That night, Emperor Haotian reappeared and performed a qi infusion for Li Tianjue.
However, this infusion only concluded at dawn. Emperor Haotian was utterly shocked to discover how high Li Tianjue's cultivation had reached—Spirit King eighth stage… on the verge of breaking through to the Saint realm! This far surpassed his foolish disciple.
Even in his own youth, he had only just broken through to the first stage of the Saint realm at this age, far inferior to Li Tianjue.
"You boy, you've been hiding your strength well. If I hadn't infused you with qi, I wouldn't have known your cultivation… Alas, what a pity!" Emperor Haotian said, a mix of pride and slight dejection. He hadn't expected to miss out on Su Luo, such a good seedling, and then Li Tianjue, a prodigy, only to end up choosing the exceptionally mediocre Shang Xie Shaoqing. Truly…
Li Tianjue smiled faintly, "The Great Emperor flatters me."
Emperor Haotian slapped himself hard, saying with frustration, "You brat, you need to work twice as hard, or I won't acknowledge you as my disciple!"
When Shang Xie Shaoqing woke up again, he touched his stinging face and asked curiously, "Ouch, my face really hurts. Did someone hit me just now?"
Tang Xiaoguo couldn't help but chuckle, "It's because you're too stupid!"
Shang Xie Shaoqing was bewildered, "Guoguo, what's wrong?" Why would his face hurt because he was too stupid?
But everyone else burst into laughter, refusing to explain.
He asked everyone but no one told him, so he could only accept his bad luck, unable to figure it out for half a day.
Soon, after crossing the Ling Shui River, the group split into two. Li Tianjue and Su Luo, along with the Dragon Hound and Fantian, left the main party and headed towards Dayuan City. Chu Tianshu and the others took a different mountain path, heading towards the Dragon Soul Forest.
After only a short while, the Dragon Hound found Fantian too slow. It simply carried him, galloping at lightning speed. Fantian initially screamed 'Sister!' in fright, but later got used to it, holding tightly onto the Dragon Hound's neck and enjoying the sensation of soaring through the clouds.
It was just a little bumpy on his backside.
Su Luo and Li Tianjue flew, their speed no slower than the Dragon Hound. They moved as if treading on flat ground, covering over three hundred li in less than half a day.
With fewer people, things became simpler. The two had a clear objective: heading straight for Dayuan City to stir up trouble, and of course, making it as big as possible. Although this wasn't typical behavior for Li Tianjue, it perfectly aligned with his inner desires.
"Luoluo, what are your plans?" Li Tianjue asked her.
"Dayuan City is Demon Sect territory, so there will definitely be many on the bounty hunter list. Of course, we have to take this opportunity to make a fortune," Su Luo said, her eyes gleaming with greed. She had long wanted to bring back a few heads to claim bounties, avenging herself, causing trouble, and making money—killing three birds with one stone!
Li Tianjue's pupils were deep, and a smile curved his lips. With this trip back, it seemed the resource treasury would be full again.
Excellent, excellent!
Two days of full-speed travel halved the journey that would normally have taken four days.
The further they went, the more adverse the environment became. The vast, boundless land was barren and pitch-black. It was unclear which demon lord had ravaged this place, leaving not a single blade of grass, and even the soil contained toxins, resembling a wasteland.
Su Luo also saw scattered white bones everywhere—human and beast, winged creatures—as if a great battle had taken place, claiming countless lives, leaving only desolation and silence.
This was the sphere of influence of the Dark Demon Ridge; such places were countless. They also passed a small village, now deserted, its land abandoned, its past events unknown.
Finally, an ancient city loomed in the distance.
Su Luo stood on the mountaintop and looked down, clearly seeing the towering city gates. They were actually formed from the bones of a giant beast. The towering, slender horns were three zhang long, the forehead bone was snow-white, and the two eye sockets were dark hollows. The entrance was its gaping maw, and the spinal bones rose high, extending into city walls on both sides. From a distance, it exuded an aura of grimness.
"This Dayuan City is quite special. What ancient behemoth is this, so enormous?" her beautiful eyes gleamed with excitement.
"There are no such behemoths."
Li Tianjue stood with his hands behind his back, the mountain wind ruffling his robes, making him appear detached from the world. "Although the head of an Iron Fang Mountain Rhino is enormous, it's only a sixth-tier herbivorous spirit beast. Those two horns should belong to a Five-tier spirit beast, the Iron Horned Ostrich-Antelope. As for these spinal bones, if I'm not mistaken, they should be modified Dragon Whale bones to be this large and long."
Su Luo realized with a start, "So it's a cobbled-together beast! I thought it was real."
If an ordinary person couldn't recognize it, they would be intimidated upon arrival.
Li Tianjue added, "Dayuan City was once the territory of the Poison Toad King. After his death, it's said to have been taken over by the Blazing Flame Demon Venerable. Part of the city consists of ordinary native inhabitants, but they are enslaved as laborers, primarily engaged in mining and cultivation. Another part consists of demon lords being pursued and wanted, who also linger and cultivate here. In short, it's a very chaotic place."
Su Luo looked at him, "Senior Brother, why do you know everything so clearly?"
"If you listen and observe more, you'll naturally become clear about things as well," he said with a faint smile. "Let's go. We can finally stop holding back. Let's have a competition later to see who kills more." He stamped his foot, and his entire body flew up, like a swift dragon, fast and agile, vanishing dozens of zhang in an instant.
Su Luo smiled sweetly, patted the Dragon Hound's head, and the person and dog surged forward simultaneously.
Dayuan City Gate.
Four guards leaned lazily against the bone wall, chatting idly.
"So boring, it's our turn to stand guard again today. I was supposed to go find that charming little lady Yan Hong for a romantic encounter, alas, stuck here blowing in the cold wind!"
A tall, thin man said, hands clasped, his eyes leering as he ambiguously told the man beside him, "Liu San, you should try her next time. I guarantee you, Miss Yan Hong is ten times better than Chun Liu you keep talking about!"
The stout man with a big head didn't believe him, "Nonsense, Chun Liu is definitely better than your sweetheart…"
Suddenly, another man looked up at the sky and said blankly, "What are those three black dots? They're not birds, yet they fly so fast! No, that's people… no, and there's a dog!"
Such strange words made the other three look up, only to become increasingly shocked.
A man and a woman were flying on the wind, exceptionally graceful and transcendent in bearing. Beside them was an enormous black dog carrying a young man on its back. This peculiar combination appeared so abruptly, approaching the city gate like lightning.
"Who are you? Hurry down! Flying is not allowed in Dayuan City! Do you hear me!" one of them shouted, pointing at the sky.
As soon as the words fell, a beam of spiritual light shot down, striking the guard directly on the head.
The guard's head exploded on the spot, and he toppled over, leaving the other three stunned.
Su Luo and Li Tianjue did not stop, flying directly into the city. This arrogant entrance caused countless people in the city to look up and point. By the time they landed, some people had already recognized Li Tianjue's identity.
"It's him… Not good!"
A man stared intently at Li Tianjue, who was walking unhurriedly, his face changing drastically. He didn't even dare to shout, turning and fleeing.
Fearing that he might attract Li Tianjue's attention.