Dou Qi Continent, Central Plains.
This is the ultimate gathering place for the world's strongest warriors, a sacred martial arts land that countless cultivators yearn for throughout their lives.
Whether it's a hegemon rising from the wild lands of the Northwest Continent or a tyrant riding the waves from the Southeast Seas.
Once they break through to a certain level and touch the threshold of a higher level, they will all turn their attention to Central Plains without prior agreement.
Only here can they find the path to continue climbing and witness the true peak of this continent.
Here, countless sects stand tall, and powerful figures emerge in droves.
Large and small sects are scattered across this vast land like stars.
The various sects are engaged in open and covert struggles, as well as alliances and rivalries, with countless grudges, entanglements, and power struggles unfolding every day.
Even the Dou Huang expert who could dominate a country in the Northwest Continent were as numerous as hairs on a cow and were insignificant in this Central Plains State.
You casually sit down in a teahouse on the street, and the burly man at the next table who is silently drinking tea might just be a Dou Emperor ).
The gaunt old man you see bidding at the auction can casually produce treasures that even Dou Zong would envy with a wave of his hand.
On this land, the Dou Emperor is no longer a figure to be looked up to; at best, they can only be considered the backbone of the major forces.
Only by reaching the Dou Zong realm can one truly be considered qualified to stand on this land.
The most powerful forces in the Central Plains across the entire Dou Qi Continent can be summarized as follows:
One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, Four Pavilions.
These eleven forces are the most powerful and colossal entities on the entire Dou Qi Continent. They stand at the very top of the pyramid and are unshakeable giants in the hearts of all cultivators.
First Hall: Hall of Souls.
It was the most mysterious and terrifying entity in the entire Central Plains.
No one knows where the main hall of the Hall of Souls is, no one knows who the master of the Hall of Souls is, and no one knows how many powerful people the Hall of Souls has.
All people know is that the Hall of Souls's tentacles are spread throughout the entire continent, and every time Hall of Souls envoy appears, it signifies that a storm is about to break.
Even other top powers instinctively maintain a degree of wariness when facing the Hall of Souls.
The name itself is like a dark cloud hanging over the Central Plains, making it hard to breathe.
One tower: Pill Tower.
If the Hall of Souls represents darkness and mystery, then the Pill Tower represents light and order.
That is the sacred place in the hearts of all alchemists, the highest hall of alchemy in the entire Dou Qi Continent.
The Pill Tower gathers the continent's top alchemists, and each of the pills they refine is priceless, enough to make countless powerful individuals flock to it.
While the strength of the Pill Tower itself may not be as formidable as that of the Hall of Souls, its influence is unmatched by any other force.
Who would dare to underestimate a force that can summon Dou Zong or even Dou Zun expert to its aid at will?
The Two Sects are the Flower Sect and the Heavenly Underworld Sect.
The Flower Sect is located in a secluded paradise, primarily composed of female disciples, whose sect leader, Fairy Hua, is universally recognized as an unparalleled beauty in the Central Plains.
The Heavenly Underworld Sect, on the other hand, is completely different. Their techniques are strange and domineering, and they are ruthless and merciless in their attacks. They have always acted alone and rarely interact with other forces.
The Three Valleys: Burning Flame Valley, Ice River Valley, and Sound Valley.
The Burning Flame Valley has passed down the Burning Flame Method for generations, and everyone in the valley is a master of fire manipulation. Their research into fire-attribute techniques is unparalleled on the entire continent.
Ice River Valley is the exact opposite of Burning Flame Valley. They live in the Far North Ice Plains, cultivate ice-based techniques, and each generation of successors is a powerful figure as cold as ice.
The Sound Valley is the most unique. Their techniques are related to music, using sound to attain enlightenment and kill without leaving a trace. It is the most mysterious of the Three Valleys.
The Four Pavilions: Starfall Pavilion, Wind Lightning Pavilion, Myriad Sword Pavilion, and Yellow Springs Pavilion.
Although these Four Pavilions are slightly inferior to the previous ones in overall strength, the fact that they are listed separately in the Central Plains alongside the Hall of Souls and the Pill Tower is enough to demonstrate their importance.
Of the Four Pavilions, the Starfall Pavilion is the most mysterious.
The other three pavilions all have branches in the Dou Qi Continent, with the Wind Lightning Pavilion's branches spread across various continents.
The headquarters of the Myriad Sword Pavilion is located on a mountain with ten thousand swords, and it has tens of thousands of disciples, making it a powerful force.
The Yellow Springs Pavilion needs no further introduction; its branch halls are scattered throughout the Central Plains, reaching a very wide area.
Although these three pavilions are powerful, they are not difficult for ordinary people to find.
Only a few powerful individuals knew that the Starfall Pavilion was hidden in a special small world.
Unless you possess a token of the Starfall Pavilion, or are personally guided by a core member of the Starfall Pavilion.
Otherwise, even if you turn the entire Central Plains upside down, you won't find a single brick or tile of the Starfall Pavilion.
This is why the Starfall Pavilion stands out as exceptionally superior among the Four Pavilions.
It does not participate in worldly disputes, does not expand its sphere of influence, and does not recruit many disciples. It simply exists quietly in some unknown fold of space.
Like a star truly hidden in the sky.
But no one dares to underestimate it because of its low profile.
-Because its master is Venerable Feng. A name alone is enough to make Yellow Springs Venerable hate him to the core, yet dare not provoke him.
Xiao Yan had no idea how long he had been asleep.
Before his consciousness completely plunged into darkness, the last thing he saw was Venerable Feng casually tearing open space, pulling Old Ghost Liu and the two Dou Emperor into the spatial rift.
The once arrogant and domineering Dou Zong expert, who had driven himself to the brink of despair, couldn't even utter a complete sentence in front of Venerable Feng, and was casually tossed into the unknown void like a rag doll.
The impact of that scene was so great that even while he was unconscious, the image kept replaying in his mind.
Even in his unconscious state, he could feel gentle forces seeping into his body like a spring breeze and rain.
The excruciating pain that had been tearing his body apart was gradually fading under the nourishment of that power.
His tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little while he was unconscious, and his body, which had been taut like a bowstring, slowly relaxed as well.
After an unknown amount of time, his consciousness gradually returned to his body.
Where am I...?
Xiao Yan opened his eyes with difficulty, and what he saw was an ancient wooden roof.
The roof beams were made of some kind of dark wood that he couldn't name, with fine and even grain, and a faint, pleasant fragrance.
If you don't smell carefully, you won't notice it at all, but this faint fragrance inexplicably calmed his mind.
But as soon as he opened his eyes, Xiao Yan clearly felt the dense Dou Qi around him.
The concentration of Dou Qi spirit invigorated him.
My previously groggy mind instantly became clearer.
The energy of heaven and earth permeating the air was so dense that it almost solidified; every breath felt like absorbing a ball of pure energy.
The energy flowed into his body through his respiratory tract, nourishing his parched meridians.
His Soul Power began to operate almost instinctively, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy, like parched seedlings finally receiving rain.
"Such intense Dou Qi!"
Xiao Yan couldn't help but mutter aloud, his voice so hoarse it startled him.
Xiao Yan had barely opened his mouth when he keenly sensed an aura beside him.
The aura was not far from the bed, only a few steps away, carrying a faint fragrance of herbs and trees.
He turned his head almost reflexively, his hand instinctively reaching out to mobilize his Soul Power at the same moment.
However, his body was too weak, and his Soul Power dissipated without a trace after circulating twice in his meridians.
A young girl in a blue dress was standing not far away, curiously looking at herself.
The girl looked to be about fourteen years old, with a slender and agile figure. Her light blue clothes were slightly too big for her, and the cuffs were rolled up twice, revealing a section of her fair wrist.
Her short, jet-black hair fell neatly down her back, with the ends slightly curled up, giving her a playful look.
Her face still had a touch of baby fat typical of young girls, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her big eyes were clear and bright, with long eyelashes fluttering as she blinked.
She tilted her head and looked at Xiao Yan, her gaze filled with pure curiosity, without any defensiveness or hostility.
"You're awake!?"
Seeing Xiao Yan open his eyes and look at her, the girl immediately moved closer, her face revealing an undisguised excitement.
Her voice was clear and youthful, with a slight upward inflection at the end, carrying the sweetness and vitality unique to young girls.
Without waiting for Xiao Yan to speak, she yelled, turned around, and rushed out of the room.
A glimpse of a light blue hem flashed past the doorway, followed by crisp, hurried footsteps that echoed down the corridor.
Her voice was as lively as a bird released from its cage, running and shouting all the way.
"Master, he's awake!"
The childish voice carried far, echoing several times at the end of the corridor before gradually fading away.
The voice carried a hint of triumphant joy, as if the awakening of the patient she was caring for was a remarkable achievement.
At this moment, Xiao Yan finally came to his senses from that fleeting eye contact.
He lay in bed, staring at the doorway where the girl had disappeared, when he suddenly realized something he found hard to believe.
This girl, who looked to be only about fourteen years old, possessed an aura that clearly belonged to a genuine Nine-Star Dou Emperor!
When she got close just now, Xiao Yan instinctively sensed her presence.
It was an aura that emanated naturally without any concealment.
Although gentle and harmless, it is so profound that it can be unsettling.
Fourteen years old!? Nine-Star Dou Emperor!?
The sheer impact of this combination of numbers left Xiao Yan speechless for a moment.
What was he doing when he was fourteen?
He just broke through to the Soul Elder realm in the Douluo Continent, right?
At that time, he felt he was already quite good.
But compared to the girl in front of him, he felt like he wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground.
A fourteen-year-old Nine-Star Dou Emperor —this can no longer be described as "genius"; this is simply a prodigy, a monster, a daughter whom God has been feeding to the heavens.
As Xiao Yan watched the girl's departing figure, he even wondered if he was still dreaming.
But soon, a familiar figure in a blue robe appeared at the door, pulling him back to reality from his dazed shock.