Half a month later, high above the clouds.
Gale-force winds howled, and the sea of clouds churned.
A sleek, shuttle-shaped flying boat shimmered with a faint azure glow. Like a blue comet streaking across the sky, it hurtled northwest at a terrifying speed far beyond that of an ordinary Dou Huang expert.
A transparent energy barrier covered the boat, keeping the fierce winds at bay.
It was the Wind Riding Boat Ning Chen had won in the lottery that day.
The interior was not large, but it had enough room for two people to sit comfortably.
Ning Chen sat cross-legged at the front, steering the boat as he calmly watched the mountains and rivers rushing past.
Behind him, Xiao Yi Xian stood quietly in a light purple dress, her figure growing ever more graceful and slender.
In just half a month, thanks to the fearsome talent of her Woeful Poison Body and the resources Ning Chen had provided, her cultivation had soared to Two-Star Dou Zhe. At that pace, most so-called geniuses could only watch her from behind.
"Where are we going?"
Xiao Yi Xian gazed down at the land below. It had grown unfamiliar, its terrain increasingly rugged and treacherous, its vegetation tinged with an unusually deep hue. She asked softly.
Before setting off, Ning Chen had only told her that they were leaving the Magic Beast Mountain Range to find something of vital importance to her. He had not revealed their precise destination.
At her question, Ning Chen drew his gaze back from the distance and glanced at her. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he raised a hand and pointed toward the horizon.
Far beyond, among the vast mountains, a colossal silhouette came into view. Its towering walls had been built against the mountainside, winding like a black giant serpent.
Xiao Yi Xian followed his gesture. Her heart gave an inexplicable thump. Even from this distance, she had the strange feeling that the air there was filled with invisible toxins.
"That place is..."
"The Chu Yun Empire," Ning Chen said simply.
Xiao Yi Xian's pupils contracted.
The Chu Yun Empire!
Though she had lived in Qingshan Town for years, she had still heard of this land bordering the Jia Ma Empire, infamous for its rampant poison masters and their sinister, ruthless methods.
Did Ning Chen bring me here to find even more potent poisons?
Before she could think it through, the Wind Riding Boat had already become a streak of azure light. It maintained its speed as it shot straight toward the massive city, about to fly over its hundred-zhang-high walls.
But just as the boat neared the walls—
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Several foul-smelling bursts of Dou Qi shot from the watchtowers and exploded in front of the Wind Riding Boat, spreading into a roiling barrier of filthy poisonous mist.
At the same time, three pitch-black ships rose from behind the city. Shaped like segmented centipedes and bearing savage bone wings, they moved into position to block the way.
At the bow of the ship in the middle stood a man in a dark green brocade robe. His face was as sinister as a venomous snake's.
The aura of a One-Star Dou Wang spread without restraint. Several of his subordinates stood behind him, their eyes hostile and scorpion patterns embroidered on their robes.
"This is Kugu City, under the jurisdiction of our Wanxie Sect!"
The sinister Dou Wang's voice rang out sharply.
"Stop! State your identities and submit to inspection! Flying over the city walls without permission is strictly forbidden!"
Ning Chen frowned and brought the Wind Riding Boat to a steady halt in midair.
He had intended to enter the city quietly and gather information without causing trouble, but it seemed that would not be possible.
"Sir, we're only passing through. We'd like to replenish our supplies, and we mean no harm. Could you make an exception?"
Ning Chen's even voice came through the Wind Riding Boat's communication array.
At his words, the sinister Dou Wang's gaze first swept greedily over the boat beneath Ning Chen's feet.
Its elegant design and astonishing speed made it clear that it was no ordinary vessel. It was worth a fortune.
Then his gaze fell on Xiao Yi Xian behind Ning Chen.
When he saw her peerless beauty and graceful figure—and, in particular, the faint medicinal fragrance mingled with her mysterious, unfathomable aura—his eyes blazed with even greater greed and lechery.
In the Chu Yun Empire, where poison masters ran rampant and the law of the jungle was deeply ingrained, murder, robbery, and abducting beautiful women were commonplace.
As the Wanxie Sect's local representative, he was a One-Star Dou Wang, powerful enough to dominate the area. The boat carried only a young man and a beautiful girl, yet they had such a valuable vessel...
A wicked thought took root in his mind and swelled in an instant.
"Make an exception?"
A vicious grin suddenly spread across the sinister Dou Wang's face.
"You look suspicious, and that flying boat's origins are unknown! You could be spies sent by the Jia Ma Empire!"
He swept out his hand and barked, "Seize them! I want the flying boat and the woman alive! As for the man, dead or alive!"
In his mind, the other party was so young that even if he had concealed his strength, how powerful could he possibly be?
With his own strength as a One-Star Dou Wang, three warships equipped with poison crossbows and toxic smoke, and all his subordinates, he could take them down with ease.
He would get a treasure of a flying boat, enjoy the beautiful woman, and earn credit with the sect—all in one stroke!
At his order, poisonous light flashed across the three black warships. Several poisoned bolts and a few globes of dark green smoke locked onto the Wind Riding Boat.
The sinister Dou Wang let out a savage laugh. Dark green Dou Qi surged around him, forming the phantom of a giant scorpion. Carrying a foul wind, it lunged straight at the boat!
"Sigh..."
Ning Chen sighed helplessly. How had this fool ever cultivated to the Dou Wang level? Did he not value his life at all? Was he really unafraid of kicking an iron wall?
If it were Ning Chen, he would never make a move without being completely certain of victory.
"Ning Chen, what should we do now...?"
Xiao Yi Xian could not help asking. She had only ever seen Dou Zhe and Dou Shi fight in Qingshan Town. She had never witnessed anything like this.
"What should we do?"
Scarlet Dou Qi burst from Ning Chen's back, condensing into a pair of splendid, blazing wings. His gaze turned icy.
"We've got punching bags coming right to us. Might as well take the opportunity."
Since he had begun cultivating, he had never truly fought anyone using his own strength.
Now, the chance had come.
"Dou Qi Wings?! You're a Dou Wang?!"
The sinister Dou Wang saw the solid, dazzling wings of flame, and his expression changed drastically. Alarm bells rang in his mind as his greed gave way to fear.
A Dou Wang this young... He might have kicked an iron wall!
"Too late to realize that now."
Ning Chen blurred and shot out of the Wind Riding Boat like a scarlet meteor.
Blazing flames swept across the sky, becoming several raging streams of fire that struck the three Centipede Warships and the poison masters aboard with unerring accuracy.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A series of explosions rang out. The flames easily purified the poisonous smoke, and the poisoned bolts melted into molten iron. The ships shattered, and the screams cut short.
Only the sinister Dou Wang managed to evade the fatal blow with his protective Dou Qi. Within a few breaths, all the other poison masters and their warships had been reduced to ash and wreckage, raining down from the sky.
"Bastard!"
The sinister Dou Wang was both shocked and furious. This young man was not only terrifyingly powerful, but also vicious in his methods!
He roared and drove the scorpion phantom forward. It spewed a flood of ghastly green poison that blanketed the sky and crashed toward Ning Chen.
Ning Chen's expression remained unchanged as his form suddenly blurred.
High-grade Profound Tier Dou Technique—Phantom Fire Body!
Three fiery afterimages, indistinguishable from his true body in both appearance and aura, split off in an instant, each taking a different position.
The poison pierced through two of the afterimages before dispersing harmlessly.
Meanwhile, aided by the afterimages' movements, Ning Chen's true body had appeared beside the sinister Dou Wang like a ghost.
"What?!" The sinister Dou Wang was terrified out of his wits. He turned in a panic to defend himself.
"Die!"
Scarlet Dou Qi condensed into a blazing greatsword in Ning Chen's hands. Carrying a scorching sword intent that could burn everything to ashes, he swung it down in one simple, direct stroke!
"No—!"
The protective Dou Qi shattered like paper. The sword light swept past, and his voice cut off.
A One-Star Dou Wang had fallen.
The fight had lasted no more than three exchanges.
Ning Chen dismissed his Dou Qi Wings and returned to the Wind Riding Boat as casually as if he had just crushed a few annoying bugs.
"Let's go. We'll enter the city somewhere else."
He drove the Wind Riding Boat away from Kugu City, its azure light curving around the city as it headed toward the distant mountains.
Xiao Yi Xian watched the city shrink below and the scattered wreckage still burning. She pressed her lips together.
For the first time, she truly understood that on the Dou Qi Continent, even a Dou Wang expert was no more than an ant that a stronger person could crush with a flick of their fingers.
Half a moment later, a wisp of black mist, so faint it was almost invisible, drifted silently above the site of the battle.
The mist twisted and faintly condensed into a shadowy humanoid form, emitting a hoarse, bone-chilling cackle.
"Heh heh heh! I never thought I'd run into something like this so soon after returning to the Chu Yun Empire. Tsk, tsk, tsk... A Dou Wang this young, and his soul is quite delectable too... Excellent, excellent..."
The black mist rippled slightly, as if savoring the thought.
"Looks like we've found the next offering for the branch hall... I'll have to keep a close eye on him..."
Before you continue