Wu Tian awoke the next morning as the golden rays of dawn spilled across his face, warming his skin and stirring him from a heavy slumber. “Where am I? The last thing I remember was resting at the inn in Shang Ying City’s bustling center. Why am I lying here in this secluded lodge?” he wondered silently, his mind clouded with confusion. “You’re awake, Brother Tian?” Lin Wei’s voice broke the silence as he entered, carrying a tray of steaming food. “Brother Wei, where are we? Why are we here now?” Wu Tian asked, his tone sharp with bewilderment. “Eat first. I’ll explain afterward,” Lin Wei replied, setting the tray down with a calm smile. Wu Tian’s memory was fractured. He recalled nothing of his encounter with the Flower-Demon Mei Ying. All that lingered was the faint recollection of resting at the inn in Shang Ying City. “This place is beautiful, Brother Wei. Since when did you have such a retreat?” Wu Tian asked, his eyes roaming over the rustic lodge. The wooden beams g

The Darkness Qi that Tian Kui the Dragon sought was no ordinary energy—it was alive, a breathing entity, a sphere of black smoke that pulsed like a heart. Ages ago, the first cultivator had shaped it from the shadows within his own body, forging it into an eternal reservoir so that qi would never vanish from the world. Unlike the fleeting currents of ordinary qi, this Darkness Qi endured—unyielding, eternal, and dangerous. In forgotten times, qi was scarce across the universe. The Middle World and Lower World lay barren, while only the Upper World and the Celestial Realm thrived. The gods of heaven turned their gaze upward, ignoring the suffering below. In the Upper World, cultivators grew cruel, lording over mortals with arrogance, feeding upon the abundance of qi that sustained both gods and warriors. The lesser realms starved, their people left to languish in silence. It was said that the enchanted pouch itself had been crafted by that first cultivator, a vessel to contain the

“Go back! I have no quarrel with dragon fairies or dragons!” Darkness Qi’s voice thundered through the clearing as Tian Kui and Angel broke through the suffocating black mist, their path carved open by the radiant strike of the Spirit Beast Unicorn. The valley trembled with the echo of his words. The air was thick, heavy with the acrid scent of scorched shadow, and the ground beneath their claws pulsed faintly as if alive with corrupted energy. The mist clung to their scales like damp silk, whispering with voices that were not their own. Every flicker of light from the unicorn’s aura revealed jagged stone walls streaked with veins of black crystal, glowing faintly like embers of a dying fire. “I must stop you, Darkness Qi!” Tian Kui’s roar shook the valley, his obsidian scales gleaming in the dim glow. “You cannot escape into the outer world!” Darkness Qi’s form shimmered, a swirling mass of shadow and flame. His voice carried both fury and despair. “It is not your concern, drag

“Thank you all for being here tonight! The VIP Auction will begin shortly! According to the new rules, we are also offering items that are not too expensive, so every participant can leave with something at a reasonable price!” The voice of the auctioneer rang out, echoing across the chamber as Wu Tian and Lin Wei stepped into the VIP Room. The VIP Room was unlike the common auction hall reserved for the public. Here, the air was cool and fragrant, infused with a subtle floral scent that seemed to drift from hidden vents. The polished marble floor reflected the soft glow of lanterns suspended from the ceiling, their light shimmering like liquid gold. The hum of conversation was muffled by the thick velvet drapes lining the walls, and the faint rustle of silk robes accompanied the movement of nobles and cultivators who had gathered. Wu Tian inhaled deeply, feeling the refreshing chill against his skin. “This room is remarkably comfortable. Even bidding feels invigorating. What di

Tian Zhi, the one whose fate weighed heavily on Wu Tian’s mind, was caught in a storm of events that had ignited the fury of the Heavenly Princess. “Stop this madness, Tian Zhi!” cried Feng Huang, her voice trembling as the oppressive aura of black fire wrapped itself around Tian Zhi’s body. The flames were not ordinary—they pulsed with dark qi, a suffocating energy that pressed down upon every cultivator and warrior nearby. The air grew thick, acrid with the stench of burning ash, and the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath the weight of the darkness. Patriarch Song Kui, once proud and unyielding, coughed violently, black blood spilling from his lips. The poison hidden within Tian Zhi’s qi gnawed at his organs, a silent destruction from within. The black fire surged higher, twisting into the shape of a colossal phoenix. Its wings, vast and shadowed, unfurled with a roar of flame, casting the hall into a dim, eerie glow. The heat was suffocating, yet the chill of dread seepe