The atmosphere had grown heavy, and it wasn't just Yun Zhan who felt it. All the elders and disciples behind him sensed that something was amiss.
Yun Zhan took a deep breath, his gaze complex as he looked at Yan You'er. All his previous arrogance and disdain had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented gravity.
He offered Yan You'er a slight bow with a cupped fist, his waist bending instinctively. "Pavilion Mistress Yan, what do you want?"
The use of "Mistress" spoke volumes.
As the sect leader, how could Yun Zhan not see the current situation clearly?
It was evident that both the Heavenly Pavilion and the Yun Duan Merchant Guild now answered to Yan You'er.
"Sect Leader Yun, it's not what I want, but rather..." Yan You'er's red lips curved slightly into a mysterious smile.
"What does my Master want?"
Master?
"Wh-what? M-Master?"
Hearing this, Yun Zhan trembled violently, nearly convinced he'd misheard. He stared at Yan You'er in terror.
But as his gaze fell upon the subtle curve of her lips, his body froze.
In that enigmatic smile, he sensed a flicker of fervor and adoration.
Especially when she uttered the word "Master," her bright eyes seemed to shimmer with a faint light.
"Yan... Pavilion Mistress Yan, may I ask who your Master is?"
Yun Zhan regained his composure with lightning speed, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.
Internally, however, turmoil raged, and his heart refused to settle.
"Sect Leader Yun, you are not qualified to know my Master's identity!"
Yan You'er's voice grew cold. "You only need to know that you have harbored ill intentions and provoked someone you should not have."
At this point, Yan You'er saw no need for further explanation.
Completing what her Master had instructed was her immediate priority.
She understood that this was how they proved their worth.
If they couldn't handle this, who knew if that personage would personally visit the secluded land?
"Who... Who is it?"
Sensing the murderous intent radiating from Yan You'er, Yun Zhan desperately sought the truth.
But she had no intention of giving him the chance.
"Attack! Leave no one alive!"
Yan You'er waved her hand, and everyone behind her charged forward without hesitation.
Witnessing this, Yun Zhan's eyes blazed with fury. "You court death!"
Boom!
A colossal hand, blotting out the sky, descended upon Yan You'er.
Yun Zhan had a clear strategy: capture Yan You'er, and they would have hope.
Yet, Yan You'er showed no panic in the face of Yun Zhan's onslaught. She stood her ground, letting the violent power surge towards her.
"Sect Leader Yun, allow this old man to exchange a few moves with you!"
Just as Yun Zhan's attack was about to land on Yan You'er, a stout figure stepped in front of her.
Zhu Youfu threw a punch.
Rumble!
Terrifying energy erupted, forming a maelstrom of wind and torrents centered on the point of impact, causing the earth to crack and mountains to crumble. Weaker disciples were directly pulverized by the shockwave, perishing on the spot.
"Father! Make it quick!"
Yan You'er glanced at Yan Tiandu behind her and spoke calmly.
"Alright!"
Yan Tiandu said no more. He gave his daughter a deep look, shook his head with a sigh, and joined the fray.
One hour later.
The terrain surrounding the spatial rift was devastated. The earth was stained red with blood, littered with mangled corpses and broken limbs. The air was thick with a foul stench that turned the stomach.
In a pit dozens of meters deep, a middle-aged man, his clothes tattered and his body drenched in blood, knelt. His life force was draining away at an alarming rate.
This man was Yun Zhan, the Sect Leader of Yun Sect.
He had ultimately fallen to the combined assault of Zhu Youfu and Yan Tiandu.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
He spat out mouthfuls of blood, mixed with shredded fragments of internal organs, a gruesome sight.
The aura he emanated had dwindled to its lowest point.
"I... I never thought the Yun Sect would end... end in such a manner by my hand!"
Yun Zhan gazed towards the spatial rift, his eyes unfocused and filled with regret.
A thousand-year opportunity lay ahead; the day of the Yun Sect's rise was nigh.
But it had all turned into a dream.
"Yan... Pavilion Mistress Yan, can I die knowing the truth?"
Yun Zhan lifted his fractured skull, his gaze pleading as he looked up at Yan You'er in the sky.
He could not accept this!
Even in death, he wished to understand why.
Yun Zhan's pathetic state stirred a flicker of emotion in Zhu Youfu and Yan Tiandu above. They also felt a profound sense of lament.
Not long ago, they themselves had narrowly escaped death!
Zhu Youfu opened his mouth, as if to speak, but then glanced at Yan You'er and sighed, closing it again.
Some things were not his to say.
"I am sorry, but I cannot tell you!"
Yan You'er's expression remained impassive amidst Yun Zhan's tragic demise. She watched everything with a cold demeanor.
"Hahaha!"
This reply struck Yun Zhan as utterly pathetic.
He had believed that reaching the Xiantian realm placed him at the apex of power. Yet, in the end, he realized he was nothing.
He didn't even know why he was dying.
How tragic!
Just as Yun Zhan thought he would die filled with unfulfilled regrets, Yan You'er suddenly spoke.
"While I cannot reveal my Master's identity, I can tell you one thing."
Yan You'er turned and pointed towards the spatial rift. "Dying here is actually your fortune! If you had stepped through that rift, then..."
"You would have been met with an abyss of despair!"
With that, Yan You'er and her entourage departed.
"Despair... abyss!"
Yun Zhan stared at the darkening sky, repeatedly uttering Yan You'er's final words. As his last vestiges of life ebbed away, his gaze fixed on the spatial rift.
"So... that's how it is!"
Finally, Yun Zhan closed his eyes.