In the distant sky, the Amethyst Winged Lion King flapped its wings, and a faint purple light shield radiated from its body. The oncoming strong winds were completely blocked, leaving Yan Qingshan and the others unaffected.
Yan Qingshan smiled at Han Yue, who was on the other side. "Senior Han Yue, I'll rely on you for directions from now on!"
Han Yue smiled and nodded, looking into the distance. "If we want to go to the Central Plains, we must first reach Horizon City. We can use a spatial wormhole there to travel to the Central Plains."
"Zi Yan!"
Yan Qingshan sat down and beckoned with his hand. Zi Yan, whose little face was full of excitement, obediently sat down next to him. He smiled and rubbed Zi Yan's head. "After we reach the Central Plains, perhaps the mystery of your origin can be solved."
"My origin? I don't want to know anything about my origin!"
When Zi Yan heard his words, not only did she not look excited, but she seemed a bit downcast. However, there was still a hint of expectation in her eyes.
Yan Qingshan quietly stroked Zi Yan's hair, silently comforting the dejected girl. Having grown up without any family, she was resistant to the topic of her own background.
…
Horizon City is located in a mountain range called Tianqing, ten thousand miles away from the Black-Corner Region. As the only city within a thousand-mile radius that has a spatial wormhole leading to the Central Plains, the prosperity of Horizon City is second to none.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's speed was far greater than that of an ordinary magical beast, and with all three of them having extraordinary cultivation, they were already nearing the Tianqing Mountain Range after just three days of rapid flight.
Han Yue also used these past few days to tell Yan Qingshan about the customs and traditions of the Central Plains. Before, Yan Qingshan's knowledge was only one-sided, but now, from Han Yue's account, he had a deeper understanding.
The Central Plains continent is vast. In some of the larger cities, there are what are called "wormholes" to reduce travel time. The builders of these wormholes are mostly the peak experts or predecessors of those cities.
These experts who establish the wormholes often have descendants, and the ownership of the wormholes naturally belongs to their families. The profits from these wormholes, which open once a year, are extremely high, enough to support an entire family.
Therefore, in the Central Plains, the appearance of every wormhole causes countless factions to become envious, but most of them can only be envious.
To build a spatial wormhole, a Dou Venerate expert is required. And in an era where Dou Saints were rare, every Dou Venerate expert is at the pinnacle of the continent, the most supreme existence in the world.
It is precisely because wormholes are so rare that in the Central Plains, they also symbolize wealth and power. Those who can own one are either famous first-class powers or special powers that inherited the legacy of a predecessor, and their foundations are all quite deep.
Han Yue comes from a small city called Tian Bei City in the Northern Region of the Central Plains. It is within the territory of the Wind-Lightning Pavilion, one of the Four Great Pavilions, and her family is one of the two major clans in Tian Bei City.
Tian Bei City is just a very common small city in the Central Plains, but its two major clans are both backed by Dou Ancestor experts. In the Northwest Continent, they would be the rulers of an empire, at least a second-class power, but in the Central Plains, they are considered an insignificant force.
There are many factions in the Central Plains, a mix of magical beasts and humans. Among them, there are thirteen top-tier human factions, all of which are guarded by at least a Dou Venerate. They are divided into a Hall and a Tower, two Sects and three Valleys, and the Four Great Pavilions.
The Hall and the Tower are, of course, the Hall of Souls and the Pill Tower. The two Sects are the Profound Sky Sect and the Flower Sect. The three Valleys are the Ice River Valley, the Sound Valley, and the Burning Flame Valley.
These factions are all very old in the Central Plains and have more or less a connection with the legendary Dou Saints. As for the remaining Four Great Pavilions, some are also ancient, while others have only risen in the past hundred years, but their hidden strength is not weak.
The territories of the Four Great Pavilions are mostly in the Northern Region of the Central Plains, and this is the destination for Yan Qingshan and the others. The Four Great Pavilions are the Falling Star Pavilion, the Yellow Spring Pavilion, the Wind-Lightning Pavilion, and the Ten Thousand Sword Pavilion. Among these, the Falling Star Pavilion is the youngest but also the most powerful.
However, it is said that the mysterious master of the Falling Star Pavilion has not appeared for many years. The one who now governs the Four Great Pavilions is his friend, Venerable Feng, a peak expert renowned throughout the continent. Among the Four Great Venerables of the pavilions, he holds the top position.
"We have arrived at the Tianqing Mountain Range."
While Han Yue and Yan Qingshan were talking, the Amethyst Winged Lion King crossed the plain and slowly entered the Tianqing Mountain Range. There were many people on the wide, sprawling roads below, and the bustling sounds from the ground could be faintly heard.
Yan Qingshan and his companions were not the only ones riding flying mounts. There were many sounds of rushing wind, and all kinds of strange flying beasts flapped their wings, flying into the mountain range.
The Tianqing Mountain Range was extremely prosperous, far surpassing the Black-Corner Region. Countless flying magical beasts appeared at the same time, but most were just ordinary first or second-tier beasts. Rarely was anything above a third-tier beast seen.
The majestic and beautiful Amethyst Winged Lion King naturally attracted many glances. Many people looked at Yan Qingshan and his companions with envy.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King looked around with great interest, but its gaze often startled the other flying magical beasts. Being stared at by a fifth-tier magical beast was not a comfortable experience.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King sped up at Yan Qingshan's call, and the outline of a giant city appeared in their sight.
Just as the Amethyst Winged Lion King was about to descend into Horizon City, a light silhouette suddenly flashed up from the city gate, then transformed into a yellow-robed old man.
The old man had a very solemn expression. The Dou Qi wings on his back vibrated slightly, and he stood directly in front of the Amethyst Winged Lion King. He said in a deep voice, "Is this your first time in Horizon City? Don't you know that you are not allowed to fly into the city above?"
"Roar!"
The Amethyst Winged Lion King's path was blocked, and it was immediately in a bad mood. It let out an angry roar. If Yan Qingshan hadn't patted its head, a mouthful of purple flame would have already been spat out.
Yan Qingshan glanced at the man and let out a cold snort. "This Horizon City sure has a lot of rules!"
"A fifth-tier magical beast! A Dou Emperor expert!"
The old man's face changed slightly. He cautiously looked at the back of the Amethyst Winged Lion King, and his expression softened a bit.
"A fifth-tier flying magical beast that hasn't even reached its peak yet... And such young Dou King and Dou Emperor experts? Could they be from a major clan?"
A few waves of thought stirred in the old man's heart, but his expression became much more amiable. He cupped his hands to Yan Qingshan and his companions. "My friends, this is indeed a long-standing rule of Horizon City. At the city gate below, my Luo family has a special..."
He paused there. The Luo family had a dedicated area for parking flying magical beasts, but most travelers only brought third or fourth-tier beasts at most. The one they had was a fifth-tier beast, and not an ordinary one at that. It would probably not be a good idea to put it in that area.
"Zi Jing, let's go down and enter the city."
Yan Qingshan patted the Amethyst Winged Lion King's head. The lion king let out an obedient low roar, slowed down, and flapped its wings to fly down.
The massive Amethyst Winged Lion King followed behind Yan Qingshan and the others. When they were about to enter the city, the yellow-robed old man came to give special instructions, and the guards let the lion king, which was obviously not to be trifled with, enter.
Generally, ordinary magical beasts would be stopped outside the city by the guards of Horizon City. If they were to leave, they would be escorted to the wormhole plaza. After all, these flying magical beasts that could carry people were usually huge, and if they were allowed to wander in the city, they could easily cause problems.
However, experts have their own privileges. The strength that Yan Qingshan displayed was not something the Luo family, the rulers of Horizon City, dared to take lightly. Moreover, fifth-tier magical beasts are highly intelligent, and no one would dare to treat such a being as a common mount.
On the bustling street, Yan Qingshan and his companions walked slowly. The Amethyst Winged Lion King followed behind Yan Qingshan, very curious about many unfamiliar things.
On both sides of the street, which was paved with blue stones, there were various shouts and vendors. A dazzling array of goods was displayed in the shops on both sides, and streams of people moved through them like ants.
The entire Horizon City gave off a feeling of being extraordinarily busy and crowded. Yan Qingshan and his companions stopped and went, their destination, of course, being the plaza where the wormhole was located. Along the way, the Amethyst Winged Lion King attracted a lot of attention. A magical beast with such beauty and strength would naturally attract people's notice.
However, the people who could thrive in Horizon City were not fools. Although many were tempted by the Amethyst Winged Lion King, no one dared to approach and cause trouble. Anyone with a brain knew that a magical beast of this caliber could not be measured by money.
After crossing half of Horizon City, a huge black stone plaza appeared in their sight. The plaza was bustling with people and extremely lively.
This plaza was very wide and built with a kind of black stone. It felt cold and incredibly sturdy. A towering stone platform in the center of the plaza was guarded by a large number of guards, and a very powerful spatial energy faintly emanated from it.
"This is a wormhole!"
Yan Qingshan squinted, looking at the stone platform. In the center of the platform, a pitch-black hole ten feet wide was slowly rotating. Waves of astonishing spatial energy emanated from it. However, under Yan Qingshan's observation, the spatial energy within it seemed to have traces of being slightly chaotic.
"This spatial wormhole must be very old. It seems to have some small issues that haven't been fixed. It will probably have to be shut down for repairs in a few years."
The voice of Venerable Tian Huo echoed in Yan Qingshan's mind. Yan Qingshan wasn't surprised by this. In the original story, when Xiao Yan arrived a few years later, he happened to find that the Luo family's wormhole needed to be repaired, and even after the repairs, the wormhole had a problem after they entered.