Deep within Yun Lan Mountain, guided by Yun Yun, Xiao Se carried her and landed in front of a stone gate obscured by dense forest.
"My teacher is in seclusion here." Yun Yun pointed at the stone gate.
Xiao Se nodded. While activating his X-ray vision, he quietly released the spirit power of a Peak 7th-tier Alchemist. Inside the innermost space of the stone chamber sat an old man with white hair and a youthful complexion, his skin resembling warm jade. His Aura was deep and restrained, clearly having reached the level of a one-star Dou Zong.
"It seems we are too late. Your teacher has already achieved a Breakthrough to the Dou ZongRealm. Unsurprisingly, he must have consumed a Medicinal Pill from the Hall of Souls." Xiao Se shrugged slightly.
Hearing this, Yun Yun's expression changed. She formed several strange hand Seals, and accompanied by the sound of grinding stones, the stone gate pulsed with cyan light before slowly opening. Yun Yun walked in quickly. Xiao Se smiled helplessly and followed. Although Yun Shan had consumed the Hall of Souls' Break-Sect Pill, he had not yet been affected by the Hall of Souls, and his temperament remained unchanged. Perhaps he could still be saved.
"Yun'er, why are you here?" Yun Shan, who had just achieved his Breakthrough to the Dou ZongRealm, was clearly in a good mood. He slowly opened his eyes and asked with a smile.
"Teacher, have you been in contact with the Hall of Souls?" Yun Yun asked anxiously.
Hearing this, Yun Shan frowned: "Yun'er, who told you about this?"
Yun Yun turned to look at Xiao Se behind her.
Following Yun Yun's gaze, Yun Shan was startled, his white eyebrows knitting together. With his strength as a Dou Zong, he had actually failed to notice that there was another person here.
"Who might Your Excellency be?"
Xiao Se smiled faintly. Although Yun Shan's cultivation was only one star lower than his, Xiao Se possessed the Returning to Origin Soul Technique, which allowed him to completely conceal his Aura. As long as he didn't want to be found, unless the other party's spirit power was stronger than his, they would be unable to detect him. Even if they could detect him, they would be unable to discern his accurate cultivation level, and would only feel as the two Cloud Mist Sect gatekeepers did—unable to sense any Qi within Xiao Se's body.
"JuniorXiao Se, Yun'er's boyfriend, greets SeniorYun Shan." Xiao Se cupped his hands in a salute. As he spoke, he stopped concealing his Aura, and his Dou ZongAura was fully revealed.
"This Aura… is that of a Dou Zong." Yun Shan was startled once again. He had not expected that in the entire Jia Ma Empire, besides himself, another Dou Zong had appeared. Moreover, the other party's Aura was no weaker than his own; unsurprisingly, his strength had reached at least a two-star Dou Zong.
"Yun'er, is this young friend Xiao Se truly your boyfriend?" Yun Shan was quite excited at this moment, even temporarily forgetting the matter of the Hall of Souls that Yun Yun had just mentioned. If the Cloud Mist Sect could add another Dou Zong, then restoring the glory of their ancestors would be just around the corner.
Hearing this, she glanced at Xiao Se, lowered her head with a crimson face, and said softly: "Yes."
Perhaps to make Yun Shan more satisfied with Xiao Se, Yun Yun added: "He is also a very capable Alchemist."
"Good! Good! Good!" Yun Shan said the word "good" three times. When he looked at Xiao Se again, besides caution, there was now a touch of closeness. He looked and nodded, just like a father-in-law looking at a son-in-law, the more he looked, the more satisfied he became. One had to know, an Alchemist at the Dou Zong level was at least a Peak 6th-tier, or even 7th-tier.
Seeing Yun Shan's excited expression, Xiao Se rolled his eyes, cleared his throat, and slowly said: "SeniorYun Shan, originally I would not want to wade into these muddy waters, but since you are Yun'er's teacher, please forgive my bluntness, but you have been calculated by the Hall of Souls."
Hearing the words Hall of Souls again, Yun Shan's smile gradually faded, and his expression became serious. He sighed: "I have indeed been in contact with the Hall of Souls, but where does this talk of being calculated by the Hall of Souls come from? Young friend Xiao Se, you are a Dou Zong, so you must know the terror of the Hall of Souls. If they wanted to destroy the Cloud Mist Sect, why would they need to calculate against us?"
At the end, a self-deprecating bitter smile appeared on Yun Shan's face.
Xiao Se shook his head: "Before I tell you the truth, there is one thing I want to confirm. SeniorYun Shan, have you consumed any Medicinal Pill provided by the Hall of Souls?"
"That is correct. Two years ago, a Protector from the Hall of Souls found me and gave me a Break-Sect Pill. Thanks to this Break-Sect Pill, I was able to successfully achieve a Breakthrough to the Dou ZongRealm." Yun Shan nodded, not denying it.
"Teacher, you have been deceived. That Medicinal Pill was tampered with by the Hall of Souls. After consuming it, the Hall of Souls will plant a secret technique. That secret technique will not only affect a person's mind and cause a drastic change in temperament, but you will also be shackled by the people of the Hall of Souls. They can easily activate the secret technique within your body to pull out your Soul, thereby devouring it to increase their own cultivation."
It was Yun Yun who spoke. On the way here, Xiao Se had already told her about the terrifying nature of the Hall of Souls' secret technique. Now that she heard Yun Shan had actually consumed the Medicinal Pill provided by the Hall of Souls, she was immediately anxious and spoke urgently.
"This…" A bead of cold sweat dripped from Yun Shan's forehead.
If Xiao Se's previous claim that he had been calculated by the Hall of Souls sounded a bit alarmist, then the latter part about using a secret technique to devour his Soul to increase their strength was nine times out of ten true.
It was well known that the Hall of Souls ate human flesh without spitting out the bones.
The reason he had joined the Hall of Souls back then was, on one hand, because he had no choice. After all, the person who came was a Dou Zong. If he didn't agree, the Cloud Mist Sect might have been easily wiped out by the other party.
On the other hand, he held a certain wishful thinking, believing that the Hall of Souls simply wanted to use the Cloud Mist Sect to accomplish things that were inconvenient for them to do.
After all, although the Hall of Souls was strong, it was almost universally despised on the Fighting Qi Continent. There were too many concerns to act rashly, and since they couldn't do everything themselves, they still needed some thugs.
As long as their Cloud Mist Sect followed the orders of the Hall of Souls, there would be no problems. Perhaps they could even borrow the resources of the Hall of Souls to advance further.
"But I haven't felt any abnormalities in my body!" Yun Shan still clung to wishful thinking.
"SeniorYun Shan is not an Alchemist. With SeniorYun Shan's Soul perception, it is naturally impossible to discover. If SeniorYun Shan trusts this Junior, I can prove it to you." A mysterious smile curled on the corner of Xiao Se's mouth. He had to admit that the Hall of Souls' secret technique was hidden very deeply within the Soul. With his spirit power as a Peak 7th-tier Alchemist, he had to activate the Returning to Origin Soul Technique and investigate for quite a while before finding it. Right at the heart of Yun Shan's Soul, there was a tiny black dot that was extremely difficult to detect and could almost be ignored.
Hearing this, a flash of hesitation crossed Yun Shan's eyes, and he subconsciously looked at Yun Yun. Yun Yun nodded, and only then did he say to Xiao Se: "Then I will trouble you."
"Then, I apologize for the offense." Xiao Se's figure flashed, and he instantly appeared in front of Yun Shan. He pointed his right hand with fingers extended like a sword, and a faint strand of spirit power flowed from between Yun Shan's brows into his body.
Yun Shan nodded, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his body. Under the guidance of Xiao Se's spirit power, the tiny black dot at the heart of Yun Shan's Soul was infinitely magnified in his eyes, and finally, the character "Soul" appeared.
Seeing this "Soul" character, Yun Shan was immediately shocked into a cold sweat. "This is…"
"SeniorYun Shan, do you still think the Hall of Souls simply wants to use the Cloud Mist Sect as thugs?" Xiao Se withdrew his spirit power and said with a smile.
Hearing this, Yun Shan's expression changed several times. Helplessness, unwillingness, resentment, and despair flashed through his eyes, finally turning into a sigh. "Sigh! If I had known today would come, why did I act as I did? Yun'er, I leave the Cloud Mist Sect to you. And young friend Xiao Se, thank you for telling me the truth before I committed a grave mistake. I leave Yun'er to you."
At this moment, Yun Shan was determined to die. He could die, but the Cloud Mist Sect could not perish.
Seeing Yun Shan in this state, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness welled up in Yun Yun's heart. Involving the Hall of Souls, this was simply not something she, a mere Dou Huang, could solve. Immediately, she cast a hopeful and helpless gaze at Xiao Se.
Xiao Se returned a reassuring look and said to Yun Shan: "SeniorYun Shan, there is no need for this. I came here precisely for the matter of the Hall of Souls."
"Can you remove that Soul mark on me?" Hearing this, a strong desire to live flashed in Yun Shan's eyes.
Xiao Se nodded. "That Soul mark has already taken root deep in your Soul. Using ordinary methods is naturally ineffective, but… I have this."
As he spoke, Xiao Se extended his right hand, and golden flames instantly surged up. The temperature of the entire stone cave chamber soared violently.
"Heavenly Flame?" Seeing this, the eyes of the master and Disciple, Yun Shan and Yun Yun, lit up simultaneously.
"Heavenly Flame has the ability to burn the Soul. As long as that part of the Soul where the mark is planted is burned away, the secret technique will be broken. Of course, the consequence of doing this is that your Soul will suffer extremely serious trauma. That is not even the most serious part; healing this degree of Soul damage only requires a 6th-tier Soul Fusion Pill. The real problem is that if you are unlucky, it is very likely to cause your Realm to drop, or even result in death." Xiao Se explained.
"Then let us begin. Rather than waiting for death, it is better to take a gamble." Yun Shan thought for a moment and said in a deep voice.
"SeniorYun Shan is truly a powerhouse of the previous generation. Rest assured, I will try my best to preserve your cultivation." Xiao Se smiled, a flash of craftiness passing through his eyes without leaving a trace. He turned his gaze to Yun Yun: "Yun'er, I will have to trouble you to protect the Dharma outside. During the time I am removing the Soul mark for your teacher, we cannot be disturbed by anyone, otherwise, all previous efforts will be wasted."
"Okay." Yun Yun nodded, gave Xiao Se a deep look with her cheeks flushed crimson, turned around, and walked quickly out of the cave.
Standing in front of the stone cave, Yun Yun formed the opposite hand Seals to before, and the stone gate closed automatically.
At the same time, Xiao Se sat cross-legged behind Yun Shan, revealed the Heavenly Flame, and injected it into Yun Shan's body.
The moment before the stone gate completely closed, Yun Shan's heart-wrenching scream echoed from the stone cave chamber.
An hour later, the stone chamber door was opened, and Xiao Se walked out with a smile on his face.
"Are you okay? What about my teacher? How is he?" Yun Yun looked at Yun Shan, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in the stone chamber, and asked.
"Do I look like someone who is having trouble?" Xiao Se wrapped his arm around Yun Yun's slender willow waist and laughed: "As for your teacher, I gave him a Soul Fusion Pill, so he is basically fine, though he will need a few days of recuperation."
Hearing that Yun Shan was fine, Yun Yun let out a sigh of relief, while her beautiful face turned crimson.
Her delicate body pressed against Xiao Se's chest, her gaze darting away, and she muttered in a low voice: "What are you doing? My teacher is still inside."
"That way, he can't see." Xiao Se waved his right hand, and the stone gate of the cave closed automatically. He smiled: "Besides, just now when I was helping your teacher remove the Hall of Souls' secret technique, SeniorYun Shan already agreed to betroth you to me."
"Hmph, my teacher must have been deceived by you. Besides, don't you already have that little vixen from the Mittel Family? Why are you still coming to find me?" At this moment, Yun Yun seemed to have returned to the time when her cultivation was sealed by the Amethyst Winged Lion King. Showing her gentle and beautiful side, she was completely unlike her usual cold, distant self, appearing more like a wronged little wife.
"Where did you hear that from?" Xiao Se was clearly a bit guilty.
"Do I need to hear it? The entire Imperial Capital is talking about it, saying you are her fiancé. Besides, I have met that girl Ya Fei. When it comes to business and managing forces, perhaps she is a prodigy, but when it comes to cultivation talent, it is not much different from an ordinary person. She could surpass Nalan Yanran in cultivation; do you dare to say it was without your help?" Yun Yun pouted her little mouth and said coquettishly.
"Yun'er, look at me." Xiao Se's tone suddenly became serious. He knew that this matter had to be discussed with Yun Yun sooner or later, but it was definitely not now. Their relationship was still in a hazy stage; Yun Yun only had a good impression of him and had not yet developed a deep, unforgettable love. Therefore, he wanted to leave a mark on Yun Yun so that she would never be able to forget him, and even if she wanted to run, she wouldn't be able to.
"What… Mmph." Hearing this, Yun Yun subconsciously looked up and saw Xiao Se's face rapidly approaching. By the time she reacted, her lips had already been blocked.
Yun Yun's eyes were vacant; first, there was panic, and then her mind went completely blank.
She already had feelings for Xiao Se, so at this moment, she just let Xiao Se kiss her.
She clumsily wanted to respond, but inadvertently bit Xiao Se's lip.
Xiao Se feigned being very clumsy, to the point where their teeth collided several times.
After a long while, Xiao Se finally separated reluctantly.
Yun Yun, flushed with crimson, leaned breathlessly in Xiao Se's arms.
Xiao Se kissed Yun Yun's smooth forehead and smiled: "Do you understand my feelings for you now?"
Yun Yun did not answer, but just nodded slightly; everything was understood without words.
At the Peak of the Cloud Mist Sect's back mountain.
Following the disappearance of Xiao Se and Yun Yun, Nalan Yanran felt depressed, so she fortunately sat cross-legged on the edge of the cliff to Cultivate, killing time.
Just then, Yun Yun's soft voice sounded behind Nalan Yanran: "Yanran!"
Hearing this, Nalan Yanran's heart filled with joy. She formed a hand Seal to stop her Cultivation, quickly stood up, and looked in the direction of Yun Yun: "Teacher, you're back! Did you see Big Brother Xiao Se? Just after you left, he…"
Nalan Yanran's words did not finish because she saw the most unforgettable scene of her life. The man she had been longing for was currently holding her teacher's hand, and their behavior was very intimate, like lovers in the midst of a passionate romance.
"Yanran, let me reintroduce you. This is Xiao Se, the person who saved your teacher from danger in the Magical Beast Mountain Range and gave me many Medicinal Pills. The Medicinal Pills you use for your Cultivation now all come from his hands." Since she had established a relationship with Xiao Se, Yun Yun simply stopped hiding it. Moreover, their relationship had gained Yun Shan's support. The only regret was that her Disciple seemed to greatly admire Xiao Huohuo, the persona Xiao Se had disguised himself as. Yun Yun could only hope that as time passed, Nalan Yanran would gradually let go of this relationship that had not yet begun.
(End of Chapter)
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