Two gray figures appeared without warning; before his eyes even caught sight of them, Xiao Yan had felt no trace of their presence. This sudden change made his hands hesitate slightly in their formation. After a moment’s silence, he glanced at the ever-growing fireball and could not help but shout, “Fellows, the fireball is about to explode, please leave quickly!”
As if they heard Xiao Yan’s warning, the two hooded figures near the huge fireball slowly raised their heads, their weathered and calm eyes glancing at Xiao Yan. But it was that casual glance that startled Xiao Yan, for he discovered to his shock that the furious medicinal force churning within him was gradually calming down…
Feeling this change within himself, amazement flashed in Xiao Yan’s eyes. Just a single glance from across such a distance, and they could suppress the turbulent medicinal force inside him. How terrifying was this strength? Who were these two mysterious hooded figures? When did such formidable experts appear in the Black-Corner Region?
While Xiao Yan was in shock, Su Qian, Han Feng, and others who had retreated a distance also noticed the two gray figures. They were all stunned, and after a while, Su Qian remembered something, joy surging in his eyes as he muttered, “These old undying fellows… finally decided to act.”
“Senior Elder, who are they?” Some inner college elders behind Su Qian asked with a mix of surprise and suspicion. Although they couldn’t sense any overwhelming power from the two gray figures, an inexplicable pressure seemed to envelop their hearts and souls.
“Protectors of the Gan Nan Academy…” Su Qian said slowly, “But unless the Gan Nan Academy faces a life-or-death situation, they would never intervene. Fortunately, this time… otherwise, the inner college…”
As he spoke, the fear on Su Qian’s face was evident.
“Protectors?” The inner college elders, confused, looked at the two gray figures and murmured to themselves.
The two gray figures ignored the curious gazes from all around. They took their eyes off Xiao Yan and focused on the enormous fireball, feeling the destructive power within. An expression of surprise flickered in their ancient, unperturbed eyes. Exchanging a glance, their withered hands slowly emerged from their sleeves, forming strange hand seals.
As the two gray figures moved, intense spatial fluctuations spread out from their bodies. As the space rippled, it became distorted, twisted like countless wrinkles, and vision itself bent.
As the spatial fluctuations grew more intense, two dark and deep, eerie black lights slowly appeared on the fingers of the gray figures. Then, their withered fingers gently drew a line in the air, and everyone watched in awe as the space where the giant fireball was located seemed to be torn by an invisible hand, a massive spatial crack appearing noiselessly…
“Go!” A hoarse voice echoed, and a terrible gust of wind suddenly surged into the sky, then gently pushed the destructive fireball into the boundless, dark spatial crack.
When the last corner of the fireball entered the spatial crack, the terrifying temperature in the sky instantly cooled. The deep, dark light on the fingers of the two gray figures flickered again, and the huge spatial crack began to heal rapidly. In less than a minute, the sky was smooth again like a mirror.
After completing this, the two gray figures let out a sigh of relief. Such a large-scale manipulation of spatial forces was not as easy as imagined, even with their combined efforts. If not for the fact that the fireball’s own power had created many small cracks in the space, they would not have been able to tear open such a large spatial crack and drive the fireball into it.
Nevertheless, their feat left everyone in the sky stunned. Tearing space with a mere gesture and driving away a destructive fireball—what kind of incredible and frightening power was this? Even the Earth Demon Old Ghost might not be able to reach this level. Who exactly were these two mysterious shadows?
In the distant sky, Xiao Yan breathed a great sigh of relief when he saw the fireball being driven away. If the fireball had continued to swell, the inner college would likely have been destroyed, and he might have become the culprit. For him, that would be a nightmare. It seemed he would need to think twice before using the “Destructive Fire Lotus” again…
Of course, the “Destructive Fire Lotus” was formed from four different flames. The “Rebirth Flame” he had obtained was already half used, meaning he could only use it once more unless he found another replacement. Whether he would succeed even then was uncertain. This time, succeeding in using the “Destructive Fire Lotus” was due to his strength, but also a bit of luck.
As Xiao Yan felt relieved, several whistling sounds came, and Su Qian, Little Healer Immortal, and others appeared beside him. Seeing that he was unharmed, Su Qian waved his hand and said quietly, “Come with me, don’t say anything unnecessary.”
With that, he moved, heading swiftly towards the two gray figures. After a brief hesitation, Xiao Yan followed, bringing Little Healer Immortal along.
“Haha, Hundred-Old, Thousand-Old, thank you very much for your intervention today. Otherwise, this inner college might not exist anymore…”
Appearing before the two gray figures, Su Qian bowed and smiled.
“Little Su Qian, you’re quite derelict in your duties as the great elder. If the inner college were truly met with such a disaster, even dying ten times might not atone for it,” an old man in gray robes said, looking at Su Qian, his even tone slightly harsh.
“Respected elders, everything today is due to Xiao Yan. If blame is to be assigned, let it fall on Xiao Yan. It has nothing to do with Senior Elder Su Qian,” Xiao Yan hurriedly interjected as Su Qian forced a smile.
The two gray-robed elders scanned Xiao Yan with their calm, water-like gazes, a hint of surprise flashing in their eyes. One of them said, “You are… that young man who controlled the Azure Lotus Heart Flame back then?”
Surprised that the two elders still remembered him, Xiao Yan nodded awkwardly.
“I remember, when I first saw you, you were just a little big fighter. In just a few years, you’ve reached this level… Finally, the Gan Nan Academy has produced a good student. If that old fellow Mang Tianchi knew, he’d be pretty pleased,” one of the gray-robed elders said with a chuckle.
“And the different Heavenly Flames you control, it seems to be more than one. To integrate several Heavenly Flames stably into your body, this technique is unparalleled in the world. Young man, be careful when you go out to train in the future…”
The other gray-robed elder’s eyes also showed a hint of surprise, followed by a slow, measured statement.
“Your humble servant thanks you for your advice,” Xiao Yan responded respectfully to these two superpowered elders whose true identities he was unsure of.
“Hmm?” The two elders nodded slightly, their wandering gaze stopping on Little Healer Immortal beside Xiao Yan, and they let out a slight exclamation.
Feeling the gazes of the two gray-robed elders, Little Healer Immortal tensed up, her internal Dou Qi quietly flowing.
“Haha, I didn’t expect… after so many years, we’d encounter a bearer of the Calamity Poison Body. Quite unexpected,” one of the gray-robed elders said with a light laugh.
“But unfortunately… every bearer of the Calamity Poison Body ends up with a similar fate…” the other elder sighed with some emotion.
Hearing the conversation, Su Qian rolled his eyes and said to the two gray-robed elders, “Stop scaring people the moment you show up. If you had shown up earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. You know the Earth Demon Old Ghost’s strength better than anyone. If he came to find trouble, what could I do? If not for Xiao Yan, who knows what the situation would be now.”
“You’re all carefree, the headmaster hasn’t returned in years, and you two hide without a trace. This academy is left for me to manage alone.”
By the end, Su Qian’s words were full of resentment.
Hearing Su Qian’s rebuke, the two gray-robed elders felt a bit embarrassed. They had indeed lived peacefully, worry-free. They coughed dryly and said, “Weren’t we the same when we were young? It’s not that easy to be the Great Elder… But that old guy still hasn’t returned… quite irresponsible, gone for nearly a decade now…”
“Shouldn’t have taken over your positions back then…” Su Qian grumbled regretfully, then turned to Xiao Yan. “These two, address them as Hundred-Old and Thousand-Old. They used to be the Great Elders of the Gan Nan Academy, now retired, enjoying their leisure.”
Xiao Yan quickly paid his respects.
The two gray-robed elders waved their hands, indicating no formalities were needed, and then said slowly, “Earth Demon Old Ghost, isn’t it? We haven’t seen each other for many years. Didn’t expect to meet here, right?”
As they spoke, their gazes oddly shifted to the void not far away. On their aged faces, a strange, half-smiling, half-amused expression played.
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