Dragon Valley

Sunlight poured down without restraint, shining on Lu Mingfei's face and making him feel warm all over.

The wind howled past his ears, and an unprecedented sense of freedom suddenly rose within Lu Mingfei, impossible to put into words.

He was flying.

He was riding a phoenix through the sky.

This was an experience beyond the reach of the vast majority of people on the Douluo Continent.

"Lady Huang Fei..."

Lu Mingfei shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice torn into fragments by the wind. "Your Martial Soul True Body is incredible!"

The Purple Phoenix let out a low cry, as if telling him not to make so much noise.

Yet Lu Mingfei clearly felt the phoenix's back tilt slightly, as though telling him to hold on tighter.

He hurriedly steadied himself again, pressing his face against the warm phoenix feathers and feeling the immense power contained within the powerful body beneath him.

Huang Fei's flying speed was astonishing.

Plains, hills, and rivers rushed away beneath them, while towns appeared and vanished within barely a dozen breaths.

Lu Mingfei observed the changing terrain below, silently estimating their speed.

At this pace, a journey that would originally take several days would probably take only half a day.

The flight continued for around two hours.

At first, Lu Mingfei had excitedly looked around in every direction, but later he gradually grew tired and lay on the phoenix's back with his eyes half-closed, dozing off.

Only when the Purple Phoenix began descending did the change in airflow wake him.

When he opened his eyes, an extraordinarily strange landscape appeared ahead...

The continuous mountain range broke apart here, forming an enormous canyon.

The cliffs on either side of the canyon were crimson as blood, soaring into the clouds.

Mist billowed within the valley, and faint, deep beast roars drifted from its depths.

The Purple Phoenix carried Lu Mingfei through the air for about two hours before finally slowly descending before a stretch of lush green mountains.

Lu Mingfei lay on the phoenix's back and looked down, only to see a broad valley surrounded by mountains.

A fairly sizable town stood within the valley.

Built against the mountains, most of its houses were made of bluestone, scattered in orderly layers along the gentle slopes.

A tall stone stele stood at the town entrance, carved with four vigorous, powerful characters... Dragon Valley Town.

The Purple Phoenix landed in a secluded woodland clearing outside the town. The purple light receded, and Huang Fei returned to human form.

She flexed her wrist, her expression as calm as ever. Only a faint sheen of sweat at her temples showed that flying continuously for more than two hours had not been entirely effortless for her.

"We're here."

Huang Fei adjusted her collar and walked toward the town entrance.

"This is the closest supply town on the outskirts of Dragon Valley. Every soul master entering Dragon Valley to hunt soul beasts stops here to rest and purchase supplies.

Most of the town's residents are direct or collateral descendants of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect. They say an elder at the level of a Soul Douluo oversees this place."

Lu Mingfei hurried after Huang Fei, curiously examining the town before him.

The four words Dragon Valley Town on the stone stele at the entrance were carved extremely deeply. The strokes were sharp and fierce, carrying an overbearing aura. At a glance, one could tell they had been personally inscribed by a master of soul power.

A guard stood on each side of the stele.

They wore the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's standard blue armor, with a ferocious blue tyrant dragon embroidered on their chests. Their sharp gazes swept over everyone entering and leaving the town.

Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei were both dressed in ordinary clothes and looked no different from typical independent soul masters.

The guards glanced at their plain attire, asked no questions, and let them pass.

The instant he stepped into Dragon Valley Town, Lu Mingfei sensed what made this town different.

The streets were not particularly wide, but they were clean and tidy. The buildings on both sides were all constructed from bluestone, sturdy and solid, carrying the steady weight of long years.

People came and went along the streets, and nearly everyone carried faint fluctuations of soul power. Clearly, none of them were ordinary people.

Lu Mingfei even noticed two old men playing chess at a street corner. Each move carried a faint tremor of soul power, and when the pieces landed on the board, they rang out with the clanging sound of metal and stone, leaving him dumbfounded.

"The Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect has turned this place into an iron fortress."

Huang Fei spoke softly, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over their surroundings. "At least half the town's residents are descendants of the Yu Clan. The rest are affiliated forces tied to the Yu Clan through marriage or master-disciple relationships. Watch what you say and do here. Don't cause trouble."

Lu Mingfei nodded and obediently followed behind Huang Fei, though his eyes could not help wandering everywhere.

He still remembered the introduction to the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect in the copy of Basic Knowledge of Soul Masters he had read:

One of the seven great sects, renowned across the land for its Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Martial Soul. The sect possessed formidable strength and immense influence in the soul master world.

Huang Fei led Lu Mingfei along the main street for the time it took an incense stick to burn before stopping outside a shop with a blue signboard bearing golden letters.

The sign read Dragon Valley Trading House, with a small blue tyrant dragon engraved beside it, indicating that this shop was directly operated by the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect.

The storefront was not large, but quite a few people were coming and going. They were all soul masters carrying packs, clearly here to pay the fee and collect their passes into the valley.

Huang Fei pushed open the door and entered.

The interior was simply and practically furnished. Behind a row of tall counters sat two clerks in blue, checking their accounts.

A huge map of Dragon Valley hung on the wall beside the counter.

Different colored lines marked the divisions between the Outer Valley, Middle Valley, and Inner Valley.

As well as the known ranges of activity for dragon beasts.

Huang Fei walked up to the counter and took a money pouch from her soul tool, opening it to reveal the gold soul coins inside.

A thousand gold soul coins lay on the counter, their golden surfaces gleaming enticingly beneath the lamplight.

The clerk looked up.

He looked Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei over, his gaze lingering on Huang Fei for a moment. A trace of amazement flashed through his eyes, but he quickly resumed a professional smile.

"Two people entering the valley?" the clerk asked.

"Yes."

Huang Fei answered coldly.

The clerk nodded and took out two palm-sized tokens from beneath the counter.

The tokens were dark blue throughout, seemingly made of some kind of metal. A lifelike Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon was engraved on the front.

The back bore the four words Dragon Valley Passage, along with a serial number.

The clerk pushed the tokens toward Huang Fei.

He then picked up the thousand gold soul coins and weighed them one by one to confirm their quality before placing them in the cash box.

"The tokens are valid for seven days. During those seven days, you may freely enter and leave the Outer Valley of Dragon Valley.

Entry into the Middle Valley and Inner Valley is forbidden. Those who cross the boundary without authorization will bear the consequences themselves.

One more reminder: the soul beasts in Dragon Valley are ferocious. You are responsible for your own life and death; the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect assumes no responsibility."

Huang Fei picked up the tokens and was about to turn and leave when the curtain to the shop's inner room was suddenly lifted.

An elderly man with white hair and beard stepped out first.