Tianya City!

Just as the group was preparing to leave, the Great Elder suddenly arrived and said to Xiao Ze, "Young friend Xiao Ze, please take Zi Yan with you when you go to the Central Plains."

Looking at Zi Yan's petite, delicate figure, Xiao Ze smiled. "All right. I'll take her along."

He knew Zi Yan was the daughter of Dragon Emperor Zhu Kun of the Ancient Void Dragons, and that she possessed the purest royal bloodline.

It was only that her bloodline had yet to awaken, so she looked like a little girl.

The Great Elder said apologetically, "Zi Yan's identity is special. Perhaps only the Central Plains can provide answers. I'll have to entrust her to you on this journey, young friend Xiao Ze."

"Leave everything to me."

"Zi Yan, be good and listen to young friend Xiao Ze. The Central Plains is nothing like our Jia Nan Academy. No one there will indulge you." As they were saying goodbye, the Great Elder watched Zi Yan's mischievous antics, the corner of his mouth twitching despite himself.

She was wonderful in every other way, but her temper left much to be desired.

He didn't know whether going to the Central Plains would be good or bad for Zi Yan. All he could do was entrust her to Xiao Ze.

With him looking after her, she shouldn't cause any trouble.

"Old man, don't look down on me. I'm a Dou Huang expert. It's not like I'll hold them back!"

At the Great Elder's slight, Zi Yan glared at him and huffed in displeasure.

She was sick of the Inner Academy. If the old man hadn't forbidden her from leaving, she might have reached the Central Plains long ago.

The Great Elder's face darkened. With an exasperated wave, he told her to hurry up and leave.

"Great Elder, we'll take our leave now."

Seeing this, Xiao Ze cupped his hands in farewell.

As he watched them depart, the Great Elder's heart was a jumble of emotions.

Surrounded by Xiao Yi Xian, Yun Yun, and Qing Lin, Zi Yan couldn't have been happier.

"Big sister, what's the Central Plains like?" Zi Yan's bright, wide eyes sparkled as she wrapped both arms around one woman's leg in an affectionate embrace. Even Xiao Ze felt jealous watching them.

But none of the three women had ever been to the Central Plains, so they naturally had no idea what it was like.

The four of them immediately turned their eyes to Xiao Ze, their gazes brimming with a thirst for knowledge.

Xiao Ze stood with his hands behind his back and cleared his throat. "In the Central Plains, human forces are generally divided into One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions."

"One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions?" The four repeated the words slowly, understanding dawning on them.

"As the pillars of the Central Plains, their strength is so formidable it's hard to imagine. Among them are even Dou Sheng Experts."

Now that he was a one-star Dou Zun, he could roam the Central Plains, but when facing Dou Sheng Experts, he would still have to keep his tail between his legs.

Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he died.

Though Dou Sheng was only one rank above Dou Zun, the gulf between them was like a moat stretching to the heavens.

Anyone who hadn't reached Dou Sheng was no more than an ant.

The four wore different expressions, their imaginations running wild. As the most powerful forces in the Central Plains, those factions were sacred grounds in the hearts of countless people. Naturally, the women were eager to experience them for themselves.

Under Xiao Ze's lead, the group soon reached Tianya City.

It was the only city in the Black-Corner Region with a Space Wormhole. Anyone hoping to reach the Central Plains had to pass through Tianya City. Otherwise, even though he was a Dou Zun expert, tearing through space on his own wasn't exactly practical. After all, he had never been to the Central Plains, much less established a destination.

So for their first journey, they could only rely on someone else's Space Wormhole.

Upon reaching the Tianqing Mountains, they saw broad roads stretching out in every direction before them.

Countless figures could be seen on those roads. Even from far away, they could hear the bustle rising from below.

It was far livelier than Maple City.

In the skies above the mountains, they could also see numerous strange-looking flying beasts beating their wings as they darted into the mountain range.

"We're at Tianya City. Let's spend the night here and head to the Central Plains tomorrow," Xiao Ze said to those beside him.

"Sure." None of them objected.

After a few quick steps, the group arrived above Tianya City.

Looking down at the bustling scene, they couldn't help but praise it. Tianya City truly lived up to its reputation as a great city.

But just then, a streak of light shot up from the city gates and transformed into a yellow-robed old man.

Seeing the young people who clearly didn't know the rules, the old man was about to shout at them. But when he saw them standing in midair without a care in the world, the curse on his lips caught in his throat.

His face turned from pale to red and back again.

"Everyone, flying above Tianya City is forbidden. Please don't make things difficult for this old man," he said awkwardly.

There wasn't a single one of them he could afford to offend.

"Sorry. It really is our first time here," Xiao Ze said apologetically.

"No harm done, no harm done."

"Are you planning to use our city's Space Wormhole?" the old man asked politely, seeing how hurried they seemed.

"That's right. We're planning to take your city's Space Wormhole to the Central Plains," Xiao Ze replied frankly.

"Then I'm afraid I have some bad news." The old man looked troubled. "Our city's Space Wormhole developed some problems not long ago, so it may be unusable for the time being."

"But our Luo Family Ancestor is gathering people to deal with it. Dou Zong experts are hard to find, so we'd like to ask you to lend us a hand. Would you be willing?" The old man looked toward the man at the head of the group and clasped his hands.

At this, Xiao Ze smiled faintly. "The price for asking a Dou Zun expert to help won't be low."

His words struck like a bolt from the blue. The old man's eyes widened, and he began mumbling incoherently.

The man before him was actually a Dou Zun expert!

The old man found it hard to breathe. He had assumed that since the other man could stand in midair, he was a Dou Zong expert. He had never imagined he was an even more terrifying Dou Zun expert!

When had such a monstrous talent appeared in Tianya City?

"Hey, old man, I asked you a question. Why are you just standing there like a fool?" Zi Yan was getting impatient. They had already been standing there for a long time.

"Sorry, sorry," the old man hurriedly bowed and apologized.

He wished he could slap himself across the face.

How dare he stop a Dou Zun expert? Was he tired of living?

"Sir, I'm afraid I can't make the decision on this matter. Why not come to our residence and discuss it with our Luo Family Ancestor?" The old man was exceedingly deferential.

A Dou Zun expert wasn't someone he could presume to negotiate with. He would have to bring in their Luo Family Ancestor.

Xiao Ze nodded. Going to the Luo Clan was fine. He could see if they had anything suitable there. After all, Venerable Skyfire's soul was still with him, waiting for a new body.

"Lead the way."

The old man was delighted. With a Dou Zun expert's help, fixing a little Space Wormhole would be a piece of cake.

As for the price, the Luo Clan should be able to afford it.

Soon, under the old man's guidance, the group spent about half an hour crossing half of Tianya City before finally reaching the Luo Clan residence.

In front of the residence was a vast Blackstone Square.

The square was exceptionally spacious and built entirely from a kind of black stone. It had a cold, solid air about it, and the Luo Clan guards had sealed it off.

The Luo Family Ancestor was among them.