Perhaps it was the impatience of the two that had an effect. Suddenly, two black dots appeared in the sky to the west of the mountain peak, and soon, two enormous two-headed eagles flew closer. They were the Twin-Headed Vultures that Han Li had seen at the Tainan Meeting, and on the backs of these strange eagles rode a man and a woman.
As soon as outsiders appeared, the previously languid Dong Xuan’er immediately perked up, straightened her posture, and stared curiously at the approaching Twin-Headed Vultures.
“We sincerely apologize for making you wait so long! I am Yan Yu, and this is my younger sister Yan Ling. We are here to escort you both to Yanling Castle,” the young man said apologetically as soon as he and the woman jumped off the vultures upon landing on the mountain peak.
“It’s no problem. We only just arrived ourselves!” Before Han Li could speak, Dong Xuan’er, noticing Yan Yu’s strikingly handsome appearance, immediately spoke up in an exceptionally soft and melodious voice, so captivating that even Han Li couldn’t help but glance at her sideways.
Had Han Li not witnessed her willful and unruly behavior over the past few days, he might have been fooled by her current ladylike demeanor.
Yan Yu, of course, was unaware of all this. The moment he saw Dong Xuan’er’s flower-like beauty and heard her gentle words, his heart stirred with unusual feelings. He straightened his posture and said clearly, “Actually, there were originally Yan Family disciples waiting here to receive esteemed guests. However, the disciples originally assigned to this task encountered some unforeseen circumstances, so there was no one here to receive you for a while. We nearly neglected you both! On behalf of the Yan Family, I apologize and hope you won’t take offense.”
Dong Xuan’er listened, then pursed her lips into a smile, her eyes flickering with charm. Just as she was about to say something more, Han Li’s faint voice transmitted directly into her ear: “Junior Sister, aren’t you afraid that Master Hong Fu will reprimand you for behaving like this?”
Hearing this, Dong Xuan’er’s expression changed dramatically. Her lips moved several times, but no words came out. This strange behavior left Yan Yu and his sister somewhat puzzled.
Yan Ling was a lively and adorable-looking girl of about fifteen or sixteen. Her dark, sparkling eyes kept shifting between Han Li and Dong Xuan’er, giving off an extremely clever and perceptive vibe.
“As Junior Sister Dong said, being a little late is no big deal. I believe the Yan Family would never intentionally neglect invited guests like us! However, I am a bit curious—what kind of accident could have befallen the originally assigned disciples? Could it be that they had a conflict with some guest?” Having stopped Dong Xuan’er from recklessly using her seductive techniques, Han Li coughed lightly and spoke politely, half-jokingly probing for details about the so-called “accident.”
“This…” Yan Yu’s face showed hesitation upon hearing Han Li’s question, as if there were something he was reluctant to disclose.
“Han Li, since Brother Yu has his difficulties, let’s not trouble him further. Why don’t we head to Yanling Castle early? I’m sure many others have already arrived, right?”
“Yes, let’s go to Yanling Castle! Many other guests have indeed arrived and are discussing cultivation insights and engaging in various exchanges. The two of you can join them as soon as you arrive.” Seeing Yan Yu’s hesitation, Dong Xuan’er suddenly spoke up in his defense, much to his relief. He repeatedly agreed, his fondness for her growing even more. Meanwhile, Yan Ling seemed to sense Dong Xuan’er’s “ulterior motives” and pouted unhappily.
This time, Han Li did not rebuke Dong Xuan’er. Instead, he smiled slightly and nodded in agreement. “Then please lead the way, Brother Yan and Miss Yan. Junior Sister Dong and I will follow behind you.”
Yan Yu was relieved that Han Li did not press further on the matter, but then he remembered something and spoke apologetically, “Before leading the way, I must routinely check your invitations. I hope you don’t mind.”
Though Yan Yu spoke politely, Han Li could clearly sense that his tone was largely directed at Dong Xuan’er. It seemed this Yan Family disciple was already falling into her tender trap.
Han Li inwardly sneered a few times but couldn’t be bothered to interfere with Dong Xuan’er’s antics. Pretending not to notice, he took out Li Huayuan’s invitation and handed it smoothly to Yan Yu. Dong Xuan’er also produced Hong Fu’s invitation, extending it with her slender, jade-like hand. Her alluring scent and the fair, lustrous glow of her skin momentarily captivated Yan Yu, making him forget to reach out and take it.
His sister, unable to watch any longer, snatched the invitation irritably on his behalf. This snapped Yan Yu back to reality, and under Dong Xuan’er’s soft laughter, his face flushed red.
“So it’s Junior Brother Han and Junior Sister Dong. The invitations are in order. Let’s go!” After returning the invitations, Yan Yu seemed somewhat distracted, occasionally stealing glances at Dong Xuan’er. However, the usually willful girl now wore a solemn and dignified expression, which only made the Yan Family elite’s imagination run wild.
The four of them flew away one after another, heading in the direction from which the Yan siblings had come.
After flying several dozen miles, they arrived at a location between two small mountain peaks and came to a stop.
Yan Yu then took out a token-like object, gripped it tightly with both hands, and channeled a surge of spiritual power into it. Instantly, a vast yellow light shot out from the token, striking the empty space ahead.
Where there was once nothing, a multicolored glow appeared as the yellow light swept across. As the radiance dispersed, Han Li and the others were greeted by the sight of an incredibly majestic ancient castle materializing in the previously empty mountain ridge.
Gazing at the massive walls standing thirty to forty zhang high and the countless towering ancient-style buildings within, both Han Li and Dong Xuan’er felt a sense of novelty and were almost overwhelmed by the spectacle.
“This is one of our Yan Family’s strongholds, Yanling Castle. Welcome, Senior Brother Han and Senior Sister Dong!” Yan Yu suddenly adopted a solemn expression as he spoke.
Just as Han Li was about to respond, Dong Xuan’er suddenly let out a surprised “Huh?” and stared intently at a certain area within the giant castle, her face filled with astonishment.
Noticing her reaction, Han Li naturally followed her gaze.
In a corner of the castle, on a platform resembling an arena, two men in different attire were floating in a对峙 stance. One wore the brown garments of the Yan Family and had the appearance of a fierce and sturdy man. The other had curly beard, gray eyes, yellow hair, dark skin, and wore a cyan-green robe, looking very peculiar!
Around them, a massive white light barrier flickered faintly. Outside the barrier, crowds of people stood in scattered groups. The most conspicuous were two groups wearing unified attire. One group stood in neat, silent rows, appearing well-trained—these were the Yan Family members. The other group, like the curly-bearded man in the air, wore green robes. Most of them also had gray eyes and yellow hair, though there were a few with ordinary appearances mixed in.
After taking a clear look, Han Li was equally astonished and couldn’t help turning to the Yan siblings for an explanation.
Before Han Li could ask, Yan Yu’s expression turned uneasy at the sight. Meanwhile, Yan Ling clenched her fists and said angrily, “They’ve started challenging us again, and they’re so ruthless! It’s utterly unreasonable!”
Hearing this, Han Li’s curiosity was piqued, and he tentatively asked, “Are these people not guests of the Yan Family?”
“Of course not! These guys showed up uninvited. As soon as they arrived, they injured Little Sixteen and Little Fifteen, who were receiving guests, and insisted on participating in the Treasure Seizing Conference. I don’t know what the elders were thinking, but they actually agreed! It’s so infuriating!” Yan Ling ignored Yan Yu’s attempts to stop her and vented her frustrations like pouring beans out of a basket, leaving Han Li amused and Yan Yu embarrassed, unsure of how to respond.
“It seems these are the reason we were kept waiting on the mountain peak for so long! Brother Yu, could you tell Xuan’er the details?” This time, without Han Li having to ask, Dong Xuan’er, her curiosity equally piqued, poured on the charm, making Yan Yu hesitate only slightly before readily agreeing.
“These people arrived at Yanling Castle this morning. When they reached the reception area outside the castle, they tried to force their way in without invitations and injured two disciples who were receiving guests. After other disciples arrived for backup, they originally intended to teach these people a lesson. However, unexpectedly, these individuals produced some letters and tokens that made several leading elders take the matter seriously. They swallowed their anger and invited these people into the castle.”
“But even after entering Yanling Castle, these people refused to behave. They immediately challenged the Yan Family to sparring matches. After some discussion, the elders seemed to want to teach these people a lesson and agreed to the matches. There were to be ten matches in total, all between Foundation Establishment disciples! Before I came to fetch you two, several matches had already taken place, but the results…” Yan Yu shook his head slightly, his expression somewhat gloomy. Clearly, without asking, it was evident that the Yan Family was at a disadvantage.
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