Qingshan Town

Zhang Nian calculated carefully. Even if the person from the Soul Hall traveled without rest to the nearest city with a space-time wormhole, then headed to the Central Plains to find the Soul Hall headquarters, and successfully encountered those Heavenly Sovereigns, it would take at least two to three months. As for gathering manpower and setting out from the Central Plains to reach the Jia Ma Empire, even if a Dou Sheng powerhouse opened a space wormhole the entire way, it would still take at least a month. In two or three months, no matter how he calculated it, he should have broken through to the Dou Sheng realm, or perhaps an even higher level. Furthermore, looking at his current Dou Qi value, he was already at over sixty million.

Just counting the bonus brought by Cailin alone, assuming her daily cultivation time reached 18 hours, that would be 300*18*3000*30 = 486,000,000 Dou Qi points. In three months, that would be 1,458,000,000 Dou Qi points. Although Zhang Nian was not yet clear about the Dou Qi divisions for reaching Dou Sheng, it seemed more than enough from this perspective. Moreover, he possessed a divine object like the Nanming Li Fire. Besides, if he managed to max out the favorability of Cailin and his remaining disciples during this period, the cultivation speed would only increase further. He figured there wouldn't be any problems.

In Zi Yan's cozy little cabin, two small, tender hands held a purple medicinal herb in the left and a gold-rimmed nut in the right, eating one after another until her mouth was covered in juice.

"Master is so generous today, hee hee, I have delicious things to eat too~"

"Knock, knock~"

The door was knocked, and a flash of annoyance crossed her childish face. She shouted toward the entrance: "Who is it!"

The maid Mingyue pushed the door open a crack, only to see her master sitting on the edge of the bed eating something unknown. She was startled. Originally, she had heard that the Saint had bestowed some good things, and she had intended to take advantage of this momentum to learn from Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong and say some flowery, aimless words. Now, it was all for nothing; she had worried in vain...

"Apologies, we heard a loud noise inside and thought you might have had a stomachache. We'll close the door now."

Caixia, standing to the side, saw that Mingyue hadn't moved for a long time and was afraid of angering Zi Yan, so she pulled her back and hurriedly closed the door. The two sighed outside the door. Looking at their master's current state, it seemed there wouldn't be any opportunity for a while; she was truly just a little foodie...

"I think we should both give up on that idea. Besides, the master looks like a child right now; how could the Saint possibly have any designs on her..."

"You never know..." Mingyue just started to speak when Caixia raised her hand to cover her mouth. This wasn't something to be said lightly; if others heard it, it would be a disaster. "Don't say such things again. If someone else hears you, it will be terrible."

Mingyue nodded in fear, looked left and right to ensure no one was around, and then patted her chest in relief. The two looked at each other, both seeing the helplessness in the other's eyes. They shook their heads and stood quietly by the door, waiting for Zi Yan's summons.

After finishing his meal, Zhang Nian recalled a secret realm that Xiao Yan had once explored. There was a flight Dou Technique there, along with other items. Of course, the thing he wanted most was that flight Dou Technique. He knew that in all the martial arts of the world, nothing could be broken except by speed; that was the truth.

Spatial abilities were indeed profound, but when the levels of opponents were similar, such abilities were not as effective. At such times, one needed to rely on other things for help, such as speed or soul power. There was no good method for soul cultivation at the moment, so he could only rely on speed. According to his memories, movement techniques combined with these other items could produce unexpected, wonderful effects. At the same time, that Seven-Colored Poison Scripture could also lay the groundwork for recruiting Xiao Yi Xian in the future; after all, a constitution like the Woeful Poison Body was extremely rare and powerful.

Thinking of this, Zhang Nian no longer sat idly by. After finding Cailin and giving her a few instructions, he set off. The journey was not very far, and with his current strength to open a space wormhole, connecting the two points and traveling back and forth would take only a day.

"Cailin, I won't be gone long. You are in charge of all matters in the sect."

"Understood, Master." Cailin nodded slightly. One day was not a long time; for a cultivator, it was just the blink of an eye.

After speaking, Zhang Nian arrived in front of the mountain gate. He sensed the space carefully, established the general direction through the map of the Jia Ma Empire in his hand, and immediately exerted his spatial power to pinpoint the location.

After a while, he suddenly opened his eyes, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth as he smiled confidently: "Heh, found it."

Following a mysterious fluctuation, the space around him became illusory. When everything became blurred, the space in front of him seemed to be torn apart by a pair of invisible hands, and then Zhang Nian dove into the space-time wormhole.

In another space.

Qingshan Town.

"Clang~"

Countless pedestrians stopped to watch the spectacle in the sky. At this moment, seven-colored auroras appeared in the sky like waves. Immediately after, the clouds floating above began to turn illusory. Some onlookers who didn't know the truth thought there was something wrong with their eyes, and only after rubbing them did they realize it wasn't their problem.

Then, a crack appeared in the sky, and a pitch-black hole slowly opened. A figure appeared, and only then did the people below realize that a powerhouse had descended, and they scattered in all directions. Zhang Nian had no interest in this group of people; in his eyes, they were no different from ants.

According to his memory, that secret realm was hidden within the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Of course, that treasure cave was not hard to find, as it was hidden in a cliffside.

Searching along the mountain range, he soon saw a prominent cave. Not rushing to enter, he let his Dou Qi surge wildly, revealing his strength as a three-star Dou Zun. Soon, the snakes, insects, rats, and ants in the cave fled in all directions. This was the sensory ability of magical beasts; facing a powerhouse like Zhang Nian, they would instinctively flee.

Walking in the quiet and dark cave, he opened his palm, controlling the temperature of the Nanming Li Fire to dispel the faint chill in the cave. In the quiet passage, the sound of Zhang Nian's footsteps echoed.

Sensing carefully, there was not much danger in the passage ahead, so he simply stood in the void, turned his body, and rushed straight toward the innermost part. He casually shattered the stone door in front of him, revealing another world.

This was a huge stone chamber. The simple items and furnishings appeared plain and empty. The ceiling was embedded with moonstones used for lighting. In the center of the stone chamber, there was a seat, and a skeleton sat upon it. None of this was anything for Zhang Nian to fear.

Ignoring the gold coins and wealth beside it, he locked his gaze on the three stone boxes placed on the bluestone platform in front of the seat. Zhang Nian waved his palm gently, and the three black keys in the skeleton's palm slowly flew toward his own, landing steadily in his hand.

He smiled slightly and opened the first two stone boxes in turn, which contained the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture and the flight Dou Technique, Wings of the Eagle, respectively. The last box contained the high-tier Xuan-grade Dou Technique, Mad Lion Roar.

He then looked at the skeleton's arm. If he remembered correctly, when Xiao Yan accidentally shattered its left arm bone, a remnant map of the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame was hidden inside. So, would it be there...?