Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

Qinglan Hall.

Wen Qingye sat in a chair, a wisp of green smoke rising from his cup, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance. He slowly took a sip, and the complex flavors—aromatic, mellow, and smooth—instantly delighted his senses.

”Excellent tea!” Wen Qingye said with a light chuckle, setting down his cup.

Just then, Su Qingyun slowly walked in. ”That is the Great Daoist Mansion’s signature Five-Flavor Green Smoke,” she said. ”Of course it’s good. A pity you only tasted four of its flavors.”

”Perhaps,” Wen Qingye said faintly.

At that moment, Su Qingyun finally noticed the change in Wen Qingye. She was startled inwardly but struggled to keep her expression calm.

Su Qingyun said slowly, ”Your collateral was three Emperor-Grade Martial Arts manuals, and you won ninety-nine consecutive matches. All told, the prize you deserve should be a Spirit Treasure at the very least. My Qinglan Hall can’t produce such an item on such short notice.”

Wen Qingye looked at Su Qingyun and asked, ”Then what does the Qinglan Hall intend to do?”

”A favor from me. A favor from Su Qingyun. What do you think?” Su Qingyun’s eyes burned brightly, a peculiar light glinting within them.

”HAHAHAHA!” Upon hearing Su Qingyun’s words, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Su Qingyun’s expression didn’t change as she quietly watched him laugh.

Wen Qingye stopped laughing and asked, ”You think a favor from you is worth a Spirit Treasure?”

Su Qingyun tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze alluring and her movements seductive. A faint smile touched her lips. ”More precious than a Spirit Treasure.”

”Fine.” Wen Qingye nodded with a faint smile. ”I agree.”

As if she had expected him to say that, Su Qingyun gave a slight smile. ”I imagine you’ll be needing it soon.”

”Why is that?”

”Quite a few disciples from the Taiyi Pavilion have gathered in the Glazed Ancient Country. You killed Wang Hai and spouted such arrogant nonsense. Do you think they’ll let you off easily?”

Wen Qingye’s expression remained untroubled. He answered coolly, ”Then I’ll kill them all. What of it?”

Hearing this, Su Qingyun couldn’t help but stare at him intently before smiling. ”You certainly are domineering, but you don’t have the strength to back it up.”

”Forget it, I won’t say more. It’s good to have a backbone, but not to be full of hot air. Just don’t die before you get a chance to use my favor. Our promise won’t count for anything in the Yin Realm,” Su Qingyun said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

”Die? The people from Taiyi Pavilion can’t kill me,” Wen Qingye said with a cold laugh. He slowly rose to his feet and cupped his fists. ”Alright, enough talk. I’ll take my leave.”

Su Qingyun nodded. ”Alright, I’ll see you out.”

The two walked side by side without a word until Wen Qingye had exited the Qinglan Hall.

Recalling Wen Qingye’s words, Su Qingyun murmured to herself, ’Brat, now that you’ve offended the Taiyi Pavilion, I hope you can stay alive.’

.......

In just half a month, news of Wen Qingye’s great battle at the Qinglan Platform spread to dozens of countries surrounding the Qinglan Ancient Country. For the first time, the name ”Wen Qingye” entered the public eye.

A ninety-nine-match winning streak was something the Qinglan Platform hadn’t seen in decades. What was even more astounding was that Wen Qingye had publicly slain Wang Hai of the Taiyi Pavilion, and his final opponent had been none other than Su Qingyun of the Great Daoist Mansion.

In a short time, Wen Qingye’s fame began to grow.

「Another half month passed.」

「Above the Taiyi Cloud Sea.」

The sea of clouds was vast and ethereal under an endless azure sky. Immense mountains stood sentinel, their peaks piercing the cloud layer. Occasionally, a few Spiritual Birds or Magical Artifacts would drift by.

「Taiyi Cloud Sea, atop Cyan Cloud Mountain.」

A massive cyan scroll fluttered in the wind, shimmering with a captivating azure halo. It emanated a vibrant, vigorous wave of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, and the characters carved upon it glowed with a faint golden light.

This was none other than the Cyan Cloud List, famous throughout the entire Eastern Profound Domain.

Suddenly, the Cyan Cloud List erupted with an intense cyan radiance, dazzling and soul-stirring.

An old man with the bearing of a celestial immortal, his hair and beard both streaked with white, stroked his beard and chuckled as he watched the Cyan Cloud List. ”Eh? The list is changing names again. I wonder who it is. Could it be one of my Taiyi Pavilion’s young prodigies?”

The name Nangong Xin, who was at the bottom, suddenly vanished. Then, the name ”Wen Qingye” appeared on the list and shot all the way up, coming to rest at the one hundred and seventy-third rank.

”Wen Qingye? Ranked even higher than Zhang Xiaoyun?” The old man was slightly stunned. He looked closer, slowly reading the golden text aloud: ”First among the Registered Disciples of the Celestial Profound Sect. Defeated the Celestial Profound Sect’s peerless genius, Yu. Slew several masters at the Ninth Heaven of the Yin-Yang Realm in the Jinfeng Ancient Country, gaining some fame. Later, at the Qinglan Platform, he killed a Taiyi Pavilion expert and dueled Su Qingyun of the Great Daoist Mansion, achieving a ninety-nine-match winning streak—the first person to do so in thirty-one years. Now ranked one hundred seventy-three on the Cyan Cloud List. This entry is made with the heavens as our witness and hereby recorded.”

After reading, the old man flew into a rage. ”How audacious! A disciple of the Celestial Profound Sect? And he dared to kill one of my Taiyi Pavilion’s people? Outrageous!”

「Meanwhile, at the Celestial Cloud Peak in the Taiyi Cloud Sea.」

Celestial Cloud Peak was unlike other mountains. Several pavilions with glazed green tiles sat upon its summit, exquisite and magnificent.

A woman of peerless beauty and ultimate gentleness stood there, captivating in her pale blue robes. Her clear, rippling eyes gazed into the distance.

It was Zhang Xiaoyun.

”Xiaoyun, Xiaoyun!” Suddenly, a hurried, crisp voice called out from behind her.

Hearing the voice, Zhang Xiaoyun pulled her distant gaze back. She couldn’t help but smile softly as she turned and said, ”Yuerou, what’s the rush? Slow down and tell me.”

Gao Yuerou was dressed in a red palace gown, her hair coiled in a bun. Her lovely face was flushed as she said breathlessly, ”I... I have to tell you what I saw! You’ll definitely be happy!”

”What is it?” Zhang Xiaoyun asked curiously. Then, a sudden realization dawned, and her voice began to tremble. ”My husband... is... is it him?”

”Yes, it’s Qingye! It’s him!” Gao Yuerou nodded, overjoyed. ”He joined the Celestial Profound Sect and is now ranked one hundred and seventy-three on the Cyan Cloud List! It’s Qingye, and his rank is even higher than yours!”

”That’s good, that’s good,” Zhang Xiaoyun murmured, her eyes trembling with unshed tears. For some reason, the more she spoke, the more her heart quivered, and the more her heart quivered, the more she thought of him.

Gao Yuerou stood beside her, nodding repeatedly as tears also welled up in her eyes. For some reason, she felt a mix of sadness and happiness.

Zhang Xiaoyun wiped her beautiful eyes with her sleeve, brushing away the tears. She smiled at Gao Yuerou and said, ”Let’s not cry. This is a good thing. Yuerou, do you know where he is now?”

Gao Yuerou thought for a moment before saying softly, ”I think he’s heading to the Glazed Ancient Country. You know the Great Wilderness Ancient Stele is about to appear, right? Even many people from the Taiyi Pavilion have gone.”

Zhang Xiaoyun couldn’t help but sigh. She said softly, ”It’s a pity. Shen Junru is watching me too closely. Otherwise, I would have been able to leave this place long ago.”

Gao Yuerou smiled sweetly and comforted her, ”It’s okay. Sooner or later, we will leave this place. Xiaoyun, we’ll leave together.”

”Huangfu Tian is currently in seclusion. I think he’ll make a move after he emerges. Even though I refused once, he’ll definitely ask Shen Junru for my hand in marriage again.” As Zhang Xiaoyun spoke, a resolute look appeared in her eyes. ”This time, I’ll let the people of the Taiyi Pavilion know that they can’t force me to do something I’m unwilling to do.”

”Xiaoyun, are you going to...?” Gao Yuerou’s confused gaze held a hint of worry.

Zhang Xiaoyun smiled lightly. ”I’m not going to do anything drastic. I just want to let them know that they shouldn’t push me, because I will fight back.”

”I’ll be with you,” Gao Yuerou said with a nod, a slight smile appearing on her face as well.

”Mm.”

Looking into Gao Yuerou’s big eyes, Zhang Xiaoyun’s heart warmed, and she nodded firmly.