Chapter 340: The Trap

The young man dead at Yun Yun's feet was Li Shi, who, on the day after the Sect Grand Meeting, competed alongside Princess Yue Er and likewise crafted a Five-Grade Elixir, earning the title of Strongest Alchemist Among the Young Generation in the Northwest Region.

Li Shi of the Yao Gu Sect was not only renowned among the Young Generation as an Alchemist, but was now also a rising star.

Yet now, this man was dead—not killed by Yun Yun.

Originally, while Yun Yun was cultivating a Dou Technique within the Yan Alliance's compound, she suddenly sensed someone's presence; she immediately stepped out of her residence to investigate and saw a Yao Gu Sect Dou Huang Elder leading a figure in a furtive manner—this Yao Gu Sect Dou Huang Elder now stood beside Bone Child Elder, and at that time, Li Shi was beside him.

But at that moment, Li Shi was already dead—he had merely been controlled, making it appear as though he was following the Dou Huang Elder to spy on the Yan Alliance's secrets.

Yun Yun likely never imagined the Yao Gu Sect was so insane: such a frame-up was meant to smuggle Li Shi's corpse into the Yan Alliance compound where Xiao Yan and the others resided.

Yet even the Yao Gu Sect's Dou Huang Elder hadn't anticipated that before he could bring the corpse into the Yan Alliance compound, Yun Yun had already discovered him.

As a result, when Yun Yun chased after them, she found herself surrounded—and instantly realized this was a trap.

But at this point, she was already encircled by multiple Dou Zong, and escape was impossible.

Such a commotion, with several Dou Zong from multiple sects appearing, naturally left few willing to speak openly—it involved the Yao Gu Sect, Jin Yan Sect, and Mu Lan Valley, three powerful factions; no one dared speak rashly.

The Yao Gu Sect was among the Top Ten Sects of the last several Sect Grand Meetings and wielded great fame in the Northwest Region; as for the Jin Yan Sect and Mu Lan Valley, they were even more formidable—they were the three great empires, on par with Chu Yun Empire, and fully controlled the imperial decision-making power.

At this moment, Yun Yun's expression was grim; trapped by Luoyan Tian and the Mu Lan Three Elders, she instantly realized this was a trap.

She secretly regretted having fallen into this trap.

Yun Yun understood now that the trap was not aimed at her, but at Xiao Yan—or rather, the entire Yan Alliance; she had merely stumbled upon their scheme, so they had turned her discovery to their advantage.

Yun Yun, after all, was Sect Master; even now, she remained composed, scanning the surroundings, her gaze locking onto Bone Child Elder.

"Yun Yun Sect Master, you are truly as heartless as a serpent and scorpion!" cried the Yao Gu Sect's Dou Huang Elder, overcome with grief—he was Li Shi's master. "My disciple merely won the championship among the Young Generation of Alchemists, yet your Yan Alliance, fearing his growth because he surpassed your own young Alchemists, resorted to such a vile murder!"

At this moment, Zhang Elder of the Yao Gu Sect wore an expression of profound sorrow. The loss of his beloved disciple seemed to have shattered him, and his words already cast the Yan Alliance as the murderer—even fabricating a motive for the killing.

When Zhang Elder spoke these words, many sect elites who had rushed to witness the scene were stunned. Killing a disciple of the Yao Gu Sect was an earth-shattering act—especially when the victim was this generation's top young alchemist; for any sect, this was a devastating blow!

This was a feud to the death!

"Zhang Elder, I did not kill your disciple. Don't slander me with false accusations," Yun Yun said sternly. She was, after all, Sect Master of Yun Lan Sect, having weathered countless storms; even surrounded by several Dou Zong, she remained calm.

"Yun Yun, the evidence is undeniable—my disciple's corpse lies at your feet, killed by sword techniques. Your Yun Lan Sect excels in swordplay, and only your Yan Alliance had motive to kill my Yao Gu Sect disciple!" shouted Zhang Elder of the Yao Gu Sect.

"Undeniable evidence?" Yun Yun replied coldly. "Hmph. Many in the Northwest Region wield swords. When I arrived here, they were already dead."

"Your Yao Gu Sect, Jin Yan Sect, and Mu Lan Valley are truly close—your three sect masters and their top elites have gathered together so early."

Luoyan Tian sneered. "Yun Yun Sect Master, what do you mean? Mu Lan Three Elders and I came early to visit the Yao Gu Sect to request an Elixir. We heard only that the talented Alchemist Li Shi had vanished, so out of goodwill, we joined the search."

The eldest of the Mu Lan Three Elders nodded. "Indeed. But we arrived too late—when we got here, we saw you strike the killing blow and murder Li Shi! We all witnessed it with our own eyes!"

"You won't even spare a young man—your Yan Alliance is heartless indeed!"

Yun Yun's eyes narrowed. "Hmph. These are merely your one-sided claims. You say I killed Li Shi—where is your proof?"

"Isn't the proof right beside you? How else do you explain Li Shi's corpse being here? You killed him to silence him!" Luoyan Tian pointed at Li Shi's corpse.

"Brother Tian, perhaps the mastermind behind this is Xiao Yan. He cheated to craft Elixirs—he likely feared Li Shi would surpass him one day, so he ordered the murder," Bone Child Elder said slowly, deliberately diverting suspicion toward Xiao Yan.

The Mu Lan Three Elders all nodded. "It must be so. We've clashed with the Yan Alliance before—they're treacherous and ruthless. Even my Mu Lan Valley has suffered the loss of a talented disciple to their hands. This fits their modus operandi perfectly."

Outside, the onlookers held their breath; no one dared interject—this matter, if mishandled, could ignite a life-or-death war between sects!!

Yun Yun's eyes narrowed. She had long known their target was Xiao Yan, but she hadn't expected such brazenness.

"Hmph, I almost pity Li Shi. He might have had a brighter future, yet he was sacrificed like this. Even if he was the Yao Gu Sect's most gifted young Alchemist, he was discarded like a pawn. I feel truly sorry for the other disciples of your Yao Gu Sect—no doubt he died with eyes wide open." Yun Yun sneered, shaking her head, casting a pitying glance at Li Shi's lifeless body beside her.

The Yao Gu Sect had guts—if they'd merely killed an ordinary disciple, it wouldn't have carried enough weight. Only Li Shi, who had defeated Yue Er to claim the title of top young Alchemist, had a direct conflict of interest with the Yan Alliance.

"Yun Yun Sect Master, what are you implying!" roared Bone Child Elder. "Your Yan Alliance murdered my disciple, yet you dare slander us! Do you truly believe your Yan Alliance has grown powerful enough to dominate the entire Northwest Region?!"

"Do you think a young Seven-Grade Alchemist can act without restraint?" Bone Child Elder's words were insidious—he implied the Yan Alliance lacked the strength to unify the Northwest Region now, but would become uncontrollable in the future, bringing disaster to the region.

Many sect leaders nearby fell into deep thought, their eyes flickering with unease, each recalling countless things.

"I, Xiao Yan, act without restraint. My Yan Alliance is the strongest and largest in the Northwest Region—what can your Yao Gu Sect do about it?" A voice drifted slowly from the horizon.

"Xiao Yan!"

Xiao Yan's voice was not loud, but everyone recognized the fury and darkness within it.

Some sect leaders had already suspected: this was likely a conspiracy by Bone Child Elder, Jin Yan Sect, and Mu Lan Valley to crush the Yan Alliance while it was still young.

Bone Child Elder didn't merely want Xiao Yan's Strange Flame—he also refused to let the Yan Alliance grow. He had already broken ties with Xiao Yan and must kill him before he reached greater power; if Xiao Yan achieved Seven-Grade Peak Alchemy, it would be over.

Jin Yan Sect and Mu Lan Valley felt the same—they bordered the Yan Alliance! If the Yan Alliance grew strong, their empires would be the first to suffer.

A massive blue dragon, as if treating the sky as the sea, glided through the air. Xiao Yan, clad in his Alchemist Long Robe, stood atop the Azure Sea Dragon's forehead; Zi Yan and others stood behind him. All wore grim expressions—some battle might be unavoidable.

"Xiao Yan!!" Upon seeing Xiao Yan appear, Zhang Elder roared. All Yao Gu Sect Dou Huang immediately abandoned Yun Yun and surrounded the Azure Sea Dragon.

Not only the Yao Gu Sect's Dou Huang Elder—in that instant, countless elites from the Jin Yan Sect and Mu Lan Valley surged forward, surrounding Xiao Yan completely, layer upon layer.

Yun Yun, who had just been trapped, was now left standing alone—now, Xiao Yan was clearly seen as the true murderer.

Any observant person could see it clearly: Yun Yun was merely bait, used to lure out Xiao Yan; Li Shi was nothing but an excuse for these three sects to strike a treacherous blow!

In an instant, many onlookers were struck with unease, especially sect leaders, who now sensed an entirely different atmosphere.

"Xiao Yan! You murdered my disciple Li Shi—life for life, blood for blood!" Li Shi's master cried out, tears streaming as he screamed at Xiao Yan.

Even surrounded by numerous Dou Huang and several Dou Zong, Xiao Yan's expression remained utterly calm—as if those encircling him were nothing but Xiao Luo Luo, unworthy of notice.

"Hm? Li Shi? Who's Li Shi?" Xiao Yan pondered for a moment, unable to recall who Li Shi was.

This wasn't feigned—he genuinely didn't know who Li Shi was. To Xiao Yan, Yue Er's competition was like children playing with mud—he had no reason to care who won.

Bone Child Elder spoke coldly: "Li Shi merely defeated your Yan Alliance's young Alchemist to claim the championship. He possessed extraordinary Alchemy talent—yet you feared he would surpass you, so you ordered Yun Yun Sect Master to secretly murder him. Your heart is cruel, your actions monstrous—neither the Yao Gu Sect nor any sect in the Northwest Region will let you off!"

"Oh, that guy," Xiao Yan chuckled, speaking casually. "A Five-Grade Alchemist disciple nearing thirty—what's so impressive about him?"

"If I wanted him dead, would I need to order someone else? I wanted him dead, he would have died mysteriously long ago—why wait until now?" Xiao Yan crossed his arms, his tone icy.

"But since you've gone to such great lengths to fabricate an excuse, I'd be rude not to play along. Fine—I killed him. What do you intend to do?" Xiao Yan's expression was utterly calm, as if he truly had committed the murder—he simply admitted it outright.

This left Bone Child Elder and the others speechless! You just admitted it? No defense at all?!

Even Yun Yun below and some spectators were stunned—how could Xiao Yan just confess?!

Jia Xingtian sent a Soul Resonance: "Xiao Yan, Luoyan Tian is a Two Star Dou Zong—I can barely hold my own against him. Mu Lan Valley has no Dou Zong, but the Mu Lan Three Elders' Three Beasts' Savage Wilderness Technique, when combined, rivals a Dou Zong's power—Hai Bodong and the others may struggle."

"It's fine, leave those three old bastards to Zi Yan," said Xiao Yan.

"The biggest problem is," Jia Xingtian frowned, staring at the two old men beside the Bone Child Elder.

The Bone Child Elder is a Seventh-Rank Alchemist; his strength may be weak among Dou Zong, but the influence of a Seventh-Rank Alchemist is certainly not to be underestimated. Those two old men are the Bone Child Elder's enforcers—both Dou Zong, both Three-Star Dou Zong. Add the Bone Child Elder himself, and the Yao Gu Sect truly deserves its place among the Top Ten Sects—three Dou Zong experts!

"It's fine. Watch out for Jin Yan Sect and Mu Lan Valley. I'll handle the Bone Child Elder and Yao Gu Sect myself." Xiao Yan unfolded a pair of blue flames and slowly landed beside Yun Yun.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Yan asked softly.

Yun Yun shook her head lightly and said anxiously, "You shouldn't have come."

Although the most difficult opponents now appear to be the two Three-Star Dou Zong and the Bone Child Elder of Yao Gu Sect, Xiao Yan with the power of the Heavenly Flame Lord might still hold his ground.

But are these truly all there is?

No.

The commotion has grown this large, yet not a single person from Tian She Fu—the host sect of the Sect Grand Meeting—nor from Thunder Sect or Shi Ming Sect, the three top sects of the Northwest Region, has shown up.

The factions that want the Yan Alliance gone and Xiao Yan dead are certainly not limited to just Yao Gu Sect and these three. The other three sects have likely been secretly observing, waiting for any chance to strike.

"Don't be silly. Do you think I'd just watch you die?" Xiao Yan gave Yun Yun an exasperated look.

Hearing this, Yun Yun could only offer a wry smile, though inwardly she felt a flicker of joy.

"If you hand over the Strange Flame and agree to surrender the Alchemist legacy you obtained, perhaps we might show leniency," said the Bone Child Elder, his eyes glinting with greed.

Xiao Yan shrugged. "Don't be hypocritical. If you want my Strange Flame, just come and take it. Just like me—I want your Strange Flame too, and I plan to deal with you after the Sect Grand Meeting ends."

"Didn't you notice a Spiritual Soul mark on the back of your skull?"

At these words, the Bone Child Elder froze in shock. Only when he focused his Soul Force did he realize—somehow, Xiao Yan had secretly branded him with a nearly invisible Spiritual Soul mark!

Instantly, the Bone Child Elder erupted in fury, his eyes locked on Xiao Yan. He hadn't expected it—Xiao Yan had been watching him all along!

"Hmph. Don't think only Seventh-Rank Alchemists have influence. I have people too," Xiao Yan sneered.

As Xiao Yan spoke, a streak of green light shot from afar at incredible speed—Qing Lin, with her green hair, unfurled a pair of wings and landed before Xiao Yan.

(End of Chapter)