Chapter 374: Chapter 374: The Journey
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High above the distant sky, a faint black streak of light flashed across the horizon, fast as a shooting star.
Wei Yang walked through the air, hands behind his back. Each casual step he took shrank space beneath his feet, propelling him forward vast distances with ease. Behind him, afterimages flickered briefly in his wake, only to dissolve moments later.
As he moved forward, Wei Yang raised his gaze. In the near distance, the borders of the empire were already in sight.
At the far edge of the horizon, the blurred silhouette of a massive fortress began to take shape.
This time, since he was traveling to the Black-Corner Region alone, there was no need to ride a flying magic beast.
His travel speed far surpassed those things.
Back then, if not for the large group traveling with him, he wouldn’t have chosen that sluggish method of travel to begin with.
A short while later...
Wei Yang arrived in the skies above the fortress.
Glancing down from his high vantage point, the grand and imposing structure beneath his feet still appeared massive and awe-inspiring.
Once past Zhen Gui Pass, he would officially be out of the Jia Ma Empire.
Wei Yang couldn’t help but pause in midair. Turning around, he looked back at the mighty stronghold.
He could still remember vividly the scene when he first left this place years ago.
And now, leaving again, it might be a very long time before he would have a chance to return.
Shaking his head, he pushed away the sentiment.
With a flip of his hand, he took out a map, confirmed his direction, and once more set off. His destination: the faraway Black-Corner Region.
Although the distance from the Jia Ma Empire to the Black-Corner Region stretched across thousands of miles...to Wei Yang, a Dou Zong level expert, such a journey was hardly taxing.
With a simple shift in his thoughts, he could draw upon the energy of heaven and earth to replenish any lost Dou Qi.
And with the aid of a Heaven Grade cultivation technique and his Heavenly Flame, refining those ambient energies came as naturally to him as breathing.
Under such travel conditions, not only was his speed incredibly fast, but the consumption of Dou Qi was practically negligible.
To Wei Yang, that tiny expenditure wasn’t even a drop in the ocean.
In fact, if he wanted to, he could slightly accelerate his energy circulation and easily balance the rate of consumption with recovery.
During the seemingly endless journey, Wei Yang would occasionally pause to rest.
For example, when flying over mountain ranges rich in energy, he would descend to take a break—and while at it, he’d also search around.
Just to see if there were any good herbs lying around.
Unsurprisingly, this kind of search often led him into conflicts with powerful magic beasts that lived in those mountains.
However, such fights usually ended quickly—Wei Yang subdued them with ease.
That said, he never killed them.
After all, he had principles. Taking their stuff was enough; no need to take their lives.
With that approach, he actually ended up finding quite a few valuable medicinal herbs.
Among them were even several rare Tier 7 spiritual herbs.
Getting these little treasures left Wei Yang rather pleased, and he started to develop a taste for it.
So much so that, along the way, he began intentionally flying over ominous-looking mountain ranges that gave off ferocious vibes—just for the fun of it.
As a result, wherever Wei Yang passed, chaos often followed. The magic beasts were left in a frenzy, completely thrown off by his antics.
Of course, some of those fearsome mountain ranges were home to genuinely powerful beasts.
On several occasions, he encountered Rank 7 magic beasts that even he had to take seriously.
After a few such encounters, though, he started to rein it in a bit.
Once, from quite a distance away, he sensed a mountain range shrouded in an immensely powerful aura.
The pressure from that aura actually made him feel a slight sense of danger.
That surprised him.
It seemed that even in these remote and rugged northwestern lands, the deep mountains still harbored crouching tigers and hidden dragons.
In the end, Wei Yang chose not to enter. He simply changed course and flew around it.
He believed in respecting powerful beings—whether human or magic beast. If they were strong, he wouldn’t rob them.
That kind of strength deserved dignity.
Because of these diversions—searching for treasures, picking fights, and detouring around truly dangerous places—the long and monotonous journey ended up being far less dull.
However, all that fun came at a cost: time.
What was originally estimated to be a ten-day trip had now stretched to nearly two weeks...and he still hadn’t reached his destination.
Sure, the journey had taken longer than expected—but it was worth it.
After all, the rewards had been plentiful.
With that thought, Wei Yang finally reined in his distractions, feeling rather satisfied. It was time to focus solely on moving forward.
A few days later.
When the seemingly endless stretch of mountain ranges at the horizon finally began to fade from view...a thin, dark line slowly emerged in Wei Yang’s sight.
That sight brought a rare smile to his slightly tired face, and a flicker of renewed spirit gleamed in his eyes.
Moments later...
A vast, boundless black plain, stretching beyond the limits of the visible world, appeared like a massive ink-colored curtain spread across the land.
It was the Great Plains of the Black Region.
Whoosh!
Wei Yang came to a halt, pausing in midair above a mountaintop.
This was the dividing line between the Black-Corner Region and the outside world.
Standing in the sky, he gazed at the familiar dark expanse before him and quietly let out a breath.
"The Black-Corner Region... finally made it," Wei Yang said with a soft chuckle.
The long, exhausting journey—roughing it in the wilderness, sleeping in the woods, braving the wind and rain, and of course, foraging for herbs—was finally coming to an end.
He slowly descended and found a grassy spot atop the mountain to sit and rest for a bit.
Seated on the grass, he looked out toward the distance.
The Great Plains of the Black Region.
Wei Yang had always held a certain curiosity and attachment toward this place.
In the past, he had strong reasons for it—especially after suspecting that deep within the void above this plain, there might exist traces of the Nine Serene Wind Flame.
And that particular flame was an exceptionally suitable Heavenly Flame for Qing Lin.
Of course, that was then.
Now that he had obtained the Life Spirit Flame, which ranked fifth on the Heavenly Flame Rankings, the allure of the Nine Serene Wind Flame had diminished considerably.
Everything becomes relative once you start comparing.
Compared to what he already possessed, the Nine Serene Wind Flame no longer held the same weight.
Still, that didn’t mean he’d stop searching.
After all, it was still the tenth-ranked flame on the Heavenly Flame list. There was no reason to ignore the clues he had.
If he could find it, it would be a massive gain.
After resting for about half an hour, Wei Yang set off again, officially stepping into the Great Plains of the Black Region.
With his speed, it took about an hour before he had already ventured deep into the heart of the plains.
And just like last time—unsurprisingly—he ran into a Black Storm.
But this one, even by the standards of the Great Plains of the Black Region, was among the more rare and powerful varieties recorded in its history.
Of course, to someone at Wei Yang’s level, it made no difference.
He didn’t stop.
Instead, he charged straight through the storm, cutting through the chaotic winds.
Once past the tempest, he slowed his pace and came to a hovering stop mid-air.
Turning around, he looked back at the storm—the dark, apocalyptic mass of violent wind that stretched endlessly, blotting out the sky and sun.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Nine Serene Wind Flame?"
This time, his suspicion about the flame’s presence deepened.
While passing through the storm, he had felt a slight fluctuation in the Black Sun within his body.
It was subtle, but undeniable.
The Black Sun had caught the faintest whiff of something... unusual from within that black storm.
The scent was incredibly faint—barely there.
If not for the Black Sun having recently grown significantly stronger, it might not have even noticed.
"Is it you... Nine Serene Wind Flame?" Wei Yang murmured under his breath. "Black Sun has sensed your presence... just a little. Wait for me—I’ll be coming for you soon."
He gave one last long look at the sky-darkening storm before him, then swept his sleeves and turned to leave.
His figure faded, growing smaller and smaller as he flew away, until he vanished completely at the horizon.
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