On the boundless Red Wall Plain, the wind howled and the blood-red sun hung diagonally in the sky, its faint red glow cloaking the entire realm in a rosy veil, subtly tinging everything with a hue of crimson…
“Ooh!” The Red Wall Plain was desolate, with only the unceasing howling of fierce winds. At one moment, violent ripples suddenly appeared in the void, and then, a massive spatial black hole slowly emerged…
As soon as the spatial black hole appeared, it began to ripple intensely. Soon, figures stepped out of the void, walking slowly and eventually landing on the plain. There were about twenty or thirty of these figures, none of them particularly remarkable at first glance. Yet, if someone with keen senses approached, they would be shocked by the formidable pressure that subtly permeated the area.
“Is this the Northwestern Continent?” asked an elder with a ruddy complexion, looking around curiously before turning to a black-clad youth in the group. This familiar face was Xiao Yan, who had just arrived from the Falling Star Pavilion.
Xiao Yan also shook his head slightly. The Northwestern Continent was vast, and he was familiar only with the areas near the Jia Ma Empire. He did not know where exactly they were.
“Young Sect Master, we should be in the northern part of the Northwestern Continent. The space wormhole set up by the Pavilion Master did not have a precise coordinate, so it could only roughly transport us to the Northwestern Continent,” said a white-haired elder beside Xiao Yan, his gaze sweeping around before retrieving a map from his storage ring. The map depicted the Northwestern Continent in detail, with nearly half of the territory occupied by a menacing lion’s head, while the other portion was marked with the character “Yan”, which likely indicated the territories of the Lion Darkness Sect and the Flame Alliance.
“According to our intelligence, the northern part of this continent has fallen into the hands of the Lion Darkness Sect… meaning we have been transported into their domain. However, it shouldn’t be a problem. The northern regions do not have many strong Lion Darkness Sect experts. Their main forces are probably gathered at the boundary with the Flame Alliance,” the white-clothed elder pondered.
“As long as we head northwest and pass through some checkpoints, we should reach the Flame Alliance’s territory…” Xiao Yan nodded as he looked at the map. They had thirty Dou Zun-level experts, a formidable lineup that could handle almost anything short of elite Lion Darkness Sect or Soul Palace forces. Therefore, reaching the Flame Alliance would not be overly challenging.
“Then let’s set off. We can gather more information about the current situation in the Northwestern Continent along the way. Please keep your auras restrained and follow my instructions without causing trouble,” Xiao Yan said, glancing towards the northwest before waving his hand. With a tap of his toe, he turned into a streak of light, followed closely by the others.
Xiao Yan and his party headed straight for the Flame Alliance in the northwest. This region had already fallen under the control of the Lion Darkness Sect. Along the way, they encountered several Lion Darkness Sect troops and strong practitioners. However, these so-called experts were mostly at the Battle Sect level, presenting no threat to Xiao Yan’s group. Not only did they encounter no significant resistance, but they also managed to extract information from captured Lion Darkness Sect members about the current situation.
The intelligence gathered made Xiao Yan’s heart sink. The developments were far more rapid than he had anticipated. The Flame Alliance’s hard-earned territory had shrunk by nearly a third, and the rate of contraction was accelerating. This clearly showed the formidable strength the Soul Palace had put into this operation.
From the information, Xiao Yan learned that most of the Flame Alliance’s strong practitioners were now concentrated in the Dark Yellow Heaven Ravine, the most crucial stronghold apart from the Jia Ma Empire’s base. If this fortress fell, the defenses within a thousand miles would collapse, potentially pushing the Flame Alliance back to the Jia Ma Empire. Such a outcome would nullify years of progress.
Currently, the Flame Alliance and other factions resisting the Lion Darkness Sect were all assembled at the Dark Yellow Fortress. Supported by the Soul Palace, the Lion Darkness Sect had the terrifying capability to overpower most powers in the Northwestern Continent. Furthermore, they had recruited many other strong practitioners through coercion and temptation, making it difficult to find any force that could match them. Even the Flame Alliance was at a disadvantage.
The Dark Yellow Fortress, a crucial battleground, was naturally not being abandoned by the Lion Darkness Sect. According to a defector, the sect had already dispatched their elite units and strong practitioners to the Dark Yellow Heaven Ravine, clearly intending to forcibly seize the fortress and dominate the Northwestern Continent.
Faced with this unfavorable news, Xiao Yan had to accelerate his pace. He needed to reach the Dark Yellow Fortress before the Lion Darkness Sect launched their full-scale attack, or else the losses for the Flame Alliance would be immense…
The Dark Yellow Heaven Ravine, located between two mountain ranges, was a natural bastion due to its environment. The ravine’s sky was perpetually shrouded in extremely cold gale winds, even deterring ordinary Battle Emperors. The smooth, imposing mountains on either side made it nearly impossible for even Battle Emperors to fly over directly. The Dark Yellow Fortress, at the center, controlled the only passage within a thousand miles, making it a critical point. The Flame Alliance had paid a high price to secure this location.
Outside the Dark Yellow Fortress was an endless prairie. From the high vantage points, one could see any movement on the prairie. However, a thick, black fog now covered the prairie, beneath which could be heard the deafening sounds of battle and a rising ominous aura, casting a somber mood over everyone in the fortress.
In the center of the fortress stood a grand hall, currently filled with seated figures, though no one spoke, and the atmosphere was heavy.
At the head of the hall, a figure in a red dress leaned lazily against the chair back. Her exquisite, enchanting face betrayed a hint of fatigue, but her eyes, brimming with charm, exuded a high-ranking authority and pride that time could not diminish. Such pride could belong to no one else in the Flame Alliance but the former Queen Medusa, now Cai Lin.
Years had not changed her, but enhanced her mature allure…
“Everyone, the Lion Darkness Sect’s army is pressing in. Today’s was a probing attack, but a full assault may begin in three days,” Cai Lin said, her gaze sweeping over the familiar faces. The Ice Emperor Haibo Dong, the Alchemist King Huo He, and Pharma Chen, now older but far stronger, were present.
Her words met with silence. Beside her, a man in a wheelchair sighed, “The Lion Darkness Sect is too powerful, with numerous Dou Zuns. In a direct confrontation, we are no match for them.”
Xiao Ding also sighed bitterly. In the face of such overwhelming power, any strategy was futile. This was the most helpless situation the Flame Alliance had faced in years.
“If it comes to that, we’ll fight to the end. We can’t advance, nor can we retreat. Let’s fight it out!” said a man next to Xiao Ding, his murderous aura clear. It was Xiao Yan’s second brother, Xiao Li!
His words weighed heavily on everyone’s hearts. Had it really come to that?
“Not yet,” Xiao Ding replied, shaking his head and lifting his gaze, a slight smile on his face. “Little Healer Immortal said Third Brother should return soon…”
A wave of commotion swept through the hall, even Cai Lin’s gaze fixed on Xiao Ding.
Xiao Yan, though not present, was the founder of the Flame Alliance. His legendary feats meant that even though Cai Lin had controlled the Flame Alliance in recent years, in many people’s hearts, Xiao Yan remained their true leader.
Seeing the hall stir at the mention of his name, Xiao Ding smiled and exchanged a proud look with Xiao Li. This pride came from their brother, Xiao Yan!
“Third Brother, you’ve been away long enough. It’s time to come back,” Xiao Ding murmured, his gaze fixed on the night sky outside the hall.
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