"What?!"
Mu She knew his own attack well. In order to kill Xiao Yixian instantly, he hadn't held back in the slightest. That combined strike of blade and spear wasn't something an ordinary Dou Master could easily block.
Yet it had been stopped effortlessly by that Dou Qi shield.
How was that possible?
His eyes locked tightly onto the red-gold barrier, and at that moment, everyone else's attention was drawn to the same point.
"Young Master…"
Xiao Yixian hurried over to Lin Ran's side and spoke in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Young Master. I've delayed you."
"It's hardly a delay," Lin Ran replied calmly. "I'm just surprised you spent so much time talking to them."
The crimson-gold Dou Qi barrier rippled gently before fading away, revealing Lin Ran's figure.
As the crowd saw his young, handsome appearance, they all froze in shock. Even Mu She's expression changed drastically.
How could he be so young?!
To stop Mu She's attack with pure Dou Qi meant his strength was at least at the Dou Master level. But this young man didn't look much older than Xiao Yixian—how could someone so young already be a Dou Master?
"I just…" Xiao Yixian lowered her head.
"I know. You didn't want to shed blood needlessly. This place may be full of filth and corruption, far from anything you'd call 'beautiful', but for you, it holds memories—it was where you stayed for some time."
Lin Ran cast a glance at Mu She and the others, then shook his head. "Kindness is good. But as my attendant, you must learn not to show mercy to those who've already revealed their hostility. That's not a habit worth keeping."
"Foolish as it is for a mayfly to shake a tree, there's a principle we must always remember."
His tone was calm. As he spoke, a faint ripple of crimson-gold Dou Qi shimmered at his fingertips.
"A thousand-mile dam can collapse from a single ant hole."
Boom! Boom!
The moment the ripple spread, everyone on the field—including Mu She and Mister Yao—shuddered violently.
Then, to Xiao Yixian's horror, they all exploded into puddles of blood with a dull pop, without even managing a scream.
"You see? When handled like this, there's no more trouble."
"…"
Xiao Yixian's expression flickered. She didn't know what to say, so she simply nodded slightly. "I understand, Young Master."
In truth, she found Lin Ran's actions a little too domineering. But it was precisely this kind of domineering decisiveness that produced results in this world.
Her kindness and compassion, on the other hand, had always led to complications.
"Let's go."
Lin Ran stepped forward and walked out of Wan Yao Pavilion. Xiao Yixian quickly followed.
She didn't really have any attachment to Qing Mountain Town. The reason she had gone back and forth with Mister Yao and the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was, first, out of caution toward Mu She's Dou Master-level strength, and second, because of her own soft heart.
But in the end, Lin Ran had resolved it all by simply erasing them—no more struggle, no more hesitation.
"Young Master, where are we going now?"
"To capture a Magic Beast."
"A… Magic Beast?"
"Yes. To the Tagor Desert."
Taking Xiao Yixian along was just incidental. The Woeful Poison Body was indeed valuable—whether as a companion or as cultivation support—but for Lin Ran, the most urgent goal right now was the Heavenly Spirit Blood Dragon Pill.
There were too few high-tier Magic Beasts in the northwestern region. According to the original storyline, the nearest one to Lin Ran's current location was none other than the Queen Medusa.
He was indeed interested in this second female lead from the original story—not because of her looks, but because, as a high-level Magic Beast with a rare Seven-Colored Heaven Swallowing Python bloodline, she, like Xiao Yixian's constitution, could boost his cultivation significantly.
Moreover, Queen Medusa played a critical role in Xiao Yan's rise—both as a female lead and as the source of the Green Lotus Core Flame. If Lin Ran was to become Xiao Yan's enemy, then interfering here would be the perfect entry point.
All things considered, this trip to the Tagor Desert was inevitable.
"The Tagor Desert… that's quite far from here," Xiao Yixian said hesitantly. "Young Master, I have a flying Magic Beast. Why don't we fly there?"
The Tagor Desert was in the eastern part of the Jia Ma Empire. It was the largest desert in the region, and it was far from the Magic Beast Mountain Range. If they walked, it would take at least ten days—maybe a month.
"Flying Magic Beast?"
Lin Ran looked surprised, but quickly recalled the detail.
Indeed—Xiao Yixian had a flying Magic Beast. If memory served, it was a first-rank Blue Eagle. In the original story, it was this very Blue Eagle that carried her and Xiao Yan away from Qing Mountain Town.
"Alright. Since we have one, we'll use it."
Seeing Lin Ran agree, Xiao Yixian let out a delighted giggle. She pulled out a small bamboo whistle and blew gently into it, sending out a faint soundwave.
Moments later, a giant blue eagle streaked across the sky from the distance, descending rapidly.
As the eagle approached, Xiao Yixian gathered Dou Qi beneath her feet, preparing to leap up.
But before she could, Lin Ran reached out, wrapped an arm around her slender waist, and stepped forward.
To her shock, their figures vanished in a blink and reappeared atop the Blue Eagle's back—as though they had crossed space itself.
"T-That…"
On the Dou Qi Continent, even though cultivators could manipulate Dou Qi, they were still human. Without a flying Dou Technique—like Xiao Yan's Purple Cloud Wings—they couldn't fly unless they had reached at least the peak of Dou Ling and developed Dou Qi wings.
But Lin Ran hadn't formed wings… and yet he had soared through the air like it was nothing.
This wasn't something an ordinary person could do.
"There's no need to be so shocked. It's just a little trick. Once your strength rises, you'll be able to do the same."
Lin Ran glanced at her and smiled lightly.
"M-Me too?" Xiao Yixian asked quietly. "But… my strength is…"
"The Woeful Poison Body may have a bad reputation, but in the end, it's just a special constitution. There's nothing inherently evil about it. As long as you train diligently, everything that others can achieve—you can too. In fact, you may even surpass them."
"Of course, you're just starting out. You don't understand much about cultivation. Up to now, you've relied solely on pills to passively refine Dou Qi. But with me around, that won't be an issue."
"Thank you… Young Master… for all the trouble…"
"It's no trouble. It's nothing."
The Blue Eagle spread its wings and soared across the skies of the northwestern continent.
At the same time, in the Tagor Desert, within the walled city of Desert City, a young man in a black robe stepped out from a map shop called Gu Tu, gripping a map tightly in his hand…
(End of Chapter)