My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

Long before this moment, Xue Lengyan had already bound herself to Gu Lan. Now, leaving was no longer an option.

If they managed to capture Gu Lan, the Blood Clan would also face inevitable destruction. Sticking with Gu Lan was their only remaining hope—without him, they were doomed.

The Blood Clan, with all its strength, stood no chance against the Upper Three Clans.

"Master Gu, I shall follow you to the end," Xue Lengyan declared firmly.

With that, she said no more.

Her expression was resolute, and Gu Lan understood her meaning. He didn't need to say anything further.

"Thank you," Gu Lan said with a slight bow to his people.

The gesture caught everyone off guard. Even Zhongren and Ding True Man, who had long been by his side, lowered their heads in humility.

Moments later, the grand hall was empty, with only Gu Lan left standing alone. He continued to ponder the origins of the earlier energy.

Just as he was deep in thought, Mu Yuyan entered from outside, her expression serious.

She quickly approached him, and upon seeing her approach, Gu Lan hid his emotions, his impatience vanishing as he addressed her softly, "What brings you here?"

Though he tried to mask his feelings, Mu Yuyan could clearly see through his facade.

"I know something is troubling you. I'll face it with you."

"Don't worry, with them, they won't be able to hurt me," she reassured him.

Gu Lan, confident in his own abilities, nodded. He knew he could handle most situations, provided no unexpected figures appeared.

Mu Yuyan had sensed his unease, but Gu Lan was reluctant to share more, so she didn't press him.

"By the way, I came to ask for something."

Gu Lan, always willing to help, was curious. "What is it?"

Mu Yuyan spoke, and Gu Lan, somewhat surprised, immediately conjured a Linglong Pagoda in his hand, its golden light shimmering. He handed it to her without hesitation.

"This contains thousands of Spirit Fruits for you to absorb at your leisure. It will help you grow stronger," he said, hoping she could gain enough strength to protect herself, should anything happen to him.

Mu Yuyan, already aware of the value of the gift, hesitated. "But—"

Gu Lan interrupted gently, "There's no need for such formalities between us. This is yours by right."

With a soft smile, Mu Yuyan accepted the Linglong Pagoda and left without further words.

Once she was gone, Gu Lan rose from his seat. He knew he needed to improve his strength before anyone else could pose a threat.

While he had the Great Path power within him, he hadn't fully mastered it yet. He was confident that absorbing more of it would lead to a significant improvement in his abilities.

Quickly, Gu Lan made his way to his cultivation secret place, where he hoped to deepen his understanding and strengthen himself.

Just as he arrived, however, he felt a powerful surge of blood energy nearby.

He quickly followed the energy to find Lin Tan'er immersed in a bloody aura. The energy radiating from her was extremely potent, but it was clear she was struggling to control it.

Gu Lan could sense that if the energy wasn't expelled, Lin Tan'er would die from the overload.

Without wasting a moment, Gu Lan unleashed his true qi to help calm the energy inside her. Slowly, the blood aura around her weakened, and the immediate danger subsided.

However, just as he pulled back his energy, Lin Tan'er's strength suddenly surged again, and the blood aura around her intensified.

Gu Lan was stunned by the power, as the blood energy pushed him back several steps.

When he regained his balance, he saw Lin Tan'er rise, her eyes vacant, a sinister red glow surrounding her.

In her hands, the Twin Swords materialized.

"Kill!" she rasped, charging at Gu Lan with terrifying speed.

The Blood Demon Kung Fu had indeed increased her power, and her speed was several times faster than normal.

Under normal circumstances, Gu Lan would have easily dealt with her. But now, facing her frenzied assault, he couldn't bring himself to strike her down.

Lin Tan'er had lost all sense of reason. To her, Gu Lan was Chi Yang, and she saw him as a target to be killed.

Gu Lan dodged her strikes with skill, but each sword was faster and more powerful than the last.

The Hongmeng Sword appeared in Gu Lan's hand as he prepared to defend himself.

His strike cut through the air with a loud, resounding clang, and the powerful sword lights from above dissipated with a single blow.

Gu Lan swiftly moved behind Lin Tan'er, disarming her with ease.

Before she could retaliate, he placed his hand on her chest, using his true qi to suppress her power.

She collapsed to her knees, panting heavily. Gu Lan had not hurt her, but he had rendered her unable to fight back.

Though the situation had been defused for the moment, Gu Lan knew that Lin Tan'er's power posed a grave danger.

If this continued, the blood energy inside her would consume her life force.

With no other choice, Gu Lan resorted to absorbing the blood energy himself.

"Blood Demon Devour," he muttered.

It was the only way to save her.

After a few moments, the dangerous energy was finally absorbed.

Lin Tan'er slowly regained consciousness, her eyes fluttering open in confusion.

"Master?" she asked, completely unaware of what had just occurred.

Gu Lan, sensing her confusion, quickly gathered a golden light and infused it into her mind.

"From now on, you must never practice the Blood Demon Kung Fu again. Its power is immense, but it comes at a great cost."

Lin Tan'er hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"Yes," she replied quietly.

As she turned to leave, Gu Lan handed her several Spirit Fruits.

"Absorb these. They will help you recover."

"Thank you, my lord," she said gratefully.

Gu Lan watched her retreating figure, a deep sense of guilt weighing on him. He knew that he could not keep her away from danger forever, but he could only hope she would grow strong enough to protect herself.