The dizziness from the teleportation gradually faded. Fang Hao’s feet touched solid ground, and a strange, slightly wild aura rushed toward him.

He looked around and found himself in the middle of a vast, boundless wasteland. The sky was a high, deep blue, with a few wisps of white clouds drifting lazily by. In the distance were rolling brown mountains with sparse vegetation, and the wind whistled with a hint of desolation. It was completely different from the green mountains, clear waters, and misty Spiritual Qi of the West Province he was familiar with.

"Is this... outside the West Province?" Fang Hao murmured to himself, his heart filled with a mix of emotions.

An indescribable feeling of stifled frustration and a hint of grievance welled up in his heart like a tide. Although he understood the Grand Elder’s helplessness and knew this was a temporary measure to protect the Sect and find a broader world for himself, being "expelled" from the Sect and sent away from his homeland like a nuisance still felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.

"The Sect... after all, isn’t a backer one can completely rely on." He gave a bitter smile, his eyes filled with complexity. He remembered Senior Sister Liang Ling’s concerned gaze, Senior Sister Lin Wan’s boisterous care, and the encouragement once given by the Sect Master... These moments of warmth were real, but in the face of the Sect’s survival, they seemed so fragile.

The only consolation was that the Grand Elder chose to send him away rather than hand him over to the Chiyang Sect. This at least preserved his dignity and life, leaving a shred of sentiment behind.

"Forget it, the path of immortality is long; in the end, I must rely on myself." Fang Hao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the bit of gloom in his heart, and his gaze became firm once more. Only when a young eagle leaves the nest can it soar through the Nine Heavens! This might be the true beginning of his step onto a broader stage!

However, another worry immediately surfaced in his mind, causing him to frown deeply—his parents and brother Ning Bo far away in Nine Slopes Village of the West Province!

Since the Chiyang Sect couldn’t find him, would they vent their anger on his family? Although his parents were just Mortals and Cultivators generally had an unwritten rule not to easily act against Mortals, the Chiyang Sect acted tyrannically, and the deaths of Blazing Evil and Gloomy Dove had created a blood feud. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t use despicable means!

"I must understand the situation here as soon as possible, then find a way to contact home and ensure their safety!" Fang Hao was anxious. But he didn’t even know where he was now, and he was tens of thousands of miles away from the West Province. How could he send a message? His parents and brother were all Mortals; how could they deal with the threat of a Cultivator?

The urgent priority was to determine his location and find a place with people.

He restrained his aura and used Divine Spirit Steps to speed in one direction. The wasteland was vast, and flying would make him too big a target, easily attracting unnecessary attention. Walking was safer.

After traveling for about half a day, he finally saw a faint wisp of cooking smoke on the horizon. Fang Hao’s spirits rose, and he quickened his pace.

It was a small market town built next to an oasis in the wasteland. The earth and stone buildings were low and simple. Most of the passersby wore coarse linen clothes, their faces rough and weathered. There were very few traces of Cultivators, and their cultivation levels were generally not high, mostly in the Qi Refinement Stage; even those in the Foundation Establishment Stage were extremely rare.

Fang Hao found a tea house that looked reasonably clean and sat down. He ordered a pot of coarse tea and seemingly casually listened to the conversations of the people around him.

From the fragmented dialogues of these Mortal Martial Artists and low-level Cultivators, he gradually pieced together some information.

This place was called the "Black Soil Wasteland," under the jurisdiction of Qingzhou in the Mingling Empire. It was a barren land on the western edge of Qingzhou. And Qingzhou was separated from Fang Hao’s original West Province by two large provinces, Yunzhou and Lanzhou! The straight-line distance exceeded tens of thousands of miles! In between were vast mountain ranges, huge lakes, and dangerous lands that ordinary Cultivators would find difficult to cross in their entire lives!

"Qingzhou... it’s actually so far from the West Province." Fang Hao was shocked. This send-off by the Grand Elder had directly placed him at the other end of the Empire, completely away from the whirlpool of trouble in the West Province. While this was safe, it also made contacting his home extremely difficult. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"It seems I won’t be able to contact home directly in the short term." Fang Hao sighed inwardly, forcing himself to calm down. "The priority now is to increase my strength as quickly as possible! Only with enough strength can I cross the provinces and protect my family! Otherwise, everything is just empty talk!"

He touched his storage ring, which contained the massive resources obtained from the ruins, the savings of the two Golden Core Elders, as well as heavy treasures like the chaos pill furnace, golden puppet (needs repair), and Heavenly Work Artifact Refining Furnace. These were his greatest capital for establishing himself in a strange land.

"First, find a place to settle down, digest my gains, repair the golden puppet, and improve my cultivation! I must at least reach the Golden Core Stage to have the basic qualifications to travel in this Qingzhou!" Fang Hao set his initial plan.

After making some inquiries in the market town, he learned that the nearest city where Cultivators gathered was "Black Rock City," three thousand miles to the northeast. It was an important trading and resting point for Cultivators in the western region of Qingzhou.

Fang Hao didn’t delay any longer. After leaving the market town, he summoned his Flying Sword, which turned into an inconspicuous green light and flew toward Black Rock City.

As he flew, he felt the differences between Qingzhou and the West Province more directly. The Spiritual Qi here seemed wilder and thinner, and the land was more vast and desolate. Occasionally, he could sense the aura of powerful Demon Beasts lurking in the deep mountains.

A few days later, a huge black city built against a mountain appeared on the horizon. The city walls were made of a local specialty, black rock, towering into the clouds and exuding a heavy, ancient aura. People came and went at the city gate; the number and cultivation of Cultivators were significantly higher than in the wasteland market town. Foundation Establishment Cultivators could be seen everywhere, and occasionally, he could even sense the aura of a Golden Core Cultivator.

Fang Hao paid the entry fee and entered the city low-key. The streets were wide, with shops lining both sides selling various Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, and Materials. It was bustling with people.

He first found an inn specifically for Cultivators to go into seclusion and rented an independent small courtyard with a protective Formation.

After activating the Formation and isolating the interior from the outside, Fang Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. After the long journey, he finally had a temporary place to stay.

He sat cross-legged and took stock of his current situation and resources.

Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Middle Stage Peak, just one step away from the Late Stage.

Cultivation Techniques: Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Scripture, Myriad Manifestations Star Art, Chaos Evolution Dao Art, Ethereal Art, etc.

Techniques: Divine Spirit Steps, Dividing Light Sword Shadow, Star Shattering Finger, Myriad Manifestations Array Interpretation, Alchemy, Talisman-making skills, etc.

Heavy Treasures: chaos pill furnace (nurtured in the Dantian), golden puppet (damaged, needs repair), Heavenly Work Artifact Refining Furnace, empty clarity mirror, qiankun ring, etc.

Resources: Massive amounts of Spirit Stones, Medicinal Pills, Materials (from ruins and spoils of war).

"With sufficient resources, the priority is to break through to the Late Foundation Establishment Stage and repair the golden puppet!" Fang Hao’s eyes were bright.

He took out a "Biyuan Pill" obtained from the ruins, which had miraculous effects on breaking through the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Bottleneck. He also placed a large number of Mid-Grade Spirit Stones around him.

"Let’s begin."

Fang Hao closed his eyes and operated the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Scripture and Chaos Evolution Dao Art, beginning to charge at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage Bottleneck. In the small courtyard, Spiritual Qi quickly gathered, forming a vortex.

The strange Qingzhou, unknown challenges, and a brand new journey had begun. Fang Hao knew that he had to fight and strive for everything on his own! And his family far away in the West Province was his deepest concern and the greatest motivation for him to continuously grow stronger.