A powerful feeling of weightlessness.
Xue Yuheng wrapped his left arm firmly around Xiao Xiao's waist, holding her securely against him.
The moment they began to fall, the Wordless Heavenly Book rose of its own accord from between his brows. Its pale golden Power of Creation spread into a spherical barrier, barely managing to block the blue wind blades shooting out of the rift.
Xiao Xiao instinctively activated the Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron. The ancient, imposing cauldron appeared around them, and its heavy Soul Power spread out, pinning all the wind blades hurtling toward them in midair.
But after just a few breaths, the wind blades broke free and slammed hard into the cauldron, making her Soul Power churn violently.
Taking advantage of that brief reprieve, Xue Yuheng finally saw that they had already fallen beyond the cliff face, into a void world made entirely of wind and enormous rocks.
The two of them landed on a massive floating rock.
Like an asteroid belt.
Is this still the Douluo World? Could it be like Dragon Valley, and we're no longer on the Douluo Continent?
Xue Yuheng suppressed his doubts and kept them to himself, so he wouldn't add to Xiao Xiao's worries.
There was no sky or ground as far as they could see, only layer upon layer of churning wind and rocks.
Each wall of wind formed its own boundary. The farther away they were, the more violent and profound they became.
A seemingly endless wall of wind stretched across the void, like a chasm leading straight to death.
"So this is the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm..."
Xue Yuheng's voice sounded beside Xiao Xiao's ear. The Wordless Heavenly Book emerged from his Spirit Sea, its pages fluttering in the wind as lines upon lines of text rapidly appeared.
"Each layer of the storm corresponds to a level of mastery in the Law of Wind.
"The first layer is the Mortal Gale, with destructive power equivalent to a Soul Master's. The higher you go, the higher the level of the law.
"The Heavenly Dragon Gate's record holder once reached the twenty-seventh layer. He was a Super Douluo from a thousand years ago.
"According to him, starting with the final three layers, the wind might be strong enough to tear apart even a Limit Douluo's body."
Xiao Xiao bit her lip and looked up at Xue Yuheng. "We can't go back, can we?"
The cliff face behind them had vanished into the void, replaced by an invisible spatial barrier. Even the faint bloodline connection from the Heavenly Dragon Token had disappeared.
Ahead lay a storm where death was all but certain. Behind them was a dead end. They had no other choice.
"With me here, you'll be safe."
When the Heavenly Dragon Gate discovered this place seven thousand years ago, the scene had been the same: endless floating stones and boundless gales.
Even with the formidable physical strength of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul, the Heavenly Dragon Gate had imposed a strict requirement out of concern for its disciples.
Any Soul Master venturing down here had to be at least at the seventieth level. Only the Martial Soul Avatar could withstand the gales in the deeper layers.
And from Yu Xiao's explanation just now, each layer of the storm they passed through would grant them a trace of insight into the Law of Wind.
The powerful expert from a thousand years ago who had made it through twenty-seven layers of the laws' origin had even grasped a trace of the Law of Space.
That was something only a Limit Douluo could touch.
Over the past seven thousand years, as the Heavenly Dragon Gate developed the Thirty-Three Heavens Storm, it had picked and depleted all the rare treasures with wind and space attributes.
The bare, rocky expanse no longer held any value.
So when the previous sect master closed the place, no one objected.
Xue Yuheng released Xiao Xiao's arm. A blood-red Soul Ring, four hundred thousand years old, lit up beneath his feet. The chill of Ultimate Ice spread instantly, freezing the incoming gales into ice fragments.
Here, there was no need to hide his strength.
"Xiao Xiao, in cultivation, if you don't advance, you fall behind. Our journey has been too smooth. Perhaps this will be a good trial," Xue Yuheng said earnestly.
At the same time, he had all seven powerful members of the Moon Shadow Squad emerge from his shadow.
This was the only place on the continent where they could comprehend the Law of Wind.
Xue Yuheng had never been one to keep good things to himself.
Xiao Xiao was just as serious. With a playful smile, she said, "Xiao Xue, how about we see who can comprehend it faster?"
Xue Yuheng nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, the two stepped hand in hand into the first layer of the storm.
"His Highness and the Crown Princess are such a perfect match... Do you think I might find myself a good husband someday?" Wan watched the two youngsters she had shipped since childhood with an envious look.
She had finished mining the depths of the Cold Spring at the Earth Dragon Gate and officially rejoined the team. It was the first time in years that the Moon Shadow Squad had been together in full.
Ying's Shadow Martial Soul had a powerful domain skill that allowed her to hide in someone else's shadow.
It was undoubtedly a powerful assassination skill, but Xue Yuheng had put it to use as a way to keep him safe at close range.
The other six gave "Wan" strange looks.
As their captain, Yue chuckled. "With His Highness's selfish personality, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape him..."
Wan smiled sweetly. "Hehe... Then I won't run. His Highness would make a fine husband. I'm not picky..."
Ying's expression remained cool as she said flatly, "Love-struck fool."
Rou covered her mouth and laughed. "That's not lovesickness. She's just pining for a man... Why don't you ask her what she borrowed from me last night..."
Wan blushed furiously and snapped, "Rou, don't think I don't know. You're the biggest fan of pretty young boys among us... That picture of His Highness you had last time..."
The women dissolved into laughter.
If some of the corrupt officials of the Dou Ling Empire, whose graves were already covered in three feet of grass, had seen this, they probably would have been so angry they'd have leapt right out of their coffins.
Meanwhile
The first layer of the storm was equivalent to an attack from a tenth-level Soul Master. It wasn't difficult for Xue Yuheng and Xiao Xiao, but neither chose to move on to the next layer right away.
The Four Symbols Heaven-Suppressing Cauldron excelled at calming, suppressing evil, and controlling. As Xiao Xiao spread its heavy Soul Power, the violent gales immediately slowed.
As she repeatedly controlled the wind's flow, Xiao Xiao's command of her Soul Power grew stronger and stronger.
Xue Yuheng used a different method to cultivate.
He combined Ultimate Ice with the Power of Creation, imitating the wind's movements as he tried to create a "wind" of his own.
Everyone had a different temperament, and everyone understood the wind differently.
Ever since he was born, Xue Yuheng had liked to keep everything under his control. As someone who had crossed over from another world, he didn't want anything to escape his grasp—not at least when it came to the bigger picture.
One day, two days... eleven days...
In the blink of an eye, twenty-five days had passed.
Xue Yuheng awoke from meditation. With a slight movement of his hand, a gentle breeze curled around his fingertips.
Within the boundless gale, a wisp of breeze appeared, rising against the wind.
"Where's Xiao Xiao?"
Only Xue Yuheng and Rou were in the first layer of the storm.
Xue Yuheng's question roused Rou. She answered, "Your Highness, Princess Consort Gan left the first layer seven days ago.
"She said she could already control the gales here, and there was no point in staying."
Xue Yuheng wasn't angry. If anything, he was delighted.
This might have been the first time Xiao Xiao had left his side of her own accord.
The little girl had really grown up.
Rou had thought Xue Yuheng would leave and follow Xiao Xiao to the next layer.
But he didn't.
Noticing the confusion between "Rou's" brows, Xue Yuheng smiled faintly and said,
"The wind in this first layer... is pretty fun.
"If you're getting bored, you can go on ahead. Don't wait for me."
Rou smiled gently. "I'll stay here and wait for you, Your Highness."
Rou'er... That name seemed to date back to two years ago, when this woman had wrapped up a massive corruption case involving the empire's first-rank officials. He'd been so happy that he'd called her that without thinking.
What a strange woman.
Xue Yuheng settled back into meditation.
Under the Wordless Heavenly Book's Deduction, the wind of the Thirty-Three Heavens... actually...
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