As Li Xuan's voice fell, Jiao Le's figure instantly appeared before him.
"It was just a small matter, no trouble at all," Jiao Le said with a slight smile, looking at Li Xuan. After all, it was he and Shi Lezhi who had jointly sent Wang Pangzi into reincarnation. As Jiao Le finished speaking, he waved his hand, and a portal appeared in the firmament-like barrier.
Li Xuan's eyes showed a trace of surprise. Jiao Le's strength was indeed formidable. After cupping his fists in a salute to Jiao Le, Li Xuan stepped into the portal and disappeared.
The next moment, Li Xuan found himself in a desolate area. Soon, Li Xuan realized that the flow of time in the Nine Nether Realm was different from that of the Vast Continent. Taking a year on the Vast Continent as an example, almost ten years had passed in the Nine Nether Realm.
Upon realizing this, Li Xuan finally understood why Xuan Ye had said that Wang Pangzi should now be around ten years old.
Li Xuan quickly withdrew his thoughts, as time was of the essence. Besides checking on Wang Pangzi's situation, Li Xuan also needed to return to the Vast Continent to find his parents' whereabouts. After all, he had only promised Yue Fuyao three years.
However, at present, Li Xuan only knew that Wang Pangzi was from the Scattered Human Clan, but he had no idea of his specific location. Helpless, Li Xuan spread his divine sense outwards, searching for areas with life signatures.
After a full minute, Li Xuan, feeling somewhat weary, withdrew his divine sense. Within nearly a thousand miles, there was not a single trace of life. Moreover, with his divine sense, Li Xuan discovered that he had entered a vast desert.
Helplessly, Li Xuan glanced in a direction and willed himself to use his Wandering God divine ability, moving towards the southeast.
After six such teleports, Li Xuan finally left the desert area. Looking at the forests and vegetation before him, Li Xuan once again spread his divine sense.
This time, Li Xuan made a discovery. Approximately three hundred miles from his location, two life signatures were extremely strong. Furthermore, Li Xuan found that these two individuals were currently engaged in a battle with a Ground Profound Bear. Upon discovering people at this moment, Li Xuan could no longer wait.
A few minutes later, Li Xuan quietly appeared on a towering ancient tree. Not far away, a man and a woman were battling a Ground Profound Bear, which was about five zhang in size. Li Xuan sensed them and was somewhat surprised, as both individuals were at the peak of the Martial God realm.
"The people of this Nine Nether Realm are truly powerful, to be able to go head-to-head with an adult nine-tier Ground Profound Bear," Li Xuan mused inwardly. After all, an adult Ground Profound Bear's strength was comparable to that of a Saint. Yet, these two were managing to suppress it in battle.
Roar!
With a roar, the Ground Profound Bear stomped its massive palm, sending a shockwave of immense vibration spreading in all directions. Soon, the man and woman were repelled by this shockwave. However, the pair clearly possessed excellent coordination and attacked again in less than three breaths' time.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, a faint tremor was felt. Li Xuan's heart stirred, and his expression grew serious. Ten miles away, three Ground Profound Bears were charging towards them. The man and woman currently battling the Ground Profound Bear seemed to have not noticed.
"If this continues, these two are likely to die here," Li Xuan pondered for a moment, then willed himself to dash towards the Ground Profound Bear.
"My esteemed friends, if you have no further plans, it would be wise to leave quickly." With Li Xuan's appearance, the man and woman stopped their attacks and looked at Li Xuan warily. After all, Li Xuan's appearance was quite sudden, and their caution was understandable.
Roar!
The Ground Profound Bear paid no mind to Li Xuan's arrival. Its large eyes had turned red, and after violently beating its chest, it charged ferociously towards Li Xuan and the couple.
"What a nuisance," Li Xuan muttered, shaking his head helplessly, then willed his sword, Chong Feng, to shoot out.
*Swish!*
Chong Feng swept past and instantly returned to Li Xuan's hand. A drop of blood slowly dripped from its tip.
"Who are you?" The man and woman's pupils contracted slightly. The Ground Profound Bear, which had been running mid-stride, veered to the side and fell.
Li Xuan glanced into the distance, then withdrew his gaze and looked at the couple. "This is no place for idle chatter. I cannot guarantee I can handle three Ground Profound Bears in a moment."
As Li Xuan finished speaking, he shot off into the distance. The man and woman frowned, but soon sensed the vibrations of the earth. After a moment of sensing, their expressions changed, and they quickly collected the corpse of the Ground Profound Bear and followed Li Xuan.
A hundred miles away, Li Xuan stopped. They had already left the previous forest area. The next moment, the man and woman landed behind Li Xuan.
"Thank you for your assistance, esteemed sir," the man said first, cupping his fists. The woman, though silent, also nodded her head towards Li Xuan.
Li Xuan smiled and waved his hand. "It was merely a chance encounter."
"I am Mei Zhaofeng, and this is my younger sister, Mei Ruixue. May I ask your honorable surname and given name?" Mei Zhaofeng inquired.
Li Xuan smiled and cupped his fists. "I am Li Xuan."
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Li Xuan stated his purpose.
"The Scattered Human Clan... Brother Li, the Scattered Human Clan has not been peaceful recently. If you go there, you might encounter some unwarranted trouble," Mei Zhaofeng said, his brow furrowed.
Li Xuan was somewhat confused. According to Wang Pangzi, the Scattered Human Clan was practically a bottom-tier race in the Nine Nether Realm. Could there be anything worse than that?
"Brother Li, you may not know, but the Scattered Human Clan once had a young lord named Wang Meng. However, he perished in the Land of Buried Gods twelve years ago. At the time, the three Saints of the Scattered Human Clan jointly guaranteed Wang Meng's survival with their lives to the Asura and Rakshasa tribes. But the outcome... In short, there are very few people left in the Scattered Human Clan now."
"The area where the Scattered Human Clan resided has become a wasteland. Apart from the spirit masters below the Initial Spirit realm who are still alive, the rest have all been killed by the Rakshasa and Asura tribes. That place is now considered a forbidden zone. If you rashly enter, you might be discovered by the powerful individuals of the Rakshasa and Asura tribes."
Mei Zhaofeng paused. "Brother Li, you are just venturing out into the world for training. It would be best to find a safer place."
Li Xuan's expression turned solemn. He hadn't expected the Scattered Human Clan to be in such a state. According to the timeline Mei Zhaofeng mentioned, Wang Pangzi, having reincarnated and cultivated, would now be twelve years old. Under such circumstances, his life would likely be extremely difficult. The thought made Li Xuan feel even more self-reproachful.
"Brother Mei, thank you for your kind intentions. Do you happen to have a map of the Nine Nether Realm? Even if the Scattered Human Clan's territory is inaccessible, it would be good for me to know its location and avoid it." Li Xuan said, looking at Mei Zhaofeng.
Mei Zhaofeng breathed a sigh of relief and then waved his hand, producing a map and handing it to Li Xuan. "I am relieved that Brother Li has made such a decision. This map also indicates many places suitable for training."
Li Xuan took the map and glanced at it. After locating the Scattered Human Clan's position, he returned it to Mei Zhaofeng, nodding his thanks.
Soon, Li Xuan bid farewell to Mei Zhaofeng and Mei Ruixue.
"Brother, his target has always been the Scattered Human Clan," Mei Ruixue said softly, watching Li Xuan's departing figure after he left.
Mei Zhaofeng's brow furrowed slightly. "Could it be that he is from the Scattered Human Clan?"
Mei Ruixue shook her head slightly. "Certainly not. He is probably not even from our Nine Nether Realm. Otherwise, why would he need a map of our Nine Nether Realm? And he killed that adult Ground Profound Bear with a single sword earlier. If he were from our Nine Nether Realm, he would not be an unknown figure."
Mei Zhaofeng's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly glanced around before lowering his voice. "We must forget what happened today. If Brother Li is truly an outsider, then there might be trouble ahead."