Two days later.
"We're here!"
Jiang Yanran's voice suddenly rang out within the flying ship.
Everyone's spirits lifted.
Then, they all stepped out of the ship.
Before them stretched a plateau region. Whistling gales swept across the entire sky above the plateau, along with hair-thin black cracks that were constantly shifting.
"Spatial storms!"
Ye Yunfei looked up at the raging winds above the plateau, a flicker of realization stirring within him.
"This is the outer area of the Shattered Valley, called the Pogu Plateau. Space is extremely unstable here, so remember one thing absolutely: flight is forbidden.
The tempests sweeping across the Pogu Plateau can easily tear a person to shreds.
Those tiny black fractures are even more dangerous. The slightest mistake can have you sliced in half at the waist."
Jiang Yanran spoke.
Her advice was primarily directed at Ye Yunfei, as the other five elite students had been here before and were well aware of the dangers.
"I know."
Ye Yunfei looked at the hair-thin black cracks crisscrossing the sky above the plateau and nodded.
These black fractures were fissures resulting from shattered space, akin to cracks appearing in a broken mirror.
Beyond the depths of these cracks lay the endless, desolate void!
"Know? What do *you* know!
You, a measly Minor Mystic Pill Realm brat, what could you possibly know on your first trip to the Shattered Valley?
Putting on airs in front of us, is that amusing?"
Senior Brother Murong suddenly snapped.
Throughout the journey, Jiang Yanran and Ji Mengyao had repeatedly initiated conversations with Ye Yunfei, laughing and chatting. Witnessing this, he had long harbored a simmering resentment.
Among these six elite disciples, he possessed the strongest cultivation. In his view, *he* was supposed to be the central figure of this expedition. Everyone should have orbited around him, seeking his attention, even currying favor. Yet, the two great beauties Jiang Yanran and Ji Mengyao actively gravitated towards a trash-like individual with mere Minor Mystic Pill Realm strength, ignoring him, Senior Brother Murong, completely. How could he possibly endure this!
Moreover, he was one of Jiang Yanran's suitors! And he considered himself one of the most competitive among them. How could he allow other men to approach the goddess of his heart!
"Unless you have a death wish, you'd best not provoke me."
Ye Yunfei's face darkened, his voice icy.
"Brat, you're seeking death!"
Senior Brother Murong's rage surged. He took a step forward, an overwhelming tide of spiritual pressure crushing towards Ye Yunfei.
"Senior Brother Murong, stop!"
Jiang Yanran exclaimed in alarm. She stepped forward, positioning herself in front of Ye Yunfei and unleashing her own spiritual pressure to counter his.
"Junior Sister Jiang, you..."
Seeing Jiang Yanran shield Ye Yunfei so vigorously only fanned the flames of Senior Brother Murong's fury.
"Senior Brother Murong, please don't make things difficult for me. My sole purpose in coming to the Shattered Valley this time is to quickly obtain what I need, not to stir up unnecessary trouble!"
Jiang Yanran's beautiful eyes glared at Senior Brother Murong as she spoke.
Hmph!
In the end, Senior Brother Murong flicked his sleeve angrily and let the matter drop. He could tell that if he truly acted, Jiang Yanran would undoubtedly stop him with all her might.
*"Brat, one must have self-awareness in life and know how to weigh their own worth.
Jiang Yanran is *my* woman, not someone you can lay a finger on. Keep your distance from her. Otherwise, it will bring utter ruin upon you. Understood?"*
Senior Brother Murong's voice transmission suddenly echoed within the depths of Ye Yunfei's soul sea.
*"So this fellow thinks I'm competing with him for a woman."*
Ye Yunfei almost laughed aloud at the absurdity.
However, Ye Yunfei couldn't be bothered to explain. A mere early-stage Primordial Soul Realm cultivator was not worth his time. If this fool truly didn't know better and dared to cause trouble, he'd simply kill him when the time came.
Ye Yunfei hadn't even hesitated to kill Heavenly Dao Academy Elder Ruan Shiguang; how could a mere elite student intimidate him?
"You there! Who are you people!"
Suddenly, an old man flew swiftly towards them, blocking their path.
"Senior, we are students of the Heavenly Dao Academy."
Jiang Yanran stepped forward respectfully, presenting her identity token for the elder's inspection.
"Hmm, indeed, an elite student of the Heavenly Dao Academy."
The old man glanced at Jiang Yanran's token and nodded.
"Everyone, show this senior your identity tokens for inspection."
Jiang Yanran turned back and instructed the group.
Consequently, they all retrieved their identity tokens and handed them over to the old man for inspection one by one.
The Shattered Valley was jointly controlled by several major powers of the Beihuang Domain, who took turns dispatching experts to guard it.
Anyone wishing to enter this area had to undergo inspection and questioning before being granted passage.
"A Minor Mystic Pill Realm whelp, daring to come to the Shattered Valley? Do you have a death wish?
This is utter folly!"
The old man was somewhat astonished when he inspected Ye Yunfei's identity token. He shot a glance at Ye Yunfei and scolded.
"The senior is absolutely right.
This brat indeed doesn't want to live."
Senior Brother Murong chimed in, relishing Ye Yunfei's discomfort.
"Senior, Su Ye is a student of our Heavenly Dao Academy. He has every right to enter the Shattered Valley."
Jiang Yanran quickly interjected.
"Fine. Since you wish to court death, suit yourself."
The old man glowered at Ye Yunfei once more before vanishing into the distance with a flick of his sleeve.
"From now on, we'll proceed on foot.
The Shattered Valley lies deep within the Pogu Plateau."
Jiang Yanran said.
Subsequently, the group set off walking across the Pogu Plateau.
Apart from their party, many other martial practitioners traversed the Pogu Plateau.
These warriors all hailed from prominent factions of the Beihuang Domain, primarily from the Jiuhua Sacred Land, Tianxuan Sacred Land, the Li Clan, the Heavenly Dao Academy, and several other relatively powerful organizations.
A significant number of rare spirit herbs and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, unseen in the outside world, grew upon the Pogu Plateau.
Due to its extremely unstable space and unique environment, unusual circumstances had given birth to unusual treasures.
Besides these precious resources, many strange beasts also inhabited the Pogu Plateau.
Roar...
As Ye Yunfei's party was advancing, about twenty-plus ferocious beasts suddenly appeared ahead. Their bodies were covered in black scales.
These beasts moved with incredibly peculiar and unpredictable speed, darting left and right with blinding swiftness like lightning.
Upon sighting Ye Yunfei's group, the beasts immediately locked onto them, closing in while leaving streaks of afterimages.
"Careful, these are Void Beasts!
This type of demon beast can, for an extremely brief instant, burrow into space, moving like a ghost-like apparition."
Jiang Yanran immediately whispered a warning to Ye Yunfei.
"I know."
Ye Yunfei nodded.
In truth, given Ye Yunfei's vast experience and knowledge, he had long been familiar with beasts like the Void Beast.
Void Beasts typically inhabited regions rich in spatial energy and possessed certain spatial abilities.
For instance, they could momentarily disappear into space and could also attack enemies using spatial energy.
"Damn it, our luck is abysmal!
We haven't been on the Pogu Plateau long before encountering over twenty Void Beasts!"
An elite student named Qiu Wu frowned.
"In previous visits for training on this plateau, I could go most of a day without necessarily encountering a single Void Beast!
Do you think something might have changed within the Pogu Plateau?"
Another elite student expressed a foreboding sense of unease and worry.
"What are you all so scared for?
Shame on you all, Primordial Soul Realm experts, trembling over some Void Beasts! With our strength, we can handle them easily!
If even *we* couldn't deal with them, then trash like that Minor Mystic Pill Realm runt would certainly be doomed, wouldn't he?"
Senior Brother Murong sneered. As he spoke, his gaze swept dismissively towards Ye Yunfei.