Han Feng, Soul Hall

On the vast, dark plain, a convoy of vehicles kicked up a wisp of dust before speeding past and disappearing from sight.

Inside the slightly bumpy carriage, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan sat cross-legged. In front of them was the caravan manager named Do Ma. The guards of this caravan were not very strong. The strongest among them seemed to be only around Five Star Dou Shi.

Of course, as the head of guards originally hired by Do Ma, that guy was naturally somewhat displeased with the sudden addition of the Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan brothers. However, after being frightened by the aura of Da Dou Shi that Xiao Yuan unintentionally displayed, he immediately changed his attitude and became much more respectful.

Do Ma invited the two into the carriage and treated them well. After all, with the constant danger of being robbed, having a strong person in the caravan would certainly make people feel more at ease.

As for Xiao Yan's strength, he was not worried either. After all, no one in the Black-Corner Region would bring a burden along. Anyone who formed a group was someone of similar strength.

Xiao Yuan is very strong, so Xiao Yan's strength must be just as good.

At this moment, Do Ma took out a slightly yellowed map from his robes, slowly unfolded it on the table in front of him, pointed to a red dot, and said with a smile:

"This is our destination, Black Seal City. At our current speed, we should arrive by tomorrow afternoon. The annual auction will be held there the day after tomorrow, so I need to strengthen the security and hurry over. That's why I specifically asked you two gentlemen to provide escort!"

"An auction?" Upon hearing this, both Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan were intrigued. In the Black-Corner Region, the most attractive thing was the astonishing rare items. Every auction would attract countless people to compete for them.

Then, the two focused their attention on the yellowed map, their gaze lingering on the small dot of Black Seal City for a moment, before following a route slowly upwards, finally seeing a blue star in the center.

"This should be Jia Nan Academy, right?" Xiao Yuan glanced at the blue star, his expression unchanged, and asked casually.

"Yes, that's the famous Jia Nan Academy in the Douqi Continent. My daughter is there, hehe."

Do Ma nodded, a hint of pride in his plump face as he spoke of his daughter.

Xiao Yuan nodded silently, then carefully scanned the map and memorized it in just a few seconds.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan turned his gaze to the black area surrounding Jia Nan Academy, which was divided into several sections of varying sizes.

"The current ' Black-Corner Region ' has basically been divided up by some powerful forces. Although they are still fighting each other for territory, there shouldn't be much change in the short term."

Seeing Xiao Yan's gaze, Do Ma, being a merchant, naturally understood his doubts. Although he could guess that these two were newcomers who had just entered the Black-Corner Region, as shrewd as he was, he knew that although these two were newcomers, they would surely become famous throughout the Black-Corner Region in the future! There was no need for him to make trouble for such a strong person, so he explained very tactfully.

"The ' Black Seal City ' we're heading to is under the jurisdiction of the ' Eight Gates.' The ' Eight Gates ' is an old and powerful force in the Black-Corner Region. It's said that their leader, Yuan Yi, is strong enough to rank among the top ten on the Black-Corner Region's Black Ranking. And this auction in Black Seal City is being hosted by the ' Eight Gates.'"

Do Ma drew a small circle with his finger around the area surrounding Black Seal City and said with a smile.

"Black Ranking?" The unfamiliar term made Xiao Yan pause for a moment, and he murmured softly.

"Hehe, this Black Ranking is not much different from the power ranking lists of some empires. However, the competitiveness of this Black Ranking far exceeds that of those empires' power ranking lists. In less than two years, the bottom three on the Black Ranking have been directly replaced. It is said that the three who were replaced were also powerhouses at the Dou Wang level."

Do Ma shook his head and said with a touch of emotion.

"As expected of the Black-Corner Region, it's quite chaotic."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but sigh.

"Who are the top-ranked people on the Black Ranking? How strong are they?"

Xiao Yan, who was standing nearby, followed up softly with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

"The first and second ranked individuals are so mysterious that very few people have ever seen them, so I don't know much about them either. However, the third ranked individual is an extraordinary powerhouse. It is said that his strength is already at the Dou Huang Peak, and he is also extremely proficient in alchemy, making him the number one alchemist in the Black-Corner Region. Therefore, most people respectfully call him the ' Medicine Emperor '."

After a moment of contemplation, Do Ma spoke slowly.

"The Medicine Emperor? That's quite a prestigious nickname." Xiao Yan smiled faintly and asked, "What's his real name?"

"Hmm, let me think, it seems... his name is Han Feng," Do Ma said with a smile, scratching his head.

"Laugh!"

Just after Do Ma finished speaking, Xiao Yan's fingers, which were hidden in his sleeve, suddenly trembled violently. The black ring on his finger couldn't help but burst out with a few eerie white flames, which eventually caused the car panel where his finger was hanging to be burned through by the high temperature, creating a small hole.

The sudden change in the ring caused Xiao Yan's expression to change slightly, but fortunately, his sleeve concealed it, so Do Ma on the other side did not notice the change.

"Teacher, what's wrong?" Xiao Yan gently stroked the black ring with his fingers, and whispered to himself. The strange movement of the ring earlier was obviously due to the sudden outburst of Yao Lao's emotions inside.

Xiao Yan's question went unanswered, and Yao Lao seemed to fall into complete silence.

Sensing Yao Lao's complete silence, Xiao Yan wisely refrained from pressing the matter further. However, he firmly remembered the name Han Feng in his heart, for this person might have a significant connection to the former Yao Lao.

"Mr. Black Robe, are you alright?" Seeing Xiao Yan's sudden change in expression, Do Ma asked somewhat nervously.

"It's nothing." Xiao Yan smiled and was about to speak when he suddenly noticed a commotion outside the carriage. Exclamations of alarm came from inside. "Attention everyone! Black Storm is coming! Get ready to stop the carriage immediately! Be careful not to get separated or lose your way."

"Black Storm? What bad luck, we've run into one again." Hearing the exclamations outside, Do Ma's expression changed slightly, but he wasn't extremely panicked. He said to Xiao Yan, "Gentlemen, let's get out of the car first. As long as we take precautions, this kind of Black Storm, which isn't too big, shouldn't cause too much danger."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down. He looked up and found that the sky, which had been clear just a dozen minutes ago, was now completely obscured by a strange black mist. His vision was severely blocked as he looked ahead. No wonder Do Ma said that if they encountered Black Storm, even a map would be of no use!

However, right now, he is more concerned about other things.

Han Feng, his senior brother to Xiao Yan, is a treacherous disciple who betrayed Yao Lao.

This guy has quite a few good things in his Storage Ring!

We need to find a way to kill this beast.

"Hehe, gentlemen, don't worry. I sensed the wind direction, and it's not very strong. This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune." Do Ma laughed beside Xiao Yan. "Although the Black Storm is the most depressing weather in the Black-Region Great Plains, it's much better than those brutal Black Bandits. At least, if you're lucky enough to encounter Black Storm, you can save your life. But if you foresee an army of tens of thousands of Black Bandits, you'll probably just have to wait to die."

"Tens of thousands? There can't possibly be that many people?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan, somewhat surprised, came back to his senses and asked.

This vast plain is the least suitable place for an ambush, and the movement of a large group of people cannot be concealed. How could that Black Bandits army be able to gather so many people to rob a caravan? It feels very strange.

Before he could say anything more, the already dim sky suddenly turned completely dark. Then, a howling wind suddenly swept down from the sky, and some of the smaller people were blown around by the wind, their bodies swaying wildly. They were so frightened that they quickly grabbed onto anything nearby.

The convoy, linked together, was arranged in a circle with its ends touching. The people hid inside, their weapons driven deep into the ground, fixing their bodies like nails.

The pitch-black darkness enveloped everyone, and amidst the howling wind, no one could sense whether anyone was beside them.

Kneeling on the ground, Xiao Yan slammed the Mystic Heavy Ruler deep into the earth, then hid behind the large ruler. He listened to the crackling sound of the wind blowing against the ruler, and his expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected this so-called Black Storm to be so powerful. And this was only a small storm, as Do Ma had mentioned. If he encountered a larger one, wouldn't it be able to sweep people away? Then, he realized that someone seemed to be pulling at his feet.

Looking down, he was surprised to find that Xiao Yuan, who was half-buried in the ground, was pulling him down as well.

Without any thought or hesitation, Xiao Yan gave up resisting and let his Third Brother pull him down.

With most of his body buried in the ground, Xiao Yan, leaning against the Mystic Heavy Ruler, immediately felt the wind force of the Black Storm decrease significantly.

He was about to speak when he noticed Xiao Yuan staring at his side and behind him, so he turned his head and looked over there.

There, strange red lights flickered, accompanied by faint, indistinct sounds.

Xiao Yuan gestured to Xiao Yan not to act rashly, then used the Listening to the Wind's Whisper. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes and then transmitted his voice to Xiao Yan:

"It's a soul entity at the Dou Ling level, being hunted down by a strange guy who claims to be from the ' Soul Hall,' specializing in hunting down soul entities."

"Soul Hall?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan muttered to himself in confusion.

"Has the Soul Hall's claws already extended into the Black-Corner Region?"

At that moment, the voice of the Yao Lao also resounded in their hearts.

"Teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan asked in his mind.

"Hey, I originally wanted to tell you about this after you had gained some strength, but since we've run into each other, I might as well tell you in advance."

My current predicament is largely due to the Soul Hall, an extremely terrifying and powerful force. They possess specialized methods for dealing with soul entities, and since soul entities cannot use Dou Qi, it can be said that what soul entities fear most is encountering the people of the Soul Hall.

Some souls who possess Heavenly Flames and have refined them into their natal flames are in a better position. When I encountered the people of the "Soul Hall," I was able to escape successfully only because of the Bone Spirit Cold Flame. Otherwise, my fate would probably have been similar to that guy's.

However, you don't need to worry about that now. As long as I appear less often, they shouldn't be able to find our location for a while. So what you need to do now is try your best to increase your strength when they discover me! Otherwise, that person before is a lesson to be learned. Unless I recover my former strength, even though I'm not weak now, it will be difficult for me to deal with some of the strong people in the Soul Hall."

When the Soul Hall was mentioned, Yao Lao Yao Lao's voice became much more solemn, clearly indicating that he was extremely wary of this power.

"Don't worry, teacher, we will work hard to improve."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Yan spoke in unison.

"By the way, we might be able to stay in Black Seal City for a day. The auction there should have what we need. However, do you two have enough money? In the Black-Corner Region, it's almost impossible to move an inch without money."

Upon hearing this, the Yao Lao smiled with satisfaction and then asked.

"Uh, it seems there are still a few hundred thousand Gold Coins left?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback and slowly replied.

"I do have over two million left."

Xiao Yuan said with a smile.

The Yao Lao was speechless for a moment, and said helplessly, "Two million is probably too little. What can you do with several hundred thousand?"

Scratching his head awkwardly, Xiao Yan said with a wry smile, "If all else fails, we can buy some Medicinal Herbs, refine them into pills, and auction them off. I've never heard of an alchemist being short of money."

"Hehe, don't forget to buy a medicine cauldron. This time, buy a good one, otherwise your furnace will explode again when you're refining pills."

Xiao Yuan, standing to the side, chuckled jokingly.

"Oh, that's true!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan shook his head with a headache. Once is enough for the furnace to explode!

"The storm seems to be stopping."

As Xiao Yuan spoke, his body emerged from the ground like an eel, and then he pulled Xiao Yan out as well. With a light step, he restored the two pits beneath their feet to their original state.

Earth-attribute Earth Rank Cultivation Method are quite effective; such minor tricks are just a negligible side effect of the technique.

Soon, a faint ray of sunlight pierced the darkness, and the previously gloomy sky regained its light, while the gale completely dissipated.

The two returned to the carriage and continued their journey.