First Arrival in the Central Plains, Relic Key!

The teleportation through a spatial wormhole is not instantaneous; it involves enduring a series of spatial fluctuations and distortions.

However, for Lin Chen and Medusa, who have both attained the cultivation of a Dou Ancestor, these fluctuations are no longer enough to cause any distress.

Lin Chen, relying on his Spirit Realm soul power, even faintly perceives the profound mysteries of the spatial trajectory.

His understanding of spatial power has deepened by a few degrees.

When the chaotic spatial forces surrounding them gradually subside and the light before them stabilizes.

A surge of heaven and earth energy, several times richer and purer than that of the Northwest Continent, mixed with a far more bustling and clamorous atmosphere, rushes toward them.

They have officially set foot on the land of the Central Plains.

Their landing point is a massive plaza.

Above the plaza, silver spatial wormhole halos of varying sizes flicker, with figures constantly entering and exiting, appearing exceptionally busy.

Surrounding them are towering city walls and rows of buildings, their style vastly different from the Jia Ma Empire.

These structures are grander and more intricate, with the air permeated by an ancient and powerful charm.

This place is "Sky Yellow City," a large city on the edge of the Central Plains.

Even as a border city, its level of prosperity far exceeds that of the Holy City of the Jia Ma Empire.

The streets are crowded with people, and the auras of experts are everywhere.

The level of Dou King seems common here, and occasionally, one can even sense the auras of Dou Emperors or even Dou Ancestors sweeping across the sky.

Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin have never seen such a scene, and they cannot help but feel a little nervous.

They subconsciously move closer to Lin Chen; Xiao Yi Xian's fingertips gently grip the strap of her medicine pouch, her knuckles turning slightly white.

Hidden in the depths of her eyes is unease toward this unfamiliar environment.

Qing Lin hides half of her body behind Xiao Yi Xian, her emerald eyes scanning the surroundings timidly.

Only when she sees Lin Chen's back does she quietly heave a sigh of relief.

Zi Yan, meanwhile, rolls her large eyes around, filled with curiosity about everything.

Especially the shops wafting with the aroma of food and energy fluctuations; her nose twitches incessantly, clearly tempted by the delicacies.

"Is this the Central Plains? It's so lively!"

Zi Yan excitedly tugs at Lin Chen's sleeve.

Medusa's expression remains cold, her gaze sweeping across the surroundings, the aura of a three-star Dou Ancestor slightly restrained.

Yet, that innate queenly majesty still draws many sidelong glances.

"The energy concentration is indeed incomparable to the Northwest Continent; it is no wonder it can nurture so many experts."

Medusa speaks indifferently.

Lin Chen nods slightly, his soul power spreading out quietly like mercury spilling onto the ground.

He collects the fragments of information flowing through the air; being a newcomer, intelligence is of the utmost importance.

Soon, a piece of news being discussed by many catches his attention.

"...Have you heard? There seems to be movement over at 'Saint-Falling Mountain'!"

"Indeed, it is said that the spatial fluctuations there are becoming increasingly violent; I fear an ancient relic is truly about to manifest!"

One person replies.

"Tsk tsk, Saint-Falling Mountain... just hearing the name, one knows it is not simple. Perhaps it is a cave dwelling left behind by a Dou Saint expert!"

Another person sighs with emotion.

"Heh, even if it is a Dou Saint relic, it is not something just anyone can enter."

One person lowers his voice, "I heard there is an extremely powerful spatial barrier on the periphery that restricts cultivation; experts above the three-star Dou Venerate level cannot enter at all."

"That is still incredible! Even with the cultivation restriction, whatever flows out from inside would be enough for us to benefit infinitely!"

Desire flashes in someone's eyes, "It is a pity, though; without a 'Relic Key,' it is difficult even to approach the core area..."

"A key? It is said that every time the relic fluctuates, the keys appear randomly in certain places within ten thousand miles of the site."

Another person adds, "They are rare and hard to come by..."

"Saint-Falling Mountain? A Dou Saint relic? Cultivation restrictions? A Relic Key?"

A trace of interest flashes in Lin Chen's eyes. A Dou Saint relic is full of temptation, even for him.

And that cultivation restriction is, conversely, advantageous to him.

After all, Medusa is only a three-star Dou Ancestor, well within the limit.

"Let us go to the city's trading district and take a look."

Lin Chen makes his decision. Since the keys appear randomly, the trading district, a place where all kinds of people gather, is the most likely place to find a lead.

The trading district of Sky Yellow City is massive, divided into several zones.

Lin Chen and his group head straight for the free-market area, the most chaotic and diverse part of the city.

The place was bustling with noise, the air filled with an endless chorus of hawkers shouting their wares and customers haggling over prices.

The stalls were packed with all manner of items, ranging from low-grade medicinal herbs and monster cores to seemingly ancient, broken weapons and scrolls; everything was there, though distinguishing the genuine from the fake was no easy task.

Lin Chen's Spirit Realm soul perception swept slowly across the area, finding most of the items to be utterly unremarkable.

Yet, there were a few that contained faint, peculiar fluctuations.

He was in no rush to search for the so-called "Key Guide," choosing instead to first purchase some basic intelligence jade slips containing maps of the Central Plains and charts of the various factions' territories.

Just as they passed an inconspicuous corner stall, Lin Chen's footsteps faltered slightly.

His gaze landed on an item covered in a thick layer of dust, irregular in shape and resembling some sort of metal fragment.

The fragment looked like junk, but Lin Chen's soul perception sensed a trace of an extremely obscure fluctuation within it, one that resonated faintly with the surrounding spatial energy.

The stall owner was a lean-faced Dou Grandmaster with shifty eyes; seeing Lin Chen stop, he immediately became enthusiastic.

"This young master has a sharp eye! This fragment is a treasure passed down in my family. They say it was dug out of some ancient ruin—it's incredibly hard, definitely a good thing!"

Lin Chen couldn't be bothered to listen to his boasting and asked directly, "How much?"

The stall owner's eyes darted around, and he held up five fingers: "Five hundred gold coins! No, five thousand gold coins!"

Lin Chen remained expressionless and tossed him a fourth-grade medicinal pill: "Is this enough?"

The stall owner caught the pill, felt the pure medicinal power within, and immediately beamed with joy, saying repeatedly, "Enough, enough! You are generous, young master!"

To him, trading this broken rock for a fourth-grade medicinal pill was like a pie falling from the sky.

Lin Chen reached out to take the metal fragment.

However, at that very moment, a somewhat arrogant voice rang out: "Hold it! This young master has taken a fancy to this fragment!"

Several youths dressed in uniform silver robes, embroidered with wind and lightning patterns, walked over.

The leader had an arrogant expression, his gaze sweeping over Lin Chen and his group.

It lingered on Medusa and Xiao Yi Xian for a moment, a flash of lecherous intent crossing his face.

Their auras were all at the Dou King level; clearly, they were disciples of some sect.

"It's people from the Wind Lightning Pavilion..."

People nearby whispered, their faces showing signs of fear.

The stall owner's face turned pale; he clearly recognized this group.

Zi Yan, who despised such arrogant fellows, curled her little lip: "Hey! Who are you? We saw this thing first!"

The Wind Lightning Pavilion youth let out a cold snort: "Where did this little girl come from, daring to snatch things from this young master?"

His tone grew even more haughty, "In this Sky Yellow City, whatever the Wind Lightning Pavilion fancies belongs to us!"

"If you know what's good for you, get lost and leave that fragment behind."

The youth pointed at Lin Chen, his tone flippant:

"This young master might consider sparing your lives!"

Medusa's eyes turned icy in an instant, and the space around her body distorted slightly.

Pale purple Dou Qi gathered quietly at her fingertips; if Lin Chen gave the slightest signal, she would strike instantly.

Lin Chen's gaze was also as calm as water, though coldness surged in the depths of his pitch-black eyes.

Those familiar with him knew this was the precursor to his rage.

"You're courting death!"

Zi Yan didn't care about any of that; her hands had been itching for a fight, and seeing the other party speak so rudely, her small fist was instantly enveloped in faint golden Dou Qi.

The golden fist force, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, slammed directly toward the Wind Lightning Pavilion youth's face.

The youth hadn't expected the other party to strike so directly; in his haste, he channeled his pale blue lightning Dou Qi, crossing his arms in front of him to block.

A shield manifested in an instant!

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, the lightning Dou Qi was instantly scattered by the golden fist force.

"Boom!"

The shield shattered on impact!

The robe on the youth's arm tore into fine shreds, and he stumbled back several steps.

His arm was so numb he could barely lift it, and his face was filled with shock: "You... what kind of monster are you?!"

"How dare you bully Zi Yan!"

Although Xiao Yi Xian was nervous, she stood out without hesitation, the pale green poison Dou Qi within her body surging slightly.

Seeing that Zi Yan had the upper hand, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, though she still watched the remaining Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples with vigilance.

"Attack together! Take them down!"

The Wind Lightning Pavilion youth, humiliated and enraged, called for his companions to strike.

In an instant, lightning surged violently from the four Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples, pale blue currents crackling across their robes.

Their footwork shifted in unison, executing the signature Wind Lightning Step of the Wind Lightning Pavilion.

Their figures closed in from different directions like streaks of lightning—the disciple on the left condensed his Dou Qi into sharp claws, tearing through the air with a shrill whistle as he lunged for Zi Yan's back.

The two on the right joined forces to unleash the Wind Lightning Slash, their semi-circular arcs of lightning-infused Dou Qi weaving into a net that sealed off all escape routes for Lin Chen and Medusa.

The final disciple circled behind Xiao Yi Xian, intending to neutralize the target who appeared the weakest.

However, in Lin Chen's eyes, their movements were as sluggish as a crawling snail.

Lin Chen did not even shift his feet; he merely turned his gaze cold, a sharp chill flashing through his pitch-black pupils.

The pressure of his Spirit Realm soul was no longer restrained, erupting from his body like a slumbering beast suddenly awakened, surging forth with overwhelming force!

That invisible power first manifested as a ring-shaped shockwave, instantly shattering the encroaching net of lightning Dou Qi.

Fragments of pale blue energy dissipated into the air like dying fireworks.

Immediately following, the pressure locked onto the five Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples with pinpoint precision, descending upon their souls like five invisible mountains.

It slammed into them with brutal force!

The leading youth, just about to mobilize his Dou Qi once more, felt a deafening "buzz" roar through his mind.

It was as if countless steel needles had been driven into his consciousness, and his vision instantly plunged into darkness.

His body pitched forward uncontrollably, crashing heavily to the ground as he began to foam at the mouth, his fingers twitching rhythmically.

He could not even muster a single thread of Dou Qi.

The disciple on the left, who had been lunging at Zi Yan, stopped dead in his tracks; his eyes rolled back, and he toppled straight backward.

He crashed into a nearby stall, sending clay pots and herbs scattering across the ground.

The two disciples on the right who had unleashed the Wind Lightning Slash were drained of all strength, their knees buckling as they collapsed to the earth.

With their heads buried in the dust, they let out pained, muffled groans; the agony in their souls left them without the strength to even lift their heads.

The disciple who had circled behind Xiao Yi Xian fared even worse, coughing up a mouthful of blood as the pressure crushed him.

His body curled into a ball, his aura wilting at a visible rate, clearly suffering severe soul damage.

In the span of a single breath, five Dou King-level Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples had been unable to mount even a decent resistance.

They were all instantly defeated by Lin Chen's soul pressure!

The surrounding air seemed to solidify, and the once-bustling stall area fell into absolute silence.

Only the sound of the wind rustling the stall curtains remained.

The passersby who had been whispering moments ago now stood with wide eyes and slack jaws.

Their faces were etched with disbelief—some pointed at Lin Chen, their bodies trembling slightly from the shock.

The old woman selling herbs forgot to pack up her stall, still clutching a handful of herbs she had been about to hand to a customer.

Several mercenaries who had been preparing to watch the spectacle instinctively retreated a few steps, their eyes filled with terror as they looked at Lin Chen.

It was as if they were staring at a deity that must not be provoked.

"What... what kind of strength is this? Even a Dou Emperor couldn't do this so easily, right?"

A voice filled with tremors broke the deathly silence.

"It must be a Dou Ancestor! Only the soul power of a Dou Ancestor could kill Dou Kings instantly with nothing but pressure!"

Another person immediately chimed in, their tone filled with awe, "The Wind Lightning Pavilion has kicked an iron plate this time; to think they dared to provoke a Dou Ancestor!"

"That youth was so arrogant just a moment ago, and now look... he truly sought his own death!"

Someone mocked in a low voice, but kept it barely audible, terrified that Lin Chen might hear.

The stall owner who had been selling metal fragments had long since collapsed to the ground, his pants soaked through, a pungent, fishy odor spreading around him.

He looked at Lin Chen's back, his eyes filled with relief—thank goodness he hadn't dared to swindle this lord, or he would likely be in the same miserable state as those Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples.

Xiao Yi Xian was also stunned.

The unease in her heart vanished instantly, replaced by a profound sense of security.

Qing Lin peeked out from behind her, her green eyes filled with adoration as she watched Lin Chen's back, her small hands clenching tightly.

She secretly resolved to grow stronger quickly so she would not always be a burden.

Zi Yan, meanwhile, stood with her hands on her hips, looking at the Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples on the ground with triumph.

She tilted her small face up toward Lin Chen: "Lin Chen, you're so amazing!"

Lin Chen didn't even glance at the Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples on the ground, as if he had merely brushed away a few annoying flies.

He reached out, and a gentle force drew the metal fragment into his hand.

It felt slightly heavy and cold to the touch, and the dust on its surface fell away automatically under the influence of his power.

Dark golden, intricate patterns were revealed beneath, and the resonance with the power of space became even clearer.

He sensed it carefully for a moment and could basically confirm that this was one of the "Relic Keys" required to enter the Saint-Falling Mountain ruins.

"Wind Lightning Pavilion... it seems this grudge is set."

Lin Chen felt no ripples in his heart; a sect branch that only possessed a Dou Emperor as its pavilion master and disciples who were merely Dou Kings was not something he held in his eyes.

He tucked the metal fragment into his Storage Ring and said to Medusa and the others, "Let's go."

The group followed behind Lin Chen, slowly walking out of the stall area.

Passersby subconsciously cleared a path for them; no one dared to look at Medusa or Xiao Yi Xian again.

They did not even dare to meet Lin Chen's gaze until his party had walked far away.

The stall area returned to its noisy state, but the topic of discussion had shifted entirely to the scene of Lin Chen instantly killing the Wind Lightning Pavilion disciples.

Finding a quiet inn to stay in, Lin Chen set up a soul barrier.

He began to study the metal fragment and the intelligence jade slip he had purchased.

Combining the information, he confirmed that the news regarding the Saint-Falling Mountain relic was essentially true.

In about half a month, the barrier would weaken to the point of allowing entry.

As for the fragment in his hand, it was indeed a type of spatial token, a "Relic Key."

After dealing with these matters, Lin Chen sank his consciousness into his Storage Ring.

He had previously obtained the complete inheritances of two Sixth-Grade Alchemists, as well as the Seventh-Grade Alchemist Inheritance jade slip.

Busy with cultivation and miscellaneous affairs, he had not yet studied them in detail.

Now that his cultivation had reached the Dou Ancestor realm and his soul was at the Spirit Realm, it was time to thoroughly digest this knowledge.

He first went through the inheritances of the two Sixth-Grade Alchemists in his mind.

With his current realm and comprehension, that knowledge, which appeared obscure and difficult to understand to ordinary people, was as clear as the lines on his palm.

He instantly grasped the essence, even able to draw inferences and deduce superior solutions.

In less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the life's work of the two Sixth-Grade Alchemists had been thoroughly digested and mastered by him.

Next, he took out the dark gold Seventh-Grade Alchemist inheritance jade slip.

As his soul power surged into it, a massive stream of information instantly flooded his mind.

The refining of Seventh-Grade medicinal pills involved far more complex medicinal properties.

The control of flame required precision to the extreme, and the application of soul power reached an entirely new level.

It even began to tentatively draw in a trace of the power of heaven and earth to integrate into the pill, giving it spirituality!

For ordinary alchemists, they might not even glimpse the threshold of this knowledge in their entire lives.

But supported by the monstrous comprehension transformed by the Blood Scripture and the Styx inheritance, as well as his Spirit Realm soul power, everything remained orderly.

Like the most precise instrument, he rapidly analyzed, understood, and absorbed the mysteries of Seventh-Grade alchemy.

Various complex prescriptions, exquisite pill-condensing techniques, and the secrets of soul micro-manipulation... were all mastered by him, constantly simulated and optimized in his mind.

He even felt that he had touched the peak of a Seventh-Grade Alchemist.

He was only one step of practice and a certain opportunity away from attempting to break through to the Eighth-Grade realm!

However, he currently lacked the inheritance for Eighth-Grade alchemy.

It was not impossible to deduce it through his own comprehension, but it would require a massive amount of time and energy for trial and error.

With the relic opening soon, this was not the best time for closed-door study.

More importantly, he needed to find a relatively safe and stable environment for Xiao Yi Xian, Zi Yan, and the slightly weaker Qing Lin.

The factions in the Central Plains were intricate and filled with hidden dangers; he could not keep them by his side at all times.

And an alchemist was undoubtedly one of the most respected and safest professions in the Central Plains.

"Pill Tower..."

Lin Chen opened his eyes, a flash of wisdom crossing them. As the holy land for alchemists in the Central Plains, it possessed the most complete inheritance, the richest resources, and a transcendent status.

If he could obtain a high-ranking status in the Pill Tower, it would not only solve his inheritance problem.

It would also provide a powerful sanctuary for Xiao Yi Xian and the others.

"We are going to the Pill Tower."

Lin Chen made his decision.

Medusa had no objections to this; she only needed to follow in Lin Chen's footsteps.

Hearing that the Pill Tower surely had many delicious medicinal pills, Zi Yan naturally raised both hands in favor.

Xiao Yi Xian and Qing Lin trusted Lin Chen's arrangements unconditionally.

With the goal set, the group did not delay further. After a brief rest, they left Sky Yellow City.

Following the guidance of the map, they sped toward the core region of the Central Plains—the Pill Region, that holy land all alchemists yearned for!