135: Ripples in space, the dragon's shadow first appears

The spatial tunnel was not a smooth path; twisted and shattered light and shadows surrounded them, and violent spatial turbulence, like an invisible giant beast, continuously impacted the gray light shield Li Ao forcefully propped up with the Nirvana Origin. The light shield vibrated violently, emitting a humming sound of being overwhelmed. Li Ao's expression was solemn as he fully maintained the Origin output, his Soul power highly concentrated, precisely guiding the tunnel's direction to avoid the most dangerous spatial rifts.

Medusa stood to his left, her eyes sharp despite her Origin Qi not yet recovered. Her Seven-Colored Dou Qi was concealed but ready, constantly vigilant for dangers that might suddenly emerge from the turbulence. Xiao Yi Xian clung to Li Ao's right side, her face somewhat pale from the spatial travel's bumps, but she endured the discomfort, clutching several pills exuding a peculiar medicinal fragrance, ready for any eventuality.

The three figures swiftly traversed the kaleidoscopic tunnel, the suffocating stillness of the outside gradually left behind, replaced by an increasingly clear spatial fluctuation belonging to a normal world.

"The tunnel is almost at its end," Li Ao said in a deep voice, feeling the spatial barrier ahead becoming thinner.

However, just as they were about to rush out of the tunnel, a sudden change occurred!

"Roar—!"

A low roar, not from the Ancient Domain behind them, but from a spatial interlayer somewhere to the side-front of the tunnel, suddenly pierced through the spatial barrier and slammed into the gray light shield! This roar contained a primitive, ancient, and powerful pressure, no less formidable than the will they had sensed deep within the Ancient Domain earlier!

Following the roar, the space to the side of the tunnel rippled violently like water. A gigantic, dark-gold scaled claw phantom suddenly tore through space, carrying power that could shatter stars, and fiercely swatted towards the gray light shield where the three of them were!

This attack came without warning, and its power was terrifyingly absolute, far beyond what an ordinary Dou Zun could achieve! Before the claw even arrived, the terrifying pressure had already caused the gray light shield to emit a piercing cracking sound!

"Be careful!" Medusa's purple eyes flashed with cold light, and she was about to forcefully activate her Bloodline Power to meet it head-on without hesitation.

"Don't move!" Li Ao low-roared, stopping her. A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and the Nirvana Origin, which had been restrained, suddenly erupted! No longer for defense, but for offense!

He pointed his fingers like a sword, and the gentle wisp of gray Qi at his fingertips instantly became incomparably sharp, transforming into an extremely condensed gray sword Qi. Carrying the essence of ending all things and breaking rules, it did not dodge but directly pierced the palm of the dark-gold claw!

"Chh—!"

There was no earth-shattering collision, only a subtle yet teeth-gritting sound of erosion. The moment the gray sword Qi contacted the dark-gold claw, the claw phantom, capable of shattering mountains, seemed to have met its nemesis. The dark-gold light on it rapidly dimmed, and its condensed power structure was forcefully disintegrated and returned to Stillness by the Nirvana essence, crumbling and dissipating inch by inch, starting from the fingertips!

"Woo..." From deep within the spatial interlayer, a low growl filled with shock, anger, and pain emerged. The claw phantom quickly retracted, and the torn spatial rift rapidly closed, as if it had never appeared.

With a single strike, an unknown powerful enemy was repelled!

The pressure on the gray light shield suddenly decreased, and Li Ao seized the opportunity to accelerate sharply!

"Buzz!"

Their vision suddenly brightened, and the intense light made it impossible to open their eyes. The uncomfortable spatial tearing force around them instantly vanished, replaced by a solid, heavy feeling underfoot, and... a rich and familiar energy of heaven and earth!

They had rushed out of the spatial tunnel and returned to the Fighting Qi Continent!

The three landed in a lush mountain forest. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, birds sang, flowers bloomed, and life was vibrant, forming a stark contrast with the stillness of the Ancient Domain of Extinction.

With his feet on solid ground and confirming temporary safety, Li Ao finally let out a sigh of relief, his face slightly pale. That hasty counterattack, seemingly effortless, had actually consumed a considerable amount of his Mental Energy. The owner of that dark-gold claw was terrifyingly powerful; if not for the extremely high level of the Nirvana Origin and its counter-attribute, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

"What was that just now...?" Xiao Yi Xian asked, still shaken, clutching her chest.

Medusa's purple eyes narrowed slightly, sensing the extremely faint but powerful pressure lingering in the air. She said in a deep voice, "Those scales... that aura... it seems to be a Dragon Clan, but more ancient and powerful than any Dragon Clan branch I know."

"Dragon Clan?" Li Ao frowned deeply. He recalled the faint aura he had sensed in the tunnel, similar to a Void Ancient Dragon but even more violent. "Could it be an ancient existence of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan? But why would it attack us?"

He vaguely felt that this matter might be related to the Ancient Domain of Extinction and the Nirvana Origin he had refined. Besides anger, that roar seemed to contain a hint of... fear? Was it fear of the Nirvana Origin?

Temporarily suppressing the doubts in his heart, Li Ao looked around, his Mental Energy spreading out like a tide. A moment later, he retracted his Mental Energy, his expression somewhat strange.

"It seems we... haven't left the Northern Region of Central State too far." He sensed the aura of some human cities in the distance, as well as some familiar faction markings. "This should be the edge of the Northern Region, near the Beast Region."

The Beast Region was precisely the main area of activity for the Ancient Void Dragon Clan now!

"It seems the spatial tunnel was still interfered with earlier and didn't transport us too far," Medusa calmly analyzed. "It's not advisable to stay here long; the commotion just now might attract attention. We need to leave quickly and figure out the current situation in Central State."

Li Ao nodded in agreement. With the Hall of Souls' Half-Saint fallen and Hun Qianmo personally taking action, the conflict between the Pill Tower and the Hall of Souls had completely escalated. Central State must be in turmoil right now. They had to quickly understand the situation and find a safe foothold.

He looked at the two women beside him. After experiencing life and death in the Ancient Domain, their relationship was no longer as it once was. He reached out and gently squeezed Medusa's hand, then gave Xiao Yi Xian a reassuring look.

"Let's go. First, find a place to settle down, then we can make long-term plans."

The three figures flashed, turning into three streaks of light, and disappeared into the dense mountain forest.

Not long after they left, the Void Realm where the spatial tunnel had vanished twisted slightly, and an extremely blurry, Dragon-shaped phantom shrouded in Chaos Qi flashed and disappeared, uttering a whisper only it could hear:

"The aura of Nirvana... has actually reappeared... and that detestable... Heaven Swallowing Python Bloodline... Humph, you can dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth..."

The phantom dissipated, and the mountain forest returned to stillness, as if nothing had ever happened.

But the gears of destiny had already turned again. Li Ao, returning to Central State with greater power and more complex bonds, was inevitably about to be drawn into an even more turbulent tide. And that fleeting glimpse of the Dragon also foreshadowed that the Ancient Void Dragon storyline would officially surface.