Chapter 1709: I Come from the Dongling Region
The fourth-phase Devouring Flame enveloped his body, shielding him from all sides as a faint glimmer flashed through Ling Feng's eyes.
The sudden eruption of such terrifying earthfire in this place was far too unusual.
Whenever something abnormal happened, there was usually a reason behind it.
Something beneath this desert was probably about to emerge.
Even if it wasn't some rare treasure, the quality of this earthfire was not much inferior to the Heaven-Incinerating Dragon Fire he had encountered before. He could try refining some of its fire seeds and use them to strengthen the Devouring Flame.
Ever since his Devouring Flame had advanced to the fourth phase, suitable exotic flames for it to devour had become increasingly difficult to find.
The earthfire buried beneath this desert was likely the so-called Primordial Earthfire, a type of flame that had probably vanished from the outside world long ago.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As Ling Feng pondered the matter, the eruptions became increasingly frequent.
Earthfire burst from the ground across hundreds of miles of desert.
Fortunately, the fourth-phase Devouring Flame protected him completely, and he was currently flying tens of thousands of zhang above the ground. The erupting flames could not reach him.
"I'll go take a look at the source."
Ling Feng narrowed his eyes.
Wrapped in the protection of the fourth-phase Devouring Flame, he transformed into a streak of light and shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
What Ling Feng did not know was that at this very moment, figures from several other directions across the endless wasteland were also rushing toward the source of the earthfire eruption.
Some traveled alone.
Others moved in groups of two or three.
Judging from their demeanor, they seemed quite familiar with the area.
Clearly, these were the geniuses from other regions that the Hall Master of the Blazing Sun Hall had warned them about.
To the Dongling Region, the tenth level was an unexplored realm filled with unknowns.
To the geniuses of the other regions, however, the tenth level might simply be an ordinary ruin that had already been explored countless times.
These martial practitioners moved at astonishing speed.
A closer look revealed something even more shocking.
Every single one of them was a Great Emperor.
Among the strongest of them, some had even reached the third level of the Divine Destiny Realm.
"Hahaha! Our luck is incredible! We actually arrived just in time for the opening of the Profound Sword Earth Palace!"
A burly man from one of the groups burst into loud laughter.
"Indeed, our luck isn't bad at all. The Profound Sword Earth Palace is a sacred land that countless sword cultivators dream of entering. It seems fortune has finally smiled upon us geniuses of the Xijian Region."
It turned out that most of these martial practitioners came from the Xijian Region.
As the name implied, the Xijian Region was dominated by sword cultivators.
Sword Dao was the mainstream path there.
Qi cultivation and body refinement were considered secondary pursuits.
"With this trip to the Profound Sword Earth Palace, I'll definitely push my Sword Force to the Advanced level!"
"Advanced Sword Force is impressive? I'm using this opportunity to step directly into the Half-Step Sword Domain realm!"
"Keep dreaming, hahaha!"
The geniuses of the Xijian Region spoke casually of Sword Force and even Half-Step Sword Domain as though such achievements were ordinary.
That alone showed just how terrifying the level of Sword Dao cultivation in the Xijian Region truly was.
In fact, failing to comprehend Sword Force there was considered somewhat embarrassing.
Back in the Dongling Region, a Great Emperor in the early stages who comprehended Great Perfection Sword Intent would already be regarded as a top-tier genius.
Of course, Ling Feng was an exception.
Although his Sword Intent had never reached Great Perfection, he had skipped that stage entirely and directly comprehended Sword Force.
Unfortunately, his Sword Force was still too immature.
At most, it could be considered a rudimentary prototype.
As his cultivation increased, it had gradually lost much of its practical combat value.
The geniuses of the Xijian Region were different.
Their understanding and application of both Sword Intent and Sword Force had reached heights that geniuses of the Dongling Region simply could not match.
Throughout history, the title of King of Sword Dao had always belonged to the Xijian Region.
Even a massive region like the Zhongyuan Region had never been able to change that fact.
From afar, Ling Feng finally spotted the source of the disturbance.
As the endless desert trembled, a vast expanse of darkness emerged from beneath the sands.
It looked like the gaping maw of an ancient beast, waiting patiently to devour all living things.
"Hm?"
Ling Feng frowned.
Within his perception, several powerful auras had already arrived nearby.
No.
It was far more than several.
Before long, the number of powerful presences continued increasing until there were more than twenty of them gathered around the area.
As expected, something unusual is happening here.
Otherwise, why would so many people rush over?
I wonder if any geniuses from the Dongling Region made it here as well.
Ling Feng narrowed his eyes.
Among the auras he sensed, several were no weaker than Shi Haoxuan's.
Were the geniuses of the other regions truly such monsters?
Still, one detail reassured him somewhat.
Most of these people were already in their thirties or forties, significantly older than him.
Give him another ten or twenty years.
By then, these so-called geniuses probably would not qualify as geniuses in his eyes anymore.
Activating the Boundless Vision, Ling Feng quietly gathered useful information from the conversations around him.
"So there's a Profound Sword Earth Palace buried beneath this desert, containing a powerful Sword Dao inheritance."
His heart stirred with excitement.
Although Sword Dao was not his primary path, it had always been one of his strongest trump cards.
If this opportunity allowed him to elevate his Slaughterous Sword Will and Reincarnated Sword Will to an entirely new level, the trip would be more than worthwhile.
Before long, more than twenty cultivators had gathered in the area.
Besides the geniuses of the Xijian Region, there were also several cultivators who appeared to come from the Beihan Region.
Their attire made their origins fairly easy to identify.
"Huh? There's actually a Human Emperor here?"
Among a five-man group, a man in blue robes fixed his gaze on Ling Feng and revealed a trace of disdain.
"He doesn't seem to be from the Xijian Region, nor is he from the Beihan Region."
The group's leader was a man clad in golden armor.
A long scar stretched across his face, and a massive heavy sword nearly two meters long rested across his back.
Judging from his build, he belonged to the same category of monstrous human-shaped beasts as Jiang Xiaofan.
"Could he be from the Nanwu Region?"
The blue-robed man sized Ling Feng up before speaking slowly.
"His spiritual consciousness is quite powerful, but those mysterious fellows from the Nanwu Region shouldn't have any interest in the Profound Sword Earth Palace."
Suddenly, his eyelids twitched.
A trace of vigilance flashed through his eyes.
"Wait... could he be from the Zhongyuan Region?"
The leader in golden armor immediately grew serious as well.
The majority of the cultivators present turned their attention toward Ling Feng.
Among a crowd of Divine Destiny Realm Great Emperors, an Extreme First Stage Human Emperor like him naturally stood out.
"Brother."
The golden-armored leader clasped his fists respectfully toward Ling Feng.
"My name is Wang Bodang, a disciple of the Tianchuan Sword Pavilion of the Xijian Region. May I ask for your name and which region you come from?"
Ling Feng glanced at Wang Bodang.
His expression remained calm as he answered plainly,
"My name is Ling Feng."
"I come from the Dongling Region."