First Arrival in the Central Plains, Storms Gather

The dizziness of spatial travel quickly faded, replaced by an indescribable sense of weight and grandeur.

Xiao Chen stepped out of the void and hovered high in the sky. He took a deep breath and immediately felt the natural energy here, more than ten times denser than that of the Jia Ma Empire, surge into his limbs like a tide. Even the circulation of Dou Qi within his body seemed to accelerate slightly.

"As expected of the Central Plains..." Xiao Chen swept his gaze below, a trace of amazement flashing through his eyes.

As far as the eye could see, what lay below was not a single city or mountain range as he had imagined, but an enormous basin with no end in sight—or rather, a vast land woven together from countless mountain ranges, plains, rivers, and cities! Its sheer expanse far surpassed that of any empire on the Northwest Continent.

Massive cities sprawled across the land like giant beasts. Even the smallest among them dwarfed the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. Powerful auras rose into the sky from those cities and deep within the mountains like beacons in the night. Dou Kings and Dou Emperors were everywhere, and there was no shortage of Dou Zong-level auras. From time to time, he could even sense several obscure, profound fluctuations, like hidden dragons lurking in the abyss—ones even Xiao Chen had to take seriously. Those had to belong to Dou Zun experts!

He was not the only one in the sky. Strange flying magical beasts often pulled magnificent carriages through the air, while powerful experts flew on their own strength at incredible speeds. There were even enormous spatial ships, flickering with runic light as they traveled along fixed routes like flights from his previous life.

This was the true stage of the Dou Qi Continent, where experts gathered, sects stood in abundance, and countless races contended against one another!

Xiao Chen restrained most of his aura, suppressing his strength to the level of a newly advanced Dou Zong. Although a Seven Star Dou Venerate could be considered a formidable expert in the Central Plains, a Dou Venerate who was both too young and unfamiliar would draw far too much attention, which was unfavorable for operating in secret. The Dou Zong level was enough to prevent others from bullying him casually, yet not so conspicuous that he became the center of attention wherever he went.

After identifying his direction, he moved and flew toward the nearest city, which appeared quite magnificent. He first needed to understand the Central Plains' current general situation, especially Soul Hall's movements.

A short while later, he landed outside the enormous city known as Tianbei City. Its gates stood a hundred zhang tall, forged from refined steel mixed with special stone and gleaming with a cold metallic luster. Defensive runes covered the city walls, while the guards were all Dou Ling-level squad leaders with sharp, capable auras.

After paying a considerable entrance fee, Xiao Chen entered the city. The streets were broad enough for ten carriages to travel side by side, and shops lined both sides, selling all manner of pills, weapons, cultivation technique scrolls, and rare medicinal ingredients seldom seen elsewhere. Their quality generally surpassed those in the Jia Ma Empire by several levels. Pedestrians hurried past, and their strength was generally not weak. Da Dou Shi and Dou Ling experts could be seen everywhere, while even Dou Kings were not uncommon.

"I heard that the Wind and Thunder Pavilion has raised the requirements for this East Pavilion disciple selection again. Anyone under thirty who has not reached the Dou Ling level is not even qualified to participate..."

"It seems Ice River Valley discovered an ancient ruin in the Northern Region. Quite a few factions have already rushed over..."

"Soul Hall has been making plenty of moves lately. I heard its branch hall in the northwest has strengthened its forces again. Who knows what they're searching for..."

As he walked amid the crowd, all manner of discussions entered Xiao Chen's ears, allowing him to swiftly gather information.

Wind and Thunder Pavilion, Ice River Valley... These were all first-rate factions openly known in the Central Plains, each with Dou Zun experts in command. As for Soul Hall... sure enough, it had strengthened its forces in the northwest, the region where the Jia Ma Empire was located!

Xiao Chen's eyes chilled slightly as he quietly entered an old-looking shop called the Hundred Information Pavilion. Such establishments specialized in selling intelligence.

The shopkeeper was a thin old man with narrowed eyes and an aura at the Dou Emperor level. When he saw Xiao Chen enter and sensed the faint pressure of a Dou Zong, he immediately put on a smile. "What does this lord require?"

"The latest distribution map of the Central Plains' factions, and... detailed intelligence on Soul Hall's recent movements." Xiao Chen casually tossed over a bag of gold coins, his voice calm.

The old man accepted the gold coins and swept them with his spiritual sense. His smile grew wider. "Please wait a moment, my lord."

Before long, a Jade Slip and a scroll were delivered to Xiao Chen. He sent his Soul Power into the Jade Slip, and a vast map of the Central Plains, along with markings and brief introductions for the various factions, flooded into his mind. It was far more detailed than anything he had learned on his own. The scroll recorded Soul Hall's recent personnel movements among several branch halls. While it naturally contained no core secrets, it was enough to show that Soul Hall had indeed increased its attention on the northwest region.

"Also, have you heard of an expert named Xu?" Xiao Chen put away the items and asked seemingly casually.

The old man frowned and thought carefully before finally shaking his head. "Forgive this old man's ignorance, but among the renowned experts of the Central Plains, there is no one by that name. Perhaps he is some reclusive senior who has never entered the world."

Xiao Chen was not surprised. His master, Xu, was unfathomably mysterious. It would have been strange if he could be easily traced. He then inquired about certain rare medicinal ingredients and heavenly treasures that might restore the soul. After receiving several possible leads, he left the Hundred Information Pavilion.

Walking through the bustling streets, Xiao Chen had already formed an initial plan. His foremost goal was to increase his strength as quickly as possible. Although a Seven Star Dou Venerate could gain a foothold in the Central Plains, it was still far from enough to shake a colossal force like Soul Hall. Next, he needed to seek an opportunity to help Yao Lao fully recover. The assistance of an Eighth-grade Alchemist Grandmaster was crucial. Only after that would he secretly investigate Soul Hall and search for clues about his master.

He needed to find a place to settle down for the time being, as well as a way to quickly obtain resources and information.

Just then, a burst of clamor and rippling energy collisions came from ahead.

In the middle of the street, two groups faced off against each other. One side wore matching uniforms embroidered with lightning patterns on their chests, clearly members of the local Wind and Thunder Pavilion. The other side consisted of a group of mercenaries dressed differently but exuding fierce auras.

"Hmph, we clearly discovered this Lightning-struck Wood first. Does your Wind and Thunder Pavilion intend to seize it by force?" the mercenary leader, a burly peak Dou Emperor with a scar across his face, shouted furiously.

"What a joke! Within Tianbei City's territory, all lightning-attributed treasures are fated to belong to the Wind and Thunder Pavilion! Hand it over if you know what's good for you, or else..." The young man leading the Wind and Thunder Pavilion group was a peak Dou King, his expression arrogant. Behind him stood an impassive old man whose aura was unmistakably at the Dou Zong level!

The surrounding crowd quickly retreated, afraid of being caught in the crossfire, yet no one dared step forward to mediate. In Tianbei City, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion was the absolute overlord.

Xiao Chen had no desire to meddle and was about to go around them. However, when his gaze swept over the so-called Lightning-struck Wood, he paused slightly.

It was not ordinary Lightning-struck Wood. Deep within its core, a faint trace of Chaos Aura circulated, producing a barely perceptible resonance with the Chaos Flame inside his body!

"This..." A flicker of surprise passed through Xiao Chen's eyes. "It seems to be somewhat beneficial to the growth of the Chaos Flame."

As his thoughts turned, the conflict had already escalated. The Wind and Thunder Pavilion's Dou Zong elder snorted coldly and swept his sleeve. Vast thunder-attributed Dou Qi condensed into a giant palm and came crashing down upon the mercenaries! The might of a Dou Zong was not something Dou Emperors could resist!

The scar-faced mercenary leader's expression changed drastically, despair appearing in his eyes.

Just as a tragedy was about to unfold—

Suddenly, the enormous thunder palm, powerful enough to shatter mountains, froze without warning less than three chi above the mercenaries' heads. Then, like grains of sand scattered in the wind, it silently dissipated without stirring the slightest ripple of energy.

"Hmm?" The Wind and Thunder Pavilion's Dou Zong elder's expression changed. His sharp gaze instantly swept across the crowd before settling on a young figure in green robes who had appeared in the center of the scene at some unknown moment.

Xiao Chen stood with his hands behind his back, calmly looking at the Lightning-struck Wood as he spoke in an indifferent voice:

"I'll take this."