76: Heading to Central Plains

Outside the stone chamber, the setting sun was like blood, staining the ruins of the Cloud Mist Sect with a tragic, gorgeous red.

Broken walls and ruined fortifications stood silently, narrating their former glory and current desolation.

Li Ao stood atop the ruins, his tattered blue robe flapping in the evening wind.

His internal condition was extremely poor; his Meridians were broken in multiple places, his Qi Sea was nearly dry, and the Foundation of his Black Iron Hegemon Body was damaged due to his forced Breakthrough, causing its dark golden luster to dim.

But he stood ramrod straight, and deep within his dark iron-colored pupils, the silver-gray Flame of Annihilation, though weak, was still burning coldly.

He looked back at the hidden stone chamber in the Forbidden Ground, as if he could pierce the stone wall and see the figure who had taken a fatal blow for him and was now hovering between life and death.

"Wait for me."

The silent vow scattered in the wind.

He no longer lingered, turning around and stepping out, his figure staggering yet determinedly vanishing into the shadows of the ruins.

He needed power, he needed divine medicines capable of healing the Soul Origin, and he needed absolute strength sufficient to draw a blade against the Hall of Souls!

It would likely be difficult to find treasures capable of healing Medusa's severe injuries in the Jia Ma Empire, or even the entire Northwest Continent.

His target was the much vaster, more boundless region where experts gathered like clouds and Opportunities were everywhere —Zhongzhou!

... Half a month later, outside a majestic fortress named "Sky's Edge City" on the border of the Jia Ma Empire.

Li Ao was travel-worn, a trace of undisguised exhaustion on his face.

For the past half-month, he had rested during the day and traveled at night, avoiding all surveillance while struggling to repair his internal injuries and rushing toward the Empire's border.

He had not fully recovered; his strength was less than thirty percent of his Peak, but the restrained sharpness and the aura of annihilation deterred certain sensitive Demonic Beasts and petty individuals along the way.

Sky's Edge City was a vital hub connecting the Jia Ma Empire to the outside world, possessing a spatial wormhole leading directly toward Zhongzhou.

After paying a considerable fee, Li Ao stepped onto the massive plaza jointly controlled by the Imperial family and several major merchant associations.

In the center of the plaza, a massive, pitch-black spatial vortex, over a hundred zhang in diameter, slowly rotated, emitting intense spatial fluctuations —this was the spatial wormhole.

Around the wormhole, voices buzzed; all kinds of Cultivators and merchant caravans gathered here, waiting for the wormhole to open.

Among them were auras of Dou Kings and even Dou Huang experts.

Li Ao pulled his bamboo hat low, concealing his aura, and silently stood at the end of the queue like an ordinary lone traveler.

His current state was poor, and he did not want to cause trouble.

However, just as the wormhole was about to open and people prepared to enter in sequence, a commotion erupted from the front of the line.

"Get out of the way! Everyone move! Our Young Master is going first!"

Several fierce-looking guards, dressed in uniform black attire, roughly pushed aside the crowd, escorting a richly dressed, arrogant-looking youth.

The youth was not old, yet his aura had already reached the Peak of the Dou King level, and his demeanor was utterly overbearing.

"It's someone from the Black Emperor Sect!"

"Is that Mo Ya, the Young Sect Leader of the Black Emperor Sect? Why is he also going to Zhongzhou?"

"Shh, keep your voice down.

The Black Emperor Sect is a tyrant in the Black-Corner Region; we can't afford to provoke them..."

Low murmurs spread through the surroundings, and many people, showing apprehension, quickly made way.

Mo Ya's gaze swept over the crowd, filled with undisguised contempt.

When he saw Li Ao, whose face was hidden by a bamboo hat at the end of the line, not quickly making way like everyone else, he frowned and coldly snorted, "Where did this blind idiot come from? Didn't you hear what this Young Master said? Scram!"

A Dou Huang-level guard beside him understood the intent, stepped forward, and reached out a hand imbued with powerful Dou Qi toward Li Ao's shoulder, attempting to roughly push him aside.

The look in Li Ao's eyes beneath the bamboo hat suddenly turned cold.

Although his strength was severely diminished now, he was not someone that just any cat or dog could insult!

Just as the guard's hand was about to touch his shoulder, Li Ao slightly shifted his body and, without activating his Dou Qi, simply nudged his shoulder forward seemingly casually!

The Foundation of the Black Iron Hegemon Body was still present!

Even the residual physical strength was extraordinary!

"Bang!"

A muffled sound rang out!

The Dou Huang guard felt an indescribable immense force hit him; his entire arm instantly went numb, his bones cracked, and he was sent flying backward faster than he had approached, like being struck by a charging Vicious Beast, knocking over several bystanders who couldn't dodge in time!

The entire plaza instantly fell silent!

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the figure in the blue robe, who remained standing in place without even having his bamboo hat shake.

One move?

Without even using Dou Qi?

And he heavily injured a one-star Dou Huang?!

The arrogance on Mo Ya's face instantly froze, transforming into shock and a hint of disbelief.

He stared intently at Li Ao and shouted, trying to sound fierce, "Who... who are you?! How dare you injure someone from my Black Emperor Sect!"

Li Ao slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of dark iron-colored pupils beneath the bamboo hat that were cold and devoid of any emotion.

He did not speak, merely looking at Mo Ya with utter calmness.

Being stared at by those eyes, Mo Ya felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his skull, as if he had been locked onto by an ancient Vicious Beast; even his Soul was trembling!

The other guards behind him were even more terrified, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Se... Senior, please forgive me! I was blind and offended Senior! Please be merciful!"

Mo Ya was not a fool after all; he instantly judged that the person before him was definitely not someone he could provoke, and he quickly bowed, his tone filled with panic.

Li Ao withdrew his gaze, ignored him, turned, and stepped into the newly stabilized spatial wormhole, his figure swallowed by the pitch-black spatial energy.

Only after Li Ao disappeared did Mo Ya dare to straighten up, his back drenched in cold sweat.

He looked at the slowly rotating wormhole, his eyes filled with lingering fear and a hint of malice.

"Investigate! Find out exactly where this person came from!"

... Inside the spatial wormhole was a bizarre, colorful passage filled with violent spatial energy.

Ordinary Dou Kings here would need to fully circulate their protective Dou Qi just to resist the tearing force of the spatial energy.

Li Ao sat cross-legged on a relatively stable energy node, his dark golden vital Qi circulating laboriously inside his body, repairing his injuries while resisting the external spatial pressure.

He closed his eyes and looked inward, sensing his nearly shattered Meridians and Qi Sea, his brow slightly furrowed.

"The injuries are more troublesome than expected... I must quickly find a safe place for secluded Cultivation, or... find some sacred healing medicine."

Fragments of information about Zhongzhou Continent flashed through his mind —the Pill Tower!

That continent's Holy Land of Alchemists might possess supreme precious pills capable of healing the Soul and Physical Body.

And also... the Hall of Souls!

According to the information revealed by Yun Shan and Protector Wu, the main Hall of Souls seems to be located in Zhongzhou!

Medusa's vengeance and the root cause of the Cloud Mist Sect's destruction are all inextricably linked to this behemoth!

"Hall of Souls... wait for me..."

The cold voice dissipated in the spatial passage, carrying endless killing intent.

Just as Li Ao was struggling through the spatial wormhole, rushing toward Zhongzhou —

In the Black-Corner Region, at another spatial wormhole plaza leading toward Zhongzhou.

A youth carrying a massive black ruler on his back paid the fee, travel-worn, and stepped into the wormhole.

His eyes were sharp, and his aura was more condensed and profound than when he was in the Black Storm Canyon; he had clearly achieved a Breakthrough to the Dou Ling level!

It was Xiao Yan!

He had fully received the Legacy within that ancient Immortal Cave and had initially achieved Fusion with the residual energy of the Azure Nether Profound Flame, greatly increasing his strength.

After escaping the subsequent pursuit by the Blood Sect, he knew that the Black-Corner Region was no place to linger; his stage was the vaster Zhongzhou!

The master and disciple, one following the other, embarked on the journey toward Zhongzhou, carrying different goals and hatreds.

The trajectories of fate, at this moment of crossing the spatial wormhole, seemed like two parallel lines, continuously extending toward the continent where the winds and clouds gathered.

What kind of challenges and Opportunities awaited them on the greater stage of Zhongzhou?

Could Li Ao find a way to heal Medusa?

How would Xiao Yan establish his name in this region teeming with experts?

And what kind of turmoil would the Hall of Souls, hidden behind the scenes, stir up?

Everything would slowly unfold upon the scroll named "Zhongzhou."