The campfire crackled for half the night, Fang Yun'er had already returned to the Qilin Dragon Horse carriage and was fast asleep.
Beside the campfire, only Uncle Li, who was sitting cross-legged, and Lin Xuan, who was deep in thought, remained.
Lin Xuan fiddled with the blazing flames, his eyes lowered with a hint of helplessness.
After the initial joy faded, only a faint sorrow arose in his heart.
Central Continent...
Recalling what Uncle Li had just told him, Lin Xuan couldn't help but shake his head.
The Central Continent comprises thirteen realms, each containing Thirty-Six domains, whose rulers are all Saint King.
Within the Thirteen Realms, there are many Saint Lord.
There are even rumors that immortals still exist within the thirteen realms of the Central Continent.
However, no one can say for sure whether it actually exists.
Because this is an existence above the Saint Lord, most people can't even get close enough to meet Saint Lord. The specifics are just rumors, and no one has ever come forward to explain the truth.
Moreover, immortals are inherently mysterious.
Where is this existence visible to ordinary cultivators?
This place is more vast and boundless than Eastern Continent.
After arriving here, Lin Xuan realized that the claim that the Eastern Continent Saint Realm was the upper limit was indeed true.
The oppressive feeling he had in the Eastern Continent suddenly dissipated, and he felt as if the world was vast and boundless, with no more constraints from the rules.
He was currently in the middle of Azure Wave City and Jinglan City in the Heaven-Gazing Domain, in a dangerous and impoverished place called the Desolate Forest, which stretched between the two cities as an insurmountable barrier.
Countless cultivators who need to pass through this stage must venture forward at great risk.
Whether it's Azure Wave City or Jinglan City, the Fang Household is among the top-tier powers within both cities.
One branch is the main lineage of the Fang Household, residing in Azure Wave.
One is a collateral branch, the Orchidia argentea.
The Fang Household patriarch resides in Azure Wave, and his cultivation level is at the Late Saint Realm.
Now is the time for the Fang Household's annual assessment of the younger generation. Only those who have reached the age of sixteen each year are examined, regardless of whether they are from the main branch or collateral branches.
As a member of a collateral branch of the family, Fang Yun'er, even if she is not favored or valued, cannot be absent.
Unless, she dies on the way.
but...
Heavenly Zenith Pill.
Lin Xuan felt somewhat helpless.
He never imagined that he had swallowed such a valuable pill from someone else.
However, after he woke up, looking at the bloodstains on his body and the empty sea of Divine Sense, he realized that it was no wonder Fang Yun'er had misjudged him.
He was thrown out of that palace.
Lin Xuan didn't know if there were other people in the palace, but he could clearly sense that the palace was definitely not an ordinary object, and might even have been sentient!
Because he clearly sensed its disdain for him...
Lin Xuan even suspected that the thing might have taken him along because of his immense Spiritual Power, using him as a reserve source of Spiritual Power to help it return to the Central Continent.
Once they arrive at their destination, they can't wait to discard this depleted reserve of resources.
They didn't even consider whether they would live or die.
Thinking about this, he almost laughed in exasperation.
It's best to avoid finding that palace again.
Although he had planned to come to the Central Continent, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
There are still many things that haven't been arranged in the Eastern Continent.
Fortunately, I didn't bring the Saint King with me; otherwise, that would have been a real problem.
He hadn't made any extra preparations; he had already consumed all the pills when he broke through to the next realm, and even after taking Fang Yun'er's Heavenly Zenith Pill, he still couldn't get a return in a short time.
As for Spirit Stone, he does have some left.
Unfortunately...
The finest Spirit Stone from the Eastern Continent are only considered mid-grade here.
Lin Xuan probably carries not much more Spirit Stone than Fang Yun'er does here.
It's completely ineffective.
It's better than nothing, to say the least.
Moreover, even though he wasn't seriously injured, Fang Yun'er had indeed saved his life.
He accepted the favor.
Horn Wood burst open from the campfire.
Uncle Li's voice suddenly rang out in the silent, dark night.
"Young friend Lin, I won't say much more. The fact that you're here suggests you have some level of cultivation to protect yourself. Now, the three of us are in the same boat, relying on each other for survival. The most urgent thing is to leave this place as soon as possible. What do you think?"
Lin Xuan looked up and saw that Uncle Li had finished his cultivation sometime earlier and was gazing at the distant dawn.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
It's time to get going.
Lin Xuan nodded.
"Absolutely."
After that night, he finally understood why Uncle Li's attitude and tone towards him hadn't been very good at the beginning.
Anyone in that situation would probably not have been so polite.
Seeing that Lin Xuan didn't refute him and even seemed willing to help, Uncle Li's anger subsided a bit.
He let out a breath and finally decided to take care of the important matters first.
"This place is the Desolate Forest, as I have already told you. And the Desolate Forest is actually a corner of High Antiquity forbidden land."
"In other words, this place is fraught with danger, especially powerful demons that could appear at any time, as well as various illusions and traps. A moment's carelessness could lead to certain death here."
"Let alone a cultivator at the Great Emperor Realm like myself, even Saint Realm wouldn't be safe here."
As he spoke, his expression became somewhat serious, and he couldn't help but frown, feeling a deep headache.
His cultivation level wasn't actually that difficult to pass.
After all, although he was called a servant, he was quite powerful. If it weren't for the kindness Fang Yun'er's mother had shown him, he could easily have become a minor elder in any small sect.
But we also need to bring Fang Yun'er along...
That would be troublesome.
But what Uncle Li was worried about made Lin Xuan smile.
He shook his head slightly.
"If that's all you're worried about, then there's no need to worry."
"I don't even consider ordinary demons a threat."
Uncle Li:...
He gave Lin Xuan a deep look, but he didn't even have the strength to sneer anymore; he just felt speechless and powerless.
That's some serious boasting; they might end up exaggerating the size of their Qilin Dragon Horse.
The Qilin Dragon Horse has some of the bloodline of the Golden Hou Demon Ox.
They're really not afraid of biting their tongues in this strong wind!
What level of cultivation could someone in their Thirty possibly have?
At best, he was on par with him in terms of realm.
Even so, this is already an extremely monstrous level of talent.
The most talented young master of the Fang Household is only barely at the Emperor Thearch Realm.
However, if he didn't say anything, Uncle Li felt a tightness in his chest.
He simply rolled his eyes.
"Don't joke around. It's extremely dangerous in here. Listen to me, whatever you do, don't provoke those ferocious beasts."
"Getting out of here safely is more important than anything else."
Lin Xuan did not refute.
Although he felt that his injuries were not serious, his Spiritual Power had not yet recovered.
It's not in his nature to confidently assert that everything is foolproof.
Even now, no matter what kind of Demon Beast it is, even if it's Saint Realm, it's all just a matter of One Sword strike, so he wouldn't rashly make any promises.
His silence, in Uncle Li's eyes, meant that he had finally settled down.
This relieved Uncle Li.
It's not arrogance I'm afraid of, it's stupidity that makes people unable to understand what others are saying.
He felt that as long as Lin Xuan was willing to exert seven-tenths, no, five-tenths of his strength, he could safely lead the young lady away from this place.
certainly...
The premise is that nothing unexpected happens.