Fire Domain

Zhou Tong withdrew the Hegemonic Bell and descended. The other cultivators all turned pale and kept backing away, afraid he would begin a massacre.

The four young disciples of Yaoguang Holy Land had all been killed by him alone. This was bound to cause an enormous uproar!

They had organized a gathering of Chu Kingdom's young cultivators to capture him, yet he had barged straight into the event, launched a massacre, and killed them all.

In the distance, the young cultivators of Chu Kingdom found it even harder to calm themselves. They could fully imagine the earth-shaking waves today's events would cause once word spread.

Yaoguang Holy Land had sought to capture a single cultivator, only to be openly provoked by him. He had slain four true disciples in a row—it was tantamount to slapping the Holy Land across the face and would surely trigger a huge storm!

"You may all disperse," Zhou Tong said blandly.

No one else dared say anything. They all quickly left.

Although Chu Kingdom was merely a small country in the Southern Region of the Eastern Wasteland, it had quite a few young experts. Many coveted the bounty on Zhou Tong's wanted notice, and some could barely resist attacking him.

But when they recalled Zhou Tong's earlier might, they did not dare act rashly. That Hegemonic Bell was simply too terrifying. Array Patterns could even surge forth from within it. Once such a thing fully took shape, it would absolutely become a sacred artifact.

Zhou Tong paid no attention at all to the jealous, envious gazes around him. He went directly to the Five-Colored Jade Boat. It was a spirit treasure specially piloted here by Yaoguang disciples for travel.

Such a spirit treasure could not be refined by ordinary people. It required countless complex Dao Patterns to be inscribed upon it. It had surely been refined by an elder generation and given to the younger generation as a means of transportation.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Zhou Tong took the jade boat into his hand and shrank it to the length of his palm. It shimmered in ten colors, flawless as jade, and was exquisitely crafted.

"This thing is rather interesting. I can dismantle and study its Dao Patterns when I return. At least it won't go to waste!" Zhou Tong thought silently, then put the jade boat away.

For the Group Character Secret to improve, he had to observe all kinds of Dao Patterns and dismantle and study them. Only then could the Group Character Secret advance as much as possible and reach its limits.

After putting away his spoils, Zhou Tong immediately used Sword Step, transforming into a streak of sword light and swiftly leaving the area.

At the same time, figures rose into the sky one after another from Yangming Cave Heaven and pursued Zhou Tong.

Treasures stirred people's hearts. Faced with the temptation of the bounty on the wanted notice, many cultivators finally could not hold back. Even if they were throwing themselves into the flames, they still wanted to kill him and claim the reward from Yaoguang Holy Land.

Boom!!

Zhou Tong suddenly turned around. Endless bolts of lightning blossomed forth, and a sea of thunder surged in every direction. Every inch of the void was filled with golden lightning threaded with Purple Qi, erupting in thunderous roars.

The group charging toward him was instantly swallowed by the sea of thunder, reduced to ash, and scattered into the air.

"The bounty may tempt you, but before making a move, you'd best weigh your own strength carefully!" Zhou Tong's icy voice rang in everyone's ears.

After saying that, he turned into sword light once more and vanished from everyone's sight.

Along the way, Zhou Tong pushed his speed nearly to its limit. His sword light shot through the air, covering hundreds of li in an instant.

Then, he suddenly looked toward the sky.

A massive warship was flying overhead, bearing the emblem of Yaoguang Holy Land.

"Yaoguang Holy Land moves rather quickly!" Zhou Tong thought silently. At the same time, he swiftly used the Hegemonic Bell to suppress himself and conceal his aura. His whole body became like a piece of rotten wood as he hid in the forest.

Only after the warship in the sky had departed did Zhou Tong resume moving.

However, now that he knew Yaoguang Holy Land was searching for him on a massive scale, Zhou Tong became even more cautious. With his current strength, he was not yet powerful enough to ignore everything.

"This direction should be the safest!" Following the faint intuition of the "Forward" Character Secret, Zhou Tong took a wide detour through Chu Kingdom before finally leaving it and continuing toward the Fire Domain.

In the Southern Region of the Eastern Wasteland, countless small countries stood side by side. Most were nameless, but some had gained considerable renown, such as Yan Kingdom, where the Primordial Forbidden Land was located.

Jin Kingdom was the same, though it was famous not for some forbidden land, but for a Fire Domain.

Within Jin Kingdom lay a Fire Domain that had never gone out. It had burned from the archaic ages until now, for who knew how many eras. No one could say how long this Fire Domain had existed.

Nor did anyone know why this Fire Domain could burn endlessly. There were no Plants on the ground to fuel it, nor did lava or earthfire seep up from below. There was only flame here, and no one knew why it never extinguished.

Ordinary cultivators did not dare approach the Fire Domain, but when some supreme cultivators refined artifacts, they would inevitably choose this place as their first choice. The flames here possessed an extremely special power that could help an "artifact" take shape and make it easier to inscribe "Dao" and "principles."

Of course, this Fire Domain was no peaceful place. It was usually rather tranquil, and many cultivators with lower cultivation could enter it. But if they encountered flames soaring into the sky, it became exceedingly dangerous. Even great powers had to give it a wide berth.

There were many immensely ancient records concerning this place in the history of the Eastern Wasteland. Some even involved "immortals" and the Desolate Pagoda. Of course, these secrets were generally recorded in only a few sparse, vague lines, making it impossible to tell truth from falsehood.

Now, after taking a great detour and avoiding Yaoguang Holy Land's pursuit, Zhou Tong finally arrived at the Fire Domain at the westernmost edge of Jin Kingdom.

"So this is the outermost edge of the Fire Domain..." Zhou Tong said softly as he looked at the sea of flames. "Ordinary cultivators need at least Dao Palace Realm cultivation to enter the outer layer during peaceful periods. But someone like me, with an Azure Heaven Hegemonic Body, can enter several of the middle layers while still in the Sea of Wheels Realm."

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhou Tong stepped directly into the sea of fire.

Threads of divine radiance rose from his body, effortlessly blocking all the external flames.

He continued deeper. In the blink of an eye, Zhou Tong had traveled seven or eight li. At this point, the flames changed color, shifting from scarlet to pale blue, while the temperature grew even more intense.

"This should be the second layer of the Fire Domain. Ordinary cultivators would probably only dare enter this layer after reaching the Four Extremities Realm!" Zhou Tong walked leisurely, a layer of pale violet divine radiance around his body easily keeping all the blue flames outside.

He did not stop and continued onward.

After walking several more li, the flames ahead changed once again, turning from pale blue into white.

The white flames flowed like milk, twisting even the air.

"I can finally feel a little heat!" Zhou Tong chuckled and continued forward.

Before long, he entered the Fire Domain's fourth layer—the region of black flames.