Douluo Dalu: My Martial Spirit is the Worm of Time

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Yunlan Sect, rear mountain.

Thin clouds and mist lingered in the mountains, and beneath the mist, verdant forests stretched undulating, with occasional towering ancient trees piercing through the clouds and mist, revealing themselves.

Inside a small wooden hut on the cliff, an old man in a white robe slowly opened his eyes.

A figure shrouded in black mist swiftly swept in from afar. He hovered in front of the small hut, standing in mid-air, letting out a sharp, sinister laugh:

"Hehehe, Yun Shan, the time I gave you is up. It's been three years, and you still haven't taken that step, it seems."

Protector Wu's voice turned cold and severe as he looked at Yun Shan, who walked out of the small hut, his eyes glinting with cold light.

Facing Protector Wu's coercion, Yun Shan was not flustered. He smiled faintly and said:

"Why is Protector Wu in such a hurry? Don't we still have an agreement? To exchange a Dou Emperor's soul for a one-year extension."

"Oh... that's acceptable then." The severity in Protector Wu's voice lessened a bit. "Judging by your appearance, you've already made preparations?"

"Yes, I believe Protector Wu will be satisfied." Yun Shan smiled and tossed his soul pouch to Protector Wu. "I don't have a Dou Emperor's soul, but this is no worse than a Dou Emperor's."

Protector Wu opened the soul pouch and pulled out a slightly illusory soul body from within.

As soon as this soul body emerged, it let out a string of curses: "Yun Shan, how dare you harm me! I curse you to die a horrible death!"

Having fallen to such a state, Gu He, who had always been open-minded, could no longer maintain his usual demeanor and appeared somewhat hysterical.

When he saw Protector Wu, his pupils constricted, and he cried out in alarm: "Soul Hall?"

"Hehe, as expected of the Jia Ma Empire's number one Alchemist, you have some insight." Protector Wu said with a smile.

Evidently, he was extremely satisfied with the soul body Yun Shan had handed over.

"Hahaha... Yun Shan, I think your Yunlan Sect won't last much longer. As far as I know, none of the forces involved with the Soul Hall have had a good end." Gu He suddenly burst into loud laughter.

Protector Wu did not give him another chance to speak, stuffing him directly into his soul pouch.

He spoke to Yun Shan in a calm tone: "Don't take his words to heart. Rest assured, my Soul Hall will not mistreat meritorious officials.

"If you can hand over a soul body of this quality every year, then it doesn't matter whether you break through to Dou Ancestor or not."

Yun Shan responded indifferently: "It's merely the barking of a defeated dog. I can sense that I'm truly not far from that realm. I've almost crossed over several times, just lacking a trigger."

If it were the true Yun Shan, hearing such words from Gu He might cause some resentment, but for Yun Shan, who was currently controlled by Wu Meng...

Did he not understand what the Soul Hall was? Besides, what did the Yunlan Sect's longevity have to do with him?

"Well, that's truly good news, for both you and me." Protector Wu smiled.

"By the way, lend me some manpower. I need to handle something, and this matter, my Soul Hall cannot do openly... Using your Yunlan Sect's people would be very suitable...

"This is also an important reason why I decided to support your Yunlan Sect, you cannot refuse!"

Yun Shan's expression turned slightly grave as he asked:

"What kind of matter is it? If you're borrowing my people to do something, you should at least let me know what they're doing, right? If it causes any impact, it'll be good for me to be prepared."

After a brief thought, Protector Wu replied: "It's nothing troublesome. We just want to destroy a small family."

"A small family? Which one?"

"The Xiao Family."

Yun Shan frowned slightly, "Which Xiao Family? The one in Wu Tan City?"

"Exactly, them."

Yun Shan mused for a moment, then said: "Can you wait a few days? Since your Soul Hall wants to distance yourselves, it means there's something about this family that makes you wary or concerned.

"Even if it's through my Yunlan Sect, you should still hope this action appears as natural as possible. If we suddenly act without reason, it will be a major flaw in the eyes of those with intentions.

"Recently, Xiao Yan of the Xiao Family has a long-standing duel scheduled with a disciple of my Yunlan Sect. We can wait for the outcome of that duel... At that time, if there's a conflict, then we'll have a reason to act."

"Oh? That's quite a coincidence, but what if there's no conflict?" Protector Wu inquired.

"Then we'll create a conflict. If that truly doesn't work, we'll just have to act without reason. It's only a wait of less than half a month. Are you in such a hurry for this moment?"

"Less than half a month? That's acceptable. If it can be done logically, that would naturally be best." Protector Wu nodded.

Immediately, the black mist around him intensified, transforming into a ball of black mist that shot up into the sky:

"Hehe, I'll await your good news. Don't disappoint me."

...

Wu Tan City, Wu Meng, accompanied by Xiao Zhan in disguise, boarded a simple, unadorned carriage.

Seeing Xiao Zhan's hesitant expression, he waved his hand, setting up a soul barrier within the carriage, and said with a light chuckle:

"What do you want to say?"

"Are we just traveling like this?" Xiao Zhan felt a bit more suspicion towards "Xiao Yuanshan" in his heart. This didn't align with his imagination of how peerless experts traveled.

According to legends, when powerhouses above the Dou Venerate level traveled to another place, they would tear space apart at will.

Wu Meng explained: "We can only travel this way. Although I haven't found them, there are likely people from the Soul Hall in Wu Tan City, monitoring the Xiao Family.

"Tearing space, or flying quickly, would create too much of a commotion and would also confirm to the Soul Clan that the Xiao Family here is the remnant of the Xiao Clan, and then the trouble would be even greater.

"By leaving in such an ordinary manner, we can instead deceive them."

This explanation seemed quite reasonable.

Xiao Zhan chose to believe it.

He suddenly spoke: "Old Ancestor, in the year Xiao Yan was born, a man named Gu Yuan came here. He even entrusted his daughter to us...

"Do you think this Gu Yuan could be the Gu Yuan from a thousand years ago that you mentioned?"

Wu Meng's voice was old and hoarse, and he spoke in a low tone:

"It's probably him. With his heaven-reaching cultivation, living for several thousand years is quite normal."

Xiao Zhan showed a hint of a bitter smile, and he began to worry about his youngest son.

He knew Xiao Yan's feelings for Xun Er. But how easy would it be to marry the daughter of such a legendary figure?

Even during the Xiao Clan's peak, a proposal would likely face considerable trials for the groom, let alone the current Xiao Family.

However, that girl Xun Er also seems to have feelings for Xiao Yanzi, which adds a bit more opportunity. I hope it's a good thing and not a disaster...

Alas, if it doesn't work out, I hope Xiao Yanzi can accept it. That girl Xiao Meng is also quite good...

Xiao Zhan thought with a heavy heart.

The carriage slowly drove out of the city, traveling further and further along the uneven dirt road.

At the Xiao Family's ancestral grounds, "Xiao Zhan" adjusted his monocle, a smile gracing the corner of his lips.

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