Central Plains Northern Region, Tianbei City, Han Family!

After leading the group to the plaza, the old man hurried forward to whisper something to the Luo Clan ancestor, who immediately set aside his tasks and strode over to meet them.

"This old man is Luo Cheng, ancestor of the Luo Clan. I was unaware of your arrival, and I beg your forgiveness for any lack of hospitality." Luo Cheng quickly lowered his posture, smiling deferentially.

Before a Dou Zun powerhouse, he—a mere Dou Zong—was nothing more than a slightly larger ant. He had grown accustomed to his own prestige, but at this moment, he had no choice but to curb his temperament.

"City Lord Luo is too modest. We came to borrow your city's spatial wormhole, though it seems the situation is quite dire."

Xiao Ze's gaze swept over the spatial wormhole on the stone platform. A pitch-black void, fully ten zhang wide, was rotating sluggishly, the terrifying spatial energy within enough to move any observer.

However, its chaotic state suggested it had been long neglected.

Luo Cheng looked ashamed. "This spatial wormhole was constructed by a predecessor of our Luo Clan. It has existed for so long that the markers between the two locations have likely become blurred."

"Does the City Lord have a solution?"

Luo Cheng's expression was filled with hope; every day the spatial wormhole remained out of commission, the Luo Clan suffered losses in the tens of thousands.

To this end, he had spared no expense to hire two Dou Zong experts to repair it, but it was clearly insufficient, leaving him no choice but to pin his hopes on this man.

"Give me a quarter of an hour." Xiao Ze looked toward the spatial wormhole, already calculating a strategy in his mind.

"This old man thanks you in advance." Hearing this, Luo Cheng was overjoyed and thanked him profusely.

This spatial wormhole was the lifeblood of his Luo Clan; it could not be lost.

"By the way, I wonder what you might require? As long as it is within the Luo Clan's possession, you may choose whatever you wish. How does that sound?" Recalling his previous mention of a reward, Luo Cheng added.

"I require a seventh-tier Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast monster core." Xiao Ze thought for a moment before speaking.

To resurrect Venerable Skyfire, a seventh-tier Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast monster core was essential. While a sixth-tier might suffice, Xiao Ze only wanted the best; he would not settle for "good enough."

Venerable Skyfire's soul body felt a wave of emotion, seeing a glimmer of hope for his rebirth.

Upon hearing this, Luo Cheng's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "You have come at the perfect time! Our clan just received a shipment of monster cores, and there is exactly one seventh-tier Scorpion Dragon Beast core among them!"

"If you can repair the spatial wormhole for our clan, I will gift this core to you."

Trading a seventh-tier monster core to restore the spatial wormhole was not a painful price to pay.

"Agreed." Xiao Ze nodded.

Stepping onto the stone platform, Xiao Ze saw the two Dou Zong experts Luo Cheng had hired at great cost, but he did not spare them a second glance, which saved them the trouble of trying to curry favor.

Seeing this, they wisely stepped back; in the presence of a Dou Zun, even they had to keep their tails tucked.

Gazing at the ten-zhang-wide spatial wormhole, Xiao Ze wasted no time. With a shift of his mind, the space around him began to distort. A vast, surging force of spatial energy erupted, whistling as it rushed into the wormhole.

The crowd below could not help but click their tongues in wonder at the sight.

Spatial energy had always been the signature technique of a Dou Zun; they, as mere Dou Zong, had only just begun to grasp the basics and could never handle it with such ease.

The process was swift. Although Xiao Ze had only just entered the Dou Zun realm, his strength was in no way inferior to veteran powerhouses, and his mastery over the path of space was naturally beyond reproach.

Visible to the naked eye, the chaotic spatial energy slowly subsided, and within moments, it returned to its original state.

"It is finally repaired! This Luo Cheng will remember this favor, fellow Daoist!"

Feeling the spatial wormhole return to its normal operation, Luo Cheng let out a hearty laugh and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Xiao Ze.

He had not slept a wink over this matter.

"Are you alright?" Xiao Yi Xian and the others asked softly as he stepped off the platform.

"Nothing to worry about," Xiao Ze smiled.

"My friend, this is the reward I promised you." With a wave of his hand, Luo Cheng sent a jade box flying toward Xiao Ze.

Grabbing the box, Xiao Ze opened it.

A purple-red, oval-shaped monster core immediately came into view. He placed his finger lightly on the core, sensing the energy attributes contained within, and nodded slightly.

Although he had never seen the core of a Heavenly Poison Scorpion Dragon Beast before, the attributes recorded in the texts were quite similar...

"My friend, I hope you will move to my estate so I may fulfill the duties of a host!"

Faced with the invitation, Xiao Ze and his group were naturally more than happy to accept.

That evening, the group toured the city, and it had to be said, it was indeed much more prosperous than the Black-Corner Region.

Early the next morning, Xiao Ze and his group arrived at the entrance of the spatial wormhole.

Luo Cheng watched them depart.

The figures of the group vanished the moment they stepped into the wormhole.

Luo Cheng clicked his tongue, sighing, "Such a young Dou Zun is truly rare in this world. I fear that even in the Central Plains, where talent is as abundant as carp crossing a river, one would be hard-pressed to find a second."

A spatial wormhole functions similarly to tearing through space, so when Xiao Ze and his group stepped inside, they felt no discomfort.

However, because the distance to the Central Plains was so vast, the entire journey through the void lasted nearly a week.

A week later, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the spatial wormhole.

Xiao Ze and his group stepped forward, walking directly out of the wormhole.

As they emerged, a breath of fresh air rushed to meet them.

The three large characters, Tianbei City, were particularly eye-catching.

Along with them were travelers from other regions, but without exception, everyone had to pass through a spatial wormhole to transit.

"Is this the Northern Region of the Central Plains?"

Xiao Yi Xian and the others gazed at the bustling plaza, their expressions varied.

What struck them most was that the weakest among the surrounding crowd possessed the cultivation of a Dou King, while Dou Emperors were just as common, and the strongest among them had reached the terrifying level of a three-star Dou Zong.

One had to admit that in the Central Plains, Dou Emperors were as common as dogs and Dou Zongs walked the streets; only by reaching the level of a Dou Zun did one have the capital to act arrogantly.

"Husband, where should we go now?"

Having just arrived in the Central Plains and being unfamiliar with the territory, they certainly didn't want to be sold off and end up counting the money for their captors.

Xiao Ze naturally had a plan for this situation.

"Before we set out, the Great Elder gave me a letter, saying that if I came to the Central Plains, I could look for her. She was once a student of the Inner Academy, but returned to the Central Plains after graduation."

Xiao Ze held the letter from the Great Elder in his hand; it contained a specific location, and they only needed to find the person.

"Then let's get moving quickly." Zi Yan felt as if she were going to lose her mind.

The spatial wormhole had been too boring; it had nearly stifled her to death.

Xiao Yi Xian patted her head and comforted her, "Zi Yan, the Central Plains is not like your Jia Nan Academy; you must restrain your temper."

Although she said this, Zi Yan was used to being carefree and could not change her ways overnight.

"Tianbei City, Han Family!"

Looking at the characters on the letter, Xiao Ze felt a slight stir in his heart. Could it be those two sisters?

Interesting...