"Senior Yan, my apologies. I was unable to deliver the item to Senior Xue Lan as promised, and I had to trouble you to come all the way here."
As Xiao Xun'er handed the scroll to Yan Qingshan, her slender, jade-like hand made a small, teasing movement as it met his palm.
"Your Excellency, now that you've got the item, you should take your hand back quickly!"
Yan Qingshan felt his palm being lightly scratched, as if by a playful cat. He looked up at Xiao Xun'er with a half-smile, and sure enough, a shout came from behind them—it was the Gu Clan's commander, Ling Quan.
He was furious. After seeing Yan Qingshan and Xiao Xun'er exchange the cultivation method, he noticed that Yan Qingshan was still holding his young miss's hand and refused to let go. His anger was soaring.
"Don't do that again!"
Yan Qingshan silently mouthed these words to Xiao Xun'er. Then, after putting the scroll away, he turned his head and looked at Ling Quan with a smirk. "Where did this mongrel come from, interrupting my quality time with Junior Xun'er?"
As Yan Qingshan spoke, he hooked his arm back. Before Xiao Xun'er could even react, he had wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close in a seemingly intimate manner. "Junior Xun'er and I have a great relationship! How long we hold hands is none of your business!"
"You bastard! How dare you touch the Young Miss..."
Ling Quan and the other young experts from the Gu Clan were instantly enraged. A powerful aura surged from each of them, and they clenched their fists, ready to teach Yan Qingshan a lesson.
Xiao Xun'er's eyebrows furrowed as the situation escalated so quickly. She had originally only intended to use Yan Qingshan to deal with these newcomers from the Gu Clan.
Ever since these young experts arrived, they had been showing her excessive concern, engaging in "protection" that was really just hindering others from getting close to her. She strongly disliked being "protected" in such a confining, almost imprisonment-like manner.
Therefore, she wanted to find someone to break the stalemate. The plan to have Yan Qingshan personally come to retrieve the item was a part of this.
Information from her bodyguard, Ling Ying, who was in the Jia Ma Empire, had given her a good understanding of Yan Qingshan's strength. Yan Qingshan had once fought three peak Dou Emperors who could defeat a Dou Zong when working together, and he remained undefeated. This showed his extraordinary strength, and he should have no problem dealing with people like Ling Quan.
She had expected this to be difficult, but she never imagined it would go so "smoothly." Yan Qingshan had willingly played along. Still, his posture, with an arm around her waist, was almost pulling her into his embrace, and she found it a bit difficult to adjust.
A cold glint shot out from Ling Quan's eyes. He said coldly, "Let go of the Young Miss, or you won't be leaving here today."
Yan Qingshan tilted his head with a smile. He gently let go of Xiao Xun'er and then beckoned to Ling Quan. "Heh, are you telling me what to do? Fine! Let's see if you have the ability. Come on!"
"Bastard!"
Feeling provoked, Ling Quan roared. A fierce palm wind struck out fiercely toward Yan Qingshan. A surge of Dou Qi burst forth, as if to completely incinerate the man who was standing with his hands open.
Ling Quan's palm was still mid-air, but before he could strike Yan Qingshan, his vision blurred. Yan Qingshan's figure appeared beside him, moving at high speed. He easily grabbed Ling Quan's outstretched wrist, and a sharp pain made Ling Quan want to scream.
"Let go!"
The two of them, Yan Qingshan and Ling Quan, returned from their high-speed movement to a standstill. Ling Quan felt as if his right hand was clamped in an iron vise. A series of intense pains made his face turn the color of a pig's liver. He quickly used his other hand to channel Dou Qi and punch toward Yan Qingshan's forehead.
Ling Quan's reaction was not slow, but Yan Qingshan was faster. A whip-like kick blocked Ling Quan's punch, causing his forearm to bounce back and hit his own abdomen. Before Ling Quan could even groan, an even fiercer blow hit his chest.
"Is that all you've got?"
Yan Qingshan let go at the right time, kicking the man away, then clapped his hands and gave Ling Quan a cold smile.
"Commander Ling Quan!"
"Commander, are you okay?"
The nine figures quickly gathered around Ling Quan, seemingly ready to attack together. These people were not weak, but the strongest among them was only at the peak of the Dou King realm. To Yan Qingshan now, one punch each was overkill. They were simply not enough to make him take them seriously.
Yan Qingshan scoffed at the ten people in front of him. "You don't seem like much. I hear your Gu Clan's Black Submerged Army battle formations are quite impressive. How about you all attack at once? It'll save me the trouble of dealing with you one by one."
"All of you, get out of my way!"
Ling Quan pushed away the hands of his subordinates. With a hint of madness in his eyes, he pointed at Yan Qingshan and roared, "Don't be so arrogant in front of me! I was just being careless before. I'm more than enough to handle you on my own."
As Ling Quan roared, he clenched his palm. A flash of lightning appeared on his hand, and as the silver light extended, it transformed into a lightning spear. With a stomp of his foot, Ling Quan soared into the sky, pointing his spear at Yan Qingshan.
"If you're going to make a move, do it quickly. I don't have that much time to waste on a piece of trash like you."
Yan Qingshan took out a folding fan. It had a silkworm silk surface and jade bones, looking more like a delicate work of art than a weapon. He opened the fan, and on its pure white surface were scattered ink patterns. A closer look revealed them to be beautiful women of exceptional grace.
"Junior Xun'er's elegance today is exceptionally captivating. Although I wanted to wait two more years to paint, unfortunately, I have to leave soon. So, I'll have to capture today's Junior Xun'er in a painting."
As Yan Qingshan spoke, he took out a paintbrush. He stared directly at Xiao Xun'er, holding the fan in one hand and painting on its surface with the other, not even sparing a glance for Ling Quan in the sky.
"You bastard! I'll tear you to pieces..."
Ling Quan was completely enraged by being ignored. His eyes filled with killing intent. He shook his spear violently, and a brilliant bolt of lightning wrapped around it. Then, with a shudder of the spear, it transformed into a giant lightning dragon, roaring like thunder as it shot toward Yan Qingshan.
Yan Qingshan didn't even turn his head to look at the charging lightning spear. The next moment, the enraged lightning dragon struck the ground, creating a large crater. Dust and mist scattered, but Yan Qingshan was still calmly painting. His figure was only half a step from Ling Quan's side.
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!!!"
Ling Quan moved again. A afterimage remained in his original spot, and when he reappeared, his spear danced, and silver snakes writhed, lunging at all of Yan Qingshan's vital points with a malicious and cunning grace. Unfortunately, no matter how many times he attacked, he was always one step behind, completely unable to hit Yan Qingshan.
Yan Qingshan strolled calmly, occasionally making a small turn, his movements serene and unhurried. He kept his eyes fixed on the graceful Xiao Xun'er, and his paintbrush never stopped moving.
You would think he was in a serious fight, but aside from the first moment when he grabbed Ling Quan's wrist, he had almost no offensive or counter-attacking moves. Yet, if you thought he wasn't interested in fighting, every time he appeared right beside Ling Quan, it was a blatant provocation.
"Lightning Snake Dance!"
Amidst the sizzling sounds, afterimages of the spear appeared in mid-air. However, Yan Qingshan's body seemed to have been spiritualized. With an occasional subtle shift, he was able to barely avoid Ling Quan's fierce spear techniques. Every time Ling Quan thrust, he only struck an afterimage.
"Bastard, all you can do is dodge!"
After missing again, Ling Quan swore loudly. He slammed his palm against the spear handle, and the sudden force caused the lightning spear to shoot out like a powerful crossbow bolt. Along its path, it even created ripples of electrical sparks in the air.
"I'm afraid if I were to actually strike, you wouldn't even be able to take one move. So I'm giving you a chance to show off a little, so you don't lose in a way that you can't accept or refuse to admit."
Yan Qingshan smiled, appearing on Ling Quan's other side. He rested the fan on his shoulder while still painting with his other hand.
"Honestly, your flashy spear technique is completely useless against a true expert."
Yan Qingshan smiled as he commented. In just a few breaths of their exchange, an ink-wash beauty gradually appeared on his fan's surface. A stunning portrait of Xiao Xun'er standing alone by a cliff leapt onto the painting. It was so lifelike and real that it seemed to be alive.
Ling Quan roared and swept his spear. "My spear technique is not for a coward who's afraid to face me head-on to judge."
"Heh, you really think all I can do is dodge?"
This time, Yan Qingshan didn't use his movement technique. He simply blocked with his fan, took a small step back, and then violently shook it. The powerful spinning force was so strong that Ling Quan couldn't even hold on, and the spear flew out of his hand.
With the spear gone, Ling Quan's face changed drastically again. He instantly retreated, and as he did, he lightning-fast created a series of hand seals, roaring, "God's Seal: Open Mountain Seal!"
"Open Mountain? You can't even hit me, so how are you going to split it? You can't even cast the technique!"
Yan Qingshan's voice rang out in Ling Quan's ear again. The tip of his closed folding fan suddenly jabbed into Ling Quan's right palm. In a burst of intense pain, the Dou Qi in his palm was completely scattered. The half-completed Dou Technique failed, and the chaotic Dou Qi almost caused him to suffer a severe backlash.
"Flashy spearwork, slow hand seals, and unstable Dou Qi... Did you get your position as a Black Submerged Army Commander through connections?"
Yan Qingshan opened the folding fan in his palm, then slapped it against Ling Quan's face, sending him tumbling several times on the ground. "The way you all are, you still want to protect Junior Xun'er? You need to train harder! Amethyst Seal!!!"
A brilliant violet light rapidly gathered in Yan Qingshan's palm. In an instant, eight or nine seals were completed, and a single violet ray swept out, striking Ling Quan and the nine people who came with him. None were spared; not a single one was left untouched.
"Why is my Dou Qi so much weaker!"
"What's wrong with my cultivation..."
"We've been sealed..."
After the ten men, including Ling Quan, managed to get back on their feet, they realized something was wrong. Their Dou Qi had been sealed to the level of a Dou Spirit. It was clear they had been hit with a technique.