308: Space wormhole

After leaving the Qinglan Sect, Jiang Donghua traveled without pause, heading directly toward the Central Continent of the mainland.

After several days of full-speed flight, utilizing his speed as a Seven-Star Dou Huang, he finally reached Tianya City, the only hub city in the region that possessed a spatial wormhole.

The city was not built on a plain, but was constructed relying on a magnificent mountain range named Tianqing.

Even before approaching, Jiang Donghua's first impression was one of prosperity.

Completely unlike the cities of the Jia Ma Empire, the mountain range where Tianya City was situated was astonishingly vibrant and populous.

In the sky, he was not the only streak of light.

As far as his vision extended, he could see numerous flying magical beasts of various sizes carrying people or cargo, traversing the mountains, their flapping wings generating gusts of wind.

This kind of large-scale aerial transportation scene was extremely rare in other empires.

Furthermore, there were even more cultivators who relied on their own strength, flying with Dou Qi wings condensed behind their backs.

Multicolored Dou Qi wings sliced through the sky like streaks of light, demonstrating that the overall cultivation level here was far beyond comparison with that of smaller empires.

The strength of a Seven-Star Dou Huang, even in Tianya City and the wider surrounding region, could be considered that of a master worthy of respect, but he was certainly not top-tier, nor could he act without restraint.

The Central Continent, a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers reside, certainly lives up to its reputation.

He glanced at his status panel.

[Host: Jiang Donghua]

[Realm: Seven-Star Dou Huang (10 / 7000)]

[Primary Cultivation Technique: Purple Fire Illusory Spirit Art (Earth Rank High Tier)]

[AFK Income]

Clone 1: 4 points / hour

Clone 2: 4 points / hour

Clone 3: 4 points / hour

Clone 4: 4 points / hour

Clone 5: 4 points / hour

Clone 6: 4 points / hour

Clone 7: 4 points / hour

[Current Total Income: 28 points / hour]

"It seems I need to be more cautious when acting here."

Jiang Donghua’s mind stirred slightly, and he restrained most of the powerful aura belonging to a Seven-Star Dou Huang, only revealing the fluctuations of a newly advanced Dou Huang. This way, he would neither appear too conspicuous nor attract unnecessary trouble.

His figure moved, transforming into a streak of light, and he descended toward the city within the Tianqing Mountain Range that was the most magnificent and possessed the most intense energy fluctuations.

The spatial wormhole was located there.

Next, he would take this wormhole and travel to the Central Continent, the world where true experts truly gathered.

Having restrained his aura, Jiang Donghua merged into the bustling crowds of Tianya City like an ordinary Dou Huang visitor.

The city was built along the mountain, with streets winding upwards. Shops lined both sides, selling various pills, weapons, magic cores, and map scrolls. The energy fluctuations emanating from many of these items indicated that their quality was far superior to what was commonly seen in smaller regions.

The air was permeated by a unique aroma—a mixture of Dou Qi, medicinal herbs, and metal—noisy yet vibrant.

The goal of this trip was to take the spatial wormhole to the Central Continent, but Jiang Donghua checked his storage ring. Although it contained a wealth of items—pills, cultivation techniques, and rare artifacts—it lacked the essential tool for traversing the spatial wormhole: a spatial ship.

Such an item was completely unnecessary in a place like the academy, so he naturally had none in reserve.

"I need to acquire one first."

Thinking this, his gaze fell upon the most imposing building at the end of the street, which flew a banner embroidered with a strange flying beast. The spatial fluctuations emanating from it were the most pronounced, clearly signaling a large merchant specializing in this trade.

He casually walked into the shop, and a sharp-eyed attendant immediately greeted him.

The attendant's cultivation was not high, but he had keen judgment. Seeing that although Jiang Donghua’s aura was faint, his attire was extraordinary and his bearing steady, he did not dare to be negligent and respectfully asked.

"Esteemed Sir, how may I help you?"

"Our shop carries spatial ships of all types and models, guaranteed to be crafted by renowned masters. Their runes are stable and can maximize resistance against the crushing force of space."

Jiang Donghua saw no need for pleasantries and stated directly, "I want the best one."

The attendant's eyes lit up, realizing a major client had arrived, and quickly ushered Jiang Donghua into a private chamber in the inner hall.

Shortly after, the manager personally presented a metal, shuttle-shaped object emitting a faint silver light. It was about a foot long, exquisitely crafted, with densely packed, profound runes inscribed on its surface, subtly forming the outline of a streamlined protective shield.

"Sir has excellent taste!"

The manager introduced it with a beaming smile.

"This is the treasure of our shop, the Silver Shuttle. It is forged from the bones of a Seventh-Tier magical beast mixed with Void Crystal Gold, and its core runes were personally inscribed by a Spirit Array Master. Not only is its speed incredibly fast, but its defensive power is several times that of some low-tier spatial ships! It guarantees absolute safety when traversing ordinary spatial turbulence!"

Jiang Donghua swept his Soul Power over it and nodded slightly.

The quality of this spatial ship was indeed decent. Although it was not considered top-tier in the eyes of someone who had seen the world like him, it was more than sufficient for conventional spatial wormhole travel.

"How much?" he asked concisely.

The manager rubbed his hands together, his face wreathed in smiles.

"Sir is straightforward!"

"The original price of this ship is ten million gold coins. If Sir is sincere in his purchase, I will give you a discount; nine million gold coins will suffice!"

When this price was quoted, even the attendant standing nearby secretly gasped.

Other customers in the shop who were selecting spatial ships also glanced over, their eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny as they looked at Jiang Donghua, secretly guessing which wealthy young master from which power he was, to be so extravagant.

Jiang Donghua’s expression remained calm. Although the price was high, it was still within his acceptable range.

He casually tossed over a storage ring.

"Count it."

The manager swept his divine sense through it. Inside, glittering gold coins were piled into small mounds, the amount exactly correct. His smile intensified, almost wrinkling into the shape of a chrysanthemum.

"Sir is truly generous! The Silver Shuttle is yours! I wish Sir a smooth journey!"

Having purchased the spatial ship, Jiang Donghua lingered no longer, heading directly toward the spatial wormhole plaza located at the peak of the Tianqing Mountain Range’s main peak.

The closer he got to the summit, the more intense the spatial fluctuations in the air became, with a faint, low buzzing sound audible.

Stepping onto the massive plaza, the first thing that caught his eye was an incomparably huge, pitch-black void. It did not float in the air, but was embedded in the center of the plaza on the mountaintop, like the entrance to a bottomless abyss.

This was the spatial wormhole, a rare sight in the outside world!

The wormhole was a hundred zhang in diameter, its edges flickering with unstable, distorted light.

Inside the hole was not pure darkness, but a profound gloom that seemed capable of swallowing all light.

Occasionally, a faint trace of silver light, like lightning, would flash and vanish in the darkness. This was the phenomenon of pure spatial power leaking out, carrying a sense of cutting that made one's heart palpitate.

Standing at the edge of the wormhole, Jiang Donghua could feel the powerful suction emanating from within, along with a chaotic and violent spatial energy aura.

His Soul Power carefully probed inside, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea. Aside from sensing a relatively stable energy passage stretching into the endless distance, he could not clearly discern the specific situation within.

"This is a spatial wormhole?"

Jiang Donghua murmured to himself. Even with his cultivation as a Seven-Star Dou Huang and his Soul Power, he felt his own insignificance when facing a passage formed by such magnificent natural power.

A trace of uncertainty quietly surfaced in his mind.

"It is said that spatial wormholes occasionally experience accidents, encountering the legendary spatial storm. I shouldn't be that unlucky, should I?"

He recalled the records concerning spatial storms—destructive energy turbulence formed by extremely chaotic spatial force, with power sufficient to tear apart a Dou Zong!

Once encountered, survival was almost impossible.

However, this thought was suppressed as soon as it arose.

Since the spatial wormhole of Tianya City served as an important hub leading to the Central Continent, it must have been reinforced and maintained by experts, meaning its stability was relatively high.

The probability of encountering a spatial storm was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

"It shouldn't happen."

Jiang Donghua took a deep breath, and his gaze returned to one of firm determination.

The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens. If he were to shrink back because of this small unknown risk, how could he ever hope to pursue the peak?

Having paid the fee to enter the spatial wormhole, he no longer hesitated. With a flip of his palm, the Silver Shuttle spatial ship appeared in his hand.

Dou Qi was injected into it, and the spatial ship instantly burst into dazzling silver light. Its size rapidly expanded against the wind, transforming into a three-zhang-long, streamlined silver boat. The runes on the ship's surface were activated, forming a solid silver light barrier.

Jiang Donghua leaped, landing steadily inside the spatial ship.

A powerful spatial tearing force came from all directions. Even with the spatial ship’s light barrier resisting it, Jiang Donghua could feel his body sink slightly. The surrounding scenery instantly became bizarre and fantastical as he plunged into a tunnel composed of twisted light and chaotic colors.

The light and bustle of Tianya City quickly receded and vanished behind him. Ahead lay endless darkness and the unknown journey.

The spatial journey had begun.