Journey to the Jia Ma Empire

The two Ironwood Wolves together put considerable pressure on Yao Feng, but for the system reward, he had to give it his all. The temptation of the Grandmaster Level Combat Skill was simply too great. High-level combat techniques were certainly important, but without superb fighting skills to link them together, they were like a blind tiger—possessing great strength yet unable to hit anyone.

"Awooo~"

"Old Zhou, get me a weapon!"

Yao Feng called out to Zhou Tong. For him now, using a weapon would be more convenient if he wanted to kill the Ironwood Wolves.

"Alright, catch!"

Hearing Yao Feng's voice, Zhou Tong hurriedly pulled a longsword from his Storage Ring. A fire-attributed magic core gleamed brilliantly in the hilt, making the sword look extraordinary. He lightly flicked the blade, producing a clear hum. Smiling, Zhou Tong tossed the sword to Yao Feng.

Yao Feng caught the longsword, and warmth flowed into his palm. As he infused Dou Qi into the magic core, the blade was instantly enveloped in a faint dark-red glow, radiating heat.

What a good sword!

Looking at the two Ironwood Wolves, anticipation stirred within him, and a glint of eagerness shone in his eyes.

The two Ironwood Wolves roared and pounced at Yao Feng from either side, their pointed fangs bared as a foul stench swept toward him.

Yao Feng watched the approaching Ironwood Wolves solemnly. He then extended his right hand toward the injured one. Dou Qi circulated rapidly through his body, and a powerful suction force emerged from his palm.

The Ironwood Wolf suddenly accelerated as it flew toward Yao Feng. The abrupt sensation of weightlessness made it struggle violently, yet it could not break free from the suction.

Watching the Ironwood Wolf fly toward him, Yao Feng curled his lips into a smile. He abruptly lowered his right hand, gripped the longsword with both hands, raised it high, and slashed down fiercely. The blade sank a fist's depth into the Ironwood Wolf's body, nearly cutting it in half at the waist.

With his strike successful, Yao Feng kicked it away. His longsword swept toward the other side, and just as the second Ironwood Wolf reached him, it saw the blade coming back. It halted abruptly, skidding half a meter across the ground and narrowly evading Yao Feng's slash.

Before Yao Feng could withdraw his sword, the Ironwood Wolf leaped again, lunging straight at him.

Yao Feng was startled. The longsword slipped from his hand, and with a lift of his palm, a deep yellow flame suddenly appeared. It surged wildly in the wind. Unable to evade in time, the Ironwood Wolf plunged headlong into the Mysterious Yellow Flame. A miserable shriek rang out. In the span of a breath, the Ironwood Wolf burst through the flames and charged toward Yao Feng, its body charred black and giving off the scent of roasted meat.

The Ironwood Wolf was less than a foot away from Yao Feng, but it no longer had the strength to swing its claws. Seeing its miserable state, Yao Feng shuddered instinctively. He clenched his hand into a fist and threw a powerful punch, sending the nearly roasted Ironwood Wolf flying.

Looking at the two Ironwood Wolves twitching constantly on the ground, Yao Feng picked up the longsword. Dou Qi surged into the magic core, turning the blade dark red once more. He easily stabbed it into the back of one Ironwood Wolf's head. After struggling a few times, it stopped moving.

The longsword trembled slightly as it struck something hard. Yao Feng smiled when he noticed it. Demonic Flame emerged in his palm, and with a light flick, he tossed it onto the Ironwood Wolf. Moments later, the corpse was burned to ashes, and a green magic core emitted a faint glow amid the ashes.

Yao Feng picked it up, tossed it in his hand a few times, then put it away with satisfaction. He handled the other Ironwood Wolf in the same manner, but did not find a magic core.

"Looks like the chance of finding a magic core isn't very high either!"

Yao Feng pursed his lips, then shifted his attention to the mechanical voice that rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, Host, for completing the task. Reward: Grandmaster Level Combat Skill."

As the voice fell silent, a strange sensation enveloped Yao Feng's entire body. After a moment, he clenched his fists and could not help smiling. Now, even without thinking, his body would instinctively make the most effective counterattack against an enemy, as though it were muscle memory forged through years of training.

"Ding! Task issued: Reach the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire within half a month. Reward: one Qi Breaking Pill."

"Qi Breaking Pill? What does it do?" Yao Feng asked inwardly in confusion. He seemed to have no knowledge of the Qi Breaking Pill in his memories.

"Ding! The Qi Breaking Pill is produced by the system. It can allow a Dou Zhe to instantly break through one star without any side effects. Each person may consume only one."

Hearing the system's explanation, Yao Feng's eyes heated up. On the Dou Qi Continent, there seemed to be no medicinal pill that could rapidly increase one's strength without any side effects. As expected of the system—it was truly heaven-defying!

"Old Zhou, how much longer will it take us to reach the Jia Ma Empire?"

In order to obtain the Qi Breaking Pill sooner, Yao Feng no longer had the mood to sightsee. All he wanted now was to reach the Imperial Capital of the Jia Ma Empire as quickly as possible.

"Young Master, once we leave Central Continent through the Space Wormhole and then ride Griffin Beasts, we can arrive within ten days."

Since Old Zhou had been able to accompany Yao Feng out here, he had clearly prepared thoroughly. A huge map was spread out on the ground, almost encompassing the entire continent.

"Then where is the nearest Space Wormhole?"

Yao Feng leaned over curiously. Looking at the densely packed markings on the map made his head spin a little.

Yao Feng still had some impression of Space Wormholes. Central Continent was unimaginably vast, and every major city had a Space Wormhole. Otherwise, even Dou Huang experts would be exhausted to death from traveling across Central Continent. Although the Yao Clan was located at the southernmost edge of Central Continent, it was still within its borders. Moreover, while the carriage they had ridden along the way was pulled by Third-tier Demonic Beast Azure Scale Horses, it had not traveled especially fast. Strictly speaking, Yao Feng had not actually gone very far and was still within Central Continent.

"The closest one is the Space Wormhole in Tian Huang City. We can leave Central Continent through it tomorrow."

"So it's Tian Huang City. No wonder Liu Qing appeared here."

Yao Feng murmured to himself before saying to Zhou Tong,

"Then we'll set out tomorrow and try to reach the Jia Ma Empire within half a month."

The next morning, when sunlight filtered through the treetops and scattered across the ground, Yao Feng slowly opened his eyes. Since he had slept for half the previous day, he had spent the entire night cultivating. Thanks to his Five Elements Spiritual Body, his cultivation speed was several times faster than an ordinary person's. Combined with the fact that he cultivated whenever he had spare time along the journey, Yao Feng could feel that the Dou Qi within him was nearly saturated. He would likely break through again before long.

As a member of the Yao Clan, he had spent the years before turning ten tempering his foundation. They were not permitted to absorb Dou Qi, all so they could strengthen their meridians to an unimaginable degree and lay the groundwork for future cultivation. Though they might lag behind others in the early stages, members of the Yao Clan cultivated far faster than ordinary people. With the Divine-grade Dou Di Bloodline and the system's help on top of that, Yao Feng was simply a bug that could not be judged by common sense.

Yao Feng stood up and stretched lazily, then casually performed a set of punches. Feeling the power filling his body, he smiled in satisfaction and called to Zhou Tong, who was sitting nearby with his eyes half-closed:

"Old Zhou, get up. Time to hit the road!"