Chapter 83: Xiao Yan Has Fallen [3]

"This is the puppet at the Dou Ancestor level that Xiao Yan brought out back when we were in the Cloud Empire. What is he trying to do? Does he know he’s no match for Lin An and now wants to disregard the life-and-death oath he signed?" Jia Xingtian recognized the puppet at first glance—it was precisely this puppet that had defeated him with a single move back then.

"If Xiao Yan is going to let the puppet fight, then I can take action too!" Yun Shan’s gaze grew colder.

In the face of life and death, no one could remain indifferent. Even Xiao Yan, at this moment, had no choice but to bring out his puppet.

Lin An, Lin An—everything was because of Lin An! If not for Lin An’s appearance, Xiao Yan believed he would have surely become the strongest man on the continent of Dou Qi, leading his clan to supremacy. Yet now, Lin An possessed everything that he had, and could even strip away his own system. How could Xiao Yan possibly stay calm?

A subconscious thought lurked in his heart: if Lin An were in his place, he too would do anything to kill him.

"Kill him for me!"

Xiao Yan looked somewhat deranged, as if he wished he could kill Lin An with his gaze alone. As soon as he finished speaking, the Dou Ancestor-level puppet sprang into action, appearing before Lin An in an instant.

"Xiao Yan, you dare—" Yun Shan roared, the aura of a Dou Ancestor surging forth as he prepared to intercept the puppet. But Lin An simply shook his head.

Then, before Yun Shan’s very eyes, the puppet vanished right in front of Lin An.

Xiao Yan stared at Lin An in disbelief. His trump card for survival was still no match for Lin An? It was a reality too bitter to accept.

"Today, your death is certain. Any further struggle is futile," Lin An declared.

Xiao Yan wanted to say something more, but found he had no words left. At this point, without a card to turn the tide, any words would be pointless.

From the moment they signed the life-and-death contract, the fate between them was sealed; there could be no peaceful end. Though he felt regret, this was the final conclusion.

"It seems that slap you gave me back then—I’ll never be able to return it," Xiao Yan said with a trace of bitterness.

"Even if you survive today, you’ll never have another chance," Lin An replied.

"Victory or defeat, that’s all there is. I have nothing left to say."

Xiao Yan gave up resisting entirely, no longer struggling.

Lin An sneered. As long as Xiao Yan lived, he would never be at ease. With victory within reach, he would tolerate no mistakes.

To prevent any unexpected trouble, Lin An decided to kill Xiao Yan at once.

Bone Spirit Cold Flame appeared in Lin An’s hand, transforming under his control into a long sword that pierced straight through Xiao Yan’s heart.

The terrible flame spread rapidly through Xiao Yan’s body, incinerating everything in its path.

Xiao Yan seemed oblivious to the danger, gazing at Lin An with wild eyes.

"I never imagined things would end like this. But don’t think you can run rampant on the continent and become its master. I’ve left a contingency in place. Soon, everyone on the continent will hunt you down. Even your closest kin will stop at nothing to kill you. Just wait—ha ha ha..."

With mad laughter, Xiao Yan finally perished, his body utterly consumed, leaving only the ravaged, battle-scarred arena behind.

"Xiao Yan... is dead," someone murmured, and many released a long sigh, as if they themselves had been the ones locked in battle all along.

"He could have become one of the continent’s greatest experts and alchemists, yet in the end, he met this fate—gone without a trace... what a pity..."

Though Xiao Yan had not appeared before the public for long, his life could only be called legendary.

He first entered people’s sight when Nalan Yanran broke off their engagement in Wu Tan City, then later at the Alchemist Gathering, where his true identity was exposed by Lin An.

His time in the public eye was brief, but any aspect of his life was enough to be called legendary—a sixth-rank alchemist, a one-star Dou King, a rare genius in both alchemy and martial arts.

Yet for all his prodigious talent—perhaps surpassing even the vanished Dou Emperors of legend—he happened to meet the even more extraordinary Lin An in his era.

It was a twist of fate that Lin An also came into the public’s view because of the incident in Wu Tan City.

...

"I knew you would win in the end, Lin An," Nalan Yanran finally let her tears flow, sobbing openly at last.

The pressure she had endured was immense, no less than what Lin An had faced in battle.

She ran quickly to Lin An, giving him a tight embrace, as if wanting to merge with him. Her grip was so strong that even Lin An felt a twinge of pain.

"Ow, ow, ow..." Lin An’s words made Nalan Yanran quickly let go, suddenly realizing that after such a fierce fight, Lin An was still heavily wounded and could hardly bear such a forceful hug.

"I’m sorry, Lin An, I didn’t mean to," she apologized with a guilty look.

"It’s fine. I know you’re just worried about me," Lin An replied with a grin.

As for Xiao Yan, it was as if everyone had already forgotten him—no one spoke his name.

"Seeing how steady your relationship is, I, as a father, can finally feel at ease," said Nalan Su, who approached Lin An and Nalan Yanran at that moment. The more he looked at Lin An, the more satisfied he felt, even thinking that his own daughter was not a worthy match for such a son-in-law.

"Nonsense, nonsense... How can I think my daughter is not good enough for my son-in-law?" Nalan Su shook his head, dismissing such ridiculous thoughts from his mind.

"You’ve finally said something right for once, after calling me your son for so long. Yes, Yanran and Lin An should settle their marriage soon," Nalan Jie said with satisfaction.

With Lin An’s future achievements, he was certain to become a legend on the continent.

"Father, Grandpa, what are you two talking about..." Nalan Yanran hadn’t expected them to bring this up now, and she blushed furiously, protesting coquettishly.

"I think it’s a great idea!" Lin An nodded, thoroughly pleased with the proposal.

"Lin An, you too..." Nalan Yanran didn’t finish before Lin An pulled her into his arms. "Don’t you want to?"

In the end, Nalan Yanran answered with a barely audible murmur.