Covering the Sky: Simultaneous transmigration, but both clones are women.

Wutan City, the Xiao family.

As an ordinary city in the northeastern province of the Gama Empire, Wutan City is inconspicuous on the empire's map. The city is home to three powerful families, one of which is the Xiao family.

However, the glory of the past has long since faded.

The once-powerful Xiao family has fallen so low that they can't even field a single Dou Ling expert. They can only live in this small town, barely making ends meet with the meager income from a few market stalls.

The atmosphere at the Xiao family home was unusually heavy today.

Inside the council hall, sunlight streamed in through the carved windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

On either side of the long council table sat several elders of the Xiao family, each with a gloomy expression. Their gazes would occasionally drift toward Xiao Zhan, who was sitting in the main seat, and then quickly look away, as if they were avoiding something hot to the touch.

Xiao Zhan sat in the main seat. He was tall and strong, with a resolute face, and one could still vaguely see the heroic spirit of his youth between his brows.

But at this moment his face was ashen, his fists were clenched tightly, and his knuckles were cracking.

His gaze was fixed on the two people standing in the center of the hall.

The leader was an old man with gray hair and a thin face. He wore a gray-white robe with a cloud-shaped emblem embroidered on his chest.

Yunlan Sect, Ge Ye.

Behind him stood a young girl.

The girl wore a moon-white long dress, her black hair cascaded down her back, and a brocade belt around her waist, her figure slender and graceful.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, almost perfect. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like stars, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were rosy red. She looked like a figure who had stepped out of a painting, untouched by any worldly air.

But on that stunningly beautiful face, there was a hint of helplessness. Her eyes swept across the hall, finally settling on the doorway, as if she were waiting for someone.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xiao Zhan's expression was uncertain, while the elders whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with anger but mostly with helplessness.

Yunlan Sect.

The Gama Empire is a colossal behemoth, a super power with a Dou Zong level expert at its helm.

Such a being is someone the Xiao family simply cannot afford to offend.

"Clan Chief Xiao."

Ge Ye cupped his hands in greeting, his tone still polite, but his cloudy old eyes held a hint of condescension. "I have come here on the orders of the sect leader to discuss something with you."

Xiao Zhan took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and said in a low voice, "Mr. Ge Ye, please speak!"

Ge Ye turned to the side, glanced at the girl behind him, and smiled slightly.

He paused, his gaze returning to Xiao Zhan's face, and said slowly and deliberately, "Yanran... has been accepted as the sect leader's last disciple, and will soon accompany the sect leader to Yunlan Mountain to focus on cultivation."

Xiao Zhan remained silent.

He knew the important part was yet to come.

As expected, Ge Ye continued, "The Sect Master places high hopes on Yanran, hoping she can focus wholeheartedly on cultivation so that she can inherit the mantle of the Yunlan Sect in the future. Therefore..."

He took a deep breath, as if carefully choosing his words, and finally gritted his teeth and said it.

"Therefore, the Sect Master hopes that Clan Chief Xiao can dissolve the engagement between Yanran and Young Master Xiao Yan."

boom!

The council chamber erupted in chaos.

"What?!"

"break off an engagement?!"

"This is outrageous!"

Several elders suddenly stood up, their eyes wide with anger, slamming their fists on the table and shouting.

Xiao Zhan didn't speak, but his fists clenched even tighter, his knuckles cracking, and the veins on his forehead bulging, as if they were about to burst.

Ge Ye's expression remained unchanged; she simply looked at Xiao Zhan quietly, waiting for his answer.

Just then, the door to the council chamber was pushed open from the outside.

A boy walked in.

The boy was about fifteen or sixteen years old, slender, with delicate features and bright, deep eyes, though they were slightly lowered at the moment, making it impossible to discern his expression.

He walked silently to the center of the hall, stood next to Xiao Zhan, head down, fists clenched tightly.

Xiao Yan.

He was once a genius of the Xiao family, reaching the ninth level of Dou Qi at the age of ten, and was hailed as a rare talent that the Xiao family had only seen once in a century.

However, three years ago, everything changed.

His cultivation not only stagnated, but began to regress, falling from the ninth level of Dou Qi to the third level, becoming the laughing stock of the entire Wutan City.

waste.

That's what everyone calls him.

Xiao Yan didn't look at anyone, but kept his head down, his gaze fixed on the blue bricks on the ground, without saying a word.

But his fists were trembling.

It's not because I'm afraid.

It's because of anger.

The anger surged in his chest like magma, scorching his internal organs and almost burning him to ashes.

Nalan Yanran stood behind Ge Ye, her gaze fixed on Xiao Yan, and sighed softly in her heart.

She was also a time traveler.

No, it should be said that he was once a time traveler.

Before his transmigration, his name was Ye Chen, an ordinary college graduate, but he inexplicably transmigrated to this fantasy world.

But unlike other time travelers, he encountered a mishap during his journey—he became a woman.

Nalan Yanran.

Nalan Yanran, the closed-door disciple of the Yunlan Sect Master, who will make a three-year agreement with Xiao Yan in the future.

Nalan Yanran's feelings are very complicated right now.

As a time traveler, he... no, she certainly knew the original plot.

Xiao Yan, the future Flame Emperor, the ruler of the continent, and an existence that countless powerful figures look up to.

Logically speaking, she should have clung to this powerful figure and waited for a life of luxury.

but……

Nalan Yanran looked down at her own body, then looked up at the thin boy opposite her, her lips twitching.

She was a man before she transmigrated.

I don't have that kind of fetish at all!

How could you force a woman who identifies as male to marry another man?

Are you kidding me!

So she decided to call off the engagement.

However, she intended to give Xiao Yan ample face by announcing the engagement.

In the original novel, when Nalan Yanran broke off the engagement, she only gave Xiao Yan a Qi Gathering Powder. Although it was already a significant compensation, the manner was too arrogant and hurt Xiao Yan's pride, which led to that classic line.

She is different.

She's a modern person; she knows how to save face for others.

Nalan Yanran reached into her bosom and took out a jade bottle.

The jade bottle was entirely emerald green, warm and smooth like jade. A thin layer of wax film sealed the mouth of the bottle, and you could vaguely see several round pills inside.

"Xiao Yan".

She spoke, her voice clear and cool like pearls falling on a jade plate, yet carrying a hint of gentleness that even she herself didn't realize.

"I know that my Yunlan Sect is in the wrong in this matter, so I..."

Before he could finish speaking...

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential!"

Xiao Yan suddenly raised his head, his lowered eyes burning with a fierce flame, as if he wanted to set the whole world on fire.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was like a sharp knife, slicing through the stagnant air of the council hall.

Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a deep-seated anger and resentment.

Nalan Yanran was stunned.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Xiao Yan didn't give her the chance.

"This marriage was arranged by your grandfather and my grandfather back then. You have your choice, and I have no right to interfere."

Xiao Yan's voice trembled, but his back was straight, like a pine tree standing stubbornly in a gale.

"But what you've done today is a grave insult to me!"

"Although I, Xiao Yan, am down on my luck, I am not the kind of person who covets wealth and status!"

"I don't want what you brought!"

"Furthermore, I want to make a three-year promise with you..."

Nalan Yanran was stunned.

She looked down at the jade bottle in her hand, then at Xiao Yan's face, which was flushed red with anger.

No, I haven't told you what compensation I'll give you yet.

She reached out and peeled off the wax film on the jade bottle.

A rich fragrance of cinnamon instantly filled the entire council hall.

The aroma was rich but not pungent; one breath of it made one feel refreshed and invigorated, and even the fighting spirit within one's body became more active.

Everyone in the hall smelled the fragrance and turned to look, their eyes falling on the jade bottle in Nalan Yanran's hand, their eyes filled with shock.

"This is a Qi-gathering powder."

Nalan Yanran's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present.

"It can help people break through the Qi of Battle, condense the Qi of Battle, and step into the realm of Battle Master."

She paused, then looked calmly at Xiao Yan.

"You don't even want ten Qi Gathering Powders?"

The council chamber fell silent instantly.