Chapter 181: The Soul Palace Reappears

"Moreover, for a family to endure, integrity must come first. A family without integrity is like a person without courage—wouldn't that make them no better than a walking corpse?" Xiao Yan said solemnly.

If possible, Xiao Yan didn't want to see the scenario of a broken engagement unfold.

Who wouldn't prefer a happy resolution over endless twists and turns?

The key to this lay right before him. Xiao Yan hoped to use his own experiences to influence Yun Yun, who in turn could guide Nalan Yanran and teach her disciple a proper lesson.

Yun Yun lowered her head slightly, lost in thought for a long moment. Then, her snow-white feet, hidden beneath the water, suddenly rose on tiptoe as she abruptly pressed herself against Xiao Yan.

She was the sect master of the Yunlan Sect—how could she demean herself and subject the sect to endless ridicule?

As things stood, it seemed fate had other plans for the two of them…

The next morning, Xiao Yan woke up and picked up the black dress draped over him. He wasn't surprised by Yun Yun's departure.

Gazing toward the cave entrance, he murmured, "Yun Yun, I hope you'll make a different choice."

Having advanced to a seven-star Dou Huang, his speed—already formidable as a wind-attribute Dou Huang—had increased even further.

Just as Yun Yun was about to return to the Yunlan Sect, she suddenly noticed several eerie black wisps of energy hovering around her sect.

The sinister, ghostly black energy moved even faster than she could, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"What is something like this doing in the sect?" Suspended mid-air, Yun Yun focused her senses for a long while but found nothing else out of the ordinary.

Unable to uncover anything, she shook her head slightly—perhaps she was just too tired.

With a flap of her cyan wings, she accelerated toward her residence.

"Master, I've broken through to a six-star Dou Zhe!"

After freshening up and changing into a moon-white dress, Yun Yun immediately heard the cheerful voice of her disciple.

Brushing her ink-black hair, Yun Yun sat gracefully before the dressing table and turned her head toward the approaching girl. "Yanran, you are my personal disciple and the future sect master of the Yunlan Sect. What kind of example are you setting by being so loud and unrestrained?"

"Master, I've reached six-star Dou Zhe!" Nalan Yanran paused, then walked forward with a bright smile.

Breaking through three star levels in just three months was an achievement unheard of, not just in the Yunlan Sect, but across the entire Jia Ma Empire.

As she drew closer, Nalan Yanran let out a soft sound of surprise. "Master, you seem… different somehow?"

Her eyes swept over her master's figure once more, and she grew even more certain of her observation.

Yun Yun's white dress accentuated her graceful, alluring figure, further highlighting her extraordinary aura. She was flawless, like a goddess—noble and untouchable, her curves breathtaking, her skin exquisitely delicate.

The dress clung to her perfect silhouette, flowing seamlessly from her soft, rounded shoulders down to her long pants, which hugged her legs, emphasizing their shapely length. Her hips were full and seductive, inviting the imagination.

She was both a dignified, elegant noblewoman and a gentle, virtuous wife and mother—graceful, poised, and stunningly beautiful.

Even as a girl, Nalan Yanran couldn't help but blush and feel her heart flutter.

"Different how? Perhaps I've just grown older." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Yun Yun stood and smiled gently.

"Nonsense!" Nalan Yanran immediately refuted, looping her arm through her master's. "If we walked down the street together, people would think we were sisters—no one would guess we're master and disciple."

Yun Yun chuckled and took her disciple's wrist, checking her pulse before remarking, "Breaking through three star levels in three months, with such a solid foundation—it seems Elder Gu He's pills are quite effective."

"Keep cultivating diligently. The Yunlan Sect will one day be yours to lead." She patted the delicate hand resting in her palm.

Nalan Yanran hesitated before finally speaking up. "Master, as long as this engagement remains, I won't be able to focus on my training."

"Hm?" Yun Yun's expression shifted slightly. Having just heard about the engagement issue, she was more sensitive to it than before. "Yanran, are you truly so determined to break off the engagement?"

Nalan Yanran nodded firmly, pouting. "The engagement was my grandfather's decision. If he's so eager to ally with the Xiao family, he can marry into them himself."

Yun Yun couldn't help but laugh at the girl's words, shaking her head in amusement. Though Nalan Yanran had grown up in the Yunlan Sect and was more mature than most, she still had the whimsical nature of a young girl.

"Master, my grandfather would never agree to cancel the engagement. You have to promise me you'll let me break it off!" Nalan Yanran pleaded, her eyes wide and earnest. "I want to decide my own marriage!"

A thought struck Yun Yun, and she lowered her gaze in contemplation. If even I and Yao Yan are bound by the constraints of our factions, how can I allow my disciple Yanran to suffer the same fate?

She couldn't interfere in the affairs of major powers, but a small family in a backwater city like Wutan City? As the sect master of the Yunlan Sect, she certainly had the influence to handle that much!

Having made up her mind, Yun Yun nodded slightly. "If you truly don't wish to go through with it, then go and break the engagement. Later, I'll ask Elder Gu He to refine a batch of Qi Gathering Powder. I'll have Ge Ye accompany you—with a fourth-tier pill as compensation, the Xiao family will surely agree without hesitation."

"Thank you, Master!" Nalan Yanran had trained so hard precisely for this moment. Now that her wish was finally granted, she was overjoyed and impulsively planted a kiss on Yun Yun's fair cheek.

Yun Yun's face flushed, and she shot her disciple a mock-stern look. "You silly child."

"Master, I'll go find Elder Ge Ye right away. Once the pill is ready, we'll set off immediately!" Like a gust of wind, Nalan Yanran dashed out of the room.

Xiao Yan could never have anticipated that the "integrity" he had spoken of would be completely cast aside by Yun Yun when it came to matters of the heart.

In fact, because of what had happened between him and Yun Yun, she had agreed to Nalan Yanran's request without hesitation.

While Nalan Yanran bustled about the Yunlan Sect, deep within the secluded mountains behind the sect, in a remote cave, four sinister black mist-like figures gathered like a congregation of ghosts—a stark contrast to the solemn grandeur of the sect's front.

The largest and darkest of the black mists let out a sinister chuckle.

"Mu Ying, you're an Earth-ranked Protector of the Soul Palace, responsible for collecting souls across an entire empire. Are you telling me you can't even handle people from this backwater?"

Protector Mu replied respectfully, "Lord Silver Protector, I'm acting cautiously for the sake of the Soul Palace's grand plans."

"If it's truly for the Soul Palace, then explain in detail," Silver Protector responded coldly, his tone already impatient.

His younger brother, Iron Protector, had recently perished—his soul imprint in the branch palace had abruptly vanished. Since the Jia Ma Empire bordered the Chu Yun Empire, the Palace Master had assigned him two tasks to handle while he was in the area.

(End of Chapter)

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