112: Oasis Corridor, First Entering the Central Region

Stepping on the yellow sand, with the boundless Meteor Desert behind him and a gradually clearer green outline ahead, Xiao Chen took a deep breath. The familiar dry and desolate air was slowly replaced by a moist, vibrant one. He knew he was about to step into a brand new world—the Central Region!

The "Oasis Corridor" was a long, narrow oasis connecting the Meteor Desert to the Central Region's core. With lush vegetation and abundant spiritual energy, it was a necessary resting place for many caravans and travelers after crossing the desert, and also a hub of intersecting forces and well-informed news.

Xiao Chen reined in most of his aura, suppressing his cultivation to the initial Nine-star Dou Zong level. He changed into a simple blue cloth robe and blended into a large, slightly fatigued caravan that had just crossed the desert. The caravan consisted of dozens of huge camel carts, heavily guarded, with a golden small sword embroidered on their banners—the symbol of the "Golden Sword Merchant Guild," a force in the Central Region renowned for its trade.

After paying a hefty fee, Xiao Chen received a private carriage in the middle of the convoy. He didn't interact with anyone, merely observing the outside scenery through the window.

The Oasis Corridor was far more bustling than he imagined. Along the wide roads, shops stood in rows, wine flags fluttered, selling various specialties from the desert and the Central Region. Pedestrians came and went in an endless stream, generally exuding powerful auras; Dou Kings were as numerous as cattle, Dou Emperors were everywhere, and occasionally, one could even sense the subtle fluctuations of the Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank level. In the sky, various flying magical beasts and dazzling flying boats shuttled ceaselessly, in an orderly fashion.

"As expected of the Central Region... the density of strong cultivators far exceeds the Northern Region," Xiao Chen sighed inwardly. Here, while a Dou Zong (Fighting Sect) Rank was considered a master, they were by no means at the very top. Only Dou Venerables were truly capable of stirring up trouble.

The caravan slowly moved forward, passing through several lively market towns along the way. Xiao Chen's soul perception quietly spread out, capturing the information flow in the air. Casual conversations in taverns and teahouses, the boasting of mercenary guards, transactions between merchants... countless fragments of information poured into his mind.

"...Have you heard? Heavenly Secret Ancient City is opening in three months! This time, it's said that even reclusive clans like the Ancient Clan and the Yan Clan will send people to participate!"

"Soul Hall has been acting crazy recently, searching everywhere for a kid named Xiao Chen along the border of the Northern and Central Regions, with an unbelievably high bounty!"

"The Pill Tower seems to have gone all out this time too; it's rumored that their Venerable Elder Xuan Kongzi personally spoke up to protect that Xiao Chen!"

"Heavenly Nether Sect and Ice River Valley seem to be very close to Soul Hall... This Central Region is probably going to get chaotic..."

"Heroes emerge in troubled times! I heard the Flower Sect has produced an extraordinary fairy in this generation, already an Eight-star Dou Zong at a young age..."

"And that Heavenly Nether Sect Saint Son of the Heavenly Nether Sect, it's said he suffered a great loss in the Valley of Buried Soldiers and went into seclusion upon his return. He'll probably be even more formidable after he comes out..."

Amidst the jumbled information, Xiao Chen keenly caught several key points: Heavenly Secret Ancient City, Soul Hall's frantic search, the movements of various forces, and the fact that he himself had become the center of the storm.

"Heavenly Secret Ancient City... a once-in-a-century grand event, gathering the Central Region's top talents... This is indeed a good place to quickly make a name for oneself and obtain opportunities," Xiao Chen mused. "However, Soul Hall will undoubtedly lay a net there. Risk and opportunity coexist."

He was not afraid. On the contrary, this pressure made the fighting blood in his body subtly boil. Only in a true contest among strong cultivators could he break through himself faster!

A few days later, the caravan finally passed through the Oasis Corridor and officially entered the core area of the Central Region. The sight before him, even for Xiao Chen, who had witnessed the grandeur of the Pill Domain, was once again shocking.

On the horizon, it wasn't a single city, but an endless, gigantic urban cluster! Countless towering buildings stood like a forest, with crisscrossing energy tracks suspended in the air, and countless streams of flying boats shuttling rapidly along them. Further away, five distinct, imposing floating mountains, like colossal pillars, hovered in the clouds. Palaces lined their slopes, glittering with light—these were the core locations of the Central Region's true overlords, the "One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects": the main hall of Soul Hall, the Pill Tower Holy Domain, Heavenly Nether Sect's Ming Mountain, and Flower Sect's Hundred Flowers Peak!

The entire area was enveloped by a faint blue energy shield that covered the heavens and earth, with runes flowing on its surface, exuding a heart-palpitating pressure. This was the legendary "Central Region Guardian Array," rumored to be capable of withstanding attacks from the Dou Saint level!

"Finally... I've arrived." Xiao Chen stepped out of the carriage, gazed at this vast, boundless land teeming with strong cultivators, took a deep breath, and his eyes burned with fierce fighting spirit.

After undergoing strict inspection at the huge city gate, the caravan slowly drove into the city. The city within was even more prosperous than imagined; streets were as wide as plazas, with a constant flow of people and bustling traffic. The energy concentration in the air was extremely high, almost several times that of the outside world! Cultivating here yielded twice the results with half the effort.

Xiao Chen disembarked in a relatively quiet district of the city, paid the remaining balance, and bid farewell to the caravan. He needed to find a place to stay, gather more detailed information, and prepare for his trip to Heavenly Secret Ancient City.

Following the information in the jade slip, he found an inn called "Listening Wind Tower." Listening Wind Tower had a mysterious background, rumored to be connected to Heavenly Secret Pavilion, and was known for its well-informed news and protection of guest privacy, making it a preferred choice for many strong cultivators new to the Central Region.

After paying a hefty fee, Xiao Chen checked into a superior room with a private cultivation chamber. He first set up several soul restrictions inside and outside the room to prevent prying eyes.

Then, he summoned the inn's attendant and tossed him a mid-grade spirit stone: "I need detailed intelligence on Heavenly Secret Ancient City, Soul Hall's movements, and the Central Region's top young talents for the past three months."

The attendant took the spirit stone, a professional smile on his face: "Please wait, honored guest; the intelligence will be here shortly."

Indeed, in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a jade slip containing a vast amount of information was delivered to Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen's soul power sank into the jade slip, and he began to quickly browse.

Regarding Heavenly Secret Ancient City: Located deep within the "Tianji Mountain Range" in the center of the Central Region, it opens once every hundred years. The ancient city was built by the ancient "Heavenly Secret Clan" and contains countless opportunities, such as Dou Technique cultivation methods, divine weapons, elixirs, and secret arts. It is even rumored to hold secret realms for peering into heavenly secrets and comprehending laws. However, the ancient city is fraught with danger, with powerful guardian puppets, strange arrays, and competing talents from various factions. Entrants must possess a "heavenly secret token," which is issued by top forces such as the "One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects."

Regarding Soul Hall's movements: After their setback in the Northern Region, Soul Hall has shifted its focus to the Central Region. Not only have they set up checkpoints at various key routes, but they have also dispatched a large number of Venerable Elder-level masters to search for Xiao Chen's whereabouts. The bounty has been raised to a high-grade Earth-tier cultivation method, three grade-seven elixirs, and the position of Soul Hall guest elder, enough to drive any strong cultivator below the Dou Venerable rank insane! At the same time, Soul Hall's collusion with Heavenly Nether Sect and Ice River Valley has become increasingly close, seemingly indicating an attempt to jointly suppress the Pill Tower and its allies.

Regarding Top Talents:

Soul Hall: The Young Hall Master Soul Annihilation Life has already fallen (subtly mentioned in the jade slip, without naming the culprit), but a mysterious new young master, Soul Jade, has appeared. His strength is unfathomable, and he is suspected to have broken through to the Dou Venerable rank!

Pill Tower: Besides Xiao Chen, core disciples Senior Sister Han (Peak Eight-star Dou Zong, ice-element sword dao), Qiu Ji (Peak Seven-Star Dou Zong, puppetry and control), Ye Chong (Seven-Star Dou Zong, exceptional alchemy skills), and others have all emerged from seclusion, preparing to participate in the Heavenly Secret Ancient City competition.

Heavenly Nether Sect: Saint Son Heavenly Nether Sect Saint Son (Peak Nine-star Dou Zong, netherfire poison art), rumored to have had a fortuitous encounter after the Valley of Buried Soldiers, greatly increasing his strength.

Flower Sect: Fairy Hua Jin (Eight-star Dou Zong, illusion and wood-element cultivation methods), possessing both beauty and strength, with numerous admirers.

Starfall Pavilion: Young Pavilion Master Feng Xian (Eight-star Dou Zong, wind-element fast sword).

Sound Valley: Heavenly Maiden Yin Rumeng (Seven-Star Dou Zong, soundwave soul attacks).

Ancient clans and ancient races like the Yan Clan: Descendants have also emerged, their strength even more mysterious and unpredictable, all considered favorites to win.

Looking at this intelligence, Xiao Chen's expression was calm, but he now understood the severity of the situation. Soul Hall's pursuit net was already cast, and Heavenly Secret Ancient City was a dragon's den and a tiger's lair, with various prodigies gathered. Standing out and seizing opportunities within it would be extremely difficult.

"Soul Jade... suspected Dou Venerable?" A hint of solemnity flashed in Xiao Chen's eyes. If the intelligence was true, this would be one of the strongest opponents he faced. "And the descendants of those ancient races... the waters of the Central Region are indeed unfathomable."

But he had no fear; on the contrary, he became even more excited. The greater the pressure, the stronger the motivation! He needed to quickly improve his strength to prepare for the trip to Heavenly Secret Ancient City.

"The most urgent task is to obtain a 'heavenly secret token' and further enhance my strength," Xiao Chen mused. "The way to obtain a heavenly secret token... perhaps I can find a way through the Pill Tower. As for strength improvement..."

His gaze fell upon the incomplete diagram of the ancient ruins he had obtained from Lin Xiao of the Flowing Cloud Pavilion. According to the incomplete diagram, those ruins were located in a hidden mountain range at the junction of the Meteor Desert and the Central Region, seemingly related to a powerful ancient flame.

"Flame... Although my Soul Heart Flame is strong, if I can fuse other Heavenly Flames or powerful beast flames, the power of the heaven burning furnace will greatly increase, which will be of great benefit to both alchemy and combat." Xiao Chen was tempted. Moreover, exploring the ruins itself was a form of tempering.

"First, I'll go to the Pill Tower's outpost in the Central Region to see if I can contact Senior Sister Han and the others to obtain a heavenly secret token. Then, I'll explore these ruins!" Xiao Chen quickly formulated a plan.

He no longer delayed, left Listening Wind Tower, and, following the map in the jade slip, headed towards the Pill Tower's outpost in the city.

The journey into the Central Region officially began! The road ahead was perilous, but Xiao Chen's steps were firm and composed. He knew that his legend would continue to be written in this vast land!