Chapter 141: Leaving the Jia Ma Empire!
Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. That kind of calm, unruffled composure—he had only seen it in one other young man.
Jiang Yun!
That peerless prodigy, whose talent even his teacher could not stop praising. He too possessed that same aura of having everything firmly within his grasp.
Nodding, Xiao Yan raised the teacup before him, offering a distant toast to the other.
Watching Xiao Yan's response, Gu Zhen smiled warmly and asked softly, "Do you know why the clan is so opposed to the matter between the young miss and you?"
"Is it because of the Dou Di bloodline?" Xiao Yan was briefly startled upon hearing this, then quickly caught on and guessed.
Today, through Yun Yi, the mysterious veil over Xun Er's clan had already been lifted—descendants of the legendary Dou Di.
He had no real concept of how powerful a Dou Di truly was. But seeing Dou Zuns serving as Xun Er's guards, he could roughly imagine it.
That conclusion was simply suffocating!
"It is precisely the Dou Di bloodline!" Hearing this, Gu Zhen cast an approving glance at Xiao Yan and spoke with certainty.
"The Gu clan lives within the Gu Realm, with an extremely vast population of clansmen. They are the Gu clan's foundation. The bodies of the Gu clan's clansmen all contain the ancient emperor's bloodline. Although so diluted as to be negligible, occasionally, mutations do appear. They are the Gu clan's unending supply of fresh blood!"
"However, precisely because the bloodline is so diluted, the ancient emperor's bloodline is easily overwritten by outside bloodlines. That is why the Gu clan never intermarries with outsiders!"
At this point, Gu Zhen paused, looking at Xiao Yan. "This is true for ordinary clansmen. And for the core members of the Gu clan, it is the same. The prohibition against intermarriage with outsiders is even written into the Gu clan's clan rules."
"The young miss Xun Er is the purest bloodline our clan has seen in a thousand years, with the hope of reaching the highest—the divine-grade bloodline. When she matures, she can sustain our Gu clan's glory for another thousand years. You should now understand why the clan has reacted so strongly to the matter between the young miss Xun Er and you!"
Somewhat despondently, Xiao Yan asked, "Is the Dou Di bloodline truly that formidable?"
Hearing this, Gu Zhen was briefly stunned, then laughed. "Of course. As time passes, it is only the ancient clans who look down upon the world from on high—that is the best proof!"
Xiao Yan smiled, noncommittal. "Yet in this world, there are also geniuses who break the norm, who can swim against the current and stand at the continent's pinnacle. Aren't that Yun Yi and Jiang Yun the best proof of that?"
Gu Zhen's brow raised. He hadn't expected Xiao Yan to use these two to refute him. Recalling the two's performance today, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words. Shaking his head helplessly, he said, "Those two are indeed peerless prodigies rarely seen in an age. But how many such prodigies appear in a single era?"
"Moreover, one of them is backed by the Hun clan, the other by the Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan—both forces no weaker than my Gu clan. Compared to you... there is an essential difference!"
Xiao Yan nodded. On this point, he truly couldn't compare to those two. A surge of dejection abruptly rose in his heart. Curious, he asked, "What level must one reach to make the Gu clan disregard bloodline?"
"Dou Sheng!" Gu Zhen's brow twitched. With absolute seriousness, he said, "A true Dou Sheng!"
"Hiss—" The two words "Dou Sheng" struck him like a colossal mountain crashing down, leaving Xiao Yan momentarily dazed. The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame within him abruptly flared.
Clenching his fists, Xiao Yan came back to himself. He recalled every little moment of the past. Three years ago, facing Nalan Yanran's annulment, the pressure of the Yun Lan Sect—that mountain he had spent three years and finally climbed over.
Wasn't the current Gu clan just like the Yun Lan Sect back then? Wasn't this just another trial to temper him?
As long as he kept pushing forward step by step, one day, he would reach that level!
"I believe I will reach that step!" Xiao Yan's fighting spirit reignited. Gazing at Gu Zhen with blazing eyes, he spoke.
Gu Zhen watched Xiao Yan's inexplicable surge of confidence, that spirited, high-spirited appearance. He had no idea what feeling stirred in his heart. Perhaps Xiao Yan simply had no idea how difficult it truly was to reach Dou Sheng.
Relying solely on a hot-blooded passion, he sought to prove to everyone who looked down on him—I can do it!
At this moment, he almost seemed somewhat eager to see Xiao Yan's final outcome. Yet still, he advised, "Confidence is a good thing. But if, in the future, you come to understand the difficulty of advancing in strength—I hope you can leave the young miss. Otherwise, it will not be good for either of you."
"Thank you for the advice!" Xiao Yan nodded earnestly. His impression of Gu Zhen was quite good. The other was worthy of being the Grand Commander of the Black Annihilation Army. It was said there were even Four Great Commanders above him—he wondered what kind of presence they possessed.
"Swoosh!"
Right at that moment, a faint sound of rushing wind came. Both turned their heads. At the edge of a distant pavilion, a young woman in a golden dress was lazily watching this direction. Gazing at Xiao Yan, her autumn-water-like bright eyes brimmed with boundless tenderness.
"Heh—" Watching this scene, Gu Zhen smiled bitterly. With a complicated look at Xiao Yan, he sighed. "I hope you remember what I've said. Absolutely, absolutely do not overstep propriety. Also..."
"Gu Zhen..."
Abruptly, a light, ethereal voice slowly echoed across this small patch of heaven and earth. Its tone carried a faint hint of displeasure.
"Yes!" Nodding, Gu Zhen rose and left, leaving behind a thoroughly confused Xiao Yan.
Just now, Gu Zhen had clearly still had more to say to him. Yet for some unknown reason, Xun Er had stopped him.
"Brother Xiao Yan!" A sweet, honeyed voice pulled the dazed Xiao Yan back. He looked at the young woman before him, a gentle smile in his eyes.
"Xun Er..."
"Tsk tsk tsk. It seems your clan's young miss has truly set her heart on that Xiao Yan of the Xiao Clan. A pity... among the younger generation of the Gu clan, you two should have been the most suitable pair."
On a pavilion not far away, two figures stood quietly, their gazes looking into the distance. Seeing this scene, one of them, a young man in black, looked at the blue-robed man beside him and shook his head with a sigh.
"Who Xun Er likes is her freedom. Qingyang merely sees Xun Er as a younger sister. But you, Master Jiang—why did you come to this small, insignificant place, the Jia Ma Empire?" Gu Qingyang withdrew his gaze from the distant pair and shook his head. There was not a trace of regret in his eyes. Instead, looking at Jiang Yun, he asked with curiosity.
"Just wandering and traveling. Had it not been so, I likely would never have met Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin. That, instead, was my good fortune!" Jiang Yun spoke softly, without a shred of pretense, a hint of tenderness appropriately surfacing in his eyes.
Gu Qingyang's heart stirred. He recalled the three graceful figures beside Jiang Yun during the day. A faint, almost imperceptible trace of envy rose in his heart.
The world had never lacked beautiful vases who were nothing but empty shells. Even he, Gu Qingyang, had quite a few lovely maidservants at home. But—
women who possessed both talent and beauty were rare, vanishingly few. What's more, the three women by Jiang Yun's side all possessed terrifying talent. At the very least, Gu Qingyang felt that every single one of them was an existence not inferior to himself.
And that Taixu Ancient Dragon among them was even more fearsome. The concentration of her bloodline, the strength of her draconic pressure—it was the most terrifying he had witnessed among all the magical beasts he had encountered over the years.
"Master Jiang truly has excellent fortune!" Gu Qingyang sighed with admiration. Inwardly, he reasoned: Jiang Yun's purpose likely wasn't the Xiao Clan's ancient jade. Not to mention whether the other even knew the Xiao Clan possessed an ancient jade in the first place—
if the Taixu Ancient Dragon truly wanted the ancient jade, would they still be dawdling like this? They would have made their move long ago.
Would they still be letting Jiang Yun and Zi Yan waste time here?!
"What does Master Jiang make of that Yun Yi?" Unwilling to continue on this envy-inducing topic, Gu Qingyang looked at Jiang Yun and spoke with a serious expression.
"That is a matter for your Gu clan. I am merely a 'weak' alchemist—small arms, small legs. I can't withstand the back-and-forth wrangling of your two great clans," Jiang Yun shook his head, putting on an expression of "I'm no good, I'm very weak."
The corner of Gu Qingyang's eye twitched violently. If his memory served him correctly—at the very beginning, it had been Jiang Yun who initiated the battle against Yun Yi. The shockwaves of that battle—even from within the spatial passageway, he had felt them.
And with that, you're still pretending to be weak in front of me?
Truly disheartening!
Noticing Gu Qingyang's expression, Jiang Yun said, utterly unconcerned, "Can't be helped. We alchemists are too fragile. We've got to find a sturdy thigh to cling to. Zi Yan is that sturdy thigh I've found!"
"Hoo—" Drawing a deep breath, Gu Qingyang said gloomily, "Qingyang is pleased to have made your acquaintance, Master Jiang. If fate permits, we shall meet in the Central Plains!" Seeing he could extract nothing more from Jiang Yun, Gu Qingyang cupped his fists toward him. His figure gradually faded from Jiang Yun's sight.
Watching the departing Gu Qingyang, Jiang Yun chuckled ruefully and shook his head. His own figure likewise dimmed. In the blink of an eye, the pavilion returned to the night's tranquility.
"Elder Brother Qingyang!" Gu Zhen, who had been keeping watch, noticed Gu Qingyang's return and shifted his gaze from Gu Xun Er and Xiao Yan to the newly returned Gu Qingyang. His eyes were full of inquiry.
Seeing this, Gu Qingyang shook his head and said quietly, "His target is not the ancient jade!"
Nodding, Gu Zhen asked no further. As long as the Ancient Dragon Clan had no interest in the ancient jade, it was fine.
"Then the ancient jade..." The words left Gu Zhen's mouth almost involuntarily.
They too had come with a mission this time. The Gu clan still harbored a trace of suspicion—that the Xiao Clan's ancient jade had not been lost. This trip was precisely to have Gu Qingyang and Gu Zhen investigate.
"Word has come from the clan. We are to depart immediately and return to the Gu Realm!" Gu Qingyang did not answer, but instead raised another matter.
"Why the rush?" Gu Zhen asked, somewhat puzzled.
"It's still because of that Yun Yi. The clan fears the Hun clan might move against the young miss Xun Er!" Gu Qingyang spoke with somber gravity. If that were truly the case, the situation would be dire.
"They wouldn't dare—" Gu Zhen answered reflexively, but immediately recalled the ruthless, vicious methods of the Blood River Heavenly Venerable. Solemnly, he said, "Then we must inform the young miss Xun Er at once!"
At this moment, the ancient jade was no longer important. Gu Xun Er's safety was paramount.
"Mm!" Gu Qingyang gazed at the chatting, laughing young man and woman in the distance and nodded.
"You go."
"..." Gu Zhen's expression stiffened. His scalp went numb. Although this was a clan order... What if the young miss Xun Er held a grudge? That would still be enough to make him suffer for quite a while!
Turning his head to watch the departing Gu Qingyang, Gu Zhen steeled himself and walked toward the conversing pair. He sighed inwardly.
In the end, it was he who shouldered it all!
There was another thing Gu Qingyang did not mention: even if the ancient jade truly existed—with Gu Xun Er present, they would not be able to take it back anyway.
After all, it was merely one of eight pieces. No one could gather them all. "If it's lost, so be it!"
The azure sky stretched on, cloudless for ten thousand miles. The sky looked like an enormous blue mirror.
Across the silent horizon, the sound of violent rushing wind suddenly rang out. A massive silhouette shot violently from the distant sky, bringing a fierce gale that howled across the heavens.
It was a terrifying giant beast over ten zhang long. As its eight enormous wings beat, they whipped up gust after gust of raging wind, racing swiftly into the distance.
On its broad back sat several figures. One young man lazily reclined, his head resting on the lap of a young woman in a green dress. A graceful purple figure was leaning against the young man. Beside them, a serene young woman in white watched the three with soft, gentle eyes.
"Brother Jiang Yun, are we going to the snake-people's territory to pick up Sister Medusa?" Enjoying Qing Lin's lap pillow, Qing Lin's soft, sticky voice came by his ear.
Ever since the Gu clan had departed the Jia Ma Empire overnight, on the following day, Jiang Yun's group of four had also declined Hai Bo Dong's attempts to keep them and set off. They had also seen Xiao Yan. As for what his next goal would be—whether, as in the original story, it would be set on the Jia Nan Academy—Jiang Yun did not know.
The Xiao Clan had not been annihilated as in the original story either. Right now, both the Gu clan and the Hun clan were exercising restraint, each wary of the other. This ancient jade was simultaneously the easiest piece to obtain, and also the most difficult.
The Hun clan did not want to alert the snake by startling the grass. The Gu clan did not want to become the target of all. Coupled with Gu Xun Er's obstruction, the Gu clan still wasn't even certain whether the Xiao Clan still possessed the ancient jade at all.
But by their next meeting, he should be able to confirm his speculations!
"Medusa, as the queen of the snake-people, probably won't leave with us, will she?" Xiao Yi Xian now spoke up, asking with some curiosity.
As for their next destination, all of them knew well.
The Central Plains—the center of the continent, and simultaneously, its most flourishing, prosperous place!
"I came this time to fulfill a promise. Back then, I promised Medusa I would set up a Protective Clan Array for the snake-people. I can't go back on my word. As for whether she will leave with us or not... we'll leave it to fate," Jiang Yun replied.
Seeing the curiosity in the others' eyes, he then explained to them the matter he had promised her back in the ruins.
After listening, Zi Yan spoke with considerable indignation: "That woman is so cunning! Once Xiao Yun finishes laying down the array for the snake-people, she'll have no more worries left behind, and then she can just cling to Xiao Yun's side! Far too sly!"
Hearing Zi Yan's interpretation, Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian exchanged a glance, both seeing the smile in each other's eyes.
Jiang Yun also looked at Zi Yan with a smile. "Then we just won't invite her!"
"No!" Who would have thought—the moment Jiang Yun said this, Zi Yan immediately shouted in loud objection. Seeing the three's stunned expressions, she hurriedly explained, "I'd just miss Xiao Jiu! That damn woman—kidnapping Xiao Jiu! That's basically cheating!"
"Hahaha—"
Watching the blushing, hastily explaining Zi Yan, Jiang Yun burst into great laughter. Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian also giggled softly at the side.
Frolicking and teasing all along the way, they soon reached the snake-people's territory.
The snake-people were mainly composed of numerous tribes. The core were the Eight Great Tribes and the Central Temple. The chiefs of the Eight Great Tribes were commanders whose status was second only to Medusa, each possessing at least Dou Wang cultivation. The Central Temple was the royal capital of Medusa, heavily guarded and strictly disciplined.
The Temple was the ruling center of the entire snake-people. The Eight Great Tribes were satellite cities encircling it in all eight directions. Between the Temple and the Eight Great Tribes, and beyond the Eight Great Tribes, lay numerous mid-sized and small tribes, together forming the vast Snake-People Kingdom.
Although the snake-people could be said to be a nation where every citizen was a soldier, with patrol squads numerous along the road, not a single person noticed that above their heads, a colossal, titanic creature was flying directly toward the Snake-People Royal City.
Very soon, a massive city faintly appeared at the end of the horizon. Amidst this vast, boundless yellow sand, the appearance of such a majestic, magnificent city could only be called a miracle.