A figure descended upon Water Flower Valley, her presence undetectable, not a wisp of aura escaping.
She was a stunning woman, appearing in her thirties, exuding elegance and an indescribable charm. Clad in a flowing white palace gown, noble yet delicate, her perfect figure was subtly outlined, tantalizingly alluring.
Her lips gleamed like polished ruby, her deep blue eyes carried a cold, haughty glint, her nose was refined, and her platinum hair cascaded over her shoulders, tracing her graceful back to her enticingly curved hips.
In appearance, she bore an eight-part resemblance to Bai Lian Hua. If the young princess was a pure dandelion, pristine and delicate, this woman was a seductive rose, lethal in her allure.
Their temperaments diverged—one innocent and guileless, the other poised and mature. The woman's full, rounded peaks swayed gently with each step, a trait Bai Lian Hua couldn't match.
The White Sand Empress glided through the valley's air, her brow furrowing slightly. Her precious daughter was nowhere to be seen.
"Little one, your mother's here to visit!" Her voice, warm with maternal love, belied her icy exterior, echoing through the valley.
No response came.
A sense of unease stirred. Worry creased her cold face, her hair fluttering as her divine sense swept out, covering every inch of the valley, counting even the dust motes.
Yet, no trace of her daughter.
"Something's wrong!" she exclaimed, vanishing in a flash.
She reappeared in the small wooden room, her gaze locking onto the bed where a tattered, blood-soaked man's robe lay.
"This aura isn't Lian Hua's—it's a man's!" Her delicate nose twitched, her expression darkening.
She couldn't fathom why a man's bloodied clothes were in her daughter's private room. Even with her seasoned composure, anxiety surged.
Lan An's carelessness had left his robe behind after healing.
Realizing staying was futile, her eyes turned glacial, the air around her freezing into shards. "Bai Sha, if anything happens to Lian Hua, I'll never forgive you!"
With a flick of her sleeve, she prepared to leave.
Her steps halted.
Lan An emerged from the Spirit Realm Pearl, satisfied. Bai Lian Hua, engrossed with Hai Ling Long, refused to leave their playful haven.
"Careful, Young Master!" Jin Ni's voice warned.
Lan An spun, startled. A breathtaking woman fixed him with a deathly stare, her eyes like daggers.
"Lian Hua, grown up?" he muttered, struck by their uncanny resemblance.
The Empress ignored his quip, recognizing his scent as identical to the robe's. Without a word, her terrifying Mid Body Unity aura erupted, pressing down on him.
"Pfft!" Caught off guard, Lan An staggered back three steps, nearly spitting blood.
Fury flared. What was this? Attacking him on sight?
"Big Lian Hua, stop!" he shouted, bewildered.
"Big Lian Hua? Courting death!" Her eyes flashed at his insolence, hands forming seals. "Ice Seal Slaughter!"
The air turned frigid, ice elements surging, encasing Lan An's body.
"Speed Shift!" He vanished, dodging her attack.
But the gap in their strength was vast. Ice Seal Slaughter tracked him, freezing him from the shoulders down, pinning him to the ground, only his head exposed.
"What did you do to Lian Hua? Speak, or die!" The Empress's actions were swift and decisive. She didn't know how he appeared so mysteriously, only that he was tied to her daughter's safety.
Her finger rose, ice elements swirling like a blade at his forehead, ready to kill at any misstep.
"Are you the White Sand Empress?" Lan An asked, his body rigid in ice, skin stinging with cold, her threat looming.
Bai Lian Hua had said only the Emperor and Empress could enter here.
"Where is Lian Hua?" Her voice was icy, ignoring his question, demanding answers.
Anger surged in Lan An. Who did she think she was, attacking without cause and interrogating him so arrogantly? He could tolerate much, but this was too far.
"Ice, melt!" he roared.
The Empress scoffed, thinking him delusional. Break her Mid Body Unity ice?
But her expression shifted, mockery fading to surprise.
Crack! Sizzle!
Ice melted as two blazing flames enveloped Lan An, turning her ice to water—Golden Crow Void Flame and Purple Heart Void-Burning Flame.
"Two Strange Flames? Are you from the Dan Clan or Fire Underworld Sect?" Her eyes narrowed, studying the flickering flames, her mind racing.
Only those factions could wield dual Strange Flames.
"Why should I tell you?" Lan An retorted haughtily.
Her face turned colder at his defiance. "If you won't speak, I'll make you!"
Her hands blurred, wielding earth and ice elements. Spiritual energy swarmed her, amplifying her technique.
"I'll test my limits!" Lan An thought, roaring, "Peerless Under Heaven!"
His hair turned golden, his aura transforming into a lofty Heavenly Emperor's, gazing down imperiously.
The Empress's heart jolted. His presence rivaled an emperor's, surpassing even the White Sand Emperor's. But as a Mid Body Unity cultivator, she regained composure, her hands striking. "Ice Earth Falling Petal Palm!"
Water Flower Valley quaked, the wooden room shattering. Two palm strikes tore through space.
Lan An condensed his spiritual energy, forming a sphere of Eight Desolations Heavenly Flame, Purple-White Lightning, and Nirvana Spirit Water.
"Spirit Fusion Palm!"
The domineering strike roared out, shaking the heavens.
"Three elements fused?" The Empress's cold eyes widened. She'd never seen a Late Fusion Realm cultivator unleash such power. What prodigy was this?
Despite her shock, she stood unfazed, arms crossed, watching her attack.
Whoosh!
As expected, Spirit Fusion Palm held back Ice Earth Falling Petal Palm for mere moments before being shredded, dissipating into the air.
Lan An's eyes shrank. Her attack's range was too vast to evade.
Pfft!
Blood sprayed as he flew back like a rag, Peerless Under Heaven collapsing. He lay gasping, cursing, "Damn it, the gap's too wide!"
"What?" The Empress gasped, stunned. He should've been unconscious for months after her strike, yet he was cursing?
What kind of monster was he?
Her gown fluttered as she studied him, searching her memory for such a prodigy on the Yellow Sand Continent.
Lan An glared back, sprawled on the ground.
Their eyes locked. Losing patience, she said coldly, "No more talk. I'll search your soul!"
Lan An paled. This woman was mad! Before he could speak, she lunged, her hand on his head, her divine sense invading his soul to probe his memories.
Intrigued by this enigmatic youth, she anticipated uncovering his secrets.
But as her consciousness entered, a five-petaled, translucent lotus in his dantian spun, unleashing a surge of soul force that struck her intrusion.
"Ah!" Her consciousness was repelled, pain lancing her head.
"Haha, search my soul? Taste my power!" Lan An gloated. He'd forgotten the Soul Nurturing Lotus, a mysterious soul artifact from Ping An City's stone gambling (Chapter 82).
Per Jin Ni, its value surpassed ordinary Strange Flames. Since healing Ji Bing's soul, it had silently purified his soul force, enhancing its strength. It enabled him to injure Bai Yang, a Mid Refining Void cultivator, with a single soul technique.
Now, it thwarted a Mid Body Unity soul search.
His triumph was short-lived. The Empress's icy gaze returned, unyielding. The Soul Nurturing Lotus had blocked her but hadn't harmed her.
"Where's Lian Hua?" she demanded, her final warning laced with killing intent.
Sensing her resolve, Lan An sighed, defeated. Her strength outmatched his. If he were stronger, he'd spank that haughty attitude out of her.
To avoid escalation, he summoned the Spirit Realm Pearl.
A radiant, pure maiden appeared, her smile beaming with joy—Bai Lian Hua.
Seeing her daughter's happiness, the Empress's mature frame trembled. How long had it been since Lian Hua smiled so brightly?
"Little Nam, you're hurt?" Bai Lian Hua, pulled from her play with Hai Ling Long, shrieked at his state. She rushed to him, frantically feeding him healing pills and propping him up.
"What happened? How did you end up like this?" Tears welled in her eyes, her lips trembling, on the verge of crying.
Lan An's expression twisted, unsure how to respond.
The Empress, jealous of his hold on her daughter, cleared her throat. "Ahem!"
"Ah!" Bai Lian Hua jumped, spinning to see her mother. "Mother, when did you arrive?"
The Empress's lips twitched. Her daughter had only noticed Lan An, rendering her invisible. Her cold heart ached, but her demeanor hid it. She huffed, "You little brat, what's going on? Who is he, and how did he get here?"
Seeing Lan An stabilize, Bai Lian Hua recounted everything—her rescue, their wager, and the Spirit Realm Pearl's wonders. Her face glowed with joy.
The Empress listened silently, her heart heavy with guilt. She'd neglected her daughter, lost in cultivation.
Lan An, feeling his injuries ease, opened his eyes.
"You, prepare yourself. In three days, you're coming with me!" the Empress commanded, glaring, then tore through space and vanished.
"I didn't agree!" Lan An muttered, annoyed at her presumptuousness.
Bai Lian Hua grabbed his hand, pleading, "Mother needs your help, Little Nam. Please don't refuse!"
Her earnest look softened him. He owed her two lives. Nodding, he agreed, though he wondered what the icy Empress wanted.