Having understood this point, Chen Yuyang gave up the idea of sending her back.
Or rather, knowing that she had hurriedly followed him the moment he left, she wouldn’t easily go back.
Rather than let her possibly sneak and follow him from behind, it would be better to just agree.
Anyway, even if she might affect what he planned to do, the impact probably wouldn’t be too big.
The only thing he needed to worry about was whether that person who wanted to silence Cloud Lian would hold back upon seeing Yan Luo’s presence, afraid to act rashly.
But probably not.
Chen Yuyang pondered for a moment.
Putting himself in the other’s shoes, if he allowed Cloud Lian to grow and continue investigating the truth of that year, the threat would be too great.
Even with Yan Luo around, the other party would likely still take that risk.
After all, everyone knows the principle of nipping problems in the bud and avoiding unnecessary delays.
“Alright.”
Chen Yuyang finally spoke.
“Since that’s the case, you can come along.”
“However, you must obey my arrangements for all actions on the road. You cannot act on your own, and you are not allowed to cause trouble. Understand?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Luo’s face immediately bloomed with a brilliant smile, and she quickly and cheerfully agreed.
However, while Yan Luo was beaming, Cloud Lian’s expression became somewhat complicated.
‘Senior Brother… what does he mean?’
‘We agreed that during this time I would act close to him, yet he ends up bringing that Yan family girl along.’
‘Could it be… Senior Brother wants a harem…?’
‘No, no, no, what am I thinking? Senior Brother is such a blockhead, how could he have such lewd thoughts? He just simply thinks having an extra person doesn’t matter, right?’
‘He might think it’s fine, but to me it matters a lot. With this nuisance around, how can I get close to Senior Brother properly?’
The more Cloud Lian thought, the more she found Yan Luo an obstacle, and her gaze toward Yan Luo carried a hint of hostility.
But at that moment, Yan Luo thought the same.
‘What exactly is the relationship between Yuyang and this junior sister of his?’
‘From Yuyang’s attitude toward her, Yan Luo knew they were definitely not cultivation partners, otherwise Yuyang would have been intimate with her.’
‘And yet this girl clings to Yuyang all day, pulling and dragging him, so shameless, utterly shameless. Unlike myself, who only wants to give Yuyang a child—that simple.’
Thinking to themselves, the two girls’ eyes clashed silently, both somewhat unconvinced.
On this matter, neither was willing to give an inch.
Chen Yuyang turned a blind eye to this.
As the person involved, he was grateful to stay out of it.
What could he say?
‘You are both my wings…’?
Shaking his head, the young man continued, “Alright, stop standing around dumbly. It’s time to set off.”
“Yes—”
The two girls answered in unison.
The three then continued their journey.
“Luobo, by now, you should be at the stage of tempering your combat techniques, right?”
As they moved forward, Chen Yuyang suddenly asked.
Yan Luo’s heart instantly filled with joy.
‘Yuyang actually cares so much about my cultivation progress. As expected, he has me in his heart!’
A pleased expression appeared on the girl’s face, and she answered with a light voice, “Yes, that’s also the main reason I decided to go out for training.”
Chen Yuyang nodded slightly and continued, “Since that’s the case, you need to actively seek battle. Only through more actual combat can you understand what you truly need and what you lack.”
“In that case, let’s spar together!”
Yan Luo’s eyes immediately lit up as she proposed, her gaze full of anticipation.
But Chen Yuyang shook his head.
“No, training with me will yield little gain. You probably won’t accumulate much experience.”
These words were not Chen Yuyang boasting, but the truth.
His own combat experience was too rich, and his methods were endless, with almost no obvious weaknesses.
Sparring with him, she wouldn’t be able to find his flaws at all.
Even if she thought of some so-called countermeasures, he would counter them.
This way, not only would she not learn anything, but it might even destabilize her dao heart.
“When we have free time, you two can spar.”
Chen Yuyang’s gaze shifted.
“It just so happens that both of you use swords.”
“With her? She can’t handle it,” Yan Luo couldn’t help saying.
She had the Blazing Sun Constitution and was at the Nascent Soul realm, much higher in cultivation than Cloud Lian.
If they actually fought, Cloud Lian wouldn’t last a few rounds.
But Chen Yuyang shook his head and said, “Luobo, although your realm is higher, if you suppress your cultivation and only compete in sword techniques and comprehension of sword intent, you may not be a match for my junior sister. She is now already close to condensing a complete sword intent.”
Upon hearing this, the smugness on Yan Luo’s face instantly vanished.
She looked at Cloud Lian with some surprise, her eyes carrying a hint of disbelief.
She had always thought Cloud Lian was just close to Yuyang, but never expected her to have such talent in the sword path.
Condensing a complete sword intent—this was something many Deity Transformation cultivators might not even be able to do.
Cloud Lian heard Chen Yuyang say this about her, and her pretty face lifted slightly, revealing a proud expression.
She even shot a provocative glance at Yan Luo.
Provoked by this, Yan Luo felt the blood in her body begin to boil.
A battle intent surged involuntarily.
‘Stronger than me? Then I really want to try!’
Feeling the battle intent radiating from Yan Luo, Chen Yuyang was slightly surprised.
He then looked up at the sky; it was already afternoon.
However, he was in no hurry to travel, and there was nothing wrong with that.
So Chen Yuyang pointed to a lake not far away.
The area was open and uninhabited.
“Let’s rest there,” Chen Yuyang said.
“It’s still early. We’re resting already?”
Cloud Lian asked, a little concerned.
Before, when they traveled, they often went for days and nights without rest. Why stop today just in the afternoon?
Chen Yuyang glanced at Cloud Lian and transmitted his voice secretly.
[We currently have no clear destination. We’re not in a hurry. Traveling leisurely and relaxing might make the other party think we’re not on guard, and the more likely they are to make a move on you.]
Cloud Lian heard this and nodded inwardly, understanding Chen Yuyang’s intention.
The three then descended and stopped by the lake.
With a thought from Chen Yuyang, his spiritual power moved, and several large boulders piled up on their own, quickly forming a fairly spacious stone house.
Chen Yuyang then said to the girls, “You can have a match now. Let me see.”
He paused, then added, “Neither side may use spiritual power. Just pure techniques and brute force.”
Both girls nodded at this, their expressions turning serious.
‘I can’t lose to her!’
The two shared the same thought at that moment.
Neither wanted to lose face in front of Chen Yuyang.
“Senior Brother, may I perform a sword dance first?”
Suddenly, Cloud Lian asked.
This sword dance would temporarily enhance her control over the sword and her fluency with sword intent.
Chen Yuyang nodded.
“Yes.”
“Senior Brother, watch closely!”
Cloud Lian said, and with a movement, a long sword appeared in her hand.
The girl took a slight deep breath, and her body began to dance with the sword.
The sword light flowed, sometimes light, sometimes lingering, and as her graceful figure swayed, the surrounding space seemed to freeze.
Yan Luo, watching from the side, was a bit dazed.
‘What is this?’
Watching Cloud Lian’s constantly changing postures, especially the twisting of her waist and hips, she felt it was somewhat… lewd.
But… as she watched, Yan Luo vaguely felt that she was gaining some insight.
This sword dance seemed gentle, but its trajectory and rhythm followed a certain pattern.
‘This sword dance is unusual!’
However, before Yan Luo could ponder the mystery, Cloud Lian’s sword dance ended.
The girl withdrew her sword and stood still, her sword intent suddenly becoming extremely sharp.
Cloud Lian raised her head slightly to look at Yan Luo, her eyes full of confidence.
“Please instruct me, Fellow Daoist Yan!”
Yan Luo nodded and, without further hesitation, drew her long sword, bringing a sharp light as she thrust straight at Cloud Lian’s face.
Yan Luo’s sword techniques were faster and more violent, each strike carrying an unstoppable momentum, like a ferocious ancient beast.
Cloud Lian’s sword was like water—gentle yet able to encompass everything.
Facing Yan Luo’s storm-like attacks, her sword always managed to neutralize or evade the edge.
Yan Luo felt as if her sword was hitting an invisible wall, achieving nothing, unable to pose any threat to the person before her.
Yan Luo was greatly surprised and, unconsciously, began to panic.
Cloud Lian, as she continued to strike, gradually increased the force of her sword, and her sword intent became more pressing.
Finally, the sword intent erupted, turning into a surging torrent that rolled toward Yan Luo, wave after wave, each stronger than the last.
Yan Luo’s pupils suddenly dilated.
She felt as if a sky-obscuring tsunami made of sword blades had appeared before her, impossible to resist.
Before the girl could react, the giant wave had completely swallowed her.
Rip.
The sound of cloth tearing rang out.
Cloud Lian’s sword tip pierced Yan Luo’s shoulder, slightly grazing her skin.
However, Cloud Lian had deliberately avoided her vital heart area.
The victor was decided.
Yan Luo stood frozen in place, her face full of disbelief.
In pure sword techniques, she had lost so quickly and so thoroughly.
Cloud Lian withdrew her sword and stood, secretly delighted.
‘I won!’
Cloud Lian quickly turned to look at Chen Yuyang.
Chen Yuyang’s eyes also showed a hint of approval, and he gave her a slight nod.
This girl’s swordsmanship had improved quite a bit these past few days.
Cloud Lian really seemed born for the sword.
Even though he had been by her side every day, allowing her to comprehend sword intent up close and giving her key guidance, for her to reach this level in such a short time still required talent and insight.
On the other hand, Yan Luo’s techniques, though fierce and ferocious, lacked the core essence and adaptability.
She had strength but couldn’t utilize it.
Yan Luo hung her head, a bit dejected. Chen Yuyang glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said, “Yan Luo, try striking at me with your sword.”
Yan Luo was startled, then nodded.
The girl took a deep breath, pouring all the emotions in her heart into her sword, and thrust it at Chen Yuyang.
The sword light was sharp, domineering, and ferocious—even three-tenths stronger than the strikes she had used against Cloud Lian.
Chen Yuyang didn’t dodge or evade.
In his hand, he held a twig casually picked up from the ground.
With a flick of his wrist, the twig precisely tapped the spine of Yan Luo’s incoming long sword.
Clang!
A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.
Before Yan Luo could react, she felt a force traveling along the sword hilt.
The force was not strong, but it deflected the trajectory of her sword to the side.
“That’s enough. I know your problem now,” Chen Yuyang said casually, throwing away the twig.
However, Yan Luo was completely stunned.
She didn’t hear what Chen Yuyang said at all.
The reason she was stunned was simple.
That angry strike just now had gathered all her strength, holding nothing back.
Yan Luo had thought that even if that sword couldn’t injure Chen Yuyang, it would at least make him take it seriously.
She never expected that he would deflect it so easily with just an ordinary twig.
Cloud Lian’s swordsmanship was impressive and had already amazed her, but it was at least within the realm she could understand.
But Chen Yuyang…
His strength was incomprehensible.
Like the vast ocean and the stars—no end in sight, no depth to be measured.