Chapter Sixty-Five: Chosen by Heaven, Terrifying Beyond Measure (Part Three)

As Yan Xiao approached the space between the two armies, he immediately saw Lin An standing at the forefront. Beside Lin An stood Nalan Yanran and the mysterious seventh-grade alchemist.

Staring at the face of Lin An—the man he had imagined countless times, prepared to return the humiliation he had suffered—Yan Xiao found, to his surprise, that his heart was calm upon actually seeing him. Perhaps it was the confidence his newfound strength had given him. Lin An, in his eyes, was no longer a threat.

Yan Xiao then tried to use the ability he had acquired from the system to gauge Lin An’s current cultivation level. Unexpectedly, the ability that had never failed him before now proved useless. This only deepened his conviction that Lin An was indeed mysterious.

“Now that you’ve seen me, go on—what do you want?” Lin An’s gaze immediately locked onto Yan Xiao.

“You must be Lin An of the Jia Ma Empire. Truly extraordinary—your arrival alone reversed the tides of battle for the Jia Ma Empire. I am impressed,” Yan Xiao said, ignoring Sun Ming and scrutinizing Lin An with keen interest.

“And who are you? A coward hiding behind a mask has no right to speak with me,” Lin An retorted. Though he didn’t know the identity of the man in black, he sensed a subtle danger emanating from him.

“I am Yan Xiao, strategist of the Cloud Empire,” Yan Xiao replied. He was confident his disguise was flawless; even a Douzong-level expert, faced with his black robe, would not be able to discern his true identity. After all, he had trained in the Cloud Empire for two years now, and no one had ever suspected him.

“Yan Xiao?” A faint smile crossed Lin An’s lips. He never would have guessed that the person aiding the Cloud Empire was Xiao Yan. What puzzled Lin An even more was why Xiao Yan would be helping the Cloud Empire at this time—and how he had mastered such a sinister puppet technique.

If Xiao Yan hadn’t admitted it himself, Lin An would never have guessed that the black-robed man from the enemy nation was Xiao Yan.

“Was it you who fired the arrow that killed Yun Shan?” Lin An asked, curiosity piqued.

“No need for pretense—it was indeed my arrow. But what surprises me is why that old dog Yun Shan is still alive. I don’t believe that Yun Shan’s strength could have withstood that arrow.”

Yan Xiao spoke plainly; he had no interest in exchanging pointless words.

With the mystery finally resolved, Lin An’s suspicions were confirmed—it was indeed Xiao Yan. Although his path was no longer the same as in the original story, as the protagonist, he still possessed a heaven-defying golden finger.

With the plot already altered, Lin An found himself uncertain about Xiao Yan’s current level and his powers.

“You came just to confirm whether Yun Shan is dead?” Lin An pressed.

Sun Ming was shocked to hear that Ancestor Yun Shan survived; but if Yan Xiao said so, it must be true. He could not fathom how this young man had the power to save Yun Shan under such circumstances.

Yao Chen and Jia Xing Tian, among others, breathed a long sigh of relief—Yun Shan’s survival was welcome news.

“Of course not. Yun Shan is hardly worth my attention. My goal has always been you,” Yan Xiao continued.

“Me?” Lin An feigned ignorance. “Are you out of your mind? I don’t even know you.”

He suspected Xiao Yan was probing his strength. That suited him; Lin An was also curious about this stranger Xiao Yan—what level he had reached, and whether he possessed any Heavenly Flames.

“Don’t worry. You might not know me now, but you’ll learn who I am soon enough,” Yan Xiao said.

“So what do you propose?” Lin An asked.

“If you can withstand my strongest attack, I’ll order the Cloud Empire to retreat. How does that sound?”

Yan Xiao relished the moment—the helplessness he had felt in Wutan City two years ago had vanished. Now, a single decision from him could determine the fate of two empires. Two years ago, Xiao Yan could never have imagined such a possibility.

Fate, however, had granted him this power.

“Oh? Honestly, I’d like to test your strength as well,” Lin An replied.

“Master, be careful! It could be a trick,” Yao Chen warned anxiously.

“Relax, I know what I’m doing. He wants to kill me? He’d need another year of practice,” Lin An replied with confidence.

“Well said—I thought you’d hide like a turtle,” Yan Xiao sneered.

“You’re the turtle, aren’t you? Hiding your face, afraid to show yourself,” Lin An retorted with disdain.

“Hmph! Let’s see if you’re worthy to withstand my attack!” Yan Xiao’s aura surged, and terrifying flames materialized beside him, radiating intense heat. Not just one kind, but a golden flame appeared as well, intertwining with the first. Rather than interfering with each other, the two flames combined to rapidly increase the temperature.

The surrounding space warped from the heat; anyone near Yan Xiao struggled to withstand the sudden, overwhelming temperature. Even Yao Chen and Jia Xing Tian, both Douhuang-level experts, sensed danger from the flames.

“Not only does he possess a sinister puppet technique, he also wields such fearsome Heavenly Flames,” Sun Ming exclaimed, astonished.

“Heavenly Flames? Why have I never heard of these two kinds before?” Yao Chen’s face was grave. He had studied Heavenly Flames for years, and the Heavenly Flame Index covered nearly all known flames on the continent. Even if there were unknown flames, these two—never before seen—now appeared in the hands of a single person.

It was unsettling. If word got out, few would believe there were other Heavenly Flames in existence.

“Heavenly Flames? And two of them?” Lin An was equally confounded. He could not comprehend how Xiao Yan had obtained these flames.

From Yao Chen, Lin An learned that the Heavenly Flames Xiao Yan possessed were ones even he had never seen—flames never before recorded on the continent.

Reflecting on it, Lin An himself found it frightening.

The Chosen One—truly terrifying!