My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

Charging forward, he pulled Mu Yuyan into his arms.

In that brief moment, the auras of the Lava Clan powerhouses surged forth.

Ten thousand streaks of firelight burst across the sky, crashing down instantly.

Gu Lan saw it, but it was too late.

With no room to retreat, he was engulfed by the flames in an instant.

This aura was no ordinary force, and Gu Lan was utterly unprepared.

Soon, a look of pain spread across his face.

Yet even so, Gu Lan didn't move.

He shielded Mu Yuyan tightly in his embrace, pouring true qi into her relentlessly.

But all Gu Lan did was in vain—Mu Yuyan's soul was already gone.

Under the onslaught of firelight, Gu Lan barely managed to stand upright.

At that moment, Chi Yang arrived, gripping his golden spear.

His speed was astonishing, holding nothing back.

But just as the spear was about to pierce Gu Lan, he thrust his hand up sharply.

"Boom!"

The blow landed, and Chi Yang was flung back thousands of zhang.

Steadying himself, his arm tingled with numbness, and he stumbled back two more steps.

Turning his gaze to Gu Lan, his eyes filled with gravity.

He hadn't expected Gu Lan to still be this formidable.

But this was the chance he'd waited for—Gu Lan was already wounded.

Such opportunities were rare. If seized, he could finish Gu Lan today.

"Kill again!"

At Chi Yang's command, the Lava Clan powerhouses stopped holding back.

Their auras flared anew, ten thousand beams of bloodlight illuminating the sky.

Gu Lan swung his sword, unleashing ten thousand streaks of sword light.

But compared to this group's power, it was noticeably weaker.

The reason was simple: his earlier clash with the Wizard Clan had drained him, and now these foes had injured him further.

No matter how strong Gu Lan was, he couldn't sustain this kind of attrition.

More crucially, Chi Yang bore a portion of the Lava God's power within him.

Though only a fraction, it was enough to contend with Gu Lan.

Chi Yang's face gradually darkened, a chilling firelight surging from his body.

"Come on, let's see just how much strength you've got."

Brandishing his spear, he thrust it skyward, and the flames summoned by the Lava Clan powerhouses enveloped him in that moment.

In the void, a spear shadow took form, the surrounding space rupturing.

Yet Gu Lan stood still, unmoving, as flames flared from the Hongmeng Sword.

Beyond this power, he unleashed the Great Path's qi, his soul force radiating fully.

For daring to harm Mu Yuyan, he'd never let Chi Yang go today—he'd make him vanish here entirely.

Seeing the power descend from the sky, Gu Lan didn't hesitate.

Gripping the Hongmeng Sword, he charged upward.

Though injured, he still had the strength to fight.

The two forces clashed relentlessly in the sky, the surrounding Lava Clan powerhouses flung back thousands of zhang.

Those too weak were swept into the firelight, their breaths snuffed out.

"Boom!"

The clashing true qi exploded, Gu Lan staggering back a hundred steps while Chi Yang retreated a fair distance too.

As Gu Lan steadied himself, a trickle of blood spilled from his mouth.

He sensed another power—formidable, and not Chi Yang's own.

The only explanation was that it came from the Lava God.

Before, he wouldn't have feared it.

But after thousands of battles, his true qi was more than half depleted.

Seeing Gu Lan like this, Chi Yang, standing afar, couldn't resist a cold taunt.

"So even Master Gu can get hurt."

As he spoke, his aura surged again.

The Lava Clan powerhouses stepped forward in unison.

His sole intent now was to finish Gu Lan off.

Yet he remained unaware that everything here unfolded under the Lava God's watchful eyes.

Observing the scene, the Lava God shook his head slightly.

"It's not time yet."

Before Chi Yang and his group could act, an icy voice reached their ears.

"Leave this place. No need to drag this out with him."

Those words instantly darkened Chi Yang's face.

"Why? It's just one last step!"

Fury already burned in Chi Yang's heart—he wasn't willing to give up now.

But he forgot who he was speaking to: the god of the Lava Clan.

No one could defy the Lava God's orders.

As Chi Yang's words fell, a sharp pain stabbed through him.

"I can grant you immense power, and I can take it back. Do as I say!"

He knew Chi Yang was enraged, but now wasn't the ideal moment.

Gu Lan hadn't reached his limit—right now, he was merely blinded by hatred.

Such power was useless to him, and he couldn't wield it.

What he sought was Gu Lan's pure Great Path's qi.

And that required Gu Lan to fully merge with it.

Only then could seizing Gu Lan's power allow him to fuse with the Great Path.

In truth, the gods of the Immortal Realm were all acting on a gamble.

None dared claim certainty that this would earn the Great Path's recognition.

But they had to try—leaving such a chance untouched wasn't an option.

Even if they couldn't master the Great Path's qi,

its baptism would still break their personal bottlenecks.

Chi Yang glared at Gu Lan viciously but didn't strike, instead retracting his aura.

"Master Gu, I'll spare you today. Next time we meet, I'll ensure your death."

But this was mere bluster from Chi Yang.

With his strength, killing Gu Lan was impossible.

Their realms weren't even comparable, let alone Gu Lan's Great Path's qi.

"I'll kill you today!"

Gu Lan, seething with rage, thrust the Hongmeng Sword from his hand.

He'd reached the brink of fury.

This time, he wouldn't hold back. Within the Lava Clan hall,

the Lava God was startled by Gu Lan's power, true qi flickering forth.

A golden beam shot skyward—the Lava Clan powerhouses were numerous.

But Gu Lan's strike was too fierce—they couldn't withstand it.

Chi Yang sensed the danger too, waving a hand and retreating thousands of zhang in an instant.

With the Lava God's covert aid, Gu Lan's sword didn't harm them an inch.

Gu Lan was livid, killing intent fully bared in his eyes.

At that moment, a mocking voice suddenly reached his ears.

"No need for such anger. With this time, why not head to the Land of Ruin to retrieve this woman's soul?"

"Go too late, and she'll cease to exist in this world."

The voice jolted Gu Lan awake, his killing intent instantly subdued.

Lifting Mu Yuyan, he returned to the Jing Nation palace in a flash.

As Gu Lan entered, Ding True Man, Zhongren, and Xue Lengyan stood with heads bowed, none daring to meet his gaze.

This was their failure—had they not been careless, Mu Yuyan wouldn't be in this state.

Moments after Gu Lan left the sky, a dim mist gathered around.

Xuan Feng arrived with a subordinate, though the latter's face was etched with confusion.

"Dark God, if we'd acted just now, it wouldn't have come to this."