing beside the newly roused Yan Zhen. Concern flooded her voice.
“Yan Zhen Zhen, are you okay?”
“I… cough, cough.”
Yan Zhen tried to reply, only to erupt in a fit of bloody coughs. This wasn’t an act—the palm force had overwhelmed him carelessly, and his wounds ran deep.
Talk about a massive loss!
—Damn you, Wen Canglan. Just wait until my sword is forged. You’ll regret this!
“Don’t speak, Yan Zhen. There’s too much palm force built up inside you. It won’t dissolve right away. Come back to my place for now—Long Ying, let’s go.”
Disregarding all propriety between men and women, Zi Xunyi scooped him up in a horizontal carry. She tapped her toe and soared back toward the Cliffside Small Building.
Long Ying hurried after her.
Wen Canglan stared at their departing figures, his heart hollow and aching. In the end, he slammed his fist against the tree behind him with crushing force.
