On the vast, black plain, a caravan stirred a faint yellow dust as it sped forward, eventually vanishing at the horizon. Inside the slightly bumpy carriage, Xiao Yan sat cross-legged, facing the man named Doma—the chief of the caravan. As Doma had said, the caravan's guards were indeed not particularly strong; the strongest among them seemed to hover around the level of five-star Battle Masters. Of course, as Doma had originally hired him as the chief guard, the man naturally held some reservations about Xiao Yan's sudden arrival. However, after once being accidentally knocked off his carriage by Xiao Yan's palm strike during the journey, he had grown considerably more respectful. And precisely because of that incident, Doma's enthusiasm toward Xiao Yan had intensified significantly, to the point where he later invited him aboard the carriage and treated him with great hospitality. After all, under such constant threats of robbery, having a true warrior on board provided genuine reassurance. At that moment, Doma gently pulled out a slightly yellowed map from his chest, slowly spreading it out on the table before him, pointing to a red dot with a warm smile. "This is our destination—the Black Seal City. At our pace, we should arrive by afternoon tomorrow." Xiang Yan's gaze remained fixed on the yellowed map, lingering on the small dot representing Black Seal City for a moment before tracing a route along it, eventually coming to a blue star positioned at the center. "Is this where the Canaan Academy is located?" He glanced at the blue star, his expression unchanged, and asked casually. "Yes, that's the renowned Canaan Academy—my daughter studies there. I'm quite proud, you know," Doma nodded, his round face glowing with pride as he spoke of his daughter. Xiao Yan nodded silently, firmly committing the route to memory, then turned his gaze once more toward the black zones surrounding the Canan Academy, which had been divided into several uneven sections. "The current 'Black Corner Region' has essentially been divided among several powerful factions. Though they continue to fight for territorial dominance, significant changes should not occur in the near term." Observing Xiao Yan's gaze, the merchant Doma naturally understood his questions. Though he could have guessed that Xiao Yan was a newcomer to the Black Corner Region, Doma chose not to mention it directly. Instead, he smiled and offered an explanation. "The Black Seal City we are heading to falls under the jurisdiction of the 'Eight Gates'—a long-standing power in the Black Corner Region, renowned for its strength. Their leader, Yuan Yi, is said to rank among the top ten on the Black Corner's Black List. This very auction event is being hosted by the 'Eight Gates' themselves." Domah drew a small circle with his finger around the area surrounding Black Seal City, smiling. "The Black List?" The unfamiliar term made Xiao Yan slightly pause, murmuring softly. "Ah, well, the Black List is much like the strength rankings of some imperial realms—only here, the competition is far more intense. In fact, within just under two years, the last three spots on the Black List have been completely replaced. And the ones who were displaced? They were all powerful Battle Kings." Domah shook his head, marveling. "Oh?" "Heard that, Xiao Yan was somewhat moved. After all, the top ten elite warriors of the Gamma Empire typically only rotated or succeeded every nearly ten years. Here, even the Battle Kings are being eliminated so quickly—it's hard to imagine how fierce and brutal the competition truly is. 'Who exactly are the top few on the Black List, and what are their strengths?' Xiao Yan asked softly, with a touch of curiosity. 'The first and second-ranked individuals are particularly mysterious, so few have had the chance to meet them, and thus I know little about them. However, the third-ranked one is truly remarkable—he has already reached the peak of Battle King strength and is exceptionally skilled in alchemy, widely regarded as the foremost alchemist in the Black Angle Region. Most people respectfully refer to him as the "Alchemist Emperor"...' Domah mused. 'The title "Alchemist Emperor"—indeed, quite impressive.' Xiao Yan smiled faintly. 'What is his actual name?' "Hmm, I'm thinking... it's probably Han Feng," Domah tilted her head, smiling. "Pfft!" As soon as Domah finished speaking, the fingers of Xiao Yan, concealed within his sleeve, suddenly trembled violently. A surge of pale, intense flames erupted from the black ring on his finger, eventually searing a small hole through the wooden plating beneath his lowered hand. The sudden change in the ring caused Xiao Yan's expression to subtly shift, though fortunately, the sleeve masked the disturbance, so Domah remained unaware of the incident. "Teacher, what's wrong with you?" Xiao Yan gently stroked the dark ring, murmuring to himself. The ring's unusual reaction clearly stemmed from the sudden surge of emotion within the elderly herbalist. However, the herbalist offered no response at all—now seemingly completely still and silent. Feeling the complete silence of the old pharmacist, Xiao Yan wisely chose not to press further, though deep within his mind, he firmly etched the name Han Feng—perhaps this person held a significant connection with the previous old pharmacist. "Mr. Yao Yan, are you alright?" observing the sudden change in Xiao Yan's expression, the man across from him, Doma, felt a bit uneasy. "I'm fine," Xiao Yan replied, just as he was about to speak, when he suddenly noticed commotion outside the carriage. A series of exclamations reached them through the vehicle: "Everyone pay attention—the Black Storm is approaching! Hurry and prepare to stop. Stay together, or else you'll lose your way." "The Black Storm? Truly unfortunate—we've encountered it again." Hearing the voices outside, Doma's face slightly tightened, though he wasn't overly alarmed. Turning to Xiao Yan, he said, "Mr. Yao, let's get off the carriage now. As long as we maintain our defenses, this rather moderate Black Storm won't pose a serious threat." Nodding, Xiao Yan lifted the carriage curtain and stepped down. Looking up, he noticed that just a few minutes ago the sky had been clear, but now it was entirely obscured by an eerie black mist. His view ahead was severely obstructed. Now he finally understood why Dumara had said that, should a Black Storm occur, even with a map, one would be utterly helpless. "Heh, Doctor Yao Yan, don't worry," Dumara smiled beside him, "I've felt the wind direction—it's not too strong. That's actually quite fortunate." "Although the Black Storm is one of the most frustrating weather conditions on the Black Domain Plain, it's far better than those fierce and ruthless Black Bandits. At least, when encountering a Black Storm, even if one's luck isn't the best, one can still survive. But imagine facing an army of thousands or tens of thousands of Black Bandits—then one would likely have to wait helplessly for their fate." Xiao Yan nodded slightly, just about to speak, when suddenly the already dim sky became completely dark without any prior warning. Soon after, a roaring gale surged down from the heavens, sweeping through the landscape. Some of the more frail individuals had their bodies rocked by the fierce wind, and hurriedly grasped at any nearby objects for stability. The black wind surged from the dense, oppressive sky, like a demon opening its massive maw, devouring everything in its path. The connected caravan, now arranged in a circular formation, offered shelter to the people, who clutched their weapons firmly into the ground, anchoring themselves like nails. In the featureless darkness, no one could perceive whether a person stood beside them or not, even amidst the howling wind. Half-kneeling on the ground, Xiao Yan drove the Xuanzhong Chi firmly into the earth, then hid his body behind the broad shaft. Listening to the crisp crackling sounds of the wind rushing against the scale, his face subtly changed—unaware that the so-called Black Storm was this powerful. This was even according to Damo's description of a moderate storm; imagine what would happen if it grew larger—wouldn't it be able to sweep people away entirely? The darkness and the wind persisted for an indeterminate length of time. Suddenly, Xiao Yan frowned slightly, turned his gaze toward a location in an unknown direction, where strange red glimmers seemed to pulse, accompanied by faint, muffled sounds. Blinking several times and sensing that the wind around him was gradually easing, Xiao Yan hesitated for a while, then slowly bent forward, quietly moving toward the faint red glimmers. The movement seemed to last for several minutes in the darkness, and finally, the eerie red glow appeared within Xiao Yan's line of sight. With the faint glow, Xiao Yan was startled to realize that the form emitting the red light appeared almost ethereal—yet its drifting motion reminded him somewhat of the way Yao Lao had first manifested. "Huh? This one is also a spiritual entity? Only, it seems rather weak—perhaps at the Battle Spirit level. Wait—there's something concealed in the darkness... Little one, don't move!" Suddenly, Yao Lao, who had been silent all along, seemed to have noticed something and hurriedly called out. "Jie jie... " Suddenly, an eerie, bone-chilling laughter echoed through the darkness. Then, a black chain burst forth from the dark, like a serpentine black snake, swiftly coiling around the red soul-body. "Sssss..." The chain, seemingly formed from a strange, otherworldly energy, made contact with the red soul-body, and immediately wisps of white vapor seeped out from within. A piercing, agonized cry rang out. Despite his frantic struggles and even the summoning of a vibrant red flame, the soul-body remained powerless against the black chain. As his soul grew increasingly frail, he could only watch helplessly as the chain exhaled a beam of black light, enveloping him completely. "Jie jie," the unpleasant laughter continued, fading gradually through the darkness until it vanished entirely. Amid the dark grass, Xiao Yan had nearly completely silenced his breathing, his clothes drenched in cold sweat. He hadn't expected to encounter that mysterious organization pursuing the Medic Hermit within this black storm. What struck Xiao Yan most profoundly was that the mysterious figure had not even revealed his form—the very soul body of a Du Ling cultivator had been effortlessly captured without putting up any resistance. Such power was truly astonishing.