Two streaks of divine light traversed the sky above Rising Sun Divine Island. Zhang Chong was a familiar sight, but the young disciple following him drew curious glances from those below.
On a scenic hilltop, a group of elite disciples paused their conversation to watch the figures pass.
"Who is that following Elder Zhang?" asked Chu Yunlong, the tall, handsome leader of the group. He squinted, trying to make out the distant figure.
The other disciples murmured among themselves, but none could place him.
After a moment, an ordinary disciple with a black jade pendant spoke up hesitantly. "Senior Brother Chu... I think I might have seen him before. Months ago, when Elder Zhang brought a new disciple to the island. But he looks older now, and his aura is stronger..."
Chu Yunlong nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on his face. "A new disciple who's already reached the Life Spring Realm in just a few months. Impressive." There was a note of genuine appraisal in his voice, though no concern—he himself had reached the Dao Palace Realm years ago.
One of the other disciples quickly added, "Senior Brother Chu reached the Life Spring Realm even faster, if I recall!"
Chu Yunlong smiled slightly at the praise, though his eyes remained on the disappearing figures. "Still, he's one to watch. Elder Zhang doesn't escort just anyone."
Li Yao followed Zhang Chong to a vast plaza filled with enormous altars. Each was carved from dark Xuan Jade and inscribed with glowing Dao patterns that marked destinations across the Eastern Wilderness.
Domain Gates.
The Eastern Wilderness was unimaginably vast—even flying at rainbow speed for years wouldn't cover the distance from the Yao Guang Holy Land in the south to the Holy City in the far north. These gates were the only practical way to travel such distances.
"Here," Zhang Chong said, stepping onto an altar marked with northern runes.
Li Yao followed, landing softly beside him. It was his first time using a Domain Gate, and though he maintained his usual calm demeanor, he stayed close to Zhang Chong—the spatial forces involved were not to be trifled with.
Buzz.
The altar hummed to life, drawing power from buried Source reserves. The Xuan Jade glowed with inner light as the Dao patterns shimmered and shifted like living things. Space itself twisted at the altar's center, collapsing into a dark, swirling portal.
A gentle force lifted them, and then—
Silence. Darkness. A complete absence of sensation.
Li Yao felt suspended in nothingness, without sight, sound, or even a sense of time passing. It was deeply disorienting, even for his disciplined mind.
Then, as suddenly as it began, it ended.
The void cracked open, and they stepped out onto solid ground once more. Li Yao took a steadying breath, reorienting himself to the flow of time and sensation.
Before them stretched a barren, reddish-brown landscape. The earth was dry and cracked, dotted with rocky hills but devoid of vegetation. The sky hung pale and empty over the desolate terrain. This was the Northern Region—famous for its mineral wealth, but cursed with spiritual barrenness.
"How about it?" Zhang Chong asked, a knowing smile on his face. "Not what you expected, is it? I remember my first time here—I thought the gate had malfunctioned!"
Many cultivators heard tales of the Northern Region's riches and imagined a land of plenty, only to arrive at this bleak reality.
But Li Yao simply shook his head. "The ancient texts described it well—a land rich in minerals but poor in life, its spiritual energy drained by the very Source it produces." His voice was calm, analytical.
Zhang Chong chuckled, impressed despite himself. "Well-read, I see. Most disciples your age are too busy dreaming of glory to study geography."
The Northern Region was indeed a paradox—the Source stones that were so prized by cultivators seemed to have sucked the life from the land itself, leaving behind this sterile expanse. The Holy City lay ahead, a bustling oasis in the spiritual desert.
Without further comment, Zhang Chong began walking, Li Yao falling into step beside him. The real journey was just beginning.