The Spirit and Stone Clans, along with some experts sent as reinforcements by the Hall of Souls and the Hun Clan, unleashed a storm of blood across the Central Plains.
The Central Plains could not compare to the Soul Realm, a unique, self-contained space created by a Dou Di. Under the onslaught of those blood-crazed Dou Sheng, the Central Plains had already been left riddled with wounds, its mountains and rivers shattered.
Countless factions, large and small, and unaffiliated cultivators suffered calamities out of nowhere. They were eating hotpot and singing songs when the space before them suddenly tore open, and several Half-Saints or dozens of high-level Dou Zun experts abruptly appeared.
Then, without caring about anything else, these people immediately bombarded one another with high-level Dou Techniques. Many people were reduced to ash before they could even see the newcomers' faces.
Northern Region of the Central Plains.
Wind Lightning Pavilion.
As the leader of one of the Four Pavilions, Thunder Venerable enjoyed a modest reputation on the Central Plains Continent.
His strength was not particularly impressive; he was merely at the peak of Three-Star Dou Zun.
But on the Central Plains Continent, what damned good was being able to fight? To make your way in the world, you needed power and backing.
Venerable Feng had the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan, one of the Beast Region's three great clans, behind him. He had both backing and power. Over the years, what sect on the Central Plains Continent had not shown him some respect?
"Fei Tian, come on, drain this cup! Today, you're drinking with me until we're both drunk!" Thunder Venerable raised his wine cup, his face slightly flushed.
With the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's covert support over the years, he had already begun to brush against the threshold of Four-Star Dou Zun.
"Pavilion Master, several months ago, the Pill Tower, Flower Sect, Heavenly Underworld Sect, Sound Valley, and other top factions began closing their gates and activating their defensive formations. Shouldn't we make some preparations too?" Fei Tian asked worriedly, his face dark and his brow furrowed.
Thunder Venerable waved a hand, first finishing the wine in his cup before saying dismissively, "What the hell is there to fear? Who on the Dou Qi Continent doesn't know that our Wind Lightning Pavilion is the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's lackey... ally?"
"Let me tell you, don't be fooled by how high and mighty the Pill Tower acts, going on about 'One Hall, One Tower' and strutting around all day. In my opinion, they're nothing special."
Fei Tian shuddered at those words and forced a bitter smile. "Sect Master, you've had too much to drink!"
Thunder Venerable glared at him and snorted. "Old Fei, listen carefully."
"The Pill Tower has sealed its tower, but not only will our Wind Lightning Pavilion remain open, we'll recruit talent far and wide and expand our power."
"We're going to grow bigger and stronger, and reach new heights of glory. Got it?"
No sooner had his words fallen than the space above the Wind Lightning Pavilion suddenly warped.
A spatial rift hundreds of zhang long appeared, and dozens of figures stumbled out of it.
"Heh heh, where the fuck have we ended up?" Gu You, the Second Heavenly Venerate leading the Hall of Souls' forces, asked in confusion after surveying their surroundings.
As soon as he spoke, a thunderclap exploded beside everyone's ears, and a lightning-wreathed figure shot toward them.
"Who dares run wild in my Wind Lightning Pavilion?" Thunder Venerable stroked his beard and roared.
The Hall of Souls' group had just escaped the spatial turbulence and were still shaken. That shout actually made them all jump.
They turned their heads and looked closely, only to find a Three-Star Dou Zun glaring at them.
Gu You, the Second Heavenly Venerate: ?
Xue He, the Fourth Heavenly Venerate: ?
Mo Yu, the Ninth Heavenly Venerate: ?
Looking at everyone before him, Thunder Venerable seemed to sober up considerably. His legs went weak, and he nearly dropped to his knees, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Just as he was about to speak, the surrounding space rippled again, and twenty-odd people emerged from a passage.
"Heh, with our Spirit Clan's Spirit Blood Seal on you, you rats from the Hall of Souls can't escape!" a Half-Saint of the Spirit Clan said fiercely.
This Spirit Clan Half-Saint had an elder brother who had mysteriously disappeared several hundred years earlier. For that reason, she showed the Hun Clan no mercy.
The two sides resumed their battle above the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
Although both sides ignored Thunder Venerable's existence, he was still caught in the battle's aftershocks. He spat out a great mouthful of blood and scrambled back to the Wind Lightning Pavilion.
"Qing'er, hurry and summon the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's experts!"
The young pavilion master, Feng Qing'er, was also alarmed. Without wasting any words, she immediately crushed a Spatial Scroll.
Space warped, and Huang Xuan, a Five-Star Dou Zun elder, leisurely appeared.
Suddenly, a streak of Dou Qi broke through the Wind Lightning Pavilion's formation and struck Huang Xuan on the head.
Unable to dodge in time, Huang Xuan could only transform into a Heavenly Demon Phoenix hundreds of zhang long and collide with the streak of Dou Qi.
Although the Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan's bodies were incredibly tough, Huang Xuan was instantly left gravely injured and on the verge of death. Feng Qing'er and Thunder Venerable went pale with fright, their minds reeling.
Covered in blood, Huang Xuan forced himself to muster one last breath, took out three Spatial Scrolls, and crushed them instantly.
A moment later.
One High-Rank Half-Saint and two nine-star Dou Zun slowly stepped out of the Spatial Passage.
"Huang Xuan, what happened? Who beat you like this?" Huang Kun, the Half-Saint, demanded angrily.
"It... it was..." Huang Xuan raised a hand and pointed upward, then finally spat out a mouthful of blood and passed out.
Huang Xuan: "?"
"Well, well! The Central Plains are getting more outrageous by the day. They even dare attack members of my Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan!" Huang Kun flew into a rage. As one of the Beast Region's three great clans, with the Ancient Void Dragons remaining secluded, her Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan was the absolute overlord. When had they ever suffered such an insult?
"You two, keep calling for reinforcements. Tell them someone is trying to attack our Heaven Demon Phoenix Clan!" Sensing the Dou Qi fluctuations overhead, Huang Kun frowned slightly as well. She ordered her two companions to continue summoning the clan's experts, while she charged into the crowd herself, attacking anyone she saw without caring whether they were friend or foe.
Fan Tian and the Pill Tower's two prodigies rode a Spatial Ship through a Space Wormhole toward the Black-Corner Region. The Space Wormholes near Sacred Pill City had long since been rendered unusable by those Dou Sheng's attacks. Only after finding an intact Space Wormhole near Burning Flame Valley had they finally fled the Central Plains in a panic.
Fan Tian had also sent someone to Sound Valley to report that he was safe and tell them to keep their gates firmly shut. He would be heading to the Northwest Continent to train, so they need not worry.
"Fan Tian, when do you think this upheaval in the Central Plains will end?" The normally confident and flamboyant Demoness Cao Ying now nestled in Fan Tian's arms like a frightened kitten.
"Exactly! Who knows which bastard caused all this? Even Sacred Pill City was smashed to pieces!" Dan Chen stood behind Fan Tian, massaging his shoulders.
After fighting side by side many times, the two women had unwittingly forgotten their original intentions, and their relationship with Fan Tian had grown increasingly intimate.
Fan Tian said nothing.
He merely took a pair of knee pads from his Storage Ring and tossed them in front of Cao Ying with practiced ease, then said with an angry expression of his own, "Exactly! It's gotten me all worked up now!"
Looking at the black knee pads, Cao Ying seemed to remember something. Her face flushed crimson, and she protested coyly, "You're awful!"
With that, she tidied her hair and slowly crouched down.
A while later.
Fan Tian let out a startled cry, then immediately felt refreshed and clearheaded.
"If-and I mean if-I had a cultivation technique that could fuse heavenly flames, would you want it?" Fan Tian suddenly asked.
Before you continue