"Wind Spirit Splitting Sword!"
With no room left to retreat, Yun Yun's blade erupted with a dazzling cyan light. The sudden burst of power finally forced Xiao Yan back.
Her fingers flickered through sword seals as she retreated, leaving behind phantom blades in her wake. With a resonant hum, these illusions answered her call, spinning rapidly like blooming lotus petals before shooting five razor-sharp sword beams toward Xiao Yan at the center.
Pushing off the ground like a cyan meteor, Yun Yun added threefold momentum to the attack.
The crisscrossing sword energy whipped up a frenzied gale, making Xiao Yan's black robes snap violently in the wind.
"You've lost!" Seeing Xiao Yan locked within her sword aura, Yun Yun felt an inexplicable melancholy despite her victory.
But then—
Whoosh!
As if deflating, Xiao Yan's figure allowed all five sword beams to pierce through him effortlessly.
"What?!" Before Yun Yun could process this, the "Xiao Yan" before her dissipated like smoke in the wind.
"Sword Shadow Clone?! When did he— How?!" Her mind reeled.
This illusion bore striking resemblance to her Wind Spirit Splitting Sword, yet surpassed it—capable of replicating not just blades, but the swordsman himself.
But she hadn't detected any Dou Qi fluctuations from him earlier. Moreover, Wind Spirit Splitting Sword was one of the Yunlan Sect's secret techniques, never leaked to outsiders.
Even the sect's most gifted genius had taken over a year to master it fully.
How could Xiao Yan not only learn it in such a short time but even improve upon it?!
"An Earth Tier Mid-Level technique isn't hard to pick up," Xiao Yan's voice murmured behind her. "Though I'm not fond of dividing my power too much, so I tweaked it slightly."
The cold edge of a blade rested against her shoulder. Yun Yun whirled around, stunned. How had the man she'd been dueling suddenly appeared behind her?!
Those relentless sword strokes had nearly overwhelmed her!
"Did you really think you'd been fighting my true form all along?" Xiao Yan dissipated the Plow Spirit sword. "If not for studying your techniques, you wouldn't have lasted past the second move."
"You—!" Yun Yun's face burned crimson, her rapid breaths making the snowy peaks beneath her robes heave dramatically.
How could a fellow Dou Huang be so easily outmatched?!
Xiao Yan steadied his breathing. With only partial soul and physical strength available, battling a Dou Huang—though effortless—had still drained him considerably.
The Void Sword Realm's power lay in using the formless to manifest the tangible, adapting infinitely to counter any opponent.
Yun Yun's swordsmanship was riddled with flaws Xiao Yan had discerned the moment she moved.
Despite their strength disparity, she'd lost the initiative the instant their blades crossed.
"No need for dramatics. Your aptitude isn't bad—with my guidance, you'll improve." Xiao Yan stepped closer. "Now, pay up."
"Yao Yan…" Any competitive frustration had melted into flustered avoidance.
In his eagerness, Xiao Yan failed to notice a protruding amethyst crystal on the ground. His foot caught, sending him stumbling forward—and pinning Yun Yun beneath him on the grass.
Staring up at the black-robed youth looming over her, Yun Yun pressed both hands against his chest to keep him at bay, her breaths growing ragged. "Yao Yan… we're not alone…"
Who'd dare interrupt? The Amethyst Winged Lion King scanned the surroundings vigilantly before finally glancing at the entangled pair.
"Obstacle removed." Xiao Yan coughed meaningfully. "Lion King, it's been a while since you visited home. Your cub must be waiting for dinner."
Dinner? That little rascal drank that purified medicinal serum—it'll be sleeping for over a month to digest all that energy! What dinner?!
Though itching to guard its master's "safety," the lion king could only spread its wings under that piercing gaze and play the responsible parent, soaring out of the valley.
"Now, where were we?" Xiao Yan's eyes dropped to Yun Yun's blushing face.
It's his prize anyway… Her resistance waned as her arms grew lax, permitting his advances.
Meeting those tender eyes, Xiao Yan tilted her delicate chin up—then descended upon her petal-soft lips before she could react.
When they finally parted, he frowned. "Does this Sea Heart Armor have some kind of sealing array?"
Having undressed similar garments on Ya Fei and the Little Fairy Doctor countless times, this was the first to prove troublesome.
Yun Yun gasped for air before regaining her senses, shooting him a reproachful glare before reaching behind her back.
Snap!
The Sea Heart Armor loosened with a ripple like ocean waves—followed by another, more expansive ripple across the snowy terrain now tinged pink.
Xiao Yan's eyes lit up as his hands dove inward to investigate this mysterious armor.
Rumored to be crafted from a rare metal found in the belly of a sixth-tier Three-Tailed Blue Whale, the Sea Heart Armor's defensive capabilities scaled with its wearer's strength.
Now exploring firsthand, Xiao Yan marveled at its texture—smoother than silk yet impossibly resilient, its contours far more substantial than anticipated.
Even his sizable hands struggled to fully grasp its secrets.
As his fingers traced its slopes, they suddenly brushed against something firm beneath the slippery fabric—
Crinkle.
The discovery coincided with Yun Yun's slender legs rubbing together restlessly, rustling the grass beneath them.
When his exploration reached the armor's core secret, Yun Yun jolted upright, shoving Xiao Yan away with unexpected force.
Caught off guard, he flew back three zhang before landing hard on his rear.
"Trying to murder your future husband?!" Rubbing his sore chest, Xiao Yan glared. He'd been this close to a breakthrough discovery!
Clutching her scattered robes to her chest, Yun Yun whispered breathlessly, "Not… not yet…"
(End of Chapter)
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