Immortal Force—this was a concept Lan An was hearing for the first time. Though he didn't yet fully understand the situation, the fact that the brocade-robed youth had forced Wu San Niang to activate the Death Gate, yet ultimately still lost, revealed some clues.
"If you want to know whether I'm strong or not, just fight me and find out!" Lan An's face was ice-cold as he directly activated Peerless Under Heaven.
In that instant, a majestic wave of pressure rolled out. Lan An's aura tensed to its peak, his presence reaching the absolute limit, pressing down on the brocade-robed youth.
"How is this possible?" The brocade-robed youth's expression changed drastically. The higher his knowledge, the more he recognized the extraordinariness of this secret art. He immediately shouted gravely:
"How could such a domineering secret art appear on a low-level planet? Even my Immortal Force feels somewhat wary of it?"
But very quickly, greed and mad joy flashed in the brocade-robed youth's eyes. If he could seize this secret art, combined with the Honghuang Bone Scripture, this trip's harvest would be massive.
Lan An ignored what the man was thinking. Open Gate, Rest Gate, Speed Gate, Life Gate, and Iron Skin and Copper Bones all activated at full power.
Speed Transformation activated. The Eight Desolation Heaven-Defying Flame erupted in combination with Speed Gate, pushing his speed to the absolute limit. In a flash, he appeared behind the brocade-robed youth, unleashing a Star Explosion Fist infused with surging Thunder and Fire.
Emperor Flame and Three-Colored Thunder Tribulation were held back not at all—everything poured into this single punch.
"What?!" Seeing Lan An's continuous chain of movements, even the brocade-robed youth—with his extraordinary knowledge—couldn't help but cry out in shock.
However, his reaction speed was equally terrifying. He spun around, unleashing an Eight Desolation Palm with full force.
The difference in power between the two moves was immediately apparent. Although Lan An's techniques were layered and varied, his attacks couldn't even shatter the solid space of this place.
But the brocade-robed youth was different. Immortal Force surpassed the ordinary. With three types of Immortal Force unleashed together, space itself shattered.
BOOM…
The Star Explosion Fist clashed against the Eight Desolation Palm. Lan An was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a pillar inside the stone palace. His arm was mangled.
The Nirvana Spiritual Water frantically worked to heal the wound…
"Possessing a rare attribute and terrifying Thunder Tribulation—truly impressive. Unfortunately, since you haven't converted your Spiritual Force into Immortal Force, you will forever remain an ant!" The brocade-robed youth spoke with feigned disdain, though inwardly he became much more serious:
"This person's opportunities are extraordinary, and his techniques are layered beyond measure. He absolutely cannot be allowed to grow!"
He decided to first probe all of Lan An's cards, then capture him alive and seize everything for himself.
The brocade-robed youth feared that if he used his full power, Lan An would explode and die—then all would be for nothing.
Lan An struggled to his feet, equally shocked to the extreme. He could feel that the brocade-robed youth still hadn't used his full strength, yet his own bones were already on the verge of shattering. If not for the combination of Life Gate and Iron Skin and Copper Bones, he would already be a corpse.
"I think we should run!" Dan Mengji suddenly took a deep breath and said.
Lan An said nothing, but he had already thought of a terrifying possibility. His heart immediately grew grave to the extreme.
"This man comes from the Immortal Realm or some higher place, yet he isn't suppressed by the formation inside the stone palace. That means he can unleash his maximum strength at any time—even reaching the highest level of Spiritual Cultivation on Manhuang Star. We have no chance of winning!" Dan Mengji took another deep breath and made her judgment.
Lan An's heart tightened. He had the same guess. From beginning to end, the brocade-robed youth had always appeared far too relaxed and confident, clearly holding absolute victory in his grasp. But why had the System issued such a mission? He clearly had no chance of winning.
It wasn't that Lan An lacked confidence in himself—it was that he was wise enough to accept reality. Know yourself, know your enemy. Though he desperately wanted to kill the brocade-robed youth on the spot, preserving his own life and Wu San Niang's was the most important thing.
A true man knows when to hold and when to let go—not the kind of brainless recklessness that ignores consequences.
"What? Why aren't you attacking?" The brocade-robed youth's lips curved in contempt. Though he had been surprised by Lan An's techniques, he still carried the attitude of toying with an ant.
In fact, even when Wu San Niang activated the Death Gate, the brocade-robed youth hadn't been overly concerned. Being hit by her was no different from being scratched by an ant to him. It wasn't arrogance—it was simply the vast gulf between them, like heaven and earth. Even if he wanted to take it seriously, he couldn't.
This feeling was like being born at the finish line while your opponent was still struggling to scrape together every penny.
Lan An took a deep breath inwardly. All his Body Cultivation power tensed. His cells expanded, muscles fully erupted. He stepped back to gather momentum, combining Spirit and Body, then unleashed a punch reinforced by Thunder and Fire.
"Savage Beast Fist!"
"Oh? This punch is already comparable to an Extreme-Rank martial skill—not bad!" The brocade-robed youth watched with the attitude of a superior, slightly loosening his cultivation base and savagely striking out with an Eight Desolation Palm.
The wave of energy from the Savage Beast Fist only held for an instant before showing signs of being crushed.
But Lan An didn't care. After unleashing the Savage Beast Fist, he pushed his speed to the maximum. His figure appeared behind the brocade-robed youth. The five great cauldrons roared as he condensed the Fusion Spirit Palm in his hand.
Clearly, this was his ultimate strike.
The corner of the brocade-robed youth's mouth curled in disdain. This kind of feint—attacking in the east while striking in the west—he had played since he was three years old.
With the fastest speed, he turned his head. Shock flashed in his eyes when he saw Lan An's Fusion Spirit Palm. He secretly frowned—hadn't he heard of this kind of martial skill that could fuse multiple attributes somewhere before?
But the universe was too vast. The brocade-robed youth couldn't recall it immediately. The greed in his eyes grew even stronger. The Eight Desolation Palm continued striking toward Lan An.
No matter how many layered techniques the opponent had, the gap in martial skill rank was unbridgeable. A native would forever remain a native. Still, he had to admit—this person's methods were truly numerous. Best to force him to reveal everything so he could conveniently harvest them all.
"This is the moment!"
Seeing the opponent prepare to strike, Lan An's eyes flashed with determination as he shouted:
"Soul Lock! Soul Explosion Technique! Soul Chains!"
Three types of Soul Force erupted simultaneously, striking directly at the brocade-robed youth's mind.
The brocade-robed youth felt a loud buzz in his head for an instant. But very quickly, Immortal Force surged up, restoring his clarity. His head ached faintly. The Soul Chains shattered, and the other two attacks dissipated as well.
Though he wasn't a Soul Cultivator, with his true cultivation, his soul was terrifyingly powerful. Lan An's attacks were only enough to give him a momentary headache—nothing more than that.
But in that brief instant, the Fusion Spirit Palm had seized the opportunity to fiercely strike, sending him flying.
BOOM BOOM BOOM…
The brocade-robed youth tumbled across the ground…
"Run!" Taking advantage of the opening, Lan An rushed forward, tightly embracing Wu San Niang. Speed Transformation activated five times in succession, putting a bit more distance between them.
Unfortunately, the brocade-robed youth had already torn open space at some point, calmly blocking their path. He dusted the dirt off his clothes and smiled:
"I have to admit, you surprised me. Body, Spirit, and Soul triple cultivation, with so many techniques—all of them will soon belong to me!"
Lan An's heart tightened. Cold sweat poured down his body. At this moment, the aura radiating from the brocade-robed youth had already surpassed every limit he had ever known. If not for the Peerless Under Heaven state supporting him, his body might have already been crushed flat.
"What realm is this exactly?" Lan An took a deep breath.
"True Immortal Realm!" The brocade-robed youth smiled faintly. He had finally used his true strength and no longer wanted to drag things out.
Lan An's pupils contracted. His eyelids twitched wildly. Seeing the smug look on the brocade-robed youth's face, he knew there was no way out. He resolved to fight with everything he had.
"System, activate the Forbidden Taboo aura to—"
Lan An was about to frantically trigger the Taboo that would draw down the Heavenly Dao to strike the boss dead.
ROAR…
But before he could finish the command, a heaven-shaking roar echoed through the entire stone palace. The sound of a war chariot rumbled closer.
"Father…" The Manhuang Saintess's heart trembled.
A majestic Five-Dragon War Chariot appeared. Atop the chariot stood a proud golden skeleton. The empty eye sockets in its skull locked onto the brocade-robed youth. In its arms, it tightly clutched a massive Bone Pillar.
It was none other than the former Sacred Lord of the Manhuang Sacred Ground.
"Well timed!" The brocade-robed youth was overjoyed. He hadn't expected this one to come straight to him—he was spared the trouble of searching.
BOOM…
The Sacred Lord's heavy body leaped off the chariot like a war god. He swung the Bone Pillar fiercely down toward the brocade-robed youth's head.
"Eight Desolation Palm!" The brocade-robed youth met force with force…
BOOM BOOM…
The shockwave sent Lan An, who was holding Wu San Niang, flying backward. He forcefully swallowed the surge of blood in his chest, keeping himself as clear-headed as possible. Taking advantage of the momentum, he fled.
In his heart, he wondered: "Why is the Sacred Lord saving me?"
"He's not saving the Young Master. He merely sensed that this man's aura exceeds the rules set by the formation inside the stone palace, so he wants to eliminate him!" Jin'er explained.
"Can he win?" Lan An didn't have much confidence. The Sacred Lord of the Manhuang Sacred Ground had been a peerless powerhouse when alive, but now that he was dead, his strength probably wasn't that great.
"He can hold on for a while—that's already good. That skeleton of his has only reached Tenth-Turn Bone Cultivation!" Jin'er's voice carried a hint of gravity.
Lan An's expression darkened further. Once the brocade-robed youth dealt with the Sacred Lord, wouldn't he continue chasing him?
With the opponent's True Immortal cultivation, how could he possibly escape?
Sure enough, the brocade-robed youth, seeing Lan An flee, didn't care at all. Just a little mouse. As long as this guy didn't leave Manhuang Star, he wouldn't be able to escape his pursuit.
Besides, Old Yi was still guarding outside the stone palace.
…
Lan An racked his brain but couldn't think of any other way to fight back except going all out. In the end, he decided to first maximize his combat power as much as possible—gain whatever advantage he could. Then, if he absolutely had to trigger the Taboo and be struck by the Heavenly Tribulation, at least he would have some resistance.
At least he wouldn't regret not giving it everything…
"Brat… what… are you still… waiting for?"
At that moment, an extremely weak and frail voice reached his ears.
Lan An looked down and saw Wu San Niang's dazed eyes. Her breathing was rapid and labored. Her lips moved faintly:
"Do… it… with this old lady…!"
Lan An's eyelids twitched. His heartbeat involuntarily quickened. He understood—she wanted to risk everything in one final act.
And the fastest way to recover her body right now was obviously dual cultivation. Wu San Niang knew very well the effects of it—she had often seen him with the other women.
Thinking of this, there really was no other option. Lan An decisively embraced his master and sped away, searching for a secluded place to carry out the act.
"Enter the secret chamber beneath my crystal bed. That place is unaffected by the Seventh-Turn Spirit Sealing Formation—recovery will be faster!" The Manhuang Saintess was also decisive. Upon realizing what Lan An and Wu San Niang intended, she immediately pointed out the location.
Wu San Niang used the last of her strength to move her finger, indicating the direction to Lan An.
Lan An understood as if by telepathy. Following her guidance, he rushed to the spot…
He quickly found it.
Beneath the shattered pile of crystal from the bed was a hidden door leading to an underground secret chamber.
Without another word, Lan An opened it and carried her inside…
Below was an exquisitely decorated room filled with fragrant aromas. Several Night Illuminating Pearls lit up the space. A pristine white bed lay quietly there, accompanied by a mirror and dressing table—extremely romantic.
"This is… a woman's boudoir?" Lan An's expression was strange. He didn't understand how Wu San Niang knew about this place.
But upon entering the chamber, the Seventh-Turn Spirit Sealing Formation lost its effect. His Body Cultivation realm returned to normal.
Wu San Niang also returned to being an Eighth-Turn Body Cultivator and Tribulation Realm powerhouse. However, the backlash from the Death Gate had left her gravely injured. Even with her cultivation restored, it didn't help much—she was still weakened to the extreme.
Lan An gently laid her enchanting body down on the bed. He leaned down and kissed her smooth forehead, inhaling the fragrance mixed with the scent of blood on her body. Without any further hesitation, he spoke:
"San Niang, from today onward, besides being my master, you are also my woman!"
Wu San Niang no longer had the strength to respond. Only a pair of eyes revealed tenderness mixed with complexity. Her hot heart pounded fiercely.
No matter how strong a woman she was, or how much of a Mad Tyrant Queen—she was, in the end, still just a woman. That would never change.
For any woman on the verge of giving herself for the first time, nervousness was unavoidable. Wu San Niang was no naive Yan Yueqi.
Besides Wu San Niang, the Manhuang Saintess now felt an indescribable emotion. She was about to indirectly consummate with a man she had only met less than a day ago…
How unpredictable the affairs of the world were…
"Could this be destiny?" The Manhuang Saintess felt a little dazed.
At this moment, Lan An also skillfully stripped off his own clothes. Then, with slightly trembling hands, he removed the tattered rags from Wu San Niang's wild and seductive body…
In an instant, spring scenery bloomed. The room filled with an alluring fragrance…
The dantian ignited with desire…
Lan An's breathing grew heavier than ever before.