Volume 1, Chapter 337 – Yan Ren

The woman beside Shen Tianlan was dressed in green and carried an ancient zither on her back. She could be counted as half an old acquaintance of Shi Lan’s.

If Shi Lan remembered correctly, her name should be Gu Rongyue, a renowned master of the zither.

Back in Ancient Phoenix City, Shi Lan had accepted the invitation of Gu Rentong and his son to take part in the martial meet held by Sky Thunder Hall. Gu Rongyue had also been there. When she fought Shi Lan back then, Shi Lan had kicked her straight off the arena with a single blow.

Not many had managed to survive the demon calamity, so seeing another familiar face here made Shi Lan’s mood somewhat complicated.

The several great cultivators among Purple Lightning Manor’s group did not intervene. They were merely letting that purple-haired youth spar with Shen Tianlan.

Rather than a spar, it was more like tempering.

Shen Tianlan’s cultivation had already entered the Heavenly Astral Realm. More than half of his thirty-six fatal acupoints had been opened, and he was on the verge of crossing the life-and-death bottleneck.

That purple-haired youth was still fairly young, and his strength was slightly inferior in pure cultivation, only at the early stage of the Heavenly Astral Realm. Yet relying on his powerful thunder-attribute divine abilities, he completely suppressed Shen Tianlan.

The two shared the same physique. Both were born with a Thunder Spirit Body. Although Shen Tianlan was nearly ten years older than the youth, he had entered the path of cultivation too late and missed the prime age for a martial artist to train, leaving him far behind.

Had he been properly guided since childhood, Shen Tianlan’s achievements would have gone far beyond this.

Both of them were rare geniuses seen only once in a thousand years. As two wielders of the same physique clashed, thunder filled the sky and churned across the heavens. It was a terrifying sight.

Off to the side, Gu Rongyue watched in extreme anxiety. Her cultivation was too weak; she had only just stepped into the Earth Fiend Realm. Several times she tried to use music to assist Shen Tianlan, yet each time Shen Tianlan refused her.

“If you are willing to join my Purple Lightning Manor, then a thousand years from now, there will be a place for you as Manor Lord!”

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The purple-haired youth held the absolute upper hand, his face full of excitement. This tempering between identical physiques had benefited him greatly. Shen Tianlan’s method of controlling thunder was completely different from Purple Lightning Manor’s. It was another path of the Thunder Dao altogether.

“I already have a master. I will not deceive my teacher and betray my forebears.”

Shen Tianlan’s expression was calm, but his body trembled faintly. Under the tempering pressure of contending with someone of the same physique, he too had gained greatly. His Thunder Spirit Body seemed about to enter an entirely new realm!

The several great cultivators in the air noticed the arrival of Shi Lan and Tianbai, and their hearts shook.

That bizarre dark forest from a few days ago had been crawling with yin spirits. Even they had only managed to escape by expending enormous effort. If these two had not shared so much of the pressure, whether they could have left alive would still have been uncertain.

Now the two of them were standing here completely unharmed. There were only two possibilities. Either those yin spirits had already been dealt with, or these two possessed some special life-preserving means.

Whichever it was, neither of them was someone to provoke.

For a moment, those great cultivators all felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Shi Lan saw through the situation at a glance. Although Shen Tianlan was at a disadvantage, his momentum had not weakened in the slightest. As time passed, it only grew sharper.

Boom!

Blinding thunderlight completely engulfed Shen Tianlan. Bathed in a sea of lightning, with divine thunder coiling all around him as though he had donned a suit of thunder armor, his aura instantly surged. The thunder mark at his brow shone with dazzling brilliance, his Thunder Spirit Body fully awakened, and his cultivation rose with it into the late stage of the Heavenly Astral Realm!

With his cultivation rising, Shen Tianlan completely reversed the situation. The gap of two minor realms forced that purple-haired youth down into the weaker position.

Those great cultivators also noticed the change in the battlefield. Their eyes turned instantly cold, and killing intent toward Shen Tianlan arose in their hearts.

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If he cannot be used by us, he must be killed by us!

An inborn Thunder Spirit Body was exceedingly rare. Because it had not appeared in the world for so long, people had nearly forgotten how terrifying such a physique truly was. Most believed that a Thunder Spirit Body merely cultivated somewhat faster than ordinary physiques.

In truth, a Thunder Spirit Body was born close to the Dao. Its resistance to lightning tribulation far surpassed that of ordinary martial artists. Only mighty figures who had stepped into the Heaven-Man Realm and experienced the nine Heaven-Man tribulations could truly appreciate that.

It could be said that as long as they did not die young midway through their growth, those born with a Thunder Spirit Body had an eighty or ninety percent chance of stepping into the emperor level. And once they entered the emperor level, everything would be turned upside down!

Sizzle!

One of the great cultivators suddenly raised a hand. A streak of crimson lightning shot from his fingertips, tearing through space and striking directly toward Shen Tianlan’s brow. The attack was vicious in the extreme.

Naturally, Shi Lan was not about to stand by and watch. She rose to her feet and struck out with a palm seal, shattering the crimson lightning.

“You shameless old thing, where’s your martial honor?!”

Shi Lan’s mood instantly soured. Throwing one’s weight around and bullying the weak with strength was what she hated most now. The only reason she was here in the first place was because a dying old cur of an elder had forced her in.

Using age and strength to bully the young, and even sneaking in a dirty attack, was utterly despicable.

What kind of ability was that supposed to be?

The two people fighting below stopped at once. Shen Tianlan felt a chill run down his spine. In that instant just now, he had almost smelled death.

“Many thanks, Senior!”

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Shi Lan was not showing her true face at the moment, so Shen Tianlan did not recognize her and only assumed she was a passing senior of the Martial Dao.

“Many thanks, Senior, for your righteous aid!” Gu Rongyue said from the side, her face full of gratitude.

The several Nascent Soul Realm great cultivators in the air all wore gloomy expressions. Hearing Shi Lan call one of them an old thing made them nearly strike on the spot.

The purple-haired youth was silent for a moment, then returned to those people.

“Young Manor Lord…”

Smack!

The man who had just attacked was about to explain when a slap landed squarely across his face.

A youthful prodigy naturally had his own pride.

That man’s forceful interference had all but touched his bottom line.

“Today, I came off second best. There is still a long road ahead. If the chance arises in the future, we will fight again.”

The purple-haired youth lowered his hand and looked at Shen Tianlan. Though still young, there was already a heroic air between his brows.

“What is your name?”

“Shen Tianlan,” Shen Tianlan replied.

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“My name is Yan Ren. If you wish to continue sparring in the future, come find me at Jinglei Prefecture in the Central Heaven Domain. I guarantee you a fair fight. What I said earlier still stands. If you are willing to join my Purple Lightning Manor, then a thousand years from now, there will be a place for you as Manor Lord.”

With that, the purple-haired youth swept a glance over Shi Lan and Tianbai, then led his people away at once.

Shi Lan did not forcibly stop them. Naturally, that was not because her anger had subsided.

Those several Nascent Soul Realm cultivators were extraordinarily powerful, nearly all at great perfection of the Nascent Soul Realm, and they had also specialized in the Thunder Dao. Their combat strength could not be underestimated. Outnumbered as she was, if they truly fought, she still would not be their match.

If her strength had been sufficient, Shi Lan would have cracked open their skulls on the spot and used their souls and precious blood to sharpen Golden Rainbow.

“May I ask for Senior’s name?”

Shen Tianlan walked up to Shi Lan and offered her a salute.

“Brother Shen, you are too polite. There is no need to call me Senior.”

Shi Lan shook her head slightly and removed her disguise.

“Miss Shi?!”

Shen Tianlan sounded startled and doubtful. Although her features had not changed much, Shi Lan’s bearing and figure had changed far too much. She was now a little taller than he was, with dark red hair draped over her shoulders, and there was an indescribable charm about her.

Gu Rongyue’s expression at the side was even more dramatic. She could hardly believe it. It had already been several years since she last saw Shi Lan, and the image of Shi Lan in her memory was still that straightforward woman who wielded a battle halberd like a tyrannosaur.