Starting as a supporting character in Doupo

Page 355

As he spoke, he slammed his boxing gloves together, the gleaming gloves sending chills down Xiao Yan's spine.

Having absorbed the fire pearl given to him by his senior brother, Xiao Yan's strength had reached the peak of the eight-star Dou Huang realm, only one step away from the nine-star Dou Huang realm. However, Xiao Yan dared not underestimate Zi Yan, who had just entered the Dou Huang realm.

The opponent's monstrous strength and unpredictable spatial manipulation were extremely troublesome. What's more, now that her senior brother had crafted spiked gauntlets for her, Xiao Yan couldn't even imagine what it would be like if Zi Yan wore these gauntlets and punched someone... Ugh, just thinking about it made Xiao Yan's scalp tingle.

Upon realizing that Zi Yan had overheard him, Xiao Yan remained silent, only grinning at her.

"Don't worry, it's okay."

Xiao Fan shook his head upon hearing this, a smile appearing on his face: "There are too many variables on this trip to Zhongzhou. Zi Yan's background is also extraordinary, and she may play an unexpected role."

Everyone was taken aback when they heard Xiao Fan's words. Zi Yan even crawled over, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Fan, her little hand clutching his sleeve, and asked excitedly, "Do you know about my background?"

Xiao Fan gently rubbed Zi Yan's head, but didn't say anything, after all, the current Taixu Ancient Dragon Clan was not safe.

"No, it's just because of the matter of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix's remains last time, I have a little suspicion in my mind. Don't worry, we will definitely help you find out your identity."

Upon hearing this, Zi Yan lowered her head and sat back down on the griffin's neck, hugging the soft feathers on the griffin's neck with both hands and burying herself in the feathers.

Seeing Zi Yan's appearance, Xiao Fan didn't say anything more. Xiao Yan, who was standing to the side, also remained silent. Instead, he turned his gaze to Xin Lan and asked, "Xin Lan, how long will it take us to get from here to Zhongzhou at our current speed?"

Having no concept of the distance to Zhongzhou, and having never been to Zhongzhou before, Xiao Yan couldn't help but ask the only person from Zhongzhou present about news about Zhongzhou.

Xinlan had been listening to Xiao Fan and the others talk. When she heard Xiao Yan's question, she didn't show any disgust on her face. She smiled slightly and said to Xiao Yan, "Brother Xiao Yan, we are not flying directly to Zhongzhou. Instead, we are going to Tianya City. From there, we can greatly shorten our journey by using the space wormhole in Tianya City."

"Tianya City, a spatial wormhole?"

Hearing these unfamiliar words he had never heard before, Xiao Yan looked puzzled and curiously looked at Xin Lan. Even Zi Yan, who was sitting on the neck of the griffin, turned her head to look over.

Only Xiao Fan maintained a calm expression, but he did not speak.

Xin Lan seemed to have anticipated Xiao Yan's doubts and explained to everyone, "Space wormholes are unique to the Central Continent of Dou Qi Continent. Only a Dou Zun-level expert can create a space wormhole by using spatial power to connect spatial nodes in two places."

"Once we have spatial wormholes, we can greatly reduce our travel distance."

“Taking the distance between the Black Corner Region and the Central State as an example, even if a Dou Zong expert travels at full speed, it would probably take half a year to cross such a distance. However, if we go through the space wormhole, we can reach the Central State in just one month.”

Xinlan spoke eloquently, explaining these common facts about Zhongzhou to Xiao Yan and the others, pausing from time to time to allow them to digest the information.

"However, constructing a spatial wormhole is extremely difficult. Not every Dou Zun can build a stable spatial wormhole, and even the constructed spatial wormhole requires frequent maintenance. The strength of the maintenance personnel is required to be at least Dou Zong. Therefore, apart from Zhongzhou, spatial wormholes rarely appear in other regions..."

Listening to Xinlan's introduction, Xiao Yan's longing for Zhongzhou grew even stronger. Hearing Xinlan's description of Zhongzhou, Xiao Yan's heart was filled with excitement.

Afterwards, Xinlan introduced Tianya City to everyone.

Tianya City is located in a mountain range called Tianqing, and it is the closest city in the northwest region of the Douqi Continent to a space wormhole leading to Zhongzhou.

As a necessary stop on the way to Zhongzhou, and with the existence of a space wormhole, it is no exaggeration to say that Tianya City is the most prosperous city within a radius of a thousand miles.

Then the group flew towards Tianya City from the back of the griffin.

"By the way, Xinlan, do you know which major powers are in Zhongzhou?"

Xiao Yan was very concerned about these forces in Zhongzhou. After all, he was about to go to Zhongzhou, and he needed to know which forces he could not provoke or make enemies with. Otherwise, if he entered Zhongzhou blindly, he would easily fall into someone else's trap.

This was also Xiao Yan's habit; no matter where he went first, he would always find out the information before taking any action.

Xinlan listened to Xiao Yan's words and didn't hide anything, saying directly, "If we're talking about the power in Zhongzhou, one sentence can actually summarize the top power in Zhongzhou."

"What?"

Xiao Yan listened to Xin Lan's words with a hint of curiosity on his face. Zi Yan also lay down on the back of the griffin, tilting her head back to listen to Xin Lan's introduction.

After all, she was quite unfamiliar with Zhongzhou, and Xiao Fan seemed to have said that there was news about her background in Zhongzhou, so Zi Yan was naturally very interested in these forces.

"I'm not very clear about the power of the magical beasts in Zhongzhou, but the top human powers are the One Palace, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions."

Seeing Zi Yanxi's expectant gaze, Xin Lan showed an apologetic expression and spoke to the group.

"One hall, one pagoda, two temples, three valleys, and four pavilions?"

Xiao Yan listened to Xin Lan's words and repeated them, then a look of doubt appeared on his face as he waited for Xin Lan's explanation.

Xinlan glanced at Xiao Fan, who remained calm, and said with some surprise, "Brother Xiao Fan, do you know? You seem completely unsurprised."

Xiao Fan listened to Xin Lan's question and didn't hide anything. He smiled and said, "I overheard someone talking about it before, but I don't know any more details. I'll have to ask you to explain it to us again."

Upon hearing this, Xinlan nodded with a smile on her face. Then, her expression turned serious as she glanced at Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan and said, "This hall, this tower, these two sects, these three valleys, and these four pavilions are among the most powerful forces in the Central Plains."

"One of the halls..."

Xinlan glanced at Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan before continuing, "It is the Soul Palace."

"boom!"

Hearing Xinlan's words, Xiao Yan, who had been looking forward to this, could no longer suppress his aura. After suppressing it for so long, upon hearing the name of the Soul Palace again, a chilling killing intent surged from Xiao Yan's body, constantly enveloping him.

Fortunately, Xiao Fan reacted quickly and protected Xin Lan and the griffin he was riding. Otherwise, with the burst of Xiao Yan's aura, the griffin would have lost the courage to fly, and the group would have had to go to Tianya City on their own.

"Junior brother!"

Immediately, Xiao Fan gently patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, suppressing Xiao Yan's surging energy.

Upon hearing Xiao Fan's words, a glimmer of clarity flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes. He then gritted his teeth and suppressed his raging battle qi once again.

It's no exaggeration to say that the incident of Yao Lao being captured by the Soul Palace at Yunlan Sect had become a mental demon for Xiao Yan. That's why Xiao Yan reacted so violently upon hearing the news about the Soul Palace.

In the original novel, after Yao Lao was captured, Xiao Yan had no one to rely on, and his closest friend Xun'er had long since returned to her family. There was no one to comfort him, so it took him a long time to recover before he slowly came out of his shell.

But things are different now. With Xiao Fan's appearance, his senior brother, who had always helped him besides Yao Lao, has become someone in Xiao Yan's heart who is no less important than Yao Lao. Although Yao Lao was taken away by the Soul Palace, Xiao Fan returned to the Jia Ma Empire in time, giving Xiao Yan someone to rely on again.

Therefore, compared to the original work, he lacks some of the maturity and has more of the youthful spirit.

Chapter 85 Tianya City

However, whether such a change is good or bad is unclear to everyone.

Under Xiao Fan's soothing words, Xiao Yan's bloodshot eyes gradually returned to normal. However, his fists remained clenched tightly together. The killing intent he harbored towards the Soul Palace had not diminished in the slightest; on the contrary, it clung to him like a leech, buried deep within him. He only hoped that one day he could unleash all the resentment and killing intent in his heart and repay the enemy...

"I'm sorry, Xinlan, I scared you. I'm fine..."

Xiao Yan took a deep breath, steadied himself, and gave Xin Lan an apologetic smile.

Upon hearing this, Xinlan gently shook her head. After seeing that Xiao Yan was alright, Xinlan continued, "The 'One Palace' refers to the Soul Palace. Just how powerful the Soul Palace is in the Central Continent... no one knows."

Xinlan shook her head, looked at Xiao Fan and Xiao Yan, and then said, "So, Brother Xiao Fan and Brother Xiao Yan, if you want to take revenge, you must be careful. Before you have absolute strength, you must not go against the Soul Palace."

"The Soul Palace is extremely mysterious in the Central Continent. It has many branch palaces, and the powerful figures stationed in these branch palaces are all extremely terrifying. Moreover, the location of each branch palace is also very secretive, and ordinary people simply cannot find them."

Xinlan looked at everyone, then continued, "Moreover, the Soul Palace Master's strength is also extremely terrifying."

"I've heard rumors that the three leaders of the Pill Tower once joined forces to fight a great battle against the Lord of the Soul Palace. But no one knows the final outcome. However, the Soul Palace still stands in Zhongzhou, which gives us a clue as to the outcome. I'm afraid they didn't gain much of an advantage."

Hearing the news from Xinlan, Xiao Fan sighed inwardly. It was not just that they hadn't gained the upper hand. The Soul Palace shopkeeper, Hun Miesheng, was a five-star Dou Sheng, and he also possessed the Void Devouring Medicine Sub-Flame. His later strength even reached seven-star Dou Sheng. Such a terrifying existence could not be killed by the three members of the Pill Tower alone.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan listened to Xin Lan's introduction and gained a general understanding of the Soul Palace.

As an alchemist, Xiao Yan was naturally aware of the existence of the Pill Tower, as it was a sacred place for countless alchemists.

However, even with the combined efforts of the three giants of the Pill Tower, they have not yet managed to defeat the Lord of the Soul Palace. Moreover, the Soul Palace has been capturing powerful soul entities and can be considered the common enemy of alchemists. Yet, the Pill Tower has tacitly acknowledged its existence, which shows that even the Pill Tower has to take the Soul Palace seriously when facing it.

"Besides the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower, the two sects they mentioned are the Flower Sect and the Heavenly Nether Sect."

"I have only heard about the Flower Sect and the Heavenly Nether Sect, and I don't know much about them. I only know that the Flower Sect's tradition is to only recruit female disciples. No matter how talented a male disciple is, the Flower Sect has never recruited a male disciple. It is quite a peculiar sect in the Central Continent."

"Besides, the Heavenly Nether Sect..."

Xinlan paused for a moment, then slowly said, "There is very little information about the Tianming Sect in the outside world, but the people of Zhongzhou have always regarded it as extremely insidious."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. Leaving aside the Flower Sect for the moment, the Heavenly Nether Sect was a different story. If they became enemies, the Heavenly Nether Sect was likely the kind of sect that would punish even the most ruthless members. Once they became enemies, they would have to thoroughly cover up all traces...

Xiao Yan didn't label the Tianming Sect as an enemy because of Xin Lan's words. It's just that the sect had a bad reputation in the Central Plains, so he would definitely have to be careful if he encountered them.

"The three valleys are Sound Valley, Ice River Valley, and Burning Flame Valley."

"Burning Flame Valley..."

Upon hearing the familiar name again, Xiao Yan and Xiao Fan exchanged a glance.

Seemingly knowing what Xiao Yan was thinking, Xin Lan said, "Brother Xiao Yan, the Nine Dragons Thunderfire in Burning Flame Valley has been imprinted with the mark of the Valley Masters of Burning Flame Valley. Apart from cultivating the Burning Flame Valley's techniques, it is impossible for outsiders to subdue it. You don't need to make enemies of Burning Flame Valley for this one uncontrollable strange fire."

Xinlan naturally knew Xiao Yan's desire to collect the different flames, after all, it was because of this news that she exchanged the Three Thousand Burning Flames for the opportunity to have the two of them help her.

However, Xinlan knew that the Nine Dragons Thunderfire had already taken the shape of the Burning Flame Valley, so she did not recommend that Xiao Fan and his companion take any risks.

"Don't worry, little girl, we're not stupid. We won't be blinded by this strange fire."

Xiao Yan smiled at Xin Lan's concerned gaze and then said, "I was just a little surprised to hear a familiar name."

Upon hearing this, Xinlan nodded and then continued, "I only have a general understanding of these forces. Yin Valley seems to be hidden from the world, and there are very few rumors about them outside. As for Ice River Valley, I don't know much about it either, except that their valley master is called the Ice Venerable."

"Your Majesty?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan took a breath.

However, considering that in the Central Plains where powerful figures gather, such formidable strength would mean that the Valley Master must also be a Venerable.

"Besides these, the remaining four pavilions are the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, the Starfall Pavilion, the Yellow Springs Pavilion, and the Myriad Swords Pavilion."

"These four pavilions are called the Four Directions Pavilions because they are located in the four directions of the Central State. Their power is among the best of the top powers in the Central State."

"Generally speaking, the Soul Palace and the Pill Tower are the strongest. Apart from them, it's hard to say who is stronger among the Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions. After all, although they are somewhat weaker than the Soul Palace, they are still forces that the Central Continent should not provoke..."

Upon hearing the familiar name again, Xiao Yan felt a sudden toothache.

Xiao Yan's gaze involuntarily turned to Xiao Fan, after all, the two of them had learned the Three Thousand Thunder Movements of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion. According to the information Xiao Yan had received, this was a closely guarded secret of the Wind and Thunder Pavilion, and if an outsider were to steal it, the Wind and Thunder Pavilion would hunt them down to the bitter end.

Adding to the hatred with the Soul Palace, they already have enemies with two forces before even entering the Central Continent.