57: The Empire's Attention

The scorching heat and deathly silence of the Tagor Desert were left far behind. Li Ao, accompanied by Medusa, did not choose the time-consuming overland route. Instead, he directly utilized a portion of the power from the recently acquired "void-luminous seven-colored crystal."

The crystal floated in Li Ao's palm, enveloped in seven-colored flowing light, emitting stable yet profound spatial fluctuations. Using his own vast vitality and a trace of the Annihilation Rule's power as a guide, he carefully manipulated the spatial energy within the crystal, constructing a constantly twisting and rippling seven-colored light gate in front of him, just wide enough for a few people to pass through.

"Let's go." Li Ao said concisely, stepping into the light gate first. Medusa took a deep look at the desert, which had borne witness to intense life-and-death battles and the secrets of her clan, before following closely behind him.

The light gate rippled, then collapsed and vanished, as if it had never existed. Only the scars ravaged by the great battle remained, along with the complex, post-calamity gazes of the Snake-People Clan's Yinshi Elder and others... In Jia Ma Holy City, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly heated. All the undercurrents, discussions, and expectations of the past had converged today into a torrent sweeping across the entire city.

The Cloud Mist Sect, the Three-Year Agreement!

Countless gazes, from all directions of the Empire and even surrounding nations, were focused on the majestic, cloud-shrouded mountain peak. In the streets and alleys, taverns and teahouses of the Holy City, everyone was passionately discussing this duel, which was destined to be recorded in the Empire's history.

"That useless boy from the Xiao Family, he actually dared to show up?"

"I heard he trained outside for three years, and his strength increased dramatically; he's already a Great Dou Master!"

"What if he is a Great Dou Master? Young Miss Nalan is the Young Sect Leader of the Cloud Mist Sect, having inherited the true teachings of Sect Master Yun Yun, and is rumored to be a Dou Spirit expert already!"

"This battle concerns not only personal honor but also the reputation of the Xiao Family, the Nalan Family, and even the Cloud Mist Sect!"

"Look quickly! The people from the Xiao Family are heading toward Yun Lan Mountain!"

The crowd stirred. A group of solemn figures led by Xiao Zhan was seen pushing through the dense masses, moving toward Yun Lan Mountain. Xiao Zhan tightly clenched his fists, his eyes filled with worry and endless anticipation. Behind him, the Xiao Family Elders and core Disciples also wore grave expressions.

Meanwhile, atop another towering building in the Holy City, two figures stood silently, gazing toward Yun Lan Mountain.

The space subtly twisted, and a seven-colored light gate silently appeared. Li Ao and Medusa stepped out from within. After the brief spatial transmission, Medusa's complexion seemed a little paler, but her Qi was already stable, and the crack on her forehead had been reinforced by Li Ao again. She had changed into an elegant, moon-white long dress, concealing her injuries, yet unable to hide her innate queenly demeanor and current fragile beauty.

Li Ao was still wearing his cyan robe, his aura restrained like the deep sea, but the silver-gray stellar spirals deep within his dark iron-colored pupils seemed capable of piercing the Void Realm, landing directly upon the huge square of Yun Lan Mountain.

"It seems we've arrived just in time for a good show." Li Ao's tone was calm. He could clearly sense how many powerful auras were gathered at Yun Lan Mountain, and he could also "see" the young man, carrying a large black ruler on his back, taking one step at a time up the long stone steps, walking toward the first major turning point of his destiny.

Medusa followed his gaze, a hint of surprise flashing in her seven-colored eyes: "That young man... is he Xiao Yan?" Although she was far away in the desert, she had vaguely heard the name of this Xiao Family Disciple who had the Three-Year Agreement with Nalan Yanran.

"Yes." Li Ao nodded, but his gaze bypassed Xiao Yan and focused on the depths of the Cloud Mist Sect, specifically the back mountain shrouded by a powerful Restriction. "Yun Shan... and the aura of that so-called 'gate'... seems even more active."

He could feel that deep beneath the Cloud Mist Sect, a subtle yet enormous spatial energy was slowly awakening. It originated from the same source as the fluctuations he sensed at the Soul Burial Ravine and the Snake-People Clan ruins, yet it was grander and more... dangerous. The Hall of Souls' plan clearly hadn't been completely halted just because the Soul Burial Ravine node was destroyed; the "gate" on the Cloud Mist Sect's side was likely the key!

"Do you need to intervene?" Medusa asked. Her injuries were currently unhealed, and her strength was greatly reduced, but if Li Ao intended to act, she would absolutely not shrink back.

Li Ao shook his head, his gaze returning to the young man climbing the mountain step by step: "This is his battle, his path." His eyes were profound, "What I want to see is whether this Cloud Mist Sect still needs to exist after today."

His words were soft, yet they carried a suffocating chill. Medusa understood that the grudges between Li Ao and the Cloud Mist Sect, Yun Shan, and the Hall of Souls would certainly not end here. Today's agreement might only be a prelude.

Just as the two were conversing, Xiao Yan's figure finally stepped onto the Cloud Mist Sect's massive square!

The square was packed with people! Cloud Mist Sect Disciples, dressed in unified moon-white robes, stood in formation with arrogant expressions. On the high platform, Yun Yun sat in the main seat, her face cool and emotionless. Beside her sat Yun Ling and a group of Elders, their sharp gazes scrutinizing the young man who had come alone. Nalan Yanran wore tight-fitting attire that accentuated her graceful figure. Her beautiful face was cold, and her eyes held a complicated look as she gazed at the young man whom she had personally visited three years ago to annul the engagement.

Countless gazes—curious, disdainful, sympathetic, or expectant—were uniformly focused on Xiao Yan.

The pressure was like a tangible mountain!

However, Xiao Yan's back was held perfectly straight! He slowly lifted his head, his gaze like a drawn sword, piercing through the crowd and shooting directly toward Nalan Yanran on the high platform!

"Xiao Family, Xiao Yan! I have come to fulfill—the Three-Year Agreement!"

The clear voice, carrying the youth's stubbornness and the indomitable fighting spirit accumulated over three years, exploded like thunder above the Cloud Mist Sect square!

At this moment, the entire Jia Ma Empire seemed to fall silent.

All the noise, all the discussion, ceased completely.

Only that young man and the heavy black ruler on his back became the sole focus between heaven and earth!

Li Ao watched from afar, a faint, almost imperceptible arc curving at the corner of his mouth.

"It has begun."

The show has started. And he will also use this opportunity to see the truth of the Cloud Mist Sect, and to clearly observe the truly surging undercurrents hidden beneath the surface!

Xiao Yan's battle had already begun, and the storm belonging to Li Ao was about to descend once more upon the heart of this Empire!