Winds rose, clouds surged! (4k)

Liu Yu was a little surprised that Little Yanzi had become the Alchemy Hall's second honored elder. After turning it over in his mind, he discovered an incredible secret: Little Yanzi had probably gone to the Snake-People Tribe to hone his alchemy only as a side benefit. His main purpose had surely been to see him... (Xiao Yan: ...)

Besides the Alchemy Hall, the Snake-People Tribe had also established a council of Guest Elders to oversee its external development. The head elder was President Fa Ma of the Alchemist Guild. The second elder was an interesting choice, another person Liu Yu had never expected: one of the Jia Ma Empire's former Ten Great Experts, Ice Emperor Hai Bodong!

With its integration and development, the Snake-People Tribe's overall strength was now formidable indeed, and that was only what lay on the surface. Once the Queen awakened, it would likely become the foremost power on the Northwest Continent.

After learning about the Snake-People Tribe's current situation, Liu Yu was quite satisfied. For it to have developed so much in just over a year, he must surely have played a pivotal role behind the scenes...

After indulging in his own vanity for a while, Liu Yu began preparing to break through to Dou Zong. Once he became a Dou Zong, it would be time to unite the Black-Corner Region!

Over a month later, in a mountain range outside Black Seal City, a red-robed man sat cross-legged on a lotus seat in a clearing where the Dou Qi was relatively dense, his eyes closed as he composed himself.

Not far away, several figures stood in the sky. Some had manifested Dou Qi Wings, while others stood upon empty air. They loosely formed a circle around the red-robed man at their center.

At that moment, Liu Yu slowly opened his red eyes, blood-colored light swirling within them. He drew a soft breath, having already brought himself to peak condition.

Raising his eyes slightly to glance at the figures on the horizon, Liu Yu took a jade box from his Storage Ring. He opened it, retrieved the Sect Breaking Pill he had refined long ago, and gently slipped it into his mouth.

In an instant, surging medicinal power erupted and spread throughout Liu Yu's body, entering the meridians large and small that ran through him.

The Myriad Forms Divine Art led its little followers, sweeping up the surging medicinal power at a speed far beyond anything before. In the blink of an eye, it completed a full circulation, converting the medicinal power directly into pure Dou Qi that suffused Liu Yu's entire body. His flesh, his bones... all greedily drank in everything.

An indescribably profound force quietly appeared and spread into the depths of Liu Yu's soul, drawing his entire consciousness into a mysterious state.

Once Liu Yu had fully entered his breakthrough state, wisps of blood energy seeped from his body. Then a terrifying suction, like that of a black hole, surged violently out of him.

Boom!

A thunderous roar of energy suddenly erupted out of thin air around the mountain range. In an instant, the energy between Heaven and Earth began to fluctuate violently.

As though pulled by some force, the energy between Heaven and Earth rushed madly toward the mountain range.

As the energy continued to gather, a small energy tide took shape, streaked with threads of blood-red light.

"The energy of Heaven and Earth is resonating!" The Grand Elder in the sky looked rather shocked.

Having experienced it herself, she knew that under normal circumstances, when someone breaking through to Dou Zong caused the energy of Heaven and Earth to resonate, it meant they had already reached the final step. Once they absorbed that energy, they would truly enter the Dou Zong realm!

Yet Liu Yu had only just begun his breakthrough and had already triggered that resonance. It was truly inconceivable. At least, the Grand Elder had never seen anything like it. All she could say was that he truly lived up to being the future of their Snake-People Tribe!

On the other side of the sky, a trace of worry crossed Yun Yun's lovely face. His breakthrough had only just begun, yet it was already causing such a commotion. Moreover, the energy tide was still expanding. She felt certain that before long, it would draw the attention of some of the Black-Corner Region's experts.

As the Feather Pavilion's deputy pavilion master, she had already familiarized herself with all the renowned experts in the Black-Corner Region. The ones who truly worried her were the experts of the Black Emperor Sect and Demon Flame Valley. Both of those dominant powers had Dou Zong-level figures among their ranks.

At that thought, her beautiful eyes drifted toward the Snake-People Tribe's Grand Elder and second elder, as well as Su Mei and Yuan Yi. Then she withdrew her gaze. Sensing the dazzling ice-blue flame within her body, Yun Yun's uneasy heart settled somewhat.

At that moment, Liu Yu's consciousness was immersed in an endless ocean of Dou Qi. The Dou Qi within him was increasing explosively, while his body was being tempered little by little.

The Sect Breaking Pill's medicinal power was clearly insufficient to support Liu Yu's ascent to Dou Zong. Its only useful effect was to ensure that, should his breakthrough fail, his strength would remain at its original level rather than falling.

As the Sect Breaking Pill's medicinal power ran dry, the pale-red energy tide, which was gradually becoming dominated by fire attribute Dou Qi, began to change. At first, it had only trickled slowly into Liu Yu's body, but as though sensing the emptiness within him, it began surging down.

The energy between Heaven and Earth continued to gather, while time slipped by without a sound. Three days, six days...

By the seventh day, the resonance of the energy between Heaven and Earth had grown increasingly violent. The abnormal fluctuations alerted quite a few experts in the Black-Corner Region.

Before long, an old man in yellow robes approached through the air from beyond the mountain range where Liu Yu was cultivating. Several enormous golden pythons were embroidered on his robes.

As the yellow-robed elder drew closer, Su Mei and Yuan Yi were both surprised. It was Mo Tianxing, sect master of the Black Emperor Sect! It was said that Mo Tianxing had entered the Dou Zong realm over a decade ago and had remained in seclusion ever since. They had never imagined that the commotion from their pavilion master's breakthrough would attract him.

While Su Mei and Yuan Yi were still reeling in surprise, more figures came striding through the air from the horizon.

Among them was a gray-haired old man with a hooked nose and a "kindly" smile on his withered face.

Another was a blood-haired elder dressed in yellow robes patterned with skulls. His face was so gaunt that it was practically skin stretched over bone, resembling a skull at first glance. His sunken eyes gleamed with a dim light like ghostly fire, lending him an eerie, sinister air.

Whenever his sleeves swayed gently in the wind, faint ripples quietly spread through the surrounding space. His sunken eyes turned indifferently toward Yun Yun, the Grand Elder, and their companions.

Sensing the blood-haired elder's gaze, the Grand Elder kept her expression unchanged, though her heart grew heavy. Compared with the yellow-robed elder and the gray-haired, hook-nosed elder, this blood-haired man gave her the impression of someone she could not possibly defeat. He was truly frightening!

Seeing these Dou Zong experts from the Black-Corner Region arrive, Yun Yun sighed inwardly. Dou Zongs! They really have all been alerted. I hope this doesn't take the worst possible turn. Otherwise...

By then, Su Mei's and Yuan Yi's expressions had stiffened. They were "locals" of the Black-Corner Region and knew something of these Dou Zong experts' identities, as well as just how terrifying they were.

The hook-nosed elder, also known as Eagle Mountain Old Man, was a veteran expert who had been famous in the Black-Corner Region for many years. He had once ranked among the top three on the Black List and had already been a Peak Dou Emperor then. With so many years having passed, judging by his appearance now, he had naturally long since broken through to Dou Zong.

The blood-haired elder was Earth Demon Old Ghost, the master of Demon Flame Valley. Of the three Dou Zongs who had arrived, he had the most fearsome reputation, and his strength was unfathomable!

While Yun Yun and her companions studied Earth Demon Old Ghost and the others, the three newcomers were also sizing them up. Without exception, a trace of surprise rose in all three Dou Zong experts' hearts.

Two Dou Zongs and three Dou Emperors. Such a lavish lineup would count as a considerable force anywhere. In the Black-Corner Region, it was unquestionably a top-tier power!

The Feather Pavilion has certainly hidden itself well! If this rare treasure hadn't appeared, I would never have known it actually had two Dou Zong experts! Mo Tianxing thought.

He knew they belonged to the Feather Pavilion because of Su Mei and Yuan Yi. Some of the Feather Pavilion's elders were Dou Huang experts famous on the Black-Corner Region's Black List. Not long after the Feather Pavilion was founded, the Black Emperor Sect had already investigated them thoroughly.

At that moment, no one present spoke first. After a round of staring at one another, they all tacitly remained standing in the sky.

Before their eyes, the entire mountain range had already been enveloped by the blood-red energy tide. Streams of dense energy continued to seep out from between Heaven and Earth, like countless ribbons of red silk sweeping down from the sky. They poured ceaselessly into the blood-colored tide, making it expand farther and spread over the surrounding area.

To form such a terrifying energy tide—truly unimaginable! To think a treasure of this caliber would appear in the Black-Corner Region! Gazing at the immense blood-colored tide, Earth Demon Old Ghost could not help marveling inwardly. He stole several glances at the others present, a shadowy light flickering in his eyes.

Four Dou Zongs and three Dou Emperors. Although he considered his strength unrivaled in the Black-Corner Region, that was in single combat. If he had to face four Dou Zongs alone, with three Dou Emperors harrying him from the sidelines, he really could not beat them!

At that thought, Earth Demon Old Ghost's brow creased almost imperceptibly. The people from Demon Flame Valley should arrive soon. Still, Demon Flame Valley alone could not ensure that the rare treasure would fall into his hands. After all, if his people were coming, so were those from other factions. Ultimately, he needed to find someone to join forces with. Once they seized the treasure, it would naturally end up in his hands afterward!

While Earth Demon Old Ghost was considering potential allies, a black-robed elder slowly approached through the air from the horizon.

"You're Su Qian, aren't you..." After making out the black-robed elder's face, Earth Demon Old Ghost glanced indifferently at him—Su Qian—and said, "To think you've now joined the ranks of Dou Zong experts as well. What good fortune! When I met you back then, you were merely an elder at Peak Dou Emperor."

Su Qian's expression darkened slightly when he saw Earth Demon Old Ghost. Upon hearing his words, he answered with silence.

Demon Flame Valley was at odds with Jia Nan Academy. Earth Demon Old Ghost in particular had a considerable grudge against one of the academy's former Grand Elders.

Seeing that Su Qian did not answer, Earth Demon Old Ghost paid it no mind and continued, "Those two old fellows, Bai Lie and Qian Mu, have probably died in some desolate wilderness by now. With the Inner Academy relying on you, its Grand Elder, to hold everything up, it really is... haha, a barren gap between the old crop and the new!"

His hoarse voice was laden with mockery and ridicule, and when he mentioned Bai Lie in particular, a trace of some inexplicable emotion slipped through. Earth Demon Old Ghost was humiliating Su Qian in front of everyone present without leaving him the slightest shred of dignity.

Su Qian remained silent, turning a deaf ear to Earth Demon Old Ghost's words. His claim that Elder Bai and Elder Qian were already dead was nothing short of a joke! Those two elders were Jia Nan Academy's guardians and ordinarily spent their time in secluded cultivation. Unless the academy faced a crisis of life and death, they would never act.

"Heh!" Seeing Su Qian's expressionless face, Earth Demon Old Ghost sneered. If the rare treasure had not been about to emerge, making him wary of unforeseen complications, he would absolutely have buried Su Qian outside Black Seal City upon encountering him here!

Without Su Qian, quite a few powers in the Black-Corner Region would surely take an interest in that succulent slab of meat, Jia Nan Academy. Keh keh keh...

Just as those in the sky were occupied with their own thoughts, streaks of light in various colors suddenly flew in from the horizon.

At their head was a blue-robed man with a gentle gaze. The six golden stripes and maple-leaf design on his robes proclaimed his identity: Medicine Emperor Han Feng!

The strangely dressed figures behind him were all experts from first-rate powers in the Black-Corner Region, including the Blood Sect, Earth Flame Gate, and others.

When Han Feng noticed the figures standing on empty air outside the blood-colored energy tide, their auras obscure and difficult to read, his eyes narrowed. He was somewhat surprised, but not overly so. After all, the disturbance in the mountains outside Black Seal City was great enough that even he had sensed it. These old monsters should have been able to detect it too.

Leading those behind him, Han Feng approached an area near Yuan Yi and the others. Dou Emperors were better off staying with fellow Dou Emperors. The Gold and Silver Elders, who had been secretly following Han Feng, also slowly revealed themselves. There was no longer any point in hiding, with a whole group of Dou Zongs watching nearby.

After Han Feng and his companions arrived, several more auras approached from the horizon. Sensing them, Earth Demon Old Ghost and Mo Tianxing both revealed faint smiles. Their people had arrived!

By now, apart from those old monsters who remained hidden from the world, almost every expert in the Black-Corner Region had appeared at this mountain range outside Black Seal City.

The many experts outside the mountain range loosely formed a six-sided arrangement!

Yun Yun and the other members of the Feather Pavilion, including the Grand Elder, occupied one side; Demon Flame Valley's people, represented by Earth Demon Ancestor, occupied another; then came the Black Emperor Sect's people under Mo Tianxing, and the group led by Medicine Emperor Han Feng. Eagle Mountain Old Man and Su Qian each held a side alone.

In the sky, Yuan Yi, standing behind Yun Yun, was secretly alarmed. Their pavilion master's breakthrough to Dou Zong had attracted the vast majority of the Black-Corner Region's experts. Still, the disturbance caused by his breakthrough really did resemble the emergence of certain treasures. Otherwise, it would never have drawn so many people.

Taking a soft breath, Yuan Yi could not help feeling bitter. If their Feather Pavilion did not also have two Dou Zongs holding the fort, he would not have wanted to stay here for even a moment. The pressure was suffocating!

The cruel truth was that even as a Dou Huang expert, he risked dying in a melee of this caliber if he made the slightest mistake!

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