Stars blanketed the night sky, the moon glowing like a silver disk.
At the peak of Yunlan Mountain, Yun Xian stood overlooking the sea of clouds below.
Twenty years…
As a transmigrator, Yun Xian knew all too well the brutal reality of the Dou Qi Continent. Strength reigned supreme; the weak were as insignificant as blades of grass. He began to ponder the path ahead.
To alter Yunlan Sect's doomed fate, he saw two options:
Eliminate Xiao Yan. Befriend Xiao Yan.
The first option seemed straightforward, but was riddled with complications. For one, Xiao Yan's childhood sweetheart, Xun Er, hailed from the ancient Gu Clan—a force that could crush Yunlan Sect as easily as squashing an ant. Moreover, if Xiao Yan were killed, who would stand against the Soul Heavenly Emperor in the future? Me? No thanks, I'm not cut out to play savior, Yun Xian thought, dismissing the idea.
"That leaves befriending Xiao Yan as the best choice," he concluded.
Too bad Yanran's dead set on breaking off that engagement.
Yun Xian felt a headache coming on. He'd molded Nalan Yanran into an obedient, well-mannered disciple who followed his every word—except when it came to her betrothal to the Xiao Clan. On that matter, she was stubbornly unyielding.
Fine. I can't exactly tie Yanran up and drag her to the Xiao Clan to force her on Xiao Yan. That's not befriending; that's groveling…
Yun Xian shook his head. Though a pragmatist, he wouldn't sacrifice the wishes of those close to him for personal gain.
Looks like I'll have to visit the Xiao Clan myself.
In Yun Xian's view, Nalan Yanran's refusal to marry a stranger wasn't wrong. The problem was her approach—storming in to annul the engagement in a way that utterly trampled the Xiao Clan's dignity, sowing the seeds of enmity between the two families.
To peacefully dissolve the engagement, Yun Xian believed it was simple: preserve the Xiao Clan's face and offer fair compensation. Both sides could part on good terms.
Then there's one other matter…
Yun Xian's eyes narrowed, his mind conjuring Yun Leng's infuriating sneer.
Across the entire story, Yun Leng ranked high on the list of troublemakers. Under his protection, outer sect deacon Mo Cheng ran rampant in Yunlan Sect's name, tarnishing its reputation. During the Three-Year Agreement—a mere spar between juniors Nalan Yanran and Xiao Yan—Yun Leng, unable to accept defeat, tried to detain Xiao Yan. This escalated into a clash involving Ice Emperor Hai Bodong and Ling Ying, the Gu Clan's strongest Dou Huang. He even roused the secluded Yun Shan, turning a youthful dispute into a sect-wide crisis.
When Queen Medusa appeared in her Heaven Swallowing Python form, both sides reached a truce, and Yun Shan allowed Xiao Yan to leave. The matter could have ended there, but Yun Leng, ever relentless, sent forces to massacre the Xiao Clan in Wu Tan City, pushing the conflict to a point of no return.
In short, Yun Leng bore at least half the blame for Yunlan Sect's downfall.
Whoosh~
The clouds churned.
Speak of the devil, Yun Xian thought with a smirk. His expression reverted to its usual laziness. "What brings you here, Senior Brother Yun Leng?"
Whoosh!
Dou Qi wings flared as Yun Leng soared into the sky, hovering above with a condescending glare.
"Hmph! Your Dou Qi's pathetic, but your senses are sharp enough," Yun Leng sneered. "Too bad you lack fire or wood attributes. You'll never become an alchemist."
A flicker of surprise crossed Yun Leng's eyes, though he quickly dismissed it.
"And?"
Yun Xian leaned back, hands behind his head, lounging on the grass with a leg crossed and a fragrant spirit herb in his mouth.
Yun Leng's irritation flared. "Yun Xian!" he barked. "You bear the title of Yunlan Sect's Martial Uncle yet slack off, lingering at the Dou Zhe stage. You're a disgrace to the sect!"
"Fair point. Go on."
Yun Xian nodded with a genial smile.
"As Great Elder of Yunlan Sect, I hereby order you to leave the sect immediately. You are no longer to represent us!"
No pretense needed—Yun Leng's goal was clear: expel Yun Xian.
"Does our teacher know of this decision, Senior Brother?"
Yun Xian's tone remained calm, his gaze steady.
"The old sect master's been in seclusion for years, furious with you. I'm merely easing his burdens!"
Yun Leng's words dripped with self-righteousness, though he was clearly overstepping.
"And Senior Sister? Is she aware?"
Yun Xian pressed further.
"The sect master focuses on cultivation. I handle all sect affairs," Yun Leng retorted with a cold huff, his voice turning mocking. "And I'd advise you to abandon any foolish fantasies about the sect master. The old sect master misjudged you—a waste!"
Yun Shan's past intention to pair Yun Xian with Yun Yun was no secret among the sect's upper echelons.
"And if I refuse? What can you do about it, Senior Brother?"
Yun Xian's carefree demeanor persisted, as if Yun Leng's threats were beneath notice.
Yun Leng froze, then laughed bitterly. "Hahaha! Yun Xian, where do you get the gall to challenge me? Because of your hollow title as Martial Uncle? Or do you think I'd hesitate to strike a fellow disciple?"
"How naive…"
As he spoke, thick earth-attribute Dou Qi surged from Yun Leng's hands, his robes billowing without wind.
"Let me enlighten you, Yun Xian! On the Dou Qi Continent, rank, fame, and bonds mean nothing. Strength speaks loudest. Even if I kill you here, the old sect master would only scold me lightly. No consequences!"
Yun Leng unleashed his Dou Qi, aiming to crush Yun Xian with his aura.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The grass, trees, and rocks around Yun Xian shattered under the pressure. Yet his spot remained untouched, an invisible barrier repelling Yun Leng's Dou Wang-level Dou Qi, unyielding.
"Is that… soul power?"
Yun Leng's pupils shrank, his face a mix of shock and confusion.
"Why so surprised? I've never hidden anything."
Yun Xian's lips curled into a playful grin.
"Could it be… a Dou Di inheritance?!"
Yun Leng swallowed hard, his mind flashing back ten years. Yun Xian had claimed a Dou Di inheritance, but no one, not even the old sect master, believed him.
"Impossible! Utterly impossible!" Yun Leng roared, his voice hysterical, panic creeping in. "No Dou Di has appeared on the Dou Qi Continent for tens of thousands of years. How could there be an inheritance?"
"You're not wrong there."
Yun Xian nodded in agreement.
In the original story, the last Dou Di was Tuoshe Ancient Emperor, whose essence was the top-ranked Heavenly Flame. To claim his inheritance, one needed to master the Flame Mantra to absorb the flame seeds in the Heavenly Flame Plaza, evolving them into an Emperor Flame. Yun Xian's wind-attribute Dou Qi made that path inviable.
But as a transmigrator, wasn't it only fair he had a golden finger?
Ten years ago, after arduous effort, Yun Xian condensed a Dou Zhi Cyclone, becoming a Dou Zhe. That's when his cheat activated: he received a Dou Di inheritance from the Spirit Clan, his soul power soaring to the Emperor Realm!
It was… abrupt. No finesse, just raw, overwhelming power.
How strong was Emperor-Level Soul Power? According to the original story, Xiao Yan, wielding it, could instantly kill the seven-star Dou Sheng Soul Hall Master and hold his own against the eight-star Dou Sheng Soul Yuan Tian.
In other words, Yun Xian's combat strength rivaled an eight-star Dou Sheng!
Across the Dou Qi Continent, only a handful could threaten him: Gu Yuan, Soul Heavenly Emperor, Zhu Kun, the Embryonic Di Pill, and, twenty years later, Void Swallowing Flame, who'd reach the Emperor Realm by refining countless souls from the Soul Hall.
Round it up, and Yun Xian was practically invincible.
So why bother cultivating?
As for pursuing Dou Di or chasing grand ambitions, Yun Xian had zero interest. Why sweat when lying flat is so much sweeter?
Take Xiao Yan in the original story: always leveling up or fighting, enduring countless near-death trials. His life was busier than a 996 work schedule—a grind among grinds!
Yun Xian refused such a grueling existence. I was a workhorse in my past life. If I'm still slaving away after transmigrating, what's the point? With Emperor-Level Soul Power, he could live comfortably on the Dou Qi Continent. No need to toil over Dou Qi cultivation. He'd lie flat, savor life, and call it perfection.
"I see it now… you must be carrying some treasure!"
A sharp glint flashed in Yun Leng's eyes. He refused to believe in a "Dou Di inheritance." As for how a mere Dou Zhe withstood a Dou Wang's pressure, Yun Leng deduced Yun Xian possessed a mysterious artifact.
Perfect!
What started as personal disdain now had a tangible motive—kill and plunder!
Seeing the undisguised greed and murderous intent on Yun Leng's face, Yun Xian chuckled. "Yun Leng, you really do love courting death."
"Arrogant! Let's see how a Dou Zhe makes a Dou Wang die—"
Yun Leng's taunt cut off abruptly.
What… what's happening?
His body froze.
The world in Yun Leng's eyes seemed to pause, time stilled, all sound silenced.
A white shadow emerged from Yun Xian's body, flashing before him.
Thud!
A jolt hit his body, painless yet jarring.
Huh?
Yun Leng's vision pulled back, his translucent soul form hurtling away.
A Dou Wang powerhouse, felled instantly by a Dou Zhe?
No… no!
I'm Yunlan Sect's Great Elder, one of the Jia Ma Empire's top ten powerhouses! How can I die so easily?
Terror consumed Yun Leng as his soul fractured into countless shards, dissolving into firefly-like specks.
Thud.
With his soul shattered, Yun Leng's Dou Qi wings vanished. Like a kite with a cut string, his lifeless body plummeted from the sky.
"That's it?"
"No fight at all?"
Yun Xian stared at Yun Leng's unmistakably dead corpse, momentarily dazed, as if it hadn't sunk in.
But it made sense. Emperor-Level Soul Power against a Dou Wang was a dimensional strike. Yun Leng stood no chance.
Cruel to kill a sect brother? Yun Xian felt no guilt. In his past life, he lived by a simple code: repay kindness with kindness, grudges with vengeance.
Yun Leng had provoked him repeatedly, and tonight, driven by greed for a supposed "treasure," he'd harbored killing intent.
Those who kill will be killed. Since Yun Leng meant to murder him, Yun Xian bore no burden in retaliating.
Plus, Yun Leng was a reckless fool who'd drag Yunlan Sect to ruin if left unchecked.
Rummaging through Yun Leng's corpse, Yun Xian found several high-grade storage rings, each sealed with potent soul imprints that only the owner could unlock. Prying eyes would trigger a backlash.
Child's play for Yun Xian. With a thought, he erased the soul imprints effortlessly, the backlash nonexistent.
Scanning the rings' contents, he found a Three-Pattern Green Spirit Pill, a Purple Heart Barrier-Breaking Pill, high-level Xuan Class techniques and skills, and an anonymous black gold card worth four million gold coins.
Yun Xian's eyes flickered with surprise. This was no ordinary Dou Wang's wealth. As Great Elder, Yun Leng had clearly embezzled vast resources over the years.
No wonder he doted on a lowly outer sect deacon like Mo Cheng. The Mo Clan's tributes to Yunlan Sect must've mostly lined Yun Leng's pockets.
Yun Xian smirked, unfazed. Yun Leng was dead; his lifelong riches now belonged to him.
No loose ends.
"Spatial Annihilation."
With a casual murmur, the space around Yun Leng's body warped violently, like an invisible grindstone pulverizing his corpse into dust. The remnants sank into an endless spatial vortex, gone forever.
Yun Leng's disappearance sent ripples through Yunlan Sect.
A Great Elder, one of the Jia Ma Empire's top ten powerhouses, vanishing without a trace? It was baffling.
"Any findings, Elder Gu He?"
"Nothing… within a hundred miles, I sense no trace of Yun Leng's soul aura. It's as if he evaporated."
Gu He, who'd initially been confident, now wore an awkward expression under Yun Yun's questioning gaze.
"The sect's barriers detected nothing…"
"Could it be… spatial power?"
Yun Yun's brow furrowed. Sneaking into Yunlan Sect undetected and neutralizing a high-tier Dou Wang instantly? Even a Dou Huang couldn't manage that.
"Don't underestimate a sixth-grade alchemist," Gu He said, eager to save face. "Even a Dou Zong's spatial manipulation would leave traces. My soul perception would've caught something."
He wasn't lying. Most Dou Zong could only wield spatial power crudely, leaving detectable clues for a sixth-grade alchemist like him.
Unless… it was a legendary Dou Zun.
The thought surfaced, but both Yun Yun and Gu He shook their heads.
Absurd.
A Dou Zun in the Jia Ma Empire? Even across the northwest continent, Dou Zun were rarer than phoenix feathers. Why would one appear in Yunlan Sect?