As Old Wang had expected, not long after he and Xiao Li left, several groups of people followed them in succession.
When Xiao Li and Old Wang were far from Xuan Ye City, Old Wang suddenly stopped, and a strange axe appeared in his hand.
"Teacher, are they here?" Xiao Li naturally understood what his teacher's actions meant. A greatsword, red and white, also appeared in his hand. The sword's body was bright and transparent, engraved with flame patterns.
The guard of the sword was extremely wide; it could be opened, and inside, it was used to place fire-attribute Magic Cores.
This sword, 'Heavenly Fury,' must have been an excellent work by an Artifact Refiner from ancient times. Unfortunately, the Legacy of Artifact Refiners on the Fighting Qi Continent is not as complete as that of Alchemists.
"Lier, they're here. Two Dou Emperors—one two-star, one three-star—eight Dou Kings, over a dozen Dou Spirits. We don't need to count the Da Dou Shi (Great Dou Masters) anymore." Old Wang's Soul Power had already sensed the number of opponents.
"Uh, so many? Teacher, two Dou Emperors are already enough to overwhelm you. The rest might just chop me into mincemeat," Xiao Li said with a bitter expression.
"Not that much!" Old Wang was still in the mood to joke at this moment: "Cough, cough, no more jokes. Those ahead are all enemies, but the reason I stopped is that our allies have arrived. Old man Su Qian, isn't it time for you to show yourself?"
Crack—a small gap suddenly opened in the Void Realm.
"Heh heh, Old Wang, I didn't expect your Soul perception to still be so astonishing." An aged voice came from the Void Realm. A black-robed elder, accompanied by a black-clad middle-aged man, stepped out from the Void Realm.
Behind the black-clad middle-aged man was a pair of Dou Qi wings, while the leading elder walked slowly before Old Wang, treading on the Void Realm itself.
"Treading the Void Realm, a Dou Zong expert!"
This was Xiao Li's first time seeing a Dou Zong expert. A Dou Zong was the ceiling in this Northwest Continent. A Dou Zong was a watershed for experts; only by stepping into the Dou Zong Realm could one be considered a true expert on the continent.
"You old fellow, you actually broke through to Dou Zong? Good, help this old man out and eliminate all the invading enemies." Old Wang's tone was somewhat aggressive; it was clear he was angry.
"You old rascal, you want this old man to be your thug? You're the first Dou Emperor to order a Dou Zong!" Su Qian said, annoyed.
Seeing their conversation, their friendship must be deep. Wu Tianlang hadn't expected the Grand Elder to be acquainted with this mysterious Alchemist.
Xiao Li, on the other hand, was surprised at how his teacher seemed to know people everywhere he went. He wondered if his teacher would still know people when they went to the Central Plains later.
"Let's chat later. Let's cut off these tails, and we can discuss it further in Peace Town. By the way, introduce this promising young man to me. He's about sixteen or seventeen years old, yet his cultivation has reached three-star Dou Spirit. He's even more of a Prodigy than the youngsters in the Inner Academy!"
Su Qian's gaze fell on Xiao Li, his eyes shining as if he were appraising some rare treasure.
"Uh, Senior, please don't look at me like that. Your gaze makes me a little scared." Goosebumps rose on Xiao Li's body; being stared at by an old man like that was somewhat unsettling.
"Cough, cough, Old Su, deal with the tails. This old man also has important matters to discuss with you." Old Wang coughed.
"Hmph! Hand over your Elixirs and spatial ring, and this Venerable One can spare you..."
Pfft—
The head of the Dou Emperor who spoke was split open, like a shattered watermelon.
Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft—
In just a few breaths, all the invading enemies were dealt with by Su Qian. A mere two low-level Dou Emperors and a few Dou Kings weren't even enough for Su Qian to warm up.
"Is this a Dou Zong? Truly formidable," Old Wang exclaimed.
Xiao Li, meanwhile, ran up to loot the bodies. After all, these guys were more or less experts from the Black-Corner Region, so they had some assets. It would be foolish not to take them.
After Xiao Li had collected all the spatial rings, he returned to Old Wang's side.
"Let's go."
The four then left, heading towards Peace Town of Canaan Academy.
Not long after,
Several more groups of experts arrived, but they only found a scene of devastation.
"Heavens, two Dou Emperors and several Dou Kings are all dead, and even their spatial rings are gone. What kind of power is this?"
...After flying for a day, Xiao Li saw a small, indistinct town nestled in the corner of two majestic mountains in the distance.
"Alright, we've reached Peace Town. Let's walk the rest of the way," Su Qian said with a smile.
Canaan Academy had an unwritten rule: within a hundred-mile radius around Canaan Academy, no one was allowed to fly forcefully, or they would be attacked!
As the Grand Elder of the Inner Academy, Su Qian naturally had to set an example. After all, Peace Town was very safe. As for anyone who dared to cause trouble here, hehe, they would soon become part of one of Canaan Academy's famous attractions.
The moment Xiao Li stood at the entrance of Peace Town, he was greeted by a peculiar sight!
It was a strange, pitch-black tree, its crown spreading in all directions, menacingly, and under the sunlight, it exuded a faint, chilling aura.
Impaled on its branches were several corpses, swaying in the gentle breeze, making a spine-chilling creaking sound.
"Hiss—that's a bit creepy!" Xiao Li gasped. This morbid scene was a bit beyond Xiao Li's limit of endurance; he felt a little nauseous.
This tree was named the Dead Spirit Tree!
The eerie aura emanating from this strange Dead Spirit Tree sent a chill down the spines of those gathered at the town's entrance.
In the Black-Corner Region, the reputation of this Dead Spirit Tree was enough to strike fear into the hearts of its inhabitants. Just over a decade ago, a certain power in the Black-Corner Region had a bloody battle with Canaan Academy.
The reason for the war was unknown, but it was only known that after this bloody battle, the corpses of two Dou Kings and one Dou Emperor were hung on the old tree in Peace Town.
This tree then earned the name Dead Spirit Tree.
Since then, the area surrounding Canaan Academy had fallen into a tranquility that was out of place with the outside world. No more experts from the Black-Corner Region dared to intrude into these small towns with Killing Intent. Even in the few occasional disturbances, the troublemakers would become corpses impaled on the Dead Spirit Tree within an hour.
At this moment, Xiao Li looked at the corpses swaying in the wind on the Dead Spirit Tree, like 'teru teru bozu' dolls, truly chilling.
"Lier, do you know why Canaan Academy can cultivate Geniuses in this chaotic region of the Black-Corner Region? It's by relying on powerful strength! Only a place like this can cultivate Geniuses!"
Old Wang said with a chuckle. He had visited Canaan Academy many times and seen many Geniuses. Now, he had also sent his own young Genius to compete with Geniuses from all over the continent!
"Oh? Old Wang, are you perhaps thinking of having this young man join Canaan Academy?" Su Qian suddenly asked with interest.
"Of course. My Disciple is exceptionally intelligent; at sixteen, he has already reached three-star Dou Spirit. I ask you, when has your Canaan Academy ever had such a Genius?
However, some people are unremarkable in their early stages but achieve greatness later, soaring to success. And there are also some who have a smooth journey in their early stages but perish prematurely.
Lier, you must remember not to underestimate anyone in the world. You must know that there are always people beyond people, and heavens beyond heavens."
Old Wang's tone was extremely serious. Perhaps he was one of those people who had a smooth early journey, displaying extreme talent, but then had his entire clan annihilated.
"This Disciple understands!" Xiao Li nodded heavily. Everyone has their glorious moments; don't mistake a moment for eternity. Wasn't the Xiao Clan like that in the past?