65: The Dark Domain has just arrived, and killing intent has suddenly arisen.

The royal city in the Tagor Desert gradually regained order and Life Qi under the morning sun, while thousands of miles away, a region shrouded in gloom and blood was welcoming a young man burdened with a heavy past and future.

Black-Corner Region.

Just stepping into the border of this land, a scent mixed with blood, hostility, decay, and madness assailed him, ten times more potent than the most chaotic corners of Jia Ma Holy City. The sky seemed to be eternally covered by a layer of gloomy mist, with sunlight struggling to penetrate, casting faint patches of light. The ground beneath his feet was an ominous dark red, as if soaked in countless blood.

Xiao Yan tightened the xuan heavy ruler on his back, its cold touch slightly invigorating his spirit, which had been weary from the long journey. He was dressed in an inconspicuous black cloak, his hood covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of eyes as sharp as an eagle's, yet deeply hidden with pain and determination.

“Teacher, is this the Black-Corner Region?” Xiao Yan asked in his mind. Even with prior mental preparation, the chaos and oppression here still exceeded his imagination. The Dou Qi permeating the air carried a violent factor, unsettling one's mind.

Yao Lao's ethereal voice echoed in his mind, with a hint of solemnity: “Yes, this place is a den of Dragons and snakes, with slaughter being the norm and laws a joke. Xiao Yanzi, here, trust is a luxury, and fists are the hard truth. Remember, never let down your guard at any time.”

Xiao Yan nodded heavily, his gaze sweeping over the outline of the massive city ahead, like a crouching beast—Black Seal City. It was one of the relatively “famous” gathering places on the outskirts of the Black-Corner Region, and the first stop for countless people who came to the Black-Corner Region to pan for gold or escape disaster.

There were no guards at the city gate, only a few fierce-eyed men leaning against the wall with their arms crossed, scanning the incoming and outgoing crowds like they were appraising goods. Their gaze lingered on Xiao Yan for a moment, and upon sensing that he was merely a Great Dou Master, they disdainfully looked away.

Xiao Yan remained silent, pulling his hood lower, and entered the city with the flow of people.

The scene inside the city was even more appalling. The streets were dirty and crowded, with crooked buildings on both sides. Various shops sold weapons of unknown origin, Medicinal Pills, Demonic Beast Materials, and there were even stalls openly selling slaves, with numb-eyed men, women, old, and young locked in iron cages. Street brawls and murder for plunder occurred almost every moment, with onlookers either watching indifferently or taking the opportunity to loot the deceased's belongings, truly a depiction of Hell.

Xiao Yan suppressed the discomfort and anger in his heart. He knew that here, sympathy and a sense of justice were the most useless things. What he needed was information, resources, and a place that could make him stronger quickly.

Following Yao Lao's guidance, he found a rather dilapidated intelligence tavern called “Ghost Hand.” Pushing open the creaking wooden door, a murky air mixed with cheap alcohol, sweat, and blood rushed out.

The tavern was dimly lit, with a few fierce-looking patrons scattered around. When Xiao Yan, a new face, walked in, several ill-intentioned gazes immediately fell on him, as if appraising a fat sheep that had wandered into a wolf pack.

Xiao Yan seemed oblivious, walking straight to the counter. Behind the counter was a one-eyed boss, wiping a wine glass with a dirty rag.

“Information.” Xiao Yan placed a few gold coins on the counter, his voice hoarse.

The one-eyed boss glanced at the gold coins, then sized up Xiao Yan, a hint of cunning flashing in his single eye: “New here? What do you want to know?”

“Where can I get high-level Demonic Beast essence blood, or... information about a Heavenly Flame?” Xiao Yan asked directly.

“Heh heh...” The one-eyed boss let out a strange laugh, “Kid, you've got a big mouth. High-level Demonic Beast essence blood? Try your luck in Black Storm Canyon, but that's the territory of the Blood Sect, so be careful not to lose your life. As for Heavenly Flame... heh heh, is that kind of divine item something you can covet? There is some news about a Heavenly Flame possibly being in Jia Nan Academy, but with your current strength, you can't even get through their front gate.”

Black Storm Canyon? Blood Sect? Jia Nan Academy?

Xiao Yan silently noted these names. Although the other party's tone was mocking, at least there were some clues.

Just as he was about to ask for more details, a burly man with a scarred face and a cruel expression next to him suddenly slammed the table and stood up, drunkenly walking over to Xiao Yan and grabbing his shoulder.

“Kid! Don't you know the rules? Newcomers, you have to show some respect to your grandpa first... Ugh?!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Xiao Yan's body shifted slightly, avoiding his hand. At the same time, his right hand shot out like lightning, precisely gripping the vital point of his wrist, and a hidden force erupted!

“Crack!”

A bone-chilling crack echoed!

“Ah—!” The scarred strongman let out a pig-like scream, his entire arm hanging limply. His drunkenness instantly sobered up, and he looked in horror at the hooded young man in front of him.

Xiao Yan released his hand, his voice still calm: “Scram.”

The scarred strongman scrambled out of the tavern, not daring to utter a single threat.

The tavern immediately quieted down a bit, and those ill-intentioned gazes retracted significantly, replaced with a hint of apprehension. To instantly cripple the wrist of a Five-Star Great Fighter, this young man was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Xiao Yan ignored the others and tossed a few more gold coins to the one-eyed boss: “Detailed maps of Black Storm Canyon and Jia Nan Academy, and any recent notable movements.”

The one-eyed boss collected the gold coins, his attitude much more respectful, and quickly produced a beast-skin map and a Jade Slip containing information, handing them to Xiao Yan.

Having obtained what he needed, Xiao Yan did not linger, turning to leave the suffocating tavern.

However, shortly after he left the tavern and turned into a secluded alley, three figures, like ghosts, blocked his path from both front and back. The leader was none other than the gloomy man who had been sitting in the corner of the tavern earlier, whose aura had reached the Peak of a Nine-Star Great Dou Master.

“Kid, you've got good moves.” The gloomy man licked his lips, his eyes glinting with greed and murderous intent, “Leave your gold coins and that black ruler, and perhaps I can leave you a complete corpse.”

The other two also exuded the aura of an Eight-Star Great Dou Master, forming a triangle to surround Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of cold eyes beneath his hood. He had long expected to be targeted, but he hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.

“Want it? Come and get it yourself.”

He slowly drew out the xuan heavy ruler from his back, its heavy body dragging on the ground, emitting a harsh scraping sound. On the ruler's edge, a trace of fiery fire-attributed Dou Qi began to swirl.

In the Black-Corner Region, words were pale; only battle could determine the ownership of resources, and... the fate of Life!

His Black-Corner Region journey began in this dark alley, in the most direct and bloody way, as the curtain rose.

Meanwhile, Li Ao, far away in Tagor Royal City, was currently immersing his mind in the System, planning all the obstacles he would need to cut through when he revisited the Cloud Mist Sect in half a month. He and Xiao Yan, though in different places, were both striving forward on the path to becoming stronger in their own ways. The trajectory of their destinies continued to extend into the unknown distance amidst the murderous intent of the Black-Corner Region and the preparations in the desert.