1074 Two Months...

Following Xuan Hao leaving the Star Shattering Sect, it did not take long before he began searching through the first dangerous location in the core territory of the Sky Empire. However, after only a few days of searching through the place, he quickly discovered that there wasn't anything that would help his attempt to comprehend a new Dao inside.

In the end, the only thing he got out of it was a few precious spiritual herbs and an artifact suitable for someone in the Domain Lord Realm, something that would end up in the treasury of the Star Shattering Sect after he returned.

Thinking that it might just have been bad luck, he just shrugged it off and headed to the next dangerous location in the core territory of the Sky Empire, a place that had once been home to an ancient sect now filled with countless traps that had even claimed the life of someone in the Soul Ascension Realm according to what little information he could gather about the place.

Unfortunately, the place turned out to have long since decayed to a point where nothing inside the ancient sect ruins was working, outside of the killing arrays and trapping formation strong enough to kill someone in the Second Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm that kept most ordinary people from exploring the place.

Knowing that he might just have gotten unlucky two times in a row, Xuan Hao didn't give up and chose another dangerous location in the core territory of the Sky Empire to explore…

A famed mountain range that was said to be filled to the brim with Domain Lord Realm demon beast and countless spiritual herbs that helped one comprehend the Dao…

A network of vast underground cavers that covered an area larger than the current Star Shattering Set, filled with all sorts of dangerous creatures and precious spiritual herbs, said to contain the tombs of ancient cultivators that had far surpassed the cultivators of the present…

A mystical flower meadow filled with rare and magical flowers. Each with their own special effect when used during alchemy or meditation. From allowing one to connect to the Dao to helping improve one's inherent talent. Hidden inside a large bamboo forest with countless powerful demon beast inside of it…

Over the next two months, Xuan Hao searched through every single one of the Sky Empire's dangerous locations. Only avoiding a few special places that he felt would be too dangerous to enter, like the ancient sect located beside the Great Poison Swamp.

"Nothing…"

However, even after all of this, he had not found a single thing that would help him comprehend a new Dao. The so-called dangerous locations of the Sky Empire were mostly filled with things that would be helpful for someone in the Domain Lord Realm or below. Nothing useful for someone trying to comprehend a new Dao.

Even worse, with the war between the Sky Empire and the surrounding empires starting to grow over the past two months, some of the more promising dangerous locations located close to the capital city of the Sky Empire that he had planned to explore, had been destroyed in clashes between the Soul Ascension Realm Experts from both sides as the surrounding empires began testing the strength of the Sky Empire's Soul Ascension Realm Experts.

Thinking about it, if he had known that the surrounding empires would make a move so quickly, he would have explored those places first. 

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do now that those places had already been destroyed-

"Hm? Someone in the Soul Ascension Realm?"

Or so he thought, a Soul Ascension Realm Expert from one of the empires who had taken part in destroying those dangerous locations just so happened to be flying past him at this moment…

BANG!

Whoosh-!

Not a second later, the poor Soul Ascension Realm Expert in the First Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm was knocked flying before he had any time to react-

"WAAAAaaaah…"

Only able to let out a scream as he disappeared into the distance with a few broken bones. Not knowing what had just happened or who had knocked him, flying back out of the Sky Empire after he had barely taken a single step inside the core territory.

Don't tell me… Did the ancestor of the imperial family return and knock me out of the Sky Empire as warning!? 

As his thoughts ran wild trying to come up with an explanation for what had just happened to him, the culprit was silently looking off in the direction he had disappeared in as his somewhat tensed expression visibly began relaxing.

"Haaa… I really needed that…" Muttering this to himself as he let out a sigh, Xuan Hao felt himself relaxing after knocking the Soul Ascension Realm Expert flying.

The past two months had really not been good for him, as he had essentially wasted two months of time gathering resources that could only be used by someone in the Domain Lord Realm or below. Nothing that would help him comprehend a new Dao.

As a result, it made him start reconsidering his decision to leave the sect instead of just continuing to cultivate in peace and hope he managed to break through before the Earth Immortal Realm Expert from the Heavenly Dragon Temple appeared.

At this point in time, he understood that if he wanted to continue searching for opportunities, he would have to leave the Sky Empire and head towards the more dangerous core of the continent where more opportunities existed.

Of course, with more opportunities, there would also be more dangers involved!

"…"

Turning to look in the direction of the Blue Sea Empire, Xuan Hao hesitated for a short moment before disappearing…

Rumble-!

Only a short minute later, a terrifying aura appeared from the direction that he had knocked the Soul Ascension Realm Expert in-

Boom!

Not a second later, a muscular figure standing more than three meters tall appeared at the spot Xuan Hao had been standing only a minute earlier, both of his eyes narrowing as a frown appeared at the corner of his mouth.

If Xuan Hao had been there, he would have been shocked to discover that this person was not someone who had just reached the Fourth or Fifth Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm but was instead someone who had reached the Sixth Tribulation of the Soul Ascension Realm. Only a single step away from reaching the Peak of the Soul Ascension Realm!

"Hmph! This is definitely not that old turtle… To think someone this powerful appeared inside the Sky Empire..." Muttering this to himself as his frown deepened even further, the titan of a man turned to look in the direction Xuan Hao had left in, a hint of unease present in depth of his eyes.

"Looks like I will have to take a more passive stance when it comes to the Sky Empire for now. At least until I figure out if that person was just someone who happened to pass by…" Shaking his head after a few minutes of silence, the man turned around and left in the direction he had come from. Deciding not to chase after Xuan Hao.

Not only because he was uncertain whether or not Xuan Hao was an enemy or just a powerful expert passing through the Sky Empire that his subordinate had happened to accidentally offend, but also because he sensed some traces left behind by Xuan Hao when he left using his Drifting Cloud Steps.

The profoundness of the Dao of space used was more than enough to make him give up any hope of chasing down the other party, as people skilled in the Dao of Space were close to impossible to catch without any proper preparations or overwhelming difference in strength.

…

"Looks like I won't be able to drag it on for much longer, the situation back home also seems to be growing out of control…" At the same time, back in the Star Shattering Sect, Yi Min was silently whispering this to herself as she sat inside her room with a sad expression on her face.

Over the past two month, she had managed to fully stabilize her strength at the Soul Ascension Realm while also helping the Star Shattering Sect convince the Explorer Union to move their branch to what could be considered a small town located outside of the main city at the base of the Ninth Star Peak.

The reason why the branch of the Explorer Union had only been moved, but all the way outside the rapidly developing city at the base of the Ninth Star Peak was in part due to her effort over the past two months. Managing to convince the far too inexperienced staff in charge of the branch before any of their superiors took notice of the rapidly expanding Star Shattering Sect and sent over someone more skilled to manage the branch.

In the end, this was the main reason why she had stayed at the Star Shattering Sect far longer than she first intended.

However, now that she had stabilized her cultivation base and helped out the Star Shattering Sect, it was time for her to return to the Iron Sky Kingdom…