The fatal blow caused Xi Yian to regain her clarity. Her eyes reverted to their original color. She coughed out more blood and found herself in Xiao Ning's arms.
Xi Yian tried to speak, but she couldn't utter a word. Various emotions surged in her eyes, and tears flowed down her cheeks. The tears were not for herself.
'Why, Why?' Xi Yian questioned herself in her heart. She felt an unspeakable pain after seeing Xiao Ning's condition. Xi Yian didn't seem to feel the scorching pain of her heart being burned by the heavenly flame, her flesh roasted.
Xiao Ning grinned after seeing Xi Yian regain her clarity. He seemed to guess her mind and spoke difficulty in a hoarse voice, "Why?.... Because...I...Cough.....I...Love...You!" Xiao Ning spat out more blood. He used the last bit of his strength, leaned forward, and pressed his lips on Xi Yian's.
While Xiao Ning kissed her, the light in Xi Yian's eyes faded, and her lovely body limped into his arms. Xiao Ning hugged her body, and tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!" He raised his head and howled.
Everyone watched silently; no one dared to disturb them. Yun Leng and others were afraid of the mysterious black-robed man.
Xiao Yan had a complicated expression on his face. He questioned himself if he did the right thing.
...
Xiao Ning gritted his teeth; he endured the unimaginable pain and slowly got up. He stood with his spine straight.
Xiao Ning held Xi Yian's corpse in his arms and stared at everyone with a calm gaze. His expression didn't match that of a dying man, and it felt like he wanted to imprint their images in his mind.
Xiao Yan, who disguised himself as a black-robed man, sighed after seeing this. Even Xiao Yan admitted he was inferior to his cousin Xiao Ning, and couldn't compare to the latter's temperament. He sighed and felt it was time to leave.
"Brat! It doesn't matter if you are right or wrong; being weak is a sin!" Out of nowhere, a heavy archaic voice resounded. The owner of the voice seemed to teach Xiao Ning. He ignored others present as a person wouldn't look at an ant.
Everyone, including, Xiao Yan who was going to leave, felt a mountain pressing on their shoulder. Even with Yao Lao's strength, Xiao Yan couldn't resist it and fell down on his knees.
Only Xiao Ning, who seemed dead, stood straight like a spear. A drop of dark-golden blood floated out of the hole on his chest. It bloomed with a golden radiance. The wounds on his body healed, and Xiao Ning regained his original appearance.
"Roar!" Xiao Ning's pupils turned dark golden; he raised his head and let out a loud dragon roar. An illusionary golden dragon with phoenix wings appeared behind him and soared into the sky.
'Roar!' Another dragon roar resounded in the sky, but unlike the first one, the second roar shook the entire Jia Ma Empire.
The illusionary dragon-phoenix made a circle; it flew down and enveloped Xiao Ning's figure. Soon, a white egg with golden markings appeared on Xiao Ning's spot.
Everyone stared at the egg with their eyes wide open. If it weren't for the pressure radiating out of the egg, they would have rushed forward to capture it. No one paid attention to Xi Yian's corpse beside the egg.
Yun Leng took a deep breath and said, "Seniors, thank you for saving us. The Misty Cloud Sect owes you a favor." He motioned others to retreat. Yun Leng knew that staying here would be more dangerous, and their strength was not enough to mix up in the next event.
Xiao Yan's eyes were glued on the white egg; he didn't even bother to listen to Yun Leng's words and waved his hand, gesturing them to leave. He used Yao Lao's strength, gathered Bone Chilling Flame in his eyes, and tried to see through the egg.
He could only see a hazy figure curled up inside the egg. "Teacher?" He scratched his head in confusion. Xiao Yan didn't know what to do.
"Brat, don't think about other things and quickly leave," Yao Lao's anxious voice sounded in his head. The archaic voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere scared him. Without a doubt, he was the strongest person present. Even in his spiritual state, Yao Lao sensed the horrifying might contained in the voice.
He feared if the owner of the voice spoke another sentence, his spiritual body would shatter. Yao Lao had seen many Dou Saints, but he never felt such an overwhelming sense of inferiority.
Xiao Yan didn't know about his teacher's thoughts, and neither did he ask. He trusted the latter completely. Moreover, Xiao Yan's mind was preoccupied with how he would explain Xiao Ning's death to Xiao Clan.
A pair of white flame dou qi wings appeared behind his back, and Xiao Yan flew away.
...
A dragon's roar shook the entire Jia Ma Empire, and it spread even further. The strong cultivators living in the empire felt their souls tremble, and everyone looked in Xiao Ning's direction.
Even from such a distance, they could see the illusionary dragon-phoenix showing its might in the sky. Everyone treated it as a sign of the birth of a heavenly treasure.
Many Dou Emperors stopped whatever they were doing and left without a word. It even alarmed the leader of the Misty Cloud Sect, Yun Yun, Jia Xing Tian of the royal family. Furthermore, some Dou Kings also thought of fishing in troubled waters.
...
Somewhere, in the western region of the Jia Ma Empire, a snake woman wearing a purple dress raised her head. The golden crown on her head revealed her identity. She was Medusa, the current queen of the snake people.
Medusa felt her blood boiling as if something or someone was calling her. Her yellow pupils glowed brightly as she looked in Xiao Ning's direction. 'Let's take a look; maybe, the treasure will surprise the queen,' Medusa thought in her mind.
Anyway, it has been a couple of days since she started searching for the heavenly flame, and it didn't matter if she spent a few days more. After deciding, Medusa didn't hesitate and flew in Xiao Ning's direction.
...
Yun Leng and others slowly got up and wiped off the sweat from their forehead. Everyone turned and looked at Yun Leng, waiting for his order.
Yun Leng looked at the white egg with greed in his eyes. He didn't bother to think why the masked Dou Emperor left. Neither did Yun Leng thought about the owner of the archaic voice. In his mind, he had regarded the white egg as his property.
What he didn't know was that the dragon's roar had attracted many strong Dou Emperor's, and there was even a half-step Dou Ancestor on her way here.