The Eastern Journey was long, riddled with countless hardships and dangers. Demons, monsters, ghosts, and spirits seemed endless, and they had to sleep under the open sky and eat whatever the wind blew their way. No one could say how many dangers lay along the road.
There were quite a few monsters like the Skeleton King. Some possessed astonishing Divine Abilities. Still, few had cultivation levels higher than the Skeleton King's—but whenever they encountered one, it set off a chain of upheavals.
Along the way, Yuan Muxi gradually broadened his horizons. His thoughts and outlook slowly transformed, and he gained a deeper understanding of the principles he had only read about in books. Even many principles he had thought he understood took on a whole new meaning.
So the group pressed on, stopping and starting as they overcame one peril after another. They crossed the Western Regions' desert, and after three years, finally made it through to the frontier of the Central Plains, formally entering the Four Border Towns. By then, the Four Border Towns were under Great Rui's control.
These four towns had once been important strongholds of Great Qi, the former dynasty of the Central Plains in the Eastern Land. They had been heavily garrisoned and served as the heart of the Western Regions, their armies pointing straight toward the far west. But later, Great Qi fell into internal strife, its supply lines were cut, and the Black Food Empire rose in the west. The two sides fought a decisive battle in the Western Regions, and Great Qi was defeated. From then on, the Central Plains' forces withdrew from the Western Regions.
But after Great Rui replaced Great Qi, it once again gained influence over the Western Regions.
Great Rui had been developing the Western Regions for a