Chapter 245: Yan Siblings

Perhaps their impatience had an effect, for suddenly, a black speck appeared in the sky west of the peak. Then, two enormous, two-headed monstrous eagles gradually flew closer. These were the very two-headed vulturess Han Li had seen at the Great Southern Conference, with a man and a woman riding upon them.

As soon as outsiders appeared, Dong Xuan'er, who had been lounging, immediately perked up. She straightened her posture and curiously watched the "two-headed vulturess" grow larger.

"My sincere apologies! We've kept you waiting," the young man said apologetically as soon as he landed. "I am Yan Yu, and this is my sister, Yan Ling. We've come specifically to escort you both to Yanling Castle." As soon as the two-headed vulturess landed on the peak, the man and woman immediately dismounted.

"It's fine, we've only just arrived ourselves!" Dong Xuan'er said sweetly, her eyes lighting up as she noticed Yan Yu was an exceedingly valiant man. Her voice was exceptionally melodious and charming, causing Han Li to glance sideways, even before he could speak.

Had Han Li not witnessed her capricious behavior over the past few days, he might truly have believed she was a refined young lady from a good family, just by listening to her voice at that moment.

Yan Yu, of course, had no idea of this. As soon as he saw Dong Xuan'er, a maiden as beautiful as a flower, and heard her soft words directed at him, his heart immediately stirred, and a strange feeling arose within him. He straightened his posture and spoke aloud:

"Actually, there were originally Yan family disciples waiting for honored guests here. However, an unexpected incident occurred with the disciples who were initially assigned to welcome guests. That's why there was no one to greet you for a while, and we almost neglected you both! On behalf of the Yan family, I apologize to you both for this and hope you won't take offense."

Dong Xuan'er listened. She pursed her lips into a smile, her eyes sparkling with charm. Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something more, Han Li's faint voice transmission suddenly reached her ear:

"Junior Sister, aren't you afraid Master-Uncle Hongfu will be displeased by your behavior?"

Hearing these words, Dong Xuan'er's expression drastically changed. Her lips parted several times, but no words came out. This strange situation left Yan Yu and his sister quite puzzled.

Yan Ling was a girl of fifteen or sixteen. Her appearance was lively and charming, and her pair of dark, lively eyes constantly flitted between Han Li and Dong Xuan'er, giving off an impression of extreme cleverness.

"As Junior Sister Dong said, being a little late is no big deal," Han Li said politely, after stopping Dong Xuan'er from indiscriminately using her "Spring Transformation Art" to charm others. He lightly coughed twice. "I believe the Yan family wouldn't intentionally neglect invited guests like us! However, I am still a bit curious as to what kind of incident could have befallen the disciples initially waiting for guests. Could it have been a conflict with another guest?" he asked, as if joking, inquiring about the so-called "incident."

"This?" Yan Yu's face showed a troubled expression when he heard Han Li's words. He seemed to have some reservations that made it difficult to speak openly.

"Han Li, since Brother Yu seems to have some inconveniences, let's not make things difficult for him!" Dong Xuan'er interjected. "Let's go to Yanling Castle early and take a look. Many people must have arrived by now, right?"

"Yes, let's go to Yanling Castle!" Yan Yu quickly agreed. "Many other guests have indeed arrived and are discussing cultivation experiences and engaging in various exchanges! You two can join them when you arrive."

Seeing Yan Yu hesitate, Dong Xuan'er suddenly spoke up in his favor. This made the Yan family disciple visibly relieved, and he agreed repeatedly, his good impression of Dong Xuan'er doubling. Meanwhile, Yan Ling, standing nearby, vaguely sensed Dong Xuan'er's "ill intentions" and pouted slightly in displeasure.

This time, Han Li didn't say anything to Dong Xuan'er. He simply smiled faintly, then nodded in agreement and said:

"Then please, Brother Yan and Miss Yan, lead the way! Junior Sister Dong and I will follow behind you."

Yan Yu's face brightened when he heard Han Li didn't press the matter. But then, as if remembering something, he spoke with renewed apology:

"Before leading you, I still need to routinely check your invitations. Please don't mind."

Although Yan Yu spoke politely, Han Li clearly sensed that most of his tone was directed at Dong Xuan'er. It seemed this Yan family disciple was quickly falling into Dong Xuan'er's charming trap.

Han Li secretly scoffed a few times and couldn't be bothered to interfere with Dong Xuan'er's absurd antics. He simply pretended not to notice and smoothly took out Li Huayuan's invitation from his person, handing it to Yan Yu. Dong Xuan'er also produced Celestial Master Hongfu's, extending it with her slender, jade-like hand. The alluring scent and the pure, jade-like luster of her hand momentarily stunned Yan Yu, who forgot to reach out and take it.

His sister, standing by, couldn't bear to watch any longer. With a touch of annoyance, she snatched the invitation for Yan Yu. This made her brother snap back to reality, his face flushing crimson as Dong Xuan'er let out a few soft chuckles.

"So it's Junior Brother Han and Junior Sister Dong," Yan Yu said. "The invitations are in order, let's go!"

After Yan Yu returned the checked invitations to Han Li and Dong Xuan'er, he seemed somewhat distracted and couldn't help but steal glances at Dong Xuan'er. Yet, at this moment, the capricious woman surprisingly wore a dignified expression, which only made the elite Yan family disciple's imagination run wild.

The four of them successively flew away from the spot, heading directly in the direction the Yan family siblings had come from.

After flying for several tens of miles, they arrived at a spot between two small mountain peaks and stopped.

At this moment, Yan Yu took out a token-like object from his person. He then gripped it tightly with both hands and furiously channeled his spiritual power into it. Instantly, a vast expanse of hazy yellow light shot forth from the token, soaring straight into the empty space ahead.

The previously empty air, upon being swept by the yellow light, immediately shimmered with five-colored radiance! Then, as soon as the five-colored light dispersed, Han Li and the others' eyes lit up: an exceedingly majestic ancient castle appeared between the previously empty mountain ridges.

Gazing at the colossal city walls, thirty to forty zhang high, and the countless tall, ancient-style buildings visible within, both Han Li and Dong Xuan'er found it exceptionally novel, feeling overwhelmed by the sight.

"This is Yanling Castle, one of the Yan family's crucial strongholds," Yan Yu said solemnly, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "Welcome, Senior Brother Han and Junior Sister Dong!"

Han Li smiled and was about to say something when Dong Xuan'er, standing beside him, suddenly let out a soft "Eh?" Her gaze fixed on a certain spot within the massive castle, filled with astonishment.

Seeing her expression, Han Li naturally followed her gaze.

He saw, on a platform resembling a martial arts arena at the corner of the castle, two men in different attires floating and facing each other in a standoff. One wore the Yan family's brown attire and was a robust, fierce-looking man. The other had a face full of curly whiskers, gray eyes, yellow hair, dark skin, and wore a teal-green long robe, appearing very peculiar.

Surrounding them was a gigantic white barrier of light, flickering as if semi-transparent. Outside the barrier, numerous people stood scattered about. Most conspicuously, there were two groups of people, all uniformly dressed. One group stood in neat formation, silently, appearing well-trained – these were the Yan family members. The other group all wore green robes, like the peculiar man with curly whiskers in the air. Most had gray eyes and yellow hair, but some individuals with ordinary faces were mixed among them.

After Han Li saw clearly, a similar look of astonishment appeared on his face. He couldn't help but look at the Yan siblings beside him, wondering if they had any explanation.

But before Han Li could open his mouth to ask, Yan Yu's expression immediately became unnatural upon seeing this scene. His sister, Yan Ling, however, clenched her fists and said angrily:

"They actually started challenging again, and they're so vicious in their attacks! This is outrageous!"

Han Li's heart stirred upon hearing this. He then tentatively asked:

"Aren't these people guests of the Yan family?"

"Of course not!" Yan Ling exclaimed. "These guys showed up uninvited. As soon as they arrived, they injured Junior Sixteen and Junior Fifteen, the two brothers who were greeting guests. And they insisted on participating in the Treasure Hunt Assembly! Who knows what the elders were thinking to actually agree. It's infuriating!"

This time, Yan Ling ignored Yan Yu's restraining gaze. She chattered away like spilling beans, indulging in a bout of girlish petulance, causing Han Li to chuckle inwardly. Yan Yu, meanwhile, wore an embarrassed expression, unsure what to say.

"It seems these are the culprits for our long wait on the peak!" Dong Xuan'er said. Her curiosity also piqued, she then lavished praise on Yan Yu. "Brother Yu, could you tell Xuan'er the details?" This time, Han Li didn't need to ask. Yan Yu hesitated for a moment before cheerfully agreeing.

"These people arrived at Yanling Castle this morning," Yan Yu began. "At the reception area outside the castle, they tried to force their way in without invitations and injured two disciples who were greeting guests. When other disciples arrived after receiving the distress call, they originally wanted to teach these people a severe lesson. But unexpectedly, these people produced some letters and tokens, which made several leading elders look solemn and force themselves to swallow their pride, inviting them into the castle."

"However, even after entering Yanling Castle, these people remained restless," Yan Yu continued. "They immediately proposed a challenge to the Yan family. After consulting, the elders seemed to also want to show these people a thing or two, so they agreed. And it was decided there would be ten matches, all to be contested by Foundation Establishment stage disciples! Several matches had already been fought before I came to pick you up, but the results..." Yan Yu gently shook his head, his expression somewhat downcast, clearly indicating without words that the Yan family was at a disadvantage.