Meanwhile, Xiao Yan and Huo Yi were flying toward the mountain that towered into the clouds. Only after setting out did they get a shock: the distance had not looked great, yet even at Xiao Yan's speed, covering it was taking considerable time. They had been traveling nonstop for several hours, but even so, the mountain still seemed impossibly far away. That alone showed just how far from it they had been.
Neither of them was anxious, though. They had cultivated for so many years; if they could not endure even this much travel, how could their cultivation have reached its present level? Besides, traveling could be considered an alternative form of cultivation. Both were exceptionally patient to begin with, and neither had deliberately increased their speed, so they did not particularly mind. They were merely a little surprised at how long the journey was. Along the way, they had also taken their time admiring the magnificent scenery of this foreign world and picked some spiritual herbs that even Xiao Yan, a grandmaster alchemist, could not name. Huo Yi had thoroughly mocked Xiao Yan over that, which kept the journey from being quite so dull. The mysterious spiritual herbs also made Xiao Yan even more curious about this world and increasingly certain of his conjecture.
As for why Xiao Yan was a grandmaster alchemist rather than an emperor-tier alchemist, that could only be blamed on his truly terrible luck, though it could also be said to have been entirely of his own making.
In the past, the Dou Di who appeared on the Dou Qi Continent had comprehended the great Dao of heaven and earth for themselves and, from it, comprehended Emperor Grade Pill Formulas of their own. Otherwise, they sought out Emperor Grade Pill Formulas left behind by ancient Dou Di experts. Xiao Yan, however, had been truly unfortunate. To comprehend an Emperor Grade Pill Formula of his own, he had to unleash his Dou Di strength and merge himself with heaven and earth. But if he did that, he would surely leave the Dou Qi Continent afterward, so naturally he would not agree to that method. Yet after trying the second method, Xiao Yan had met with failure after failure and had no choice but to give up searching for an Emperor Grade Pill Formula. That was why he had remained only a grandmaster alchemist. But if Xiao Yan competed in pill refinement against other grandmaster alchemists, not a single person on the Dou Qi Continent would be his match.
As Xiao Yan soared through the air, he suddenly stepped on the void and halted. His brows knitted tightly, and his face showed traces of gravity and excitement. Huo Yi, who was following close behind, stopped when he saw Xiao Yan stop. Looking at Xiao Yan's slightly grave expression, Huo Yi raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had seen such an expression on Xiao Yan's face since Xiao Yan became an emperor. But Huo Yi also noticed the excitement on his face, and after a moment's thought, he had a vague idea of the answer. Though he was now a Nine-Star Dou Sheng, the distance was too great for him to sense anything, so he did not dare be too certain. After all, Dou Di experts were not cabbages in the marketplace; how could one run into them so easily? Still curious, Huo Yi asked, "What is it? Has something happened to that thing?" Xiao Yan shook his head and looked toward the mountain still on the horizon. "Nothing has happened to it. There are two extremely powerful presences over there, and the people they belong to are at least on the same level as me. It seems the experts of this continent have discovered what's there too."
There was a reason Xiao Yan spoke so confidently of this continent without the slightest doubt about this world. When he had first awakened, he had felt something different from the Dou Qi Continent. It had nothing to do with the Emperor's Origin that filled the space between heaven and earth, but with the space of this continent. His first impression of this world was that he had grown weaker. It was not that his strength itself had diminished, however; rather, he had discovered that it was being greatly suppressed, leaving him unable to exert his full power. That was precisely why Xiao Yan and Huo Yi had flown for so long without reaching the mountain.
Huo Yi, close behind Xiao Yan, immediately went pale at those words. If they were at least on the same level as Xiao Yan, did that not mean the two were Dou Di experts at the very least? At that thought, Huo Yi could only silently agree with his own conjecture. His expression turned grave as he considered how to get the mysterious object from two Dou Di experts. Xiao Yan, however, had a burning light in his eyes. He had long since noticed that although his strength was considerably suppressed, the Dou Qi in his body had also grown increasingly condensed. After spending the past several hours continuously adapting to and familiarizing himself with the space of this world, he was confident that if he fought Hun Tiandi again now, he could defeat him within a hundred moves. Unfortunately, the only opponent of the same level Xiao Yan had encountered since becoming an emperor was Hun Tiandi, whose soul had long since been scattered. That wish could never be fulfilled.
But now that his strength had grown more refined and there were two Dou Di experts ready at hand to spar with, why not? At that thought, Xiao Yan stepped on the void and shot toward the distinctly red-and-white mountain. Behind him, Huo Yi watched him rush off and could only shake his head and stop thinking about it. His figure flashed as he hurried after him. He could tell from Xiao Yan's expression that although Xiao Yan had hesitated slightly before, the thought of his strength being condensed and compressed had rekindled the burning will to fight in his heart. A great battle was already unavoidable.
Several hours later, the two stopped when they were still a thousand zhang from the two Dou Di experts. Concealing themselves among the floating clouds, they quietly watched from afar. With their eyesight, they could naturally see everything clearly within a thousand li.
Before them, the towering mountain, distinctly red and white, rose into the clouds and blocked out most of the sky, leaving everything in sight dim. In contrast with the sunlight, it looked pitch-black. But who were Xiao Yan and Huo Yi? How could a little darkness obstruct their sight?
Looking into the distance, they saw two figures standing suspended in the air halfway up the mountain. A hundred zhang separated them, and each occupied a space of his own.
One was an elderly man dressed in green, with graying hair and a thin, kindly face. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he stood directly in a patch of sunlight, giving him the air of an immortal sage. The other wore a black cloak, and black mist swirled around him, concealing most of his body and preventing anyone from seeing him clearly. But the pitch-black mask on his face, patterned after some unknown magical beast, was enough to show that he was no kindhearted person.
Xiao Yan and Huo Yi, however, had no mind to concern themselves with that. Their eyes widened, their pupils abruptly contracted, and they stared in shock at the black-robed figure within the dark mist. In unison, they uttered two words:
"Hun Clan!"
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