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"Whether this map is fake or not, I can't say, but that price was definitely fake. Anyway, there are other vendors here, and I'm not in a rush."
Lin Feng pulled his sleeve free, casually glancing around at the other stalls nearby.
Those other vendors also had the same emblem on display.
Clearly, this so-called certification was just some kind of business license, something that basically every vendor possessed.
What this guy had said earlier was just playing word games to fool those who didn't know any better.
Hearing Lin Feng's words, the vendor's face stiffened.
Then he could only relent helplessly and said, "Young master, my apologies. I had insomnia last night, so my mind isn't very clear today.
I quoted the wrong price just now. This map is yours for just twenty thousand gold coins. Of course, if you think that's still too expensive, I have smaller-area maps that cost even less."
"Hmph, if you'd spoken honestly from the start, wouldn't it have been better?"
Sweeping his soul power over the vendor's expression, confirming there were no abnormalities, Lin Feng finally gave a soft snort.
Then he took the map and handed over a gold coin card.
"Sigh, young people these days… really hard to fool!"
Watching Lin Feng's group leave, the vendor shook his head helplessly.
He had originally thought he could make a huge profit, but in the end, he had to sell at a normal price.
Shaking his head again, he immediately began scanning the square for his next fat sheep.
After walking some distance, Lin Feng spread the map open and began searching for a destination.
His gaze swept over the cities and factions marked on the map one by one.
Finally, it stopped at the three characters for "Huagu City."
He remembered that the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool was near that city.
Every three years, the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool would trigger a surge of heaven-and-earth energy.
At that time, the energy within the pool would reach its peak.
However, even if it wasn't during that special period, just the massive amount of energy that had accumulated under the pool over countless years could help someone break through bottlenecks and advance to a higher realm.
Even if the effect couldn't compare to the time of the heaven-and-earth surge, it still wouldn't be weak.
After all, in the original story, that elder of the Gold-Swallowing Mouse Clan had advanced extremely quickly thanks to the energy at the bottom of the Heavenly Mountain Blood Pool.
"Lin Feng, why don't we go to Tian Bei City instead?"
Zi Yan glanced at the map for a while, then suddenly suggested.
"Tian Bei City?"
Lin Feng softly repeated the name, shifting his gaze to a small city marked on the map.
Seeing this, Zi Yan nodded and said,
"Yeah, you know Han Yue too — she's from the Han Clan of Tian Bei City. Back when she was still in the Inner Academy, I got along with her pretty well. Her Clan is pretty influential over there and should have some information about the Northern Region of the Central Plains."
"Alright, then let's go."
Lin Feng thought for a bit, feeling that Zi Yan's reasoning made sense, so he nodded.
He continued looking at the map in his hands.
Their current location was to the west of the Northern Region of the Central Plains.
Whereas Tian Bei City was directly in the north of the Central Plains.
After finding the route to Tian Bei City, Lin Feng led the group across the vast city, which had a diameter of over a thousand li, and then sped eastward at full speed.
At the same time, within the Inner Academy of Jia Nan Academy, a place extremely far from them—around the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, nearly all of Jia Nan Academy's strength had gathered here.
Even Hu Gan, who had already advanced to Dou Zong, had led the Outer Academy elders here for reinforcements.
However, for the six figures standing high above the Inner Academy in midair, these reinforcements were nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
"Hmph! You bumpkins from the Northwestern Region, hurry up and hand over the Heavenly Flame inside that so-called Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower, and obediently send out the members of the Xiao Clan! Otherwise, today the few of us will flatten this Inner Academy of yours!"
Looking down at the stubborn Jia Nan Academy crowd, among the six, a rather hot-tempered Seven-Star Dou Zong barked out harshly.
"The old man has already told you — there is no Heavenly Flame inside the Blazing Sky Qi Refining Tower right now, only a few fragments at best. As for the Xiao Clan members, as long as Xiao Yan returns the Fallen Heart Flame to my Inner Academy, we of Jia Nan Academy will naturally release them."
At this point, Su Qian's expression suddenly turned dark.
A trace of anger was carried in his tone as he continued:
"Although all of you are powerful, you are still only Dou Zong. Acting so brazenly in my Jia Nan Academy today — do you not fear that when our dean returns, he will smash each one of you into minced meat?"
At the same time, Su Qian was perfectly clear in his heart.
These few powerful men in front of him must have a significant connection to Xiao Yan.
It was very likely they were experts sent by that Honored Elder.
Toward that Xiao Yan, Su Qian's heart held even deeper resentment!
Upon hearing this, the faces of those few middle-aged men floating in midair turned cold.
Two months ago, when their Young Pavilion Master reunited with the Honored Elder, he was already an Eight-Star Dou Wang.
A bit over a month ago, he had advanced to Nine-Star Dou Wang.
Now, he was likely in seclusion absorbing that Fallen Heart Flame.
So how could they possibly hand over the Heavenly Flame now? That was simply nonsense!
After a moment of silence, the leading middle-aged man among the six stepped forward.
His gaze swept across the Jia Nan Academy crowd and he spoke indifferently:
"We will give your dean some face. Within three minutes, as long as Jia Nan Academy presents what we want, we will leave immediately. Otherwise, our lineup of one Eight-Star Dou Zong, two Seven-Star Dou Zong, plus three Five-Star Dou Zong, is not something you bunch of Dou Wang-level trash elders can possibly resist."
However, beneath this calm surface, there was an endless rage boiling.
These past days, they could be said to have hit walls at every turn.
Their mood was naturally terrible!
Ever since they had been ordered by the Honored Elder to travel all the way to this barren and backward place, no matter what they tried to do, everything had gone wrong.
Originally, they had planned to quickly obtain the Heavenly Flame, take back the members of the Xiao Clan, and then hurry out of this desolate land.
But after arriving and making inquiries, they realized, that boy named Lin Feng had already left the Black-Corner Region.
Afterward, they ran off to the Jia Ma Empire.
According to the map given by their Young Pavilion Master, they went to that city, but discovered that the Young Pavilion Master's two elder brothers had already disappeared long ago.
Growing somewhat anxious, they quickly captured a local Dou Wang for questioning.
The frustrating result was these people turned out to be enforcers under Heavenly Treasure Pavilion, which Lin Feng had established.
And these enforcers had all been transferred from the Black-Corner Region and knew absolutely nothing about the earlier matters.
Enraged, the group had cursed them thoroughly before having no choice but to return again to the Black-Corner Region.
They went to Heavenly Treasure Pavilion to question the people from the Jia Ma Empire there.
But what they hadn't expected was — Heavenly Treasure Pavilion was not some soft persimmon either.
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