SECRET CAVE

Having made up his mind, Xie Tianxiao stood up and, with a thought, disappeared from the cave. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared on a cliff dozens of miles away from the cave.

"So, this is the power of spatial manipulation." Xie Tianxiao marveled.

It was his first time using spatial power. Although he knew that a Dou Zun could control space, it was merely theoretical knowledge in his previous life, he had no real concept of it. But now, as a half-Saint, he truly experienced the terrifying might of spatial power.

It was simply awe-inspiring!

Xie Tianxiao gazed out at the vast landscape, where the bright moonlight illuminated the undulating mountains.

This mountain range was the Magic beast Mountains, located near the Lan Shan Empire in the northwestern region. The two were separated by about a thousand miles—not too far, but not too close either.

Xie Tianxiao slowly began to levitate, flying steadily toward the edge of the mountains.

As for why he didn't just tear through space to travel? Well, he wanted to see more of the Dou Qi Continent. Using a spatial tunnel directly would be too boring.

"Oh, I didn't expect there to be so many magical beasts at the edge of this mountain range."

While flying, Xie Tianxiao deliberately released his soul power to sense the magical beasts in the mountains below.

"The strongest ones are just a few fifth-tier magical beasts. No wonder my predecessor didn't pay them much attention."

As a half-Saint, Xie Tianxiao's predecessor wouldn't have bothered with mere fifth-tier Dou Wang-level magical beasts.

The magical beasts below, sensing the overwhelming soul power of Xie Tianxiao, scattered in all directions in fear, causing a commotion throughout the mountain range.

As for why the low-level magical beasts in the mountains could withstand Xie Tianxiao's soul scan, it was simply because he had deliberately suppressed his killing intent. Otherwise, such low-level beasts wouldn't have been able to endure the power of a half-Saint.

At the border between the Lan Shan Empire and the Magic beast Mountains, a group of four—two men and two women—was hastily making their way forward.

"Senior Brother, why have the magical beasts in the Magic beast Mountains suddenly become so agitated?" one of the women at the back of the group asked the leading man.

This woman, dressed in green, had a delicate and pretty face, appearing to be around seventeen or eighteen years old. Her large, bright eyes were as lively as an elf's.

Before the leading man could answer, the man in white robes next to the green-clad woman quickly spoke up, "Junior Sister, don't worry. Even if a horde of magical beasts charges at us, Second Senior Brother will protect you!"

"Yeah, Junior Sister, don't worry. Second Senior Brother will protect us all," the red-robed woman on the other side of the white-robed man chimed in.

Though the red-robed woman wasn't as beautiful as the green-clad woman, she was still quite attractive.

Seeing this, the leading man remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Junior Brother, don't be reckless. The agitation of the magical beasts in the Magic beast Mountains must indicate something significant has happened. Otherwise, so many magical beasts wouldn't be stirred up."

"In any case, we need to be cautious. Though we are at the edge of the mountains, if a group of magical beasts suddenly charges at us, we'll be in trouble."

Although their strength wasn't bad, they wouldn't be able to withstand a horde of magical beasts attacking them all at once.

"Senior Brother is right," the green-clad woman said, turning to the white-robed man. "Second Senior Brother, you need to stop being so reckless, or you'll someday suffer because of it."

"Yes, Junior Sister, you're right," the white-robed man responded with a sheepish grin.

"We should leave this place quickly. Once we finish exploring the Dou Zong's secret cave, I'll report this to the Emperor, I'm sure he'll send people to investigate." the leading man nodded and said.

Just as they were about to leave, a man in black suddenly appeared in front of them, blocking their path.

The sudden appearance startled the four of them.

The man leading the group, known as Senior Brother, spoke first, addressing the man in black ahead, "Who are you, and why are you blocking our way?"

The man in black was none other than Xie Tianxiao. He had been on his way out of the Magic beast Mountains when he happened to notice the group below, overhearing their conversation about the magical beast's agitation and their plan to send people to investigate. Intrigued, he decided to come down and play with them.

"Not bad—one Da Dou Shi, two Dou Shi, and one nine-star Dou Zhe." Xie Tianxiao remarked calmly as he observed the group.

Aside from the green-clad woman, the group seemed to be around twenty years old. In this remote northwest region, that was quite impressive.

"Quit acting mysterious! Who are you?" the white-robed man, known as Second Senior Brother snapped frowning.

"Second Junior Brother!" the leading man scolded him.

After being reprimanded by his Senior Brother, the white-robed man muttered a few words and fell silent.

The leading man then clasped his fists and respectfully addressed Xie Tianxiao, "Please forgive my junior brother's rudeness, Senior. I am Feng Jing, the eldest disciple of the Fengyue Sect in the Lan Shan Empire. These are my junior brother and two junior sisters."

"Lan Shan Empire, huh? From what I remember, it's a very small empire, one that can barely produce a Dou Wang," Xie Tianxiao mused before saying, "It's fine, continue."

Because the Lan Shan Empire was close to the Magic beast Mountains, Xie Tianxiao's predecessor had some knowledge of the surrounding empires.

Feng Jing hesitated for a moment before continuing, "As for why we're here, Senior, have you heard about the discovery of the Dou Zong's cave near the Magic beast Mountains recently?"

From Xie Tianxiao's sudden appearance and his ability to instantly gauge their strength, Feng Jing knew the man in black before them was at least a Dou Ling-level expert.

Such a powerful person could easily hold the position of an elder in his sect, so Feng Jing spoke with respect and explained their purpose.

"A Dou Zong's secret cave?"

"When did this happen?" Xie Tianxiao asked, not too concerned with their behavior.

"Senior, you must be a passing expert. This news has been spreading like wildfire in the Lan Shan Empire, and it won't be long before it reaches other empires," Feng Jing explained. "We were notified by our sect to explore the ruins and gain experience."

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