Chapter 329: The Center

The mist was so dense that although the two energies within his body were continuously nourished, there were no signs of the mist becoming less dense.

The five friends traversed through the purple mist, and the other four could sense the energy in Xue Wei's body becoming turbulent alongside the strength growing.

They understood that there was some sort of secret within this purple mist, but no matter how much they tried, they couldn't absorb even a sliver of the purple mist.

Still, no one said anything as they advanced deeper and deeper into the unknown. The thunder had gone from muffled cries to becoming almost impossible to hear now, and the lightning flashes which previously had illuminated the sky were now nowhere in sight.

As they moved deeper into the purple mist, they became more and more alert. So far, there had been no signs at all of anything living within the mist; neither were there any signs of prior visitors. It was as if they had entered a wasteland, filled with deathly silence.

Although Xue Wei could have stopped and consumed the purple mist as he pleased, he did not do so. Instead, he continued his advance.

It was as if something deep within the mist was calling out to him. As if his innermost being was being summoned by something within the middle of the mist.

He was as if in a trance, he took step by step closer towards the soundless voice. He looked to neither the left nor the right; all he did was head straight towards the unknown.

Usually, Xue Wei would not have been so carefree, especially not in a region such as the Thunder Twilight Zone, but the purple mist felt so familiar, like being in a mother's embrace.

When Xue Wei felt this, he could not help but lower his guards. He remembered how the Purple Mist had healed him before; now, it was bringing back the same feelings of comfort. But when he looked at his comrades, he understood that everything he felt was exclusive to him.

Looking at his comrades, he could not help but frown. They looked worried and scared. They were not at all as casual and carefree as him, their nerves were taut and their bodies rigid.

"Do not fear," a voice suddenly sounded in the mist, startling all of them. While the voice sounded next to their ears, it was ever present within the entire mist, and no one could figure out where it came from.

"I wish you no harm," the voice continued. "My King has arrived. I have to greet him. Although humans are not welcome within my Purple Domain, an exception shall be made for the sake of my King."

No one needed to ask who this King was, clearly it was Xue Wei. Although the voice had boomed, Hei Gou and Lin Xiao did not calm down; on the contrary, they were even more alert afterward than before. However, Bai Tianyi looked at them with the usual disdain.

"Blockhead and stupid dog, calm down," he said casually, not at all caring for the fact that he was insulting them. "Since the creature who spoke was able to materialize their voice like this, then they are above our strength. Far above our strength," he explained. "If it wanted us dead, we would be dead thousand times over, so just accept the grace we have been shown by being together with Wei."

Bai Tianyi was as crude as always, never holding anything back, and saying whatever was on his mind. Even Hei Gou and Lin Xiao did nothing when they heard him insult them and calling them stupid dog and blockhead.

They knew that although he spoke harsh words, he was the first to stand by their side should they ever need it.

Not to mention he was much more experienced than them, and thus they often relied on his knowledge to manage in difficult and tricky situations.

Xue Wei was not worried, and after hearing Bai Tianyi's words, the rest also slowly put away their worries. Their bodies relaxed gradually, and instead of being too wound up, they slowly started to examine the world of purple mist.

Although it seemed to be a wasteland, it turned out that beneath their feet was grass at times, waves at others. There were no rare herbs or exquisite items, but there were regular islands and sea. Here and there were plants, but the only thing that they could feel was silence. Utter silence.

The others, although they had been promised that there was no danger, did not remove the line that held them all together.

This was not because they feared that something would appear from the mist and attack them, but because they realized that the mist was too dense. You could only see one meter ahead of you, so getting lost was entirely possible.

The reason they were able to navigate in the dense mist was because of the weird feeling that was leading Xue Wei on the path.

They walked for what seemed an eternity. It was impossible to determine how long it was as everything looked the same within the mist. It was impossible to say if they had walked in circles or if they had actually reached some places.

Anyone who entered and did not have a guide like Xue Wei would have gotten lost almost instantly.

Finally, the dense mist suddenly started to thin out, and in front of them was a beautiful scenery that none of them had expected to encounter in the middle of the Thunder Twilight Zone.

In front of them was a beautiful island. It had a sizeable mountain filled with lush green forests, and it reached up into the clouds. Right in front of them were beaches with white sand and seashells while the first trees were around a few hundred meters away from it.

In between the forest and the sand was green grass, and on this grass was a small cottage.

There were no animals on the island, and everything was still as silent as it had been within the purple mist.

"Let's head for the cottage," Xue Wei said with a low voice. He could sense that what was calling for him was within the cottage, and his heart was beating rapidly. What was this feeling?

As they headed towards the cottage, the door swung open and a woman stepped out.

The woman resembled a fairy; her beauty was ethereal, her appearance otherworldly.

"My King," she greeted as she cupped her fists and bowed slightly towards Xue Wei.

Xue Wei, however quickly went to help her straighten herself again, "I am no king," he said honestly. "But why have you summoned me?"

The being that was standing on the grass looked at Xue Wei for some time, before its body suddenly expanded.

Scaled erupted from beneath the skin, and the body turned into that of a dragon. While Xue Wei was an azure dragon, this was a white dragon with a slightly blue tint to the scales.

"I am a flood dragon," the dragon said as it looked deeply at Xue Wei. "My mate lives in Chang'an. This purple mist is a skill that only he and I know.

"I can feel the life force of my mate inside of you, and at the same time, I can also sense your aura like an emperor.

"I hoped you could tell me about my mate, but more than anything I knew you were the esteemed Azure Dragon.

"An Azure Dragon is the King of all dragons. We are forced to bow to the Azure Dragon, and thus, I wanted to see what my King looked like.

"I understand that you are young and that it is quite a time before you become a real Dragon King or perhaps even a Dragon Emperor, but seeing you in your growth period is also an honor.

"I cannot do much for you, but what I can do is to help you mature slightly.

"The Thunder Twilight Zone belongs to me. I am a flood dragon, and I entered this area a millennia ago.

"Since then I have stayed here, waiting for the time I can be reunited with my mate.

"I can tell you where the most prosperous area of the Thunder Twilight Zone is, the area with most treasures.

"Although this place is a real treasure trove, it is also the most dangerous area in the entire zone apart from my purple mist.

"Although it is not as dangerous as my purple mist, it is still quite dangerous, so you have to depend on both luck and skill to make it through."

Xue Wei considered for some time, but he had already been prepared to fight for his life. Now that he was within the Thunder Twilight Zone, he was not going to give up just like that.

However, it was not a decision he could make on his own. This was a life-threatening decision, and therefore, he had to ensure that his friends were equally ready to risk their lives.

Bai Tianyi smirked when he heard the words of the flood dragon, Hei Gou was grinning, Lin Xiao was chuckling, and Luoluo was looking puzzled.

Although Luoluo was the one who seemed like she was the most unsure about what to do, Xue Wei was the least worried about her.

She was immortal, and not only this, but she was also the strongest of them all if they ended up in a tricky situation.

"It seems that you all have made a decision," the flood dragon said approvingly. If he had shied away from this, then she would not have believed in his ability to become a Dragon King, much less a Dragon Emperor.

But he had not disappointed her; he had not hesitated at all and ended up going straight for the danger area.

"Let me show you the way," the dragon once more transformed into the shape of a woman, and her long flowing white fairy dress was floating around her as she started moving through the purple mist.

By the time she had reached the purple mist, it was as if it warped around them, and in a few steps they had left behind the purple world, once more returning to the booming thunder and the lightning that was continuously brightening up the sky.

Xue Wei was astounded when he saw how the flood dragon was capable of making them move through the mist so fast.

Although it had been impossible to determine exactly how long he and the others had spent to reach the center, it was in no way a short amount of time. It could have been a day, but it could also have been days since the purple world had completely messed up their ability to detect time.

Still, this was so fast that they knew that it was unnatural.

Although they had moved too fast, Xue Wei was not in a position to ask anything. He had to look around and determine if their current location was safe, and the more he looked, the darker his face became.

This place was indeed as dangerous as the purple mist would be for common experts.

He could sense that the lightning in the area was many times stronger than it had been at the outskirts of the Thunder Twilight Zone. It was clear that they had reached the very center of the zone.

"Well then, I am off," the flood dragon said, and without giving Xue Wei time to say anything, she vanished from her position. It was clear that she was scared of him changing his decision and wanting to return with her.

Smiling wryly, Xue Wei shook his head and looked around them. It was, contrary to his expectations, not the middle of the sea. Instead, it was a desolate island.

The desolate island was not too big, it was around the size of the island the flood dragon resided on, but where that one was full of life, this one was scorched, and filled with a deadly gloom.