Central Plains.
Sound Valley's great hall.
Yin Su, the Sound Valley Master, sat at the head of the hall in a sumptuous brocade robe.
A trace of authority lingered beneath her languid, bored expression.
A Nine-Star Dou Zun at the ninth revolution, Yin Su had ruled Sound Valley for several hundred years and stood just one step away from becoming a Half-Saint.
Below her, six elders sat in wooden chairs, their postures equally languid.
With her cultivation making little headway, Luo Linglong personally gathered Dou Zun-level resources for Sound Valley, while its Dou Zun gathered Dou Zong-level resources. When traveling outside, they all claimed to be independent cultivators, making Sound Valley ever more mysterious in the Central Plains.
Fan Tian strode briskly into the hall and bowed.
"Greetings, Valley Master. Greetings, elders!"
"You little brat. Ancestor Linglong said you wanted to venture out into the Central Plains. What, isn't Sound Valley big enough for you to play in?"
Great Elder Yin Shan stroked his beard and addressed Fan Tian affectionately.
This Great Elder was a genuine Eight-Star Dou Zun. Sound Valley had no fewer than seven Dou Zun experts.
"Of course it is. I just think it would be a shame not to explore the Central Plains and broaden my horizons."
Looking at the handsome young man before her, Yin Su couldn't help saying, "Since the ancestor has no objections, you may go. But there are a few things I need to explain to you carefully."
Fan Tian immediately pricked up his ears and nodded solemnly.
"The Central Plains hide crouching tigers and concealed dragons. Though Sound Valley is one of the Three Valleys and far from weak, the gap between us and the truly top-tier powers is anything but small."
Without any of the airs of a sect leader, Yin Su sipped her tea and continued.
"You're already a five-star Dou Zong at such a young age. Ancestor Linglong believes you'll become Sound Valley's second Dou Sheng. So you may venture out, but you must conceal your identity. Don't casually reveal your origins or background, lest Sound Valley's enemies set their sights on you."
Fan Tian nodded slightly.
He intended to be a shit-stirrer in the first place. If people found out that Sound Valley's young master was behind the trouble, the Hun Clan might shake Sound Valley so hard that even its yolk fell apart.
"Second, there are certain powers you must not offend. Remember, beyond every mountain stands a higher one."
"Back then, the Central Plains' top powers fought until their eyes turned red over certain opportunities. Even those ancient powers could no longer sit still and entered the fray themselves. In that battle, all the Half-Saints of the Three Valleys perished. Burning Flame Valley's Dou Sheng ancestor was grievously wounded, and Ice River Valley's Three-Star Dou Sheng ancestor fell as well."
Yin Su raised her chin and gazed through the hall into the distance, seemingly recalling that earth-shaking battle.
"Ancestor Linglong led Sound Valley out of the raging current before it was too late, preserving some of our strength. Of the Three Valleys today, Ice River Valley, once the strongest, is now nothing but an empty façade. Burning Flame Valley is declining too, while our Sound Valley rises with each passing day."
Fan Tian blinked. So there was history like this. No wonder Ice River Valley had been so pathetic in the original story.
"Valley Master, how many Dou Zun does Ice River Valley have left, then, considering they share our standing?"
Great Elder Yin Shan sighed ruefully. "Two on the surface, with another one or two dying old Dou Zun hidden away. That Bing He was just a junior back then, and now even he's a valley master."
At the lowest seat, the sixth elder also looked wistful at the mention of Bing He.
"Indeed. Once those ancient clans make their move, there really is nothing left for us to do. This continent belongs to them in the end."
At those words, everyone in the hall frowned.
The Ancient Eight Clans were no secret to these top-tier powers with long-standing legacies in the Central Plains. Back then, the Pill Tower's founder and the Burning Flame Ancestor, both at the pinnacle of nine-star strength, had even stood on equal footing with them.
Outside Sound Valley, a patch of space suddenly tore open, and Yin Su and Fan Tian slowly stepped out of the void.
"Brat, this is as far as I'll take you. Be careful once you reach the Central Plains. If you run into any old monsters, remember to crush your Spatial Jade Slip and call for help. If I can't handle them, we still have the ancestor."
"Don't worry, Aunt Su. I'll carry Sound Valley's art of lying low to greater heights. The next time I return, I might already be a Dou Zun."
"If you reach Dou Zun, I'll let you take this valley master's seat. Remember, Sound Valley has plenty of good women. Don't go sticking your neck out for some disreputable woman and lose your life!"
Yin Su stroked Fan Tian's cheek, reluctant to let him leave.
Fan Tian nodded, then gave Yin Su a warm embrace. Taking a deep breath of her delicate fragrance, he shot off into the distance.
Fan Tian had familiarized himself a little with Spirit Devouring the day before. Its cultivation speed was terrifying beyond belief.
Ordinary cultivation methods drew the violent energy of heaven and earth into the body, then slowly tamed and refined it into pure Dou Qi. The process could neither be rushed nor hurried.
Spirit Devouring, however, forcefully locked onto a region of space and devoured every bit of energy within it. Afterward, it required no refining at all-the energy converted directly into Dou Qi.
With such a heaven-defying ability, it was easy to imagine how glorious the Tunling Clan had once been. Devouring Dou Di Bloodlines was only one specific manifestation of Spirit Devouring. In truth, it could devour any form of energy.
Including heavenly flames.
Unlike the Flame Mantra, which refined and fused heavenly flames to make them its own, Spirit Devouring could only forcibly consume all the energy within them.
Pill Region.
Sacred Pill City.
After making several transfers through space wormholes over half a month, Fan Tian finally arrived at the Pill Tower Headquarters in Sacred Pill City.
The magnificent, enormous structure before him left Fan Tian feeling refreshed and uplifted.
Medicinal fragrances permeated this place year-round, and pill clouds veiled the sky. Pure medicinal scents drifted through the air; even a single breath was worth taking a low-tier pill.
"As expected of the Pill Tower-a top-tier power among ordinary people!" Fan Tian couldn't help marveling.
Sacred Pill City was the holy land acknowledged by every alchemist on the Dou Qi Continent. Over countless centuries, innumerable top alchemists had emerged here. The ranking standards established by the Pill Tower were used throughout the continent, and every successive tower master had been a figure whose might shook the land.
Even the Ancient Eight Clans had to regard it with special respect.
Fan Tian knew nothing about alchemy, but that hadn't stopped him from wandering around the city over the past few days. Some shops sold pills, others sold magic cores and all manner of medicinal ingredients, and some even sold pill formulas, though none exceeded the eighth tier.
That day, Fan Tian entered an unassuming medicinal shop. It wasn't very large, so he doubted it had anything particularly rare.
"Holy shit, she's gorgeous!"
Fan Tian froze, instinctively stopping in his tracks.
A girl with long azure hair reclined in a rocking chair, her slender, pale hands holding an old, simply bound medicine canon. She wore a light blue dress beneath a gauzy white outer layer, with blue medicinal flower embroidery on her shoulder straps.
Her features were exquisite, but her expression was cold as frost. Her beautiful, soulful eyes seemed indifferent to everything in the world.
A cool medicinal aura seemed to emanate naturally from her, lending her the air of an immortal banished to the mortal realm.
The girl lifted her head slightly to look at Fan Tian as he entered. Her lovely eyes blinked, then she lowered her head and continued reading, paying him no further attention.
The entire shop seemed infused with the medicinal fragrance of the girl in the long dress.
Fan Tian quietly swallowed and made a show of browsing the shop, though his mind was racing.
Judging by her clothes, bearing, and spiritual aura, could she be Yao Ling of the Yao Clan?
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