NOVPUB"It’s alright, I can feel that the day Destiny manifests is drawing nearer and nearer. I believe it won’t be long before I will go to Heaven Beyond Heavens, and then I can head directly to the Ancient Demon Cave," Xu Zimei said, looking into the distant skyline with a light chuckle.
"Although we can’t break the Demon-Suppressing Lock, we can find the Void Spirit Monkey to break the outer seals first and establish contact with the Ancient Demon Cave."
"Understood, Master, shall we head to the Void Valley?" Bai Meng inquired.
"Let’s settle the matters here with the Lan Family and then depart," Xu Zimei nodded in response.
With Bai Meng having devoured all seven of the Lan Family’s ancestors, the upper echelon of the family also suffered countless losses.
Now, those who survived in the Lan Family were mostly servants and juniors with low cultivation levels.
"How should we deal with these people?" the Divine Emperor asked from the side.
"I don’t ask, nor do I care. You handle it yourself," Xu Zimei said indifferently.
"I understand," the Divine Emperor pondered for a moment and eventually nodded slowly.
After dealing with the Lan Family’s ancestors, Xu Zimei realized that Lan Ke’er was no longer to be seen.
He stepped down through the air, arriving inside the Lan Residence.
Some of the Lan Family’s people were hiding, while others, upon seeing Xu Zimei, knelt trembling on the ground, not daring to lift their heads.
"Although the path of the strong is filled with killing, and everyone who becomes powerful has countless skeletons in their hands,
I really didn’t want to exterminate your Lan Family," Xu Zimei said calmly.
"Sadly, your Lan Family has its own convictions that span tens of thousands of years. Slaying demons is your belief, and the reason the Demon-Slaying Family exists."
Xu Zimei once again made his way to the inner courtyard of the Lan Family.
The once-thriving Demon Vanquishing Trees on either side were now withered, hanging desolately by the roadside.
The inner courtyard too had become desolate, with hardly any members of the Lan Family to be seen.
When Xu Zimei entered the inner courtyard, he saw Yun, the maid of Lan Ke’er, waiting anxiously.
"Young Master Xu," Yun greeted nervously.
"Where is Ke’er?" Xu Zimei asked.
"Miss told me to give this to you," Yun said, handing over a handkerchief to Xu Zimei.
The handkerchief was embroidered with silk threads, and on it was an image.
The scene depicted was the day Xu Zimei met Lan Ke’er; the two were in an alley with Lan Ke’er holding a longsword to Xu Zimei’s neck.
Xu Zimei chuckled softly, slowly turned the handkerchief over, and saw bold letters written on the back.
"No boundaries in heaven and earth, today I part with thee, in Red Dust Palace, an olden dream, breaks in Heaven Blue City."
Xu Zimei slowly put away the handkerchief, closed his eyes for a brief silence, and then asked, "Has she gone to the Red Dust Palace?"
"I do not know, Miss only left a message for you not to go looking for her," Yun said, terrified.
"If she doesn’t want me to find her, why would she tell me where she’s going," Xu Zimei said with a light laugh.
"She just doesn’t know how to face me at the moment.
Nevermind, let her have some peace. I just won’t go to the Red Dust Palace for now."
"Young master, may I leave now?" Yun asked timidly from the side.
"You are her maid; I won’t trouble you," Xu Zimei nodded in response.
Watching Yun’s retreating figure, Xu Zimei sat alone on the balcony of the inner courtyard.
He poured himself several cups of wine and lay back on the recliner, squinting.
The Lan Family was exterminated, and Heaven Blue City was destroyed.
The residents here had already begun to leave their homes and depart from this place, but Xu Zimei had not destroyed the city.
He slept deeply, as if all the world’s affairs had nothing to do with him.
No one dared disturb him, and by the time he woke up, the sky had already turned to evening, and darkness had fallen.
Bai Meng and the Divine Emperor were conversing in the pavilion below the attic when they saw Xu Zimei coming down, and both stood up.
"Everything here has been dealt with," said the Divine Emperor on the side.
"We’ll go to Void Valley tomorrow," Xu Zimei said.
The two nodded.
......
As one of the Ten Great Forbidden Lands, Void Valley is also a peculiar place.
What makes it peculiar is that going to Void Valley is all about luck.
If you’re lucky, even an ordinary Vein Practitioner can survive there; if you’re unlucky, even a Great Emperor might be in danger.
The most abundant thing in Void Valley might just be the Void Turbulence.
First, we must talk about the rules of this universe.
The Great Dao is nine, from which ten are derived, and ten represents Perfection.
In other words, in our world, there are no absolute checkmates; all things leave a glimmer of hope for life.
Similarly, because the Great Dao isn’t perfect, there is no such thing as a perfect absolute in this world.
Everything has its duality, even the Yuan Central Continent we inhabit isn’t perfect.
It’s said that during the formation of the Yuan Central Continent, there was a space that wasn’t complete.
Inside this space, where the space flows chaotically, creatures that appear inside are in much less danger if they don’t come into contact with the turbulence.
If swept up by the Void Turbulence, the unlucky ones would be torn apart by the space, reduced to ash.
Even the lucky ones would be pulled into other spaces, and no one knows what lies at the other end of that space.
Since almost no one has returned alive from inside it.
According to legend, the Vast Emperor once used his enormous power to exit from that space, but after he came out, he didn’t say anything and ascended to the Heaven Beyond Heavens.
However, there’s actually not nothing inside Void Valley.
There grows a kind of tree called the Void Tree.
It’s said that items made from Void Wood, which comes from the Void Tree, can allow one to traverse spaces and even comprehend the Profound Meaning of the void.
Of course, the use of Void Wood is much broader, and it is much coveted by many people.
Because of the special nature of Void Valley, indeed, many people risk their luck and often go there to collect Void Wood.
......
The next morning, Xu Zimei and his two companions left Heaven Blue City to set out toward Void Valley.
Void Valley is located at the border between the Tianluan Domain and the Nine States Domain.
According to what the Sword Immortal Jiang Yun said, the Void Spirit Monkeys live in Void Valley, unfazed by the Void Turbulence.
Additionally, due to their scarcity, it’s nearly impossible for people to encounter them.
Because the Divine Emperor wanted to return to the Old Land to take care of many matters after finally restoring his cultivation, Xu Zimei did not stop him.
So he took the opportunity to go to Void Valley with Bai Meng.
The morning sunlight shone on the walls of Heaven Blue City as usual, only the city now was completely deserted, unlike its former bustle.
Xu Zimei summoned the Dark Heaven Tiger and leisurely made his way toward Void Valley.
A man, a tiger, a Curved Blade, an empty city.
"All beings are like grass and wood, only you are Qing Shan," Xu Zimei sighed softly.
......
At this time, in the Eastern Continent, in the location of Taiyuan Heavenly Sect.
The arrival of a young man completely disrupted the peace of this core area of the Eastern Continent, where a sect with the presence of two emperors existed.
